At Least 71 people Killed in Indian Train Wreck Blamed on Maoist Rebels

In eastern India at least 71 people were killed and more than 200 injured when a high speed train derailed and collided with another train. Officials say they suspect sabotage by Maoist rebels caused the derailment.

Most passengers were sleeping when 13 carriages of the passenger train derailed and fell on an adjacent track, where they were rammed by a freight train coming from the opposite direction.

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The head of police in West Bengal state, Bhupinder Singh, called it a clear case of sabotage by Maoist rebels. He said police found posters at the crash site in which a Maoist-backed group, the People's Committee against Police Atrocities, claimed responsibility for the crash.

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The rebels, who say they are fighting for the rights of the poor and the landless, have stepped up attacks in response to a government operation to flush them out of their strongholds. Earlier this month, rebels blew up a bus in Chhattisgarh state, killing 35 people. In April, 76 paramilitary soldiers were killed in a massive rebel attack.

The government calls the rebels India's most serious internal security threat.

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Maoist rebels who are now active in almost a third of India represent more of a threat than Islamic terrorists, but will be defeated within two to three years, P Chidambaram, India’s Home Minister announced today (12-03-2010).