"(Former MP) Sudam Marandi escaped unhurt, his two security men and a police officer died in the shoot-out. A search operation has been launched to catch the attackers," local police chief Prakash Mishra told AFP by telephone.
The assault in a remote village of Orissa state was the latest by scattered groups of suspected Maoist rebels who have increased strikes across India in recent weeks.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Sunday vowed to quell the Naxalites -- as they are known in India -- after 17 policemen were gunned down in Maharashtra state.
The Maoist rebels, thought to number as many as 20,000, say they fight for the rights of the rural poor. But officials accuse them of using intimidation and extortion to collect money and to control impoverished villagers.
Related story
ANFA signs deal with England Football Association for friendly...
