Maoists blow up two schools in central India

Nov 10, 2009, 7:20 GMT

   New Delhi - Maoist rebels blew up two school buildings in the central Indian state of Jharkhand, while security forces killed a top Maoist commander in neighbouring Uttar Pradesh, news reports said Tuesday.

   Maoist rebels claim they are leading an armed rebellion to secure the rights of India's poor and marginalized people. They operate in 20 of the country's 28 states and Jharkhand is one of the worst-affected.

   The Maoists used dynamite and detonators to blow up the two schools in Banibirua and Kona villages, about 145 kilometers north-west of state capital Ranchi late Monday, the IANS and PTI news agencies reported.

   The rebels left behind pamphlets saying the buildings had been blown up to prevent security forces from using them as temporary camps while carrying out election duties, district police official Kuldip Dwivedi said.

   Five-phase elections to the Jharkhand legislature are scheduled to begin on November 25.

   Maoist rebels have blown up at least 30 schools in Jharkhand over the past five years, according to state government data.

   Meanwhile, security forces claimed they had shot a senior Maoist commander in Uttar Pradesh.

   Self-styled Maoist zonal commander Kamlesh Chowdhary was wanted in connection with 32 criminal cases.

   He was killed in a three-hour exchange of fire in the Kanach forests in Sonabhadra district, said Gurudarshan Singh, Uttar Pradesh inspector general of police.

   While the police recovered Chowdhary's body, other rebels wounded in the exchange were carried away by their associates, police said.

   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.

   The government is planning a major offensive against the Maoists, led by state police and supported by federal military forces.