Maoists brutally kill four in Jharkhand

Khunti (Jharkhand), Jan.20 (ANI): Maoists have brutally killed four men aged between 20 and 30 years in Jharkhand's Khunti District.

Lal Shareya, the father of one of the dead victims, alleged that police had failed to neutralise the influence of the rebels in the region.

"The police in our district is being careless. If an incident occurs in the east, they go and search in the west. We see it everyday," he said.

Jeetan Munda, the brother of Akash, one of the victims, said his brother and his sister's son were in a nearby village attending a festival when heard about the murders on Thursday.

The violent Maoist insurgency has forced villagers to relocate to nearby towns and cities.

Munda said: "This shows the carelessness of the administration. It should correct its weaknesses. Only then will people of the village be able to live in peace."

Though only four killings by the Maoists could be confirmed, local media reports said at least seven bodies were found in a forest area in the district.

The Maoist insurgency has gripped nearly a third of the country, spreading into the interiors of 20 of India's 28 states, despite strong measures initiated by the government.

The Maoists claim that they are fighting for the rights of poor peasants and landless labourers, and blame the federal government for doing little for the welfare of poor tribal people.

Home Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram has termed left-wing extremism as "a bigger challenge than militancy. (ANI)