Chhattisgarh: 10k troops in massive hunt for Hidma & Deva; 3 women Maoists killed in encounter
Chhattisgarh: 3 Naxals killed in massive operation
RAIPUR: A massive security operation is on in a densely forested area on the Chhattisgarh-Telangana border, with over 10,000 troops from both states having cornered around 200 Maoists, including top commanders Hidma, Deva and Damodar.
Three Maoists were killed in gunfights on Thursday, but the toll may be much higher, say officers. With ration being dropped by Mi-17 helicopters, it's clear the troops are digging in for the long haul.
Bastar IG P Sundarraj has set up a command centre at Venkatapuram in Telangana, just across the border, and is personally supervising the operation. He told TOI that bodies of three Naxalites have been recovered, and several other Maoists are suspected to have been killed in the fierce gunbattle.
Pushed by the advancing forces, the Maoists have climbed atop a 1km-high hill named 'Neelam Saray' and have scattered into small groups across a 50-60sqkm area. Security personnel are on the foothills, trying to surround them. The battle is at a very tense stage as the Maoists have the advantage of higher ground and the forces have to fight an uphill battle.
by Taboola
by Taboola
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Promoted Links
Promoted Links
You May Like
Giao dịch vàng CFDs với sàn môi giới tin cậy
IC Markets
Tìm hiểu thêm
Undo
'It's one of the biggest operations ever launched in Bastar region for sure. There are over 10,000 security personnel involved, with assistance from Telangana, too,' an officer told TOI.
Calling it a 'decisive operation' against the Maoists, a police statement issued on Thursday evening said that there is a strong likelihood of several Maoists being killed or injured in the 'full-fledged offensive' against Maoists of Battalion 1, and Dandakaranya and Telangana committees. A large cache of weapons, explosives and
Maoist
materials has been recovered from the encounter site, along with three bodies of uniformed women Maoists, it said.
Preliminary identification indicates that the trio belonged to
PLGA Battalion 1
, police said.
The operation was launched on Monday. An officer indicated that senior Maoist commanders Hidma, Damodar and Deva from central committee, PLGA Battalion 1 and Telangana state committee were present at the location. So are scores of PLGA cadres – the most hardcore insurgents.
They had gathered for a meeting in a hideout that was still under the grip of Maoists in Bijapur, but security forces surprised them in their lair. The noose is tightening and forces are trying to cut off all escape routes.
Thursday's gunfight took place in the forests on Karegutta hills in Bijapur district, very close to the Telangana border. It's around 8-10 kms from Cherla (50-60 km from Bijapur), which is serving as the launch pad for the operation. Choppers are taking off from Cherla with ration, water, and additional requirements to the encounter site.
Maoists have fired upon choppers transporting logistics for the jawans who have been out on the operation for three days.
Official sources said that over 5,000 security personnel from Chhattisgarh are on the mission – state police units District Reserve Guard (DRG), Bastar Fighters, Special Task Force (STF), as well as CRPF and CoBRA commandos. An equal number is from Telangana.
