The Maoist communist struggle in India was dealt a blow when at least 21 Naxalist fighters were killed in the eastern state of Odisha.

At least two police officers were injured in the exchange in a forest that crosses the border of Odisha nd Andhra Pradesh states.

The Naxalist insurgency began in the eastern state of West Bengal in the late 1960s, spreading to more than one-third of India’s 600-plus administrative districts.

Injured fighters managed to escape but a number of weapons were seized by the police, who say they were tipped-off on the Naxalist positions.