NEW DELHI, 6 April, 2021, (TON): Indian Security forces have stepped up to fight against Maoist guerrillas two days after left-wing extremists killed 23 security personnel in the jungles of the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh. 

At least 30 other members of the security forces were wounded in the four-hour gun battle with Maoist rebels that took place in Chhattisgarh state on Saturday, the deadliest ambush of its kind in four years. 

“The operation will be intensified,” said Om Prakash Pal, deputy inspector general of police, who is leading the fight against the rebels in Chhattisgarh. 

In one of the deadliest attacks in years, Naxals, or Maoists, ambushed a combined central and state security agency force as government troops hunted for extremists. 

Indian Home Minister Amit Shah said on Monday that the fight against Maoists will be intensified in the coming days. 

While doing a press conference in the Jagdalpur district of the state after paying tributes to the victims he said, “The lives of the security personnel will not be wasted.”  

“In the past five or six years many security camps have been opened in Maoist areas in Chhattisgarh. This attack is a result of their desperation,” he said, adding that “the action against the extremists will take a decisive turn.” 

In 2010, left-wing insurgents killed 76 paramilitary personnel belonging to the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and the state police force in Chhattisgarh. In 2013, 25 CRPF personnel were gunned down in the Sukma area of the state. 

The Maoists, also known as Naxals, have waged an armed struggle against government forces for decades. They say they are fighting for the poor who have been left behind in India’s economic boom.