Maoists gun down 16 villagers including five children

At least 50 Maoist guerrillas attacked a Bihar village and brutally gunned down 16 people, including five children, after tying their hands and legs, police said Friday as the issue gained political overtones with demands for Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's resignation.

The incident, which appeared to be a dispute over land, took place late Thursday in Amausi village in Khagaria district, about 200 km north of Patna.

Villagers told police that the guerrillas had tied the hands and legs of the victims before shooting them dead.

Eleven people have been detained and are being interrogated.

'During raids, we have detained 11 people suspected to be involved in the incident,' Bhagalpur Inspector General of Police (IGP) A.R. Kinni told.

Bihar police chief Anand Shankar added that the priority was to arrest those involved in the incident.

'Over 50 armed Maoist rebels attacked Amausi village and shot dead 16 villagers, including five children,' Deputy Superintendent of Police Ajay Pandey said, adding that the killing appeared to be over a land dispute but that the police were still investigating.

'All senior district officials are camping in the village and security forces have been deployed. The Special Task Force along with district police have launched combing operations against Maoists in Khagaria,' Pandey added.

Nitish Kumar condemned the incident and asked top officials of the state administration to investigate.

'It is a shocking incident and should be condemned by one and all,' the chief minister said, while announcing compensation of Rs.150,000 to the families of each victim.

He said Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi and Director General of Police Anand Shankar would visit the village later Friday.

The incident prompted opposition Lok Janshakti Party chief Ram Vilas Paswan to demand Nitish Kumar's resignation.

Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad also targeted Nitish Kumar by saying the state government had failed to curb the spread of Maoists.

Lalu Prasad said it was not a caste massacre but a killing by Maoists.

He added that his party leaders had rushed to the village and so should Nitish Kumar.link

Five killed, seven injured in cylinder blast

Five members of a family, including two women, were today killed and seven others injured when a cooking gas cylinder exploded in a house in Bihar's Khagaria district.

The LPG cylinder exploded at the time of cooking in the house of Pappu Bhagat, head of Bandehra village, killing three persons on the spot, sources said.

Other two died of injuries on way to hospital here, the police said.

The dead persons included two women identified as Shyampyari Devi and Puja Devi.

The injured were admitted to a government hospital here where condition of two was stated to be critical, they said.link

Criminals loot 3 rifles from GRP

Unidentified criminals looted three rifles from the Government Railway Police (GRP) personnel escorting Katihar-Sonepur train near Pasraha railway station in Bihar's Khagaria district, ADG (headquarters)Neelmani said.

Neelmani said the five criminals armed with guns boarded the train at Katihar last night. They attacked the escort party and looted those rifles, when the train was about to reach Pasraha railway station under Samastipur division of the East Central Railway.

They later pulled the chain and decamped with the weapons, Neelmani said and added that a GRP men who sustained injuries in the incident has been admitted to a hospital in Khagaria.

A search operation has been launched to arrest the criminals, Neelmani said.link