Indian security forces engaged in fierce clashes with Maoist rebels on Sunday in Chhattisgarh’s Abujhmarh district, a hotspot of the long-standing insurgency. The confrontation resulted in the deaths of at least four guerillas and one police constable.
The Naxalite movement, which has claimed over 10,000 lives since its inception in 1967, fights for the rights of marginalized indigenous populations in India’s resource-rich central regions. Government efforts to suppress this decades-long conflict intensified last year, with 287 rebels reportedly killed in 2024 alone.
Police inspector general P. Sunderraj confirmed the recovery of four bodies of Maoists in battle uniforms and noted that operations against the rebels were ongoing. The government has arrested around 1,000 suspected Naxalites this year, with 837 voluntarily surrendering.
In September, India’s interior minister, Amit Shah, issued a stark warning to the rebels, urging them to surrender or face an “all-out” offensive, with ambitions to quell the insurgency by early 2026. The Naxalite movement, inspired by Mao Zedong, initially gained traction by advocating for land, jobs, and a share of local resources, particularly in the “Red Corridor.”
In recent years, authorities have invested heavily in local infrastructure and social programs to counter the Naxalite influence and reduce the insurgency’s geographic reach.
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