An April 3 battle with communist rebels in India resulted in 54 casualties for Indian police forces in the latest surge of radical leftist guerilla violence. Maoist insurgents in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh killed 22 paramilitary police troops and wounded another 31. One soldier is still missing. While insurgent casualties are still unknown, the Indian government is simultaneously claiming that the rebels are both losing ground and gaining strength due to the coronavirus upheaval.

Communists are heavily armed

An estimated 400 communist guerillas, carrying Ak-47 rifles and grenade launchers, launched the successful ambush on a large column of the Indian security forces. With firepower between the two sides almost equally matched, the gun battle continued for four hours.

Pandemic revives old conflict

Officials in India seemed to be equally concerned with acknowledging the severity of the threat and with emphasizing their ability to handle the situation.
The communist rebels, however, claim to represent those who have been left behind by the economic boom in the region and in India as a whole. The April 3 ambush is only the latest incident in the decades of low-intensity warfare which has plagued the region.

Maoist forces have allegedly benefited greatly from the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, which has allowed them to attract hundred of new recruits and revive their cause locally.

The communist resurgence in India is evidently the latest conflict which is experiencing a major flare-up due to the heightened tensions which have resulted worldwide from responses to the pandemic.