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The Hindu
3 days ago
- The Hindu
CRPF DG reviews security for Amarnath Yatra
Director General of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Gyanendra Pratap Singh chaired a meeting in Jammu to review the security readiness of the force ahead of the Amarnath Yatra in Jammu and Kashmir. Also read: Amit Shah arrives in J&K to review security situation, plans for Amarnath Yatra The 38-day pilgrimage to the 3,880-meter-high cave shrine in south Kashmir is scheduled to start on July 3 and conclude on August 9, according to the announcement made by the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB). "DG CRPF G P Singh chaired a crucial meeting at Jammu Sector Headquarters with senior officers of CRPF to evaluate security readiness for Amarnath Yatra 2025," the CRPF said on X. The arrangements have been scrutinised in detail to ensure the seamless movement of devotees, it added. On Wednesday (May 28), the DG visited the Kashmir valley and conducted a strategic review of preparedness for the yatra to ensure its smooth conduct. He also visited key pilgrimage locations, including the base and transit camps, assessing on-ground arrangements and reaffirming the commitment to a secure, smooth, and spiritually enriching yatra for all devotees. The journey to the Amarnath cave shrine can be undertaken through two routes — the traditional 48-km route via Pahalgam in south Kashmir's Anantnag district, and the 14-km shorter but steeper Baltal route in central Kashmir's Ganderbal district. The Centre has ordered the deployment of 580 companies, comprising about 42,000 on-ground personnel of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs), for the annual Amarnath Yatra.
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First Post
3 days ago
- Politics
- First Post
CRPF jawan arrested for spying got Rs 3,500 a month from Pak intel officer who posed as journalist: Report
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested Central Reserve Police Force ASI Moti Ram Jat from Delhi earlier this week, after alleging that he shared sensitive information with Pakistani agents in return for monetary funds read more An assistant sub-inspector of the CRPF has been arrested after he was found sharing classified information with Pakistani spies posing as journalists for the past two years. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested Central Reserve Police Force ASI Moti Ram Jat from Delhi earlier this week, after alleging that he shared sensitive information with Pakistani agents in return for monetary funds. Jat received Rs 3,500 per month for providing intelligence to Pakistan and Rs 12,000 for crucial information, according to a report by the Indian Express. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD What info did he pass on? Jat allegedly shared information like Union Home Minister Amit Shah's visit to Jammu and Kashmir following the Pahalgam attack of April 22, the closure of 50 tourist spots, the movement and strength and the CRPF force. 'Jat allegedly provided multiple classified documents related to security personnel deployment, information of troops movement, reports of the multi-agency centre (MAC) of intelligence agencies, and sometimes the locations of terrorist movement,' a source told the news outlet. In a few of his exchanges, Jat shared news clippings related to paramilitary forces, but the recipients advised him against sending information that was already publicly accessible. 'After one or two months, they started giving Rs 3,500 to him on the fourth day of every month, and also Rs 12,000 for crucial information. He received the money in his and his wife's accounts,' the source claimed. Spies posed as TV journalists A woman posing as a journalist from Chandigarh and associated with a leading news channel approached Jat, seeking information that was classified in nature. After a few conversations over calls and texts, Jat allegedly began passing on information to the woman. After a few months, a man posing as a journalist from the same news channel started receiving information from him. Jat's activities were under the scanner for weeks, following which he was transferred to Delhi just days before the Pahalgam terror attack.
Hans India
3 days ago
- Sport
- Hans India
Roll Ball player and coach from TG to represent Team India in World Championship
Hyderabad: Roll Ball player Sreeshanth and his coach Shilpa Waghray from Telangana are part of the World Cup Roll Ball Championship (under 17) team. The Roll Ball player Sreeshanth represents Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and has become the first from Telangana to be selected to represent India in the World Cup Roll Ball Championship. The championship is slated to be held in Kenya from June 22 to 29. Sreeshanth is coached by Shilpa Waghray, who is also from Telangana and she has also been named as the assistant coach of Team India.
