BJP leader shot dead by Maoists in Jharkhand

RANCHI - Maoists have shot dead a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader in Jharkhand’s Latehar district, police said Thursday.

Munna Gupta was shot late Wednesday by guerrillas belonging to Tritiya Prastuti Committee (TPC), one of the six Maoist outfits active in the state, police said.

The BJP leader was surrounded by 15 to 20 TPC rebels, a few kilometres from the Balumath police station, when he was going to Balumath from Hehegara along with four people on two bikes.

He was gunned down and his supporters were beaten up.

TPC left pamphlets accusing the BJP leader of extorting money in the name of the organisation.

Police sent the body of the deceased leader for post-mortem Thursday morning.