Philosopher George Santayana's prediction that those who forget history are condemned to repeat it is coming eerily true in the jungles of east and central India, where state governments have encouraged Maoist terror by succumbing to serial hostage deals.
The Chhattisgarh government on Wednesday appealed to the Maoists for the extension of their deadline for the release of Sukma district collector Alex Paul Menon, who was abducted last Saturday.
Hours after the Chhattisgarh government offered to hold talks to secure the release Sukma district collector Alex Paul Menon, Maoists on Monday night named three mediators, including lawyer Prashant Bhushan, for negotiations.
The party raised concern over the security of Electronic Voting Machines inside strong rooms and their handling during the counting process in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, and the alleged deletion of voters in Uttar Pradesh.
The toll in anganwadi centre wall collapse in Nayagarh district of Odisha mounted to seven on Tuesday with the death of two more children as the state government sought report from all district collectors on safety of anganwadi buildings by July 13.
As the two popular characters make their comeback on the silver screen, here is a look at their past glory.
The duo talks about their new film The King And The Commissioner.
The court accepted the scheme formulated by the state government to provide "ex gratia assistance" of up to Rs 50,000 to all religious places, including mosques and temples.
A minor orphan girl, who was gang-raped and had tried to immolate herself in Odisha's Rayagada district a fortnight ago, died in Visakhapatanam on Tuesday. "The girl passed away around 3.45 pm in a private hospital at Visakhapatanam where she was under treatment," said Rayagada District Collector S S Padhi.
Marathas, a politically influential community that constitutes around 30 per cent of the state's population, have been demanding 16 per cent reservation in government jobs and education.
However, Anup Sardesai, the writer of the book titled Nathuram Godse: The Story of an Assassin, said he would go ahead with its release at a different venue.
His arrest has interrupted the political journey. But given Jaganmohan Reddy's ambitions and strengths in politics and business this setback is likely to be only temporary
The Assam government has taken the initiative to pay workers their wages electronically and has asked banks to open branches adjacent to tea gardens and install ATMs in estates.
Our policies on hostage crises have been marked by significant tentativeness and not surprisingly, these have been exploited by the extremists, points out Bibhu Prasad Routray
Former bureaucrat Nirmala Buch, who had mediated on behalf of Chhattisgarh government with Maoists for the release of Sukma district collector Alex Paul Menon, on Saturday said the Raman Singh government may free Naxalites in the coming days and has "no hidden agenda" in doing so.
Mediators on Friday failed to achieve any breakthrough to secure the release of abducted Sukma district collector Alex Paul Menon after the second round of talks even as Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh asserted that the demands of the Maoists would be considered only "within the legal framework".
Three police personnel of Gadchiroli police were awarded with the President's Police Medal for Gallantry for their outstanding performance in service.
The anti-Naxal operation in Chhattisgarh's Bastar region has been suspended in the wake of abduction of Sukma district collector Alex Paul Menon.
Schools across Maharashtra resumed physical sessions for classes 5 to 12 on Monday after being shut for over a year-and-a-half in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, with students being welcomed back on campuses with flowers, balloons, sanitisers and social distancing protocols.
Ramanathapuram district collector Nandhakumar met the mother and relatives of the fisherman killed in firing by the US Navy off Dubai coast and said Tamil Nadu government was taking all steps to bring his body back to India.
In the wake of two back-to-back abductions in Odisha, a complete ban has been imposed on the entry of foreign nationals and tourists into the Maoist-hit Koraput district.
More than 700 bull-tamers participated in the events, which were witnessed by thousands of spectators.
The Unlock 3 guidelines will come into force from August 1 and strict enforcement of lockdown in containment zones will continue till August 31.
Rescuers early on Tuesday pulled out the decomposed and mangled body of Sujith Wilson from deep inside the unused borewell, after a futile 80-hour attempt to save the child who had fallen in while playing near his house in Nadukattupatti in Tiruchirappalli.
At least 19 people were killed while 16 others, including six army jawans, injured when a truck rammed into two vehicles in Pali district of Rajasthan on Tuesday. The truck lost its balance on National Highway-14 in Supermpur area near Netra village on Tuesday evening when a car attempted to overtake it, said District Collector Neeraj K Pawan.
The Gujarat Lions-RCB game -- featuring Virat's magnificent century -- earned the highest amount.
The authorities have received the opinion of structural engineers, and would start removing exotic fittings, valuable fixtures, window grills and other utensils, as per their advice. They also found cushions, glass frames, a plush swimming pool and a spa, furniture made from Burma teak.
Flood condition worsened in Orissa on Friday with four major rivers submerging around 600 villages in the state.
On February 16 last year, while serving as the collector of Malkangiri district of Odisha, R Vineel Krishna was abducted by Naxals. He was released nine days later. The IAS officer recounts his experience
Would the Maoists lose the support of the middle-class and urban intelligentsia by continuing to use kidnapping as a propaganda tool? Dr P V Ramana analyses
As the protest against Koodankulam Nuclear Power Plant in the Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu continued to gather momentum with over 20,000 people staging a relay fast on Wednesday, the state government invited representatives of the core group spearheading the stir for talks.
Serious brainstorming at the national level is fast becoming a necessity to deal with this phenomenon of abductions by the Maoists. The home ministry's hands-off approach is certainly not what India needs at the moment, says Bibhu Prasad Routray.
'Menon's kidnappers are unlikely to behave like the radical Islamists who have a tendency to displease their own people and community. The Maoists are shrewd and will bargain hard, but not behave recklessly. Young Christians are their primary constituency and they bank heavily on them in the jungles.'
With the Maoists forwarding their demands in exchange for the release of Sukma District Collector Alex Paul Menon, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh has reportedly convened a high-level meeting to decide on the future course of action. The Chhattisgarh government has set up a cabinet sub-committee to deal with the situation arising out of Menon's abduction by the Maoists.
The bus was proceeding to Thiruvananthapuram from Bengaluru, while the lorry was coming from the opposite direction on the Coimbatore-Salem Highway when the mishap occurred in the early hours of Thursday.
Nellore District Collector B Sridhar said that as only 22 people could come out of the S 11 coach in which 72 passengers were travelling, fears were mounting that the toll could go up further.
'While it is very easy to blame the chief minister, the bureaucracy should be held accountable. Chief ministers come every five years but bureaucracy is a permanent setup. The bureaucracy is trained for handling such situations with alacrity.'
A Ganesh Nadar interacts with a number of HIV patients-turned-activists at an awareness function at Tirunelveli which was organised to commemorate the World Aids Day. He comes to know that amid the gloom that has confined their lives, most of them are, however, optimistic about the fact that discrimination against HIV+ patients has gone down.
Villagers have stepped up protests at the Posco steel project site in Orissa's Jagatsinghpur district.
The two actors come together for the film, titled The King & The Commissioner.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances