Communist rebels kill six people in India

Communist rebels kill six people in India

Suspected communist rebels dragged six villagers from their homes and shot and killed them Tuesday in apparent retaliation for defying a boycott of local elections in eastern India, police said.

Maoist rebels attacked Deojora village in Aurangabad district of Bihar state early Tuesday, pulled the sleeping men from their homes and killed them, said Sanjay Singh, a deputy superintendent of police.

The men had been campaigning for village council elections scheduled to be held in May. The rebels have called for a boycott of the polls, but villagers have ignored the rebel ban, Singh said.

"It seems they wanted to send a message that this will be the fate of those who defy the boycott," Singh said, reports the AP.

I.L.