498 killed in Maoist violence since March 2010: Chhattisgarh

Raipur, March 28 (IANS) As many as 498 people were killed in Maoist violence in Chhattisgarh since March 2010, the state assembly was informed Wednesday.

Maoists, who are locally called Naxals, carried out 367 attacks in the state during 2010-11 and 2011-12 when 498 people were killed, Home Minister Nankiram Kanwar told the assembly in response to a question of Congress legislator Nandkumar Patel.

The minister said that those killed included 215 state police personnel, 140 paramilitary troopers, 26 special police officers (SPOs) and 33 civilians besides 84 guerrillas.

Chhattisgarh, termed as one of the worst leftist insurgency-hit states, has witnessed a string of deadly attacks by Maoists in recent years including killing of 76 troopers in a single attack in restive Bastar region in April 2010.

The guerrillas, who are estimated to be roughly 40,000 cadres of all ranks in the state, hold sway in jungle pockets mainly in a sprawling 40,000 sq km Bastar region since late 1980s. But incidents of violence have surprisingly subsided in the state during the past six months.