Gadchiroli (Maharashtra), Jan 28 (IANS): Ahead of Maharashtra's civic and zilla parishad (district council) polls, Maoists shot dead a panchayat samiti member of the Congress party near the Dandakaranya forests here Saturday, police said.
The incident happened in Bhamragad town closely surrounded by dense forests, 185 km from the district headquarters of Gadchiroli.
"According to preliminary report, Bahadur Alam, the victim was in the compound of his house when around 15 Naxals came from the forest. One of them gunned him down," an official from Bhamragad sub-divisional police office told IANS.
"A team is on the spot and assessing the situation. We will get a clear picture only after initial investigation of the matter," he added.
Bhamragad is located in the dense forests that are called Dandakaranya. It is also located on the border of Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh states.