Nearly 21 hours after they took more than 200 people hostage in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada, Maoists killed one of them after a holding a kangaroo court. The rest were released.
Sadaram had apparently been encouraging villagers to work for a nearby bridge project - earning the wrath of Maoists, who discourage any kind of development work in the area. He was found "guilty" at a kangaroo court and shot dead, police sources told NDTV.
The villagers had been abducted on Friday night from Marenga village near Jiram valley - around 60 km from the site where Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed a public meeting today.
Jiram valley has been a part of the Maoist hotbed, where, in 2013, they had massacred a convoy of Congress leaders.
But lately, the villagers had apparently refused to toe the Maoist line. They had skipped several meetings in the area and had also been working on the bridge despite the diktat against it.
Today's violence was meant to be a move to punish them, said sources.
The Congress accused the Central and state governments of failing to maintain internal security. "The Maoists have given a strong message," said state Congress president Bhupesh Baghel. "The Congress is deeply concerned... We remember how a convoy of Congress officials was blown up."
Today, during his address at the meeting, PM Modi exhorted the Maoists to "put down guns and take up the plough". Violence, he said, was not the answer.
Asking the people to be patient, he said, "I am sure that humanity exists in people who indulge in such activities and they will change (Maoists)."
Earlier, the Maoists had declared a boycott on the Prime Minister's visit, exhorting villagers not to attend the meeting.
Mr Modi is the first Prime Minister after Rajiv Gandhi to visit Dantewada to inaugurate development projects.
Today, he inaugurated two projects worth Rs. 24,000 crore - a steel plant in Dantewada's Dilmili village and the second phase of a 140 km railway line from Raoghat to Jagdalpur.
Theft At Official Residence Of Congress MLA Jaivardhan Singh, Cash Stolen: Cops Aiming To Achieve Net Zero Emission In Railways By 2030: PM Modi In PM Modi's Independence Day Speech, A Call For "24x7 For 2047" Nurse Raped, Killed On Way Home, Body Found 9 Days Later In UP Rahul Gandhi's Seat At Red Fort Triggers Fresh Congress Attack On BJP "Don't Expect Anything From Me": Kolkata Hospital's New Principal Loses Cool Israel To Build New Jewish Settlement Between Jerusalem, West Bank: Report Woman, 22, Gang-Raped In UP, 5 Men Detained: Cops Delhi Prisons Announces Remission For 1160 Convicts On Independence Day Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.