Forty one Naxalites, 32 of them collectively carrying a reward of Rs 1.19 crore on their heads, surrendered in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district on Wednesday, officials said. The cadres, including 12 women, turned themselves in before senior police officials here, citing they were impressed by the government's new surrender and rehabilitation policy and "Poona Margham" (rehabilitation for social reintegration drive of Bastar range police), Bijapur Superintendent of Police Jitendra Kumar Yadav said. Among them, four were members of PLGA (People's Liberation Guerrilla Army) battalion no.1 and different companies of Maoists, three of area committees, 11 platoon and area committee party members, two PLGA members, four militia platoon commanders, one deputy commander, six militia platoon members, and the remaining belonged to frontal outfits of outlawed CPI (Maoist), he said. Thirty-nine of these 41 cadres belonged to the south sub-zonal bureau of Maoists. They all were associated with the
The Delhi Police has invoked charges under 'imputations and assertions prejudicial to national integration' in one of the FIRs registered against a group of protesters who allegedly raised pro-Maoist slogans and used pepper spray on police personnel during an anti-pollution demonstration at the India Gate on Sunday, an official said on Tuesday. On Monday, the Delhi Police told a court here that the group of protesters arrested for allegedly using pepper spray on cops raised slogans hailing slain Maoist leader Madvi Hidma. The police have registered two different FIRs -- one at the Kartavya Path police station against six protesters and the other at the Sansad Marg police station against 17 people. The new section has been added to the Kartavya Path FIR. After the accused were produced before two magisterial courts, 22 were sent to judicial custody. The newly-added Section 197 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) pertains to imputations and assertions prejudicial to national ...
Top Naxalite commander Madvi Hidma, who had masterminded several attacks over the last two decades, was killed in an encounter in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday, a breakthrough Chhattisgarh Police described as the "last nail in the coffin" of the insurgency. Security forces gunned down Hidma, his wife Raje, and four other Naxalites in the Maredumilli forest in Alluri Sitaramaraju district of the neighbouring state this morning, a senior police officer in Bastar confirmed. Hidma's elimination is the "last nail in the coffin" of severely-weakened insurgency in the Bastar region of Chhattisgarh. "We have received information that Maoist leader Hidma is among the cadres killed on the Andhra Pradesh-Chhattisgarh border. It is a very important development," Chhattisgarh Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma told reporters in Raipur. A native of Puvarti village in Sukma district, Hidma's age and appearance remained mysterious until his photograph surfaced earlier this year. He heade
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said the number of districts affected by Maoist terror has dwindled from 125 to just three in the last 11 years, and the day is not far when the country will be freed from the Naxal menace. Speaking at various events in Chhattisgarh, Modi also said India has always come forward as a first responder during any global crisis, adding the nation has always stepped forward as a reliable partner to provide help. In his address at the 'Chhattisgarh Rajat Mahotsav' in Nava Raipur to mark the 25th anniversary celebration of the formation of Chhattisgarh, Modi hailed the state's growth journey and said the seed sown 25 years ago has grown into a "vat vriksh" (banyan tree) of development. Modi said he was deeply satisfied that Chhattisgarh was breaking free from the clutches of Naxal violence which had caused immense suffering to the state for over five decades. "For 50 years, the people here suffered unbearable pain (because of Naxalism). Those who ..
Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Tuesday made an appeal to Maoists to surrender and join the mainstream to be part of the growth of the country and discharge their duties for reconstruction of Telangana. Addressing the Police Flag Day parade, Reddy said the police department in Telangana has been given a free hand to make the state drug-free. "Maoist activities used to be there in Telangana earlier. But with various measures taken by police, peace prevailed. I am requesting Maoist leaders who are currently working underground, to come out and join the mainstream," the CM said. "You all know that recently some key Maoist leaders surrendered. I request the remaining Maoists to join the mainstream and be a part of the country's development. I request Maoists to be part of the reconstruction of Telangana," he further said. He said investments will come and job creation will be possible only when there is better law and order situation in the state. Reddy said, the newly formed EAGLE
CM Fadnavis' remarks came after Naxal Commander Mallojula Venugopal Rao, alias Sonu, a senior CPI (Maoist) leader and Politburo member, along with 60 other Naxalites, surrendered
The Jharkhand Police strengthened security across the state with deployment of armed forces at sensitive locations and transport corridors as the proscribed CPI (Maoist) announced resistance week' from Wednesday and called for a bandh on October 15, a senior officer said. Inspector General (Operations) Michael Raj told PTI that 12 battalions of the Central Reserve Police Force and 20 groups of the Jharkhand Armed Police (JAP) and India Reserve Battalion (IRB) have been pressed into service to ensure security and safety during the week-long protest and bandh called by the banned Maoists' organisation. Maintaining peace and safety across the state is the police's top priority. We have deployed additional forces at sensitive locations, government offices, and transport corridors, including rail and road networks, to ensure that normal movement is not disrupted, the senior police officer said. The police are also geared up to address potential impacts in districts bordering Bihar, ...
