The Chhattisgarh assembly was informed that 177 security and police personnel, including those from paramilitary forces, have committed suicide in the state in the last six-and-a-half years. Family, personal issues, and health problems are cited as reasons.
Bodies of three Maoists, including a woman cadre, were recovered from the site, along with a self-loading rifle (SLR), a .303 rifle, a 12-bore gun and other Naxalite-related materials, the SP said.
'Critics say the political leadership abandoned the army chief or did not back him. I disagree. 'Military leaders are trained to take decisions when given a free hand.' 'This was a clear go-ahead from the prime minister to the army chief.'
'For the remaining Maoist cadres, they shall soon confront one of two outcomes: Either surrender or face neutralisation.'
The government informed Lok Sabha that security forces have neutralised 29 top Naxal leaders since 2019, with a significant reduction in affected districts.
The outcome of the investigations essentially formed the basis for the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to issue a sweeping directive on November 28 last year, mandating that app-based communication services like WhatsApp, Telegram and Signal must be continuously linked to an active, physical SIM card within the device.
The Border Security Force (BSF) remains on high alert along the International Border (IB) and has not let its guard down, BSF Inspector General, Jammu Frontier, Shashank Anand said on Tuesday. Operation Sindoor, aimed at preventing infiltration attempts, continues as Pakistan cannot be trusted, he added. Anand highlighted the BSF's robust response after the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, including destroying multiple terror launch pads and thwarting infiltration attempts.
'The watershed moment was June 22, 2024, when the divisional in-charge of Gadchiroli, Giridhar Tumreti, who was their senior-most commander, along with his wife, came forward to surrender before the then deputy chief minister and home minister Devendra Fadnavis.'
Deva recently replaced Hidma as commander of the Maoists' battalion no. 1, the IG added.
Border Security Force personnel later found human footprints heading towards the Pakistani side, raising the possibility of an unintentional border crossing.
The Border Security Force (BSF) launched "Operation Sindoor" in retaliation to unprovoked firing and shelling by Pakistani Rangers along the International Border (IB) in Jammu. BSF troops destroyed three terrorist launch pads and targeted 76 Pakistani border outposts and 42 forward defence locations. The BSF action came after Pakistan launched heavy firing and shelling on 60 Indian posts and 49 forward positions, reportedly providing cover for an attempted infiltration by 40-50 terrorists.
Under the defence partnership, India and the UAE are eyeing defence industrial collaboration and cooperation in advanced technologies, cyberspace training, special operations, interoperability of their militaries and counter terrorism.
'The tools of warfare are changing. The MoD must deepen its engagement with technology thinkers that can present compelling visions of where warfare may be heading.'
139 Naxalite cadres surrendered in Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh, marking a significant turning point in the fight against Left Wing Extremism. The surrenders included a top Maoist strategist and were hailed as a sign of the movement's decline.
The Border Security Force (BSF) is training specialized 'drone commandos' and 'drone warriors' for modern warfare, with plans to deploy them in missions like Operation Sindoor. A 'School of Drone Warfare' has been inaugurated to provide training in UAV operations, anti-drone warfare, and surveillance.
Many IEDs explode even when the troops are on foot and their trigger mechanism gets activated just due to the pressure of the feet. These incidents have injured more than 100 personnel over the last two years, the officer said.
India strongly responded to Pakistan's remarks on Jammu and Kashmir and the Indus Waters Treaty at the UN Security Council, accusing Pakistan of supporting terrorism and violating the spirit of the Indus Waters Treaty.
Youths with no past criminal record or separatist affiliation are now preferred for recruitment by terror handlers in Jammu and Kashmir to stay under the radar of security forces, officials in the know say.
Four terrorists, including a Pakistani national, were killed in two separate encounters in Jammu and Kashmir's Srinagar and Kulgam districts during the past 24 hours, a senior police official said on Sunday.
Security forces in the Jammu region are maintaining a strong vigil and conducting operations to track down 40 to 50 terrorists active in the area. Multi-tier security measures, including anti-drone strategies and intensified night operations, are in place.
