Maoist killed colleague to stop him from surrendering, buried body in Kandhamal forest

Anvesh's body was recovered by Kandhamal police following specific inputs about the location in the Tarabadi forest area.

Updated on: Feb 25, 2026, 21:31:05 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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Bhubaneswar: A Maoist in Kandhamal district who wanted to surrender was allegedly killed by a fellow Maoist last month, police said on Wednesday.

The body of Anvesh, a divisional committee member of the Maoists' KKBN division who carried a ₹22 lakh bounty, was recovered from the Tarabadi forest under Daringbadi police limits on Wednesday.

Kandhamal superintendent of police Harish BC said Anvesh was killed by state committee member Shukru on January 29 after it emerged that he planned to lay down arms under the state government's surrender policy.

"Anvesh was killed by Shukru, a state committee member and the highest ranked Maoist operating inside Odisha. After killing him, Shukru buried the body in the forest under Daringbadi police limits. Police later exhumed the body and conducted a post-mortem which confirmed his identity. A murder case has been registered at Daringbadi police station," said the SP.

Anvesh's body was recovered by Kandhamal police following specific inputs about the location in the Tarabadi forest area.

Police said the killing points to deepening fissures among the Maoists as the state government's surrender policy continues to draw cadres away from the outfit.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

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