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4 min readBhubaneswarUpdated: Feb 26, 2026 03:01 PM IST
Sukru (right) and Anwesh (left) the deceased cadre. (Express Photo)
A plan to surrender along with 12 comrades, a rift in the organisation and questions over the survival of the armed movement in Odisha’s last Maoist bastion — that’s what police claim led to the murder of a junior Maoist commander in Kandhamal district, whose decomposed body was exhumed from a forest reserve.
The development comes as the central government’s March 31, 2026, deadline to end the insurgency looms.
The deceased has been identified as Anwesh alias Renu, a divisional committee member (DVCM) and military platoon commander of the KKBN (Kalahandi-Kandhamal-Boudh-Nayagarh) division of the outlawed CPI (Maoist) in the state, police sources said. A native of Sukma in Chhattisgarh, the 31-year-old Anwesh carried a bounty of Rs 27.5 lakh and had been operating in the KKBN area since 2021.
At the time of his death, Anwesh was the second-in-command of the KKBN area and carried an AK-47 rifle.
“According to the initial investigation, Anwesh was planning to surrender along with his entire 12-member team as the present situation is not conducive to continue in the outlawed organisation. There was a difference of opinion between Anwesh and state committee member Sukru over the surrender plan. Sukru killed him and disposed of his body in the forest,” Kandhamal SP Harisha B C told The Indian Express.
According to police, Anwesh was killed on January 29, and his body buried in the Pakiri reserve forest under Daringbadi police station limits. Intelligence reports about a body led police to exhume it; it was later identified as Anwesh, the SP said.
Anwesh’s surrender along with his 12-member team would have dealt a major blow to the left-wing extremism (LWE) movement in Odisha, which now has fewer than 30 active members, a senior police officer said.
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“If Anwesh would have surrendered with his 12-member team, it would have marked almost the end of the Maoist-movement in the state and Sukru would have left with another 10-12 active members. This could be the reason behind the killing of Anwesh,” the officer said.
The officer said the killing indicates fissures within the Maoist outfit, as many cadres want to surrender to avail state benefits while others oppose it.
While most districts have been declared ‘Naxal free’, remaining cadres are active only in Kandhamal and border areas of Kalahandi and Rayagada districts. The movement in Odisha is currently led by Sukru, a 49-year-old wanted Maoist.
Currently the state’s top Maoist leader in Odisha, Sukru alias Krishna is originally from Malkangiri, has been part of the insurgency for three decades, and carries a bounty of Rs 55 lakh.
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Speaking to The Indian Express, Sanjeeb Panda, Additional Director General (anti-Naxal operations), said the March deadline has led to intensified operations by joint security agencies — Special Operations Group, Central Reserve Police Force and Border Security Force.
“The operational teams from other districts have been diverted to Kandhamal especially in the Daringbadi and Raikia region, where Sukru and his team is expected to be hiding. We will intensify intelligence gathering and combing operations in the days to come,” Panda said.
At least two cadres, including a woman, were killed by security forces during a joint operation on Sunday in Kandhamal district.
Panda said special mobile numbers were circulated in the jungles appealing to Maoists to surrender before police, who will be rehabilitated according to policy.
Sujit Bisoyi is a Special Correspondent with the Indian Express and covers Odisha. His interests are in politics, policy and people’s stories. He tweets at @bisoyisujit87 ... Read More
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