GUWAHATI, India, April 24 (Reuters) - Indian police shot dead three separatist rebels planning attacks in the troubled northeastern state of Assam on Tuesday, a senior official said.

The United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) rebels were killed in the state's main city of Guwahati, where militants have carried out several grenade and bomb attacks since a peace process with New Delhi broke down last year.

"We raided their hideout and the ULFA militants fired on us when we asked them to surrender. In retaliation, three of them were killed on the spot," Rajen Singh, a senior police officer, said.

The ULFA is one of more than half-a-dozen insurgent groups in the remote region who are fighting for independence, accusing India of neglecting their local economy and culture.

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