Bhubaneswar: Maoists have killed a tribal politician in Odisha`s Malkangiri district, police said Wednesday.
About 25 armed rebels dragged 50-year-old Madhav Kirsani from his house at Kurmanur village under Kalimela police station`s jurisdiction late Tuesday night and shot him at close range, district Superintendent of Police Akhileshwar Singh said.
The villagers spotted the body and informed the police Wednesday, he said.
Kirsani, a popular tribal leader in the area, was the sarpanch (village council chief) of the local panchayat, he added.
Maoists are active in more than half of the state`s 30 districts. Malkangiri district, over 600 km from state capital Bhubaneswar, is a Maoist stronghold. Kurmanur village is close to Odisha`s border with Andhra Pradesh.
IANS
