Maoists storm relief centre in Chhattisgarh

The rebels attacked the government centre in the Chhattisgarh state's Dantewada district, triggering a fierce gunbattle with security forces for more than an hour, he said.

"The Special Police Officers (killed) were not from the uniformed forces but were surrendered Naxalites (Maoists) appointed by the government to counter their former comrades," state home minister Ramvichar Netam told AFP.

The emergency centre was one of 27 the state government has set up to house and protect nearly 50,000 people from Maoist violence. Maoist rebels virtually run parallel administrations in 10 of the state's 16 impoverished districts.

At least 145 people including policemen have died this year in stepped-up violence by the rebels in Chhattisgarh, one of 15 of India's 29 states where leftwing rebels are active.

The Maoist rebels are called Naxalites in India after a village in West Bengal where the movement began in 1967. The guerillas claim they are fighting for the rights of neglected tribes and landless farmers.

The state government announced new security measures in the district Saturday to deal with rebel violence, including digging channels on the sides of roads to prevent landmine attacks.