NAXALS / MAOISTS- 2016

January to April - 2016

Compiled By Fr. Paul G Documentation Centre∗

1. Two Maoists killed, four arrested in Bastar (12)

Raipur: Two Maoist guerrillas of the outlawed Communist party of India (Maoist) were killed and four

others were arrested in different parts of restive Bastar region of Chhattisgarh on Friday. “The District

Reserve Guard (DRG) of Narayanpur district police recovered two dead bodies of uniformed Maoists

and apprehended three Maoists during an anti-Maoist operation in Kutul area of Maoists’ undeclared

capital Abujhmarh today. Seven weapons, including a 303 rifle, were recovered,” said Mr.S.R.P.

Kalluri, the Inspector General of Police, Bastar range. “Keeping in mind the TCOC (Tactical Counter

Offensive Campaign) of the Maoists which would be starting from January 2016, the police forces of

all districts made a plan to hit the Maoists before they can strike at the security force. In this context,

combined parties of different forces were launched in Abujhmad area to intercept and neutralise the

Maoists. The forces were given the target of Kutul that is in the heart of Abujhmad area and

considered the capital of the Maoists,” he added. The IG also informed that the police parties were

attacked by the Maoists near Kutul. “Our men retaliated the fire and the encounter lasted for about

two hours. Finally, the Maoists tried to flee away from the area taking the cover of heavy forests. But

because of an excellent cordon of the police, three Maoists were nabbed,” he claimed. In a separate

incident, Nandu, an active Maoist and deputy section commander of military company number 2,

surrendered before Dantewada police. He carried a reward of Rs.8 lakhs on his head. In another

incident, Maoist Jan militia Commander Sona alias Sonadhar of Metapal range committee, was

arrested by Sukma district police. (The Hindu 1/1/16)

2. If Naxals can fight with women cadres, why can’t we: CRPF DG (12)

New Delhi: Keeping with the trend of forces increasingly opening doors for women in combat roles,

CRPF DG Prakash Mishra on Tuesday said women personnel from the force will soon be pressed

into anti-Maoist operations in Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand. “If Naxals can fight with women cadres,

we can fight better,” said Mishra at an event ahead of the Seventh National Conference for Women in

Police that CRPF is hosting this year. Addressing a gathering of senior women police officers among

others at the CRPF headquarters, Mishra said, “We will soon be sending more women to most difficult

operational areas.” The CRPF has five battalions of women personnel of which four are deployed and

one is under raising. However, all women personnel, even those deployed in J&K, are largely

restricted to administrative or law and order duties. Women as yet have not been pressed into combat

action. Two years ago, CRPF had sent a unit of women fighters to Jagdalpur in Chhattisgarh in

combat operations. It was part of a pilot project launched to assess feasibility of pressing women

personnel in Naxal areas. “It went off well. We want more women to come and fight alongside men.

We are now in the process of creating infrastructure for women to be able to function in Naxal areas,”

said a senior CRPF officer. Lack of infrastructure, which includes toilets, has been one of the primary

roadblocks to women being deployed in tough operational areas. While the cumulative strength of the

six paramilitary forces is over 9 lakh, there are just over 18,000 women personnel, making their

representation in the central forces less than 3 per cent. (The Indian Express 6/1/16)

3. To Naxal land and back: ‘abducted’ trio returns home (12)

Pune: After being held captive by the Maoists for five days, the three Pune youths — Adarsh Deepak

Patil (21), Shrikrushna Pandurang Shevale (24) and Vikas Dnyaneshwar Walke (21) — finally

∗ This is a collection of previously published news and views from the print as well as the electronic media, whose

reference marked at the end of each news items. Department of Documentation and Library (DDL) of the Indian Social

Institute, New Delhi neither claims to the veracity of the facts in the news nor subscribes to the views expressed.

reunited with their families on Wednesday. A team of Gadchiroli police escorted them to Pune in a

police vehicle. Senior Pune city police officers interacted with the boys for a few hours before they

were handed over to their families at the Pune police commissionerate around 5 pm. The trio said

they had circulated messages on social media appealing to youths to join their cycle tour “Jodo

Bharat” with route “Bhamragad – Dantewada- Sukma – Bastar – Malkangiri – Balimela –

Vishakhapatnam” and their intention was to “meet the people”. But finally, only three of them could

make it. They left Pune by bus on December 22, carrying cycles on top of the bus, went to Nagpur,

briefed Professor Arvind Sovani about their tour and then went to Bhamragad by bus and started

cycling. According to them, they reached Basaguda village in Bijapur district on December 29. Soon

after they left this place, they were captured by some Naxal supporters. The Naxals then kept them

for four nights and five days and questioned them rigorously suspecting their links with the police. On

Sunday, Naxals released them near Chintalnar in Sukma district of Chhattisgarh from where the

police brought them to Gadchiroli on Tuesday morning. “Naxals questioned us as they suspected us

to be police informers or having links with security forces. They found our cycle tour map with routes

and places in Maoist areas and grew more suspicious. We showed them our college identity cards

and explained that our intention was to understand the people and that we had no connection with the

police. On the fifth day, they decided to leave us… I am happy to meet my family now. There was a

time when I had lost all hope,” Shevale told The Indian Express. Adarsh said, “The Maoists did not

harm us physically, but our movements were restricted. We wanted to go, but they were not leaving

us.” Apparently, investigating agencies also questioned the three to confirm why they had planned a

cycle tour through Maoist affected areas. However, they went ahead despite warnings given by the

local administration. Also, there is suspicion about the ideology followed by the three. Adarsh’s

Facebook page has a poem titled “Ha hum hain Naxal (yes we are Naxals)”. Joint commissioner of

police Sunil Ramanand told reporters they had interacted with the three and a detailed inquiry would

be conducted in this case. Adarsh, however, denied having any support for Naxals. “We had

conducted a cycle rally of 900 kilometres last year and visited Sevagram Ashram and projects of

noted social workers Prakash Amte and Abhay and Rani Bang. It inspired us to plan the Jodo Bharat

cycle tour. We could not finish it, but we now plan to conduct our next tour in North East India,” he

said. The youths said they were fond of adventure and liked to understand the society and its people.

Professor Sovani said, “The boys met me in Nagpur. It is appreciable if youths, who are not from the

government and the police, travel in forests and completely undeveloped areas having high Maoist

influence for understanding the situation there. But some precautions should be taken. I am happy the

boys have reached home safe.” (Indian Express 7/1/16)

4. Odisha: BSF officer, jawan killed in Naxalite IED blast attack (12)

BHUBANESWAR: A BSF officer and a jawan were on Friday killed in a landmine blast carried out by

Naxalites when they were out on a bike patrol in the jungles of Koraput district of Odisha. The incident

occurred around 1pm when a team of about twenty Border Security Force personnel were returning

from an operational task in Dandabari village of the said district on ten motorcycles and the first

carrying the team commander and his jawan got trapped into the blast carried out by using a hidden

bomb on the dirt track. The jawan driving the bike, constable S P Panda, was killed on the spot while

pillion rider and commander of the squad Deputy Commandant Sunil Kumar Behra succumbed to his

injuries later. "The two men sustained fatal injuries from shrapnels and heavy explosives used in the

IED cleverly hidden and planted under the road by Naxalites. A big crater was created at the spot

where the bike was blown off," officials said. They said the bike was tossed high in the air due to the

impact of the Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blast and the rest nine motorcycle-borne teams

immediately took positions suspecting a gunfire from hiding Maoists. "However, the Naxalites did not

rain heavy gunfire on the patrol party and they escaped into the jungles after firing few shots. The

BSF team was returning to its base in Ramagiri from Dandabari village after verifying reports of killing

of a civilian by suspected Maoist cadres," they said. The patrol party led by Behra belonged to the

143rd battalion of the BSF deployed in Koraput for undertaking anti-Naxalite operations. Officials said

in order to escape getting trapped into IED and hidden explosive booby-traps in jungle tracks of Left

Wing Extremism (LWE) areas, the troops very rarely use four-wheelers and rely on motorcycles for

movement. This is a rare incident in the LWE theatre when bike-borne personnel of security forces

were hit by a Naxalite planted IED, the most potent weapon used by ultras to target forces in these

areas. The BSF has constituted a Court of Inquiry into the incident even as additional forces have

been deployed for sanitization of the blast area and adjoining villages for similar IEDs and bombs.

(Times of India 8/1/16)

5. Maharashtra Cops kill two Naxals in encounter (12)

Mumbai: In two back to back encounters with Naxalites in Sandra area of Chhattisgarh close to

Maharashtra border in Gadchiroli, the Gadchiroli police along with their Chhattisgarh counterpart

gunned down two Naxalites, including a dalam commander on Monday morning. The joint operation

in Sandra area of Bijapur district led to first encounter in which Sandra dalam commander Mangi was

killed. An Insas rifle and six rounds were recovered from the spot. In the next encounter around noon

about two km south of the first encounter, a dalam member was killed. His identity is yet to be

established. While the first Naxal group comprised around 12, the other group had 20-25 cadres. “We

had knowledge of regular Naxal movement in the area. So an operation was planned with 120 jawans

from Gadchiroli police and 60 from Bijapur were pressed into action on Sunday evening. It started

early on Monday morning and resulted in two encounters with two different groups of commandos.

