India says its troops killed 31 Maoist rebels in weeks-long battle | Armed Groups News

The 21-day army operation was part of India’s offensive against the last remaining groups of the Naxalite rebellion.

Indian security forces have killed 31 Maoist rebels in what the country’s home minister called the “biggest operation against Naxalism”.

Amit Shah said on social media on Wednesday that the operation took place on Karreguttalu Hill on the border of Chhattisgarh and Telangana.

“The hill on which the red terror once reigned, today the tricolour is flying proudly … Our security forces completed this biggest anti-Naxal operation in just 21 days and I am extremely happy that there was not a single casualty in the security forces in this operation,” he wrote on X.

India has been waging an offensive against the last remaining groups of the Naxalite rebellion, a far-left Maoist-inspired fighter movement that began in 1967.

The Karreguttalu Hills used to be the unified headquarters of several Naxalite organisations, where rebels were provided weapons and strategic training.

But the Naxalites have been fighting for what they say is the defence of the rights of the tribal people in the region.

At the group’s peak in the mid-2000s, they controlled nearly a third of the country with an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 fighters.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed the news of the success of the operation.

“This success of the security forces shows that our campaign towards rooting out Naxalism is moving in the right direction,” Modi wrote on X.

“We are fully committed to establishing peace in the Naxal-affected areas and connecting them with the mainstream of development.”

Director General Central Reserve Police Force GP Singh also said on Wednesday that the government is “committed to eliminate” Naxalism by March 31, 2026 “through relentless and ruthless operations”.

According to government data, since last year, Indian soldiers have killed at least 400 rebels.

More recently, 11 rebels were killed by Indian troops in the states of Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand.

In February, security forces killed 11 fighters and killed a further 30 in March.

Moreover, according to a news release by the Foreign Office, 718 Naxalites have so far surrendered in the first four months of 2025.