At least 25 villagers were hacked to death and 21 others injured in a major attack by Maoist rebels in India’s central Chhattisgarh state on Monday, news reports said.
”Between 500 to 800 rebels surrounded a village in Dantewada district shortly after midnight and killed 25 people using axes and knives,” OP Pal, the district’s superintendent of police told Deutsche Presse Agentur.
Dantewada lies about 500km south of state capital Raipur.
It was the biggest attack by Maoist rebels in the state, Pal said.
The villagers were targeted as they were opposed to rebel activity in the area and were part of an anti-Maoist campaign called Selva Judum (Campaign for Peace), Pal said.
He added that 23 people were abducted by the guerillas who fled after carrying out the attack. – Sapa-DPA