Insurgent & Secessionist movements in India

[Abu Zolfiqar]

Suspected Maoists Gun Down TC Leader
​

Bankura (WB), April 06: Suspected Maoists today shot dead a local Trinamool Congress leader at Ranibandh in Maoist-hit Bankura district.

"Swapan Singh Sardar (30) was killed on the spot when Maoists shot him. He was called out of a tea stall and shot from close range this morning," Superintendent of Police Vishal Garg told PTI.

A manhunt was launched to catch the attackers and no one has been arrested, he said.

--Agencies

Suspected Maoists gun down TC leader | Siasat

100 Maoists Kill Duo, Blow up House
​

SASARAM: In a fresh attack that demonstrated the Maoist ability to hit repeatedly across states, more than a 100 guerrillas armed with sophisticated weapons hit a Bihar village three days after their comrades annihilated a CRPF patrol.

Late on Thursday, Maoists stormed into a house at Kenarkala village under Chenari police station of Rohtas district and pumped over 24 bullets into Ram Badan Mahato and his son, Vishwambhar Mahato, killing the two on the spot. Then, the attackers blew up their home with dynamite.

However, residents said that the target in this case wasn't political and related to a long-standing property dispute that a local Maoist leader had with the Mahatos.

However, it amply demonstrated that the Red cadres were not just fighting a class war against the state and the rich but were willing to lend themselves to extra-curricular battles involving personal disputes.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/100-Maoists-kill-duo-blow-up-house/articleshow/5780170.cms

'Looted Arms Enough to Run Insurgency in Punjab-Sized State'
​

DANTEWADA: Security forces have initiated steps to "twist the military arm" of the Red guerrillas who believe that "power flows from the barrel of a gun."

What has worried officials responsible for anti-Maoist operations is the increasing ability of the Left extremists to strike at security forces and government installations as and when they want. "The number of weapons they looted on Tuesday is more than enough to run an insurgency in a state of the size of Punjab," warned a senior official.

"Such looting of deadly weapons has also taken place in West Bengal, Jharkhand, Orissa, Bihar and Maharashtra," he added.

To neutralize Maoists, the government has decided to "combatise police by making them enter the Red zone frequently". Besides, security forces will penetrate and set up bases deep inside liberated areas and help the government re-establish its writ there.

Security officials claimed that the People's Liberation Guerrilla Army (the Maoists' military wing) runs a full-fledged arms training camp in Chhattisgarh's Abhujmad area that slipped out of government control many years ago. "In the past, the Maoists were trained by the LTTE. They even ran a training camp on the Uttarakhand-Nepal border," an officer claimed.

"It's true we need to silence the Maoist gun. It can be done by orchestrating politico-military-socio-economic-psychological programmes," said B K Ponwar, a retired brigadier who's the director of the Counter-Terrorism & Jungle Warfare College at Kanker, about 200km from Dantewada.

The CTJWC trains 600 personnel from CISF, BSF, ITBP and SSB and police jawans and officers from Maoist-hit states every six weeks

'Looted arms enough to run insurgency in Punjab-sized state' - The Times of India

Suspected Maoists Blow Up Three Buildings in Bihar​

IANS, Apr 11, 2010, 09.53am IST

PATNA: Suspected Maoists blew up three government buildings in Bihar's Kaimur district, police said on Sunday.

The rebels blew up a primary health centre, a middle school and a community hall late Saturday in Sarodag village of Kaimur, about 160 km from here.

"All three buildings were badly damaged. They were blown up by using dynamites. We suspect the buildings were blown up by Maoists," a police officer said.

No casualty has been reported.

In a separate incident Saturday, armed Maoists blew up Kanchanpur middle school in Deo police station area of Bihar's Aurangabad district.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/i...ow/5783711.cms

'Filipino Insurgents in League with Maoists'​

Caesar Mandal, TNN, Apr 12, 2010, 01.44am IST


KOLKATA: After fighting in the jungles for decades, the Maoists are getting ready to raise their urban guerrilla force and for that they are getting help from their Filipino comrades, according to Indian intelligence agencies.

CPI (Maoist), the largest underground communist party in the world, is turning into a global threat because it is playing a crucial role in unifying communist rebels across the globe, intelligence sources say.

Indian intelligence agencies claimed that the link between the Maoists and their Filipino comrades came to light during the interrogation of two Maoist rebels arrested from Gujarat in March this year. On Wednesday, the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency of Philippines, too, corroborated this lead.

