NEW DELHI, Jan. 19 (Xinhua) -- Two women and a 14-year-old girl were killed and four others wounded in an improvised explosive device (IED) blast in central Indian state of Chhattisgarh, police said on Thursday.
The IED explosion took place Wednesday evening at village Ghodagaon in Narayanpur district, about 229 km southwest of Raipur, the capital city of Chhattisgarh.
"Last evening in an improvised explosive blast here, two women and a 14-year-old girl were killed, and four other women were wounded," a police official said. "It is believed the women have accidentally stepped on the IED planted by Naxalites."
Police officials said the Naxalites might have planted the IED to target police and paramilitary troops in the area.
Indian police and paramilitary are battling thousands of armed Naxals in several states across central and eastern India.
Naxalites are also known as "Maoists."
Maosit insurgency has its genesis in the violent left-wing rebellion that began in 1967 at village Naxalbari in the Indian state of West Bengal.
Currently Maoists are active in more than a third of India's 600-odd districts across central and eastern India.
India's former prime minister Manmohan Singh once termed the Naxalite movement as India's "greatest internal security challenge."
New Delhi has deployed several companies of its paramilitary forces to take on Naxals in their strongholds.
Reports said the insurgency has claimed more than 6,000 lives and rendered thousands of poor inhabitants homeless.
