Five dead as Indian forces clash with Maoist rebels

Indian security forces yesterday battled with Maoist rebels in their forested heartland, police said, with at least four guerillas and one policeman killed.

Over 10,000 people have died in the decades-long insurgency waged by Naxalite rebels, who say they are 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.

Clashes broke out late Saturday in Abujhmarh district of Chhattisgarh.

"Four bodies of Maoists, who were in their battle uniform, have been recovered after an encounter with police forces," police inspector general P Sunderraj told AFP.