Maoist rebels kill 5 in India bus blast
Indian Maoist rebels yesterday killed five people including a policeman by detonating a landmine under a bus in a restive central state that goes to the polls this month, police said.
It was the second attack in Chhattisgarh inside 10 days and came just a day ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the state where he will be campaigning for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The mineral-rich state goes to the polls on Monday with a second round on November 20, the election staggered because of the security situation.
The attack occurred in Dantewada district, a Maoist stronghold where the guerillas killed two policemen and a journalist on October 30.
The Maoist rebels, who say they are fighting for the rights of landless labourers and poor farmers, have urged voters to boycott the polls.
In the latest incident, police said the victims were returning from picking vegetables and other rations for paramilitary forces deployed in the area.
"The bus was coming down a hill when it hit a landmine," police superintendent D. Raghushankar told AFP.
"Four civilians and one CISF (Central Industrial Security Force) personnel have lost their lives."
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