AFP
- Over 10,000 killed in decades-long insurgency
- Rebels demand freedom from India
- Nine Indian soldiers were killed last month in Maoist attack
NEW DELHI: At least two Indian commandos and 31 Maoist rebels were killed in a gunfight in the dense jungles of central India Sunday.
More than 10,000 people have been killed in the decades-long insurgency waged by the rebels, who say they are fighting for the rights of marginalised Indigenous people.
“31 rebels and two security personnel are dead and two other security personnel are injured,” senior police officer Sundarraj P told AFP.
The official said the toll could be even higher as the police continue to carry out search operations in the area.
“Additional forces have been rushed to the encounter site,” he said.
Police have recovered automatic weapons and grenade launchers from the scene, a police statement said.
31 rebels and two security personnel are dead and two other security personnel are injured.” – Indian police official
The gunfight broke in the forested areas of Bijapur district in the state of Chhattisgarh, considered the heartland of the insurgency.
Maoist demands
The Maoists demand land, jobs and a share of the region’s immense natural resources for local residents through independence from India.
They made inroads in a number of remote communities across India’s east and south, and the movement gained in strength and numbers until the early 2000s.
New Delhi then deployed tens of thousands of troops in a stretch of territory known as the “Red Corridor”.
The conflict has also seen a number of deadly attacks on government forces. A roadside bomb killed at least nine Indian troops last month.
