BALAGHAT, DECEMBER 16: The assassination of Madhya Pradesh Transport Minister Likhiram Kawre by Naxalites late on Wednesday night has pointed to lapses in security of ministers while moving through the Naxalite affected areas of the State.Even as Chief Minister Digvijay Singh has ordered a high-level inquiry into the circumstances that led to the murder, different versions have surfaced about the sequence of events leading to the minister's assassination.While the local police maintained that the minister's elder brother was present at his residence at night, an official release said in Bhopal that the minister was called out by someone at midnight.Neither the minister's personal security officer nor the follow guard was present at his Sonpuri residence when the Naxalites struck. According to reliable sources, the personal security officer (PSO) had left the minister alone after his return from civic poll campaign and went to district headquarters while his follow guard had gone to a nearby police outpost to spend the night.Although Balaghat is a worst Naxalite affected district where an additional superintendent of police was gunned down in Maihar tehsil early this year, no extra precautions had been taken by the administration for VIP security.Keeping in view the spurt in Naxalite activities, the State Government had posted an inspector general of police (IG), specially for anti-Naxalite operations, and created Balaghat as headquarters.Meanwhile, another report quoting neighbours of the minister said about 25 suspected Naxalites raised pro-PWG slogans after committing the crime at about 1 pm on Thursday.The report said the minister fell unconscious as he was hit by a rifle butt. Later his hands were tied with nylon rope and was dragged outside by the assailants who pierced through his neck with a sharp edged weapon as indicated by the grievous injury marks.This is for the first time in the State's history of Naxalite violence that a minister had been made a target.Meanwhile, official sources said the State Government was expected to seriously consider the proposal to ban Peoples' War Group (PWG), which had been pending before it since long.Besides, the State Government is also likely to pursue with the Centre its request for approval of Rs 615 crore action plan to check Naxalite menace in nine districts of the State.
