Maoist Rebels Kill Four Police in Central India

Maoist rebels triggered a powerful landmine blast in India's restive Chhattisgarh state on Monday, killing four policemen in the third attack in the region in as many days.

Eight other policemen were wounded in the blast, which was carried out in remote Dantewada district, and were being airlifted to state capital Raipur, a senior officer told AFP.

"Four security personnel have been killed and eight others are seriously injured in the landmine blast," said Rajinder Kumar Vij, the head of the state's anti-Maoist operations.

The Maoists have stepped up attacks on the security forces in recent days, with seven policemen being killed in an ambush on Saturday.

On Sunday, the guerillas set fire to 18 vehicles which were involved in mining operations in Kanker district. No one was killed in the incident.

The attacks are the latest in a simmering conflict that pits the insurgents against security forces in the remote areas of mainly central and eastern India.

The guerrillas, who say they are fighting for the rights of tribal people and landless farmers, often collect funds through extortion and protection rackets.

The Maoists are believed to be present in at least 20 states, but are most active in Chhattisgarh, Orissa, Bihar, Jharkhand and Maharashtra, occupying thousands of square kilometers (miles) of land.

The insurgency is believed to have cost tens of thousands of lives, with much action focused around the insurgent-dominated, so-called "Red Corridor" stretching through central and eastern India.

Critics believe attempts to end the revolt through tough security offensives are doomed to fail, saying the real solution is better governance and development of the region.

Monday's attack saw the insurgents use large amounts of explosives to trigger the blast, police said.

"The blast was really powerful," district police chief Kamal Lochan Kashyap told AFP via telephone from the blast site.

"The Maoists must have used more than 50 kilos (110 pounds) of explosives to target the vehicle."

Even though the vehicle was landmine-proof, the impact of the blast was such that it turned it upside-down, Kashyap said.