It was not immediately known if the police stumbled on the massive storehouse of explosives accidentally or were tipped off about its presence in the jungles.
The 91-year-old went beyond her role as a writer to help tribals in organising themselves in groups so that they could take up development activities in their own areas.
The Karnataka State Reserve Police personnel were staying in a school building.
The NDA candidate tells the Election Commission that the Maoists plan to kidnap him.
About three men and five women escaped and ran to nearby jungles and reached Dornapal relief camp and then informed the police.
Two policemen were killed and 16 injured, two of them seriously, in a landmine blast and ambush by naxalites in Rajnandgaon district of Chhattisgarh, police said Monday.
Amid the coronavirus outbreak, various states have announced partial or complete lockdown and also there is increased focus on social distancing to curb the spread of the deadly virus which has infected over 400 people in the country.
Barring Chhattisgarh, the situation is under control in other states.
In a major setback to the Naxalite movement in Andhra Pradesh, top Maoist leader Sudarshan, who carried a reward of Rs 3 lakh on his head, was killed, along with two others, in an encounter with the police.
Twelve persons of a marriage party, including four women, were killed when Naxalites triggered a landmine blast on Tuesday at Halewara near Kasansur forest in Gadchiroli district of south-eastern Maharashtra, police said.\n\n
The naxals also blew up the communication tower, cutting off the link between Jashpur district, which borders Jharkhand, and other areas.
Such was the terror created by the ATS, that all their relatives stayed away.
Police claimed to have killed "five or six" naxalites, including a deputy commander, in an encounter in Gadchiroli district and recovered from their possession arms, ammunition and naxal literature.
The government intends to discuss socio-economic issues, land distribution, women's empowerment, employment, education, globalisation, creation of small states, problems of SC/STs with the Naxalites.
The police believe it was left behind by Maoists on Sunday night.
The increase in the frequency of attacks by naxalites on the police and civilians in Vidarbha has law enforcement agencies worried.
Police and Central Reserve Police Force personnel opened fire Tuesday evening after some people threw a rope across the wall of a subjail in Jehanabad, which was the target of a naxalite attack in November 2005, official sources said.
Ever since the Salwa Judum or peace campaign against the Naxalites started on June 4 last year, over 300 villagers have been killed by Maoists.
12 Naxalite-hit districts will be voting.
Chief ministers of Naxal-affected states met with Home Minister Shivraj Patil.
76 districts in nine states are affected by Naxal violence.
In the wake of Saturday's attack on security forces, the state considers a ban on naxal outfits
However, the magnitude of the Naxalite offensive came as a surprise.
Addressing a massive public rally to celebrate the signing of the accord on January 27 that is expected to bring lasting peace to the troubled state, Modi said now the time was to work together for peace and development of the North-East.
The naxalites, said to be numbering 150, laid an ambush for a truck carrying an unspecified number of police and Provincial Armed Constabulary jawans on combing duty and blew it up, police sources said.
The Bharatiya Janata Party's carping ally said the police assertion about security threat to Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Maoists was just a 'conspiracy theory'.
The Bihar government sought permission of the Union home ministry to use 24 companies of Central Para-Military Force deployed for anti-naxalite operations, for law and order duty.
Veteran Bollywood actor Om Puri, who drew flak for his controversial comments against parliamentarians, landed himself in another row by calling Naxals "fighters not terrorists".
Jaipal Yadav, who represents Kalwakurthy constituency, was returning after attending a meeting at Madugula village when the attack took place, police said.
President Abdul Kalam and Union Home Minister L K Advani will call on him on Friday.
