A massive anti-Naxal operation involving around 10,000 security personnel along the Chhattisgarh-Telangana border entered its fifth day on Friday, with the Maoists reportedly issuing a statement calling for a halt to the exercise and initiating "peace talks." The statement, circulating on social media, claims that the government is resorting to repression and violence despite the possibility of resolving the issue through dialogue. The operation, considered one of the largest counter-insurgency actions in the Bastar region, involves personnel from various units including the Chhattisgarh police, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), and its elite CoBRA unit. The operation, launched on Monday in the densely forested hills of Karregutta and Durgamgutta along the inter-state border, is aimed at targeting PLGA battalion No. 1, the strongest military formation of the Maoists.
The accused, a contractor by profession, was absconding since the murder of journalist Mukesh Chandrakar came to light on January 3, he said.
The Naxalites, 10 of whom are women, turned themselves in before senior officials of the state police and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), he added.
Earlier on Monday, two women Naxalites were killed and one CoBRA jawan was injured in an encounter during the same operation, they said.
Twelve Naxalites were killed in an encounter with security forces in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district on Thursday. The gunfight broke out in a forest area and lasted for several hours. Security forces involved in the operation included the state police's District Reserve Guard (DRG), CoBRA (Commando Battalion for Resolute Action), and the CRPF. No casualties were reported among security personnel. This brings the total number of Naxalites killed in the state this month to 26.
10 CoBRA units with over 12,000 personnel were raised under the CRPF in 2009 for undertaking intelligence-based jungle warfare operations.
Eight Naxalites were killed in an encounter with security forces in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district on Saturday. The gunfight broke out in the forest when District Reserve Guard and Special Task Force of the state police along with Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and CoBRA (Commando Battalion for Resolute Action) were out on an anti-Naxalite operation. An Insas rifle and a barrel grenade launcher (BGL) were among the weapons recovered from the encounter site. This brings the total number of Naxalites killed in separate encounters in the state this year to 50.
Security agencies are working to ascertain a claim made by Naxals that they abducted a CoBRA commando after the ambush in Chhattisgarh on Saturday that left at least 22 security personnel dead, official sources said
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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).
Manhas went missing after the April 3 gunfight between Naxals and security personnel near Sukma-Bijapur border.
The Kerala high court on Tuesday admitted the appeal moved by the convict in the 'Uthra murder case' challenging his conviction and the double life sentence awarded to him for the 'diabolical' killing of his wife by using a cobra.
President Droupadi Murmu on July 5, 2024 conferred 10 Kirti Chakras, including seven posthumously, to personnel of the Army and paramilitary forces for displaying indomitable courage and extraordinary valour in the line of duty.
The majority of CoBRA teams, whose commandos are expected to have tough mental and physical attributes, are deployed in various Maoist violence affected states while a few are based in the northeastern states for undertaking counter-insurgency operations.
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They said the IED blast took place in the Chintalnar forest area of the district around 9 pm on Saturday and the injured personnel were evacuated by a Mi-17 V5 helicopter of the Indian Air Force around midnight.
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He was a decorated officer as he won combat competitions and participated in all-India police commando duty meets.
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Among the three slain personnel, two belonged to the CoBRA's 201st battalion and one to the CRPF's 150th battalion, a senior police officer said.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has called an emergency COBRA meeting of senior ministers and police chiefs at 10 Downing Street in London on Monday after a weekend of riots across several cities in the country, which he termed a 'far-right thuggery' that will face the full force of the law.
In a separate incident, a commando of the Central Reserve Police Force's jungle warfare unit CoBRA was injured when a pressure improvised explosive device (IED), planted by Naxalites went off in the district, police said.
American brewer Molson Coors has acquired a majority stake in the Karan Bilimoria-owned Cobra Beer in Britain.
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The agency recorded the statement of the 26-year-old man at its zonal office located at Ashok Marg in Lucknow for about seven hours.
Mumbai Indians were left to rue their luck as heavy rains forced their Champions League Twenty20 match against Cape Cobras to be abandoned in Bangalore on Friday, hampering the home side's chances of advancing to the semifinals.
Kings XI Punjab would aim to keep the winning run going when they take on South Africa's Cape Cobras in a Group B encounter of the Champions League in Mohali on Sunday.
Virtually through to the semi-finals after a comprehensive win over Royal Challengers, Victoria Bushrangers would strive to consolidate their position when they take on Cape Cobras in their Champions League match in Bangalore on Saturday.
South Africa's Pro20 champions Cape Cobras were dealt a solid blow before the start of the Champions League Twenty20 as captain Graeme Smith was ruled out because of an injury. Despite his absence, the Cobras boast of a strong squad that includes South Africa's star batsmen Jean Paul Duminy and Herschelle Gibbs.
Rory Kleinveldt and Justin Ontong scalped two wickets each as Cape Cobras restricted a hapless Delhi Daredevils to a paltry 114 for six in an inconsequential League B match of the inaugural Champions League at the Feroz Shah Kotla ground on Monday.
In a side filled with international players, Michael Rippon's place in Cape Cobras' playing eleven is not certain, but the young spinner said he is confident of at least getting a game in the ongoing Champions League Twenty20 cricket tournament in Chennai.
The clearance to raise the 10,000-strong Combat Battalion for Resolute Action (COBRA), under the command and control of the Central Reserve Police Force, was given last evening by the Cabinet Committee on Security chaired by the prime minister.
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