NEW DELHI: Indian security forces on Sunday battled with Maoist rebels in their forested heartland, police said, with at least four guerillas and one policeman killed.

More than 10,000 people have died in the decades-long insurgency waged by Naxalite rebels fighting for the rights of marginalised indigenous people in India’s resource-rich central regions.

Government forces stepped up efforts last year to crush the long-running armed conflict, with some 287 rebels killed in 2024, according to government figures.

Clashes again broke out in Abujhmarh district of Chhattisgarh state, a key battleground in the insurgency, on Saturday.

“Four bodies of Maoists, who were in their battle uniform, have been recovered after an encounter with police forces,” police inspector general P. Sunderraj said, adding one police constable had also been killed.

“Action is still on,” he said.

Around 1,000 suspected Naxalites were held and 837 surrendered in 2024.

Amit Shah, India’s interior minister, warned the Maoist rebels in September to surrender or face an “all-out” assault, saying the government expected to quash the insurgency by early 2026.

The Naxalites, named after the district where their campaign began in 1967, were inspired by the Chinese revolutionary leader Mao Zedong. They demanded land, jobs and a share of the region’s immense natural resources for locals.

Published in Dawn, January 6th, 2025