NEW DELHI, May 23 (Xinhua) -- Indian security forces gunned down at least seven armed rebels, popularly known as Naxals, in the country's central state of Chhattisgarh on Thursday, local police said.

The encounter between security forces and Naxals took place in the state's Bijapur district.

Based on a tip-off, the security personnel launched an anti-Naxal operation.

"The Naxals were dressed in their usual uniform and fired at us first. In the retaliatory fire, we killed seven of them," local police said.

With this, a total of 112 Naxals have been killed in the state this year alone. On May 10, at least 12 Naxals were killed in the forests of Bijapur district.

Present in several Indian states, including Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Maharashtra, the Naxals mainly target government installations and security forces. Their major demands include exclusive rights for the tribal communities over natural resources like water, forests, land and mineral wealth. Enditem

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