In a late night crackdown, the police on Wednesday evicted YSR Congress Party president Y S Jaganmohan Reddy from the venue of his indefinite hunger strike called to protest bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh and took him into preventive custody as doctors voiced concern over his deteriorating health.
Earlier on Monday, two women Naxalites were killed and one CoBRA jawan was injured in an encounter during the same operation, they said.
The Telangana High Court upheld a trial court's verdict handing out death penalty to five senior operatives of banned terror outfit, Indian Mujahideen, involved in a bomb blast that left 18 people killed in 2013. The court dismissed the criminal revision appeal filed by the IM operatives while upholding the NIA court's judgment. The five members, including IM co-founder Mohd Ahmed Sidibapa alias Yasin Bhatkal, Pakistani national Zia-ur-Rahman alias Waqas, Asadullah Akhtar alias Haddi, Tahaseen Akhtar alias Monu and Ajaz Shaikh, were convicted in 2016. The special court for NIA cases here awarded capital punishment to five convicts treating it as a rarest of the rare case. The high court, after conducting a detailed hearing in the appeals filed by the convicts, confirmed the death sentence of the five IM operatives.
Tension prevailed as the next of kin of two of the slain in Andhra Pradesh staged protests in Tiruvannamalai district
With Sunday's encounter, the number of left-wing extremists killed in 98 exchanges of fire with the police in the state during the year has risen to 137.
Incessant rains, and not Maoists, is the major hurdle facing the security forces who have launched a massive search operation in the Nallamalla forests in Andhra Pradesh, where Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy's helicopter went missing this morning, Andhra Pradesh police sources involved in the search operations have said.
The DGP was on the "hit list" of the YSR Congress for some time now, as they were perceived to be close to the previous Telugu Desam Party government.
The students were identified as G Dinesh (22) from Wanaparthy in Telangana and Nikesh (21) from Srikakulam in Andhra Pradesh.
While acknowledging that they needed strong allies for a chance in the assembly polls, AIADMK cadres seemingly prefer actor-politician Vijay's Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam to the BJP, owing to the latter's 'communal agenda' and consequent hardline Hindutva image, explains N Sathiya Moorthy.
Among the dead were an eight-year-old girl, her grandmother and grandfather and another passenger while 20 injured passengers were admitted to a hospital.
According to the police, CPI-Maoist central committee member Sande Rajamouli alias Prasad was killed in an exchange of fire with a special police party in the vicinity of Dharmavaram railway station at 10 pm.
The Centre will not conduct a 'separate inquiry' into the death of Maoist leader Azad in an encounter with security forces in Andhra Pradesh, Union Home Secretary G K Pillai has said.
The circulation of fake currency notes is on the rise in Andhra Pradesh and what the police fear is the growing proximity between Naxals and terrorists. Vicky Nanjappa reports
Among the keenly watched contests are those involving former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav (Kannauj, UP) and Union ministers Giriraj Singh (Begusarai, Bihar), Nityanand Rai (Ujiarpur, Bihar) and Raosaheb Danve (Jalna, Maharashtra).
Ten to 20 days of heatwave are expected against the normal of four to eight days in the entire April-June period.
The Supreme Court on Monday said it will examine the interpretation of sedition law, particularly in the light of media rights and free speech, as it gave protection to Telugu news channels -- TV5 and ABN Andhrajyothi -- from any coercive action in a case lodged against them under the colonial era provision.
While the ruling party blamed unnamed forces behind the arson, all opposition parties hit out at the Jagan Mohan Reddy government over its "gross failure" in controlling the situation.
The force "never faced any problem with regard to participation of candidates due to language problems," the spokesperson said.
Tamil actress Pauline Jessica, popularly known as Divya, is believed to have died by suicide in her rented flat in Chennai
Andhra Pradesh Director General of Police V Dinesh Reddy, against whom a CBI probe is pending on charges of acquiring disproportionate assets, on Monday retired from service.
An MP from Karimnagar district in Andhra Pradesh on Friday filed a complaint against eminent scholar Ashis Nandy, for making remarks alleged to be anti-Dalit at the Jaipur Literature Festival, police said.
