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Time of India
6 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Maoists loot 4k kg explosives in Odisha; IED strikes feared
BHUBNAESWAR: Maoists looted a truck carrying 4,000kg of explosive material from a stone quarry near Saranda forests in Odisha's Sundargarh district, raising alarm that insurgents may mount IED attacks on forces in a bid to retaliate after a series of setbacks. Around 25-30 armed Maoists stormed the quarry Tuesday evening and hijacked a truck ferrying gelatin sticks, detonators and other material. They offloaded the loot near the Jharkhand border. Agencies fear the loot could be part of a plan to avenge the killing of CPI (Maoist) general secretary Basavaraju in Chhattisgarh and top leader Tulsi Bhuinya in Jharkhand, hours before the Sundargarh raid. 'Checkpoints on Odisha-J'khand border up, forces on high alert' NIA launched a probe into the theft, with teams from Odisha, Jharkhand and CRPF jointly tracking leads. "This is a matter of grave concern as these explosives could be potentially used for anti-national activities, particularly against security forces engaged in anti-Maoist operations," a senior police officer said Thursday. DIG (western range) Brijesh Rai said patrolling has been intensified and additional checkpoints placed along Odisha-Jharkhand border. "NIA is conducting a preliminary inquiry. Forces across both states are on high alert," he said. Odisha police have said Maoists from Jharkhand are involved in the quarry raid. The Bastar division in Chhattisgarh, already on alert since Basavaraju's death, has stepped up vigilance. "The quantity of explosives is alarming. We suspect this could be part of a sinister plot to target security forces or infrastructure. Movement of such material usually happens in a scattered manner," said a Bastar police officer. Northern Chhattisgarh has deployed additional patrol units. In Jan, eight DRG men were killed in Bijapur when Maoists blew up their vehicle using an IED. The latest Maoist action comes amid a lull in rebel activity in Odisha. Sundargarh was declared Maoist-free by the Union home ministry in April 2024, making this renewed aggression a stark reversal.
Time of India
6 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
NIA launches probe into hijacking of explosives-laden truck
1 2 Bhubaneswar/Rourkela: National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday launched a probe into the hijacking of a truck carrying four tonnes of explosive materials by Maoists in Sundargarh district. Agencies are trying to retrieve the gelatin sticks that were there in the truck, hijacked on Tuesday, amid concerns it could be used to target personnel engaged in anti-Maoist operations. "The NIA is conducting a preliminary inquiry about the circumstances leading to the incident. Security personnel of Odisha and neighbouring Jharkhand, and CRPF have been jointly working on the case. We have intensified patrolling and set up checkpoints at key locations, bordering Jharkhand," DIG (western range) Brijesh Rai said. On Tuesday morning, around 25-30 armed Maoists stormed the stone quarry under K Balang police station limits in Rourkela, near Saranda forests, bordering Jharkhand. They hijacked the truck along with the driver. The Maoists released him about 1 km from the quarry after unloading the explosive materials near Saranda forests. The incident occurred hours after top Maoist leader Tulsi Bhuinya was gunned down in Palamu district in Jharkhand. "This is a matter of grave concern as these explosives could be potentially used for anti-national activities, particularly against security forces engaged in anti-Maoist operations. We are working closely with the NIA and Jharkhand police to track and recover the stolen materials," another senior police officer told TOI. According to sources, the NIA has formed special teams to track the movement of Maoist groups in the region and recover the stolen explosives. A high-level meeting was conducted between NIA officials and senior police officers from Odisha and Jharkhand to coordinate the investigation and develop strategic responses. DGP Y B Khurania, who chaired the meeting, has been camping in Sundargarh along with other senior officers since Wednesday. The Maoist incident comes after prolonged period of reduced LWE activity in Odisha. The situation is particularly concerning as the ministry of home affairs had declared Sundargarh Maoist-free in April 2024.
