Maoists fire on crowd, kill 17

Maoist rebels fired on a crowd of spectators watching a football match and cultural show in a remote village in eastern India, killing 17 people including a former chief minister's son, police and witnesses said yesterday.

Around 40 rebels, including some women, disguised themselves as soldiers and police. They surrounded a football field in Jharkhand state a few hours before dawn and fired fired at spectators, said Arun Kumar Singh, a senior police officer.

Anup Marandi, son of a former chief minister of the state, Babulal Marandi, was among those killed in the remote village, Singh said.

"A cultural programme after the match extended beyond midnight, giving the Maoists time to carry out the attack," Singh said from Giridih, 160 km northeast of the state capital, Ranchi.

Police have been combing nearby jungles in search of the rebels, even as supporters of Marandi took to the streets in Ranchi and blocked traffic in protest, witnesses said.