Father J.B. Cresta, two policemen and two others were killed Thursday night 80 kilometers (50 miles) northwest of Ranchi, the capital of Jharkhand, state inspector-general of police G.S. Rath said.
Eight others, including a nun, Sister Anestha, were also injured when insurgents belonging to the outlawed Maoist Communist Center (MCC) ambushed an ambulance and police responded to the attack.
The violent incident took place as MCC activists launched a 72-hour strike in the state to protest against a court order sentencing four comrades to death. The four received the death sentence for their alleged involvement in the massacre of 34 upper caste people in 1992.
