Seven killed in Maoist violence in eastern India (Roundup)

Oct 20, 2009, 11:40 GMT

   New Delhi - At least seven people - four villagers, two police officers and a Maoist rebel commander - were killed in separate attacks in eastern India, news reports said Tuesday.

   Four locals were killed and six were seriously injured when two motorcycle-borne suspected Maoist militants targeted a dance late Monday at a village in the eastern Jharkhand state's Chatra district, the NDTV network reported.

   The victims, who included a former militant who had organized the function, died at the scene about 200 kilometres north of the state capital, Ranchi. A teenaged girl was among those critically injured, the report said.

   In another incident Monday, a Maoist commander was killed in a gunbattle with a rival group in the state's Latehar district.

   Jharkhand, which is among the Indian states most affected by the Maoist insurgency, has a number of Maoist groups that are engaged in a turf war with each other.

   In another Maoist attack in Jharkhand's neighbouring state of West Bengal Tuesday, between 50 to 100 rebels attacked a police station in West Midnapore district.

   The rebels shot dead two police officers and abducted another two before raiding a bank nearby, the NDTV news channel reported.

   Prime Minister Manmohan Singh recently said left-wing extremism posed the greatest internal security threat for India.

   The rebels, who say they are leading an armed rebellion to secure the rights of the poor and marginalized, operate in 20 of India's 28 states. They usually target security personnel and government installations and officials.

   At least 2,671 people - including civilians, security personnel and rebels - have been killed in incidents related to Maoist violence in India since 2006, according to Home Ministry data.