Palamu (Jharkhand), Dec 28 (ANI): Suspected Maoists burnt a couple alive inside a house in Palamau district of Jharkhand over a land dispute with a rebel commander on Sunday.

As per eyewitnesses, about 10-15 Maoist rebels raided the village, and set the house on fire, in which Divesh Singh and his wife, Devbrati Devi were burnt alive.

The couple were sleeping while the house was set on fire. Later, locals found a pamphlet on the spot terming the couple ‘police informers’.

“We heard sound of fire and bomb explosion. We didn’t see but heard the sound and after that they all left. They burnt the house as well. We could see there was fire on all four corners of the house. A couple was burnt inside,” said Rampreet, a resident.

Police said Maoist rebels had a land dispute with Mahendra Bhuiya, an area commander of the banned Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist).

The Maoist violence is estimated to cause 600 to 700 deaths annually and the displacement 100,000 civilians. It has spread to 182 of India’s 602 districts and has been declared as the country’s single biggest internal security challenge.

The main objective of the Maoists is to prevent the development of infrastructure in remote areas, which so far has remained their exclusive domain. (ANI)