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 security forces have shot at least 31 suspected Maoist rebels in the forests of the central state of Chhattisgarh, police said, in its biggest encounter this year. Two security personnel were also killed while two sustained injuries in the gun battle in Indravati area of Chhattisgarh on Sunday.

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 security forces killed at least 31 Maoist rebels on Sunday in one of the deadliest clashes since the government ramped up efforts to crush the long-running insurgency. Two Indian commandos were also killed in the battle, and two other security force members were wounded, police said.

The encounter comes a week after eight Maoists were killed in another operation security forces launched in Bijapur district.

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.