JAGDALPUR, Apr 16: At least 29 Maoist insurgents were killed in a shootout with security forces on Tuesday, police told AFP, one of the deadliest days in the long-running conflict.
The guerrillas were killed in a remote part of the central state of Chhattisgarh, which has seen a number of deadly assaults on Maoist forces this year.
The insurgents, who are known as Naxalites and say they are fighting for the rural poor, have carried out guerilla attacks since 1967.
Security has been stepped up in Chhattisgarh ahead of a marathon six-week general election beginning on Friday.
All 29 died in Kanker district, south of the state capital Raipur.
District police chief I.K. Elesela confirmed Tuesdays toll to AFP, saying the rebels had been pursued in a joint operation between police and the paramilitary Border Security Force (BSF). —AFP
