Maoists kill villager in West Bengal

KOLKATA - Suspected Maoist rebels killed a villager for defying their shutdown call in West Bengal’s troubled West Midnapore district Monday, police said.

The killing took place at Gopiballavpur in the district. A group of locals found the body of the villager near a shrub and informed the police.

According to police sources, the victim was a wood merchant and had opened his shop during the ongoing indefinite shutdown called by the Maoist-backed People’s Committee against Police Atrocities (PCAPA) in the region.

PCAPA activists called an indefinite shutdown in the three western districts - Bankura, Purulia and West Midnapore.

The victim was allegedly abducted by the Maoists late Sunday night, police said.