Maoists shot dead 12 Indian policemen in an ambush in the densely forested central state of Chhattisgarh, police said yesterday. The 12 were part of a team dispatched to clear Maoist landmines in Dantewada district, 500km from state capital Raipur, late Wednesday. "We have received information about 12 bodies recovered," said police official RK Vij. The rebels, who launched their campaign in 1967 and today operate in 14 of India's 29 states, say they are fighting for the rights of landless farmers. Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh last year described them as the most serious threat to national security.
The killings follow the deaths of 24 security personnel in another insurgent ambush on July 11. In March, 55 policemen were killed in the worst-ever Maoist assault in Chhattisgarh, the epicentre of rebel attacks.