A village sarpanch's husband was killed by Naxals in Sukma district of poll-bound Chhattisgarh on Wednesday afternoon. Kalmu Dhruva, the victim, was a worker of the Communist Party of India (CPI) while his wife is sarpanch of Bodko village, said Sukma Superintendent of Police Abhishek Meena.
"According to villagers, he was brutally beaten to death with sticks by the ultras," the SP said, adding that a police team has been sent to the spot.
Naxals have called for a boycott of the Assembly polls.
Polling in 18 constituencies in eight Naxal-affected districts - Bastar, Kanker, Sukma, Bijapur, Dantewada, Narayanpur, Kondagaon and Rajnandgaon -- will be held on November 12.
CPI candidate Manish Kunjam is contesting from Konta in Sukma district.
The remaining 72 constituencies will go to the polls on November 20. Counting of votes will be held on December 11.
To keep the Naxal-violence check during the upcoming Chhattisgarh Assembly Elections, the Election Commission has asked the Odisha government to seal its border with the poll bound state. The assembly elections in Chhattisgarh will be held in two phases - on November 12 and November 20.
“The state government has been told to seal its border with Chhattisgarh in order to ensure a free and fair elections in that state,” Odisha’s Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Surendra Kumar said.
The Odisha government has also asked the authorities of eight districts bordering Chhattisgarh to go for frisking in border areas and keep an eye on the movement of Maoists and people carrying liquor, cash and other materials, official sources said.
Sources in the Odisha police told news agency PTI that the administration may seal roads connecting to towns in Chhattisgarh but Maoists use routes through jungles and not the main roads. “It appears to be a herculean task to check movement of Maoist elements in view of the absence of enough security forces in the state,” the sources said.
The Odisha government has repeatedly urged the Ministry of Home Affairs for two more battalions of Central Armed Police Forces to seal the border zones, but no such step has so far been taken, the sources said.
(With inputs from PTI)
