Saturday, June 24 2006 13:04 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Raipur: In continuing Maoist violence, four tribals were killed by outlawed Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) guerrillas in separate incidents in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada district, police said Saturday.

Rebels kidnapped nine tribal villagers from Basagura, 480 km south of Raipur, on Thursday suspecting them to be members of the anti-Maoist Salwa Judum movement. The Maoists beat three of them to death Friday night. The other six were let off.

A middle-aged tribal man was shot dead in Gangloor Friday night.

Bastar Range Police Inspector General T.J. Longkumer said, "The Maoist violence has become really unstoppable in Dantewada."

Maoist violence has escalated in Chhattisgarh, especially in the Bastar region that includes Dantewada, since June last year when tribal villagers launched the Salwa Judum (Campaign for Peace) against the Left wing extremists. The Bharatiya Janata Party-led state government joined in with arms and monetary back up.

Around 50,000 tribal people have been rendered homeless due to the Salwa Judum. The government has settled them at 27 poorly protected relief camps. At least 180 civilians have been killed in the state since January this year.

Maoists, who control vast swathes of rural India along its eastern flank, claim they are fighting for the rights of poor peasants and landless labourers. Officials admit there are about 20,000 armed Maoist fighters in the country, backed by thousands of sympathisers.