This is quite a significant success in an area that has rarely seen Naxal casualties,” Gadchiroli

Superintendent of Police Sandip Patil told The Indian Express. (Indian Express 12/1/16)

6. Chhattisgarh police seeks fortification of 50 police stations in Naxal hit Bastar (12)

RAIPUR: Chhattisgarh police has sought fortification of additional 50 police stations in the Naxal hit

areas of the state, particularly Bastar, in order to effectively counter the threat of Naxalism. These 50

fortified police stations (FPS) would be in addition to the 75 already sanctioned by the union

government. While of 40 the 75 approved FPS have already been constructed in the districts of

Bastar, Durg and Sarguja, 30 are under construction and are likely to be completed soon. Talking to

media Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) anti-Naxal Operations, RK Vij, said the fresh

proposal has been sent as the FPS have proved to be an effective way to prevent Naxals from

storming into police stations, providing a sense of security to police personnel lodged there.The

construction of FPS are part of the union government programme, introduced in 2011, under which

400 police stations in the naxal affected states are to be fortified at a cost of Rs 2 crores each. Vij said

while various agencies are involved in the fortification work, the Chhattisgarh Police Housing is

constructing them wherever others have denied to work due to security reasons. He said presently

there are 42 FPS were for Bastar, 12 for Durg Range and 21 for Sarguja. Setting of a fortified police

stations include, a double-storey building, high boundary walls, a sophisticated control room and

watch towers. Claiming that 2015 had been a successful year of anti-insurgency operations, Vij said

surrenders had seen a massive increase since 2012. "As compared to 39 surrenders of Naxals in

2013, 421 and 327 had surrendered in 2014 and 2015 respectively," he added.Besides, 46 naxals

were gunned down in encounters and the police recovered 167 weapons from their possession. He

said 47 security personnel, including 3 CRPF and a BSF jawans, were martyred and 115 were injured

Naxal violence in 2015. Vij claimed Naxals interrogated during the period had admitted that finding

fresh recruits is getting difficult and there has been a fall in the numbers of the cadres due to

increased surrenders. Stressing on the importance of road construction in the strategically important

locations in Bastar, Vij said Jagargunda (Sukma) would soon be connected to Aranpur. Similarly

Konta would be connected to Golapalli in Sukma and Kistaram in Sukma to Bhadrachalam in

Telangaana. (Times of India 13/1/16)

7. Four Maoists killed in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur: Police (12)

Raipur: Four Maoists were killed in a gun battle with the security forces on Friday in Chhattisgarh’s

insurgency-hit Bijapur district, police said. Police had received a tip off of presence of Maoists in the

region after which a team of security forces was dispatched to nab them. When the team reached

between Kamkanar and Poddejojer villages, the ultras opened indiscriminate firing at them, Additional

DG (anti-Naxal operations) RK Vij told PTI. Police opened retaliatory firing, the senior officer said,

adding, the ultras fled the spot after the skirmish which lasted for about an hour. When police

inspected the area, the bodies of four Maoists fighters, and some arms and ammunition were

recovered from the site, Vij said. The team is still at the spot and the process of retrieving the bodies

is on, he said, adding that more information will be available once the team returns. As many as

seven Maoists have been killed so far this month in Bijapur. Earlier, an LOS commander was killed on

January 6, while two women ultras were gunned down in a joint operation of the state and

Maharashtra Police on January 11. (Hindustan Times 15/1/16)

8. Woman Maoist commander killed, eight surrender in Bastar (12)

Raipur: A woman Maoist commander was killed and eight others surrendered before police in

different parts of restive Bastar region of Chhattisgarh on Tuesday. “An encounter took place between

the police and the Maoists between 12 to 12.45 pm today near Bayanar forest of Bijapur district. A

woman Maoist commander was killed during the encounter and one 12-bore rifle, one locally made

gun and heavy Maoist dumb was recovered from the spot of the encounter,” said statement issued by

the police. An official claimed that the number of casualties could be more on the Maoists side as they

could be seen dragging dead bodies inside the forest. In a separate incident, eight “Maoists”

surrendered before the police in Naraynpur district of Bastar. The surrendered Maoists include two

women. The Bastar police, on Tuesday, sent an IAF chopper to Bijapur to bring an injured Maoist to

Jagadalpur district headquarters for treatment. “A chopper was sent to Bijapur today to bring Linga

Sori, a Maoist who was injured and arrested during Pedia encounter on Monday, for better medical

treatment. He will be admitted to Mecoz hospital in Jagadalpur. This gesture from the police will shut

the mouths of those so-called human rights activists who term the police-Maoist encounters as fake

and at times call the Maoists as innocents,” Bastar district Superintendent of Police, Mr.R.N.Das said

in a statement. (The Hindu 19/1/16)

9. Love story of Bastar Maoists ends in a tragedy (12)

Raipur: Zareena and Kiran wanted to marry but their organisation denied permission. He was an area

secretary of the Maoists in south Bastar. She was a member of his team. While joining the Maoist

organisation, both vowed to fight for “revolution” until their last breath, however, after a few years of

guerrilla warfare, they fell in love with each other and started craving for a simpler life. Kiran alias

Kamlesh (28), the Malangir area secretary of the CPI(Maoist) and also a divisional committee

member, decided to marry Zareena (24), a member of Malangir area committee. The couple asked for

their party’s permission. After their senior leaders denied them permission, they planned to leave the

party but could not come out of the forest together. “Senior Maoist leaders, who mostly come from

Andhra Pradesh, denied them permission to marry. Therefore, Kiran surrendered before the police in

May last year on the condition that the police shall emancipate Zareena from the Maoist organisation

and conduct their marriage,” Bastar range Inspector General of Police SRP Kalluri said. However,

after Kiran’s surrender senior Maoist leaders shifted Zareena to Burgam area. Later on, she was

transferred to west Bastar region in the National Park committee, making it difficult for Kiran to

approach her. “Kiran, along with other surrendered Maoist Badaru, continued to make serious efforts

to reach out to Zareena and bring her to the mainstream but the Maoists were keeping a strict vigil on

her,” Mr. Kalluri added. The love story of Kiran and Zareena met with a tragic end on Tuesday when

Zareena was killed in an encounter with the police in Bijapur district of Bastar, leaving Kiran

heartbroken. “Zereena joined the Maoists in 2005 as a member of National Park area committee.

Later on, she was elevated as a Dalam commander and she accompanied senior Maoist leader

Ramanna. After some time, she was shifted to the regional company no. 2 and 3. Later on, she was

sent to Malangir area committee of Darbha, where she fell in love with Kiran. “Coward Maoist

commanders from outside Chhattisgarh exploit woman Maoists of Chhattisgarh origin and they also

use them as outer layers of their security cover,” said Mr. Kalluri reacting to Zareena’s death. (The

Hindu 22/1/16)

10. Two Maoist leaders killed by security forces (12)

BHUBANESWAR: The two extremists were identified as Puttapaka Kumaraswamy alias Sushil,

secretary of Kalinganagar divisional committee and a member of CPI (Maoist)’s State committee, and

his wife Sindri Lingo alias Soni, who was also a senior cadre in the Naxalite group. While Sushil, who

hails from Warangal district of Telengana, was carrying a cash reward of Rs.20 lakh on his head, Rs 5

lakh reward was announced for his wife Soni. An Insas rifle and Maoist literatures were recovered

from the spot. The two cadres along with other members were tracked by security forces during a

regular combing operation being carried out in the Debgarh-Angul district border on Saturday night.

When the Maoists first opened fire, the security personnel retaliated. There was no casualty or injuries

reported on the side of security forces. “Sushil was involved in about 78 cases including 30 murder

cases in Keonjhar, Angul, Debgarh, Rayagada and Gajapati districts. He was also involved in blasting

of Daitari police station,” said K. B. Singh, Director General of Police, here on Sunday. He was widely

involved in a number of instances of Naxal violence in Rayagada and Gajapati districts, Mr. Singh

said, adding that police had information about his participation in looting of explosives in Chinduguida

IMFA and IDC mines in Jajpur district in 2008. Declining to reveal operational details, Mr. Singh,

however, said security forces had carried out a perfect operation without hurting themselves.

Meanwhile, combing operation in forested region of Angul-Debgarh area had been intensified with

mobilisation of additional forces. (The Hindu 25/1/16)

11. Chhattisgarh will soon get rid of Naxal menace: Governor (12)

Raipur: Hailing the efforts of security forces and locals for maintaining peace in the Naxal-affected

pockets of Chhattisgarh, Governor Balramjidas Tandon on Tuesday exuded confidence that the state

would soon be "free from the clutches" of Maoist menace. "Security measures and development

activities have gained momentum in the Maoist-hit Bastar region. Security forces and local people

have played a crucial role in maintaining law and order (in the region) and protecting unity and

integrity of the country," he said addressing the 67th Republic Day function at the police line grounds

here. "I am confident that the state will soon get rid of Maoist menace and Bastar will witness the light

of inclusive development," he said. Tandon also lauded measures being taken by the state

government for the welfare of drought-hit farmers. "This year, Chhattisgarh is going through a severe

drought situation and around 80 per cent of the tehsils in it were drought-affected. In this situation, the

state government is with farmers and making every possible effort to provide relief," he said.

According to him, financial assistance, waiving farm loans and free power supply to farmers were

some of the steps taken by the state government. Appreciating Prime Minister Narendra Modi for

launching 'PM Crop Insurance Scheme', he said the farmers of Chhattisgarh will be benefited of

it.Speaking on the clean India campaign, the Governor said, "We are swiftly heading to achieve goal

of 'Swachh Bharat, Swasth Bharat' (clean India, healthy India) with the concentrated efforts of

administration, public representatives and community." "I am happy that 1,200 villages of the state

have been freed from open defecation while the target is to cover 5,000 villages under the campaign

by the end of this year," he said. "The state government has been giving special attention to the

development of scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, other backward castes, labourers and down

trodden. "A special programme has been launched for the inclusive development of special backward

tribes and the target under it will be accomplished within two years," the Governor added. (Times of

India 27/1/16)

12. Seven dead, six injured in Maoist landmine blast in Jharkhand (12)

Ranchi: At least seven policemen were killed and six others were injured in a Maoist land-mine blast

in Chattarpur area of Palamu in Jharkhand. "Seven policemen were killed and six others were injured

in a Maoist laid land mine blast at police vehicle in Palamu, Jharkhand. Search operations are

underway," Jharkhand Director General of Police D.K. Pandey told ANI. According to reports, a mini-

bus carrying 12 police personnel was attacked by a Maoist in Palamu on Wednesday night. The

attack comes after a relatively quiet 2015, when for the first time since 2011, there hadn't been a

single Naxalite attack on police stations in Jharkhand. (Asian Age 28/1/16)

13. MGNREGS becomes change agent for tribals in Maoist hotbed in Bastar (12)

RAIPUR: Breaking the decade old Maoist imposed tradition of not engaging in any development

works, locals of Naxalite hotbed of Chintagufa in Sukma district in South Bastar of Chhattisgarh have

for the first time picked up spade to work on daily wages under Mahatama Gandhi National Rural

Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS). Setting up of 15 CRPF camps coupled with persistent

persuasion by administration have helped locals muster courage to accept government schemes,

which, till few months ago, was a forbidden crime in the area dominated by rebels. This region falls in

the so-called liberated zone of Dandakaranya of CPI (Maoist) but in government parlance its an area

dominated by Maoists. Earlier, locals were totally dependent on farming and collecting forest produce

to further sell them in weekly markets. They were instructed by rebels not to accept jobs for

construction of roads, of digging of lakes or any other government scheme related to ration or health

benefits. As the security forces and the civil administration made inroads into the territory, locals were

counselled about its benefits but the fear of Maoists lingered on. Sukma collector Niraj Bansod told

TOI, "In past one year, Sukma SP D Shrawan Kumar and I made frequent visits to villages on

motorbike to meet and encourage villagers. It wasn't possible for local tribals to sustain on forest

produce and they were cut off from the real world without any exposure to development." Later, with

expansion of security camps, residential schools, slow but continuous construction of roads on the

rebels-dominated stretch of Chintagufa, Jagargunda, Kistaram, and Chintalnar, we started gathering

confidence of people with movement of security forces and neighbouring villagers visiting these

places, Bansod added. A local villager of Chintagufa said that there have been instances where locals

did not appear even after completion of paper work for construction works because of fear of Maoists.

