Nine Killed in Roadside Bomb Attack in Central India

Maoist rebels killed at least eight policemen and a driver in central India by setting off a bomb blast that tossed their vehicle into the air, police said.

A roadside blast hit the police vehicle carrying the victims in the Bijapur district of Chhattisgarh state on Monday, a police statement said.

Central India has been a hotbed of such bomb attacks by Maoist rebels, with the region frequently witnessing violence despite intensified security operations.

The attack occurred as soldiers returned from an anti-Maoist operation on Saturday, during which they killed four rebels and lost a police officer.

Vivekanand Sinha, chief of the state police’s anti-Maoist operations, said, “A landmine killed eight security forces and a driver today when their vehicle came in contact with it.”

Photographs published by Indian media showed a deep crater ripped into the road by the blast.

Also See: Amit Shah’s Vision for India’s Anti-Naxal Operations: A Divided Legacy

Decades of Conflict

More than 10,000 people have died in the decades-long conflict waged by the rebels. They say they are fighting to give poor Indian farmers and landless laborers more control over their land. The land is currently exploited by major mining companies.

Government forces have stepped up efforts to crush the long-running armed conflict. Authorities killed around 287 rebels in 2024, according to official figures.

Known as Naxalites after the district where their armed campaign began in 1967, the rebels drew inspiration from Chinese revolutionary leader Mao Zedong. Authorities arrested about 1,000 suspected Naxalites, while 837 surrendered in 2024.

Amit Shah, India’s interior minister, warned the Maoist rebels in September. He told them to surrender or face an “all-out” assault. He also said the government expected to crush the rebellion by early 2026.

The movement gained strength and numbers until the early 2000s. At that point, New Delhi deployed tens of thousands of security personnel against the rebels. They were deployed in a stretch of territory known as the “Red Corridor.”

Authorities have drastically restricted the rebellion’s area in recent years.

Authorities have since invested millions of dollars in local infrastructure and social projects to combat the Naxalite appeal.

This news is sourced from Al Jazeera and is intended for informational purposes only.