Bhubaneswar, February 26: A violent internal dispute among Maoists over the possibility of surrender has resulted in the murder of a platoon commander, Anwesh, by his own leader, Sukru. According to Odisha Police, Anwesh, along with 12 other Maoists operating in the Kandhamal region, had expressed a desire to surrender to the authorities. However, this move was opposed by Sukru, who ultimately decided to kill Anwesh.

Sukru, refusing to accept the surrender, took the life of Anwesh—who had a reward of Rs 27.5 lakh on his head—and buried his body. The police later recovered the remains. Speaking to ANI, ADG-Police of Anti-Naxal Operations, Sanjeeb Panda, confirmed the incident.

He stated, "The Sukru group has killed Anwesh and buried his body. Security forces launched a search and found the body. Anwesh was the platoon commander and second-in-command to Sukru. He had a reward of Rs 27.5 lakh. Despite Anwesh and his team’s intent to surrender, the Sukru group opposed it and killed him."

Panda also appealed to Maoists to abandon violence and reintegrate into society. "I urge Maoists to renounce violence and join the mainstream, and we will provide them with all the rehabilitation assistance as part of our policy," he added.

In a separate development, two Maoists were killed in an encounter with security forces near the Indravati River in Chhattisgarh earlier that day. Several weapons, including an SLR rifle, an INSAS rifle, and a 12-bore rifle, were recovered, along with explosives. The operation was launched based on intelligence reports about Maoist presence in the area.

Bijapur SP Dr. Jitendra Yadav provided further details, saying, "A joint team initiated an anti-Maoist operation in the Indravati River area of Bijapur district. The encounter led to the death of two uniformed Maoists. The search also yielded weapons, explosives, and other Maoist-related material."

The security forces have intensified their efforts with an ongoing search operation in the region.