Block level officers were pressed into service to visit interior villages and monitor. He added that

nearly 70 families of Bhejji area, who had taken refuge in camps during anti-Naxalite movement

Salwa Judum of 2005-2008 , have also returned since the development started in the region.Bansod

said job cards allocated to locals have increased four times in entire Sukma district ranging up to

nearly 25,000 while Konta block -which was a 100% banned region for such employment- has

witnessed participation of hundreds of families into MGNREGS jobs. We provide security while the

work is on, irrespective of road construction, digging of lakes or deepening of ponds. Not that all

villagers have come forward to enjoy benefits of scheme, there are still many more in interiors which

are yet to be approached," he added. Eventually, registration for Aadhar cards and rashan cards has

also begun in the region which will be facilitated all across the district. "Bastar is a lot more than

Maoists, we are adamant to break the shackle of fear ingrained since decades. This is just the

beginning to arrange a tryst for local tribals to taste development, which we are sure, would be rooted

for further generations," Bansod said. (Times of India 1/2/16)

14. Naxal killed in encounter with security forces in Chhattisgarh (12)

Raipur: A Naxal was on Tuesday gunned down in a fierce encounter with security forces in

Chhattisgarh's insurgency-hit Kanker district, police said. The skirmish took place in the forests of

Kesekodi under Koyalibeda police station limits between a joint team of security personnel and ultras,

Kanker Superintendent of Police Jitendra Singh Meena told PTI. A composite team of Border Security

Force (BSF), Special Task Force (STF) and district force was carrying out an anti-Naxal operation in

the south of Koyalibeda, located around 250 kms away from here, the SP said. When they were

cordoning off a forested patch in Kesekodi, a group of armed cadres opened indiscriminate fire on

them following which a gun-battle broke out between the two sides, Meena added. Buy medicines

from India's online pharmacy However, after around an hour of the ensuing gunfight, Naxals fled to

the dense forests, he said. During a search, body of a Maoist, one SLR rifle and its magazines were

recovered, the official said. According to the officer, the identity of the killed Maoist will be ascertained

once the party will reach back to its camp as the operation was still underway in the region. With this

encounter, 24 ultras have so far been killed in separate gun-battles in the Bastar region this year,

police said. (Times of India 3/2/16)

15. Chhattisgarh HM asks SDGP to crush naxal menace (12)

RAIPUR: Chhattisgarh Home Minister Ramsewak Paikra has sought to step up counter-insurgency

operations in the Maoist-affected pockets of the state. The newly-posted Special Director General of

Police (SDGP), anti-naxal operations and SIB (special intelligence branch), D M Awasthi (IPS) on

Friday paid a courtesy visit to the Home Minister during which they discussed the status of anti-Maoist

operations, a public relations officer here said. During the meeting, Paikra asked Awasthi to devise

affective strategies to flush out left wing extremism from the state and carry out intense operations in

the naxal-hit zone, particularly Bastar, the official said. "Our brave jawans are ready to take up any

challenge. Centre and state forces are making joint efforts to set Chhattisgarh free from the clutches

of naxalism," the Home Minister was quoted as saying during the meeting by the official. The SDGP

had on Thursday paid courtesy visit to Governor Balramji Das Tandon. (Times of India 6/2/16)

16. CRPF killed 40 Naxals, lost 5 in 2015 (12)

New Delhi: Better intelligence and emphasis on small team actions are paying dividends to the CRPF

which had improved violence parameters last year. CRPF, the lead Central agency for anti-Naxal

operations, recorded just five deaths in 2015 while its personnel eliminated 40 ultras. In contrast, the

casualty figure of CRPF personnel in 2014 was 50 and it could kill just 24 Naxals. The number of

paramilitary personnel injured in the Naxal theatre in 2015 also registered a downward spiral with 91

jawans sustaining injuries during the year as compared to 126 men getting injured in 2014. Out of the

five CRPF personnel killed in 2015, three were martyred in Chhattisgarh and two in Bihar and

Jharkhand recorded a zero casualty figure. The apprehension of the ultras also improved marginally

in 2015 in contrast to 2014. While 998 ultras were apprehended in 2015, the figure for 2014 stood at

987. With improved attrition rate and lesser casualties in 2015 in contrast to the previous years, the

loss of weapons by the paramilitary personnel at the hands of the ultras also registered a significant

decline. The CRPF lost just one weapon in 2015 in comparison to 31 arms making way to the Naxal

armoury in 2014. Violence parameters in Jharkhand were particularly notable with the CRPF not

suffering a single casualty 228 operations and 25 encounters with the Naxals. Just five personnel

suffered injuries and the CRPF killed 22 Naxals and apprehended 225 ultras in 2015. In 2014, two

CRPF personnel were killed and 27 persons were injured during operations. The CRPF that had

suffered 42 casualties and sustained injuries to 80 personnel in 2014 in Chhattisgarh and managed to

kill just 13 Naxals in 288 operations and 111 encounters also improved the tally in 2015 with loss of

lives of just three men and injuries to 57 personnel and attrition of 11 ultras in 335 operations and 93

encounters. Senior officials said the operational strategy in the Naxal theatre was revisited after a

spurt in violence in 2014 with the paramilitary suffering 50 casualties and dwindling attrition of the

ultras. Apart from improving upon the gathering of own intelligence, the paramilitary also decided to

launch short duration operations with small team and minimising unnecessary exposure. (Pioneer

8/2/16)

17. 9 senior Naxal leaders surrender (12)

Nagpur: NINE Naxalites, including a divisional committee member, surrendered in the last one week,

the Gadchiroli police said. Among those who surrendered are two section commanders and six dalam

members. Together, all of them had a reward of Rs 46 lakh on their heads, said the statement issued

by the police. The top catch was Sunil alias Ramji Mattami, 32, recently promoted as member of

Kasansur divisional committee. He was involved in 17 encounters, 14 incidents of arson and nine

murders, according to the press note. He carried a reward of Rs 16 lakh on his head. Sources told

The Indian Express that Mattami, active for over 15 years, was removed from the committee for

alleged sexual misconduct with a woman cadre and had been staying at his native village. When the

police nabbed him, Mattami was found to be working for the Naxals from home, said the sources. “It

was due to his promise to help the police in sharing vital information about Naxal activities that the

police got him surrendered,” said a source. Among others, Shiva alias Sattu Narote, 26, and wife

Rakhi alias Rekha Timma, 27, were section commanders of company 4 and each of them carried a

reward of Rs 8 lakh. The other six — company 10 member Mira Narote (24), Tipagad dalam member

Kamla Hidko (35), Gatta dalam member Somji Atlami (28), Kasansur dalam member Lakshman

Narote (28), Gatta dalam member Dogde Atram (34), and Gatta dalam member Mangu Mattami (30)

— had been active Naxals for years ranging between five and 14 years. While Mira had Rs 4 lakh

reward on account of being a member of company dalam, others carried a reward of Rs 2 lakh each

on their heads. Kamla Hidko, an active Naxal for over 14 years, is the wife of top Naxal leader Saoji

Tulami, who spearheaded the Jantana Sarkar (people’s government) activity in the Tipagad area of

Gadchiroli district. “The surrenders are a result of good work done by the police under Navjeevan

scheme, in which the police have reached out to villagers in remote areas, talking to relatives of the

Naxalites and solving their various problems and providing the villagers with things like government

certificates and essential daily use material. This has instilled trust among the people about the police,

leading to a large number of surrenders over the last few years,” said the press note. A senior police

official said, “Of late, we are getting surrenders largely through the initiative taken by villagers

themselves. Mediation by villagers ensures trust on both sides, leading to smooth surrenders.

Sometimes, we nab some Naxals during our operations and decide not to arrest them if they promise

to help us by providing vital information about Naxal activities. We then offer them surrender option in

exchange for the help.” (Indian Express 15/2/16)

18. In Chhattisgarh, children face Maoist threat for speaking up (12)

Raipur: Schoolchildren are caught in the firing line between the government and the Maoists in

extremism-hit Chhattisgarh. Students are often seen marching under police security through streets of

small towns and hamlets in Bastar region holding banners and placards, demanding peace and

asking extremists to end killing of innocents, allegedly at the behest of state authorities. This despite

the SC in 2011 termed as illegal the Chhattisgarh government’s anti-insurgent militia of young tribals

called Sulwa Judum. However, the passive aggressive campaign did not gone down well with the

Maoists. The insurgents sent out an advisory to parents and teachers this week and also distributed

pamphlets in the area asking them to desist from allowing children to participate in such “anti-people”

rallies. “We appeal to the parents of students to ensure their children are not used in anti-people

(against the Maoist) events or rallies. We ask the school management and teachers too to not allow

the students to be part of anti-people activities that are based on lies,” said the statement issued by

Vikalp, the spokesperson of Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee, the most powerful unit of the

Maoists in central India — covering the entire Bastar region along with Malkangiri, Koraput areas of

Odisha and Gadchiroli in Maharashtra. The Chhattisgarh police promptly dismissed the appeal as

“ridiculous”. “Are the Maoists not using children in their movement and destroying their lives? By

issuing such statement, the rebels are trying to create a threat perception among the masses and

gain the media hype,” an ADGP told HT. Nonetheless, this propaganda war has left parents anxious.

