3 including 13-year-old boy murdered by Naxalites in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district

Bijapur: Two relatives of a surrendered Maoist and a 13-year-old boy were brutally killed by Naxalites in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district, police said on Thursday.

Jugnu Modiyam (45), Soma Modiyam (21) and Anil Madvi (13) were strangled in village Peddakorma under Gangaloor police station area on Tuesday, a senior official said.

Jugnu and Soma were related to senior Maoist cadre Dinesh Modiyam who surrendered before police in March, said Inspector General of Police (Bastar Range) Sundarraj P.

A police team was immediately sent to the village and their bodies were recovered on Wednesday, he told PTI.

The exact reason behind the murder was yet to be ascertained, Sundarraj said.

Dinesh Modiyam (36), a divisional committee member of the Maoists wanted in 26 cases in Bijapur district and carrying a reward of Rs 8 lakh on his head, turned himself in before police on March 13.

"This inhuman and cold-blooded act is yet another glaring reflection of the anti-people and morally bankrupt ideology of Maoist insurgents. Such acts are not only reprehensible but also reveal the desperation and cowardice of the banned Maoist outfit who target innocent civilians, especially children," Sundarraj said.

The perpetrators of the "ghastly crime" would be brought to justice, he added.

A resident of Peddakorma told local media persons that Soma had cleared Class 12 examination and was planning to take admission in college. He was also preparing for a competitive examination and had recently applied for the excise constable recruitment test, he added.

Anil, a Class 7 student, was aspiring to become a doctor, he said.

Villagers were visibly scared of disclosing their identities while talking to reporters.

Around 70-80 Naxalites stormed into the village on Tuesday and dragged Soma and Anil out of their homes. They were taken some distance away with their hands tied before they were strangled with rope, a villager said.

Kamlesh Paikra, secretary of the Bijapur unit of the Sarva Adivasi Samaj, a tribal organisation, condemned the incident.