Chhattisgarh: BJP leader killed by Maoists in front of family
In a horrific incident, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader from Chhattisgarh's Bijapur was allegedly killed by Maoists in front of his family on Sunday, ANI reported. The deceased, Neelkanth Kakkem, was the BJP mandal president of Bijapur's Usoor Block for the last 15 years. Maoists allegedly attacked him when he went to his native village to attend a wedding, said the police.
What did officials say?
Speaking about the incident, Bijapur's Additional Superintendent of Police (ACP) Chandrakant Governa said, "It has been learned that the armed cadres of the proscribed CPI (Maoist) attacked Kakkem with axes and other sharp weapons till he collapsed and died." He stated that the police received information about the incident from villagers in Pekaram, after which a police team was quickly dispatched to the scene.
Operation launched to nab attackers: Police
Meanwhile, the police have started the investigation and launched a manhunt to nab the attackers. Kakkem's body was also reportedly sent for postmortem. The ACP said initial investigation revealed that over 150 armed Maoists arrived in the village to carry out the attack, but only three reached the BJP functionary's house to attack. He reportedly added that the Maoists came in plain clothes.
Kakkem was dragged and hacked to death: Wife
According to Kakkem's wife, Lalita, three persons forcibly pulled him outside the home and viciously hacked him in front of his family and some locals before fleeing the scene. According to APN, Kakkem was in his native village Pekaram with his family to oversee the preparations for his sister-in-law's marriage. Notably, the region is an extremist-affected area.
Who was Neelkanth Kakkem?
Kakkem had been involved in politics for about 30 years, per reports. He was a powerful BJP leader in his community and had been the BJP mandal president for the last 15 years. He formerly served on the Janpad Panchayat, too. The incident is considered a big setback for the BJP in the area since it sparked panic among the party workers there.
Similar horrific incidents involving BJP leaders
ETV Bharat reported that the Maoists had given an ultimatum to the deceased BJP leader earlier. The outlet said that two years ago, two more leaders of the saffron party, Majji and Jagdish Kondra, were also killed by the Maoists.
