A villager was shot dead and two others, including a woman, injured by CPI(Maoists) in Ghunandi village, under the extremist-hit Bodam police station in the wee hours today.
The victim, Sagar Mahto along with other members of the newly floated anti-Naxal committee formed by the villagers, was on night guard duty when around a dozen Maoists with firearms challenged them, police sources said.
Mahto and his friends raised an alarm, and villagers with traditional weapons came out to chase them away.
However, extremists started firing on the villagers, who retaliated with bows and arrows, sources said, adding that Mahto was killed in the firing, while two others, including a woman, sustained injuries.
The injured were rushed to Tata Main Hospital, where they are undergoing treatment, sources said.
Meanwhile, a massive combing operation was launched in the Naxal-affected areas to track down the ultras.
Earlier, the villagers under the Potka block of East Singhbhum district and Nimdih block in Saraikela-Kharswan had formed an anti-Naxal committee and launched a massive campaign in their respective areas.
The villagers also forced shops and markerts to remain open during a recent bandh called by the Maoists.
Peeved over the villagers action, the Maoists had shot dead a 19-year-old intermediate student, Malinder Singh Sardar in the area on January 20.