“There is a lot of fear and uncertainty here,” said Idpa Ramvilas, a businessman in Geedam. Another

parent said their children were the most vulnerable as the school could act against them if they

refused to participate in the marches and the Maoists could strike if they did. Maoists are known to

forcibly pick up children to induct as combatants, and also urge villagers to willing offer their children

to be trained as “rebel warriors”. “Madkami Hunga, 14, and Puja Markam, 16, from Aranpur in

Dantewada were forced to join the Maoist organisation some three years ago...Puja was traced by

Malkangiri police in Odisha on January 26 this year after she fled,” additional superintendent of police,

Sukma, Santosh Singh told HT, adding that Puja was sent to a residential ashram in Dantewada for

studies. Though the administration claims the student marches were voluntary and an attempt to

counter the growing support for left-wing extremism among the youth, teachers admitted that the

marches were conducted on the “directive” of the police and the district administration. “We comply

with the orders given and ensure the participation of students as directed,” said a senior teacher of

Bijapur government high school requesting anonymity. Another teacher in Sukma, who did not wish to

be named, said, “It is believed that when you rope in students to hold meetings or rallies, it might

garner support from people but this will not win the hearts and minds of Maoists.” But, not everyone is

against the involvement of students in the anti-insurgency operation and say the children’s

participation to create a terror-free environment was largely restricted to safer areas. “Such initiatives

might help build confidence in remote areas where the people’s trust in authorities remains abysmally

low,” said Alok Shukla, a human rights activist. Anti-terrorism experts are not worried and see the

“advisory” as a reflection of the Maoists’ frustration. “With the local tribal population understanding the

futility of the ideology of left-wing extremism, they are now increasingly going against the rebels —

whose statements clearly show their desperation. The people in the affected areas yearn for peace,”

said Brigadier (retd) BK Ponwar, director of Kanker-based counter terrorism and jungle warfare

college. (Hindustan Times 15/2/16)

19. Naxal-affected Maharashtra to get 100 All India Radio stations (12)

Mumbai: The Centre will come up with 100 All India Radio (AIR) stations in Naxal-affected states in

the country and the first radio station will be constructed at Gadchiroli in Maharashtra. The aim behind

the move is to win the confidence of the people who are residing in the insurgency-hit areas. “Private

radio channels still fear setting up radio stations in Naxal-affected areas and that is one of the reasons

we have decided that AIR itself will set up 100 radio stations by 2017 to tackle the menace of

Naxalism in the country,” said minister of state for information and broadcasting Rajyavardhan

Rathore. A week ago, the Centre had also mooted the plan to install 2,200 mobile towers in states

that are Naxal affected. “The government has also planned to expand the FM network in the country

after which a city or town with a population of more than 1,00,000 should have at least three private

FM channels and licences for the same will be granted,” said Mr Rathore. On the same lines,

Chhattisgarh police in 2015, had also had also planned to set up radio towers in their police stations

itself so that the people staying in the villages could be made aware of what are they were being

deprived of. Furthermore, figures of the state government reveal that 48 Naxals surrendered in 2013,

40 in 2014 and 51 in 2015. Under the state government’s policy on Naxals, the surrender makes them

eligible for compensation of Rs 5 lakh for rehabilitation. On the backdrop of the Make in India event,

Mr Rathore further said that the government has initiated schemes to promote indigenous production

in the media and entertainment sector. We are also aiming to change the rules of film certification

where government’s role would be limited to only certification and no censorship would be required. A

single-window clearance for the film shooting will be set up for which an agency office named the Film

Facilitation Office (FFO) will be set up in the city. The panel of expertise from the film industry will be

set up to get clearances. (Asian Age 16/2/16)

20. Naxal violence in Andhra Pradesh has decreased, claims MHA (12)

New Delhi: Naxal violence has dipped in AP even as the spread of the Maoist influence and activities

across the Red zone in Left-wing extremism-affected states was restricted to 141 districts in 2015

from 162 districts in 2014. Union home minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday reviewed the Naxal threat

in AP and other states at a meeting with senior officials in Visakhapatnam where he credited security

agencies, developmental programmes and policies of the government for the improved scenario. Mr

Singh said that the LWE situation in the country has shown massive improvement in the recent

months, with the number of incidences of violence coming down to 1,088 in 2015. Praising the role of

the state police in leading the fight against Naxals, he stressed the need for cooperation between AP

and its neighbouring states. The state has already completed construction of 11 fortified police

stations, Mr Sing was informed. The MHA has also approved one extra battalion of BSF to AP with Mr

Singh assuring the state of the fast implementation of the decision. Assuring the state government of

speedy clearance of projects, he said under the Road Requirement Plan (RRP)-2, the Centre has

approved laying of 1,200-km of roads in AP out of total 5,400-km to be laid across the country.

Construction of 53 mobile towers has been allotted under the first phase to boost the communication

network in LWE-affected areas of AP. Of these, 33 towers have already been activated. They will aid

security forces and bridge the disconnect between the far flung areas under Maoist influence. The

remaining 20 are under construction, the meeting was informed. Mr Singh observed that Maoists-hit

states witnessed lowest violence in six years, with casualties and incidents coming down substantially

in 2015. While nearly one lakh paramilitary personnel continued to be deployed in LWE-affected

areas, 10 Naxal-hit states -- AP, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra,

Odisha, TS, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh -- saw 226 deaths in 1,088 incidents of violence

perpetrated by Maoists last year. According to Home Ministry statistics, in 2010, there were 2,213

incidents of violence in which 1,005 people lost their lives and in 2011, a total of 611 people were

killed in 1,760 incidents. In 2014, there were 1,091 incidents of Maoist violence in the 10 states in

which 310 people lost their lives. In 2015, of the 226 deaths, 168 were civilians and 58 were security

forces personnel. As many as 89 Maoists were also killed and 1,668 were arrested and 570 cadres

surrendered before authorities during the year. (Deccan Chronicle 19/2/16)

21. Wanted Maoist surrenders with 2 accomplices (12)

BHAWANIPATNA: A hardcore Maoist carrying Rs. 1 lakh reward on head and his two militia

supporters surrendered before security forces during anti-naxal operation in Karlapat Reserve Forest

of Odisha’s Kalahandi district on Saturday. The surrendered ultra, identified as Suka Majhi (20) of

Mulunga village under Bijapur district of Chhattisgarh, had been inducted into the banned outfit six

years ago by Maoists, Kalahandi SP Brijesh Rai and Deputy Commandant CRPF 64 Battalion

Suryamani Behera told reporters. Majhi, who was present at the press meet, said he had been

imparted training by the red rebels in Chhattisgarh and later brought into Odisha to operate in

Malkangiri, Koraput, Rayagada and Kalahandi districts. In Kalahandi, he was working in Bansadhara-

Ghumsar- Nagabali Division as an armed cadre. Recently Majhi, who carried a reward of Rs one lakh

on his head, was operating in Karlapat, Gundi and Kahandual mali Reserve Forest areas, the SP

said. Majhi alleged that he was subjected to harassment and on many occasions had faced assault by

senior cadres. Gradually, he got disillusioned with the organisation and was looking for an opportunity

to quit. Along with him, two other local militia members gave themselves up, the senior official said

adding their identity was not disclosed because of security reasons. (The Hindu 21/2/16)

22. Six criminals pretending to be Naxals nabbed in Gaya (12)

GAYA: Six criminals pretending to be naxals were nabbed by Gaya police from different areas of the

district on Tuesday. Pretending as naxals, these criminals made calls to different govt officials

particularly Block Education Officers demanding 'levy' (protection money) and threatening the officials

with dire consequences in case the demanded amount was not paid. In recent weeks more than half

a dozen Block Education officers received such calls thereby causing panic among govt officials

posted in the naxal affected blocks. Following complaints received from these block level officials,

SSP Garima Malik activated the technical cell of the district police and numbers from which the calls

were made were put under surveillance. The strategy worked and the police successfully nabbed the

criminals. One country made pistol, one pipe gun, 7 rounds of live ammunition, 9 mobile phones and

three bikes were recovered from the possession of the arrested criminals. SSP Garima Malik

identified the arrested criminals as Uttam Kumar, Mantu Singh, Ashok Mahto, Rakesh Kumar,

Sandeep Paswan and Bablu. According to the SSP, Uttam and Mantu did have past association with

RCC, a splinter group of the Maoists. In recent days Uttam and Mantu were not active in the RCC and

operated as criminals. All the arrested men have a criminal history and had been to jail earlier as well.

The SSP did not rule out more arrests in this connection. She did have all praise for the technical cell

that was instrumental in tracking the criminals. RCC was floated by Nirmala, wife of the then MCC

ideologue Sagar Chaterjee. Sagar was killed during an encounter with the Aurangabad police in late

1990s and his widow formed RCC to register protest against the Maoist leadership's failure to avenge

Sagar's killing. RCC, of late has become dormant following the emergence of other splinter groups

like TPC. (Times of India 23/2/16)

23. Those killed in Puttakota encounter were naxals, claimed police (12)

Visakhapatnam: Tribals who visit the weekly market claimed that the two persons shot dead in an

encounter with the police in Puttakota forest were hunters who had ventured into the forest with

weapons for hunting bisons in order to sell the meat. Others said the two who were gunned down

were tribals from Odisha. Refuting allegations that those killed were innocent tribals, cops said the

two were carrying detonator fuses, antibiotics and uniforms. "They also fired upon us upon being

spotted. Only naxals would do so and not innocent tribals. In the past, we had spotted seven hunters

carrying double barrel guns in the forest and they had peacefully surrendered after spotting us.

