RAIPUR: The BJP ST Morcha general secretary of Bastar's Bijapur district was murdered by Maoists on Wednesday.

A leaflet found on his body said that he was killed because he worked for BJP.The victim, 52-year-old Kaka Arjun, was the sarpanch of Ilmidi, 470km from Raipur, from 2016-2020.

He was out with his wife when he was abducted by a group of four-five men, say police.

His body, with the throat slit, was found on the outskirts of Lankapara in Ilmidi, 470km from Raipur.The Maoist Madded area committee claimed responsibility for Arjun’s murder, saying that he had disregarded warnings not to work for BJP.

Maoists have cautioned other villagers not to work for the party.

Arjun wasn’t very active in the politics, say sources.

Police are investigating the murder.

Arjun is the fifth BJP leader to be killed by Maoists this year.

On January 16, Budhram Kartam was murdered when he was out on his morning walk in Jagdalpur.

Another local BJP leader, Neelkanth Kakkem, was murdered in Awapalli region of Bijapur on February 5.

In back-to-back killings on February 10-11, Maoists mudered BJP district vice-president Sagar Sahu in Narayanpur and Ramdhar Alami in Dantewada.

The Jan-Feb murders had sparked a war of words between BJP and Congress, and Chhattisgarh DGP Ashok Juneja had written to National Investigation Agency, requesting a probe into the killings.