Key points
- Maoist fighter Sahdev Soren was killed in Jharkhand on Monday
- Authorities had placed a bounty of $113,000 on his head
- Indian forces have intensified their offensive against Naxal separatists in recent years
NEW DELHI: Indian security forces on Monday said they have killed a senior Naxalite separatist fighter and two of his companions in the mineral-rich eastern state of Jharkhand.
The slain leader, Sahdev Soren, was a central committee member of the Maoist Naxal Movement, which emerged in 1967 as a grassroots struggle against feudal oppression, economic exploitation and political marginalisation.
$113,000 bounty
Authorities had placed a bounty of $113,000 on his head.
The Naxalite uprising, with up to 20,000 fighters at one point according to AFP, has long been branded as an internal security threat. Yet, supporters argue it is a legitimate freedom struggle rooted in the fight for land rights, social justice and liberation from exploitation of indigenous and marginalised communities.
In recent years, Indian forces have intensified their offensive across the so-called “Red Corridor,” leaving behind a bloody trail.
More than 400 fighters were killed in crackdowns since last year, according to official figures, quoted by AFP, while thousands of civilians have also lost their lives since the uprising began.
