Naxals kill road contractor, torch vehicles in Chhattisgarh

Naxals killed a road construction contractor and torched six vehicles Thursday in Chhattisgarhs insurgency-hit Sukma district, police said.

The incident took place on the under-construction Misma-Chichordguda road under Dornapal police station limits, Sukma Superintendent of Police Abhishek Meena told PTI.

The road is being constructed under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojna for which contract was given to Sahu Mahamaya Buildcon company owned by contractor Harishankar Sahu.

Around a dozen armed Naxals stormed the construction site, located about 500 km from the state capital, and started thrashing labourers asking them to stop the work, Meena said.

They attacked Sahu with sharp weapons and fled, leaving him dead on the spot, he said.

Before fleeing, the Naxals set ablaze Sahu's SUV and other five vehicles and machines engaged in construction work, the senior police official said.

After being alerted about the incident, security personnel rushed to the spot and 45-year-old Sahu's body was taken for post-mortem to a local hospital, he said.

Three labourers who were injured after being beaten up by Naxals were admitted to hospital, he said.

"Sahu was advised by police not to carry out construction work for some time due to security reasons but he ignored the directive and started work on Wednesday," Meena said.

A search operation has been launched to nab Naxals involved in the incident, he said.