The revelation has worried both Indian and foreign intelligence bodies. Agencies under external affairs and defence ministries are now focusing more intensely on the CPI (Maoist).

Intelligence agencies had alerted the government that the Red brigade in India is setting up urban guerrilla squads for targeted annihilation. This was never denied by the Maoist leadership.

Intelligence sleuths have reasons to believe that some members of the Communist Party of Philippines (CPP), one of the major communist insurgent outfits of the world, had met Indian Maoist leaders in Chhattisgarh. Agencies also claimed that CPI (Maoist) cadres are undergoing training in urban guerrilla warfare in different Indian cities.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/i...ow/5785852.cms

Road Blocked, Bridge Blown Up in Orissa District​

Koraput (Orissa), Apr 10 (PTI) Maoists blew up a bridge and blocked an important road in Orissa's Koraput district, paralysing traffic in many areas in the naxal-hit region today, police sources said.

The road between Laxmipur and Narayanpatna was blocked with felled trees and a bridge near Mathalomba, about 66 km from here, was blown up with powerful explosives late last night, the sources said.

A portion of the bridge was badly damaged by the blast, Sub-divisional police officer (SDPO), Laxmipur, Y J Rao said.

"We have recovered some Maoist posters from the spot in which they have opposed operation Green Hunt," he said.

http://www.ptinews.com/news/603946_R...rissa-district

Naxals Kill Former Sarpanch in Gadchiroli​

Nagpur, April 12: A group of armed Naxalites killed a middle-aged former Sarpanch from Gadchiroli district after suspecting him of being police informer.

About 20 to 25 Naxalites dragged Malliya Gawde from his house in Kurupalli yesterday around 9:30 pm and attacked him with axe, police said today.

They also informed the villagers that Gawade was an police informer. The Maoists later ordered villagers to return to their homes and axed him to death, they said, adding Gwade, was basically a farmer in the village.

http://www.siasat.com/english/news/n...nch-gadchiroli

 

[Abu Zolfiqar]

Maoists Hack Two to Death in Bihar​

PTI, Apr 13, 2010, 02.11pm IST

JAMUI: Maoists abducted and hacked to death a panchayat Samiti member and chairman of the local PACS at Paharpur in Jamui district on Tuesday, police said.

Maoists raided Rajaun village, abducted panchayat samiti member Arjun Paswan and Rajaun village PACS chief Vishnudeo Yadav. The duo were taken to Paharpur area and hacked to death, they said.

A combing operation has been launched.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/i...ow/5795588.cms

 

[Abu Zolfiqar]

Naxal Threat: A Moment of Truth​

A. Siddique

Maoists, like a classic guerrilla force, while remaining submerged in the forested hinterland, have been quietly building up their strength over decades to bring a class revolution in India, without attracting much notice. India on its part has traditionally chosen to downplay the existential threat; choosing to keep it on the backburner of national conscience.

The sporadic news of their operations occasionally make ripples barely noticeable at national and global levels; a police post attacked here, a mine explosion there , a train attacked in a far off place etc.

However, away from the glare of media projection, which remains traditionally obsessed with propaganda sound bytes as “jihadi terrorism”, “cross border terrorism” and “LeT modules”, the largest single terrorist threat to India has been festering and suddenly it is mainstream.

It has taken wiping out of a CRPF contingent engaged in Operation Green Hunt, in the heartland of Naxal insurgency to drive home to the Indian nation the coming of age of this strain of terror that is totally made in India.

The Naxal ambush in the Mukrana forests in the Dantewala district of Chhattisgarh was sprung on April 6, 2010 when the Indian anti-Naxal operation, Green Hunt, was in full swing. It happened to be the worst ever attack by the guerrillas which annihilated a company of CRPF troops by inflicting 80 casualties. At least 82 weapons including two mortars and sophisticated SLRs and Insas rifles, too, were taken away by the insurgents.

For decades the Maoist insurgency has operated on the fringes of Indian public awareness but this high toll ambush sounded the movement’s arrival on the centre stage. This was no low intensity stuff that could be shrugged off but shook the Indian state to the core - for it demonstrated the real scale of the threat that has taken hold of the Indian hinterland.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh expressed shock over the incident calling for a review meeting of the National Security Council attended by the service and intelligence chiefs. This seemed rational since the Indian strategy for defeating Maoists at operational and tactical levels is being called into question and Operation Green Hunt has visibly failed to create effects on the ground. Obviously, the largest deployment of troops outside of the Indian Held Kashmir has failed to prevail and the moment of truth for India is at hand where not the jihadi terrorism but Naxalites have emerged as the nation’s biggest security threat.

