NB Twitter Scan | Chattisgarh: Another BJP leader killed by Maoists in Congress-ruled state; fifth in one year

Bijapur, June 22: In yet another murder of a BJP leader in a Congress-ruled state, a group of Naxalites killed a BJP leader and former sarpanch, Kaka Arjun in the Bijapur district in Chhattisgarh. A note was found on his body that was dumped in the middle of the road saying that he was killed because he worked for the BJP.

 

 

Notably, Madded area committee of Maoists has claimed responsibility for the killing of Arjun, the secretary of the BJP Bijapur district unit’s Scheduled Tribe wing. According to Bijapur Additional Superintendent of Police Chandrakant Gavarna, Arjun left for Semaldodi village with his wife on a motorbike at around 10 am on Wednesday.

 

 

When he got there, he dropped his wife and proceeded to a forest with five other unknown people who were dressed in civilian clothing. When he did not return for long, his wife came back home, he said. Later, the body was found lying on the road, the official said.

 

The officer said the body, with the throat slit, was found on the outskirts of Lankapara in Ilmidi, 470km from Raipur. Police said they discovered a note at the scene issued in the name of the Madded area committee of Maoists. The note read that Arjun was associated with the BJP since 2014 and was working against the outlawed Communist Party of India (Maoist), police said.

 

In the note, Naxals warned that if any person associated with the BJP was found to be working against the CPI (Maoists), he/she will meet the same fate.

 

Arjun is the fifth BJP leader to be killed by Maoists this year. Notably, the murder happened a day before Home Minister Amit Shah is scheduled to visit the state’s Durg district.

 

Condemning the killing of the BJP functionary, OP Chaudhary, general secretary of the Chhattisgarh BJP, tweeted, "Another dastardly murder by Naxalites. It is clear from the brutal killing of Bijapur District ST Front Minister, former Sarpanch Arjun Kaka that BJP workers are being killed in a pre-planned manner. Law and order have ended in the state."

 

 

Arjun is the fifth BJP leader who has been assassinated by Maoists this year. In fact, in February this year, BJP raised the issue of the killing of party leaders in Chhattisgarh. BJP accused the Bhupesh Baghel-led Congress government of starting a proxy war against the BJP using the Maoists as the front.

 

Chhattisgarh BJP president Arun Sao also raised the issue in parliament after four BJP leaders were killed in Bastar district in a month, reportedly by Maoists and urged the Centre to direct the Chhattisgarh government to ensure the safety of the people. He said that the murders of four BJP members were a result of targeted killings and political conspiracy. He also demanded an impartial probe into the death of the BJP’s local leaders in Bastar by any independent agency.

After BJP’s stand on the matter, Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel rejected security failure claims and maintained that the killings were the last efforts by Maoists to establish their presence as they are losing ground in the Bastar area.