31 Maoists, two Indian soldiers killed in gunfight

NEW DELHI: At least 31 Maoist rebels and two Indian commandos were killed in a gunfight in the dense jungles of central India on Sunday, as security forces ramp up efforts to crush the long-running insurgency.

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.

The gunfight broke in the forested areas of Bijapur district in the state of Chhattisgarh, considered the heartland of the insurgency. “This is a big success in the direction of achieving a Naxal-free India,” said Amit Shah, India´s home minister, who last year said the government expected to crush the rebellion by 2026.

A crackdown by security forces has killed some 287 rebels in the past year, an overwhelming majority in Chhattisgarh, according to government data. The Maoists demand land, jobs and a share of the region´s immense natural resources for local residents. 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.