Key Maoist rebel leader shot and killed in southern India

Hyderabad: Police say they have fatally shot a top Maoist rebel leader in southern India as they step up their fight against the insurgents who killed dozens of Indian paramilitary soldiers four days ago.

P.Pramod Kumar, a top police officer, says Cherukuri Rajkumar was killed early Friday in a forest area nearly 200 miles (300 kilometres) north of Hyderabad, the capital of Andhra Pradesh state.

There was no independent confirmation of the police claim.

The rebels say they are inspired by the late Chinese communist revolutionary leader Mao Zedong.

They have been fighting in several Indian states for decades, demanding land and jobs for agricultural labourers and the poor.