Maoist militants killed two policemen and a civilian in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh on Sunday, a senior police officer said, as the rebels stepped up violent attacks ahead of a general election.
Deputy Inspector General Pawan Deo said about 40 armed Maoist rebels ambushed members of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and local police in a forested area of Bijapur district, some 500 km (310 miles) south of Raipur.
Six Maoist militants were also killed in two separate encounters with the CRPF in the states restive Bastar region, Deo said. The Maoists, who say they are fighting for the rights of poor farmers and landless labourers, have called for a boycott of the polls that get underway this week and sthreatened to chop off the hands of those who cast their votes.