Five people including a policeman were killed in a clash between Indian security forces and Maoist rebels in a forest area.
According to the French news agency ‘AFP’, more than 10,000 people have been killed so far in the decades-long insurgency of Naxal rebels fighting for the rights of marginalized locals in India’s resource-rich central regions.
According to Indian official data, government forces have intensified efforts last year to crush the long-running armed conflict and about 287 rebels were killed in 2024.
Clashes have resumed in the Abu Jhamr district of Chhattisgarh state since Saturday.
Inspector General of Police P. Sundarraj said that the bodies of 4 Maoists have been recovered after a clash with police forces, and the operation is still ongoing in the area.
In 2024, nearly 1,000 suspected Naxal rebels were arrested and 837 surrendered.
India’s Home Minister Amit Shah warned Maoist rebels in September to surrender or face “all forms” of attack.
The Naxals, named after the district where their campaign began in 1967, were inspired by Chinese revolutionary leader Mao Zedong and have demanded land, jobs and a share of the region’s vast natural resources for local people.
