Indian security forces kill Maoist commander, nine guerrillas in gun battle

Indian security forces have killed a senior Maoist commander along with nine other guerrillas in an armed clash, an official told AFP on September 12, as authorities intensify efforts to eliminate the decades-long insurgency.

India is carrying out a broad offensive against the remaining strongholds of the Naxalite movement, a Maoist-inspired rebellion that emerged nearly 60 years ago in the village of Naxalbari, located in the Himalayan foothills.

Since a group of villagers first revolted against local landlords in 1967, the conflict has claimed more than 12,000 lives, including rebels, soldiers, and civilians.

The latest confrontation occurred on the evening of September 11 in forested terrain along the border of Odisha and Chhattisgarh states, senior police official Vivekanand Sinha said.

“Among those killed is Modem Balkrishna, who headed the Maoist organisation in Odisha and was known by several aliases,” Sinha told AFP.

Balkrishna carried a bounty of $114,000 for his capture.

Home Minister Amit Shah, who has pledged to eradicate the Maoist insurgency by the end of March next year, praised the success of the latest operation.

“The remaining Naxalites should also surrender in time,” he urged in a social media post.

At its height in the mid-2000s, the rebellion exerted control over nearly one-third of India, fielding between 15,000 and 20,000 fighters.

In recent years, a government crackdown across the so-called “Red Corridor” has significantly weakened the insurgency. According to official figures, security forces have killed more than 400 guerrillas since last year.

In May, the group’s leader, Nambala Keshav Rao — also known as Basavaraju — was killed alongside 26 other rebels.

The conflict has also resulted in repeated deadly assaults on government forces. In one of the most recent incidents, a roadside bomb killed at least nine Indian soldiers in January.

By Tamilla Hasanova