BJP worker killed by Naxalites in Chhattisgarh's Narayanpur

Narayanpur: A worker of the ruling BJP was killed by Naxalites in Chhattisgarh's Narayanpur district, police said on Wednesday.

The incident, which took place at Dandvan village on late Tuesday night, came three days ahead of the Lok Sabha elections in the area.

The district falls in the Bastar constituency which will go to polls on April 19.

This was the ninth killing of a local BJP worker by the Naxalites in a Maoist-affected region of the state since February 2023. Panchamdas, the victim of the latest incident, was the deputy sarpanch of his village, a police official said.

While the body was sent for autopsy, security forces have launched an operation in the area to trace the assailants, the official added.

Talking to reporters in Narayanpur town, Chhattisgarh forest minister Kedar Kashyap condemned the incident. A probe will be conducted and those found guilty will face stern action, he said.

On March 6, a local BJP worker was killed by Naxalites in neighbouring Bijapur district. Before that, Naxalites had killed another BJP worker when he was visiting Toynar village in Bijapur district to attend a wedding on March 1.

Ahead of the Assembly polls in November last year, Ratan Dubey, the BJP's Narayanpur district vice president, was hacked to death while he was campaigning.