Security forces in Odisha scored a significant success against left-wing extremism on Wednesday, gunning down two wanted Maoists from neighboring Chhattisgarh in a fierce exchange of fire in the dense forests of Kandhamal district. The eliminated insurgents were carrying a combined cash reward of nearly Rs 24 lakh on their heads.
Details of the Gumma Forest Operation
The encounter unfolded in the Gumma forest area, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Belghar police station in Kandhamal. Acting on precise intelligence inputs provided by the state's Special Intelligence Wing (SIW), a joint team of security personnel engaged the ultras. The deceased have been identified as Bari, who also went by the name Rakesh, hailing from Sukma, and Amrit from Bijapur district in Chhattisgarh.
Sanjeeb Panda, the Additional Director General (ADG) of Police for anti-naxal operations, provided details on the neutralized individuals. "Rakesh held the position of an Area Committee Member (ACM), while Amrit was a member of a Dalam (armed squad). Together, they carried a bounty of Rs 23.65 lakh," Panda stated. The security forces recovered two firearms from the encounter site.
A Sustained Blow to Maoist Influence in Odisha
This incident marks the second major encounter in Kandhamal district in 2024, bringing the total number of Naxals killed in the state this year to four. Earlier, on June 30, security forces had eliminated two other Maoists in the same district, one of whom was also an Area Committee Member.
The operation comes just a day after a separate but related development in the state's Malkangiri district, where 22 Maoists from Chhattisgarh surrendered before Odisha's Director General of Police, Y.B. Khurania, on Tuesday. These back-to-back events signal a sustained pressure campaign by security agencies.
A senior security official, commenting on the broader trend, highlighted the crippling effect on the Maoist network. "These successive encounters have severely crippled Maoist influence in Odisha," the official said. He revealed a telling statistic: over 90% of the Naxals operating in Odisha are from Chhattisgarh. The official estimated that only around 80 Maoists remain active in the entire state currently, with a mere ten of them being Odia natives.
Context of the Anti-Naxal Campaign
The state's anti-Maoist campaign has gained considerable momentum in recent months, dealing successive blows to the CPI (Maoist) leadership. The campaign has seen major successes in coordinated operations with neighboring Chhattisgarh and central forces.
Key milestones in this offensive include:
- January 21: A joint operation by Odisha, Chhattisgarh, and the CRPF eliminated top commander Chalapathi and 13 cadres in Chhattisgarh.
- May 21: CPI (Maoist) General Secretary Basavaraju, considered the chief architect of the group's expansion into Odisha, was killed along with 27 others in Chhattisgarh.
- September 11: Central Committee member and Odisha secretary (in-charge) Modem Balakrishna was killed in Chhattisgarh.
Historical data underscores the intensity of recent operations. While 128 Maoists have been killed in encounters across Odisha between 2014 and 2025, only six of those deaths occurred in 2024. The sharp increase in 2025 points to a more aggressive and intelligence-driven strategy that is yielding results in dismantling the insurgent infrastructure within the state.
