BBC News - India Maoists kill six villagers in Chhattisgarh
The rebels have intensified attacks in recent months
The bodies of six villagers have been found with their throats slit in the forests of India's Chhattisgarh state, police say, blaming Maoist rebels.
The dead, who included a local village chief, were kidnapped by Maoist rebels who accused them of spying for the government, officials said.
Last month, the rebels launched a major attack against paramilitary soldiers in the state, killing 76.
Thousands of people have died during the rebels' fight for communist rule.
The Maoists say they are fighting for the rights of rural poor who have been neglected by the government for decades.
The Maoist insurgency has been described by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as the country's biggest internal security threat.
'Innocent villagers'
Sunday's attack took place in Rajnandgaon district.
The victims were abducted by the rebels last week and their bodies were found in a forest area in Uchapur village.
"They are innocent villagers who were accused of being close to the police and of spying for the police," news agency Reuters quoted deputy inspector general of Chhattisgarh police, M Prasad Narayan, as saying.
"This is an act of cowardice," he said.
Chhattisgarh has seen several attacks in the recent months in response to a big government offensive against the rebels.
Indian forces launched the offensive in what is known as the "red corridor", a broad swathe of territory in rural eastern and central India where the Maoist rebellion has been gathering strength.
Nearly 50,000 federal paramilitary troops and tens of thousands of policemen are taking part in the operation in several states.
The rebels say they will step up attacks unless the government halts its offensive against them.
But Home Minister P Chidambaram has said troops will intensify the offensive if the rebels do not renounce violence and enter peace talks.
The rebels have intensified attacks in recent months
The bodies of six villagers have been found with their throats slit in the forests of India's Chhattisgarh state, police say, blaming Maoist rebels.
The dead, who included a local village chief, were kidnapped by Maoist rebels who accused them of spying for the government, officials said.
Last month, the rebels launched a major attack against paramilitary soldiers in the state, killing 76.
Thousands of people have died during the rebels' fight for communist rule.
The Maoists say they are fighting for the rights of rural poor who have been neglected by the government for decades.
The Maoist insurgency has been described by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as the country's biggest internal security threat.
'Innocent villagers'
Sunday's attack took place in Rajnandgaon district.
The victims were abducted by the rebels last week and their bodies were found in a forest area in Uchapur village.
"They are innocent villagers who were accused of being close to the police and of spying for the police," news agency Reuters quoted deputy inspector general of Chhattisgarh police, M Prasad Narayan, as saying.
"This is an act of cowardice," he said.
Chhattisgarh has seen several attacks in the recent months in response to a big government offensive against the rebels.
Indian forces launched the offensive in what is known as the "red corridor", a broad swathe of territory in rural eastern and central India where the Maoist rebellion has been gathering strength.
Nearly 50,000 federal paramilitary troops and tens of thousands of policemen are taking part in the operation in several states.
The rebels say they will step up attacks unless the government halts its offensive against them.
But Home Minister P Chidambaram has said troops will intensify the offensive if the rebels do not renounce violence and enter peace talks.
