Naxals kill 2 policemen in India's Chhattisgarh

NEW DELHI, Feb. 20 (Xinhua) -- Two policemen were killed Monday in a Naxal attack in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh, police said.

The duo was killed in Bortalab area of Rajnandgaon district, about 125 km west of Raipur, the capital city of Chhattisgarh.

"This morning a group of Naxalites fired upon two policemen in Bortalav police limits. While one policeman was killed on the spot, the other succumbed later on while being removed to hospital," Abhishek Meena, a senior police official told media.

Reports said the policemen were heading to Bortalab police camp on a motorcycle when they came under attack.

Following the killings, contingents of police and paramilitary rushed to the area to carry out searches for the attackers.

Currently, Naxals are active across the central and eastern parts of India.

New Delhi has deployed several companies of its paramilitary forces to take on Naxals in their strongholds.

The insurgency reportedly has claimed hundreds of lives besides rendering thousands of poor inhabitants homeless.