Bhubaneswar: A total of 48 Maoists have been eliminated in Odisha in the past five years, while 78 have been arrested and 82 have surrendered, governor Hari Babu Kambhampati told the Assembly on Tuesday, underscoring the govt’s commitment to sustained action against Left-wing extremism.He said the state had achieved “significant success” in tackling Maoist activities through sustained operational and administrative measures, resulting in a marked improvement in the overall security situation.The governor said 25 Maoists were killed in 2025, including 17 in joint operations with Chhattisgarh police, CRPF and CoBRA along the Nuapada (Odisha)-Gariyabandh (Chhattisgarh) border. In the same year, nine cadres were arrested and 29 surrendered. Security forces also seized large quantities of arms, ammunition, explosives and other incriminating materials, he added.The Centre has set March 31 as the deadline for making the country Naxal-free. Kandhamal remains the only district in Odisha — and one among just eight in the country — where Maoist presence continues to be reported, as per a recent reply in Lok Sabha by Union minister of state for home Nityanand Rai.Kambhampati said the state govt has undertaken major institutional expansion to strengthen policing between July 2024 and Dec 2025. This includes creation of three battalions of the Odisha Special Striking Force, three units of the Odisha Industrial Security Force, 10 new Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Forceunits, 21 cyber and economic offences police stations, and a new police district at Rairangpur.
