Prime Minister Modi saw a reflection of himself -- she does not come from a political background, has no lineage, and had a lifetime of personal struggle and sacrifice.
Two Italian tourists have been abducted by Maoists from the tribal-dominated Kandhamal-Ganjam border area in Odisha, said the police on Sunday, which is monitoring the situation closely.
With the southern districts of Ganjam, Gajapati and Kandhamal receiving heavy rainfall due to cyclone Hudhud, the local administration has started preparations for floods if such a situation arises.
According to BJP insiders, every Union minister has been given 3-4 seats to mentor and has been told to work hard on these constituencies in the next 20 months to ensure the party's victory.
Italian hostage Paolo Bosusco was released by the Maoists on Thursday, 29 days after he was abducted along with his countryman Claudio Colangelo by the Naxals in Odisha's Kandhamal district.
Bharatiya Janata Party Member of Orissa assembly, Manoj Kumar Pradhan, a convict in two Kandhamal riot cases, on Wednesday surrendered before a local court in Phulbani after his bail by the Orissa high court was challenged in the Supreme Court.
Togadia clarified he was not against the minorities but would continue to speak in favour of Hindus.
Nearly 40 days after violence erupted in Kandhamal district following the assassination of Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Laxmananda Saraswati, the judicial commission on Friday began inquiry into the incidents, official sources said.
Normal life was affected across Orissa on Monday due to the 12-hour bandh call given by saffron outfits, including ruling coalition partner Bharatiya Janata Party, to protest the killing of Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati.There were reports of stray incidents of violence from communally-sensitive Kandhamal, where the VHP leader and four others were gunned down by a group of armed persons on Saturday.
The move comes in view of rising cases of the infection, weekly positivity rates and weekly deaths in some districts.
Demanding deployment of at least 2,000 personnel of paramilitary force in riot-hit Kandhamal till the end of the coming general elections, Orissa government on Tuesday said it was severely handicapped by lack of resources. Though Patnaik informed the conference that situation in Kandhamal was under control, he said complete normalcy could be restored only after all persons in the relief camp returned to their villages.
Normalcy has gradually returned to violence-hit Kandhamal district in Orissa with no major violence incident have been reported so far.
The disquiet over the Kandhamal riots, mutually acceptable seat-sharing for the Lok Sabha polls and the poor show of the saffron ally in recent civic elections could have contributed in equal measure to the parting of ways between Biju Janata Dal and the Bharatiya Janata Party after 11 years.
RSS leader Dhanu Pradhan, who was said to be on the Maoists' hitlist, was gunned down by three suspected extremists at Kumarigaon village under Brahmanigaon police station area in Kandhamal at around 1300 hrs, sources said.
Over four months after she was allegedly raped during communal violence in Orissa's Kandhamal district, a Catholic nun on Monday finally identified two persons for involvement in the incident during a test identification parade, which was earlier deferred thrice.The 29-year-old nun identified two persons from a line-up of 90 during the identification parade, which was held at the high-security Choudwar jail in Cuutack and not in Kandhamal, following a HC direction.
"We are not happy with the judicial inquiry ordered by the Orissa government. Since both Central and state governments failed to check the spread of arson in Kandhamal, there must be a CBI probe," said Sajan K George, president of the Global Council of Indian Christians. He observed that Christians in riot-hit areas of Kandhamal were denied the right to worship on Christmas due to widespread violence and attack on places of worship.
Not satisfied with the judicial probe ordered by the Orissa government into the violence in Kandhamal, Christian leaders have demanded a CBI inquiry and immediate compensation to the next of kin of those killed and the injured.
Uttam Ghosh's captivating Independence Day Special captures an India we rarely see.
Violence broke out on Monday after an attack on a Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader and prominent anti-conversion activist Laxmanananda Saraswati. Paramilitary forces, including Central Reserve Police Force and Rapid Action Force, have been deployed in sensitive areas.
Assembly elections in 288 seats in Maharashtra and 90 seats in Haryana will be held on October 15 and counting will take place on October 19, the Election Commission announced on Friday.
In a major achievement for Odisha police, top Maoist leader Sabyasachi Panda wanted in over 60 criminal cases, has been arrested prompting Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to appeal to Naxals to eschew violence and join the mainstream
A 28-year-old trainee nun was allegedly gang-raped by three youths, including two cousins, after holding her forcibly for about a week in Odisha's Ganjam and Gajapati districts, police sources said on Monday.
Hours after being released by Maoists, Italian tourist Claudio Colangelo arrived in Bhubaneswar on Sunday and met his country's Consul General Joel Melchiori. Accompanied by security personnel, 61-year-old Colangelo was brought to the state capital by road from Sorada in Ganjam district, after being released at a place near Daringbadi in Kandhamal district.Colangelo met Italian media personnel at the hotel while Indian journalists were not allowed inside.
