In two different episodes which took place in Chhattisgarh and Manipur, 14 rebels and 12 farmers were killed. The Premier Singh warns against revolt, which represents the greatest threat to national stability
26 people were killed yesterday in clashes between Maoists, the army and ordinary farmers in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh and the eastern state of Manipur. According to eye witnesses, Indian soldiers killed 14 rebels: during gun battles, these rebels apparently shot at migrant workers, leaving 12 people dead.
According to police the death toll “could have been far higher”. Public security official, Ankit Garg, explains that the government “has formed a special force to fight the Maoists, who surrounded the rebels, preventing them from escaping into the jungle”.
Rebels claim they are fighting for the rights of workers and the landless; in order to do this, they often destroy government property in the area to “reassign lands to their legitimate owners”.