Border Security Force (BSF) Inspector General Satish Chandra Budakoti has been put in-charge of anti-Naxal operations in Odisha.
Naxal affected districts in Odisha, numbering around 10, include Koraput, Malkangiri, Rayagada, Balangir, Kandhamal and Sundargarh. Security presence has been increased in these regions and around, sources said.
Budakoti, who led several difficult operations in the insurgency prone regions of Punjab, North-East besides anti-terrorist operations in Jammu and Kashmir, had also been with the United Nations mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina. He has also commanded core sectors on the Line of Control and had a stint in the Intelligence Bureau.
Budakoti, who hails from Pauri-Garhwal, Uttarakhand, has also served in the National Security Guard (12 SRG) and commanded Z plus security around VVIPs including former Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani and Narendra Modi when he was the Chief Minister of Gujarat. Son of a former army officer, he was decorated with the President’s medal in 2009.