Controversy continues to rage after security forces in a so-called pin-point operation in Chhattisgarh's dense jungles mowed down suspected Maoist rebels last week in the dead of the night.

Within hours of the alleged encounter, rights groups and opposition parties kicked up a storm, asserting that the deceased had been innocent indigenous people. At least six of those killed were villagers in their teens.

"Chhattisgarh has a very notorious record. Several tribal people, including women and children, have lost their lives. One's heart really bleeds to see such things happening," Tribal Affairs Minister V. Kishore Chandra Deo told DW.

The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), which carried out the operation along with the local police, dismissed allegations that innocent people had been targeted. They maintained that the operation had been legit and the force only retaliated after being fired upon.

"The CRPF is for the country. Bullets were fired upon the security forces and resulted in the injury of the personnel. Our force is very decent and they conduct themselves with extreme respect," Director General K Vijay Kumar told DW.

Minors killed in incident

But despite the assertions, the operation by over 300 CRPF and state police personnel has left several disturbing questions whether all the victims were Maoist guerrillas. Boys aged between 12 and 16 years were caught in the crossfire between the Maoists and the security forces but it is not clear which side started the gun battle.

However, the hullaballoo created by the incident forced the state government ruled by the right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party to order a judicial probe into last week's encounter.

Apart from the issue of genuineness of the encounter, the judicial probe will also look into whether the security forces had made necessary preparations before going into the area, and whether the encounter could have been averted.

Feeling the heat on the issue, the home ministry has called for a review of rules for anti-Maoist operations.

It has called for a meeting of operational heads of all nine Maoist-affected states and the central armed police forces next week that will discuss possible ways to limit the collateral damage of civilians, who are often used by rebels as human shields.

Even the stoic home minister P. Chidambaram had to finally relent.

"If any innocent person has been killed, I am deeply sorry ... If any girl, or boy or man or woman not involved with the Maoists at all has been killed, I can only be deeply sorry," he said.

India's biggest security challenge

Maoist rebels, not numbering more than 15,000 personnel, have been waging their war against the Indian state for over a decade and their presence is felt in nearly a third of India's 630 districts.

However, the central state of Chhattisgarh has seen the bloodiest clashes as rebels often wrest advantage because they operate from thick, dense forests which are strict no-go areas for the security forces.

"There is bound to be a backlash after this incident. The rebels will choose their time to attack and it will be a sensational one. We are bracing ourselves for this," a senior intelligence official told DW.

Despite the fact that the Indian government has deployed around 10,000 armed personnel in the state, it has not been able to curb violence. The Maoist threat has often been described as India's biggest internal security challenge.

Author: Murali Krishnan
Editor: Sarah Berning