An official says Maoist insurgents have detonated an explosive device in a forested area of central India, killing 10 policemen and their driver
NEW DELHI — Maoist insurgents detonated an explosive device Wednesday in a forested area of central India, killing 10 police officers and the driver of their vehicle, a state government minister said.
T.S. Singh Deo, health minister of Chhattisgarh state, said the insurgents targeted the policemen who were setting up camps in Bastar district as part of a campaign to clear the area of rebels.
Details were not immediately available.
Insurgents killed 20 police and paramilitary troops in 2021 in gunbattles in the forests of Chhattisgarh state.
Maoist rebels, who claim inspiration from Chinese revolutionary leader Mao Zedong, have been fighting India’s government for more than four decades, demanding land and jobs for tenant farmers and poor people.
Rebels are active in several parts of India. They routinely attack government troops and officials and have been called India’s greatest internal security threat.