Ranchi: A 28 year-old Youth Congress leader was first shot by Naxals and then set on fire in Jharkhand's Sindega district by a group of 12 Naxals on Sunday night. The Naxals are angry with the Congress-led UPA government for running an anti-Naxal operation in states like Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh.
"He was going to drop his fiancé when Naxals caught him mid-way and shot him," said Barun Kumar, DSP, Simdega.
For a party cadre exposed to working in vulnerable areas full of Naxal activities, this latest assault has come as a big morale breaker.
"There is an environment of fear, but our party workers are still working," said Jharkhand Congress chief Pradeep Balamuchu.
But can the government balance an aggressive policy of offence, with defending those who are in the direct line of fire from the Naxals?