Maoists kill 7 policemen in India

Poll-related violence: official Sri Lanka unearths Tiger rebels ammo

NEW DELHI, May 11, (AFP): A landmine blast blamed on Maoist rebels killed seven police officers on Sunday in an insurgency-hit region of central India, the latest deadly attack during national elections, an official said.

The policemen were patrolling a densely forested area of Maharashtra state when their vehicle hit the mine planted by rebels, amid tight security as the elections draw to a close, a local police officer said.

“The team was travelling from one part of the region to another when a landmine blast hit their vehicle,” Dharmendra Joshi, police public relations officer for Gadchiroli district where the attack occurred, told AFP.

“Seven of our men have lost their lives and two others, who are seriously injured, have been airlifted to Nagpur (city) for treatment,” he said.

The officer said teams have been posted to the Maoist-hit region to ensure “peace and calm” ahead of vote counting across the country after the final round of polling on Monday.

“Our police teams have been on high alert and have been posted in different villages in this Naxalaffected region to ensure peace and calm in the lead up to May 16 election counting,” he said, referring to the rebels also known as Naxalites. COLOMBO, May 11, (AFP): Sri Lanka’s military said Saturday it had unearthed the biggest cache of pistol ammunition buried in the former war zone amid government claims that Tiger rebels are trying to regroup.

Naval troops found the buried ammunition Friday in the coastal area of Mullaittivu where the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) leadership was wiped out in a final offensive in May 2009, the navy said in a statement.

“This is the largest stock of LTTE pistol ammunition ever to be recovered by the security forces,” navy spokesman Kosala Warnakulasuriya told AFP.