Naxals are markedly different in nature from the insurgency movements in the Indian Occupied Kashmir and the Indian North East, which are essentially secessionist in nature. Naxals do not want to breakaway; they want to overthrow the government in New Delhi and install one of their own on the model of the Nepalese Maoists.

Their roots can be traced to 1967 when activists broke away from the Indian mainstream Communist Party and initiated a peasant rising in the West Bengal village of Naxalbari. They attracted landless and dispossessed farmers from vast swaths of jungles in the Indian heartland, whom the dream of ‘Shining India’ had pushed beyond the edge of a decent survival.

The movement got a big boost when in 2004 two largest splinter groups joined to form the Communist Party of India (Maoist).
Maoist cadres are now estimated to be between 10,000 and 20,000 strong and hold sway in vast areas of India’s poorest regions particularly in the Central and Eastern India, affecting more than half of India’s 28 states.

The guerrilla’s tax local people, extort payments from business groups like Posco, Mittal and Vedanta, who are aggressively acquiring vast tracts of jungle land and wantonly exploiting the mineral resources, and abduct and kill “class enemies” such as government officials and police officers.

The response by the Indian state is no battle for the hearts and minds of the wretchedly poor people in India’s heartland but has taken the form of Operation Green Hunt, the largest ever mobilisation of troops in the central and eastern tribal belt. 40,000 paramilitary troops and policemen armed with sophisticated weapons and helicopter gunships have launched search and destroy missions in the worst affected states of Chhattisgarh, Andhara Pradesh and Maharashtra. The task of sanitising the affected areas is truly daunting. Chhattisgarh’s mineral rich Bastar region alone is spread out in about 40,000 sq km and made up of five districts - Bijapur, Kanker, Narayanpur, Bastar and Dantewala; heretofore unfamiliar names which the rising tide of insurgency has turned into familiar ones. The cost in terms of human misery is colossal.

At least 30 to 40 innocent tribal people are being killed each week in the Adivasi belt and some 2,00000 have fled their homes. This does not include the 50,000 tribal people displaced by Salwa Jadum, the government sponsored militia that has been accused of committing large-scale atrocities.

The high price paid by the locals is evident from the fact that civilians outnumber the Maoists killed by a factor of 10 to one.

Law and order is a state subject in India but the ‘centre’ has already taken on the coordinating and directing the ongoing operations. The Indian army is no longer a detached observer; a brigade headquarter has moved into Chhattisgarh, which has become the heart of the ongoing battle. The Indian air force is also being tasked; a special task force called ‘Guards’ has been created to control operations of IAF helicopters which are initially being deployed in the logistic role and the rules of engagement for employment of air power against insurgents are being laid down.

The induction of armed forces to combat Maoist terrorism is a significant development; this being the first time that the armed forces are being called in - into the hinterland - to fight India’s indigenous home-grown terrorism.

The bloody ambush in Dantewala district of Chhattisgarh marks an important moment in the Indian history; the coming of age of a ‘made in India brand of terrorism’. It has been growing under the neglect of Indian government which likes to believe, and strains overtime to have the world believe, that it is a victim of Kashmir centric terrorism emanating from outside.

India has used massive propaganda campaigns to subvert the Kashmir struggle for the right of self-determination as a terrorist movement; obliterating the lines separating freedom struggles from terrorism. It has developed a knee-jerk reaction response to hold Pakistan responsible for all and sundry acts of terrorism that are indigenous in nature, yet become an implement for whipping Pakistan as a “state sponsoring terrorism”.

History has presented India with a moment of truth beyond the hyperbole of spin doctoring; indicating to as to where the true threat of terrorism lies for it.




The writer is a freelance columnist.

Naxal threat: a moment of truth | Pakistan | News | Newspaper | Daily | English | Online

 

[Abu Zolfiqar]

Four Maoists arrested; arms, ammunition seized

Hazaribagh (Jharkhand), Apr 14 (PTI) Four Maoists were arrested and arms and ammunition seized in a joint operation by the police and CRPF in Hazaribagh district, a senior police officer said today.

Superintendent of Police Pankaj Kamboj said the four were arrested from the forests bordering Hazaribagh, Bokaro and Giridih district late last night.