A Maoist "ordnance factory" engaged in manufacturing weapons and explosives to target security forces has been destroyed in Chhattisgarh's Sukma district, a police official said on Saturday. Acting on intelligence inputs, a joint team of Sukma District Force and 203rd battalion of CoBRA (Commando Battalion for Resolute Action), an elite unit of CRPF, located the arms and explosives manufacturing unit of the outlawed Communist Party of India (Maoist) on a forested hill near Koimenta village on Friday, he said. The seized materials include one vertical milling machine, two BGL (barrel grenade launcher), 12 empty BGL shells, 94 BGL heads, one hand grinder machine, six wooden rifle butts, one trigger mechanism (for muzzle-loader), one trigger mechanism with pistol grip, four solar batteries, one borewell drilling bit (10 ft), two gas cutter heads, three directional IED (improvised explosive device) pipes, six metal moulding pots, six iron cutter wheels, 80 steel pipe pieces (for BGL), ..
An area commander of the banned Maoist splinter group, People's Liberation Front of India (PLFI), carrying a bounty of Rs 15 lakh on his head, was killed in a gunfight with security forces in Jharkhand's Gumla district, police said on Wednesday. The gunfight between PLFI members and security forces broke out around 9.30 pm on Tuesday in the Changabadi Upartoli area under the Kamdara Police Station limits when forces were carrying out a search operation, a senior officer said. "As security forces reached Changabadi Upartoli, Maoists started firing at them. Security personnel also retaliated, in which PLFI area commander Martin Kerketta was killed. A weapon was also recovered from his possession," Gumla superintendent of police (SP) Haris Bin Zaman told PTI. The Gumla SP said he had received a tip-off about the presence of some Maoists in the area, and accordingly, a special team was set up to carry out the operation. The search operation is still going on, the SP added.
The encounter took place during a joint anti-Naxal operation involving DRG personnel from four districts; top Maoist leader Basavaraju suspected among the dead
Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli on Thursday asserted that individuals responsible for heinous and inhuman crimes committed during Nepal's decade-long Maoist insurgency will not be granted amnesty, as he emphasised the need to uphold justice and expedite the transitional justice process. Inaugurating the Sixth National Convention of the National Ex-Army and Police Organisation of Nepal (NEAPON) here, Oli, who also chairs the ruling Communist Party of Nepal-Unified MarxistLeninist (CPN-UML), said transitional justice mechanisms must ensure justice for victims of the conflict that lasted from 1996 to 2006. Oli emphasised the importance of two transitional justice bodies the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) and the Commission of Investigation on Enforced Disappeared Persons (CIEDP) in investigating conflict-era crimes and delivering justice. He acknowledged the delay in their effective functioning but asserted that further postponement would not be tolerated. He said these two
The surrendered CPI (Maoist) members included cadres from various ranks, including an Area Committee Member (ACM) from Chhattisgarh and members from bordering villages of Telangana
Jayaram Reddy, alias Chalapati, a top Maoist leader with Rs 1 crore bounty, was killed in a Chhattisgarh encounter
The Karnataka police have seized arms and ammunition from a forest area near here, suspectedly left by Maoists, who surrendered recently, a police officer said on Saturday. Speaking to reporters, Chikkamagaluru Superintendent of Police (SP) Vikram Amathe however maintained that whether the arms and ammunition were left by surrendered Maoists, is a matter of investigation. A group of six Maoists surrendered to the government in the presence of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah at his home office 'Krishna' in Bengaluru on Wednesday evening. The Surrendered Maoists include Mundagaru Latha from Sringeri, Vanajakshi Balehole from Kalasa, Sundari Kutluru from Dakshina Kannada, Mareppa Aroli from Raichur in Karnataka. The other two are Vasanth K from Vellore in Tamil Nadu, and N Jeesha from Wayanad in Kerala. "Late last night a case was registered at Jayapura police station under section 3,7,25(1B) and 25(1A) of the Arms Act of 1959. Based on the information received by the Police Sub-Inspector
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday lauded the Maharashtra government's efforts to ensure all-round development in the state's remote and Maoist-affected areas. The prime minister's comments came a day after Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis visited Gadchiroli, a district affected by left wing extremism, and asserted that the dominance of Naxalites in remote areas of the district was ending. A number of Naxal cadres laid down their arms during his visit, with Fadnavis also unveiling several development initiatives. Modi said on X, "I laud the Maharashtra Government's efforts to ensure all-round development in remote and Maoist-affected areas. This will certainly boost 'Ease of Living' and pave the way for even more progress. A special congratulations to my sisters and brothers of Gadchiroli and the surrounding areas!" He was responding to a post by Fadnavis on his government's efforts to eliminate the violent movement from the region.
