Indian security forces killed at least eight suspected Maoist rebels in a raid on a jungle hideaway Friday, adding to the dozens of dead from recent operations against the radicals.
At least six women fighters were among the latest dead in the Bijapur district of Chhattisgarh state, regional police chief Mohit Garg told AFP.The police unit raided a safe house used by the Naxalite communists in the restive state.
"At least eight Naxals were killed in the ensuing encounter after our men surrounded them in a forest," said Garg.
The officer said they suspect a large number of Maoist suspects were injured in the gunfight but escaped.
"Blood marks and signs of injured being dragged were found and we are scouring the area for remaining Naxals," he said.
Security forces killed 39 Maoist rebels in the forest of Gadchiroli in neighbouring Maharashtra state in raids on Sunday and Tuesday.
It was one of the worst death tolls suffered by the Maoists in their decades old battle with the central government. Nineteen of the rebels killed earlier this week were women, and included senior commanders.
India's Maoist insurgency began in the 1960s, inspired by Chinese revolutionary leader Mao Zedong, and has cost thousands of lives in almost daily violence.
Thousands of armed men and women claim to be fighting for the rights of the indigenous tribal people, including the right to land, resources and jobs.
The Maoists are believed to be present in at least 20 Indian states but are most active in resource-rich areas in Chhattisgarh, Orissa, Bihar, Jharkhand and Maharashtra.
Gadchiroli is a key transit point for Maoist guerrillas, connecting western India with central and southern states in a restive zone known as the "red corridor".
Last month eight security forces were killed in Chhattisgarh after suspected rebels blew up their vehicle with a landmine.
Two soldiers were killed last week in a similar explosion in the central state.
