Maoist rebels kill 3 in Nepal
Suspected Maoist rebels triggered a landmine in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh.
SUKMA (AFP) - Three people were killed Tuesday when suspected Maoist rebels triggered a landmine in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh, police said.
The blast, which killed two security officials and a third person, came a day after voters defied threats from Maoist rebels to turn out for the first of five state elections in the country.
The polls are seen as a test run for national elections next year.
"With the latest violence, three security personnel and a civilian have been killed in Bastar region" over the past two days, police inspector general Arun Dev Gautam told AFP.
Tuesday s ambush took place in Sukma district as the security men were on patrol, Gautam said.
Another security man was killed by suspected rebels late Monday, he said.
Chhattisgarh, a resource-rich hotbed of left-wing extremism, has been under tight security for the voting in which the national opposition, the Bharatiya Janata Party, is seeking a third term in power.
Maoists seeking the overthrow of the government are active in forest strongholds across a swathe of central and eastern India.
