Two Left Wing Extremists were killed in an exchange of fire with the security forces in Odisha’s Kandhamal district, while one AK-47 rifle fitted with an Under Barrel Grenade Launcher (UBGL) was recovered from Maoists.
“It was a major success against Maoist insurgents on Sunday (February 22, 2026) with the neutralisation of two armed cadres, one deputy Platoon Commander Jagesh and party member Ratna, in an exchange of fire in the Nandabali Protected Reserve Forest under the Raikia police limits,” Sanjeeb Panda, Additional Director General of Police for Anti Maoist Operations, said on Monday (February 23, 2026).
According to the police, Kandhamal Superintendent of Police Harisha B.C. led a joint anti-Maoist operation with 11 teams of the Special Operations Group (SOG), two teams of the Central Reserve Police Force and one District Voluntary Force. They launched an operation based on an actionable intelligence that Maoists were camping in the area and threatening tribals with death on suspicion of being police informers.
The Naxals are receding. Now what?
“Police recovered one AK-47 rifle fitted with an Under Barrel Grenade Launcher (UBGL), six UBGL grenades, one 7.62 mm Self-Loading Rifle (SLR) with magazines, along with a large quantity of ammunition, medicines, walkie talkie and Maoist materials from the encounter site,” Mr. Panda said.
