International
Indian Forces Kill 31 Maoist Rebels in Chhattisgarh State
- Security forces kill at least 31 Maoist rebels in Chhattisgarh’s biggest encounter of the year.
- Two security personnel dead, two injured in intense gun battle in Indravati area.
- Government intensifies crackdown on Naxal insurgency, aiming for a “Naxal-free India” by 2026.
At least 31 suspected Maoist rebels were killed in a large-scale operation by Indian security forces in the dense forests of Chhattisgarh, marking the biggest counterinsurgency success this year, according to police.
The gun battle, which erupted in the Indravati area on Sunday, also left two security personnel dead and two others wounded. Acting on intelligence that a significant number of Maoist insurgents had assembled in the region, hundreds of police officers and paramilitary soldiers launched a coordinated assault, state police Inspector General Pattilingam Sundarraj confirmed.
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“The toll could be higher as search operations are still ongoing. Additional forces have been deployed to the encounter site,” Sundarraj said. A police statement reported the recovery of automatic weapons and grenade launchers from the scene.
The Maoist rebels, also known as Naxals, adhere to an ideology inspired by Chinese leader Mao Zedong and have been engaged in a decades-long guerrilla war against the Indian government, particularly in central and eastern India.
India’s Home Minister Amit Shah hailed the operation as a significant step towards eradicating the insurgency. “This is a big success in the direction of achieving a Naxal-free India,” he said, reiterating the government’s goal of crushing the movement by 2026.
Sunday’s clash was the most intense so far this year and follows two other major encounters in Chhattisgarh within the past month. On January 23, security forces killed at least 16 Maoist fighters in the state’s Gariband district, with government records indicating that 12 of them had bounties on their heads totaling $345,000. Another eight rebels were killed in Bijapur district on January 31.
New Delhi has deployed tens of thousands of troops across the “Red Corridor,” a Maoist stronghold spanning several states. Government data shows that at least 287 rebels have been killed in counterinsurgency operations over the past year, most of them in Chhattisgarh.
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The Maoist insurgency began in 1967 as a movement demanding better jobs, land rights, and wealth distribution for marginalized Indigenous communities. Years of government neglect and lack of economic development have fueled support for the rebels among tribal populations, who often lack access to education, healthcare, and employment.
The rebels have carried out numerous attacks on police and government infrastructure, including ambushes, prison raids, and train bombings. They have also looted weapons from security forces to strengthen their armed struggle.
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