Indian forces fight Maoists in state

NEW DELHI, June 19 (UPI) -- Federal and state security forces in India confronted Maoists in West Bengal state to regain control of the Lalgarh tribal region from them, authorities said.

The start of the offensive Thursday ended a four-day siege at Lalgarh and met with little resistance from an estimated 600 tribal people armed with batons, axes, spears and bows and arrows, the Press Trust of India reported. The tribal people had blocked the road where the security forces arrived, shouting that local police should "apologize" for their "atrocities," the report said.

Security forces dispersed the Maoists, who had formed a human shield, with teargas and baton charges.

Local police said the blockades were among several the forces expected to face as they proceeded toward Lalgarh.

The tribal people are led by the Maoists' People's Committee Against Police Atrocities, which has been active in the area for months. They are opposed to the Communist Party of India (Marxist), or CPI(M), which rules the state in eastern India.

Earlier Thursday, other media reports said the bodies of four CPI(M) activists were found at Goaltore, about 20 miles from Lalgarh. The victims, who police suspected were kidnapped by the rebels, had earlier been reported missing.

State officials appealed to the tribal people to beware of the Maoists and urged them to vacate the area.