Maoist guerrillas shot dead five people in India's central Chhattisgarh state in fresh rebel violence that has forced thousands of tribespeople to flee their homes, police said on Saturday. "The rebels killed five people and dumped their bodies in the forest. The bodies were found today," Inspector-General of Police M.W. Ansari said.
He said the rebels had unleashed a wave of violence against tribesmen in the remote Bastar region, targeting mostly their former comrades and police informers. "The rebels have kidnapped three villagers. Around 3,000 villagers have fled their homes fearing the Maoists," he said.
The rise in rebel violence comes within a month of a strike on a police vehicle that killed 23 security personnel and a civilian, prompting the state government to ban the Maoists.