Balaghat Naxal Horror: Minister Likhiram Kawre Brutally Murdered 26 Years Ago

• Naxalites brutally murdered then Forest and Transport Minister Likhiram Kawre in Balaghat 26 years ago, on December 15-16, 1999.
• The attack in Sonpuri village was revenge for Naxalite leaders killed in Andhra Pradesh and to assert dominance.
• Naxalites cut telephone lines, dragged Kawre from his home, asked villagers to identify him, then hacked him to death with an axe.
• After the murder, Naxalites celebrated with a goat feast nearby and took Kawre's personal belongings.
• Despite Balaghat being declared Naxal-free, the family's pain persists, and justice remains incomplete as mastermind Suraj Tekam is unarrested and others were acquitted.

Why It Matters: 26 years on, Balaghat still remembers the brutal Naxal murder of Minister Likhiram Kawre, with justice incomplete.