The arrested were identified as Shiv Charan Manjhi, Secretary of the CPI (Maoist) local area committee and an expert in laying landmines, Talo Manjhi, member of the local area committee, Vijay Ravidas, and Shobha alias Subhasini, the chief of the CPI(Maoists) Women wing-Nari Mukti Morcha of Dumri, Pirtand, Vishnugarh and Bokaro Districts, the SP said.

All the four belong to the Daasta of the CPI (Maoist) Zonal Commander Navin Manjhi of Hazaribagh, Bokaro and Giridih areas and were wanted by the police in connection with more than two dozen cases said, the SP added.

http://www.ptinews.com/news/610008_F...unition-seized

Maoists kill youth in Jharkhand

Giridih, April 15: A youth was shot dead by suspected Maoists in Ratanjori village of Naxal-affected Giridih district here, police said.

Kishore Rana (26) was attending a ceremony when a group of suspected CPI (Maoist) ultras dragged him and gunned him down, Superintendent of Police Ravi Kant Dhan said.

The Maoists had suspected Rana to be a police informer.

A police team reached the spot immediately but all of the ultras managed to escape.

http://www.siasat.com/english/news/m...outh-jharkhand

 

[Abu Zolfiqar]

Maoists Torch Trucks in Bihar​

PATNA: Suspected Maoists have torched several trucks and machines of two road construction companies in Bihar's Vaishali and Aurangabad districts, police said Friday.

Armed rebels attacked the office of a construction firm in Madarna in Vaishali late Thursday and set on fire scores of earth moving machines, a tractor, truck and dumpers, creating panic among locals and the workers and officials of the company.

In a separate incident, armed Maoists set on fire three trucks of a construction company at Seema village in Aurangabad Thursday night.

According to the police, Maoists apparently targeted the construction companies to extort levies.

Two separate case have been filed and search operations are on to trace the Maoists.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/i...ow/5815619.cms

 

[Abu Zolfiqar]

Naxals Fire at Dantewada Probe Team Official​

RAIPUR: Naxals dressed in CRPF uniform on Saturday fired at the securitymen of former BSF Director General E N Rammohan, who is in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada district to inquire into circumstances that led to the massacre of 76 security personnel by Maoists.

Official sources said the Naxals fired a few random shots at the securitymen comprising CRPF and local police personnel guarding Rammohan at Chintalnar in Dantewada district. No one was injured in the firing.

Sources said the Naxals opened fire as they wanted to make their presence felt. Rammohan is in the district to establish the circumstances preceding and the sequence of events leading to the April 6 attack in which 76 CRPF and local police head constable were killed brutally by Naxals.

69-year-old Rammohan will examine the response of the state police and the CRPF both during the ambush and the post-ambush relief and rescue operations besides suggesting measures to mitigate the lapses, if any, so that such incidents do not recur.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...PF-camps-in-Dantewada/articleshow/5837535.cms

 

[Abu Zolfiqar]

Maoist Killed, two CRPF Personnel Injured in Jharkhand​

Jharkhand, April 23: A Maoist was killed and four men, including two CRPF personnel, were injured in a fierce gunbattle between security forces and the Maoists at Bandu village in West Singhbhum district on Friday.

“The encounter broke out when the Maoists opened fire on a CRPF team. In the return fire, a Maoist was shot dead, and two Maoists were wounded,” West Singhbhum Superintendent of Police, Akhilesh Jha, told reporters here.

Two CRPF personnel were also injured, with one suffering bullet wounds in his hand and another in his foot, he said, adding they have been admitted to a hospital in Chakradharpur.

The CRPF personnel were patrolling near Bandu when the Maoists started firing at them.

http://www.siasat.com/english/news/m...ured-jharkhand

Naxals Fire at Security Personnel of Former BSF DG​

Raipur, Apr 17 (PTI) Naxals dressed in CRPF uniform today fired at the securitymen of former BSF Director General E N Rammohan, who is in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada district to inquire into circumstances that led to the massacre of 76 security personnel by Maoists.

Official sources said the Naxals fired a few random shots at the securitymen comprising CRPF and local police personnel guarding Rammohan at Chintalnar in Dantewada district. No one was injured in the firing.

Sources said the Naxals opened fire as they wanted to make their presence felt.

Rammohan is in the district to establish the circumstances preceding and the sequence of events leading to the April six attack in which 75 CRPF and local police head constable were killed brutally by Naxals.

http://www.ptinews.com/news/613660_Naxals-fire-at-security-personnel-of-former-BSF-DG

Maoists Attack Four CRPF Camps in Dantewada​

RAIPUR: Maoists on Tuesday night carried out near-simultaneous attacks on four CRPF camps in Dantewada district of Chhattisgarh, triggering gunbattles but there was no immediate report of casualties.

