Villager axed to death by Naxalites in Chhattisgarh

Narayanpur: A man was hacked to death with an axe allegedly by Naxalites in Narayanpur district of Chhattisgarh on Saturday, a police official said.

The victim, identified as Komal Manjhi, was attacked by unidentified Naxalites when he was returning home after performing rituals at a goddess temple in Chhotedongar village, a senior police official said.

Manjhi was a nephew of a popular ‘vaidyaraj’ (traditional healer) of Chhotedongar. He and his uncle had received death threats from Naxalites in the past, he said.

During last month’s assembly elections, some people from interior pockets of the district were shifted to Narayanpur headquarter and kept under protection in view of their safety with Manjhi and his uncle being among them, he said.

After the second phase of voting concluded, the duo had returned to their village and refused to avail protection, he said.

Soon after being alerted about the incident of attack on Manjhi, a police team was sent to the spot and his body was moved to a government hospital for post-mortem, he said.

A hand-written note purportedly written by Maoists was recovered from the spot, in which they accused Manjhi of acting as agent for Aamdai Ghati iron ore mine and making huge money, the official said.

A search operation has been launched in the area to trace the assailants, he added.