A day after the tragic mishap in Mahabubnagar district of Andhra Pradesh, in which 45 passengers of a Volvo bus were burnt alive after it caught fire, the police on Thursday arrested the owner of the bus operator company and its driver.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday termed misleading claims by opposition leaders that if any state is not named in the Budget speech, then it does not get any budgetary allocation. Replying to a Budget discussion in the Lok Sabha, Sitharaman asserted that no state was being denied money. She recalled that in the past Budgets by the UPA government also did not mention names of all states in their Budget speech.
Scores of opposition workers were taken into custody by police in several areas across the state.
The 33-year-old accused, Nossam Mohamed Yunus, was wanted for his alleged involvement in the Nizamabad terror conspiracy case, a spokesperson of the federal agency said
Andhra Pradesh Police on Friday said the face of one of the suspects of February 21 Dilsukhnagar twin blasts case in Hyderabad was clearly captured by CCTV cameras and efforts are on to identity the person.
Holi was celebrated with pomp and splendor across India on Friday, with people soaking in the festivities by smearing 'gulaal' on each other and exchanging greetings and sweets. Homes and streets wore a colourful look as the revellers splashed colours and feasted on traditional delicacies. Public transport did not ply in the morning in most major cities while metro services started functioning from noon. As Holi coincided with the second Friday prayers during the holy Islamic month of Ramzan, security -- including increased patrolling and picketing -- was beefed up in several states. In Delhi, more than 25,000 security personnel were deployed. Police closely monitored about 300 sensitive areas with CCTV cameras and drones.
The court on Tuesday granted her conditional bail on furnishing a bail bond of Rs 30,000 and two sureties.
Directing Andhra Pradesh government to conduct a magisterial enquiry into the killing of 20 persons allegedly in police firing in Chittoor district, the National Human Rights Commission on Monday ordered the Tamil Nadu police to give protection to two persons from the state connected with the incident.
The Hyderabad Union Cabinet's surprise and sudden move to take up the Telangana note for consideration has inflamed the passions of people in Seemandhra regions and several organisations have called for a 72-hour strike in 13 districts of two regions from Friday.
In a major blow to the outlawed Communist Party of India-Maoist in Andhra Pradesh, the organsation's state secretary Sambasivudu on Sunday surrendered before a senior police official. Confirming his surrender, Home Minister K Jana Reddy said that Sambasivudu will be produced before the media on Monday. He refused to share any more details. Sambasivudu took over as the chief of the underground organisation in 2006.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has re-introduced the Special Public Security Bill in the state assembly, aiming to combat 'urban Naxalism'. The bill, which seeks to criminalize activities deemed to disrupt public order, has faced criticism from opposition parties who argue it could stifle dissent. The proposed law will be referred to a joint select committee for review and is expected to be passed in the monsoon session next year.
Protests continued in the Rayalaseema and coastal regions of Andhra Pradesh for the fourth day on Monday against bifurcation of the state.
Andhra Pradesh director general of police R Girish Kumar has appealed to the political parties and the media, specially the television channels to exercise restrain in leveling allegations of "partiality and bias" against the police officials as it can de-motivate and discourage the police officers.
Andhra Pradesh Police said the lighting of a stove by a tea vendor might have sparked Friday's fire at the Gas Authority of India Limited pipeline in East Godavari district after leaked gas from the line enveloped the area.
Telugu Desam Party and Bharatiya Janata Party also extended their support to the bandh call given by the Left parties.
'Modi's charisma may have weakened as last year's Lok Sabha poll results showed but in the eyes of the Sangh Parivar, it has not waned.' 'Minus a strong BJP government at the Centre for another decade and more, there is apprehension that an anti-Hindutva government could reverse many of the ideological gains that the Modi dispensation has achieved through its three terms,' points out N Sathiya Moorthy.
'The scrapped plane, being transported from Lucknow to Assam on a truck, got stuck beneath the Piprakothi bridge in Motihari, causing a traffic jam'
