Patnaik told the Assembly that the highest number of four BSF personnel were killed in an ambush in Koraput district, while 13 Maoists were gunned down in Malkangiri district.
Besides Malkangiri, Maoists were also killed in five other districts. Four of them were gunned down in Rayagada district and one each were killed in Koraput, Bolangir, Baragarh and Gajapati districts.
Of the 87 ultras who surrendered this year, 65 came from Malkangiri district, followed by 9 in Koraput district and five in Rayagada district, Patnaik said. Two others surrendered in Nabarangpur, while one each surrendered in Kandhamal, Gajapati, Sundergarh, Keonjhar, Sambalpur and Dhenkanal.