Latest news with #Maoist-related
Time of India
9 hours ago
- Time of India
60 IEDs recovered from forest area of Gaya
Gaya: A joint team of central and state armed forces recovered 60 improvised explosive devices (IEDs) from the forest at Kachnar village under Chhakarbandha police station area of Sherghati subdivision of the district on Thursday evening. At a press conference on Friday, SSP Anand Kumar said, "Police got information about the IEDs planted under the ground from a Maoist sub-zonal commander of Magadh zone, Akhilesh Singh Bhokta alias Patarki, of village Kachnar, who surrendered on Thursday. Bhokta had been evading arrest for the last 10 years and carrying a reward of Rs 3 lakh." "Bhokta was wanted in at least 17 Maoist-related violence cases lodged at different police stations in Gaya and Aurangabad districts. He had joined the Red outfit at the age 14 years." "He was involved in hanging four members of a family in Dumaria police station area in 2021, triggering IED explosion in Lutua police station area in Gaya in 2019 in which a police sub-inspector was martyred and two jawans sustained serious injuries, besides other crime incidents." "All facilities under the 'surrender and rehabilitation policy' of the govt will be provided to Bhokta," the SSP added.
New Indian Express
12 hours ago
- New Indian Express
Kochi NIA Court directs jail authorities to consider wage hike for Maoist leader
KOCHI: A Maoist accused lodged in Viyyur high-security prison has approached the NIA Court in Kochi, seeking a wage revision after claiming he was denied a hike despite completing the required days of prison work. Deepak alias Korsa Ramlu, a native of Bijapur, Chhattisgarh, who was arrested in a Maoist-related case in October 2021, has been serving as an inmate worker at the High-Security Prison in Viyyur since May 24, 2024. According to his petition, he was assigned prison work from May 16, 2024, following a direction from the NIA Court. Initially employed as a sweeper, he is currently working as a gatekeeper. He claims to have completed 330 working days and is still being paid Rs 63 per day. As per his submission, inmates are generally eligible for a wage increase to Rs 127 per day after completing 90 to 180 days of work. Despite repeated requests, prison authorities have not revised his wage. Following the petition, the court sought a report from the jail superintendent, who clarified that wages for inmate workers are paid in three categories: apprentice (Rs 63), basic (Rs 127), and skilled (Rs 152) per day. While the Kerala Prisons and Correctional Services (Management) Rules do not specify a fixed period for wage revision, inmates who complete a minimum of 180 working days are generally considered for a higher wage category based on their performance. According to the report, Deepak has completed the required 180 days but has not demonstrated the performance level necessary for a wage hike. His work is reviewed monthly, and a wage revision will be considered only after he attains the required standard.
Hans India
10-06-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
Maoist commander arrested, cache of arms recovered in Jharkhand's Chatra
Chatra (Jharkhand): The Jharkhand Police have arrested a senior Maoist leader and recovered a huge cache of ammunition from a forest in Chatra district, officials said. Arjun Ganjhu, a top commander of the banned Maoist outfit Tritiya Sammelan Prastuti Committee (TSPC), was apprehended during a raid in Tikda village under the Lawalong police station area. Acting on a tip-off about his movement, a special team led by Simaria SDPO Shubham Khandelwal conducted the operation and nabbed the militant. Chatra Superintendent of Police Sumit Agrawal informed during a press conference on Tuesday that a country-made pistol was recovered from Ganjhu at the time of his arrest. Following interrogation, he revealed the location of a hidden arms cache in a nearby forest. A search led to the recovery of 723 live cartridges concealed underground in a box. The cache included 477 rounds of INSAS rifle ammunition and 246 rounds of .303 rifle cartridges -- indicating preparations for potential attacks or supply to other cadres in the region. SP Agrawal said the recovery dealt a blow to the operational capabilities of the TSPC in the area. Ganjhu is a repeat offender and had previously been jailed for involvement in Maoist-related activities. In a separate operation, Lohardaga Police arrested another absconding Maoist, Lalind Mahato alias Rajkumar Yadav, who had been evading capture for several years. Lalind, a resident of Semardih village in Kisko police station limits, has multiple cases lodged against him in Lohardaga, Latehar, and other districts of Jharkhand. Lohardaga SP Sadique Anwar Rizvi said that Lalind was associated with the squad of Ravindra Ganjhu, a zonal commander of the CPI (Maoist), who carries a bounty of Rs 15 lakh on his head. Police believe that Lalind's arrest could yield crucial intelligence about Maoist activities and logistics in the region. After his court appearance, preparations are being made to send him to judicial custody.
Indian Express
09-06-2025
- Indian Express
Chhattisgarh police officer accidentally steps on IED while patrolling, killed in blast
A police officer was killed and several others were injured in an improvised explosive device (IED) blast in Chhattisgarh's Sukma district early on Monday. Additional Superintendent of Police Akash Rao Giripunje, who was posted at Konta division, was patrolling with other personnel on the Konta-Aerobora road near Dronda when he accidentally stepped on a pressure IED believed to have been planted by Maoists, an official said. The patrolling was part of precautions taken ahead of the June 10 country-wide bandh call given by the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist). The officer was rushed to Konta hospital, but he succumbed to his injuries. Other officers and jawans who were with him are under treatment and are said to be out of danger. This takes the total number of security personnel killed in Maoist-related incidents to 18 this year. The number of Maoists killed this year in encounters is 209 in Chhattisgarh, including 192 in the Bastar region. Last year, 219 Maoists were killed in Chhattisgarh, including 217 in the Bastar region.
New Indian Express
05-06-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Greener side of Bastar as forest cover increases
RAIPUR: Chhattisgarh's Bastar region, in recent years, has been making headlines for Maoist-related campaigns involving security forces. At the same time, the extensive area has also witnessed the Chhattisgarh forest department's diligent engagement in achieving a remarkable feat of improving the forest cover density, reinforcing the region's reputation as a thriving green landscape. The India State of Forest Report (ISFR), published by the Forest Survey of India in Dehradun, reflects the results of these consistent efforts, including the utilisation of a satellite-based sensor with a spatial resolution of 23.5 metres. The report highlighted a significant enhancement in forest cover across multiple regions of the Bastar zone—an area larger than the state of Kerala and boasting several tourist attractions and sightseeing spots. With the acknowledged commitment to sustainable forest management and associated conservation initiatives in recent years, the forest department has undertaken various measures to enhance forest cover, thereby strengthening the green footprint. The progress in forest cover density is attributed to multiple factors, including continuous monitoring by the forest department, an effective soil and water conservation programme, removal of invasive weed species and community-led afforestation initiatives, as well as the deep-rooted environmental ethos of Bastar's tribal communities. 'The inspired vision of the Chhattisgarh government gave a boost to the state forest department's proactive and scientific approach that yielded impressive conservation results. The ISFR 2023 data reaffirms the state's commitment to sustainable forest where strategic interventions and active community participation has yielded a major boost on augmenting the forest cover', V Sreenivasa Rao, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Head of Forest Force, told this newspaper. Several areas in Bastar have shown an upward transition in forest classification. Notable improvements are seen in Jagdalpur Circle — covering forest divisions of Bastar, Bijapur, Sukma and Dantewada and Kanker Circle that includes Keshkal, Bhanupratapur, south Kondagaon and Narayanpur forest divisions', a senior officer elucidated quoting the ISFR report. The Geographic Information Systems (GIS) analysis confirmed that approximately 152 sq km of forest area have transitioned from Moderate Dense Forest to Very Dense Forest. Additionally, 93 sq km of land have improved from non-forest to open forest, while 156 sq km have progressed from open forest to moderate dense forest.