Hunters generally carry lentils and spices in their bags for cooking. But here, the two persons had

antibiotics and uniforms, clearly indicating that they were naxals," a senior police officer involved in

the anti-naxal operations told TOI. The cops suspect the two to be militia from Odisha. Some leads on

their identity are likely in the post mortem that will be conducted after the bodies reach Narsipatnam

on Tuesday morning, he said. The police claimed they have information that AOB leader Chalapati

and PLGA company commander Kudumula Venkata Rao alias Ravi were at the training camp and

might have crossed the Visakha border by Monday evening following the incident. According to the

sources, in order to lure away the security personnel away from the training camp, a naxal party

displayed its presence at Korukonda in Chintapalli mandal ten days ago. The militia training camp

was being held at Puttakota area for the past one week, which is far away ftrom Korukonda. After

spotting the naxal party at Korukonda, security personnel intensifed their combing operations there

and in the meantime, the reds went ahead with their training camp. According to the police sources,

the 10-day camp was timed to train Maoists after the compleion of the harvesting season and before

the commencement of the monsoons when movement becomes difficult. A senior inspector in the

anti-naxal wing told TOI that Puttakota area provides ample space for the Reds as it has many water

sources and combing parties have not ventured into the area in the recent times. The area is around

35 km from the Y Ramavaram mandal headquarters of East Godavari. But, East Godavari cops did

not have any information of the Maoists activity, he said. The terrain is also a difficult one as it has no

pacca road. (Times of India 23/2/16)

24. Treat the Maoists as political prisoners: Kerala CPI leaders (12)

Coimbatore: CPI leaders from Kerala met Maoists Shyna and Anoop Mathew George at Coimbatore

central prison on Friday and requested the Union government to withdraw the Unlawful Activities

(Prevention) Act (UAPA) slapped against them. They also demanded that prison authorities should

treat the Maoist leaders as political prisoners.CPI Kerala state committee secretary Kanam Rajendran

and a few local party leaders visited the prison and sought permission from authorities to meet the

Maoist (CPI-Maoist) leader Roopesh, his wife Shyana and Anoop. They were accompanied by

Valparai MLA M Arumugam. However, Roopesh was not in the prison as a team of police from

Wayanad in Kerala had taken his custody a week ago. So, the CPI leaders decided to meet Shyna

and Anoop Mathew George. Prison authorities said Roopesh would be back in the jail in two

days.After visiting the jail, Kanam Rajendran told reporters that the state government did not give

political prisoner status to the arrested Maoists. Shyana, he said, had repeatedly asked prison

authorities to provide her with a chair and table as she was suffering from spinal cord problems. "But

the authorities told her that her demands could be met only after a court direction." "Roopesh and

Shyna are charged with forging identity documents to obtain SIM cards in Tamil Nadu. But the case

was registered against them only recently and the couple can't be interminably held in detention by

police. This is against the law," Kanam Rajendran said. The arrested Maoists, the CPI leader said,

only voiced the problems of tribal settlement people. "The union government should withdraw the

UAPA Act slapped against them," he added. (Times of India 27/2/16)

25. Decisive battle on against Maoists, says Chhattisgarh Governor (12)

Raipur: Chhattisgarh Governor Balram Das Tandon said on Tuesday that the state is heading towards

"winning a decisive battle" against left wing extremism. Delivering his customary address to the

Vidhan Sabha on the first day of budget session, he said security forces of the centre and the state

have been successful in carrying out a drive against the left wing extremists. " The state will always

be indebted to those who have made sacrifices", he added. State governor's statement in the

assembly about the decisive battle against the Maoists comes at a time when there are indications

about the possibility of escalation of conflict in tribal Bastar region where armed Maoists and the

security forces are locked in a battle for the last several years. The Governor, however, did not

elaborate on this issue. Highlighting the state government initiatives, Tandon said the state has

already set in motion a skilled Chhattisgarh campaign on the lines of skilled India campaign. He said a

"skill gap analysis" would be carried out in all the districts in an effort to generate employment

opportunities. The month long budget session of the Vidhan Sabha began today. Chief Minister

Raman Singh is scheduled to present the budget for fiscal 2016-17 on March 17 and the related

appropriation bill will come up for consideration of the house on March 30. The session will have 19

sittings. (Times of India 1/3/16)

26. Maoists kill 16 villagers in Bastar, police confirm four deaths (12)

JAGDALPUR, CHHATTISGARH: At least 16 tribal villagers were shot dead allegedly by Maoists

suspecting them to be police informers in different villages at red hotbed Narayanpur district of Bastar

region on Tuesday and Wednesday. In absence of accessibility of the regions located in dense

interiors of Abujhmad area which is largely controlled by rebels, Narayanpur police could confirm

deaths of four villagers. Talking to TOI, Narayanpur SP Abhishek Meena said, "There are reports of

atleast 16 people shot dead at various villages in past two-three days in the region but as of now,

confirmation of only four. We have recovered one body and three were killed and cremated by the

Maoists. Incident took place at villages of Netanar, Aalbeda, Parpa, Matbeda, and Kundla in

Narayanpur." Police and forces are trying to verify villagers' claim but it would take more than a week

to reach those villages and find out the truth as the terrain is extremely rough where no one ventures.

There's no mechanism to find out right away, though we have got information via panchayats.

"Moreover, Abujhmad is the Maoist capital which is at least 60 kilometers of any of the security

camps," Meena added. A senior cop said that they will soon confirm the number of deaths and the

investigation has already begun. He said that Maoists for past few days have gone wild and

suspecting people of being police informers, Maoists are randomly killing villagers. He added that

rebels were attempting to launch terror like situation to mark their presence and refrain people from

becoming police informers. Bastar range IG SRP Kalluri at a press conference at Jagdalpur however

confirmed killings of 16 villagers by Maoists in Narayanpur. Chhattisgarh home minister Ajay

Chandrakar told media that the 'inhumane' act of killing the innocent exposes Naxals' 'true face'. "I

have spoken to officers in the intelligence department. This exposes their true face. It is inhumane to

attack innocent people who are not on any side. The fight will continue against these inhumane

people. This act of theirs shows their panic. We will give a fitting reply." (Times of India 2/3/16)

27. Three CRPF men killed, 15 hurt in anti-Naxal op in Chhattisgarh (12)

Raipur: Three CRPF commandos were killed and over a dozen injured after multiple encounters took

place between security forces and Naxals in Chhattisgarh’s worst Maoist violence-affected Sukma

district. Officials said while two commandos, identified as constables Linju N and Fateh Singh had

succumbed to their bullet injuries yesterday, their collegaue Lakshman Singh died on Thursday. At

least 15 others, including CoBRA Comamnder PS Yadav and the chief of the state polices’ District

Reserve Group (DRG), have been injured in the encounter which ended early on Thursday. The

patrol squad that came under fire yesterday noon in the jungles of the district, has been brought to the

Kistaram police station from the encounter site of Dabbanarka in Sukma early on Thursday by

multiple Mi-17 helicopter sorties, they said. Inspector general (Bastar range) SRP Kalluri and Sukma

superintendent of police D Shravan are camping at Kistaram, about 500 kms from the state capital to

monitor the operations, they said. The others who sustained bullet and splinter injuries include

assistant commandant Yogendra, sub-inspector Rajveer Singh, head constable Santosh, constable

Sona Ram and some men of the DRG. The encounter began when pesonnel of CRPF’s exclusive

jungle warfare unit CoBRA (Commando Battalion for Resolute Action) had the first exchange of fire

with Maoists in the jungles of Bastar area. The CoBRA team encountered multiple ambushes and fire

fights beginning 12.30pm on Wednesday and while evacuating the area, heavily armed Maoists

engaged them in intermittent gunfire, till late in the night. “The operation is underway to retrieve the

injured jawans. Around 600 personnel (of CRPF and state force) have been pressed into service,”

Chhattisgarh’s special director general of police (Anti-Naxal operations) DM Awasthi told PTI. While

the three commandos are said to have lost their lives due to excessive blood loss as their evacuation

was delayed due to the ambush put up by Maoists, officials said one of the CoBRA commandos,

Fateh Singh, was a highly trained member of the squad who had brought successes for the force in

numerous operations. SI Singh was the first to be hit in the exchange of fire and others were injured in

the later part of the operation. The squad that came under the attack largely belonged to the 208th

CoBRA battalion, deployed for undertaking special anti-Naxal operations in the Bastar area, along

with few DRG personnel. Security forces personnel, including those from Central Reserve Police

Force, CoBRA and state police, are combing the area, they said. (Hindustan Times 4/3/16)

28. 150 Maoist Supporters Surrender (12)

MALKANGIRI: In a jolt to the outlawed CPI(Maoist) and at a time when they are fast losing their

support base among the tribals, about 150 Maoist supporters, including 13 millitia members, 12

village committee members and two Ganga Natya members of the outfit from Temrupalli, Pujariguda

and Kukurkunda villages under Mathili police limits surrendered before the police on Saturday. The

Maoist supporters went to Mathili police station and surrendered before Superintendent of Police

Mitrabhanu Mahapatra, SDPO M Sanddep Sampad and 202 CoBRA Battalion Deputy Commandant

Pawan Kumar. Welcoming the Maoist supporters’ decision to join the mainstream, the police assured

them that the administration will provide full support to them. Frustrated by the mindless killing of the

innocent tribals by the rebels, the former Maoist sympathisers decided to join the mainstream, police

said. The Maoists are spreading a reign of terror in the region, the surrenders villagers told the police.

Temrupalli village had turned into a Maoist hotbed over the years with rise in Maoist violence.

However, with the deployment of 202 CoBRA Battalion in Kiang area a few months back, Maoist

violence has drastically reduced in the area. Sunabeda-based 202 CoBRA Battalion commandant

Mahendra Kumar said this is the first time that such a large number of Maoist supporters have

surrendered. (New Indian Express 6/3/16)

29. Prosecute police personnel for Maoist killings: HRF (12)

KHAMMAM: The Human Rights Forum (HRF) has demanded that a case of homicide under Section

302 of the Indian Penal Code be booked against all the police personnel who participated in the

“gunning down” of nine Maoist cadres including six women at Bettamthogu village in Bijapur district of

Chhattisgarh on March 1. In a statement, the HRF general secretary for Telangana and Andhra

Pradesh V S Krishna, one of the members of the HRF fact finding committee which visited

Bettamthogu on Monday (March 7), said the police personnel responsible for the incident should be

charged with the offence and prosecuted. Investigation in the case should be handed over to either

the CBI or a judicially monitored Special Investigation Team or an independent criminal investigation

team under the aegis of the National Human Rights Commission, he said. “The Bettamthogu incident

was not an encounter but a calculated one-sided attack on a Maoist camp by Greyhounds personnel

resulting in the deaths,” he alleged. (The Hindu 9/3/16)

30. 17 naxals surrender in Chhattisgarh; three others held (12)

