Maoists kill another ‘Shikshadoot’ near Odisha–Chhattisgarh border, security alert issued

Maoists shot dead a ‘shikshadoot’ (temporary visiting teacher) in Bijapur district of Chhattisgarh on Saturday, just a few kilometres from the Odisha border. The victim, identified as Kallu Tati, was posted in the Nenndra area under Gangalur police limits and was a resident of Todka village.

According to reports, Tati was abducted by Naxals late Friday evening while returning home from school and was killed shortly afterward.

Circumstances Of The Attack

According to sources, Kallu Tati was engaged as a temporary visiting teacher in government schools and was heading home after completing his school duties when armed Naxals intercepted him. The abduction occurred in the late evening, and the killing was carried out soon after.

This marks the sixth shikshadoot killed in Bijapur district this year. Before this, five other education workers had lost their lives in the district due to similar attacks by Naxals. With the death of Kallu Tati, the total number of shikshadoots murdered in the district has now reached nine.

Resurgence Close To Odisha Sparks Concerns

The deaths come after a railway employee was killed, and another was critically injured in an IED blast triggered by Maoists between Karampada (Jharkhand) and Renjeda (Odisha), earlier this month.

The explosion, which occurred along the Bimalagarh section, completely destroyed a portion of the railway track. The deceased, identified as keyman Itua Oram, succumbed on the spot, while the injured employee was taken to Rourkela in critical condition.

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Meanwhile, with Kallu Tati’s killing, around 30 people, including shikshadoots and other civilians, have lost their lives in Maoist violence across the region this year. The affected area comprises seven districts, including Sukma, Bijapur, and Dantewada, all of them in close proximity to Odisha’s Malkangiri and Rayagada districts.