Mar 20, Kathmandu- At least 22 Maoist rebels were killed in a central Indian jungle on Thursday in the deadliest clash since the government stepped up security operations to quell a long-running insurgency.

An Indian paramilitary security officer was also killed in two separate clashes in Chhattisgarh state throughout the day, police said.

Bharatiya Janata Party leader and federal home minister Amit Shah wrote on social media, using the common Indian name for the insurgent movement, "22 Naxalites have been killed in two separate operations by our security forces."

Police said 22 people, including 18 militants, were killed in the early morning clashes in Bijapur district.

Four other militants were killed in separate encounters in the southern part of the state. Search operations are underway at both the battle sites and security forces have claimed to have recovered arms and ammunition from both the areas.

Shah wrote on social media, “The Modi government is moving forward with a ruthless approach against the Naxalites and is adopting a zero-tolerance policy against those who do not surrender.”

The insurgents, known as Naxalites, have been fighting continuously in the region since 1967, when they launched an armed campaign inspired by Chinese revolutionary leader Mao Zedong.

Shah has vowed that the Indian government will crush the remnants of the insurgency by the end of March next year.

Last year, security forces killed some 287 insurgents, most of them in Chhattisgarh, according to government figures.

More than 80 Maoists have been killed so far this year, according to the Indian news agency Press Trust of India (PTI).

The Maoists are demanding land, jobs and a share of the region’s vast natural resources for local residents.

The movement, which has infiltrated many remote communities in India’s east and south, grew in strength and numbers in the early 2000s but has weakened in the past two decades.

Since 2000, New Delhi has deployed tens of thousands of troops to the area, which it has dubbed the “Red Corridor.”

The conflict has also seen several deadly attacks on government forces. At least nine Indian soldiers were killed in a roadside bomb blast in January.