Indian security forces killed at least 31 Maoist insurgents in a major operation in central India’s Chhattisgarh state on Sunday, police said.
State police Inspector General Pattilingam Sundarraj said the operation took place in the dense forests of the Indravati region in Bijapur district, where security forces launched an offensive based on intelligence that a large number of rebels had gathered in the area.
According to Sundarraj, the operation involved hundreds of police and paramilitary personnel. Two police officers lost their lives in the clash, and two others were injured.
Security forces recovered several automatic rifles, including AK-47s, and a cache of ammunition from the scene.
At least 31 #Maoists were gunned down by the security forces in an anti-Maoist operation in National Park jungles of #Bijapur district, #Chhattisgarh on Sunday, the police said.
Two security personnel were killed while two more sustained injuries in the gun battle.
A large… pic.twitter.com/ggwO0kLVv0
— Surya Reddy (@jsuryareddy) February 9, 2025
The Maoist insurgency, also known as the Naxalite movement, began in eastern India in the late 1960s and later spread to several central and southern states. The rebels, inspired by communist leader Mao Zedong, have waged a decades-long armed struggle seeking land rights and economic justice for marginalized tribal and rural communities.
However, sustained counterinsurgency operations by the Indian government have significantly weakened the movement in recent years.
Sunday’s operation was the largest confrontation this year and the second major anti-Maoist offensive in Chhattisgarh in less than a month.
On January 23, security forces killed 16 rebels in the state’s Gariaband district, with 12 of them carrying government bounties totaling approximately $345,000. Another eight insurgents were killed in a gunbattle in Bijapur on January 31.
Indian Home Minister Amit Shah reiterated the government’s commitment to eradicating Naxalism, saying: “We will completely eliminate Maoist extremism so that no Indian citizen has to suffer due to this insurgency.”
