Sarpanch killed by Naxals

Naxals allegedly killed a village sarpanch (headman) in Chhattisgarh's insurgency-hit Dantewada district, police today said.

Pose Ram (42), sarpanchof Paurnar village, was stabbed to death last night, a local police official told PTI.

As per the preliminary information, a group of Naxals entered Ram's house and killed him, and also beat up his son before leaving the spot, the official said.

A police team visited the village this morning and took the body to a local hospital for autopsy, he said.

The Naxals may have killed the sarpanch to express their opposition to a proposed bridge across the Indravati river at Paurnar, the official said, adding that a search was on for the assailants.