Policemen sacked for shying away from fighting Maoists

INDIA: Indian authorities have sacked 29 policemen and suspended dozens of others who have refused to fight Maoist rebels in the restive state of Chhattisgarh, officials said on Wednesday.

The disciplinary action underline how many policemen are unwilling to fight armed Maoists in the dense jungles of central and eastern India, where hundreds of people - including scores of security personnel - have been killed in the past two years.

Last month, a policeman shot himself in a Maoist-dominated district of West Bengal state in eastern India, apparently due to the pressure of security duty in the region.

The sacking of 29 policemen this month took place after they left a jungle warfare training camp in the northeastern state of Mizoram without authorisation, a top police official said.

New Delhi, Wednesday Reuters