Naxalites have killed a 35-year-old BJP worker in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district while claiming he was acting as a police informer, an official said on Wednesday. This is the fifth murder of a civilian by Naxalites in the district in the last seven days. The latest incident took place on Tuesday night when the deceased, identified as Kudiam Mado, was at his house in Somanpalli village under Farsegarh police station limits, the official said. A group of Naxalites stormed into Mado's house, dragged him outside and strangled him to death, the police official said. In a pamphlet found at the spot, a national park area committee of Maoists took responsibility for the murder and claimed Mado was acting as a police informer, he said. After being alerted on Wednesday morning, a police team rushed to the spot and the body was sent for post-mortem, the official said. A search operation has been launched in the area to trace the assailants, he added. On December 4, two former sarpanchs, o
A CPI(Maoist) 'commander', who had a Rs 15 lakh bounty on his head, was killed in an internal feud of the proscribed organisation in Jharkhand's Latehar district, police said on Wednesday. Chotu Kherwar, the 'zonal commander' of Palamu division, was allegedly killed by other Maoists in Bhimpal forest in Chipadohar police station area on Tuesday night, they said. DIG (Palamu Range) YS Ramesh said that after receiving news about the incident, police personnel were sent to the remote location to retrieve the body. Kherwar was wanted in multiple criminal cases, police said. An investigation is underway to ascertain the exact cause of the death, they said.
G N Saibaba, who died due to post-operative complications last week, seven months after he was acquitted in a case alleging his Maoist links, was a person with enormous love for his country and should be seen as a hero, activist Harsh Mander said on Monday. At a memorial service held for the former Delhi University (DU) professor by the National Platform for the Rights of the Disabled (NPRD), Mander and other activists also alleged that Saibaba's death was an "institutional murder" and that his health had deteriorated due to poor conditions in jail. Mander, a former Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, described Saibaba as a professor who was loved by his students and a person concerned about injustice and inhumanity. "This became a reason for the establishment to accuse him of being a Maoist," he said. "There was no evidence of him having participated in any kind of violent activity," he added. Mander said Saibaba spent 10 years in jail, including the entire COVID-19 pand
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday carried out searches at the premises of two persons in Gaya, including former member of Bihar Legislative Council, as part of its probe into their alleged links with the banned CPI(Maoist), sources said. NIA sleuths conducted searches at the premises of former MLC Manorma Devi in Rampur area and businessman Dwarika Yadav in Gointha village, they added. Sources said the searches are part of NIA's probe into alleged conspiracy by the Maoists to revive and strengthen the organisation in the state's Magadh area. The case relates to the recovery and seizure of two booklets pertaining to CPI (Maoist) Magadh Zonal Sangathnic Committee, along with arms and ammunition from the possession of two persons, Rohit Rai and Pramod Yadav, in 2023. The duo, along with their associates, were extorting contactors and brick kiln owners to promote Maoist activities. Officials remain tightlipped about the specifics of the NIA operation. Family members
The PM had earlier said the Congress poll document had Muslim League imprint