Indian Maoists kill 11 policemen

At least 11 special police personnel were killed and 10 injured in a landmine blast triggered overnight by suspected Maoist rebels in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh, police said Sunday. The attack took place late Saturday when a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) team was patrolling the Pushpal Road area, 500 kilometres (310 miles) from the state capital Raipur and a hotbed of rebel activity. T.G. Landkumer, a senior police officer in the state, told AFP the CRPF men had gone to the area to investigate reports that suspected Maoists had blown up some vehicles ferrying workers engaged in road construction. "The men were on their way back when their vehicle ran over a landmine," Landkumer said. India's Maoists say they are fighting for the rights of neglected tribal people and landless farmers.