The attack, killing 24 civilians and 11 special police officers, is the fifth major strike by the armed guerillas in the country this year. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has personally presided over a high-security meeting where air support in Maoist-affected states was discussed.

Until today, New Delhi has opposed using the army against Maoist insurgents and the deployment of air support in the affected states. But the wave of unrelenting violence and high-profile attacks against troops and civilians in the last few months has prompted calls for a larger military operation.

In the wake of Monday's attack in the central state of Chhattisgarh, the same region where Maoists slaughtered 76 security personnel over a month ago, there has been a rethink.

Home Minister P. Chidambaram, who has been in the eye of the storm as the mastermind of a national offensive, codenamed Operation Green Hunt, that involves 56,000 paramilitary forces in six states in addition to local police, acknowledged that changes were needed and said he would request wider powers.

"We will go back to the cabinet committee to revisit that mandate in the light of the revised strategy the Communist Party of India Maoist is following, of which we have enough evidence and intelligence."

State governments call for air strikes

Some of the worst affected states in the country including Jharkhand, Orissa and Bihar have been reportedly pressing for air support to carry out operations to help them zero in on rebel strongholds that are no-go areas for the security forces.

The inhospitable terrain and thick forests they inhabit have given the Maoists a virtual run of these regions. Some analysts also blame a lack of coordination between the central government and state officials for allowing the Maoists to move about there virtually unhindered.

Chidambaram hinted that air operations could be in the offing soon.

"I believe that collective wisdom is better than an individual's judgment. The security forces, the chief ministers want air support. The chief minister of Bengal, the chief minister of Andhra Pradesh, the chief minister of Maharashtra, the chief minister of Chhattisgarh, the chief minister of Orissa – all ask for air support. They are the men on the ground."

Generals, civil rights activists warn against escalation

The Cabinet Committee on Security had earlier rejected deploying either the armed forces or using air power against the Maoists. Army generals privately argued against it, explaining that their weapons were meant for the enemy across the border and not for use in areas with large numbers of civilians.

Civil rights groups who work in these impoverished regions have also argued against air strikes for a long time. The move would be counter-productive, argues Harish Dhawan, a member of the People's Union for Democratic Rights.

"The talk about the use of air power has been going on for some time and we have been consistently saying that it would only mean an escalation of the war that this government has decided to wage against the Maoists. The issues behind this war are important to be taken up at a political level. It would be really counter-productive in case the government at this stage only thinks in terms of a war or further using air power."

The pressure on the government to take a tougher line in its anti-Maoist strategy is definitely mounting with escalation through the use of the military now an option.

Author: Murali Krishnan (New Delhi)
Editor: Grahame Lucas