Naxals kidnap and kill Samajwadi Party leader in Chhattisgarh''s Bijapur

Bijapur, June 19

A Samajwadi Party (SP) leader was kidnapped and killed by Naxals in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district, police said on Wednesday.

Santosh Punem, who was also a contractor, was kidnapped by ultras on Tuesday evening from his construction site at Marimalla village where he had gone to supervise road-related work, Superintendent of Police Divyang Patel said.

Locals spotted his body lying in a pool of blood at the nearby Marimalla hills on Wednesday morning and informed the police.

A team of security personnel rushed to the spot, located deep inside a forest, which is 16 km from the police station, he said.

The police were yet to return with the body, he said.

Punem last year contested the state Assembly polls from Bijapur seat on the SP’s ticket, he added. PTI