West Bengal rebels kill Marxist leader

BBC World Service, Saturday 28 October 2000, 12:51 GMT 13:51 UK

A senior Marxist leader in the Indian state of West Bengal, Dipankar Ghosh, has been killed by suspected separatist rebels.

Police say the incident occurred near the town of Siliguri when the rebels, believed to be members of the Kantapuri Liberation Organisation, shot Mr Ghosh as he was entering his house.

The KLO is fighting for a separate tribal state in the northern parts of West Bengal, a demand which has consistently been resisted by the state's governing Marxist party.

Several Marxist leaders have been killed in recent weeks by KLO rebels in northern districts of West Bengal.