Indian state extends ban on left-wing rebel outfits by year

Source: Xinhua | 2018-05-02

India's central state of Chhattisgarh has extended the ban on left-wing Naxalite rebel outfits by one year, officials said.

"The ban on left-wing rebel outfits along with their affiliate organizations will continue for one more year, with the state government deciding to extend it under Chhattisgarh Special Public Security Act," a police official said Tuesday.

The ban first came into effect in 2006. "Since then, the state government has been extending the ban by one year," he added.

The move came days after as many as 40 Naxalites were gunned down by Indian security forces in successive shootouts in Chhattisgarh and the western state of Maharashtra. "The offensive against the rebels that started early last week will continue," the official said.

Naxalites are currently active in at least seven Indian states, including Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra.

The Naxalite insurgency began in the eastern state of West Bengal in late 1960s, spreading to more than one-third of India's 600-plus administrative districts. The left-wing rebels said they are fighting for land rights for tribal people and the rural poor.

Though major offensives by security forces in recent years have pushed the rebels back to their forest strongholds and the levels of violence have fallen, but hit-and-run attacks are still common, killing hundreds of people, mostly security personnel, every year.