A delegation of opposition party leaders on Friday met the top brass of Election Commission to raise its concerns over poll code violations by the ruling party leaders, and also flagged concerns over delay in release of voter turnout figures for the first two phases of the polls.
Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar's remarks on Pakistan sparked a political row on Friday, with his party quick to dissociate itself from the comments while the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party latched on to them, accusing the Congress of being an apologist for Pakistan and the terrorism emanating from its soil.
The lynching was allegedly sparked by suspicions that the victims were child lifters.
A special team from Tirupur Cyber Crime continued their surveillance and traced the accused Prashantkumar a native of Bihar, settled at Henegare village of Latehar district in Jharkhand, for posting the videos as if North Indian migrant workers were attacked.
One more suspected Lashkar-e-Tayiba operative has been arrested from Jharkhand by the Delhi police, taking the number of terrorists picked up in the last two days to three. Taufeek Ahmed Peer, 20, cousin of Ehtesham, who was arrested in Delhi on Wednesday, was picked up by the police from Hazaribagh in Jharkhand, sources said. They said no explosives were found on Peer and he is being brought to Delhi.
The accused person has been absconding and search is underway to trace him, police said.
One of the deceased was identified as Cherla local organisation squad commander Rajesh while the identity of the other was being ascertained, the police added.
Deputy Inspector General of Police Sheetal Oraon said the policemen were on patrol duty when a group of Maoists fired indiscriminately on their vehicle killing three of them on the spot.
Security forces say Naxals have amassed nearly Rs 1,500 crore through extortion, kidnapping, looting and the narcotics trade.
RJD candidate from Maneka constituency in the poll-bound Jharkhand Ramchandra Singh and his aide were on Friday kidnapped by suspected naxalites in Latehar's Dhanukua village.
The 79-year-old activist also demanded an inquiry by a sitting judge of the Jharkhand high court.
The voting will be held on November 30, December 7, 12, 16 and 20.
Security forces on Wednesday carried out massive combing operations in the forests of Dumka and Pakur in Jharkhand, a day after a top police officer and five policemen were gunned down by the ultras, but made no headway in tracking them down."The security men have launched an operation to take strong action against the extremists," said Anand Shankar, adviser to Jharkhand Governor Syed Ahmed.
The Jharkhand cricket team, including their captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, on Friday escaped unhurt after a fire broke out at a five star hotel in Dwarka, New Delhi leading to postponement of the Vijay Hazare Trophy semi-final against Bengal.
Accusing him of trying to steal a motorcycle, a mob beat up Ansari on June 17 of that year.
Slain Pakur SP Amarjit Balihar was Wednesday given a tearful farewell at the Jharkhand Armed Police premises with Governor Syed Ahmed and several senior government officials placing wreaths on the body.
A teenager hailing from Jharkhand was arrested for allegedly posing as a Pakistani national and sending a death threat through an email to industrialist Anil Ambani. 17-year-old Rajesh Kumar Agarwal, a student from Dhanbad district of Jharkhand, was arrested from his home town and was being brought to Mumbai, Additional Police Commissioner (Crime) Deven Bharti said.
A pan-India 'fraud-to-phone' network has been busted by security agencies, which have also arrested eight people and seized nearly 300 new mobile phones bought with stolen funds, officials said on Tuesday. Moreover, 900 mobile phones, 1,000 bank accounts and hundreds of unified payment interface (UPI) and e-commerce IDs of this gang have been identified and are under investigation. Nearly 100 bank accounts, and debit and credit cards have been frozen by the security agencies so far, officials said.
Police has also taken a man into custody for interrogation.
Meanwhile, JMM supporters in large numbers assembled in front of the hospital and protested the killing. They were also forcing shop owners to down their shutters.
"Nine bodies of the Maoists were recovered after the encounter at Luhur jungle under Barwadih police station," Latehar Superintendent of Police Kuldweep Diwedi told PTI over phone.
Two Naxalites, including a hardcore activist involved in the killing of a top police officer, were arrested alongwith 100 detonators at Dudi village in Naxal-hit Khunti district of Jharkhand on Wednesday.
The victims have been identified as Sushil Nag, Ghatsila circle inspector, his driver and two activists of the Nagarik Suraksha Samiti, an anti-extremism outfit floated by villagers and supported by the district police.
Maoists exploded a series of landmines in the forests of Latehar district and exchanged gunfire with security personnel early on Thursday before the polling began for the Chatra Lok Sabha seat in Jharkhand.
'The Congress in the past backed the demand, but will not support it now since the SP opposes any division of UP.'
Navneet would like to believe the medal was worth the sacrifice.
A Delhi court Wednesday granted three days transit remand of Ranjit Kumar Kohli alias Rakibul Hussain, accused of deceiving national shooter Tara Shahdeo into marriage and forcing her to convert to Islam, to the Jharkhand police.
The women between 32 years and 50 years were beaten to death with sticks by residents of Kanjia village late Friday night.
Maoists had surgically inserted an improvised explosive device inside the body of a Central Reserve Police Force jawan who was killed three days ago in an ambush in Jharkhand's Latehar district. Doctors conducting the autopsy of the CRPF trooper at a government hospital in Ranchi were shocked when they found a 1.5 kg unexploded bomb stitched inside the abdomen of 29-year-old Constable Babulal Patel, who was among those killed in the encounter with Maoists.
Over 600 bullets and a dozen improvised explosive devices recovered after a gunbattle.
This election will be remembered for being the first election where the Election Commission failed to take action on gross violations involving the ruling party that repeatedly used religion, communal slurs, lies and undocumented allegations, observes Ramesh Menon.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday accused NIA officials of attacking villagers in Purba Medinipur district, the BJP hit back at her saying that the attack on the NIA officials is Sandeshkhalli 2.0 orchestrated by the state.
In Phase 6, indications are that the BJP, which is defending 40 seats, will lose in double digits and gain in single digits. Not good, if you are the ruling party scrambling to earn a working majority, with just one phase left to go, argues Prem Panicker.
The labourers are safe, and oxygen, electricity, medicines, food items and water are being constantly supplied to them through pipes, they said.
Five men and two women Naxalites were among those killed in the gunbattle, DIG (Kolhan) Manoj Mishra, said.
Five persons were killed when Maoists blew up a culvert in Giridih district of Jharkhand on the second day of the five-state shutdown called by them.
Four villagers were shot dead by extremists in Jharkhand's Khunti and Palamau districts, police said on Monday. The activists of the People's Liberation Front of India abducted Sukra Pahan, 25, and Balram Singh, 27, from their houses in Khunti district's Bandra village on Sunday night and fired 13 bullets, killing them on the spot, district Superintendent of Police Manoj Kaushik said.
Naxalites struck for the second time in three days killing three inhabitants of Hadian village in Jharkhand's East Singhbhum district in the wee hours of Saturday.
The ultra groups are desperate ever since the Narendra Modi-led government had decided to demonetise Rs 500 and 1000 currency notes from the midnight of November 8 last, which had an adverse impact on the activities of naxal and extremists group in the state, Additional Director General, Jharkhand, R K Mallick said.
Security forces on Tuesday battled with Maoists in a jungle near Basadera village in the Naxal-hit Ghatsila area of East Singhbhum district in Jharkhand