According to news sources on Monday, Indian Home Affairs Minister Amit Shah visited Chhattisgarh state in central India and addressed the communist rebels, urging them to join mainstream society. He called on the rebels to surrender and lay down their weapons.
Otherwise, the government would begin full-scale operations, the minister added, noting that it expects to eradicate their activities by early 2026.
The Maoist rebels in India have been active since the late 1960s, following the lead of Chinese Communist leader Mao Zedong, with the aim of building a communist society.
They have waged guerrilla warfare against the Indian government, mainly in rural areas of central, southern and eastern India.
Indian authorities have deployed tens of thousands of troops in recent years to combat the insurgents, significantly reducing their numbers. The authorities claim that 160 Maoist rebels were killed in the first half of 2024, and their operational areas have decreased from 96 in 2010 to 46 in 2023.
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