RAIPUR: Two days before Bastar constituency goes for Lok Sabha elections, Maoists on Tuesday killed a deputy sarpanch who was also a BJP worker, in Narayanpur district.
The incident took place in village Dandvan of Farasgaon around 11 pm on Tuesday when armed cadres broke the door of deputy sarpanch’s house and killed him in cold blood with a sharp-edged weapon.
The deputy sarpanch Pancham Das Manikpuri was hacked to death and his family had no time to intervene.
A Maoist banner in red colour was found hanging near the house that stated, Pancham was indulged in corruption and worked as informer for police. The banner indicated that it was the task of Maoists of west Bastar division committee and it said that Pancham was warned and threatened many times but he didn’t pay any heed, which is why he was killed in front of his family members.
This is the ninth killing of a BJP worker in past two years in Bastar division.
“Killing of Pancham Das is a pure act of cowardness. What is this? If they have weapon, they will kill a common man?” asked deputy chief minister and home minister Vijay Sharma.
Pancham was working since long as a BJP worker and was on the target of Maoists.
BJP leaders in Bastar region have been attacked in past several incidents including Ratan Dubey, BJP’s Narayanpur district unit vice president, who was brutally hacked to death ahead of 2023 assembly elections while he was campaigning.
On October 20 last year, BJP worker Birju Taram was shot dead at Sarkheda village in Mohla-Manpur-Ambagarh Chowki district.
In June 2023, a local BJP leader was killed by Maoists in Bijapur district, while in February last year, three BJP leaders were murdered in separate incidents in the Bastar division.
The incident took place in village Dandvan of Farasgaon around 11 pm on Tuesday when armed cadres broke the door of deputy sarpanch’s house and killed him in cold blood with a sharp-edged weapon.
The deputy sarpanch Pancham Das Manikpuri was hacked to death and his family had no time to intervene.
A Maoist banner in red colour was found hanging near the house that stated, Pancham was indulged in corruption and worked as informer for police. The banner indicated that it was the task of Maoists of west Bastar division committee and it said that Pancham was warned and threatened many times but he didn’t pay any heed, which is why he was killed in front of his family members.
This is the ninth killing of a BJP worker in past two years in Bastar division.
“Killing of Pancham Das is a pure act of cowardness. What is this? If they have weapon, they will kill a common man?” asked deputy chief minister and home minister Vijay Sharma.
Pancham was working since long as a BJP worker and was on the target of Maoists.
BJP leaders in Bastar region have been attacked in past several incidents including Ratan Dubey, BJP’s Narayanpur district unit vice president, who was brutally hacked to death ahead of 2023 assembly elections while he was campaigning.
On October 20 last year, BJP worker Birju Taram was shot dead at Sarkheda village in Mohla-Manpur-Ambagarh Chowki district.
In June 2023, a local BJP leader was killed by Maoists in Bijapur district, while in February last year, three BJP leaders were murdered in separate incidents in the Bastar division.