About 300 to 400 Naxalites carried out the attacks on the camps of the paramilitary personnel at Chintangufa, where 75 CRPF men and a policeman were killed in the worst Maoist strike two weeks ago, Kanker Lanka, Potampalli and Bheji in quick succession beginning at around 1930 hours, sources said.

The CRPF men retaliated, sparking intermittent gunbattles with the Maoists in all the four places till 2130 hours.

There was no immediate report of any casualty on either side, said the sources.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...PF-camps-in-Dantewada/articleshow/5837535.cms

Maoists Blow up Mobile Phone Tower in Orissa​

BHUBANESWAR: Maoists have blown up a mobile phone tower in Orissa's Malkangiri district, police said Friday.

"Some armed Communist Party of India-Maoist cadres blew up the mobile phone tower of Airtel at Kudmuluguda late Thursday," Deputy Inspector General of Police Sanjeeb Panda told IANS.

The district headquarters of Malkangiri, about 618 km from here, is considered a Maoist stronghold.

The guerrillas are active in more than half of the state's 30 districts.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...phone-tower-in-Orissa/articleshow/5847193.cms

Three Villagers Shot Dead by Maoists in Jharkhand​

CHAIBASA/GARWHA (Jharkhand): Three villagers were shot dead by Maoists in separate incidents in Jharkhand, police said on Friday.

The Maoists shot dead two persons at Lanjo village in West Singhbhum district on Thursday night.

The ultras said the two were killed because they were allegedly collected extortion in the name of CPI (Maoist), villagers told the police.

In a separate incident on Thursday night, about 20 armed Maoists raided the house of a man at Chapiyamadgadh village in Garhwa district and took him to a nearby place before gunning him down, the police said.

The Left-wing guerrillas left a note at the place stating that the villager was a police informer.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...-Maoists-in-Jharkhand/articleshow/5847299.cms

 

[Abu Zolfiqar]

Woman Among Two Maoists Held in Hazaribag​

HAZARIBAG: Security forces on Friday evening arrested two Maoists, including a woman, from separate places in the district.

Police sources told this correspondent here on Saturday that the woman cadre of the CPI(Maoist) was arrested from a place under the Bishungarh police station of the district. The another Maoist was arrested from a place under the Churchu police station of the district. The police are interrogating the arrested persons, the sources added.

According to reports, the arrested woman Maoist operated in the Chaibasa and Kolhan areas of the West Singhbhum district and also on the boundaries of Jharkhand and West Bengal. The reports said that she slipped into the Bishungarh area of Hazaribag district after security forces intensified their surveillance under Operation Green Hunt in Jharkhand and West Bengal.

The security forces arrested her while she was going somewhere along with two children under the Bishungarh police station of Hazaribag district. Sources said that she was wanted in connection with several Maoist activities in West Singhbhum district.

The Hazaribag police are interrogating her at an undisclosed place to elicit information about the activities of Maoists in Jharkhand and West Bengal.

The Hazaribag police have informed their counterparts in Chaibasa about the arrest of the woman cadre. The police refused to disclose her name for security reasons.

Meanwhile, police conducted raids at several places under the Barkagaon, Ichak, Katkumsandi and Keredar police stations of Hazaribagh district. Further details are awaited.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...sts-held-in-Hazaribag/articleshow/5853879.cms

Maoists Blow up Health Centre, Training Unit​

Munger (Bihar), April 24: Maoist ultras blasted an additional health centre and a training centre at Pangalwa village in Bihar's Munger district in the wee hours today.

Over 50-60 ultras surrounded the two buildings housing the additional health sub-centre and the training centre for blanket and carpet industries and used dynamites to blow them up, Superintendent of Police Sridhar Mandal said.

A combing operation has been launched to arrest the ultras, Mandal said.

http://www.siasat.com/english/news/maoists-blow-health-centre-training-unit

50 kg IEDs Recovered from Maoist Hideout in Jharkhand​

New Delhi, Apr 23 (PTI) Security forces today recovered 50 kg IEDs from a Maoists' hideout in Jharkhand's Ranchi district which could have been used to cause major blasts, officials said.

Acting on a tip off, the forces launched an operation and recovered the explosives from a village under Angara police station, they said.

Meanwhile, five Naxalites were arrested by security forces in Chhattisgarh when they were trying to collect extortion money from businessmen.

