Maoist rebels in the eastern Indian state of Jharkhand have killed 10 policemen and injured four people in their latest attacks, police say.
A police official told the BBC that the attack happened in the Bokaro district.
Two policemen were killed instantly in an ambush and eight others died later as their vehicle was blown up on its way to the scene.
On Wednesday suspected Maoist rebels killed 10 policemen in a landmine attack in Jharkhand.
A rebel spokesman, Samar, told the BBC that the attacks were in retaliation for alleged police harassment of villagers.
The rebels are fighting for communist rule in a number of Indian states. More than 6,000 people have died during their 20-year fight.
The Maoists regularly target police and paramilitary troops in the states where they are active.
The rebels say that they are inspired by Chinese revolutionary leader Mao Zedong, and are fighting for better land rights and more jobs for agricultural labourers and the poor.
You know, as a former combat engineer I know better...
But the phrase landmine attack still conjures up a mental image of a bunch of guys throwing landmines for me.
"it takes two sides to end a war but only one to start one. And those who do not have swords may still die upon them." Tolken
The Darwin Awards wrote:Fatal Footsie
1999 Darwin Awards Runner-Up
Confirmed True by Darwin
(22 March 1999, Phnom Penh) Decades of armed strife have littered Cambodia with unexploded munitions and ordnance. Authorities warn citizens not to tamper with the devices.
Three friends recently spent an evening sharing drinks and exchanging insults at a local cafe in the southeastern province of Svay Rieng. Their companionable arguing continued for hours, until one man pulled out a 25-year-old unexploded anti-tank mine found in his backyard.
He tossed it under the table, and the three men began playing Russian roulette, each tossing down a drink and then stamping on the mine. The other villagers fled in terror.
Minutes later, the explosive detonated with a tremendous boom, killing the three men in the bar. "Their wives could not even find their flesh because the blast destroyed everything," the Rasmei Kampuchea newspaper reported.
