The police said that at least 10 Maoists have reportedly died, likely due to Covid-19 or food poisoning, in the Bastar region of Chhattisgarh. The police said even some senior rebel leaders are suffering from the viral infection.
"According to local villagers, naxals burnt the bodies of at least ten colleagues in the forest along the border of Bijapur and Sukma districts on Monday night," Dantewada SP Abhishek Pallava told PTI.
"We suspect the deaths were caused by Covid-19 or food poisoning. But we are trying to get more details," he said.
Senior leaders of the central regional company (CRC) of Maoists were also reported to be suffering from Covid-19 and trying to bring medicines and vaccine doses to the interior of Sukma, Bijapur and Dantewada districts, he said.