Police killed at least five Maoists in a central Indian state, a senior police officer said on Sunday. Three were killed in a gun battle with police late on Saturday in the forests of Timarpur in Bastar region, 520 km south of the state capital, Raipur, said police Inspector General for Bastar, RK Vij. In a separate incident on Saturday, two rebels and a police constable were killed in Dantewada district of the same region, Vij said. Two female Maoists were arrested but dozens of their male colleagues escaped.
Chhattisgarh is one of the worst hit of the 13 Indian states affected by a Maoist revolt that began more than three decades ago to fight for the rights of IndiaÂ’s poor farmers and landless labourers. Thousands have been killed in the movement.