Bhubaneswar: Odisha Director General of Police (DGP) Yogesh Bahadur Khurania concluded a two-day visit to Boudh, Kandhamal and Ganjam districts, holding a series of high-level meetings to review the law and order situation, anti-Maoist operations, and the state’s ongoing crackdown on ganja cultivation and smuggling.
On Friday, the DGP toured Boudh district, where he conferred with senior officers on key policing challenges. Continuing his visit on Saturday, Khurania reached Kandhamal district and inspected the COB and CRPF camps at Penamala. He interacted with SOG team leaders and DVF jawans, taking stock of ground realities in Maoist-affected pockets.
Emphasising the need for an intensified push against Left Wing Extremism, Khurania urged officers to work towards making Boudh, Kandhamal and Ganjam “completely Naxal-free and ganja-free.” He lauded the district police for their crucial contributions in past anti-Maoist operations and stressed that these efforts would be further strengthened in the coming days.
The DGP directed senior officers to formulate a fresh, area-specific strategy to curb Maoist activities. He also instructed the police to identify and destroy ganja cultivation zones and prepare a comprehensive blueprint to stop smuggling networks operating in the region.
Later in the day, Khurania visited the Bhanjanagar subdivision in Ganjam district, where he reviewed the prevailing law and order situation and advised officers to intensify efforts to control crime and maintain public safety.
Additional Director General of Police (Anti-Naxal Operations) Sanjeeb Panda, IG (Southern Range) Neeti Shekhar, IG (Operations) Deepak Kumar, Rayagada SP Swathi S. Kumar, Kandhamal SP Harish B.C., Ganjam SP Shubhendu Patra, and senior officials from the BSF and CRPF accompanied the DGP during the tour.
