Maoists kill civilian, surrendered cadre in Bijapur ahead of Amit Shah’s visit

mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; text-align:justify;line-height:normalRAIPUR: Day ahead of UnionHome Minister Amit Shah’s visit to Chhattisgarh, Maoists gave a grim reminder of the ongoing insurgency in Bastar region by killing two civilians on Saturday night in the Bijapur district. mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; text-align:justify;line-height:normalThe victims included a former Maoist commander who had recently surrendered to police. mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; text-align:justify;line-height:normalFive armed Maoists entered Sendrambore and Ampur villages in Pamed region around 8 PM on June 21 and they targeted Veko Deva alias Sandeep, a former section commander of the Maoists' 2nd Company Platform Party Committee Member (PPCM) who had surrendered recently, and Sunnam Sammiah, a village committee member from Jaralli Revolutionary People’s Committee (RPC). Both were allegedly killed by strangulation, on suspicion of being police informers.mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; text-align:justify;line-height:normalInitial reports suggest that the victims were strangled to death. The police have confirmed receiving information about the incident and dispatched teams for verification. mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; text-align:justify;line-height:normalBijapur SP Jitendra Yadav confirmed, “We have received credible input. A team has been sent to the location to confirm the details.”mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; text-align:justify;line-height:normalThe killings took place in a sensitive area close to Telangana border, just 10 km from the Pamed police station and about seven km from Dharmavaram security camp, which came under attack last year by the Maoists’ Battalion 1 of the People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA). That ambush left 12 security personnel injured and involved heavy gunfire and rocket-propelled grenades. The NIA has recently filed a chargesheet in that case.mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; text-align:justify;line-height:normalThis latest act of violence is part of a disturbing trend in Bijapur, one of Chhattisgarh’s worst Maoist-affected districts. mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; text-align:justify;line-height:normalSo far in 2025, Maoist violence has claimed the lives of 22 civilians, with 71 killed in 2024 alone.mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; text-align:justify;line-height:normalThis killing spree coming just days after three other civilians were slain in the same district is seen as a desperate attempt by the Maoists to assert presence amid their declining influence.