Team News Riveting
Raipur, July 13
Vinod Hunga, a top Maoist commander accused in the murder of senior politicians in Bastar, succumbed to COVID-19.
The Darbha Division commander of the outlawed CPI (Maoist) was infected with contagious virus and was undergoing treatment in the hideout straddling between Sukma and Bijapur districts for the last one month, Bastar Inspector General of Police Sunderraj P said. The 60-year-old insurgent, who joined the Maoist party in 1994, succumbed to the COVID-19 on July 11.
The police had received the information that the Maoist leader was cremated in the hideout on Tuesday. The secret cops had identified Vinod to confirm that the mastermind of major incidents in restive Bastar died of virus.
He is reported to be the brain behind the Jheeram incident in 2013 that wiped out the entire top leadership of Chhattisgarh Congress. Besides State President Nandkumar Patel, senior Congress leaders Vidya Charan Shukla, Mahendra Karma were among 27 people killed when Maoists ambushed the convoy on campaign trail.
He was also involved in the killing of BJP MLA from Dantewada Bhima Mandavi, his driver and three policemen in 2019 by attacking the convoy near Shyamagiri ahead of general elections. In all, he was the mastermind of 16 deadly attacks that took place in South Bastar.
Police officials said that Vinod was a key planner for Maoist activities in Bastar after Sodhi Pojje, who surrendered in 2018. The death of Vinod would come as a big jolt for the Left Wing Extremism (LWE).
He was a close aide of Hidma, the most wanted Maoist and commander of PLGA battalion no. 1. Hidma hails from Vinod’s village.