Scroll.in
27-05-2025
- Politics
- Scroll.in
Rush Hour: HC raps Maharashtra for student's arrest over online post, Maoist commander killed & more
We're building a brand-new studio to bring you bold ground reports, sharp interviews, hard-hitting podcasts, explainers and more. Support Scroll's studio fund today. The Bombay High Court has criticised the Maharashtra government for arresting a Pune student after she shared an allegedly objectionable social media post about Operation Sindoor. The bench directed the student's counsel to file a bail petition and stated that it would be granted immediately. The bench also criticised the college where the 19-year-old was studying for rusticating her, saying that educational institutes need to help students rather than turn them into criminals. On May 7, she allegedly reposted material on Instagram from an account that had criticised the Indian government. After receiving threats online, she deleted the post and apologised. However, following protests against her post, she was arrested on May 9. The college rusticated her on the same day. The government alleged that the girl's post was against the national interest. But the court said that the national interest would not be hurt by a post by a student who had realised her mistake and apologised. Tulsi Bhuinya, a commander of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist), was killed in a gunfight with security forces in Jharkhand's Palamu district on Tuesday. He was killed during a joint operation of the police and the Jharkhand Jaguar, a special task force aimed at combating Maoists. Another Maoist leader Nitesh Yadav, who carries a reward of Rs 15 lakh, was reportedly among those shot during the gunfight. With this, about 195 suspected Maoists have been killed in gunfights with security personnel this year. The Union government has repeatedly vowed to eradicate 'Left Wing Extremism' in the country by March 31, 2026. Read on. The Supreme Court has rejected a public interest litigation seeking to include the name of Hindutva ideologue VD Savarkar in the schedule of the 1950 Emblems and Names Prevention of Improper Use Act to prevent its misuse. The Act is aimed at preventing the improper use of certain emblems and names for professional and commercial purposes. The petitioner had said that he wanted to 'establish certain facts' about the Hindutva ideologue in a legally verifiable manner. He urged the court to direct the Lok Sabha speaker to add Savarkar to the schedule of the Act. Read on. The United States government has warned Indians studying in American educational institutes that their student visas may be revoked if they dropped out or skipped classes without informing their colleges or universities. It may also lead to ineligibility for future US visas, said the United States embassy in India. The embassy also urged the students to adhere to the terms of their visa and maintain their 'student status' to avoid problems. This came amid the tightening of immigration regulations under the Donald Trump administration. Read on. Bengaluru has recorded its highest-ever rainfall for the month of May. As of Monday morning, the city had received 307.9 mm rainfall, said the India Meteorological Department. The previous record for May was set in 2023, when Bengaluru received 305.4 mm of rain. The southwest monsoon arrived in Karnataka on May 24, nearly 10 days ahead of schedule. It reached Kerala on the same day. On Monday, Bengaluru recorded a maximum temperature of 26.7 degrees Celsius, which was 5.3 degrees below the normal of 32 degrees Celsius. Heavy rainfall and lower-than-normal temperatures have led to a spike in viral infections, especially respiratory illnesses.
