PATNA, India - A land mine thought to have been planted by communist rebels blew up a police jeep on Thursday in eastern India, killing 12 officers from a paramilitary police force, an official said. The officers from the Central Reserve Police Force were heading back to their base in the state of Jharkhand after defusing land mines when their jeep struck a mine, said the stateÂ’s top police officer, B.C. Verma.The explosion took place near the village of Karampada, about 250 kilometers (155 miles) south of JharkhandÂ’s capital, Patna, he said. The area is in a remote part of the state and initial reports had said five officers were killed while clearing land mines at a school.
The rebels claim to be inspired by Mao Zedong and have been fighting for more than two decades. They are active in central and eastern India.