Wed, Jul 9 09:44 PM
NEW DELHI (AP) _ Suspected Maoist rebels shot and killed an opposition state lawmaker and three others while they were attending a school function in eastern India on Wednesday, police said. Nearly a dozen suspected rebels arrived at the school and fired at the four from close range in Barihatu, a village 20 miles (32 kilometers) south of Ranchi, the capital of Jharkhand state, said R. K. Malik, a police spokesman.
Those killed included 53-year-old Ramesh Singh Munda, a former state minister belonging to Janata Dal (United), or People's Party, and his two guards, Malik told The Associated Press. Munda represented the area in the state assembly.
The identity of the fourth victim is not yet known. The assailants escaped after the attack and police are searching for them, Malik said.
In October, rebels in the same state killed 18 people, including the son of a top state politician, while they were participating in a village song and dance festival. The rebels, also known as Naxalites, are mainly active in areas where widespread poverty has fueled a lengthy insurgency by militants demanding land and jobs for the poor.
