India to fight out Maoists

The plans were drafted Monday by Home Minister Shivraj Patil and state chief ministers in New Delhi following a sharp jump in deadly leftist attacks.

"Act compassionately but in a determined manner. Use force but in a proper and discreet manner," Patil told state chief ministers, according to The Hindu newspaper.

The national government and the states agreed to mount anti-Maoist operations that would cross state borders, strengthen intelligence-sharing and bolster state police forces. They also said they would set up groups in each state to promote faster social and economic development.

Alarm bells rang in New Delhi earlier this month when Indian rebels and Maoists guerrillas in neighbouring Nepal, who are fighting to oust the monarchy in the Himalayan kingdom, said they would work jointly to promote communism.

The declaration came amid rising leftist violence in India.

At least 15 people were killed September 12 when more than 100 suspected Maoists raided a village in the eastern Indian state of Jharkhand, a hotbed of Maoist militancy.

That attack came a week after 23 paramilitary soldiers were killed in a landmine blast triggered by Maoist rebels in the central state of Chhattisgarh.

The leftist rebels say they are battling for greater economic and social rights for tribals and landless farmers in the country's rural hinterland.