Thursday was the eighth anniversary of the Burkapal ambush in which 28 CRPF personnel were killed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
29 minutes ago
- Time of India
Greta Thunberg claims she has been 'kidnapped'; Israel says Gaza-bound 'selfie yacht' diverted: What we know
Climate activist Greta Thunberg , en route to war-torn Gaza, on Monday claimed that she had been kidnapped by Israeli forces and appealed for help. In response, Israeli authorities said that the aid vessel carrying Thunberg and other activists had been "diverted" to Israel. 'If you see this video, we are being intercepted and kidnapped in international waters by the Israeli occupational forces, or forces that support Israel," Thunberg said in the clip. Israel foreign ministry condemned this move calling it a "publicity" stunt and informed that "selfie yacht" was being diverted to Israel. It advised the passengers to return to their home countries. The October 7 Hamas-led attack killed about 1,200 people in Israel and took 251 hostages, with 55 still held—many presumed dead. In response, Israel's military campaign has killed over 54,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children according to Gaza's health ministry. The war has devastated Gaza, displacing nearly 90% of its population and leaving residents heavily reliant on international aid. Here's what we know so far: 'Intercepted and kidnapped,' claims Thunberg Thunberg, and 11 other activists were on their way to Gaza to deliver aid when the climate activist claimed that their ship had been "intercepted and kidnapped" by Israeli forces in the international waters. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Argentina: Nueva oportunidad de inversión en Miami Financiación Empresarial Más información Undo She further appealed the Swedish government to release her. 'My name is Greta Thunberg, and I am from Sweden. If you see this video, we are being intercepted and kidnapped in international waters by the Israeli occupational forces, or forces that support Israel. I urge all my friends, family and comrades to put pressure on the Swedish government to release me and the others as soon as possible.' The Madleen, which set sail from Sicily a week ago, was organised by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition. During its journey, the vessel stopped on Thursday to rescue four migrants who had leapt into the sea in an attempt to escape detention by the Libyan coast guard. Rima Hassan, a French member of the European Parliament of Palestinian origin, was also among the volunteers on the vessel. She has been denied entry into Israel due to her outspoken criticism of Israeli policies toward Palestinians. 'Selfie yacht passengers safe' Taking a swipe at the activists, Israel posted a video of the ship in which the IDF was seen providing food and water to those aboard. Calling them "selfie yacht passengers" it said that the "show is over". "All the passengers of the 'selfie yacht' are safe and unharmed. They were provided with sandwiches and water. The show is over," it said. 'Ways to deliver aid that doesn't involve Instagram selfies' Providing the reasoning behind diverting the ship to Israel, its foreign ministry said that there were "ways to deliver aid to the Gaza Strip — they do not involve Instagram selfies." "The 'selfie yacht' of the 'celebrities' is safely making its way to the shores of Israel. The passengers are expected to return to their home countries," the Israeli foreign ministry said. "While Greta and others attempted to stage a media provocation whose sole purpose was to gain publicity — and which included less than a single truckload of aid — more than 1,200 aid trucks have entered Gaza from Israel within the past two weeks, and in addition, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has distributed close to 11 million meals directly to civilians in Gaza," it added. It further informed that the "tiny aid" left on the vessel would be delivered to Gaza. "There are ways to deliver aid to the Gaza Strip — they do not involve Instagram selfies. The tiny amount of aid that was on the yacht and not consumed by the 'celebrities' will be transferred to Gaza through real humanitarian channels," it said.
Time of India
30 minutes ago
- Time of India
A referendum to give Italians chance to loosen citizenship laws for immigrants
Long after seeing millions of Italians emigrate as they fled poverty and war, Italy has now become a country to which millions of people have migrated, its schools and neighbourhoods filling with Africans, Asians, Latin Americans and Eastern Europeans. Yet many here say the law has not kept up with this dramatic demographic and social change, still making it too hard for immigrants to become Italian. On Sunday and Monday, Italians will be called to vote in a referendum to decide whether to reduce the legally required residency to five from 10 years to be able to apply for citizenship. A change in the law would allow hundreds of thousands of foreigners to apply for citizenship, and would be a blow to conservative PM Giorgia Meloni, who opposes loosening the citizenship law. But for the referendum to pass, a majority of Italian voters must turn out, with most of them voting "yes. " Many observers are skeptical that will happen in a country where turnout is low. Who can be Italian? When Italy was a country that sent emigres abroad, generous bloodline citizenship rules allowed people of Italian descent, even if remote, to obtain citizenship, helping maintain a link with the diaspora. On the other hand, Italy has made it hard for immigrants to obtain citizenship. