Indian forces kill 31 suspected Maoist rebels in Chhattisgarh state

Al Jazeera:

Indian security forces have killed at least 31 suspected Maoist rebels in the forests of the central state of Chhattisgarh, police said, in its biggest encounter this year.

Two security personnel were also killed while two others sustained injuries in the gun battle in Indravati area of Chhattisgarh on Sunday.

Hundreds of police and paramilitary soldiers launched an operation in the forests based on intelligence that a large number of Maoist rebels had gathered there, state police Inspector General Pattilingam Sundarraj said.

He said the toll could be higher with search operations expanding. “Additional forces have been rushed to the encounter site,” he said.

Automatic weapons and grenade launchers were recovered from the scene, a police statement said.

The Maoist rebels, also known as Naxals, follow a form of communism propagated by the late Chinese leader Mao Zedong. They have waged a guerrilla-style war against the government, particularly in central and eastern India, for decades, leading to periodic clashes and casualties on both sides.

“This is a big success in the direction of achieving a Naxal-free India,” said India’s Home Minister Amit Shah, who last year said the government expected to crush the Maoist rebellion by 2026.