Raipur: Seventeen naxal cadres, including a woman, surrendered before police in Kondagaon district

of insurgency-hit Bastar region today. In a separate incident in the same region, three ultras, carrying

reward of Rs 3 lakh each, were arrested by the police from Dantewada district. "The 17 cadres, all

lower-rung members of the outlawed CPI (Maoist), turned themselves in before senior police officials

in Kondagaon district," KondagaonSuperintendent of Police JS Watti told PTI. They were active as

naxal jan-militia members in different parts of the district, the SP said. Theultras confessed they were

frustrated with the high-handedness of senior cadres, particularly from Andhra Pradesh, and by

exploitation of the women and of those belonging to lower rank, Watti said. Besides, they were also

impressed with the surrender policy of the Chhattisgarh government, he said. "Theywill

berehabilitated as per the policy of state government and necessary assistance will be provided to

them," the officer said. In another incident, three Maoists, carrying a reward of Rs 3 lakh each on their

head, were arrested from Dantewada. The rebels were apprehended by a joint squad of the District

Reserve Group (DRG) and local police from Barsoor police station area, a police official said. They

are identified as Baman Podiyami (30), Mani Poyam (27) and Budhu Barsa (25). The trio was active

as military platoon members in Indravati Area Committee of Abhujmad region, he added. (Business

Standard 10/3/16)

31. 2 BSF men killed, 4 injured in Naxal encounter in Chhattisgarh (12)

RAIPUR: Two BSF jawans were on Saturday killed while four others injured in a Naxal encounter in

Chhattisgarh's Kanker district. The encounter broke out early today between a Border Security Force

patrol and armed Naxal cadres near the Chhotebethiya-Pakhanjore jungle axis of the Maoist violence-

hit district, officials said. "While two jawans have been martyred in the exchange of fire, four others

have been injured," they said. Skirmish took place at around 2:30 am when a composite squad of

BSF and district force was on a special operation in the interior forests of Bande police station area of

the district, Kanker Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Jayant Vaishnav said over phone. A joint

squad of BSF's 117th and 122nd battalion along with district force had launched the anti-Naxal

operation from Chhotebethiya camp of BSF in Pakhanjore region - located around 300 kms away

from the state capital, the DSP said, adding that when the security forces reached near a river in the

dense forest of Becha village, Naxals opened indiscriminate firing on them, leaving six jawans injured.

Two succumbed to their injuries while being airlifted to Raipur and four other injured have been

shifted to Raipur and admitted at Ramkrishna Care Hospital, Vaishnav said. The deceased jawans

have been identified as Vijay Kumar and Rakesh Nehra, while the injured are Manoj Kumar, S

Thomson, Jagdish K and Bappa D. According to police, ultras attacked on security personnel as a

part of a one-day Bastar-bandh call today. The bandh call was given by the naxals in protest against

the alleged fake encounter and surrender of tribals in the region, according to posters pasted on the

walls in different places. (Times of India 12/3/16)

32. Odisha police to intensify combing operations against Maoists (12)

Bhawanipatna: With Left-wing extremists (LWEs) extending their activities in the tribal-dominated

Kalahandi district in the State, the Odisha Police on Saturday said it would intensify combing

operation and also ensure development of certain areas. This was stated by Director General of

Police K. B. Singh after reviewing the Maoist situation with Superintendents Police of Kalahandi,

Nuapada, Bolangir and Nawarangpur districts here today. Among senior police officials Additional DG

Arun Sarangi, Sunil Ray, Santosh Kumar Upadhaya, IG Intelligence D. S. Kute and DIG S. Saine also

attended the review meeting. Admitting that LWE activities have increased in Kalahandi and Nuapada

region in the recent time, the DGP said steps are being taken to intensify combing operation and

welfare activities as well in the Maoist-infested areas. Out of 13 blocks of Kalahandi, movement of

Maoist cadres were witnessed in 10 blocks. However, the situation is acute in tribal pockets in

Thuamul Rampur and Lanjigarh blocks, the DGP said claiming that the red radicals are gradually

losing their hold over the areas due to intensified combing operation by CRP and SOG. “Maoist

cadres are now defensive and desperate,” the DGP said. The DGP said some cadres of the

CPI(Maoist) operating in the region have already surrendered before police. – PTI (The Hindu

13/3/16)

33. Chhattisgarh: 128 Naxals, 100 policemen killed in 543 encounters in last 3 years (12)

Raipur: Chhattisgarh government on Monday said 128 Naxals and 100 policemen were killed in gun

battles over the last three years in the state. In a written reply to a question raised by Congress MLA

Deepak Baij, state Panchayat Minister Ajay Chandrakar, who is in-charge of the Home department,

said, “543 encounters took place between police and Naxalites from 2013 till January 2016 in the

Maoist-affected districts of Chhattisgarh.” 128 Naxals were killed while 100 security personnel also

lost their lives in the gun battles. Besides, 210 security personnel and eight Naxals were injured in the

exchanges of gunfire, he said. A maximum of 52 Naxals were gunned down in Bijapur, where 14

security personnel also lost their lives during this period. Also, 48 policemen and 29 Naxals were

killed in Sukma district, the minister said. Moreover, a total of 852 Naxal cadres surrendered in the

state in the last three years and a sum of Rs 149.37 lakh was given to them as relief aid. Besides, 20

of them were also given government jobs, he said. Chhattisgarh has been battling the Naxal menace

to tackle for over three decades. Central armed police forces, including CRPF, BSF, ITBP and SSB,

have been deployed in the state. (Indian Express 14/3/16)

34. Naxals evict 21 families from village (12)

Raipur: Maoists on Sunday evicted 21 tribal families of their homes in Abujhmad area in

Chhattisgarh’s south Bastar district of Narayanpur, accusing them of spying for the police. In another

development, security forces gunned down a suspected Naxal in an encounter in south Bastar district

of Sukma. According to the police, 21 tribal families hailing from Pikumeta village under Abujhmad

area, a Maoist-stronghold, fled their homes following threats by Naxals to eliminate them. “The panic-

stricken tribals who numbered 44, fled their village following an ultimatum issued to them by the

Naxals to leave the area. The ultras suspected the innocent tribals as police informers. The displaced

families have now been camping in district headquarters town of Narayanpur,” local sub-divisional

police officer (SDPO) C.D. Tirkey told this newspaper. He, however, said the displaced families have

absolutely nothing to do with the police. Meanwhile, three low-ranked Naxals carrying a reward of Rs

10,000 each on their heads surrendered before the Narayapur police. (Asian Age 14/3/16)

35. A lottery that no one wants to win -- new Maoist strategy to recruit children (12)

Ranchi: With dwindling forces and unwilling parents, Maoists in Jharkhand have found a new

recruitment strategy for child soldiers -- a lottery system. Though the outlawed organisation has

previously claimed that it does not recruit children below 16, the outfit however has boasted its 'bal

dastas' or child soldiers, whom it claims have been ‘gifted’ by parents after being motivated by the

organisation’s friendly approach, said a report in Hindustan Times. In the past, the recruited children

were majorly occupied in non-combat roles and were trained in computer and imparted other

technical skills. But falling numbers of the armed group has forced them to introduce children in more

risky situations, following which parents have become sceptical in ‘gifting’ their children to the

insurgents. Sexual exploitation of girls is also prominent. The insurgents thus resort to other strategies

to beef up their numbers including kidnapping and the lottery system, which they claim is a ‘less

biased’ system of recruitment. In the 'lottery system' children are recruited through a lucky draw,

where their names are written down in small bits of paper and are drawn in random. Families with

more than one child is usually forced to 'gift' one child to the ‘cause’. The tactics has created an

environment of fear and insecurity in Naxal held areas and parents send their children away to distant

relatives. So, there is virtually no teenager in Naxal areas. And once a Maoist foot soldier, it is never

easy to get back into the mainstream. People who wish to put the combat life behind are accused of

being police informants and are killed. Elaborating on his daughter’s plight who was forcibly taken

away when she was 11, 38-year-old Fandu Munda said, “Six years later when she abandoned the

rebel outfit to start life afresh, they accused her of being a police informer and killed her.” The lack of

access to police stations in the Maoist stronghold makes it impossible to file police complaints,

resulting in no records with regards to abducted and forced child combatants. While NGOs and state

government make impassioned appeal to leave the children alone, villagers buckle under their own

helplessness. “Police come like guests and go. We are left at the mercy of the Maoists. Challenging

their decision invites punishment, hence I have driven my husband and children away to a nearby

town and stay alone here,” said a government teacher. (Deccan Chronicle 21/3/16)

36. Gadchiroli villagers face police wrath after Naxals kill cop (12)

Nagpur: People in Reknar village in Etapalli taluka were at the receiving end of the police wrath on

March 13 when a Crack-60 team of Hedri police post thrashed them in retaliation of murder of

constable Deepak Sedmake two days earlier by Naxalites. A minor, force fed with chilli powder that

had also been inserted in his anus, was among several to be tortured on the suspicion of having

helped Naxalite team that gunned down Sedmake. State chief minister Devendra Fadnavis in his last

tour in the Naxal-affected district had sought to win heart with his development mantra. State director

general of police Praveen Dixit had also appealed to the people to join hands with the security

agencies 'police mitra' to dent the mass base of the rebels. Against the backdrop of government and

police's own citizen-friendly approach, the high-handedness of C-60 squad left many people shocked.

The squad stormed into the Reknar village, around five kilometers from Hedri, early morning dragging

out people from their homes. The villagers were assembled at the Ghotul or community centre before

the commandos started raining blows on them mercilessly using hands and also canes. Several

women were also beaten in their home as the menfolk were dragged out. Ranu Pungati, in his teens,

was the worst victim when red chilli powder was thrust down his throat. Unconfirmed sources also

claimed that Pungati, who worked at family owned farm, had to be rushed to hospital when some chilli

powder was also smeared and pushed into his anus. Dasrath Usendi, a local farmer, said four

villagers bore the brunt of police atrocity while others were slapped and kicked. "After having vented

their wrath, police also whisked away four people to their post but released them in the evening," he

said "A day later, villagers lodged protest before tehsildar and sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) but

nothing happened," he said. Earlier, sources from Hedri said police had rounded up several traders

from the weekly market where the constable was killed. The traders were also thrashed at the camp.

According to a source, two traders sustained fractures due to beating. A local source in Etapalli said

the injury reports of the traders were later fudged under police pressure too to show they had suffered

a fall from tree. Inspector general of police, Nagpur and Naxal range, Ravindra Kadam condemned

the thrashing stating such incidents only pushed back the initiatives several years behind. "We have

already called for explanation from the post in-charge and commander of the force at Hedri holding

them responsible for the high-handedness. Actions would follow after the explanations are received,"

said Kadam. (Times of India 23/3/16)

37. Another researcher harassed in Bastar, termed ‘Naxal agent’ (12)

RAIPUR: Yet another social activist and independent researcher, based in the Bastar region of

Chhattisgarh, has alleged that she was being “hounded and troubled” by self-styled vigilante groups.

