The two-week-long search operation in the Balimela reservoir in Malkangiri district of Orissa has been completed by the search teams from the Andhra Pradesh police and Indian Navy as all the 38 bodies of Greyhound commandos and police personnel were found.
The Andhra Pradesh police has sounded a high alert on its border along with Orissa after the latest attack by the rebels of Communist Party of India - Maoists in Malkangiri district of Orissa, in which 21 policemen were reportedly killed. A senior police official in Hyderabad said that all the sensitive police stations in the tribal and forest areas adjoining Orissa have been put on high alert and asked to maintain a tight vigil.
Five more bodies were recovered from the Machkund (Balimela) reservoir by the search teams and airlifted to Visakhapatnam for post-mortem. Akun Sabharwal, the district superintendent of police, Visakhapatnam, told the media at Chitrakund that so far 15 bodies have been found and another 21 bodies are believed to be stuck in the sunken vessel.
The blockade, which began at midnight, had no impact in West Bengal and Orissa. Maoists, however, partially damaged a BSNL tower at Balimela near Malkangiri in Orissa in a landmine attack.
Leaflets had also been distributed in several villages containing the threat: "Those ignoring this directive will not be forgiven."
After the blasts, the Maoists hid in the nearby places and fired at the security personnel who returned the fire.
At least three Border Security Force personnel were killed and two injured when Naxals blew up their vehicle in an improvised explosive device blast in Odisha's Koraput district on Tuesday.
In a major breakthrough, Odisha Police have arrested two suspected Maoists who were accused of being involved in the May 25 deadly attack on a Congress convoy in Chhattisgarh.
Cyclone Hudhud is set to intensify further into a very severe cyclonic storm in the next 12 hours before it makes landfall on October 12.
As Cyclone Hudhud is closing in on the Andhra Pradesh coastline and is expected to make a landfall near Visakhapatnam by Sunday afternoon, about 1.11 lakh people in five coastal districts have been shifted to safer places.
Naxals looted six automatic weapons -- two AK-47s and as many INSAS and self loading rifles -- of the deceased personnel.
The victims included five policemen, among whom were officer-in-charge Sada Hantal and assistant sub-inspector Silamani Mallick of the Kalimela police station, sources said.
Over 2 lakh people living in and around the vulnerable coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha have been evacuated with Cyclone 'Hudhud' set to hit the two states no Sunday with winds gusting up to 195 kmph.
BJD managed to retain 112 seats securing another term for Patnaik in the CM chair.
Documents seized by security forces in Maoist-hit Koraput district reveal that the rebels appear to have started training cadres to gun down helicopters used in ferrying security personnel for counter-insurgency operations.
A few hours after killing a man, Maoist ultras on Friday set a private bus on fire near Beheraguda in Odisha's Malkangiri district, police said.
The ultras for the first time this season put up pamphlets, banners and flags on Thursday, appealing to people to observe Maoist week -- from July 28 to August 3.
The cyclone would bring light to moderate rains at most places and 'heavy to very heavy downpour' at some places on November 6.
by relentlessly campaigning to highlight the indifference of the Centre to safeguard the interests of Odisha in these inter-state disputes, the BJD is seeking to pin down the BJP.
This time however, the poll panel did not share the overall polling percentage at its briefing.
It is not uncommon to see patients in Odisha being carried to hospitals on cots for miles. Recently, this picture was reversed when a doctor carried a pregnant woman to hospital on a cot for 12 km.
The India Meteorological Department has issued a warning that the heat wave condition is likely to occur at isolated places in all districts in Telangana on Sunday.
Concerned over high incidents of violence, the Home ministry has asked the Election Commission to conduct the upcoming Lok Sabha polls in 33 Naxal-hit districts in the first phase to ensure maximum security and minimum casualties.
The nationwide death toll on Friday rose to 2005 as the intense heat wave continued to sweep many parts of the country, with Palamau in Jharkhand recording the highest temperature of 47 degrees Celsius.
More than two lakh paramilitary personnel, thousands of vehicles and nearly a dozen helicopters will be deployed across the country to ensure smooth and violence-free elections beginning April 7.
Despite major setbacks, the Maoists' ability to inflict damage on the State and maintain its position as the saviour of the tribals will keep them relevant, says Bibhu Prasad Routray.
For the first time in its three decade-old history, the country's elite counter-terror force National Security Guard has begun training its commandos in undertaking precision hostage rescue missions in jungles keeping in view emerging Naxalite tactics aimed at capturing high-value targets.
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.
The killer heat wave brought the nationwide toll to 2,338 even as some places like Delhi got respite on Monday.
.jpg)
At least 16 people have died in flood-related incidents in Odisha, where the situation remained grim even as major rivers were receding on Saturday. Two deaths each were reported from Bhadrak, Jajpur and Nayagarh districts while in worst-hit Ganjam district it remained unchanged at six and four in Jagatsinghpur, Special Relief Commissioner P K Mohapatra told reporters here after the situation was reviewed by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
Cyclone 'Phailin', which was to make landfall two days from now, possibly near Gopalpur in Odisha and in north Andhra Pradesh, on Thursday intensified into a severe cyclonic storm travelling slightly northwest and lying about 800 km from Paradip in Odisha.
Incidents of arson, firing and vandalism were reported from Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Punjab as protesters agitated against the dilution of the SC/ST Act.
After being pounded for an entire day by Cyclone Hudhud, the storm is weakened on Monday leaving behind a trail of destruction in Andhra Pradesh and Odisha.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances