14 Left rebels killed in operation by Indian forces

      Raipur (India), April 22, 2018 : In a fierce gun battle with security forces, 14 Maoists were killed on Sunday in the jungle of Western Indian state of Maharashtra, police official said.

      “All the members of Katamsur group of Maoists were killed today in an encounter with elite forces of Maharashtra Police,” a police spokesman Prashant Dewat told AFP by phone.

      The incident took place in Tadpalli forest of Bhamragarh police station area under Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra, the Gadchiroli police spokesman Dewat said.

      The incident took place in the forestry area, about 1,045 km or 650 miles west from the state capital Mumbai and close to border of another Maoist violence hit Central Indian state of Chhattisgarh.

      “On a tip off, when police forces were on an operation, the Maoists opened fire on the security personnels and in the fierce gun battle 14 Maoists were killed,” Gadchiroli police spokesman Dewat said.

       Among the killed were Commander Sainath and his all 13 members group, who were operating in the name of Katamsur group and were active in Bhamragarh police station and adjoining areas, the police officer said.

      “However all the security forces are safe,” he added.

      Started as a peasant uprise in 1960s in eastern Indian area of Naxalbari, Maoists are today active in about 120 districts of India and are in a fight with government forces. Maoists are mostly active in Tribal or underdeveloped areas. AFP STR