Rebels kill seven political activists in eastern India

Fri, 17 Dec 2010

New Delhi - Suspected Maoist rebels on Friday killed six members and a leader of a ruling party in India's West Bengal state, police said.

The bodies of the members of the Forward Bloc, a communist party that is part of the left-wing government in the state, were found in a forest in the western district of Purulia.

"One of the victims was a woman, who was also a village council chief, while the others were men," district police chief Sunil Chowdhury said over the phone.

Police found posters left by the Maoists which claimed that the villagers had been spying for the security forces.

"We suspect that the Maoist rebels are behind the crime. We have initiated an investigation into the killings," he added.

According to Forward Bloc party members, a group of about 40 armed Maoists had attacked the victims' houses late Thursday and dragged them out.

"They gunned down seven of them in a nearby forested area early Friday," Forward Bloc lawmaker Narahari Mahato told the IANS news agency.

The district has been the scene of unrest since November 2008 after Maoists accusing the state government of ordering police atrocities on locals started attacking Communist politicians.

Police had raided the homes of people allegedly backing the Maoists shortly after West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya escaped a landmine blast blamed on them.

The Maoists 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, especially forested land populated by tribal people that has seen little development.

Maoist rebels are active in 200 of India's 626 districts and virtually control 34, according to the Home Ministry.

At least 1,130 rebels, troops and civilians have been killed in violence linked to the insurgency since January 2010, according to the South Asia Terrorism Portal.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/358634,political-activists-eastern-india.html.