Ahead of the all-party meet called by the government to discuss the naxal situation, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Monday said it will serve no purpose unless a comprehensive strategy is devised to deal with the problem.
Shah made the announcement while addressing the passing out parade of the first batch of the five newly constituted Assam Police Commando battalions in Guwahati.
Replying to claims that Naxal activities gained momentum in Chhattisgarh during BJP's rule, the chief minister, without naming Congress, said Naxalism began spreading its tentacles from 70s and everyone knows who ruled the country from 70s to 2003.
He said in most of the Naxal attacks, it has been noticed that villagers were used as human shields by the insurgents during the gun battle.
Rediff.com's Vicky Nanjappa explains why destroying mobile towers just before a political rally is a big headache for security agencies.
Ten Naxals were killed in an encounter with security forces in Chhattisgarh's Sukma district on Tuesday.
An injured jawan said around 10-12 Naxalites must have got killed in the 'befitting' retaliation by the CRPF contingent.
Congress General Secretary Digvijaya Singh on Thursday alleged that lack of coordination between the security forces and the state police was leading to rise in Naxal violence in Chhattisgarh, and accused the Bharatiya Janata Party government of having a nexus with ultras for political gains.
The skirmish took place on Thursday morning when a team of the 171st battalion of Border Security Force was out on a road security operation in Bande police station area, a senior police official said.
CRPF Inspector General Pankaj Kumar Sinh said a joint team of CRPF jawans and state police deployed in Jagargunda area of Dantewada had gone for area domination exercise when about 200 Naxals started firing at them near Aasrampura village.
While they were cordoning-off a forested patch near Pariya village, the Naxals triggered an IED.
The incident occurred around 7.45 pm on the "black top road" between Peddakodepal and Naimed villages under the Naimed police station area, when the victims were heading towards neighbouring Dantewada district in an SUV to visit a fair, said Deputy Inspector General (anti-naxal operation) Sundarraj P.
This is one of the biggest casualties suffered by the elite COBRA unit that undertakes special jungle warfare ops.
Twelve constituencies of Bastar division were among 20 assembly segments in Chhattisgarh that went to the polls in the first phase on November 7. A high voter turnout of 78 per cent was recorded in these 20 seats.
Two Border Security Force jawans and a civilian driver were killed when Naxals blew up their vehicles in Maoist-hit Sukma district of Chhattisgarh on Tuesday.
Naxals were gearing up to organise a boycott of the coming assembly elections in Chhattisgarh and chalking out strategies for this, police said.
Naxal violence in Orissa has also put several investment proposals in jeopardy.
Describing Naxalism as the country's 'first enemy', Union Home Minister P Chidambaram has assured that the menace would be completely rooted out in another two or three years. He said Naxalism has assumed gigantic proportions as it had not been dealt with properly in the last 12 years. "Naxalism is the first enemy of the country," he said while addressing a public meeting at suburban Avadi, 45 km from Chennai, late on Sunday night.
Naxals on Wednesday shot at a police officer and his son, injuring both critically, in Bastar district of Chhattisgarh. Bastar Superintendent of Police B L Meena said that a group of Naxals attacked Assistant Sub-inspector of Police Prakash Shukla and his son Punit while the two were riding a motorbike to Mardum.
It's a single phase polling in Mizoram while first phase of assembly elections is underway in Chhattisgarh.
Seven Naxals were killed and a policeman sustained serious injuries in an encounter in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada district on Tuesday.Security forces gunned down seven Naxals in the jungles of Tetemdagu village, nearly 18 kms from Kistaram town, in the district, Dantewada Superintendent of Police Amresh Kumar Mishra said, adding that a policeman was also seriously injured in the ambush.
Four personnel were also injured in the Naxal attack and two of them were stated to be critical.
A recent study on Naxalism in India has concluded that Naxal fighters spend roughly Rs 140 crore annually to wage war against the Indian State.
Naxals looted six automatic weapons -- two AK-47s and as many INSAS and self loading rifles -- of the deceased personnel.
He said Congress would push Madhya Pradesh back into the BIMARU (laggard) category if given an opportunity again.
The IED blast damaged the front portion of the bus, which was carrying a squad of at least 30 jawans.
Fadderbaba is a stark look at the tragedy that rules the lives of tribals in rural India, says A Ganesh Nadar.
Five naxals were gunned down by security forces in the jungles of Chhattisgarh's Narayanpur district in Maoist hotbed Bastar, police said on Saturday.
He was a decorated officer as he won combat competitions and participated in all-India police commando duty meets.
550 live cartridges, an INSAS assault rifle, two other rifles and three self-loading rifle magazines were seized along with a huge quantity of explosives and detonators.
A home ministry report revealed that among the worst Naxal-infested states, maximum rebels were killed in Chhattisgarh, Director General of Police (DGP) Vishwa Ranjan said. Minimum Naxal incidents had taken place in the state in the last one year as well, he added.
Many people in Andhra Pradesh feel that the Centre had acted in haste while giving in to the demand for a separate Telangana. While the deterroiating health of K Chandrashekhar Rao and also the intense protest by the students was one of the main reasons, another worry was the emergence of the Naxal movement in parts of Telengana.
Acting on a tip-off regarding the Naxal hideout in the forest area, personnel belonging to the CRPF 192 batallion rushed to the site.
The past five years have seen Naxals attacking schools on atleast 48 ocassions.The spate of attacks on schools increased in 2008. In fact 13 schools were attacked in Jharkhand in one month in 2009. Rediff.com's Vicky Nanjappa traces the history of Naxal attcks on schools in the last few years.
The Gujarat police has been able to suppress the menace of Naxalism in its initial stages in the state, Director General of Police (DGP) S S Khandwawala said on Friday.
President Droupadi Murmu has approved 76 gallantry awards, including four Kirti Chakras posthumously and 11 Shaurya Chakras to personnel of the security forces, on the eve of the 77th Independence Day, officials said.
An immediate grant of Rs 1.5 lakh, monthly stipends during training and even monetary incentives for surrender of weapons are all there for the asking for the banned Naxals under a surrender-cum-rehabilitation policy approved by the Centre on Monday.
"I am sure that the attempts to stall development and throttle democracy at gunpoint will not be successful ever," the home minister said at the meeting, being held two weeks after 25 paramilitary personnel were killed by a band of Maoists in Chhattisgarh.
Naxals blew up a railway station, stormed another and are feared to have abducted two railway officials in Orissa's Sundergarh district early on Saturday, just hours before the 24-hour bandh by the ultra left began in five Naxal-infested states. Over 60 Naxals struck Bhalulata railway station, located on the Howrah-Mumbai route, and triggered explosions using landmines and powerful explosives, Inspector in-charge of Bisra police station C S Mohanty said.
Sundarraj said, "Security forces are in a dominating position."
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