Hindustan Times
3 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Forces raze memorials in Maoist citadels
On February 9, security forces gunned down 31 Maoists in the jungles of Indravati National Park in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district, inflicting the highest single-day toll on the insurgency at the time. After an eight-hour gunbattle involving at least a thousandparamilitary and police personnel, the forces recovered the bodies of 31 uniformed Maoists, along with a large cache of weapons, including AK47s, SLRs, INSAS rifles, .303 rifles, BGL launchers, and explosives. But that's not all the forces found. 'After the encounter, the forces also came across a tall stone memorial built in the memory of the Maoists' senior comrade, Katakam Sudarshan, aka Anand,' said a Central Reserve Police Force officer in Bijapur, who asked not to be named. Katakam Sudarshan, a politburo member of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist) died of natural causes on May 31, 2023. 'We had information about the memorial but we had never entered the area until a few months ago as it was a Naxal stronghold. The area was not under our control so we had left it untouched all these years,' added the officer. 'The stone structure has now been destroyed.' That's not the only one. Over the last year, as security forces pushed deeper into the Maoist heartland and made inroads into territories considered too hostile even five years ago, they started smashing scores of what they claim are makeshift memorials to various Maoist leaders. This symbolic purge – to remove traces of Maoist influence across the once-infamous red corridor – has now become a part of the government's aggressive move to wipe out the decades-old insurgency by next spring. 'Such structures help Naxals keep the locals under their control by wielding a fake narrative that the area is under their control ,' the officer quoted above said. Security officials said that after entering Maoist strongholds in left-wing extremism (LWE) affected districts of Sukma, Bijapur, Narayanpur, and Dantewada, the forces repeatedly found red sandstone structures, some with several storeys in the shape of a tower as high as 60 feet. At least 147 such structures have either been bombed or brought down, said the officials. 'The memorials, all built using cement and painted red, range from 6- 60 feet in height. There is a common pattern too. A tall red memorial with the name of their slain leader or the date of the incident, when they have died. These were leaders who have masterminded and killed thousands of security forces personnel,' said a Central Reserve Police Force officer in Bijapur, who asked not to be named. Since the memorials were built in Naxal strongholds, the rebels had access to cement from nearby villages and were even able to use heavy machinery to construct the structures, the officer added. The memorials, resembling red pagodas, have the names of slain Maoist leaders, the date they died on, and messages in Hindi or Telegu paying tribute to the 'fallen comrade' inscribed on them. Some also have the flag of CPI (Maoist). But there are never any photographs. 'There will always be an erected podium in front of the memorial. The podium is where the Naxal cadres take oath every morning. Surrendered Naxals confirmed that recruitments and later training were held in front of such memorials inside the jungle. Over the last year, as the number of such memorials in Naxal areas became common and more frequent, an order was issued to destroy every symbol,' said the CRPF officer quoted above. The forces started discovering more of these memorials as they made inroads in Naxal strongholds. In December 2024, they came across a 60- feet tall concrete structure (shaped like a tower) built in the memory of Akkiraju Haragopal, a Maoist central committee member. Haragopal, aka Ramakrishna, died of natural causes in the forests sometime in October 2021, said a police officer. It had the date October 14, 2021 — the day the Maoist leader likely died — inscribed along with a message in Telugu paying homage to him and the Maoist movement. The structure was destroyed after the forces entered the Komatpalli village in Bijapur and set up the Vatevagu camp. 'It must have been the tallest such memorial. It took nearly 3-4 hours to get rid of the structure. When the forces took control of that area in Bijapur and found the structure, we all knew it was the first thing that needed to go. In all these years, these Naxals were emboldened to build such memorials and remind the innocent villagers of their influence. We ordered a JCB earthmover and toppled the structure,' said a police officer involved in the operation. Security personnel said they are mindful of not damaging structures that are aligned with tribal culture and customs. The police say these memorials served as nodes of the Maoist operation inside the forest – around where training would happen, events glorifying the killing of security forces and civilians would be held. 'Building memorials is part of the Naxal propaganda…Naxals did this to keep people under their influence. Outside these memorials Naxals held their Shaheed Diwas, glorified violence, and symbolised their leaders as heroes,' said inspector general (IG) of Bastar range, Sundarraj P. The forces believe smashing these memorials is key to dispelling the notion that the rebels still hold control of large swathes of forestland from where they've been recently wiped out – especially in weaning local villagers away from what the government believes is now a demoralised insurgency. 'There are less than 350 armed cadres who are refusing to surrender and putting up a fight with security forces. Hundreds of them have already surrendered,' said another police officer. Sundarraj said in some cases, the requests for destroying the memorials came from local villagers themselves after forces set up camps in the areas. 'People also do not want to remember that legacy…At many places people themselves have requested us to get it removed because the future of their children, who could have gone to school, were destroyed by Naxals,' he said. 'Such memorials won't be allowed.'
