Maoists abducted and killed a tribal youth after raping his wife

Berhampur/Bhubaneswar: A 25-year-old tribal youth was abducted and killed by suspected Maoists in Badipanga village under Kotagarh police limits in Kandhamal district. Before abducting the victim, Metalla Rohita, the militants had allegedly tried to sexually assault his wife.

The victim’s body was recovered near his village on Monday. Rohita was reportedly abducted from her house by around 10-15 members of the Bansadhara-Ghumusar-Nagbali Divisional Committee of the banned CPI (Maoist) on Saturday night. The militants also reportedly tried to sexually assault the young man’s wife before abducting him.

Sources said the body of the 25-year-old man was found lying near the local Anganwadi centre, a few meters away from his house. The Maoists also left a poster near the body of the youth in which they said that they killed Rohita because he was a police informer. The militants told the villagers to apologize to the Maoist party or leave the village if they were acting as police informers. The poster states that if they do not heed the warning, they will suffer the same fate as Rohita.

After the recovery of Rohita’s body, panic spread in Badipanga and surrounding villages. On receiving information, Kotagarh police reached the spot, took possession of the body and started investigating the incident.
Southern Range IG JN Pankaj called Rohita’s murder a cowardly and inhuman act. He said the 25-year-old man was married about three months ago and worked under a contractor. He used to earn around Rs 5,000 per month. The family of the deceased consists of his mother, two brothers and wife.

“The youth was an innocent tribal and never contacted the police. Efforts are being made to catch the criminals involved in Rohita’s murder. “An investigation is underway to confirm the allegation of sexual harassment against Rohita’s wife,” said Pankaj. Meanwhile, villagers have alleged that Naxalites were torturing them, demanding money and food.