16-Year-Old Schoolboy Beaten To Death By Maoists In Chattisgarh: Cops

A 16-year-old schoolboy was beaten to death allegedly by maoists in a village in Chhattisgarh's Sukma district apparently on suspicion he was a police informer, police said on Wednesday.

The incident took place on Tuesday night in Puvarti village under Jagargunda police station limits and the victim was identified as Soyyam Shankar, they said.

"As per preliminary information, the victim had come to his native village (from school in another district where he was studying) following the death of a relative. After being alerted about his murder, a police team was dispatched to the spot this morning and the body was sent for post-mortem," Sukma Superintendent of Police Kiran Chavan said.

Initial investigation suggested Shankar, studying in a government school in Palnar area of adjoining Dantewada district, had come to Puvarti after the death of a female member of the family following delivery complications around a week ago, he said.

Prima facie it seems maoists killed the teenager suspecting him to be a police informer, the SP said.

Police have received information that Shankar's elder brother Soyam Sitaram (19) was also brutally murdered by maoists in the same village 5 to 6 days back and the family cremated him. However, this information has not been confirmed yet, the police officer said.

Shankar's family has left the village and shifted to some other place fearing maoists, the SP said, adding further investigation was underway.

Notably, Puvarti is the home village of dreaded maoist leader and former commander of Maoists' PLGA (People's Liberation Guerrilla Army) battalion No. 1 Hidma and incumbent commander Barse Deva.

The PLGA battalion No. 1 formation has been instrumental in carrying out several deadly attacks on security personnel in south Bastar. Police set up a camp in Purvati in February this year.

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