A young couple, suspected to be in a relationship, were found dead in a village in Chhattisgarh, India, in a suspected suicide pact.
Security forces in Chhattisgarh's Gariaband district recovered a significant cache of cash, arms, and ammunition from Maoist hideouts, acting on information from surrendered Naxalites.
The Bastar region of Chhattisgarh, India, is transitioning away from decades of Maoist conflict, with plans to convert security camps into public infrastructure. A senior Maoist commander recently surrendered, marking a significant step in the government's efforts to eliminate Naxalism.
Forty-one Naxalites, including 32 carrying a reward of Rs 1.19 crore, surrendered in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district, citing the government's surrender policy and rehabilitation efforts.
Twelve of the 16 Naxalites killed in an encounter in Chhattisgarh's Gariaband district have been identified as dreaded ultras carrying a cumulative bounty of Rs 3.13 crore, including a central committee member of the outlawed movement, a police official said. Among them was Chalpathi alias Jairam, a member of the central committee and Odisha state committee of the Communist Party of India (Maoist), who had a collective bounty of Rs 90 lakh on his head in Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh. It was the first time someone from the central committee, the main governing body of the proscribed outfit, has been eliminated in an encounter in Chhattisgarh. The encounter, which lasted three days, involved personnel from E-30 (a Gariaband district police unit), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), its elite unit CoBRA (Commando Battalion for Resolute Action) and Odisha police's Special Operation Group (SOG).
The tribal communities, asserting their rights under the Forest Rights Act, are now planning to gather in Delhi to demand "justice" for their livelihoods and traditions that are closely linked to the forests.
Ten Naxalites were killed in an encounter with security personnel in Chhattisgarh's Sukma district on Friday, a senior police official said. The gunfight broke out in the morning in a forest within the jurisdiction of the Bhejji police station when a joint team of security personnel was out on an anti-Naxalite operation. The operation was launched based on inputs about the presence of Maoists belonging to Konta and Kistaram area committees of Naxalites on forested hills of Korajguda, Dantespuram, Nagaram and Bhandarpadar villages. Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai hailed security forces and said the era of peace and progress has returned to the Bastar region, which includes Sukma.
The voting for Madhya Pradesh's all 230 assembly seats was held on Friday, November 17, while Chhattisgarh voted in the second phase of the election.
The response was tepid in other parts of the country even as several INDIA bloc parties as well as other non-BJP outfits extended their support to the bandh.
The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has pinned its hopes on the old guard to ensure victory in next month's assembly elections in Chhattisgarh as it gave tickets to 11 sitting MLAs and renominated 13 leaders who lost in the 2018 polls.
Modi also virtually flagged off a new train between Antagarh in Kanker district and Raipur and kickstarted the distribution of cards of the Centre's Ayushman Bharat scheme to beneficiaries in the state.
Kuwarbai Yadav convinced 30 families in her village to construct toilets and end open defecation.
The incident occurred a day after Naxals ambushed a team of security forces, killing four BSF personnel.
Modi felicitated Kunwar Bai from Kotabharri village of Dhamtari for her efforts to make her village open defecation free.
A Naxal couple which had decamped with weapons from a police station in Dhamtari district of Chhattisgarh was gunned down in a police encounter in the wee hours on Wednesday, a senior police officer said.
The party raised concern over the security of Electronic Voting Machines inside strong rooms and their handling during the counting process in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, and the alleged deletion of voters in Uttar Pradesh.
The police party was on their way to Kanker district in Bastar region for a combing operation when they were attacked by the rebels, Bastar IG A N Upadhyaya said, adding that the injured security personnel were rushed to Raipur hospital by helicopter.
An estimated 53 per cent of the 63.9 lakh voters on Friday exercised their right to franchise in 39 Assembly seats of Naxal-hit Chattisgarh, where polling was held in the first phase, election officials said.While a maximum of 70 per cent turnout was reported in Dhamtari district, 65 per cent of voters cast their ballots in Mahasumund, district electoral officials said.In Maoist-infested Bastar and Dantewara, the turnout was 60 per cent and 45 per cent respectively.
Collectors of the districts threatened with inundation have been alerted.
The state government has released Rs 6 crore for flood relief operations in all the 16 districts of the state.
Every house in the Achota village of Dhamtari district in Chhattisgarh has children who roll bidis but are outside the scope of child labour laws.
During the first phase of voting on November 12 for 18 seats in the Naxal-affected areas of the state, a total of 76.42 per cent polling was recorded.
Taking exception to Health Minister Harsh Vardhan not mentioning the death of healthcare workers due to Covid-19 in his statement in Parliament, the Indian Medical Association has published a list of 382 doctors who died due to the viral disease and demanded that they be treated as "martyrs".
Around 30 per cent polling was recorded till noon on Tuesday in 72 constituencies spread over 19 districts of Chhattisgarh where voting for the second and last phase of Assembly polls is underway.
This classification of districts is to be followed by states and union terrotories till a week post May 3, when the second phase of lockdown will end, for containment operations.
Barring Maharashtra, the poll percentage in rest of the states was in excess of 60 per cent while in Puducherry it was 80.47 per cent.
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