Ms. Bela Bhatia, a former visiting faculty at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai,

stays at a village eight kilometers from Jagdalpur, the district headquarters of Bastar. “At around 4

p.m. on Saturday, a large group of agitated people came to the village where I live, in my absence.

According to my neighbours, they came in four vehicles, five autos and one jeep. The group included

men and women as well as the men of the police force in plain clothes. Some of them were armed.

The group was carrying a banner and asked questions about me to my house-owner and neighbours.

They asked why a ‘Naxalite Aatankawadi’ had been allowed to rent a room in the village and advised

my landlady to evict me,” Ms. Bhatia said in a statement. “Then they took out a rally in the hamlet,

shouting slogans against me including ‘Bela Bhatia Murdabad’ and distributed leaflets. The leaflet

accused me of being a ‘Naxal Dalal (Maoist agent) from outside and ends with the slogan ‘ Bastar

Chhodo’ (Leave Bastar). The leaflet did not bear anyone’s name or any details of any printer,” claimed

the researcher who has been documenting police excesses in the name of anti-Maoist operations in

Bastar for over a year now. The sloganeering and leaflet campaign against Ms. Bhatia comes after

the recent arrest of four journalists in Bastar and the eviction and attacks on free legal aid groups,

journalists and tribal activist Soni Sori. Bastar Superintendent of Police (SP) Mr. R.N. Das and

Inspector General (IG) of Police S.R.P. Kalluri were unavailable for their reaction to the incident. IG is

a dictator: Cong The Chhattisgarh state unit of the Congress has termed Bastar police head Mr.

Kalluri a “dictator” after the arrest of four journalists in Bastar in last six months. “S.R.P. Kalluri has

become a dictator of Bastar because of the free hand given to him by Prime Minister Narendra Modi,

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval. Common people,

journalists, political workers and almost everyone is on the police target in Bastar now,” State

Congress spokesperson Shailesh Nitin Trivedi said in a press statement on Sunday. (The Hindu

28/3/16)

38. 7 Maoists Show Up at Village, Asks People to Boycott Polls (12)

COIMBATORE: Seven armed Maoists including three women cadre reportedly came to a village in

Coonoor and urged over 100 villagers to boycott the elections, before pasting placards on walls with

similar insurrectionist messages. Police sources said that the Maoists had come to the Nedukkal

Kambai near Kolakambai police station limits on Friday night. They addressed the villagers and

promised to restore them rights to the forests. They also urged the villagers to join the armed struggle

against the government. Police confirmed that a case had been registered against the Maoists under

many Sections of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act and The Arms Act. Combing operations are

on. (New Indian Express 4/4/16)

39. Maoist couple used rebel money to buy land (12)

Kolkata: Kolkata Police Special Task Force (STF) that is interrogating Maoist leaders Bikash and Tara

say the rebel leaders were sitting on a fortune that was being increasingly used to buy land in several

districts of Bengal. Police say Sitaram Bhaiji alias Proloy is now handling Maoist activities in Bengal

and are questioning Bikash and Tara for information on other rebel leaders like Madan Mahato and

the squads led by Jayanto and Ranjit Pal. Sources said the joint forces have been alerted that these

fugitives may be hiding in Burishole and Kashi jungles. Investigators say Bikash and Tara were not

involved in any armed operation since 2011when they settled in Jharkhand close to the Bengal

border. Since Bikash was in charge of the arms and ammunitions seized from security forces in

earlier operations — virtually being the secretary of the Maoist state military commission — he kept

visiting Bengal until a massive crackdown in Jharkhand's Dalma region forced him and other Maoists

to flee back to Bengal. Bikash had reportedly sought help of a Maoist leader based in Kolkata and

another in Hooghly for two cottahs land near Mogra police station. It was here that he and his wife

used to work — while Tara toiled as a labourer in a marble company, Bikash was employed as a

stone crusher. They had introduced themselves as Sudip Tudu and Monika Tudu. Investigators are

also trying to ascertain the exact number of cases in which Bikash and Tara were involved. "We have

not yet charged them under UAPA but we will seek legal opinion once their police custody ends. At

present, we are trying to ascertain the origin of the AK-47 rifle that was seized from his Hooghly

residence," said an officer. Police say they have proof that Bikash's bike was used by Tara and her

squad members to kidnap Sankrail officerin-charge Atindranath Dutta after killing two of his

colleagues and looting the armoury in October 2009. The police officer was held hostage by Kishanji

for over two days and released in exchange for the bail of 15 tribal women arrested for suspected

Maoist links. Though Bikash is wanted in several cases — including attacks on central forces, police

and villagers in Sankrail, Goaltore, Lalgarh and Sarenga — it is believed that the weapon could be

one of the nine AK-47 and Insas rifles looted during the attack on Silda camp of Eastern Frontier

Rifles in February 2010 in which 24 personnel were killed. Bikash is likely to be named as one of the

main accused in that case, too. (Times of India 5/4/16)

40. Jawan killed, another hurt in Naxal attack in Bijapur (12)

Raipur: A police jawan was today killed and another injured after Naxals ambushed a team of security

personnel who were deployed on a helipad in the dense forests of Chhattisgarh’s insurgency-hit

Bijapur district. A group of Maoists opened fire on jawans guarding the helipad in a restive pocket of

Pamed police station area, located around 500 km away from the state capital Raipur, Bijapur

Superintendent of Police KL Dhruv said. Security forces were tasked with ensuring security to the

helipad ahead of the landing of a helicopter meant to transport ration for them. After dropping the

consignment, the chopper returned and security forces began marching back to its base, he said.

“Meanwhile, a group of Maoists opened indiscriminate firing on them from behind leaving two

constables --Baburam Markam belonging to the district force and Dinesh Ogre of Chhattisgarh Armed

Force (CAF) - injured. However, rebels fled from the spot as security forces launched the retaliatory

attack on them,” he added. Reinforcement was rushed to the spot and the injured were admitted to a

local hospital, he added. “While Markam succumbed to his injuries during the treatment, Ogre was

airlifted to Raipur for treatment,” he said. Meanwhile, security forces have launched a combing

operation in the region to trace the attackers, the SP added. (The Hindu 8/4/16)

41. 122 Naxals give up violence in Sukma (12)

Raipur: In a major achievement for the Chhattisgarh Police, a record 122 Naxals, including their

supporters, surrendered on Saturday with their arms in insurgency-riddled Sukma. The surrendered

ultras include several hardcore Naxals whom police were trying to apprehend for years for their

involvement in major attacks on police and civilians in sprawling Bastar region, Additional

Superintendent of Police Sukma (ASP) Santosh Singh said. “They (surrendered Maoists) were

strongly disappointed with Naxal ideology which propagates terror and wanted to return to

mainstream of society,” he added. Out of the 122 surrendered ultras, ten of them carried cash

rewards of `1 lakh each on their heads, police confirmed.Golapalli LOS member Ramesh, Polampalli

LOS member Raja, Kistaram LGS member Badru, Dandakaranya Kisan Adivasi Majdoor Sangh

(DKAMS) President of Kanger Ghati Pitvas alias Guddu, KMS member Raje, Janmilitia Commander

Kosa and Hunga, Chetna Natya Mandali President Undam Bheema and Undam Joga carried cash

reward of `1 lakh each on their heads. Likewise, DKAMS President of Katekalyan area committee

Mahadev carrying reward of `1.05 lakh on his head also surrendered before the police. Apart from

Naxals carrying reward of `1 lakh or more, 52 DKAMS members, 33 KMS members one CNM

member, 12 GRD members, one Adivasi Balak Sangthan members, 3 militia deputy commander one

from New Democratic Party (Telangana) and 4 Naxals supporters have left the path of violence, ASP

Singh said. A Naxal school teacher, a militia member, a Jantana Sarkar member, a president of Naxal

agriculture committee and a militia platoon member were also among surrendering persons, he

added. According to police the surrendering ultras were residents of various Maoist stronghold

villages like Kistaram, Jagargunda, Chintagufa, Tongapal, Dornapal, Maraiguda and Konta. They

were provided with financial assistance of `10,000 each and will be rehabilitated according to the

policy of State Government, the ASP said. (The Pioneer 10/4/16)

42. Proactive policing helps curb Maoist menace in Gadchiroli district (12)

Mumbai: Proactive policing has helped bring down activity of CPI (Maoists) in the Gadchiroli district of

Maharashtra over the past few years. While Maoist-affected regions are limited to Gadchiroli,

Chandrapur and Gondia districts, urban centres like Mumbai, Thane, Nagpur and Pune also have

significant number of Maoist sympathisers, according to sources in the state police. Gadchiroli

remains the most affected, with encounters between the police and the CPI (Maoist) cadre becoming

a regular feature in the district. For instance, in 2013, the police arrested 50 Maoists and killed 27.

While the surrender and rehabilitation policy for Maoists was formed in 2005, it was amended after

2013, after which a significant number of Maoists surrendered. In 2014, 13 were killed, 13 were

arrested and 37 surrendered, while in 2015, five were killed, 26 arrested and 56 surrendered. In 2016

– up to March – four were killed, seven arrested and 21 surrendered. Sources in the police said

aggressive policing has helped contain the problem and an effective government policy of surrender

has also helped. Also, in August 2014, the reward to those who tip off the police was increased by a

significant amount — the arrest or killing of the Maoist group general secretary comes with an award

of Rs1 crore. The government recently amended the scheme and the rewards will now be given to

those captured or killed from 2013, a source said, adding this was done as some big operations were

undertaken that year. The government did not leave out its forces that spend a lot of time combating

Maoists. To overcome the reluctance of officers to serve in the region, the state government has

introduced incentives, including accelerated promotions, to serve in the region. An accelerated

promotion is be given to those who have killed or arrested Maoists, defused landmines or have got

information that has led to an arms seizure. After being promoted, the police officer will be eligible for

higher pay as per the new rank, sources said. Superintendent of police (Gadchiroli) Sandip Patil said

114 Maoists have surrendered since 2014 and they have arrested 46 others. (Hindustan Times

12/4/16)

43. Naxals gun down ex-MLA’s bodyguard in Gadchiroli (12)

Nagpur: Head constable Nanaji Nagose (45), bodyguard of ex-MLA Deepak Atram, was shot dead by

six-member 'Action Team' of Naxalites at Challewada village in Aheri taluka in south Gadchiroli on

Thursday at a programme organized on the occasion of 125th birth annivesary of Dr Babasaheb

Ambedkar. Nagose, who suffered three bullet injuries, was shot from close quarters by Naxals who

also took away his AK-47 assault rifle and around 100 rounds of ammunition. This is the second

murder of a police personnel by Naxalites in south Gadchiroli within a short time. A constable from

Hedri post was shot dead in a similar manner by Naxal team earlier. The latest strike took place less

than seven kilometres of Repanpalli sub-post. It is learnt that Aheri local organizational squad (LOS)

commander Nandu Atram and Ashok were masterminds of the attack. The Naxals are learnt to have

fired almost half a dozen rounds during their operation before fleeing from the spot with the arms and

ammunitions of the slain cop. The villagers, gathered for the programme, too got panicked.

