The 10th IRB of Nagaland has been requisitioned by the Centre to fight Maoists in Bengal's Midnapore and Purulia districts, but a section of jawans staged protest at the police training centre at Chumukedima, near Dimapur, on Saturday alleging they had inadequate logistic support and 'vintage' firearms were provided to them.
'With sufficient gaps between polling dates, the BJP will have time to convert the 'fence-sitter' votes,' observes Payal Mohanka.
Maoists on Friday killed five Forward Bloc workers at Jhalda in Purulia district on the suspicion that they were working as police informers. "Chapala Garai, Tapan Singh Sardar, Kinkar Singh, Rajesh Singh and Gopeswar Mahato were shot dead by armed Maoist cadres at Baghbinda village," said Superintendent of Police Sunil Kumar Chaudhuri.
Mamata said the saffron party could not build even a small Ram temple in the last five years.
The West Bengal government said on Friday that the police and intelligence agencies had got information about Maoist leader Kishenji hiding in the state and that he was likely to be arrested soon.
Central Bureau of Investigation Director Ashwani Kumar on Monday denied that the premier investigative agency works under pressure from government but said shortage of staff was affecting its performance.
As the West Bengal chief minister was busy containing the fallout of an internecine feud in her TMC following a rebellion by a redoubtable Suvendu Adhikari, the Centre shot off a fresh letter to her government to immediately relieve three IPS officers for central deputation.
The brewing discontentment in the party may adversely impact the TMC's prospects in the next assembly polls due in April-May next year.
All police stations and Central Reserve Police Force camps in the three Maoist-hit districts of West Bengal have been put on high alert and Railway Protection Force has been asked to keep vigil on trains and tracks ahead of Wednesday's 48-hour Bharat bandh called by ultras.
Four Communist Party of India-Marxist supporters and a party worker were shot dead by Maoists on Friday after they suspected them to be police informers and their bodies dumped on the highway at West Midnapore and Purulia districts, the police said.
A demand for autonomy for three tribal-dominated districts of West Midnapore, Bankura and Purulia in West Bengal was made on Saturday by a top Maoist leader, who also justified the Gorkhaland statehood issue.
The location of the landfall is north of Dhamra and south of Bahanaga, close to Bahanaga block, on the coast, around 50 km of Balasore, he said.
There was no possibility of holding talks with Maoists or tribal group PCPA, West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadev Bhattacharjee said on Sunday even as he maintained that law and order in Naxal-infested Lalgarh and adjacent areas has improved but more work needs to be done.
The Centre has assured the West Bengal government that it would not withdraw the 1,700 personnel of central security forces from the three Maoist-hit districts of West Midnapore, Bankura and Purulia, even though assembly elections in adjoining Jharkhand is round the corner.
Total of 59 seats spread across 6 states and one Union Territory will go to polls in the sixth phase on May 12.
The beheaded body of a school teacher, kidnapped by Maoists, was found near Goaltore in the restive West Midnapore district on Tuesday, police sources said.The teacher, Satya Kinkar Hansda, of Sirisboni village, had been threatened earlier by the ultras for being the member of a rival organisation. He was picked up by an armed cadre on Monday night and his decapitated body was found in a nearby jungle today morning, sources said.
Normal life was affected for the second day on Tuesday in West Bengal's Maoist-infested districts of West Midnapore, Purulia and Bankura during the 48-hour bandh called by the ultras in five states to protest the offensive by security forces against Naxalites in Lalgarh.
One hundred and thirty-three candidates will try their luck from the constituencies falling under the districts of West Midnapore, Purulia and Bankura.
Air Chief Marshal B S Dhanoa said the IAF is "always cautious and alert" to check any untoward aerial movement on the border.
Presenting our latest in the series of #India-Photos!
Suspected armed Maoists on Wednesday looted over Rs 84 lakh from a branch of the Punjab National Bank in Purulia. Superintendent of Police Ashok Kumar Prasad said eight motorcycle-borne miscreants came to the bank. While two of them stood guard outside, the others entered the bank situated in the heart of the town.
Three railway staff and RPF personnel were asked to leave the station building at gunpoint before the Maoists burnt down the station building.
The BJP could win only 16 out of 57 seats where Shah campaigned.
Suspected Maoists killed a local Communist Party of India-Maoist leader after raiding his house at Barabazar, about 50 km from Purulia, early on Thursday morning and fled towards the Jharkhand border, a senior police official said.
Personal and healthcare major Emami group on Tuesday announced setting up of a bio-diesel plant at Haldia, the first in West Bengal, with an investment of Rs 150 crore (Rs 1.5 billion).
The bypolls for four seats were conducted on September 16.
The Anil Ambani group firm is the sole bidder for the engineering, procurement and construction contract for DVC's proposed 1,000 MW thermal power plant at Raghunathpur in Purulia district of West Bengal.
With these states imposing lockdowns anew, the health ministry emphasised that the restrictions should be utilised to focus on containment, surveillance and testing in the containment and buffer zones as the key strategy for early detection of cases and fatality management.
In the wake of growing interest by large industrial groups in West Bengal, the state government has embarked on a plan to revive a number of small airports in the state apart from developing a new airport in Kolkata with private participation.
The Jindal group has not given any commitment to the West Bengal government on giving equity or employment to people who provide land for a 10-million tonne steel plant it is setting up at Salboni
Please, let us not be scared of multinational corporations
Delhi's power circles can expect a surprise when a not-so-known officer is appointed to head the CBI.
Results of the panchayat polls indicated a paradigm shift in state politics with the baton of main opposition party passing from the Left to the BJP.
The Holi weekend is just a month away and if you haven't planned ahead, we'll help you out.
Mamata announced that over Rs 10,000 crore (Rs 100 billion) would be invested in developing the Aerotropolis project which, she felt, would ultimately change the industrial scenario in the region comprising Burdwan, Birbhum, Bankura and Purulia distracts.
Eyewitnesses said the bus skidded off the road when the driver was trying to save a motor-cyclist.
The Briton had allegedly assaulted fellow convict Kamal Routh in Presidency Jail in Kolkata about a year back.
A case pending with the Mumbai customs on Saturday stalled the release of Peter Bleach, who is serving a life sentence at the Alipore Central Jail in Kolkata for his role in the sensational Purulia armsdrop.
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