Maoists Kill Local BJP Leader, a Tribal, in Bijapur
11th leader of ruling party slain by Naxals in Bastar in last 2 years
Raipur: A local BJP leader in Bijapur district in south Bastar of Chhattisgarh was on Tuesday morning brutally killed by Maoists, police said.
According to the police, a group of four-five Naxals stormed the village of Mujakanker under Illmidi police station early on Tuesday and barged into the house of Satyem Poonam, a local mandal-level BJP functionary.
The ultras then strangled him to death.
The Naxals left a leaflet near his body before fleeing the spot, police said.
The Madded division of Maoists owned up the responsibility for the murder of the BJP activist while branding him a police informer, police said.
Despite repeated warnings, the BJP leader was found to be helping the police, the leaflet said while trying to justify his elimination.
Poonem was the eleventh BJP leader slain by Maoists in Bastar division comprising seven districts in the last two years.
The ten other BJP leaders, killed by Maoists in the last two years, were Neelkanth Kokkem, Awapali mandal chief of the party in Bijapur district, Sagar Sahu, vice-president of Narayanpur district unit of the party, Ramdhar Ulami, local BJP leader of Dantewada, Ramji Dodo, local BJP leader of Narayanpur district, Arjun Kakka, chief of Bijapur district scheduled tribe wing of party, Birju Taram, BJP worker of Mohla-Manpur, Ratan Dubey, vice-president of Narayanpur district unit of the party, Tirupati Katla, janpad panchayat member of Bijapur, Kailash Nag, local BJP leader of Bijapur, and Kudiyam Mado, a local BJP leader of Bijapur.
Poonam was also the sixth civilian to be killed by Maoists in Bijapur district in the last week.