Police constable hacked to death by suspected Naxals in Chhattisgarh

RAIPUR: A police jawan, who was also the nephew of a former Congress district President, was hacked to death by suspected Naxals in Chhattisgarh's insurgency-hit Bijapur district, police said today.

Assistant constable Rahul Raidu (27), posted at Bhairamgarh Police Station, was attacked by suspected Naxals late last night close to his workplace, Bijapur Superintendent of Police K L Dhruv told PTI. Raidu, who joined the police force in 2011, was the nephew of former Congress (Bijapur) district president Ajay Singh, a native of Bhairamgarh, police said.

As per preliminary information, Raidu was reportedly playing cards with some villagers in Sanjay Para area, located on the outskirts of Bhairmagarh town, about 450 kms from here. Meanwhile, a group of men armed with axes and knives arrived there and after an altercation with the jawan, they attacked him several times leaving him critically injured.

The assailants fled into the forest after committing the crime, the SP said. Soon after being informed about the incident, police rushed to the spot and admitted the injured jawan to a local hospital.

He was later shifted to Jagdalpur hospital where he succumbed during treatment in the wee hours today, he said. "Prima facie, it appears to be the handiwork of Maoists. Although, everything will be clear after the investigation," Dhruv said. A combing operation has been launched in the interiors of Bhairamgarh region to trace the assailants, he added.