SAA event in Odisha, Phulbani, Kandhamal District area, India on Wed 11th March 2026

On March 11, ten cadres of the banned Communist Party of India–Maoist (CPI-Maoist), including a State Committee Member (SCM), surrendered before senior officials of the Odisha Police and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) at the Reserve Police Lines in Phulbani in Kandhamal District of Odisha, reports The New Indian Express. It was reported that the most senior among them, Sanu Pottam alias Nitu (48), an SCM of the Kandhamal-Kalahandi-Boudh-Nayagarh (KKBN) Division carrying a reward of INR 5.5 million, had joined the outfit in 1997 and was involved in 11 cases across Odisha and Chhattisgarh. Another senior cadre, Santaei Salam alias Anupa (45), a Divisional Committee Member (DCM) carrying a reward of INR 2.2 million, also surrendered along with eight others. The cadres handed over 10 firearms, including INSAS (Indian Small Arms System) assault rifles, Self-Loading Rifles (SLRs), .303 rifles and other weapons. Police stated that about 25 armed Maoist cadres remain active in border areas of Kandhamal, Kalahandi and Rayagada Districts.