24 November,2023 08:26 PM IST | Nagpur | mid-day online correspondent
Representational Pic/File
Naxalites have killed a local villager over support for mining project in Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra, the PTI reported on Friday.
The news agency reported, the Naxalites allegedly shot and killed a village patil and beat up a few villagers for supporting a mining project in Gadchiroli district, the police said on Friday.
The incident occurred in Titola village in Etapalli tehsil of the district on Thursday night, an official said.
Armed Naxalites barged into the house of Lalsu Velda (63), a village patil, and shot him dead. They also beat up a few villagers, he said, adding that the victim's son is a policeman, as per the PTI.
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The Naxalites accused the villagers of supporting the Surjagarh iron ore mines project in Hedari, around 200 km from here, the official said.
In a leaflet found at the crime scene, the Gadchiroli Division Committee of Naxalites claimed responsibility for the murder and pointed fingers at the deputy superintendent of Hedari and local leaders for supporting the mining project, he said, according to the PTI.
They also warned that tribals were engaged in a fierce battle to protect their resources, and people working against their interests would face consequences, the official said.
Superintendent of Police (SP) Gadchiroli Neelotpal said that the police have intensified security measures in the district and a thorough probe will be conducted into the incident.
In an another incident, in mid-November, a 27-year-old man named Dinesh Pusu Gawde was allegedly murdered by suspected Naxalites in Maharashtra's Gadchiroli. The incident took place just a day after Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's visit to the district, officials had earlier told the PTI.
Dinesh Gawde, a resident of Laheri village in Bhamragarh, was reportedly killed in Pengunda, where he had traveled to participate in a sports competition, according to a police official.
The suspects used a sharp weapon in the attack, and a note was found at the crime scene accusing the deceased of being a police informer, the official said. However, authorities have refuted this claim, asserting that Gawde was not associated with the police in any such capacity. A murder case was later registered at Dhodaraj police station.
(with PTI inputs)
