Bhubaneswar/Phulbani, February 25 A wanted Maoist leader is alleged to have killed his commander, Anwesh, who was carrying a reward of Rs 22 lakh, after Anwesh intended to surrender to the Odisha Police, a senior officer said on Wednesday.
Police in the Kandhamal district exhumed the decomposed body of Anwesh, also known as Renu, at the Pakari reserve forest area under the Daringbadi police station limit on Wednesday.
He was allegedly killed by notorious Naxal leader Sukru, the most wanted rebel in the state, on January 29.
"It has been confirmed that Anwesh was killed by Sukru and his associates when the former was preparing to surrender to the Odisha police along with other Maoist cadres," Kandhamal SP Harish BC told
Anwesh, originally from Sukma in neighbouring Chhattisgarh, was a divisional committee member (DVCM) and military platoon commander of the KKBN (Kalahandi-Kandhamal-Boudh-Nayagarh) Division, and he carried a bounty of Rs 22 lakh, police said.
The SP said that the body was exhumed following strict legal protocols in the presence of the executive magistrate and has been shifted to MKCG Medical College & Hospital in Berhampur for post-mortem examination and forensic analysis.
"Anwesh's decision to surrender was opposed by the leadership. It is believed that Sukru, a State Zonal Committee Member (SZCM), carried out the murder with the assistance of DVCM Sila and ACM (area committee member) Jagesh," police said.
Jagesh was neutralized in an exchange of fire with security forces on February 22 in the Nandabali Reserve Forest area in Kandhamal district.
The SP said that a formal case has been registered at the Daringbadi police station regarding the killing of Anwesh.
He said that the Kandhamal Police are currently in communication with the deceased's family members in Chhattisgarh to facilitate the necessary legal formalities and the handover of the body.
"We have issued a phone number for the young people still associated with the Maoist group. We appeal to them to surrender and take advantage of the state government's surrender and rehabilitation scheme," the SP said.
Top officials involved in the anti-naxal operation in Odisha said that the incident exposes the internal conflicts within Maoist groups over surrender before the police by March 31, 2026.
It is also suspected that Sukru and his associates eliminated Anwesh in an attempt to instill fear among those contemplating surrender.