Narayanpur/Kanker: A 25-year-old villager was killed allegedly by Naxalites in Chhattisgarh’s Narayanpur district on suspicion of being a police informer, a senior official said on Tuesday.
Separately, security personnel recovered five improvised explosive devices (IEDs), planted by Naxalites, in Kanker district on Monday, he said.
Police are gathering more information about the killing which took place in Gome village under Sonpur police station limits, Inspector General of Police (Bastar Range) Sundarraj P said.
As per preliminary information, the villager, identified as Amar Uikey, was murdered by Naxalites on Monday evening after holding a ‘jan adalat’ (kangaroo court), he said.
“We are verifying the information and gathering further details,” said the senior IPS officer, adding a police team has been sent to the spot.
Police sources shared a picture of a purported Maoist banner in which the Rowghat area committee of insurgents claimed they have given a ‘death punishment’ to Uikey in “jan adalat” as he was acting as an “informer” of the District Reserve Guard (DRG), an anti-Naxal unit of the state police.
Maoists also claimed Uikey provided a “tip-off” to police that led to an encounter between Naxalites and security personnel near Gome village on October 21 this year. On that day, police had claimed two Naxalites were killed in an encounter near Gome village located on the border of Narayanpur and Kanker districts.
An INSAS (Indian Small Arms System) assault rifle, one 12 bore rifle and other arms and ammunition were recovered from the gunfight spot, they had said.
In another incident, security personnel recovered five IEDs, planted by Naxalites, between Ulia and Mad Pakhanjur villages in Kanker district on Monday, IG Sundarraj said.
Kanker and Narayanpur are among seven districts of the Naxal-affected Bastar region that went to polls in the first phase of assembly elections in the state on November 7.
Ahead of two-phase assembly elections, Naxalites had killed four villagers — three in Kanker and one in Bijapur district — on suspicion of being police informers. A Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader was also killed by Maoists in Narayanpur district.
