Suspected Maoists kill 16 people in a Bihar village

In the first ever carnage during the NDA regime led by chief minister Nitish Kumar, 16 people were gunned down by suspected Maoist cadres in a village in Bihar's Khagaria district late last night, a top police official said today.

"Around 100 people, suspected to be Maoists, armed with automatic weapons attacked the village Amosi Bharen Diara and fired indiscriminately late last night, killing 11 men and
five children on the spot," inspector general (operations) SK Bharadwaj said.

According to police, the cultivation on the disputed 30 bighas of land is said to be reason behind the attack on the victims belonging to backward caste. When contacted, ADG headquarters Neelmani said that the attack was carried out on the villagers by the suspected Naxalites with the intention of grabbing the land. The victims, belonged to Amdaicharua village and had been living in the makeshift camps on the land for cultivation, he added.

"Senior police officials, IG Operations and IG Bhagalpur, are camping at the site and special task force had been deployed for combing operations in the riverine area to nab them," Neelmani said, adding also, police patrolling has been increased as tension prevailed in the area.

Neelmani said bodies have been kept at Morkahi police station from where it would be sent to a government hospital for post-mortem.