Bhubaneswar, March 29 Odisha DGP YB Khurania said on Sunday that 77 Maoists have surrendered to the police in the state between January 2025 and March this year.
Speaking to reporters during his visit to the Kandhamal district, Khurania said that 23 Maoists from the state had also surrendered to the police in neighboring Chhattisgarh during the period.
He further said that 27 Maoists have been killed in clashes with security forces in the state since January 2025.
"Of these, 17 Maoists were killed during a joint operation by the police of Odisha and Chhattisgarh in the border areas of the Nuapada (Odisha) and Gariaband (Chhattisgarh) districts on January 25, 2025," he said.
Currently, only a small group of Maoists is active in the border regions of the Kandhamal, Rayagada, and Nuapada districts, the DGP said.
"We are making all efforts and continuing operations to apprehend them," he added.
Khurania appealed to the Maoists to abandon violence and surrender to join the mainstream.
"Otherwise, they will have to face the security forces," he said.
He added that the state government has a good surrender and rehabilitation policy for Maoists.
"I expect the remaining Maoists to surrender to the police. Otherwise, the security forces will take appropriate action," the DGP warned.
