Naxals kill pastor in Chhattisgarh on suspicion of being police informer

Bijapur, March 19

A local pastor was allegedly attacked and killed in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district by Naxals, who suspected him of being a police informer, police said on Saturday.

The killing took place at Angampalligua village under Madded police station area on Thursday, while the victim’s body was recovered on Friday, an official said.

“According to preliminary information, a group of suspected armed Naxals entered the house of local pastor Yallam Shankar, and dragged him out. They attacked him with sharp-edged weapons, killing him on the spot,” the official said.

After being alerted, a police team was sent to the spot on Friday and the victim’s body was sent for post-mortem, he said.

A handwritten note was recovered from the spot, in which the Madded Area Committee of Maoists has claimed responsibility for the murder and accused the victim of being a police informer, the official said.

Further investigation is under way to ascertain the identity of the assailants, he said, adding that the murdered pastor had no association with the police.