Maoists kill Madhya Pradesh ex-sarpanch ahead of polls

A former sarpanch was shot dead on suspicion of being a police informer late Thursday night by suspected Maoists in Balaghat district of Madhya Pradesh, sparking tension a fortnight ahead of the November 17 elections. According to eyewitnesses, four Maoists, one of them a woman, barged into the home of Shankar Lal Pandre (60) in Lanji's Bhakku Tola village and took him away. An hour later, they shot him near a school in the village, police said. Balaghat SP Saurabh Suman said Pandre was never associated with police.