Six Indian policemen killed in Maoist ambush

Six Indian policemen killed in Maoist ambush

2011-10-22 16:34:32 GMT+7 (ICT)

NEW DELHI (BNO NEWS) -- Six policemen were killed and three others were injured on Friday in an ambush by Maoist rebels in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh, local media reported on Saturday.

A team of sixteen policemen who were riding on motorcycles was ambushed near Netanar village in the Bastar region of India. Six policemen were killed and three others injured, the Times of India reported.

"Late Thursday night, the Maoists damaged a forest guest house and other buildings in Netanar. The team had gone for a spot verification. They came under attack while returning," Ratan Lal Dangi, Superintendent of police for Bastar district, told the Times.

The police official added that the rebels triggered explosives, the second time this month that Maoist rebels have triggered an IED explosion in Bastar district. On October 7, the Maoists exploded a landmine in the district, killing two soldiers.

More than one-third of India's 626 administrative districts are affected by the Maoist insurgency. At least 1,170 rebels, troops and civilians were killed in insurgency-related incidents in 2010. The Maoists say they are fighting for the rights of tribal, landless and poor people in the country's poorest regions.

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