A local Bharatiya Janata Party leader was shot dead by suspected Maoists in Chhattisgarh’s Narayanpur district on Friday, the Hindustan Times reported.
Sagar Sahu, the vice president of the Narayanpur District unit of the saffron party, was shot at his home in Chhotedongar village by two unidentified men at around 9 pm.
He was taken to a local hospital and later referred to the Narayanpur District Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.
This is the second attack on a BJP leader in the state in a week, according to The Indian Express. On February 5, Neelkanth Kakem, the BJP’s divisional head of the Awapalli area in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district, was killed by three Maoists.
The Chhattisgarh Police said that it believes that a small action team of Maoists was behind Sahu’s murder.
“We are investigating the killing from all angles,” Inspector General (Bastar range) Sundarraj P said, according to the Hindustan Times. “A combing operation has been launched in a nearby forest.”
Sundarraj also added that the incident was an attempt by Maoists to create fear in the region.
“This incident is unfortunate, but we need to understand the modus operandi of Moists,” he said. “Whenever Maoists are on the back foot, they try to indulge in such incidents to create a fear psychosis. This is not an act of strength but an act of cover-up for their losing ground.”
Meanwhile, BJP chief JP Nadda, who was on a day-long visit to Bastar, visited Sahu’s house and met his family on Saturday.
“Naxal attacks under the Congress government are continuously increasing and BJP leaders are targeted,” Nadda said. “The party [BJP] will fight the ideological battle with Maoists in a democratic manner and will also win it.”
Polls are due in Chhattisgarh later this year.
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