'Villagers die' in Maoist attack

Suspected Maoists rebels have killed seven villagers in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh, police say.

Some 300 armed rebels are said to have swooped on a village in Dantewara district, about 485km (303 miles) from the state capital Raipur.

They said they rounded up 25 villagers and took them to a nearby forest. Seven of them were killed but the rest freed.

The attack is said to be linked to an ongoing anti-Maoist campaign which is supported by the government.

Police said the rebels questioned the villagers about their involvement in the campaign known locally as Salwa Judum.

The villages are said to have been beaten and shot at, which is how seven of them died according to the police.

The Maoists have a strong presence in eight of 16 districts of Chhattisgarh state and are so powerful that the run a virtual parallel administration in some areas.

Violence

Tens of thousands of villagers have been displaced by the Salwa Judum campaign and are living in government camps across the state.

The rebels are active in six Indian states and say they are fighting for the rights of landless peasants and indigenous peoples.

Thousands have died in Maoist campaigns across central and southern India in the past 30 years.

The Indian government believes that there may be 10,000 armed Maoist rebels in India, correspondents say.