On Saturday night, Maoist rebels dragged out local Congress leader Laxman Kashyap, president of block Congress Committee, from his house and killed him at village Talnar, under Mirtur police station area, in Bijapur district in tribal Bastar region. The Naxalites accused him of supporting the Salwa Judum movement, police said. Kashyap was taken to the main village where he was attacked with weapons, killing him on the spot. The slain Congress leader was considered close to leader of the Opposition Mahendra Karma, who is among the prominent leaders heading Salwa Judum campaign in south Bastar.

Ever since the slowdown of anti-Naxalite movement, Maoist rebels have been targeting Salwa Judum leaders and elected representatives of panchayat bodies in the remote areas. However, administration and security forces maintain that many of them fell prey to Naxalite attacks as they move into remote areas without informing the police.