Tragedy has struck Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district, where a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) worker, Satyam Punem, was reportedly found strangled to death on Monday night. Authorities suspect the Maoists are responsible, believing Punem was acting as a police informer. The incident occurred in the Mujalkanker area, falling under the Ilmidi police station’s jurisdiction. A police team has been dispatched to the location to investigate the grim discovery.
A chilling discovery accompanied the scene: a handwritten pamphlet attributed to the Maoist Madded area committee was found. This document claimed Punem had continued to cooperate with the police despite repeated warnings. Police sources indicate the pamphlet alleged he had been cautioned three times but persisted in his alleged role as an informant.
This brutal act is the latest in a series of violent incidents linked to Naxalite activity in the region. The Bastar division, encompassing seven districts including Bijapur, has seen nearly 40 deaths attributed to Maoist violence this year alone. The region has unfortunately become a hotspot for such conflicts, with a history of attacks on political figures.
Over the past two years, the Bastar division has witnessed a significant number of political killings. Between January 2023 and December 2024, at least 11 BJP leaders and workers lost their lives in separate Maoist-related attacks. This highlights a persistent threat to political workers in the area. The government faces ongoing pressure to enhance security measures for individuals targeted by these extremist groups.