Hindi Daily Journalist Shot Dead by Naxalites in Gaya

Gaya: April 25, 2004

Naveen Kumar Verma, a Patna journalist working for a Hindi daily was abducted and then shot to death by Maoists Communist Center (MCC) extremists in Gaya district on late Saturday night, the Gaya police said.

Verma was abducted by the ultras from Nima village under Amas police station in Gaya district at around 9:00 PM on Saturday. He was taken to a nearby field where the criminals fired multiple bullets killing him on the spot, the police said.

The body was recovered from the field and sent for an autopsy at a state hospital in Gaya. As usual, no arrest has been made in the case.

In other unrelated incidents, three villagers were gunned down and 11 others injured by People's War Group (PWG) extremists at Adiay village in Gaya district today on Saturday. According to Gaya police, a large number of armed PWG Naxalites arrived at the village and opened firing at the residents. They also destroyed a stone-crushing machine at Konch Bazaar.

This led to a gun-battle lasting for more than two hours and resulting in the death of three villagers while eleven others were hurt in the incident.

Senior police officials are camping at the troubled site to monitor the situation.

Meanwhile, the state has once again issued a shoot-at-sight order in all 17 Lok Sabha constituencies in Bihar where elections for the second phase is all set to open on Monday. Interestingly, in spite of a similar order issued in the first phase of the General Elections in the state, hundreds of cases of booth capturing and other election-related irregularities were reported from many constituencies but the police preferred to remain moot spectators resulting in re-polling at more than 350 booths.