Ranchi, India — Indian Maoist rebels have shot dead seven policemen in the eastern state of Jharkhand, a hotbed of left-wing extremism, police said on Tuesday. Acting on a tip-off by state intelligence authorities on Monday, local police headed toward Latehar district, 108 km from the state capital Ranchi, to arrest suspected Maoists who were meeting in a forested area. “Our teams rushed to the meeting spot and a gunfight erupted between the rebels and police,”Jharkhand’s top police officer G.S. Rath said. — AFP