Maoists kill 6 in India

In Chhattisgarh, Maoists rebels attacked tribal members of the Salwa Judum (March for Peace), a government-backed anti-rebel group.

"This triggered panic among the local tribal population in the area," S.K. Paswan, a senior police officer, said.

The killings took place overnight in the Bastar region of the state, more than 300 km south of Raipur, the state capital.

Maoist rebels, who claim to fight for the landless labourers and poor peasants including impoverished tribes, have been striking frequently in the past year, killing government sympathisers as well as policemen.

Over 50 members of Salwa Judum were killed when rebels set off a landmine under a truck in Chhattisgarh on Feb. 28.

In the neighbouring state of Orissa on Friday, dozens of Maoist rebels stormed a police station and a bank, killing two policemen after a brief firefight and kidnapping two others, as well as a revenue official.