According to the police, three security personnel have been injured in the operation— File: Photo/AFP
Chhattisgarh: In the Indian state of Chhattisgarh, 29 Maoist rebels were killed in a clash with security forces.
According to a report by news agency AFP, long-standing violence is ongoing in Chhattisgarh and the killings in clashes with security forces are one of many bloody incidents in the state.
The clashes between security forces and Maoist rebels took place in the outskirts of Chhattisgarh where ongoing violence has led to multiple bloody incidents.
All 29 Maoist rebels were killed in the district of Kanker in southern Chhattisgarh, Raipur state.
According to the report, security has been increased in Chhattisgarh in light of the long general elections starting on Friday in India.
District police chief Ayyi Lelayla confirmed the number of deaths stating that the operation against the rebels was carried out jointly by the paramilitary Border Security Force and the police.
He said that in the operation, one BSF personnel and one officer from Kanker police were injured and a large number of weapons, including automatic firearms, were recovered from the rebels’ possession.
Earlier, Ayyi Lelayla had mentioned that rebel commander Shankar Rao was among the deceased, whose head was set at a reward of 3 lakh dollars.
In their statement, the BSF mentioned that the operation was launched on Monday based on confidential information about the movement of Maoist rebels in the village of Bhanganda.
Inspector General of Police Sandraj Patilengam from the district police of Bastar informed AFP that three personnel of government forces were injured in this operation, but their condition is stable.
It is worth noting that the Maoist rebels in Chhattisgarh, who are often called Naxalites, are fighting for the betterment of the areas and impoverished regions and their activities have been ongoing since 1967.
The clash with Maoist rebels in Chhattisgarh is the second operation of the ongoing month, as on April 2, 13 rebels were killed.
According to police statistics, a total of 80 Maoist rebels have been killed in the state so far this year.
India has deployed thousands of security personnel in the ‘Red Corridor’ region, the central, southern, and eastern states, to combat Maoist rebels, who have been launching attacks on Indian government forces for years.