In the first incident of its kind in Madhya Pradesh, Naxalites belonging to the People's War Group hacked to death a minister, Likhiram Kawre, in the early hours of Thursday at his ancestral house in Sonepur village in Balghat district. The blood-spattered body of the minister with a long knife running right through his neck was found in front of the gate of his resience around 6 a.m. Another report, however, said the neck had been chopped and severed with a saw. Local sources said Kawre was dragged out of bed and done to death while his personal guards were asleep. Kawre, who held the transport portfolio, had been camping at Balaghat for the past few days in connection with the civic polls in the state later this month.
Various theories are in circulation about the background to the killing.
According to one, the minister, who allegedly had informal links with the Naxalites,was under pressure to secure the release of a PWG member, Ram Siya Bai, who had been arrested by the police sometime ago. Subscribers to ths theory claim that the Naxalites had even attacked the Roopjhar police station where she was confined. Chief minister Digvijay Singh left for the village along with home minister Nand Kumar Patel and senior state officials soon after news of the killing reached here. The CM condemned the murder and called it an act of cowardice. The state government also declared a three-day state morning.