An Indian lawmaker was among five persons shot dead by suspected Maoist rebels in eastern Jharkhand state on Sunday, officials and reports said according to Deutsche Presse Agentur dpa. Sunil Kumar Mahto, 38, general secretary of regional Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) party and member of the Indian parliament was shot dead while he was watching a football match in the Bakuria village near the eastern Jamshedpur city, police said. "The Maoists who were among the spectators shot at Mahto from a close range. The parliamentarian and two of his four bodyguards were killed on the spot," police official Pankaj Darad told reporters. The police official added that the rebels had shot seven times at Mahto, who represents the Jamshedpur constituency in the parliament and was the chief guest at the football match.
