To strengthen anti-Naxal efforts, three additional Odisha Special Striking Force (OSSF) battalions comprising ex-army personnel were raised and 3,009 posts sanctioned.
Odisha Achieves Naxal-Free Status, Says Outgoing DGP Yogesh Bahadur: Odisha Police has recorded significant achievements in law and order, anti-Naxal operations, drug control, women and child safety, cybercrime, coastal security and police modernisation between August 2024 and July 2026, outgoing Director General of Police Yogesh Bahadur Khurania said on Sunday.
Addressing a press conference at Police Bhawan, Khurania said Odisha was officially declared Naxal-free on March 31, 2026. The milestone was achieved through coordinated operations by the Odisha Police and Central Security Forces. Over past two years, 29 hardcore Maoists, including Central Committee members Chalapati and Ganesh Uike, were killed, 83 Maoists surrendered and 15 were arrested. Security forces also seized 176 weapons and 159 IEDs. Large-scale surrenders in Malkangiri, Rayagada, Kandhamal and Kalahandi between December 2025 and March 2026 further highlighted the success of the campaign.
To strengthen anti-Naxal efforts, three additional Odisha Special Striking Force (OSSF) battalions comprising ex-army personnel were raised and 3,009 posts sanctioned. Risk allowance for security forces was enhanced, while the revised Surrender and Rehabilitation Policy offers a maximum incentive of ₹1.20 crore, encouraging many cadres to abandon violence and join the mainstream.
On the anti-drug front, the ‘Nisha Mukta Odisha Abhiyan’ and ‘Operation Prahar’ led to the seizure and destruction of drugs worth about ₹4,195 crore. Police registered 4,892 NDPS cases and arrested 5,376 people. A record 64,022 acres of illegal ganja cultivation was destroyed, resulting in 1,395 cases and 48 arrests. Seizures included 4,42,513 kg of ganja (estimated value ₹2,211 crore), 28.53 kg of brown sugar (₹56.9 crore) and 1,61,624 bottles of illegal cough syrup (₹16.16 crore). NDPS cases rose 23.8% in the first six months of 2026, reflecting intensified enforcement.
Overall crime figures showed a downward trend. Compared with 2024, there was a 30.2% decline in 2025 and a 25.6% decline in 2026. Between January and June 2026, rape cases fell 22.8%, dacoity 14.2%, theft 8.6%, rioting 4.4%, murder 2.9% and housebreaking 0.8%. Core non-enforcement cognizable crime decreased 3.4%.
Enforcement cases, however, rose sharply by 87.5%.Conviction rates improved markedly. The conviction rate under the Indian Penal Code between July 2024 and December 2025 stood at 87.6%. The state’s overall conviction rate reached a record 37.9% in 2025. Between July 2024 and June 2026, 1,75,329 trials were completed and 57,881 accused convicted.
Police also continued action against illegal arms and mineral smuggling. Under the Arms Act, 2,674 cases were registered and 3,388 people arrested, with 910 weapons (including AK-47, INSAS and SLR) and 1,435 rounds of ammunition seized. Against illegal mineral mining, 7,079 cases were registered and 2,007 people arrested. Special drives led to the execution of 34,978 non-bailable warrants and 44,036 warrants overall.
Women and child safety remained a priority. Under ‘Operation Anweshan-2’, police traced 5,451 missing persons (786 children and 4,665 women) were traced in just 10 days in January 2026. In 2025, 19,211 missing women were traced, exceeding the 17,747 reported missing during the year.
Crimes against women witnessed a significant declined across categories with dowry deaths by 37.9%, public misbehaviour by 36.4%, suicide by 23.1% and torture cases by 10.9%. Khurania said these sustained initiatives have strengthened the Odisha Police as an efficient, proactive, responsible and modern force.
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