No Maoist activities reported in Odisha’s Malkangiri, Koraput districts in past 3 years: BSF

No Maoist activities were reported in Odisha’s Malkangiri and Koraput over the last three years because of the deployment of Border Security Force (BSF) in both the districts, said IG (Odisha) BSF DK Sharma said on Thursday.

Briefing reporters a day before the 59th BSF Raising day, Sharma said five battalions of the force were deployed in the two Maoist-hit districts in 2010 following a series of violence incidents. Later, the force was also deployed at Rayagada and Nabarangpur districts, he said.

”The Rayagada unit was moved to Kandhamal in January 2023. Since then, no naxal activity has been reported in the area,” the IG said.

”Currently, Maoist activities are being reported from the districts of Kalahandi, Nuapada, Kalahandi and Boudh. In these districts, the ultras move in very small groups and whenever the forces reach raid their hideouts, they flee to remote areas,” he said.

He said the force is also assisting the state government in implementation of development projects such construction of roads, bridges, schools, power plants and mobile towers in inaccessible and Maoist-hit areas in Malkangiri, Koraput and Kandhamal districts.

Since its deployment in the state, the BSF with the help of Odisha Police have killed 65 Maoists and arrested 793.