India’s home minister P. Chidambaram visited Chhattisgarh on Wednesday to pay his respects to the 76 members of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).

He explained that the policemen were trying to familiarize themselves with the forest area of Dantewada district when they were attacked by hundreds of armed rebels.

Addressing a press conference, Chidambaram said an investigation had been launched to find out what had gone wrong on Tuesday. He also stressed that the offensive against the Maoists would continue. "If this is a war, the state will fight back," he said.

There have been reports that the government has intensified its offensives against the Maoists since late last year and has launched an operation called "Green Hunt".

Although Chidambaran has denied that "Operation Green Hunt" is taking place, experts say that the Maoists' recent attacks are a reaction to these offensives.

Use of the military

Since Tuesday's attack, the government has been under intense pressure to come up with a better plan to tackle the rebels.

India's main opposition Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has called on the government to involve the military in the offensive against the rebels.

The home minister, however, has ruled out sending army personnel to the region, maintaining that the CRPF will continue to deal with the rebels.

"At present there is no mandate to use the air force or any aircraft in the fight against the Maoists. But if necessary, we will have to revisit the mandate to make some changes," he told reporters.

Prospects of talks

Chidambaram also said that the channel for negotiations with the Maoists was still open if they gave up violence.

The Maoists have said they want the government to end the military operation against them first and release their leaders, who are held in various jails, before any negotiations can take place.

The rebels, who say they are fighting for the rights of poor and tribal people, are active in 20 of India's 29 states. The Indian Prime Minster Manmohan Singh has described them as a great "threat" to internal security. In the past year, more than 1,300 people have been killed in violence linked to the Maoist insurgency.

du/dpa/AFP/Reuters/PTI

Editor: Anne Thomas