CPI(M) member shot dead by Maoists

Belpahari, Feb 22: About five suspected Maoists shot dead a CPI(M) local committee member here on Feb 22. West Midnapore District Magistrate N S Nigam said the masked maoists entered the Maach Kandna school premises, where Karanchand Singh (45) was a teacher, and gunned him down in front of his students.

The deceased was CPI(M)'s local committee member of Balichua. A contingent of police led by Superintendent of Police R Rajsekharan had launched a massive combing operation in the area to nab the ultras, he said.

Mr Nigam also informed that the maoists fled toward the Jharkhand border and added that today's incident might be a revenge of the January 13 encounter in which seven maoists were gunned down by the police at Jharkhand's East Singbhum district.

UNI