Suspected Maoists rebels in India kill two ruling party workers

Dec 20, 2009, 11:08 GMT

New Delhi - Suspected Maoist rebels killed two workers of the ruling party in India's West Bengal state and abducted four people, including two policemen, news reports said Sunday.

The bodies of the two members of the Communist Party of India- Marxist (CPI-M), were found in a forested region in West Midnapore district on Sunday, the NDTV network reported. Reports said they ahd been shot.

The CPI-M is the leading partner in the state's ruling coalition of left-wing parties.

The CPI-M workers and two villagers were abducted by the militants on Saturday night, the PTI news agency reported.

The whereabouts of the two villagers was not known.

Meanwhile two policemen were abducted by the Maoists on Sunday morning and the security forces launched a search operation to rescue them, according to the report.

The district has been the scene of unrest since November last year, after Maoists accusing the state government of having ordered police atrocities on the locals started attacking the Communist politicians.

West Midnapore has seen escalation of violence in the past week, with rebels killing four CPI-M workers on Thursday.

The agitation started after police raided the homes of people allegedly backing the Maoists shortly after West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya escaped a landmine blast triggered by the Maoists.

In June, government troops started an offensive after the Maoists and the tribal People's Committee against Police Atrocities (PCPA), Maoist allies, claimed to have 'liberated' Lalgarh, a main town in the district.

The Maoist rebels claim they are leading an armed rebellion to secure the rights of the poor and marginalized. They operate in some of India's poorest districts, specially forested land populated by tribal people that have seen little development.

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 the Home Ministry.