Police killed 'by Indian Maoists'

By Omer Farooq
BBC News, Hyderabad

Maoist violence has intensified since the start of the year

Two policemen have been killed by suspected Maoist rebels in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, officials say.

Six rebels attacked a police station at Achampeta, 200km (125 miles) from the state capital Hyderabad late on Thursday, they say.

It was the second attack in a month. Seven people, including four officers, died in a rebel raid on 11 March.

A ceasefire between Maoists and the government broke down in January.

The rebels have been fighting since 1980 for the creation of a communist state comprising tribal areas in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Orissa, Bihar and Chhattisgarh.

'Informers' warned

The police chief of Mahbubnagar district, Vikram Singh Man, said the rebels fired indiscriminately, killing one policeman on the spot and wounding two others.

One of the injured policemen later died in hospital.

Mr Man said police fired back, preventing the rebels from storming the station.

Officials say rebels have intensified attacks on security forces, killing 15 policemen in the past three months.

More than 125 people have been killed since January, when the seven-month ceasefire broke down.

A senior rebel leader of the Communist Party of India (Maoist), Ramakrishna, has warned of more attacks on what he called police informers.

Mr Ramakrishna had led the rebels in peace talks with the authorities in October 2004.

He accused the government of double-speak and deceit.

He said the state's chief minister, YS Rajashekhar Reddy, had committed a fraud on the people as his forces continued to kill rebels while talking of peace.