A man was today killed in an IED blast in Pesrar block of Lohardagar district, an incident which comes a day before Lohardaga (ST) Assembly seat goes for bypoll.
The man, identified as Basudeb Oraon, was sitting at a place when he saw a police patrol and tried to flee when the IED went off at the spot where a Maoist banner was set up, Superintendent of Police S Karthik said here.
The seriously injured Oraon was airlifted to Ranchi but he was declared brought dead by doctors at the hospital, he said.
"He was sitting near a Naxal banner. It is a matter of inquiry. We have to ascertain his credentials," Karthik said when asked on reports suggesting that he was a Naxal supporter.
Bypoll will be held tomorrow for the Lohardaga seat, which fell vacant following the conviction of Ajsu party leader Kamal Kishore Bhagat.
