Thirty policemen killed in Maoist ambush in India

New Delhi - Maoist rebels killed at least 30 paramilitary forces in an ambush Tuesday in a thickly forested region of the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh, officials said.

Large numbers of heavily armed rebels attacked the paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) as they were patrolling the Dantewada region, a Maoist stronghold, a senior police official said over the phone.

Dantewada, located 450 kilometers south of the state capital Raipur, is remote and not easily accessible, the officer said, adding that the death toll could be higher.

He said the policemen had spread out for patrolling and were attacked in multiple locations. Reinforcements that rushed to the scene also came under attack.

A team of around 70 paramilitary police had been patrolling the area as part of an offensive against rebels launched in late 2009, NDTV news channel reported.

A helicopter has been sent to move the injured troopers to hospital. A strong contingent of the state police force has also been sent to the site.

Chhattisgarh Home Minister Nanki Ram said there could be more than 60 casualties. He said the rebels surrounded the CRPF patrol party from all sides.

According to the federal Home Ministry, the rebels were active in 200 of India's 626 districts, and were virtually in control of 34.

The Maoists claim they are fighting for the rights of the tribal people, the poor and the landless. They attack police and security officials and establishments at regular intervals.

More than 1,100 people were killed in 2009 in violence linked to the Maoist insurgency, which Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has described as the gravest internal security threat facing India.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/317272,thirty-policemen-killed-in-maoist-ambush-in-india.html.