Maoists kill Congress leader's relative in Chhattisgarh

Dozens of Maoists attacked a Congress leader's house and a police station in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada district early on Thursday, killing a relative of the politician and his employee, police said. At least four Maoists were also shot dead.

Guerrillas opened fire at Congress leader Avdhesh Singh Gautam's house and a police station, some 450 km from Raipur, simultaneously at around 1 am. The attack continued till 3 am.

The leader's brother-in-law Sanjay Singh and one of the politician's employees were shot dead. Gautam's wife sustained minor injuries while his son and another family member were critically hurt. They were rushed to Maharani Hospital, Jagdalpur, headquarters of restive Bastar district.

"Maoists paid the price as at least three guerrillas were killed when security guards at the Nakulnar-based house of the politician retaliated while another rebel was shot dead by forces at Kuakonda police station in retaliatory firing," Mr Vishwa Ranjan, director general of police (DGP), Chhattisgarh, told IANS over phone.

He said a large number of Maoists surrounded the area and stormed the politician's house which is not far from the Kuakonda police station.

Gautam, a contractor, escaped unhurt. He is associated with state's Congress veteran leader Mahendra Karma who has been credited for launching a controversial armed civil militia movement against Maoists in Bastar and Dantewada in June 2005.

Maoists have called a two-day strike that began on Wednesday to protest the killing of their top leader Chelukuri Rajkumar alias Azad in Andhra Pradesh.

According to police, Maoists opened firing early Thursday at several security installations across Bastar region, including at a police station at Rowghat in Kanker district.

Meanwhile, Chhattisgarh continued to reel under Maoist shutdown for the second consecutive day with normal life and iron ore transportation being severely hit in the interiors of state's violence-hit 40,000 sq km Bastar region. The region comprises Kanker, Bijapur, Bastar, Narayanpur and Dantewada districts.

Chhattisgarh has been rocked by a series of blasts and gunfights in 2010. In the past three months, the state witnessed killings of 150 people, mostly security personnel.