At least five policemen including a district chief were shot dead by Maoist rebels in eastern India today, in an apparent revenge attack.

An armed group ambushed two vehicles carrying the police in the Dumka district of Jharkhand state, some 400 kilometres north-east of state capital Ranchi.

“Amarjit Balihar, police superintendent of the neighbouring Pakur district and four more policemen were shot dead in the attack,” Jharkhand police chief Rajiv Kumar said over telephone.

The attack came days after eight Maoist militants were shot dead in a gun-battle with security forces in Jharkhand’s Latehar district on June 27.

“It seems that it (the attack) was in retaliation for that incident,” Kumar said.

Tuesday’s attack was the second-biggest Maoist strike after a May 25 attack killed 25 people including former Indian minister Vidya Charan Shukla and regional politicians.

The Maoists, who reject parliamentary democracy, say their armed rebellion is to secure the rights of the poor and marginalised.

They are active in more than one-third of India’s 626 administrative districts and usually target security personnel and government installations and officials.

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