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.
Wing Commander Vyomika Singh, an accomplished helicopter pilot in the Indian Air Force, was chosen to brief the nation about India's 'Operation Sindoor' strikes on Pakistan. She has flown a variety of aircraft and taken part in rescue operations in extreme conditions. Vyomika, who has logged over 2,500 flying hours, has operated helicopters across challenging terrains, from the high-altitude sectors in Jammu and Kashmir to the remote areas in the Northeast. She led a rescue operation in Arunachal Pradesh in 2020, flying in extreme conditions to evacuate civilians.
Paris St Germain played out their first goalless draw of the season at Athletic Bilbao on Wednesday but stayed in the driving seat for direct qualification for the Champions League last-16 after a string of fine saves by home goalkeeper Unai Simon denied the defending champions.
210 Maoist cadres, including a Central Committee member, surrendered to authorities in Chhattisgarh's Jagdalpur, marking the "largest mass surrender" in the state's anti-Naxal operations. The surrendered Naxalites carried a collective bounty of Rs 9.18 crore and handed over 153 weapons. Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai hailed the development as a historic moment for Chhattisgarh and the nation.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserted his commitment to eradicating Maoist terror from India, criticizing the previous Congress regime for allegedly supporting 'urban Naxals' and ignoring the violence they perpetrated. He highlighted the significant reduction in Maoist-affected districts and the surrender of numerous Naxalites as evidence of his government's success in combating the issue.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah rejects the ceasefire offer from Maoists, stating that surrender is the only option. He also addresses Naxalism's ideological roots and progress in Jammu and Kashmir and the Northeast.
'Handling or mitigating a rebellion is not a corporate plan with quarterly, half-yearly and annual goals and results but an aggregation of the effort of several years.'
During Operation Kagar, 350 Naxalites have been killed so far, including some of the movement's top leaders.
A group of retired judges has criticized Home Minister Amit Shah's remarks about opposition vice-presidential candidate B Sudershan Reddy and the Salwa Judum judgement, calling them 'unfortunate'.
'Sujatha's decision to surrender reflects the deep crisis of confidence that the Maoist ranks are facing in recent times.'
A profile of B Sudershan Reddy, former Supreme Court judge and Opposition's vice presidential candidate, highlighting his career, judgments, and contributions to constitutional law.
The Maharashtra legislative assembly passed the 'Maharashtra Special Public Security Bill' aimed at preventing unlawful activities of Left Wing Extremist organizations, focusing on urban Naxalism and passive militancy.
'The heavens will be a merrier and a happier place now.' Colleagues pay homage to Satish Shah who passed into the ages on Saturday.
'Government officials use Gmail and ordinary phones without basic security consciousness.' 'Interoperability, especially in joint exercises with countries like the US, worries me.' 'It often means we open our systems to them, but they don't reciprocate.' 'They could have kill switches in their systems and might even be able to affect ours.'
The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) has established a new forward operating base in the Bijapur district of Chhattisgarh, a region known for its strong Maoist presence. The base, located in a remote area surrounded by hills and known Maoist training camps, aims to expand the CRPF's presence in the region and counter the influence of Maoist insurgents. This is the 13th such base established in recent years as part of the government's plan to eliminate Left Wing Extremism by 2026.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday appealed to Naxals to give up violence, lay down arms and surrender, saying an all-out operation will otherwise be carried out against them.
Urging Naxals to shun violence, Shah announced that the Chhattisgarh government would announce a "new look" surrender policy in 1-2 months.
The two priority regions for the Chhattisgarh government to promote its homestay policy are Surguja and Bastar.
'Pakistan wanted India out of Afghanistan to which again the Taliban told Pakistan to take a walk.' 'Six months after they came back to power in 2021 India was back in Afghanistan at the request of the Taliban.' 'The Taliban realised that India has no agenda of its own in Afghanistan.'