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like This Device Made My Power Bill Drop Overnight elecTrick - Save upto 80% on Power Bill Pre-Order Undo Immigrants from countries outside EU with sufficient income and no criminal record can apply for citizenship only after 10 years of uninterrupted residency in Italy. That is longer than other European countries, where under some conditions immigrants can apply for citizenship after five years. In Italy, children of lawful immigrants can apply only once they have turned 18 and if they have continuously lived in the country since birth. Supporters of the rules say Italy already grants large numbers of new citizenships, but opponents say hundreds of thousands of people reside in Italy without being citizens. What would change? The change proposed would allow nearly 1.5 million foreigners to obtain citizenship, according to an estimate by an Italian research centre. That would include nearly 300,000 minors, who would obtain citizenship if their parents do. Among those affected is Meriem Khaldoun, a Moroccan architect in the northern Italian city of Genoa. Khaldoun has lived in Italy her whole adult life. But because she formally registered her residency only five years ago, she must wait five more years to apply for Italian citizenship. In the meantime, she is working with the city's authorities on an urban regeneration project. Progressive parties have largely supported the referendum, but the right has opposed it. Will it pass? It won't be clear whether enough voters cast ballots until polls close Monday afternoon. In the 1970s and 1980s, voters flocked to polls for referendums to uphold legalisation of divorce and abortion. But in last referendum in 2022, only 20% of voters turned
Hindustan Times
35 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Question mark over the future of MVA amid talks of new alliances
Amidst the talk of a Shiv Sena (UBT)-MNS reunion as well as the two factions of the NCP, there seems to be a question mark over the future of the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi. If the Thackeray cousins come together, they may not prefer an alliance with the Congress though there is a possibility of them joining hands with the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP). 'If Uddhav and Raj come together, they can invite Pawar to join them and it could be a front of three regional outfits in Maharashtra,' said a senior Thackeray faction leader. On the other hand, the Pawar uncle-nephew duo too seem to be getting along well, increasing the buzz about the two NCP factions coming together. The two have been frequently sharing a dais, and party workers are wondering whether these are attempts to create a background for the reunion. This leaves the Congress without potential allies in Maharashtra. According to Congress leaders, the NCP (SP)'s not signing the INDIA letter for a Joint Session of Parliament to discuss the India-Pakistan conflict, and top NCP (SP) leaders not supporting Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's allegations that election system was rigged by the BJP to win the Maharashtra assembly polls are signs that the distance between the two parties is growing. Anticipating that they may have to go solo in the forthcoming local body polls, the Congress top brass has asked the state leaders to prepare for this. All in all, there is a strong buzz in political circles that there could be several political developments leading to a realignment of forces before the local body polls. The series of meetings that has been happening behind closed doors in almost all camps in the past few days is an indication of this. Fadnavis and Gadchiroli Devendra Fadnavis is the first chief minister to stay overnight in Maoist-affected Gadchiroli, of which he was appointed guardian minister in January. On Friday, he stayed there after attending various programmes in the district, something he has done thrice before. Significantly, he also visited Kawande, a remote village in Bhamragad tehsil of Gadchiroli on the Maharashtra-Chhattisgarh border, which is considered part of the area under the influence of Maoists. Again, he was the state' first chief minister to reach the area, for which a new outpost of security forces was built in just 24 hours. The outpost will continue to function now, Fadnavis assured the villagers at a function where 12 Maoists surrendered under a rehabilitation scheme of the government. According to the CMO, Fadnavis has made 25 trips to Gadchiroli in his three tenures as chief minister and home minister of the state. Significantly, Maoist activities have reduced considerably in the district. Sanjay Raut and Shinde's offer Speaking at a Marathi channel's programme, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut disclosed that deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde had tried to persuade him to join him before he split the Shiv Sena in 2022. It happened when Raut and Shinde were together during the Ayodhya trip of Shiv Sena leaders a little before the split in the party. Raut said that Shinde had come to his room and told him that he was leaving the party and requested him to join. 'He was worried about central agency probes into his affairs, and told me that this was not the age for him to go to jail,' he said. Raut added that he advised Shinde not to betray the party and be patient but the latter did not listen to him. Shinde's friendly relations with Raut as well as Uddhav Thackeray's personal secretary Milind Narvekar were well known in Sena circles. The duo did play a role in him climbing up the ladder in the party. As such, Raut's disclosure is unlikely to shock his party colleagues. So far, Shinde has not reacted to Raut's claim. VVIPs' pilot trouble Aides of top leaders who look after their tour arrangements are often worried about their flight schedules. The leaders are mostly behind schedule due to various reasons and it affects their flying schedule, which pilots complain about to the aides. This came to light once again on Friday when a pilot flying a chartered aircraft for Shinde refused to fly to Mumbai from Jalgaon, as it would involve flying beyond his scheduled flying hours. The pilot was already close to ending his nine hours of duty and was fatigued. He agreed after permission for the flight was obtained from the aviation authorities by Shiv Sena leaders. A personal secretary of a top government functionary pointed out that their bosses often took things for granted due to their heavy schedules and meeting people but it was also risky for them. 'Often, we find it difficult to convince them to stick to a schedule while on tour and using aircraft to travel,' he said.
