Former sarpanch shot dead by Maoists in Odisha’s Kandhamal
As he was promoting progress in the area, he was reportedly receiving threats from Maoists and was on their target list for a long time, sources said.
Phulbani: The Red menace once reared its ugly head after a former sarpanch was allegedly shot dead by a group of Maoists in the inaccessible Phiringia block of Odisha’s Kandhamal district on Wednesday night. The deceased was identified as Subala Kanhar who had taken over as the first sarpanch of Sumerbandh after the panchayat was formed in the block.
As per reports, Kanhar had played a decisive role in developmental interventions in the Naxal-infested area after assuming charge as a sarpanch. As he was promoting progress in the area, he was reportedly receiving threats from Maoists and was on their target list for a long time, sources said. On Wednesday, Kanhar had gone with his family to his native village at Sauli Pada. At around 9 pm when he was sleeping, a group of 10-15 armed Maoists barged into his home. They then dragged him to the verandah and shot him.
Following the incident, fear gripped residents of the area as the the brazen, cold-blooded murder was carried out despite tight security with the Sumerbandh CRPF camp just 1 km away.
Till reports last came in, no police or security personnel had arrived at the spot.
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