Two farmers were killed early on Sunday by suspected Maoist rebels for having handed over their land for an upcoming steel plant in Chhattisgarh’s Dantewada district.

Over 40 armed Maoists raided Bhansi village, 395 km from here, and allegedly slit the throats of two villagers who had surrendered their land to Essar Steel for setting up the plant, said a senior police officer. Those killed were identified as Amit, 26 and Hungaram, 50.

Police sources alleged that the extremists warned the residents of Bhansi and neighbouring Dhurli village against giving up their ancestral farmland to Essar Steel or meet the same fate as the two killed.

The steel major had signed a deal with the Chhattisgarh Government in 2005 for setting up a Rs 70 billion integrated steel plant in Dantewada with a 3.2-million tonne capacity.