Indian security forces killed at least 16 Maoist insurgents in a fierce gun battle on Saturday in Chhattisgarh’s Sukma district, marking a significant development in New Delhi’s ongoing efforts to dismantle the long-running insurgency.
According to police chief P. Sundarraj, the clash erupted when security forces launched a raid deep in the forests of Sukma, a known stronghold of the Maoists. “We have so far recovered 16 bodies from the Maoists,” Sundarraj told AFP, adding that the toll could rise as the operation continued. Security personnel also seized a significant cache of weapons, including rocket and grenade launchers, assault weapons, and other rifles.
The Maoist rebellion, also referred to as the “Naxalite” movement, has been an enduring conflict in India’s resource-rich central regions. Over the past decades, more than 10,000 people have lost their lives in the insurgency, which claims to fight for the rights of marginalized communities, demanding land, jobs, and a share of the region’s natural resources for local residents.
At its peak, the insurgency had between 15,000 and 20,000 armed cadres operating in a vast stretch of territory known as the “Red Corridor,” covering almost a third of India’s landmass. However, sustained counterinsurgency efforts by the government have significantly weakened the movement.
In recent years, security forces have intensified operations against the Maoists, with nearly 287 rebels killed in 2023, an overwhelming majority in Chhattisgarh. Home Minister Amit Shah has vowed to eradicate the insurgency entirely by early 2026, with more than 110 Maoists already killed in 2024. Just earlier this month, security forces shot dead 30 Maoists in two separate clashes, while another 31 were killed in a single day last month.
Despite heavy losses, Maoist rebels continue to launch deadly attacks on government forces. In January, a roadside bomb killed nine Indian troops, and in 2010, an ambush in Chhattisgarh resulted in the deaths of 76 paramilitary personnel, marking the deadliest attack on security forces in the conflict’s history.
As the insurgency dwindles, India’s security forces remain committed to their mission of eliminating the remaining Maoist strongholds and restoring peace to the affected regions.
