Ranchi, July 9 (IANS) A Janata Dal-United (JD-U) legislator was among four people shot dead by suspected Maoist guerrillas on the outskirts of the Jharkhand capital Wednesday, the police said.

Ramesh Singh Munda was killed when he was attending a prize distribution function at a school in Bundu, 45 km from here, said R.K. Malik, spokesperson of the Jharkhand police.

'When the JD-U legislator was speaking at the function, some Maoist rebels fired indiscriminately. Munda sustained grievous injuries and two (of his) security guards and another peron died on the spot,' said Mallik.

Munda succumbed to his injuries on way to Rajendra Institute of Medical Science (RIMS), Ranchi, he said.

Bundu is a block on Ranchi-Jamshedpur National Highway.

Munda, a former minister in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government, had vocally expressed security threat to legislators after a senior police officer was killed June 30 in the same area.

Maoist rebels killed five security personnel including deputy superintendent of police Pramod Kumar in Bundu. They looted Rs.50 million in cash and one kg gold from an ICICI Bank van.

Condemning the killing of the legislator, former chief minister and BJP leader Arjun Munda accused the state government of 'total failure'. 'What is happening in the state!' he wondered.

Another former chief minister and Jharkhand Vikas Morcha-Democratic leader Babulal Marandi said: 'This government should be dismissed as it has failed to protect lawmakers and people of the state.'