In another incident, five security personnel were injured when they were fired upon by Maoists in West Singbhum district of Jharkhand.

The attack on the security men came when they went to rescue two abducted villagers from Maoists' clutches, they said.

http://www.ptinews.com/news/623399_50-kg-IEDs-recovered-from-Maoist-hideout-in-Jharkhand

Maoists Damage Vehicles, Block Roads in Andhra​

Hyderabad, Apr 24 (PTI) Maoists today damaged two vehicles including one belonging to state police and blocked roads by chopping down trees in Andhra Pradesh's Visakhapatnam district, police said.

Two vehicles were burnt by CPI (Maoist) ultras on Chintalamma and Koyyur ghat road in Koyyur mandal in the wee hours of today, Visakhapatnam district Superintendent of Police Vineet Brij Lal, told PTI over phone.

The ultras chopped off several trees on Koyyur ghat road resulting in road blockades. Vehicular traffic between Visakhapatnam and East Godavari districts came to a standstill even as efforts were underway to clear the path.

Roads were dug out at some places and banners posted to protest against the 'Operation Green Hunt'.

The Maoists have given a 48-hours bandh call in Malkangiri district and other areas of Orissa bordering Andhra Pradesh in protest against 'Operation Green Hunt'.

"Security has been tightened in the area.

http://www.ptinews.com/news/624576_Maoists-damage-vehicles--block-roads-in-Andhra

Govt Quarters Razed as Maoist bandh Begins in Orissa​

Bhubaneswar, Apr 24 (PTI) Maoists destroyed government quarters in Koraput district today as normal life was affected in southern Orissa on the first day of the Naxal called week-long bandh in the state, police said.

Armed Maoists stormed into Podapadar in Narayanpatna area and razed two newly-constructed quarters for government employees, they said.

The ultras disappeared into the forest after the attack.

Meanwhile, normal life was affected in Orissa's southern region, particularly Koraput and Malkangiri districts due to blockade of roads.

Traffic on Jeypore-Malkangiri road and Narayanpatna- Bandhugaon road was disrupted as Maoists had felled trees at several places, they said.

Road blockades were also reported from Tanginiguda and Gobindpalli areas on Malkangiri-Koraput border.

The ultras put up posters and banners at several places opposing 'Operation Green Hunt'.

Yesterday, the Maoists had set ablaze a mobile phone tower and ransacked a liquor shop in Malkangiri district.

http://www.ptinews.com/news/624282_Govt-quarters-razed-as-Maoist-bandh-begins-in-Orissa

Maoists Blow Up Rail Track in West Bengal​

JHARGRAM (WB): Maoists blew up a railway track near Midnapore town in West Midnapore district today, disrupting train services in the Kharagpur division, as the bandh called by them in three states entered the second day.

Rail sleepers were blown off and a huge crater was created below the tracks at Puturia between Midnapore and Bhadutala stations due to the impact of the blast, police said.

Railway officials, police, bomb squad officials and other security forces have rushed to the spot and repair work has begun.

Several express trains including Nilachal Express and Chakradharpur Passenger have been stopped at various stations on the track that connects Jamshedpur with Howrah.

The bandh called in West Bengal, Orissa and Jharkhand has been complete in the predominantly tribal inhabited Jhargram sub-division of West Midnapore district after Maoists threatened several shop-owners by firing in the air.

No vehicle was seen on the roads in the area, officials said.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...-track-in-West-Bengal/articleshow/5862524.cms

 

[imran iqbal]

Is it just me or does anyone else has problem in checking news source ?

 

[thebrownguy]

Is it just me or does anyone else has problem in checking news source ?

LOl.. Did not check ....

 

[Abu Zolfiqar]

the problem has been resolved

 

[Abu Zolfiqar]

Retired Customs Officer Held for “Links with Naxals”​

Arrest of Vishwanath Varadarajan Iyer comes after detention of two tribal activists

“During interrogation, he said trainers in Kerala forests had come from Philippines”

AHMEDABAD: The Surat police have arrested one more person for alleged links with the Naxalite movement in south Gujarat.

The police claimed that Vishwanath Varadarajan Iyer, a retired customs officer who made Nagpur the base for his alleged extremist activities, was a member of the Central Committee of the CPI (ML) Janshakti and was responsible for training left extremists in Kerala forests in 2000. The police said they recovered from him some documents including CPI (ML) literature and compact discs containing details of Naxalite activities.