Superintendent of police, Gadchiroli, Sandip Patil said the rebels had taken to using the civilian attired

'Action Team' during their ongoing Tactical Counter Offensive Campaign (TCOC). "It is a Naxal plan

to single out cops for attack and decamping with firearms and ammunitions," said Patil. "There is also

a violation of Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) here as the bodyguards are expected to operate

in buddy pairs which was not done in present case," he said. Ex-MLA Atram, who was earlier

reportedly on Naxals' hit-list, had gone to Challewada to attend Dr Ambedkar birth anniversary

programme. The first speech of a lawyer-activist had just started when the rebels targeted the

bodyguard. Nagose, serving as Atram's guard for three years, was heading to drink water as the

former MLA settled on the dais. The erstwhile MLA has been allotted two armed guards by the district

police. Nagose and his counterpart were attached to Aheri police station. "We initially thought the

villagers were bursting crackers but later spotted people running around. The villagers and organizers

immediately cordoned off the place and also tried to get together but the Naxalites sneaked away," he

said. Atram said he had been allotted two guards but they attend to him alternatively violating the

SOP. It is learnt the Naxal team zeroed in on Nagose from close range leaving the guard dead at the

spot. The injured guard was flown to Gadchiroli by a helicopter but declared dead on arrival at

hospital. (Times of India 15/4/16)

44. Huge recovery of explosives in Naxal affected Cahnaduli district (12)

VARANASI: Chakia police in Naxal affected Chandauli district of Uttar Pradesh made a huge recovery

of explosives from Chakia-Ahraura (Mirzapur) road on Saturday afternoon. Police were trying to know

whether explosives were smuggled for any destruction by Naxalite groups or for illegal

mining.According to Chakia police, on tipped off the Chakia-Ahraura road was cordoned near

Shikarganj police outpost in afternoon and a massive checking drive was launched there. During the

checking drive police noticed a pick-up van and tried to stop it. But, before police could reach close to

it two persons jumped out of the van and fled from the scene leaving the vehicle abandoned.

Inspector Chakia Anand Singh informed, when the van was checked 16,000 gelatin rods packed in 40

plastic bags were found loaded on it. On getting information the SP Chandauli Amit Verma, teams of

Intelligence Bureau, bomb disposal squad and other agencies also reached there. During initial

investigation of police it surfaced that the explosives had been procured from a manufacturing unit of

Gomia (Jharkhand). The van was coming from the side of another Naxal affected Sonebhadra district.

As the police failed to catch the carriers it proved difficult for them to ascertain the reasons for the

purpose of smuggling of explosives in such a huge quantity. Verma constituted two teams of police to

arrest the carriers. (Times of India 16/4/16)

45. Maoists kill 22-yr-old ‘police informer’ in MP’s Balaghat dist (12)

Jabalpur: A 22-year-old man was killed allegedly by the Maoists on the suspicion of being a police

informer at village Pipartola in Balaghat district, police said on Sunday. Two villagers – Surendra

Singh Dhurve and Jangla Baiga alias Rajkumar (27) – were allegedly abducted by armed Maoists on

Friday. They were taken to the interior parts of the region where Dhruve was executed. The Maoists

also beat up Baiga, but he managed to escape. Dhruve’s body was found on the village outskirts on

Saturday night, police said, adding that the Maoists suspected he had informed the police about their

movement which led to the encounter in Chukkatola–Bhagwandeeh forest area on April 7. Balaghat

range inspector general of police DC Sagar said: “It is yet to be ascertained if any particular group of

Maoists (dalam) is behind the killing…More clues are being gathered from the area to track down

those involved in killing of the innocent villager.” Police have declared a reward of Rs 30,000 for

information on the whereabouts of the left-wing extremists who have allegedly killed the villager.

Maoists activity in Balaghat, the district worst affected by left wing extremism in Madhya Pradesh,

have increased over the last few months putting the police force alert. On April 11, over a dozen

Maoists set a truck at Dhiri Murum village in Mataghat jungles on fire. The truck, laden with bamboo,

was on its way to Lanjhi from Nandaura when the incident took place. Maoists, however, did not harm

truck driver Jehangir and labourers. They reportedly asked the men to get down from the truck before

setting the vehicle afire. The rebels allegedly gave some pamphlets to the truck driver and labourers

demands a hike in the wages of labourers engaged in plucking tendu leaves in the area. Jehangir

later lodged a report at Lanji police station after which a search operation was launched in the

area.Earlier, a group of Maoists allegedly kidnapped more than 12 sarpanchs from the district. They

were let off after a warning, directing them to either release the payment for people engaged in

MGNREGS works within two weeks or resign from their posts. On April 7, a woman rebel was injured

in a gun battle between the left-wing extremists and the joint forces of Madhya Pradesh Anti-Maoist

Hawk Force, Central Security Force and Balaghat district police in the jungles between Chukkatola

and Bhagwandeeh. The Maoists were camping in the jungles in Balaghat district to extort money from

contractors of tendu leaf plucking on the Madhya Pradesh-Chhattisgarh-Maharashatra trisection.

(Hindustan Times 18/4/16)

46. Dantewada attack was revenge: Maoists (12)

NAGPUR: The outlawed Communist Party of India (Maoist) has claimed responsibility for the killing of

seven Central Reserve Police Force personnel in an IED explosion in the Dantewada district of Bastar

last month. “The Malewara attack on the CRPF was a fitting reply to the exploitative Modi-Raman

Singh regime and revenge for our party’s martyrs. The attack was a part of our PLGA’s (People’s

Liberation Guerrilla Army) response to the government of Chhattisgarh’s mission 2016 against us,”

said a statement issued by the south sub zonal bureau of the CPI (Maoist). “The Chhattisgarh

government has been running a campaign called ‘Mission 2016’ to flush out Maoists from Bastar. In

the name of this mission, the security forces are indulging in attacks on the villages of Bastar. Local

civilians are being harassed and are being branded as ‘warrantee Maoists’. “People of Bastar are

being stashed in jails under fraud cases. In the name of encounter killings, local tribals are being killed

in cold blood. Since January this year, more than 50 local civilians of Bastar and our party cadres

have been killed in fake encounters,” alleged the banned outfit. (The Hindu 22/4/16)

47. Chhattisgarh: Wanted Maoist commander gunned down in encounter (12)

RAIPUR: A Maoist carrying a cash reward of Rs 1 lakh on his head was gunned down in a fierce

encounter with security forces in the forests of Kistaram in insurgency-hit Sukma district of Bastar

division on Saturday. The rebel was identified as militia commander Sodi Pandu of Kumudtong

village, wanted in many blasts and attacks on security forces. According to Sukma additional

superintendent of police, Santosh Singh, acting on a tip off by a surrendered cadre at Dornapal, about

presence of Maoists in the region, a joint team of Special Task Force and District Reserve Guard

were on an operation in forests of Kistaram in Sukma when a fierce gun-battle broke out between the

rebels and forces which went on till one hour.Sensing the pressure, Maoists fled in dense forest and

the troops while searching the region recovered a uniformed body of a Maoist. Security personnel

also recovered a country-made weapon, electric wire, few rounds and Maoist literature. Police

suspect more rebels may have been killed and injured as the blood stains were found all around the

place and there were marks of bodies being dragged. Pandu, was a member of Jantana sarkar and

Kumudtong militia commander. He was wanted in many cases like IED blast at Dharampenta last

year that killed a CAF jawan, attacks on camp at Velkaguda, digging up roads and planting IEDs at

many places. His crime record was being verified. In another incident, an assistant constable of

District Reserve Guard committed suicide by consuming poison at Jagdalpur, he was rushed to

hospital when he started vomiting, but he died during treatment. (Times of India 23/4/16)

48. Naxals burn machines, construction equipment (12)

Nagpur: The ongoing construction work of an interstate bridge on Pranhita river on Maharashtra-

Telangana border was thwarted by the Naxalites who set an excavator on fire and also damaged

other equipment at the construction site at Gudem in Aheri taluka on Tuesday. Property and material

worth Rs 1 crore was damaged in the attack. Naxal violence erupted a day after substantial strength

of paramilitary forces was shifted to south Gadchiroli. The rebels had been targeting the sites of

various developmental and infrastructure projects in the district. Security too has been beefed up at

these sites. In the latest action, Naxals are learnt to have targeted the site at Gudem where security

was not present. (Times of India 28/4/16)

49. Jawan injured in face-off with Maoists in Chhattisgarh (12)

Raipur: A CoBRA (Commando Battalion for Resolute Action) jawan was on Tuesday injured in an

exchange of fire with Maoists in the dense forests of Chhattisgarh’s insurgency-hit Bijapur district,

police said. The skirmish took place early Tuesday morning when a team of CRPF’s elite unit -

CoBRA 204th battalion was conducting an anti-naxal operation in the interiors of Basaguda police

station limits - a naxal hotbed, Bijapur Additional Superintendent of Police Indira Kalyan Elesela told

PTI. While cordoning off the region, located around 450 km away from the state capital, when security

forces reached Puvarti village forests, the Maoists began firing at them leaving a constable Deepu

Das injured, he said. However, Maoists soon fled from the spot as jawans launched retaliatory attack

on them, he said. “Das, a constable belonging to CoBRA 204th battalion sustained bullet injuries on

his back,” Elesela said. Reinforcement was rushed to the spot and the injured jawan was evacuated

from the forests, he said adding that he has been airlifted to Raipur for treatment. (Hindustan Times

26/4/16)