Rebels known as Naxalites have waged an insurgency that has ebbed and flowed over decades, but government operations have given them less space to maneuver.

Indian security forces have killed 31 Maoist rebels in the forests of Chhattisgarh state. Two Indian commandos were also killed in the battle, and two other security force members were wounded, police said. Chhattisgarh has seen a long-running insurgency by Maoists who say they are fighting for the rights of the poor.

Indian Minister Amit Shah hailed the fight as a "big success" against the communist Naxalite insurgency. The clash in Chattisgarh's Bijapur district also left two Indian security personnel dead.

The gunfight broke in the dense jungles of Bijapur district in the state of Chhattisgarh, considered the heartland of the insurgency.

At least 31 suspected Maoist rebels and two police officers have been killed in the deadliest combat so far this year in central India.

Indian commandos shot dead at least eight Maoist rebels in the dense jungles of central India on Saturday, as security forces ramp up efforts to crush the long-running conflict. More than 10,000 people have been killed in the decades-long insurgency waged by the rebels,

At least 31 Maoist rebels and two Indian commandos were killed in a gunfight in the dense jungles of central India on Sunday, as security forces ramp up efforts to crush the long-running insurgency.