Three more bodies of Maoists found after gunfight in Chhattisgarh

Three more Maoist bodies were found this morning in the Bijapur area of Chhattisgarh after a heavy gunfire exchange between police and Maoists a day before. Maoist is a banned communist political party and militant organization in India.

According to the police, 13 Maoists have died including three more dead bodies which authorities found as a result of yesterday’s gunfight.

#Chhattisgarh: Three more bodies of Maoists found after gunfight; toll rises to 13

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— Hindustan Times (@htTweets) April 3, 2024

The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and the Chhattisgarh Police shoot dead ten Maoists in the Bijapur area. This brings the total number of insurgent deaths this year to 47, up from 22 for all of 2023.

A combined team of security officers was out on an anti-naxal operation (operation against Indian rebels) around 6 a.m. A heavy shooting broke out near the Kendra-Korcholi woods under the Gangaloor police station.

Maoist has control of this area. According to officials, the authorities started operations Monday night from four security camps based on particular tips.

Around 3000 security personnel from various agencies, including the Central Reserve Police Force and its elite guerilla unit Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (COBRA), were dispatched after officials said they had received intelligence about a meeting of Maoist cadre on Monday.

10 Maoists shot dead by security forces in #Bijapur

Ten #Maoists killed in Bijapur gunbattle, total insurgent deaths in 2024 at 47, up from 22 in 2023. Forces recovered weapons, ongoing search for identities.

(@riteshmishraht reports)
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— Hindustan Times (@htTweets) April 3, 2024

The District Reserve Guard and Special Task Force of the Chhattisgarh Police, and the Gangaloor also participated in the operation. In addition, the special task force of Cherpal, Basaguda, Palnar, Pusnar, and Mudvendi camps in the Bastar district were also part of the operation.

The incident is the greatest setback for Maoists since security personnel shot seven of them in the jungle. However, it happened near the Bastar district’s border with Odisha in 2019.

According to authorities, 47 Maoists have lost their lives in various gunfights with security personnel in the Maoist-dominated Bastar area since December 2023.

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The recent clash belongs to the ongoing conflict between the Indian government and Maoist groups (Naxalites). The banned Maoists formed from a combination of the Maoist Communist Centre (MCC) and the People’s War Group (PWG).

The Maoist movement is the longest-running rebellion and India’s internal insurgent movement since the 1920s. It hails from the ideology of Mao Zedong, a Chinese military strategist and Marxist theorist. It aims to overthrow the Indian government and establish communist rule through people’s war.

However, Communist rule refers to a political system where the state owns major resources without discrimination of societal class. Everyone shares rights equally without the control of the government.