At least 17 Indian policemen including a top commander were killed in a battle with Maoist insurgents in the Indian state of Maharashtra, according to officials.

They said the fighting started after a group of Maoists attacked a police station in Gadchiroli district.

However, it was not immediately known whether the rebels suffered any casualties.

India says the Maoists are posing a serious threat to its security. These insurgents, operating in many states, claim they are fighting for the rights of the poor and landless.

Thousands of people have died in the insurgency they launched in the 1960s.

Last weekend the rebels killed 16 villagers in the state of Bihar. On Tuesday the body of a policeman kidnapped by the rebels was found beheaded in the state of Jharkhand.

The rebels killed 16 police personnel in a gun battle in Gadchiroli district in May. Fifteen officers were killed in the same district in February.