The Indian government has vowed to unleash a massive offensive against Maoist rebels in the central state of Chhattisgarh. But human rights groups say such an operation will not address the root cause that led to the Maoist insurgency in the first place.
Civil society groups argue that the collateral damage to deprived tribal populations in these strongholds could be immense and alienate them even further from the state.
A civil war between Maoist insurgents and security forces - which is now nearly 20 years old - has killed thousands of people and led to allegations of widespread human rights abuse in this mineral rich state.
In the first of a two-part series, our correspondent Murali Krishnan examines the consequences of this crackdown.
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