Odisha: Nabrangpur district declared Maoist-free

Odisha’s Nabarangpur district has been declared “Naxal-free” after nine Maoists surrendered in neighbouring Chhattisgarh, PTI quoted the police as saying on Saturday.

Seven of those who surrendered were women and the group carried a combined bounty of Rs 47 lakh.

They were active in Nabarangpur and neighbouring Dhamtari district in Chhattisgarh, the police were quoted as saying.

“With their surrender, Nabarangpur district has become free from Naxal activity,” PTI quoted the police as saying in a statement.

Of Odisha’s 30 districts, Maoist activity is now confined to pockets of seven districts, PTI quoted an unidentified police officer as saying. These are Kandhamal, Kalahandi, Bolangir, Malkangiri, Koraput, Rayagada and Boudh.

On December 16, the Union government told Parliament that 2,167 “Left-wing extremists” had surrendered and 335 had been killed in the first 11 months of 2025. More than 940 had been arrested.

Overall, more than 1,800 such persons had been killed and over 16,000 had been arrested between 2014 and December 1, 2025. More than 9,580 had surrendered during the period.

The Union government has vowed to end Maoism by March 31, 2026.

In 2025, the number of “most affected” districts came down from six to three. These are Bijapur, Sukma and Narayanpur in Chhattisgarh.
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