The police, in their drive in south Gujarat, already made a number of arrests: Niranjan Mahapatra from Pandesara in Surat; K.N. Singh from Bhavnagar; Ramu Pawar from Mumbai; Avinash Kulkarni, Bharat Puwar and Silat Puwar from the Dangs; Maka Chaudhary from Mandvi; Jeram Goswami from Songadh; and Satyam Rao from Andhra Pradesh.

Voluntary organisations working for tribal welfare and human rights activists, however, say Kulkarni had nothing to do with Naxalism and that he had been working for the uplift of poor tribals for the past two decades or so.

Iyer's arrest comes after the detention of tribal activists Bharat Puwar and Silat Puwar, who, the police said, had attended the training session he organised in Kerala. The police also claimed that during interrogation Iyer said trainers in the Kerala forests had come from the Philippines, revealing an international connection to the left extremist movement.

A.K. Singh, Inspector-General, south Gujarat range, said Iyer opted for voluntary retirement way back in 1988 when he was posted in Nagpur and made the Maharashtra city the base of his operations. He worked overground for some time and then went underground.

It is learnt Iyer hails from a family in Tiruchi in Tamil Nadu wedded to classical music.

The Hindu : Front Page : Retired Customs officer held for “links with Naxals”

 

[Abu Zolfiqar]

Alert in Guwahati After Reports of ULFA Bombers Sneaking In​

Guwahati, April 28: A massive security alert was sounded in Assam Wednesday following intelligence reports of at least three bombers of the outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) sneaking into the state's main city of Guwahati to carry out serial explosions in public places.

A police spokesperson said the ULFA bombers belonged to the outfit's 109th battalion and were aiming to trigger violent attacks in the city.

"They could target security forces and even crowded areas like Machkhowa, Ganeshguri, and Fancy Bazar, and we have already deployed security forces in strength to foil any such attacks," Bibekananda Das, senior superintendent of police (in-charge) of Guwahati city, told journalists.

Local TV channels Wednesday were airing photographs of at least two of the suspected ULFA bombers who could have already entered the city.

"There is no need to panic, but a caution to the public to be vigilant and inform police about any suspicious people or unidentified objects around them," the police official said.

The ULFA was lying low for the past nearly six months with no major incidents of violence reported.

"We have intensified vigil and road checks in all entry and exit points to the city, besides deploying security personnel in civvies in vulnerable areas to prevent the ULFA bombers from carrying out attacks," Das said.

The ULFA has been fighting for an independent homeland since 1979.

Interestingly, the entire top brass of the ULFA, barring its elusive commander-in-chief Paresh Baruah is in jail.

The imprisoned leaders include chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa, deputy commander-in-chief Raju Baruah, self-styled foreign secretary Sasha Choudhury, finance secretary Chitrabon Hazarika, cultural secretary Pranati Deka, and ULFA political ideologue Bhimkanta Buragohain.

http://www.siasat.com/english/news/a...mbers-sneaking

Manipur, Assam Continue to be Hotbed of Insurgency
​

NEW DELHI: Even as the north-eastern states reported an overall decline in the number of violent incidents, Manipur and Assam continue to be the hotbed of insurgency with the two states collectively reporting 144 out of the total of 174 incidents in the last three months claiming 100 lives.

Mizoram has turned out to be the most peaceful with no militant activity being reported till March 15 this year as compared to only one incident in 2009.

Latest home ministry figures show that those killed in the region included 81 extremists, 21 civilians and three security force personnel.

Manipur, which has the highest number of banned outfits in the north-east, reported the maximum 88 incidents in the past three months, that claimed the lives of two security personnel, six civilians and 38 extremists.

Meanwhile, Union home minister P Chidambaram, who is on a two-day visit to Arunachal Pradesh to review the overall security situation of the region, told a TV news channel on Friday that talks were on with rebel groups (in north-east). United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) may also join talks. He, however, emphasised that splinter groups in the north-east would be dealt with firmly.

In 2009, 435 people, including 81 civilians and 336 militants, were killed in 659 incidents in Manipur while 368 people, including 152 civilians, were killed in 424 incidents in Assam.

As many as 517 people, including 364 extremists, were killed in 2008 in Manipur while 373 people, which included 245 civilians, lost their lives in Assam in the same year.

"Though there is a declining trend in the incidents of violence, both Manipur and Assam continue to be the most troubled states in the north-east," a home ministry official said.

Overall, there were 1,297 incidents of violence that claimed 877 lives, including 571 militants and 264 civilians, in 2009 in the entire region.

