‘Year's biggest anti-Maoist operation' underway on Chhattisgarh-Telangana border, top commanders are target
An anti-Maoist operation, which security sources termed the biggest one launched so far this year, is underway at the Chhattisgarh-Telangana border with the aim of severely depleting the military strength of the Maoists' most dreaded battalion, senior officials said.
At least three members of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist) were killed in an encounter that broke out in Bijapur on Thursday during the operation. The number of Maoists killed in the operation is likely to go up, sources said.
'Operation Karreguttalu' was launched from Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district to the Karregutta Hills in Mulugu district across the border in Telangana after security agencies received specific inputs that top Maoist leaders and commanders, including Hidma Madvi, were spotted in the area.
'Before launching this operation, a meeting was held of all the senior officers of CRPF, Telangana and Chhattisgarh Police, during which they prepared their strategy. The operation is led by the 210th battalion of CRPF's CoBRA units and has teams from the Chhattisgarh Police, its special task force (STF), District Reserve Guard, some regular CRPF units as well as Telangana Police,' a source said.
Another officer said the CRPF Director General G P Singh was asked to be present in Raipur and Jagdalpur to monitor the operation.
An officer said this is the biggest operation launched by security forces in or around Chhattisgarh this year and that currently, around 7,000 security personnel are involved in this operation.
'About four choppers, two drone squadrons comprising 20 big and small UAVs in each, along with satellite imagery and maps provided by the NTRO, have been deployed to track Hidma,' the officer said.
On the significance of the operation, a senior official said, 'It is crucial because it is a battle to finish off the military strength of the CPI (Maoists) by targeting Battalion 1 of the People's Liberation Guerilla Army (PLGA) as well as the Maoists' thinktank in the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee and Telangan State Committee.'
The official said that while three bodies were recovered in the search operation on Thursday, 'many more might have been killed or seriously injured'. He also said that no security forces personnel were injured.
Chhattisgarh Police said in a statement that the three dead Maoists were from Battalion 1 of the PLGA, 'the most dangerous armed unit of the CPI (Maoist).'
Sources said security forces have surrounded PLGA Battalion 1 and members of the Telangana State Committee (TSC) and Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee.
Another source said the operation will continue for several days.
Describing the encounter as a decisive operation, Inspector General of Police for Bastar Range, Sundarraj P, said: 'So far, three bodies have been recovered from the forest area. Search operations are going on. All three Maoists are women. We have seized weapons, explosives and Maoist material from the spot.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
Marines chopper spotted in Los Angeles? Video surfaces amid reports of fresh deployment
A video circulating on social media showed a helicopter, resembling the Marine chopper, flying over Los Angeles as citywide anti-ICE protests continued on Monday. However, neither President Donald Trump nor the White House have confirmed if the force was deployed. National Guard troops were deployed in LA over the weekend. This comes as CNN cited three sources to report that roughly 500 Marines based out of the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in California have been mobilized to respond to the protests. The publication further added that the Marines will join the National Guard troops. ABC News cited an official to report a much higher number. The network reported that 700 marines have been ordered to assist in Los Angeles and they're expected to arrive over the next 24 hours. The media outlet said that the Marines are from the 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines at Twentynine Palms, California, who US Northern Command had said Sunday were on a 'prepared to deploy status'. President Donald Trump was meanwhile asked if he planned on sending Marines to LA. "We'll see what happens. I mean, I think we have it very well under control. I think it would have been a very bad situation. It was heading in the wrong direction. It's now heading in the right direction,' he said on Monday.
