Berhampur (Odisha) [India], February 7 : In a significant breakthrough for anti-insurgency operations, four active Maoist cadres, including three women, surrendered before Southern Range Inspector General (IG) Niti Shekhar at the Police Reserve Office in Berhampur on Friday.
During the press briefing by IG Niti Shekhar, he said, "Today, four members of the CPI (Maoist) KKBN division have surrendered before the Kandhamal Police.Out of these four, three are women, and one is a man. All of them originally hail from various districts in Chhattisgarh, including Sukma, Bijapur, and Dantewada. They have been involved in several violent encounters and criminal cases. However, due to the intensified anti-Maoist operations by the Odisha Police and the attractive surrender and rehabilitation policy of the State Government, they decided to join the mainstream. I am also pleased to announce that with these ongoing efforts, Boudh district has now become completely Maoist-free completely. We expect Kandhamal district to be Naxal-free very soon as well."
Ganga Kunjami, a surrendered Maoist, said, "We were working with the KKBN division. We realised that there is no future in this path of violence. Our leaders have also died in recent operations. The police operations in the forests have become very intense, and we can no longer hide. We observed that many others are surrendering and seeking government assistance. We decided to proceed. I want to tell my other friends who are still in the jungle: please leave the path of violence, come out, and surrender to the police. The government will help you start a new life."
Earlier, Odisha DGP Yogesh Bahadur Khurania, on the surrender of the top leader of Maoists, said, "Top Maoist leaders Niranjan Rout alias Nikhil and Rashmita Lenka aka Indu, along with 13 others surrender before the Rayagada police. 4 Maoist surrender before the Kandhamal police. Odisha police got success in 2025. The deadline is in March 2026.
Previously, in Malkangiri, Odisha, an underground CPI (Maoist) cadre renounced violence and joined the mainstream before the Malkangiri Police. In a major blow to the banned CPI (Maoist) organisation, one ACM (Area Committee Member) rank underground CPI (Maoist) cadre renounces violence and joins the mainstream before the Malkangiri Police. During the surrender, the cadre also laid down one SLR rifle, 12 rounds of 7.62 mm ammunition and other articles.
The surrendered cadre formally renounced violence, severed all links with extremist activities, and opted to join the mainstream of society, expressing faith in the democratic process.
This surrender of an operational and ideological CPI (Maoist) leader marks a final blow to CPI (Maoist) cadres in Malkangiri, making the Malkangiri District Naxal-free.