A couple of years ago when the Telangana movement was at its peak, there was much talk that its formation could lead to the rise of a Naxal movement. Many Telangana supporters dismissed this view, stating that this was just another ploy by the Union government to stall the formation of the state. Vicky Nanjappa reports
The Naxal movement is today facing leadership issues, losing favour with the Tribals and is confused about its future agenda and course of action.
This is the fourth IED blast triggered by Naxals in Chhattisgarh in the last 15 days.
Eight wanted Naxals, three of them carrying rewards on their heads, were arrested from separate places in Chhattisgarh's insurgency-hit Bastar region on Thursday, the police said.
"The voting percentage is likely to go upwards when reports from all polling stations are obtained as polling is scheduled till 6 pm in many constituencies. Final figures will be known on Saturday after the scrutiny of form 17A," the EC said.
In a major anti-Naxal operation, seven Maoists were killed in Betkathi village in Maharashtra's Gondia district in the wee hours on Tuesday.
A study sponsored by the Union Home ministry has recommended that Naxal sympathisers should be "left alone" to the confinement of seminar halls rather than persecuting them.
'The Congress is trying to reinvent itself -- the caste census demand, OBC emphasis, the anti-corporate thrust, especially on Adani etc -- all this is not standard Congress strategy.'
Over 600 bullets and a dozen improvised explosive devices recovered after a gunbattle.
The new battalion, numbered 241, was named Bastariya because it included recruits from Bijapur, Dantewada, Narayanpur, and Sukma districts.
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.
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.
Ten Naxals were killed in an encounter with security forces in Chhattisgarh's Sukma district on Tuesday.
Rediff.com's Vicky Nanjappa explains why destroying mobile towers just before a political rally is a big headache for security agencies.
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.
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.
In the coming days, unless Modi tones down the communal spiel, it will be clear that anxiety continues to drive his mind and clouds his judgment, observes Modi biographer Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay.
While they were cordoning-off a forested patch near Pariya village, the Naxals triggered an IED.
This is one of the biggest casualties suffered by the elite COBRA unit that undertakes special jungle warfare ops.
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.
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.
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.
Naxal violence in Orissa has also put several investment proposals in jeopardy.
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.
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.
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.
Four personnel were also injured in the Naxal attack and two of them were stated to be critical.
Naxals looted six automatic weapons -- two AK-47s and as many INSAS and self loading rifles -- of the deceased personnel.
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.
Five naxals were gunned down by security forces in the jungles of Chhattisgarh's Narayanpur district in Maoist hotbed Bastar, police said on Saturday.
The IED blast damaged the front portion of the bus, which was carrying a squad of at least 30 jawans.
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.
Fadderbaba is a stark look at the tragedy that rules the lives of tribals in rural India, says A Ganesh Nadar.
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.
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.
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