Over 60 per cent voter turnout was recorded on Monday in 49 constituencies in six states and two Union territories in the fifth phase of Lok Sabha elections, with Baramulla in Jammu and Kashmir recording its highest-ever voting percentage.
Talks on pre-poll alliance were being held between the ruling Biju Janata Dal and the opposition BJP for the past few days.
'Even if they try to silence us, even if they kill so many of us, we won't give up.' 'We won't give up doing the good work we are doing for society.' 'Because we love this country.'
Three battalions of the Border Security Force comprising more than 3,000 personnel will move across the border from Odisha to Chhattisgarh and an equal number of Indo-Tibetan Border Police units will further move into the Naxal stronghold of Abujhmad as part of a strategy to intensify anti-Maoist operations in their last bastions, official sources said.
The investigating agency has also collected the burnt remnants of Antov and Bidenov from a cremation ground near Rayagada, according to an official statement.
This is the second death of Russian lawmakers within a week in the same Odisha hotel.
'Somebody strong is playing a game behind the violence in Manipur.' 'It is a pre-planned attack on churches, Christian organisations and Christians.'
Both the incidents occurred in Maoist affected Kandhamal district where the red rebels have asked the people to boycott the elections.
'It is very likely to move nearly northwards for next few hour and recurve slowly north-northeastwards along Narsapur, Yanam, Kakinada, Tuni and Visakhapatnam coasts during noon to evening on Wednesday and emerge into west central Bay of Bengal off North Andhra Pradesh coasts by night,' the India Meteorological Department said in its national bulletin.
The cyclonic storm is likely to move nearly westwards and cross north Andhra Pradesh-south Odisha coasts between Kalingapatnam and Gopalpur around Sunday evening, the Cyclone Warning Division of the IMD said.
Two Italian tourists have been abducted by Maoists from the tribal-dominated Kandhamal-Ganjam border area in Odisha, said the police on Sunday, which is monitoring the situation closely.
The mercury in Delhi, which recorded its hottest day of the year so far at 45.6 degrees Celsius on Sunday, came down to 42.4 degrees Celsius, according to the India meteorological department.
Prime Minister Modi saw a reflection of himself -- she does not come from a political background, has no lineage, and had a lifetime of personal struggle and sacrifice.
With the southern districts of Ganjam, Gajapati and Kandhamal receiving heavy rainfall due to cyclone Hudhud, the local administration has started preparations for floods if such a situation arises.
Italian hostage Paolo Bosusco was released by the Maoists on Thursday, 29 days after he was abducted along with his countryman Claudio Colangelo by the Naxals in Odisha's Kandhamal district.
Bharatiya Janata Party Member of Orissa assembly, Manoj Kumar Pradhan, a convict in two Kandhamal riot cases, on Wednesday surrendered before a local court in Phulbani after his bail by the Orissa high court was challenged in the Supreme Court.
Togadia clarified he was not against the minorities but would continue to speak in favour of Hindus.
Nearly 40 days after violence erupted in Kandhamal district following the assassination of Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Laxmananda Saraswati, the judicial commission on Friday began inquiry into the incidents, official sources said.
Normal life was affected across Orissa on Monday due to the 12-hour bandh call given by saffron outfits, including ruling coalition partner Bharatiya Janata Party, to protest the killing of Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati.There were reports of stray incidents of violence from communally-sensitive Kandhamal, where the VHP leader and four others were gunned down by a group of armed persons on Saturday.
According to BJP insiders, every Union minister has been given 3-4 seats to mentor and has been told to work hard on these constituencies in the next 20 months to ensure the party's victory.
Demanding deployment of at least 2,000 personnel of paramilitary force in riot-hit Kandhamal till the end of the coming general elections, Orissa government on Tuesday said it was severely handicapped by lack of resources. Though Patnaik informed the conference that situation in Kandhamal was under control, he said complete normalcy could be restored only after all persons in the relief camp returned to their villages.
Normalcy has gradually returned to violence-hit Kandhamal district in Orissa with no major violence incident have been reported so far.