A CoBRA commando of the CRPF, who was fatally shot by a Maoist sniper while establishing a new base in Chhattisgarh, was posthumously awarded the Shaurya Chakra, India's third highest peacetime gallantry medal. Constable Pawan Kumar and Constable Devan C, both from the 201 CoBRA battalion, were recognized for their bravery and courage in the face of a Naxal attack. In addition to the two posthumous awards, five other CRPF personnel received the Shaurya Chakra for their roles in two separate operations against Naxals.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah condemned the alleged poisoning of drinking water at a government school in Belagavi district, reportedly to force the transfer of a Muslim headmaster. He termed it a 'heinous act' driven by religious hatred and fundamentalism.
The troops of 209 Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) conducted the operation in which eight Naxals were killed and an AK series rifle, three INSAS rifles, a self-loading rifle (SLR), eight country-made guns and a pistol were seized, the officials said.
If the threat from the 'Maovadis' (Maoists) is fading, the danger now lies with the 'MoUvadis' -- those who might exploit the resource-rich Abujhmad region through corporate or State-backed projects.
Chiefs of Central Reserve Police Force and Chhattisgarh police, GP Singh and AD Singh respectively, along with senior commanders of the two forces addressed the media in this district, about 450 km from state capital Raipur, to assert that the top armed Maoist leadership was "either eliminated or injured".
'Trump has personally weighed in to overcome doubts and reservations about Pakistan among his top advisors.'
China displayed a range of new weapons at a military parade, including laser weapons, nuclear ballistic missiles, giant underwater drones, and fifth-generation aircraft.
The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) has announced the formation of a special CoBRA battalion for counter-terrorist operations in Jammu and Kashmir. This decision comes 17 years after the jungle warfare unit was established to combat Naxal insurgency. The new battalion, directed by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, will be deployed in forested areas of Jammu and Kashmir, including the Jammu region, where recent terrorist incidents have occurred. CoBRA units are known for their specialized jungle warfare and guerilla tactics training, and the new battalion will be equipped with modern weaponry, communication, and surveillance equipment.
'The law under the guise of security represents a grave and unnecessary expansion of State power at the cost of fundamental rights,' asserts Aakar Patel.
Nambala Keshav Rao alias Basavaraju, the powerful general secretary of Communist Party of India-Maoist killed in an encounter along with 26 others on Wednesday, had masterminded several major attacks on security forces in Chhattisgarh and his death is a big blow to the armed movement, said officials.
The always dependable Pratik Gandhi finds a match in Sunny Hinduja and they are surrounded by a top notch supporting cast, observes Deepa Gahlot.
'Earlier, we used to talk about a deficit economy. There is a deficit in democracy' 'If you read superficially Gandhi and Ambedkar and Nehru, some misconceptions and misunderstanding come to mind, as if they were at loggerheads and they differed radically in their views' 'India is one nation. There is only one citizenship. No citizenship for South India and no citizenship for North India and another for the Northeast'
The incident took place on the intervening night of April 8-9 near Dorangla village in Gurdaspur district. The Border Security Force (BSF) has issued an "alert" all along the 553 km of this front in Punjab and suspension of farming around the blast area.
The current situation in Kerala politics is perhaps best described as a case of the state's traditional two front politics now seeing a third front (the BJP) muscling in with the potential outcome being either a messy three front affair or a renewed endorsement of the two front pattern but with one of the old fronts compromised or quashed, observes Shyam G Menon.
'I wanted a player of his calibre to take on one of the strongest sides in the country.' 'However, he stuck to his guns, and we had an argument.'
Barely out of their teens, the first batch of girls will graduate alongside 300 male cadets from the National Defence Academy.
'Visualise those 15 to 18 seconds: Fully loaded aircraft, pilot manually controlling with both hands (no autopilot immediately after takeoff), looking forward while switches are behind.'
'The quality of justice is directly linked to the quality of judges -- if that suffers, justice delivery suffers.'
Mr Trump's actions, because of their extreme nature and the dangerous rhetoric that accompanies them, receive the most attention, points out Mihir S Sharma.
The SP MP said when the mentality is bad, then instead of telling about the achievements of the army, people start talking about their own achievements.
Akhtar criticised vested interest groups in Pakistan, particularly the army, the political establishment and the extreme right wing, for blocking peace efforts between the two nations.
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