Police detained five persons from Belpahari villages on Friday in connection with the murder of Sudhir Mandi, the former panchyat member of the Jharkhand Party ( Naren). West Midnapore police chief Rajesh Singh said Maoists were behind the killing. Mandi was killed in Belpahari on Thursday evening, when he was returning from the market with his wife. Four persons were allegedly waiting near a road and opened fire at him, the police said. The detained persons had alleged Maoist links and were monitoring the movement of the victim, they said.Mandi had recently joined the party and held a meeting to gather public opinion against the Maoists in Belpahari. He also maintained a close relation with the organisation of Majhi Maroa, which had opposed the tribal movement at Lalgarh. Engineers of West Midnapore, meanwhile, visited Lalgarh on Friday to access the condition of roads dug up by the agitators. The tribals had filled up the trenches with bricks and sand after the withdrawal of blockade last Sunday. The district administration said the roads need repair to allow the movement of heavy vehicles.
