Policemen killed in India blast

At least six policemen have been killed in a landmine attack in eastern India, officials say.

The police were returning from an insurgency-affected area in Jharkhand state, about 120 km (75 miles) from its capital, Ranchi.

They suspect the attack was carried out by rebels of the banned People's War Group, who have been fighting for 20 years for a communist state.

One policeman was missing after the attack, the police said.

Police said the blast happened late on Tuesday when the policemen were returning from the town of Rania after escorting traders to a local market.

"The attackers triggered a landmine blast and then fired at the wounded policemen as they tried to pull themselves out of the vehicle which was damaged in the explosion," Jharkhand police chief RR Prasad told Reuters.

In a separate incident, suspected rebels killed two villagers in Jharkhand on Tuesday, reports a BBC correspondent.

The police said that the villagers had been involved in robberies.

Communist state

The People's War Group is an armed peasant movement active in a number of states in India that advocates revolution in the countryside.

The rebels have been accused of targeting wealthy land-owners and security forces in Bihar.

A similar attack in Jharkhand in April left 26 policemen dead.

A landmine blast in the same area last year killed 33 people dead.

In February, the People's War Group and another rebel group, the Maoist Communist Centre, said they planned to step up attacks against the police.

More than 6,000 people have died during the rebels' 20-year armed struggle for a communist state in tribal areas of India.