Indian Congress leader dies of gunshot wounds in left-wing rebel attack

A senior leader of India's ruling Congress Party died Tuesday due to gunshot wounds by extreme left-wing rebels three weeks ago, said local media. Former Union Minister V.C. Shukla, who was injured in a Naxalite attack in Chhattisgarh, eastern India, has died, local TV channel Times Now reported. Shukla, who received treatment in a Gurgaon hospital near the Indian capital, had undergone an operation at another provincial hospital for removal of three bullets. The Congress leader was airlifted to Medanta Hospital in Gurgaon from Raipur, capital of Chhattisgarh, on May 26, a day after the attack that killed over 17 people, including top leaders of Chhattisgarh unit of Congress. The attack shocked India and led to call for tougher measures against the Naxalite rebels, whose number is estimated at 10,000 active around the country's rural areas.