31 Maoists killed in India's largest anti-rebel operation

31 Maoists killed in India's largest anti-rebel operation

Indian police authorities have killed 31 suspected Maoist rebels in what is described as the "biggest ever operation" against the long-running insurgency. It took security forces 21 days to arrest the rebels on the border of the states of Chhattisgarh and Telangana in central India, Home Minister Amit Shah said on Wednesday.

Historic breakthrough in anti-Maoist operation

Shah describes the operation as a “historic breakthrough.” He explained that security forces carried out the "biggest ever operation" against the rebels, killing 31 of them in Karreguttalu Hill, an area known as a Mao base. Indian authorities have been fighting Maoist groups, also known as Naxalites, active in several central and northern states since 1967.

Br and courage from the security forces

“Our security forces completed this largest anti-Naxal operation in just 21 days and I am extremely happy that there was not a single security officer injured in this operation,” Shah wrote on X, congratulating the soldiers for their “courage and bravery.” According to one opinion According to the Interior Ministry, 214 Naxal hideouts and bunkers were destroyed and hundreds of explosives were seized during the searches.

Origin and destination of the Naxalites

Maoists in India are named after Naxalbari, a village in the state of West Bengal where they emerged in the late 1960s. Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised the operation in one post on

Criticism of the government's harsh approach

The Indian government has cracked down on areas where Maoist groups are active. While this appears to reduce the threat, it has been criticized by some observers as disproportionate and vulnerable to abuse. According to Interior Ministry data, the number of acts of violence committed by rebels fell from 1,936 in 2010 to 374 in 2024. The total number of deaths among civilians and security forces also fell by 85% during this period.

Life in Maoist-influenced areas

But villagers living in Maoist-held areas are largely cut off from the country's fast-growing economy and live in fear - both of rebels who recruit their children and of violent government raids. Some villagers in Chhattisgarh told CNN that they were forced to pay taxes to the Maoists or face ill-treatment or even torture.

Increase in violence in 2021

At least 31 suspected Maoist rebels and two police officers were killed in February, in what police described as the deadliest clash this year. In 2021, 22 members of the Indian security forces were killed and 31 others were injured in a four-hour shootout with insurgents.

The operation against the Maoists highlights one of the key challenges facing India and raises questions about the humanitarian conditions in these regions.