Four Maoist rebels killed in central India

INDIA: Indian police said Sunday they had shot dead four Maoist rebels after a gun battle in the insurgency-hit central Indian state of Chhattisgarh.

Six Maoist rebels were also arrested and a stash of weapons was recovered after the encounter in the state's worst-affected Dantewada district, about 500 kilometers (310 miles) from the state capital Raipur, police said.

The encounter was sparked when security forces raided a rebel hideout, senior local police official T.J. Lonkumer told AFP.

More than 300 people, including security personnel, have been killed in Maoist-related violence in the state since January this year.

The guerrillas, who say they are fighting for the rights of neglected tribes and landless farmers, also hold sway in states such as Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and Orissa.

Raipur, Monday, AFP