Maoist rebels have killed at least 75 Indian soldiers in a series of attacks on security convoys in the central state of Chhattisgarh, according to BBC online Tuesday.
A large patrol of federal paramilitary troops was ambu-shed at dawn by hundreds of heavily armed insurgents in a remote part of Dantewada district. Rescue teams were later ambushed in attacks using landmines and gunfire.
It is the worst attack on security forces by the rebels since their insurgen-cy began in the late 1960s – and a major setback for the government’s latest anti-Maoist operation, where nearly 50.000 federal paramilitary troops and tens of thousands of policemen are taking part in several states
But it will not be easy for security forces to defeat the rebels in their strongholds – vast swathes of remote mineral-rich jungles home to tribespeople who form the main support base for the rebels.
The Maoists have stepped up attacks in recent weeks in response to a big government offensive along what is known as the “red corridor”, a broad swathe of territory in rural eastern and central India where the Maoist rebellion has been gathering strength.
The rebels – also called Naxalites – have tapped into rural and tribal anger among those who have seen no benefits from India’s economic development. The Maoists want four senior leaders freed from jail and the offensive halted before any talks. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has described the Maoist insurgency as India’s “greatest internal security challenge”.
