Three Forward Bloc activists were shot dead by armed Maoists in Purulia district, the police said on Monday.
A group of about 50 Maoists, armed with sophisticated weapons, raided Chirogora village late on Sunday night and dragged out the three activists from their houses to a distance and shot them dead, district SP Rajesh Jadav told PTI.
The deceased were identified as Leru Majhi, Dasrath Majhi, and Choto Majhi, he said. The attackers left some leaflets in the area claiming that they were killed as they were "police spies". Joint forces and a police team rushed to the village and have started combing operations, the SP said.