Maoists kill village chief in Odisha

Bhubaneswar  :  Maoists have killed a tribal politician in Odisha’s Malkangiri district, police said Wednesday.

About 25 armed rebels dragged 50-year-old Madhav Kirsani from his house at Kurmanur village under Kalimela police station’s jurisdiction late Tuesday night and shot him at close range, district Superintendent of Police Akhileshwar Singh told IANS.

The villagers spotted the body and informed the police Wednesday, he said.

Kirsani, a popular tribal leader in the area, was the sarpanch (village council chief) of the local panchayat, he added.

Maoists are active in more than half of the state’s 30 districts. Malkangiri district, over 600 km from state capital Bhubaneswar, is a Maoist stronghold. Kurmanur village is close to Odisha’s border with Andhra Pradesh.