At least 14 Maoist insurgents, including a top commander, were shot dead by Indian security forces on Tuesday in what the home minister described as one of the bloodiest battles in recent memory.
According to the interior ministry, the commander who was slain was a leader with a $115,000 reward on his head who went by the names Jairam or Chalpati.
In an attempt to put a stop to the long-running war, New Delhi has increased its efforts. The clashes on Tuesday come after 12 Maoists were killed on January 16 in the forests of the Indian state of Chhattisgarh, which is also the militants’ homeland.
The rebels, who claim to be fighting for the rights of marginalized people in India’s resource-rich central regions, have slain over 10,000 people in their decades-long conflict.
Official figures for 2024 indicate that 287 rebels were slain.
The Chinese revolutionary leader Mao Zedong served as an inspiration for the rebels, who are also referred to as Naxalites after the region where their military campaign started in 1967.
“Another mighty blow to Naxalism,” Interior Minister Amit Shah said in a statement, confirming that 14 rebels had been “neutralised”.
Shah, who has set a deadline of March 2026 to defeat the rebels, said that “Naxalism is breathing its last”.
Police said reinforcements had been sent to the area.
“Forces are still inside the forest,” said Vivekananda Sinha, head of Chhattisgarh’s anti-Maoist operation.
The Maoists demand land, jobs and a share of the region’s immense natural resources for local residents.
They established themselves in several isolated areas in the east and south of India, and the movement grew in size and intensity until the early 2000s.
Tens of thousands of soldiers were subsequently stationed in the “Red Corridor” by New Delhi.
Numerous fatal attacks on government forces have also occurred during the conflict. This month, at least nine Indian troops were murdered by a roadside bomb.
*
Email *
Website
