Three Naxalites arrested for murder of BJP leader in Bijapur district

Bijapur, May 16 (PTI) Three Naxalites allegedly involved in the murder of a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) functionary in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district in March this year were arrested on Thursday, police said.

The cadres were arrested from Chintanpalli village under Toynar police station limits of Bijapur when a joint team of the District Reserve Guard (DRG) and the Chhattisgarh Armed Force (CAF) - both units of state police, was out on an area domination operation, an official said.

Police identified those arrested as Munna Mudma (32) -- a militia commander -- Raju Mudma (31) -- a member of the Dandakaranya Adivasi Kisan Mazdoor Sangthan (DAKMS -- a front of Maoists) and Lakhmu Mudma (39) - a militia member. All three hail from Chintanpalli.

"The trio was allegedly involved in the murder of Tirupati Katla, a member of Janpad Panchayat in Bijapur, in Toynar village on March 1," the official said.

Katla, a functionary of the ruling BJP, was attacked by Naxalites with sharp-edged weapons when he had gone to attend a wedding in Toynar.

The three arrested Naxalites were also allegedly involved in the murder of a sarpanch (village head) of Mormed village in Bijapur district in 2022, he said.

Three warrants were pending against Munna Mudma at the Toynar police station, the official added. PTI COR TKP RSY