Chhattisgarh: Maoists killed a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader on Saturday morning in the Narayanpur district while he was on his way to a temple. The victim has been identified as the 43-year-old Komal Manjhi from the Mundatikra village. According to sources, he was murdered for his alleged vested interests worth crores of rupees in a local iron ore mine.
The Maoists have been opposing the Amdai mine and this is the third time in a row that the Maoists targeted BJP leaders in the district because of their connection with the said mine. They had earlier killed BJP District Vice-President Sagar Sahu and Ratan Dubey on February 10 and November 4. Sahu was killed using AK-47 while Dubey was murdered by sharp weapons. There is a panic in the area due to these murders.
Around 10.30 am, Manjhi was on his way to visit the Shitala temple located in the village. Meanwhile, a short action team of Maoists blocked his way and killed him with an axe. As per sources, the Maoists had threatened to kill Manjhi several times in the past following which local police intervened and offered to provide tight security. However, Manjhi had refused to take any police help.
The Maoists targeted Sahu because he encouraged villagers in the area to get employed in the mine and allegedly had vested business interests. However, Sahu's family has refuted the allegations. After killing Manjhi, the Maoists left leaflets and chits on the spot.
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