NEW DELHI, April 29 (Xinhua) -- A Naxal was killed Monday in a fierce gunfight with Indian government forces in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh, officials said.
The gunfight broke out inside a forest area of Kistaram in Sukma district, about 450 km south of Raipur, the capital city of Chhattisgarh.
"Today a gunfight between Naxals and joint contingents of the police's District Reserve Guard (DRG) and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) was triggered inside a forest area here. During the standoff a Naxalite was killed," a police official said.
According to the police, the government forces were out in the area on an anti-Naxal operation.
During a press conference on Monday, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai said they were fighting Naxals with full might.
Currently, Naxals are active across the central and eastern parts of India.
The insurgency reportedly has claimed hundreds of lives besides rendering thousands of poor inhabitants homeless. ■