Bhubaneswar: The appointment of Shri Sanjeeb Panda, a 1994 batch IPS officer, as the Additional Director General (ADG) of Anti Naxal Operations in July 2025, marked a decisive turning point for internal security in Odisha. Taking the helm during a volatile period when Maoists were hyperactive—boldly hijacking five trucks of explosives—Tough Cop Shri Panda was tasked with neutralizing a significant threat to the state.
Working in tandem with a specialized team, including IG Operation Dr. Deepak Kumar and DIG SIW Shri Akhilesvar Singh, this coordinated leadership has resulted in a historic victory. In an address to Parliament on 31 March, the Honourable Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah officially declared Odisha as “Naxal Mukta,” a major milestone ADG Shri Sanjeeb Panda dedicated to the supreme sacrifice of the state’s martyrs.
The success of the 2025 and 2026 campaigns is reflected in the systematic dismantling of the Maoist ecosystem. Security forces successfully removed 164 Maoists from active operations through a combination of 27 neutralizations, 9 arrests, and 120 surrenders. Among those neutralized were two central committee members, with a single joint operation in Gariyabandh accounting for 17 insurgents. The pressure from the Odisha Police was so extensive that 42 Maoists, including two state committee members, chose to surrender to neighboring Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh authorities rather than face continued operations within Odisha. This operational excellence was supported by a surrender and rehabilitation policy enacted by the Honourable Chief Minister, which Anti Naxal Operations Chief Shri Panda described as the best in the country.
The geographic shift in Naxal influence under this leadership has been dramatic. While 21 districts were gripped by Naxalism at its peak in 2012, and nine districts remained affected at the start of 2025, the presence of Maoists has now been completely eliminated in eight of those final strongholds. Districts including Malkangiri, Koraput, Bolangir, Baudh, Nuapada, Nawarangpur, Rayagada, and Kalahandi are now free of insurgent presence. Currently, only a small remnant of approximately eight to nine Naxals remains in Kandhamal district.
ADG Shri Panda noted that local support has vanished and recruitment within the state has stopped entirely, signaling the end of the Maoist ideology in the region.
While celebrating this phenomenal success, ADG Shri Sanjeeb Panda paid a solemn homage to the 239 security personnel and 359 civilians who lost their lives during the long conflict. The fallen officers included 142 from the Odisha Police, as well as personnel from the CRPF, BSF, CISF, and neighboring state police forces.
To ensure this hard-won peace is maintained and that activities do not revive, security forces will remain deployed for at least two more years. With the official surrender deadline now expired, the focus of the SOG, DVF, CRPF, BSF, and SIW has shifted to hunting down the final remaining insurgents in Kandhamal until complete success is achieved.