A Maoist rebel was killed in gun battle with security forces in Dumka district of Jharkhand on early Sunday morning, police said.
According to police, around 8 to 10 Maoist rebels were holding a meeting near Orjha village of Dumka district, which is around 400 km from Ranchi. Police, on a tip-off, raided the place.
The Maoist rebels fired when the security personnel asked them to surrender. The gun battle lasted nearly two hours, in which a Red Squad member Somnath was killed. The other rebels managed to escape.
Police have seized live cartridges, Maoist literature and other documents belonging to the killed rebel.
Police have launched a search operation to arrest the remaining rebels.
Maoist guerrillas are active in 18 of the 24 districts of Jharkhand. Nearly 1,500 people have been killed in Maoist-related violence in the last eight years.