The Hindu
an hour ago
- The Hindu
Foreign aid and financial woes
When reports last week stated that the Chief Minister's Relief Fund of Maharashtra had been allowed to receive foreign contributions under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA), the CPI(M)-led Left government in Kerala was quick to depict this as yet another act of discrimination against the southern State by the Centre. It recalled that the Centre had declined the Kerala government's plea for accepting foreign aid in the days following the 2018 floods — a catastrophe that left large-scale destruction in its wake. Kerala Finance Minister K.N. Balagopal said that while his State welcomed the approval for Maharashtra, it believed that it was unbecoming of the Central government to indulge in 'political bias' in moments of great crisis. He stressed that it is important that the Centre treats every State equally. He added that it was unfortunate that politics, and not the scale of disasters, had become the yardstick in such matters. This was an apparent reference to the fact that the BJP-led Mahayuti coalition governs Maharashtra. In the aftermath of the floods, the Centre had sparked a controversy by declining permission for Kerala to accept foreign aid, including a reported ₹700 crore offer from the UAE. Kerala's discomfiture with the foreign aid nod to Maharashtra is the latest episode in a protracted stand-off between the State and Centre. Kerala believes that it is being discriminated against, and denied its fair share of financial resources by the Centre. It has repeatedly complained about drastic cuts in financial allocations to it, and the 'unfair limits' placed on its fiscal space. The Kerala government had taken the battle over restrictions on its borrowing capacity to the Supreme Court. On the political front, the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) has consistently accused the Centre of attempting to 'financially choke' Kerala. It has blamed the Centre's skewed policies for the State's financial woes. The State government believes that recent Union Budgets have also caused disappointment to the State, as they have ignored pressing demands on the financial front. For instance, Kerala's plea for a ₹24,000 crore economic package to prop up its finances were not mentioned in the 2024-25 and 2025-26 Union Budgets. More recently, the government slammed the Union Finance Ministry for cutting a little over ₹3,300 crore from its borrowing limit for the 2025-26 fiscal under the pretext of the Guarantee Redemption Fund. The foreign aid nod to Maharashtra also presented the LDF government an opportunity to reiterate its dismay over the Centre's approach to the deadly July 30, 2024, landslides in Wayanad district. In the aftermath of the tragedy, the Kerala government had announced plans for a structured rehabilitation programme, which included the building of townships with amenities for survivors. Mr. Balagopal said that the people of Kerala had, on two instances, expected Prime Minister Narendra Modi to announce special aid to Wayanad: first, when he visited that district in August last year; and second, when he visited Thiruvananthapuram to inaugurate the seaport at Vizhinjam. On both occasions, their hopes were dashed, he said. Time and again, Kerala has accused the BJP government of paying scant regard to cooperative federalism — the driving spirit of Centre-State relations. It is evident that the trust deficit between the two entities on financial matters persists, notwithstanding the much-discussed breakfast meeting that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan hosted for Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman at New Delhi in March. It remains to be seen how Kerala's financial grievances concerning Union government policies will be addressed, as the southern State inches closer to a frenetic election season. The by-election in the Nilambur Assembly constituency in Malappuram district is scheduled to take place on June 19; elections to the rural and urban local bodies are scheduled to take place towards the end of 2025; and the Legislative Assembly polls are set to take place in the first half of 2026. In matters of State finances, Kerala will be keenly watching the recommendations made by the 16th Finance Commission led by Arvind Panagariya later this year. The State has sought a higher share of resources, arguing that its share of the divisible pool was brought down to 1.92% under the 15th Commission from 3.88% under the 10th.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Rahul seeks immediate action against culprits
Bhopal: Lok Sabha LOP Rahul Gandhi on Monday said that the 11 years of Narendra Modi govt was full of humiliation, violence, and discrimination against Dalits. Rahul Gandhi was reacting to the death of 19-year-old Dalit youth Pankaj Prajapati in Bilahari, Chhattarpur district on Sunday. Taking to X, Rahul Gandhi said, "In Madhya Pradesh, 19-year-old Pankaj Prajapati was shot dead in public only because he, being a Dalit, demanded his share of rights. FIR was not registered, postmortem was postponed – because the guilty leader is sitting in the lap of power and the power belongs to Manuwadi and anti-Bahujan BJP." He added, "The 11 years of Modi govt was full of humiliation, violence, and discrimination against Dalits, adivasis, backward classes, and minorities. The conspiracy to institutionally make them second-class citizens and keep them away from the mainstream is continuing. The culprits should be arrested immediately and given the harshest punishment. I stand with the Prajapati family and every Bahujan of the country. This is a fight for respect, justice, and equality, and we will win this fight at all costs." State Congress president Jitu Patwari said that the Bilahari firing incident exposes the failure of law and order in MP. "This heinous crime has once again exposed the deteriorating law and order situation in Madhya Pradesh under the BJP govt," he said. TNN