Nagaland, home to major insurgent groups like NSCN (IM) and NSCN (K), has become relatively peaceful, thanks to the peace pacts signed by the two groups with the government.

In Meghalaya, four people were killed this year in five different incidents while one person was killed in Arunachal Pradesh. Though there were nine incidents in Tripura in 2010, there was no report of any casualty.

Manipur, Assam continue to be hotbed of insurgency - India - The Times of India

 

[Abu Zolfiqar]

Three Grenade Attacks in Assam​

Guwahati, April 29: Militants Thursday lobbed grenades on police in Assam's North Cachar Hills district but there were no casualties, polivr said.

All the attacks took place in Haflong, the district headquarters.

Two grenades were lobbed at a police station while another was hurled at a police team patrolling near a school.

'There were no casualties. All the grenades missed their targets,' a police official said.

The identity of the attackers was not immediately known.

Three grenade attacks in Assam, no casualties | Siasat

Maoists Kill Forest Guard in Orissa​

IANS, Apr 29, 2010, 09.15am IST
BHUBANESWAR: Maoist guerrillas killed a forest guard in Orissa's Nuapada district, police said on Thursday.

"About 30-4O Maoists had come (Wednesday night). They attacked the check gate inside the Bharuamunda forest area and killed forest guard Sangram Swain," police said, adding they blew up the check gate.

Nuapada is 580 km from here.

In yet another incident, Maoists blew up a culvert near Laxmipur in Orissa's Koraput district Wednesday, hitting vehicular traffic.

The outlawed Communist Party of India-Maoist has called a week-long shutdown in the southern parts of Orissa to protest the joint offensive against it by the state and the central forces.

Maoists kill forest guard in Orissa - India - The Times of India

 

[Abu Zolfiqar]

Two CRPF Jawans Among Four Held For 'Supplying' Arms to Naxals​

LUCKNOW/NEW DELHI: The Uttar Pradesh STF today arrested four people including two CRPF jawans in the state for allegedly stealing arms and ammunitions and supplying the same to the Naxals.

UP police said the arrests were made following an operation based on a tip off received in the aftermath of the Dantewada massacre, in which 76 security personnel were killed by the Naxals.

Official sources said the STF carried out searches in Moradabad, Rampur and Jhansi and arrested Vinod Paswan and Dinesh Singh of the CRPF.

They said one retired sub-inspector of Provincial Armed Constabulary, identified as Yashodhanad Singh, was seen moving in different armory centres of the CRPF and PAC and collecting empty shells of bullets fired during the training.

These shells were later replaced at the main Rampur armoury with live bullets and finally supplied to Naxals, sources said.

Over 5,000 live cartridges, 16 magazines of INSAS rifles, .25 bore guns, SLR and AK 47s were recovered besides 245 kg of empty shells.

The CRPF, meanwhile, has suspended both its personnel arrested by the STF and ordered an immediate Court of Enquiry.

"We have suspended both the personnel and have also ordered an immediate Court of Enquiry. We are in constant touch with the UP police and are extending all help to them," CRPF Director General Vikram Srivastava said.

Later, addressing the media, Additional Director General of UP police Brij Lal said, "We have also recovered large number of arms components, mobile phones and Rs 1.76 lakh in cash."

He said the network of the racket was large and has been running for more than six months and the police is questioning the four to look at the possibility of involvement of more persons.

Two CRPF jawans among four held for 'supplying' arms to Naxals - India - The Times of India

Rajasthan ATS Arrest Ajmer Dargah Blast Suspect​

AJMER: A man having alleged links with a Hindu militant outfit has been arrested by Rajasthan police in connection with the 2007 Ajmer Dargah bomb blast, in which three people were killed and over 30 injured.

He is expected to be produced before a local court on Friday, police sources said.

The accused, Devendra Gupta, a resident of Bihari Ganj in Ajmer, was arrested by the Rajasthan Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) on Wednesday night when he had gone to meet his ailing mother, the sources said.

He is allegedly linked with Hindu outfit Abhinav Bharat Sangathan and is suspected to be involved in the blast inside the Dargah of Khawaja Moinuddin Chishty at Ajmer in October 2007, they said.

Officials are also probing Gupta's alleged link with Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, a key suspect in the Malegaon blast case.

They said Gupta was staying in Jharkhand and had come to Ajmer on Wednesday. A SIM card recovered from the blast site helped police trace him, they said.

Rajasthan ATS arrest Ajmer Dargah blast suspect - India - The Times of India