Bhubaneswar: Two women Maoists were killed during a combined operation by the security personnel of Odisha, Chhattisgarh, and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) at Kularighat reserve forest in the neighbouring state’s Gariabandh district on Monday. The encounter site is about five km from Odisha‘s Nuapada district border.
The operation followed a day after chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi’s review of left-wing extremism (LWE) situation in the state, during which he instructed police force to pursue the Centre’s goal of eliminating Maoist presence in India by 2026.

Director general of police (DGP) Y B Khurania stated that specific intelligence input about Maoist presence along the Nuapada-Chhattisgarh border prompted the joint operation. “The special operation group (Odisha police), along with E-30 force of Chhattisgarh police and CRPF surrounded the area and instructed the Maoists to surrender their weapons. The Maoists started firing at the security personnel, who then retaliated,” Khurania said.
According to Nuapada SP Gundala Reddy Raghavendra, the confrontation escalated when Maoists opened fire on security forces while attempting to flee into the forest. “Names and other details of the two deceased Naxals are under verification. The subsequent search operation led to the recovery of significant arms and ammunition,” Reddy said.
Police sources said the deceased belonged to Chhattisgarh. Senior officials said recent decisions to conduct joint operations along the Odisha-Chhattisgarh border aim to restrict cross-border movement. Seven Maoist-affected districts in Odisha — Bargarh, Koraput, Malkangiri, Kalahandi, Nabarangpur, Nuapada and Balangir — share borders with Chhattisgarh.
Chief minister Majhi recently sought additional forces and helicopter assistance from the Centre to counter possible Maoist infiltration from Chhattisgarh, following recent successful operations against Naxals there.
Currently, 69 companies of CAPF (Central Reserve Police Force and Border Security Force), each with 110 personnel, are deployed across Malkangiri, Koraput, Nuapada, Kandhamal, Boudh, Balangir and Bargarh districts. Officials indicate that roughly 90% of Maoist operatives in Odisha are from Chhattisgarh.
Last year, the state recorded the death of six Maoists. Eight rebels were arrested and 24 had surrendered, police data disclosed.