The disquiet over the Kandhamal riots, mutually acceptable seat-sharing for the Lok Sabha polls and the poor show of the saffron ally in recent civic elections could have contributed in equal measure to the parting of ways between Biju Janata Dal and the Bharatiya Janata Party after 11 years.
RSS leader Dhanu Pradhan, who was said to be on the Maoists' hitlist, was gunned down by three suspected extremists at Kumarigaon village under Brahmanigaon police station area in Kandhamal at around 1300 hrs, sources said.
Over four months after she was allegedly raped during communal violence in Orissa's Kandhamal district, a Catholic nun on Monday finally identified two persons for involvement in the incident during a test identification parade, which was earlier deferred thrice.The 29-year-old nun identified two persons from a line-up of 90 during the identification parade, which was held at the high-security Choudwar jail in Cuutack and not in Kandhamal, following a HC direction.
"We are not happy with the judicial inquiry ordered by the Orissa government. Since both Central and state governments failed to check the spread of arson in Kandhamal, there must be a CBI probe," said Sajan K George, president of the Global Council of Indian Christians. He observed that Christians in riot-hit areas of Kandhamal were denied the right to worship on Christmas due to widespread violence and attack on places of worship.
Not satisfied with the judicial probe ordered by the Orissa government into the violence in Kandhamal, Christian leaders have demanded a CBI inquiry and immediate compensation to the next of kin of those killed and the injured.
Violence broke out on Monday after an attack on a Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader and prominent anti-conversion activist Laxmanananda Saraswati. Paramilitary forces, including Central Reserve Police Force and Rapid Action Force, have been deployed in sensitive areas.
Uttam Ghosh's captivating Independence Day Special captures an India we rarely see.
Assembly elections in 288 seats in Maharashtra and 90 seats in Haryana will be held on October 15 and counting will take place on October 19, the Election Commission announced on Friday.
The move comes in view of rising cases of the infection, weekly positivity rates and weekly deaths in some districts.
In a major achievement for Odisha police, top Maoist leader Sabyasachi Panda wanted in over 60 criminal cases, has been arrested prompting Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to appeal to Naxals to eschew violence and join the mainstream
A 28-year-old trainee nun was allegedly gang-raped by three youths, including two cousins, after holding her forcibly for about a week in Odisha's Ganjam and Gajapati districts, police sources said on Monday.
Hours after being released by Maoists, Italian tourist Claudio Colangelo arrived in Bhubaneswar on Sunday and met his country's Consul General Joel Melchiori. Accompanied by security personnel, 61-year-old Colangelo was brought to the state capital by road from Sorada in Ganjam district, after being released at a place near Daringbadi in Kandhamal district.Colangelo met Italian media personnel at the hotel while Indian journalists were not allowed inside.
There was a half hour firefight between the Maoists and the police on Friday night at a jungle under Sorada police station area bordering Kandhamal district, before the ultras fled, a senior police official who took part in the operation told PTI.
One of the two Italians abducted by Maoists, tourist Claudio Colangelo, was on Sunday released unharmed by ultras, 11 days after being taken hostage in Kandhamal district, while his compatriot was still held captive by the rebels.
Maoists are yet to respond to the Odisha government's offer of negotiations after they took two Italians in Kandhamal district hostage. "The state government is yet to receive a response from the abductors of the two Italians. The chief minister has made it clear that we are open to any kind of negotiation under the law," said Home Secretary U N Behera. operations and th
Memories of sleeping with a gun as a pillow, long treks in the jungle and eating with Maoists during the 29 days he was hostage will be turned into a book, Italian Paolo Bosusco said on Thursday.
Congress candidate Gabriel Denwang Wangsu won the Kanubari Assembly seat in Arunachal Pradesh in a close contest defeating his lone rival Rongnai Maham of BJP by 885 votes in the October 15 by-poll.
Taking exception to a report by a United States' panel, on global religious freedom, placing India on the Watch List for Kandhamal violence, Christian leaders in Orissa on Friday said the majority community has been 'extremely cordial' to them.The remarks came in the wake of a statement made by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom that India was placed on the Watch List due to 'disturbing increase' in communal violence there