Indian Express
3 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Arrested for ‘spying': Pakistan officers posed as journalists, got key info from CRPF ASI, finds probe
Union Home Minister Amit Shah's visit to Jammu and Kashmir hours after the Pahalgam terror attack, 50 tourist spots closing down, movement and strength of CRPF troops, and suspected location of terrorists — these are some of the key inputs allegedly shared by an assistant sub-inspector of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) over the last two years with Pakistan intelligence officers, who posed as TV journalists and gave him Rs 3,500 per month, and an additional Rs 12,000 for crucial information, The Indian Express has learnt. Earlier this week, the National Investigation Agency said it had arrested CRPF ASI Moti Ram Jat from Delhi and was questioning him. The Central agency alleged he shared classified information with Pakistani agents and was taking funds from them. He was posted with a CRPF battalion in J&K's Pahalgam and was transferred to Delhi five days before the April 22 terror attack on the tourist destination. Before the case was handed over to the NIA, Jat was questioned by the central intelligence agencies and the senior officials of the CRPF. 'He was allegedly approached by a woman posing as a Chandigarh-based news reporter from a leading TV news channel, who requested that he share some information. After some messages and phone calls, including over video, Jat allegedly started sharing classified documents with her. After two-three months, a man, a Pakistan intelligence officer, started talking to him, posing as a journalist of the same news channel,' said a CRPF source. Officials from central intelligence agencies and the CRPF also examined Jat's phone and found that he had not deleted any messages. 'Jat allegedly provided multiple classified documents related to security personnel deployment, information of troops movement, reports of the multi-agency centre (MAC) of intelligence agencies, and sometimes the locations of terrorist movement,' the source claimed. In some of his conversations, Jat shared some news clippings of paramilitary forces, but was asked by the persons on the other end not to share information that is already available in the public domain. 'After one or two months, they started giving Rs 3,500 to him on the fourth day of every month, and also Rs 12,000 for crucial information. He received the money in his and his wife's accounts,' claimed the source. Sources said his activity was under the scanner for weeks, and he was transferred to Delhi five days before the Pahalgam terror attack. 'Though information of Shah's visit to J&K after the Pahalgam terror attack was available on news channels, he also allegedly shared it with them even after coming to Delhi. He also informed them that 50 tourist spots were shut down due to security reasons,' said the source. He was remanded in the agency's custody until June 6 by the Special Court at Patiala House Courts. 'We have arrested Jat. He was actively involved in espionage activity and had been sharing classified information related to national security with PIOs since 2023. We have also found that he was receiving funds from the PIOs through various conduits,' an NIA spokesperson said. He has been dismissed from service. A CRPF spokesperson said that Jat was found to have violated established norms and protocols during 'sustained monitoring' of his social media activity in coordination with central agencies. Mahender Singh Manral is an Assistant Editor with the national bureau of The Indian Express. He is known for his impactful and breaking stories. He covers the Ministry of Home Affairs, Investigative Agencies, National Investigative Agency, Central Bureau of Investigation, Law Enforcement Agencies, Paramilitary Forces, and internal security. Prior to this, Manral had extensively reported on city-based crime stories along with that he also covered the anti-corruption branch of the Delhi government for a decade. He is known for his knack for News and a detailed understanding of stories. He also worked with Mail Today as a senior correspondent for eleven months. He has also worked with The Pioneer for two years where he was exclusively covering crime beat. During his initial days of the career he also worked with The Statesman newspaper in the national capital, where he was entrusted with beats like crime, education, and the Delhi Jal Board. A graduate in Mass Communication, Manral is always in search of stories that impact lives. ... Read More