Scroll.in
27-05-2025
- Politics
- Scroll.in
Jharkhand: Maoist commander killed in gunfight with security forces, say police
A commander of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist) was killed in a gunfight with security forces in Jharkhand's Palamu district on Tuesday, PTI quoted a police official as saying. The commander, identified as Tulsi Bhuinya, was killed during a joint operation by the Jharkhand Jaguar, a special task force aimed at combating Maoists, and the Palamu Police. The gunfight started early in the morning on Tuesday, The Hindu quoted Jharkhand Police Spokesperson and Inspector General (Operation) Amol V Homkar as saying. Another Maoist leader Nitesh Yadav, who carries a reward of Rs 15 lakh, was also reportedly among those shot during the gunfight, Homkar told The Hindu. He said the joint operation was launched on Tuesday following intelligence inputs about Yadav and his associates being present in the area. After the gunfight, the security forces cordoned the area and are conducting a combing operation, the police added. On Monday, Maoist leader Manish Yadav, carrying a reward of Rs 5 lakh, was killed in a gunfight by Jharkhand's Latehar police. Another Maoist leader Kundan Singh Karwar, carrying a reward of Rs 10 lakh was arrested. On Saturday, Pappu Lohra, the chief of the Jharkhand Jan Mukti Parishad, a splinter group of the Communist Party of India (Maoist) and his associate Prabhat Ghanju were killed during a gunfight in Latehar district. On Friday, four suspected Maoists were killed in a gunfight with security forces in Maharashtra's Gadchiroli district along the Chhattisgarh border. On May 21, 27 suspected Maoists – including Nambala Keshav Rao, who was the leader of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist) – were killed in a gunfight with security forces in Chhattisgarh's Narayanpur district. With this, about 190 suspected Maoists have been killed in gunfights with security personnel this year. In 2024, 217 suspected Maoists were killed by security forces. Malini Subramaniam has reported for Scroll that while many of those killed in the Bastar region of Chhattisgarh in 2024 were declared by the police to be reward-carrying Maoists, several families dispute the claim. The families claim that the persons killed were civilians. The Union government has repeatedly vowed to eradicate 'Left Wing Extremism' in the country by March 31, 2026.
The Hindu
27-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Top Maoist commander Tulsi Bhuinya killed in police encounter in Jharkhand
In the ongoing fight against Maoists, Jharkhand police on Tuesday (May 27, 2025) gunned down Maoist commander Tulsi Bhuinya in Palamu district during a joint operation by Jharkhand Jaguar and Palamu Police. 'Operation is going on against Maoists in Palamu since early morning. Jharkhand Jaguar and Palamu Police personnel are involved in this operation. A Maoist commander has been killed in the encounter and a weapon has also been recovered. There are reports of many Maoists getting shot during the encounter. Jawans are conducting search operations on a large scale in the area,' Jharkhand police spokesperson and IG (Operation) Amol V. Homkar told The Hindu. ANALYSIS | Is this the endgame for the Maoists? Maoist Nitesh Yadav, who has a reward of ₹15 lakh, and Sanjay Godram, who has a reward of ₹10 lakh, were in the squad of Bhuinya. On Saturday (May 24, 2025) two dreaded Maoists, including Jharkhand Jan Mukti Parishad (JJMP) supremo Pappu Lohra alias Suryadev Lohra, was killed by the security forces in Ichabar forest of Latehar district. Also Read | Top Maoist leader Basavraju among 27 killed in Chhattisgarh's Narayanpur Similarly, on Monday (May 26, 2025), in another encounter with the Maoists, Latehar police gunned down Manish Yadav, who was carrying a reward of ₹ 5 lakh, and arrested dreaded Maoist Kundan Singh Kharwar, who had a bounty of ₹10 lakh on his head. For the last 15 years, Nitesh Yadav has remained a challenge for Jharkhand as well Bihar Police. Also Read | 4 Maoists with ₹18 lakh bounty killed in Maharashtra's Gadchiroli Top officers of Jharkhand Police and Jharkhand Jaguar officers are continuously monitoring the situation. 'Police have inputs that the Maoists who fled have been shot and a search operation is being conducted in large numbers. Security forces have cordoned off the entire area. The body of a Maoist commander, Tulsi Bhuinya has been recovered from the spot. While an SLR has also been recovered,' Mr Homkar said. He said that in the encounter, Nitesh Yadav is also reported to have been shot. Top officials of Jharkhand Jaguar including Palamu SP Rishma Rameshan are camping in the area. EDITORIAL | Decisive moment: On Chhattisgarh anti-Maoist operation Mr Homkar pointed out that Jharkhand Police had received information that Nitesh Yadav along with his squad was planning to carry out a major incident in the border areas of Hussainabad, Mohammadganj and Haidernagar. In the light of this information, Palamu Police and Jharkhand Jaguar started a search operation. During the search operation, an encounter took place in the area of Sitachuaan.
