New Delhi, Oct. 29 -- Bodies piled up in the streets of Rio de Janeiro on Tuesday as Brazil witnessed its deadliest police operation in history. At least 64 people were killed, including four police officers, after 2,500 heavily armed security personnel stormed two of the city's most notorious favelas in a sweeping crackdown on drug gangs.

The unprecedented scale of the raid - backed by helicopters, armoured vehicles, and drones - plunged parts of the city into chaos and reignited fierce debate about police brutality, state policy, and human rights in Brazil.

State Governor Claudio Castro described the mission across the Complexo da Penha and Complexo do Alemão neighbourhoods as "the largest in the state's history."

The central go...