There was a half hour firefight between the Maoists and the police on Friday night at a jungle under Sorada police station area bordering Kandhamal district, before the ultras fled, a senior police official who took part in the operation told PTI.
One of the two Italians abducted by Maoists, tourist Claudio Colangelo, was on Sunday released unharmed by ultras, 11 days after being taken hostage in Kandhamal district, while his compatriot was still held captive by the rebels.
Maoists are yet to respond to the Odisha government's offer of negotiations after they took two Italians in Kandhamal district hostage. "The state government is yet to receive a response from the abductors of the two Italians. The chief minister has made it clear that we are open to any kind of negotiation under the law," said Home Secretary U N Behera. operations and th
Memories of sleeping with a gun as a pillow, long treks in the jungle and eating with Maoists during the 29 days he was hostage will be turned into a book, Italian Paolo Bosusco said on Thursday.
Congress candidate Gabriel Denwang Wangsu won the Kanubari Assembly seat in Arunachal Pradesh in a close contest defeating his lone rival Rongnai Maham of BJP by 885 votes in the October 15 by-poll.
Taking exception to a report by a United States' panel, on global religious freedom, placing India on the Watch List for Kandhamal violence, Christian leaders in Orissa on Friday said the majority community has been 'extremely cordial' to them.The remarks came in the wake of a statement made by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom that India was placed on the Watch List due to 'disturbing increase' in communal violence there
Indicating active involvement of Maoist elements in the killing of Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Laxamananda Saraswati and four others, the Crime Branch of Orissa police on Friday submitted chargesheet against seven accused. The chargesheet, filed in the court of sub-divisional judicial magistrate, Baliguda in Kandhamal district four months after the killing, said Maoist leaders had formed a local militia involving villagers for the crime.
A Rashtriya Swayam Sevak leader, who was arrested in connection with anti-Christian riots last year, was gunned down by suspected Maoists in Orissa's communally sensitive Kandhamal district early on Thursday. Approximately 15 armed ultras struck Rudiguma village, about 145 km from Phulbani, in the wee hours of Thursday and shot dead Prabhat Panigrahi, who was staying at an RSS activist's house, police said. A massive combing operation has been launched to nab the assailants.
Bowing to pressure from various quarters, the Sangh Parivar on Friday night called off their proposed Orissa bandh on Christmas day following talks with Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. The state-wide bandh had been called by Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati Sradhanjali Samiti in protest against alleged failure of the state government in arresting the culprits and conspirators involved in the killing of Swami Laxmanananda in Kandhamal district.
The central committee of the banned Communist Party of India - Maoist had decided to eliminate Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Laxmananda Saraswati as he was opposing them in Kandhamal, according to the confessions of an arrested Maoist commander, who was allegedly involved in the killing in August last year.P Rama Rao alias Uday, arrested on April 20 from Raygada district, told interrogators that he was part of the 16-member Maoist team that gunned down Saraswati.
Top Maoist leader Sabyasachi Panda has claimed responsibility for the murder of Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Swami Laxmananda Saraswati and four others, which lead to large scale flare-up in Orissa's Kandhamal district, according to two local television channels.
The first need is to stop all the rumour-mongering. The government should ensure that none of the victims who are living in the camps are forced to reconvert under duress. If they want to reconvert willingly, there isn't any problem. But the State must ensure that they are not forced, says NCM vice chairman Michael Pinto
The communal violence in Kandhmal in the aftermath of the killing of Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Swami Laxmananda Saraswati and four of his disciples, has so far claimed 26 lives, Orissa Home Secretary Tarun Kanti Mishra said in Bhubhaneshwar on Monday.
Alarmed over fresh violence ahead of the festival season, the Orissa government on Monday asked the Centre to allow it to retain Central para-military forces dispatched in the wake of Kandhamal riots till October end, official sources said. Orissa has already received 40 companies (one company comprises 90 personnel) of Central para-military forces after communal violence erupted following the killing of Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Laxmananda Saraswati.
The Supreme Court today decided to hear a petition seeking laying down of guidelines for preventing communal violence like the Kandhamal riots in Orissa in which the Christian community was targeted after the assassination of a Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader.
Amid suspicion of Maoists' involvement in the killing of Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Laxmananada Saraswati and four others at Jaleshpeta ashram in Orissa's Kandhamal district, the police on Wednesday issued sketches of two suspected killers. "The crime branch has issued the sketches seeking information from the public on the two suspected persons," DGP Gopal Chandra Nanda said.
The Orissa government on Thursday assured the Supreme Court that it will not allow Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Praveen Togadia's proposed yatra carrying the ashes of slain Hindu leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati in the state. Following the assurance, a bench headed by Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan directed the state government to ensure that no untoward incident takes place in the riot-hit Kandhamal district.
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