They also used YouTube extensively to learn how to create Improvised Explosive Devices for carrying out terror attacks. Digital footprints analysed during the interrogation identified the primary handlers as 'Ukasa', 'Faizan' and 'Hashmi'.
Among the medal winners are a deputy commandant rank officer, two assistant commandants and an inspector.
A second terrorist was killed in an encounter with security forces on Wednesday, raising the death toll during the ongoing three-day search operation in a remote village in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district to three, officials said.
Today's situation in the Shaksgam Valley is the consequence of what happened in Gilgit in 1947. But is India ready to militarily get back its territories? asks Claude Arpi.
'Threat assessment, intelligence analysis, (battlefield) situation review -- what has transpired in the last three hours -- was conducted with the help of AI.'
The encounter took place in Pujari Kanker forest along the interstate border when a team of Greyhounds, Telangana's elite anti-Maoist force, was out on an operation, he said.
The officials said dozens of unexploded explosives were destroyed by the experts along the Line of Control in Rajouri and Poonch districts and along the International Border in Jammu and Samba which witnessed intense cross-border shelling and drone attacks from May 7 to May 10.
The Superintendent of Police in Manipur's Kangpokpi district was injured after a mob attacked his office on Friday evening over the officer's alleged failure to remove central force from Saibol village bordering Imphal East district. Kuki organisations have been protesting against the alleged baton charge on women by security forces on December 31 in Saibol village. The attackers threw stones and other projectiles towards the office to vent their anger over the continued deployment of central forces, particularly the BSF and the CRPF in the village. Several others, including police personnel and protesters, also suffered injuries during the clash between security forces and attackers.
United States President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that his special envoy Steve Witkoff would be visiting Moscow next week to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin, with Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner might going with Witkoff too.
People in some border villages of Ferozepur district in Punjab began moving to safer areas amid soaring tensions between India and Pakistan.
A soldier critically injured in a gunfight with terrorists in the Udhampur district succumbed to his injuries. A joint search operation by the Army and police is underway in the remote forest area.
'The Pathankot episode shows that the security forces handled the attack well after the initial setback, although there is no denying that there are shortcomings in India's security grid that need urgent correction,' says national security expert Nitin Gokhale, founder, BharatShakti.in
As part of the heightened security arrangements in view of Modi's visit, the officials said, the BSF and the police conducted a joint two-hour-long anti-tunnelling operation in the Ramgarh sector of Samba district.
'Trump had done a deal with the current regime minus Maduro. The current regime is giving Trump entry into Venezuelan oil. They are obeying him and doing whatever he says.' 'They are happy because they have saved their heads by sacrificing only two, Maduro and his wife. Thousands of Venezuelan military leaders would have been jailed or killed in American action had Maduro stayed in power.'
The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) has been awarded the highest number of police gallantry medals, 21, including two Shaurya Chakras, on the eve of Republic Day. A total of 95 bravery medals were awarded to personnel from state and central police forces, fire service, home guard, civil defence, and correctional services. The CRPF's medals included 11 for operations in Jammu and Kashmir, seven for anti-Maoist operations, and one for an operation in the northeast. The second-highest number of medals went to Uttar Pradesh (17), followed by Jammu and Kashmir (15), Chhattisgarh (11), and the Border Security Force (5).
After Operation Sindoor, the Army and Navy now view the IAF as not a supporting arm, but the spearhead of India's warfighting capability, capable of decisive outcomes across domains, explains Air Commodore Nitin Sathe (retd).
The Indian government outlines its futuristic defence programme, Sudarshan Chakra Mission, focusing on indigenous development, predictive technologies, and targeted counter-action systems to enhance national security.
The movement of the drones from across the border was picked up over Balakote, Langote and Gursai nallah in Mendhar sector at 9.15 pm on Sunday, the officials said.
Admitting the presence of about three splinter terror groups in the twin border districts of Rajouri and Poonch in Jammu and Kashmir, a senior police officer said security forces are making efforts to neutralise them.
Records stretching back to 1947 suggest a consistent strategy by Pakistan's military and intelligence apparatus, the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI), of using terrorism as a state policy against India.