Indian security forces killed at least 29 Naxal insurgents in Kanker Bastar district of Chhattisgarh state this month. Chhattisgarh is one of several states officially designated as affected by Left Wing Extremism (LWE), along with Jharkhand, Odisha, Bihar, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and Kerala.

The Indian Border Security Force (BSF) and District Reserve Guard (DRG) carried out the joint operation in what the BSF called "a major crackdown against the Maoist menace." Among those reported killed was a top Naxal commander, Shankar Rao. A large cache of weapons was also reported to have been seized in the operation. One BSF member was said to have been injured.

Indian Home Minister Amit Shah commended the security forces for the operation, adding that the government is committed to eradicating Naxalism under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership. 

The Maoist Naxalite insurgency arose in the late 1960s, waging guerrilla warfare across a "Red Corridor" through the states of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, and Odisha (then rendered Orissa). In the ensuing decades of conflict, human rights abuses have been committed by guerrillas and security forces alike. Human Rights Watch has condemned the rebels' use of threats, extortion and killings to enforce control over their territories.

In 2006, the Indian government established the Left Wing Extremism Division under the Ministry of Home Affairs to comprehensively address the insurgency. 

From Jurist, April 19. Used with permission.