The killing fields of Chhattisgarh

On April 24, as many as 25 CRPF jawans were killed in an ambush in Chhattisgarh

With 71 security personnel killed in Maoist-related violence so far in 2017, it is already the deadliest year in the past seven years for security forces, according to an analysis of data from the South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP).
 
On April 24, as many as 25 Central Reserve Paramilitary Force (CRPF) jawans were killed in an ambush in Chhattisgarh. The encounter with the 74 battalion occurred at Kala Pathar near Chintagufa in Sukma, the worst Maoist violence-affected district in the south Bastar area.Maoists are communist radicals attempting to overthrow India’s government through force. The region, most affected by Maoist violence, lies in a wide swath of mineral-rich and forested tribal lands, from Maharashtra to West Bengal.

 
Tribals account for a third of the 21 million people displaced by development projects, fuelling a resentment the Naxals exploit. April 2017 saw 47 deaths for security forces in Chhattisgarh. The deadliest month in the past decade was April 2010, when 76 security personnel died in Dantewada, in the most fatal Maoist ambush ever.

Note: 2017 data updated till April 23, 2017; security forces include all paramilitary forces Sources: IndiaSpend and SATP