Latest news with #anti-Maoist
Time of India
an hour ago
- Politics
- Time of India
‘Grandpa, come home': Granddaughter of top Maoist commander Devji makes appeal
Raipur: In the turbulent wake of the encounter killing of topmost Maoist commander Basavaraju, an emotional letter and video message from the granddaughter of senior Maoist commander Tipiri Tirupati alias Devji has surfaced, where she pleads with him to lay down arms and return to the family. Devji and his granddaughter, Itlu Suma Tipiri, who is in a Telangana college, have never met as he went underground long before she was born. A central committee member, Devji is considered a potential successor to Basavaraju but Suma is calling him back to the life he left behind. Devji, known to be a ruthless Maoist commander, led the 2007 attack on Geedam police station in Dantewada, which was the first of many brutal ambushes to follow. He heads Maoist 'military commission', in effect the head of PLGA, the same post that Basavaraju held before being made CPI(Maoist) general secretary in 2018. A day ago, Bastar IG P Sundarraj had issued a blunt warning to Maoist commanders: surrender or die. "We consistently get information about the locations of top Maoist leaders. They can be eliminated anytime by security forces. They have only one option now: surrender and join the mainstream or get killed by security forces," Sundarraj said. Suma appears to realise the fate that may befall her grandpa. "Dear grandfather, please come home. I send you my heartfelt greetings. I've always longed to meet you, but sadly never got the chance. Whenever I read about you in the media, I feel both pride and pain. I know you gave everything to the cause of an egalitarian society, but recent events have been deeply saddening," she says, adding: "You've seen and achieved so much, but now we ask you to come back. Your family waits at the door. Please don't forget us." Suma questions the state's ongoing anti-Maoist operations, particularly 'Operation Kagaar' -- a high-intensity crackdown launched in Maoist-affected areas of Chhattisgarh. "Why aren't similar actions taken against infiltrators from Pakistan and Bangladesh? It pains me to see people celebrating the killing of Maoists with sweets. These are also human lives," she argues, without mentioning Indian forces' continued battle against Pak-backed terrorism and the recent Op Sindoor. She reflects on the motivations that drew many, including her grandfather, to the Maoist insurgency, and ends her message with the plea: "You left to stand for the people. But now, your people — your family — are calling you home. Please come back. We are still waiting, with open arms and open hearts." The letter comes two days after TOI reported that Devji and Sonu were believed to be the most probable to become CPI(Maoist) general secretary after Basavaraju's death.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Top cops' meet charts joint border coordination in anti-Maoist ops
Raipur: Ten days after the most successful anti-Naxal operation in Bastar in which CPI(Maoist) general secretary Basavaraju was gunned down, a high-level inter-state border coordination meeting on anti-Maoist ops was held at Rajnandgaon SP office in Chhattisgarh on Saturday. Senior police officers from Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra gathered to discuss collaborative strategies to counter Naxal activities in the border regions. Top officers from eight districts — Chhattisgarh's Rajnandgaon, Kabirdham, Mohla-Manpur-Ambagarh Chowki and Khairagarh-Chhuikhadan-Gandai, MP's Balaghat and Mandla and Maharashtra's Gadchiroli and Gondia —attended the meeting. So did officers from ITBP and MP's Hawk Force. They focused on efforts to bolster coordination on state borders, particularly within the MP–Maharashtra–Chhattisgarh (MMC) zone. They said that authorities are focusing on developing joint strategies to neutralise Maoist presence, while intensifying operations aimed at encouraging surrenders and facilitating arrests. Key measures include establishing clear protocols for joint intelligence sharing, coordinated search operations, and synchronized patrolling efforts. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Memperdagangkan CFD Emas dengan salah satu spread terendah? IC Markets Mendaftar Undo Border surveillance is being strengthened through deployment of mobile checkposts and barrier-checks designed to intercept illegal materials such as arms, drugs, and other contraband potentially linked to Maoist activities. Continuous monitoring of infiltration routes and suspicious movements across districts remains a top priority in order to disrupt the Maoist network. Officials emphasized the importance of inter-agency cooperation to eradicate the Maoist threat from MMC zone. The meeting concluded with the adoption of a joint action plan focused on accelerated anti-Naxal operations, with a unified commitment to securing border areas, dismantling Maoist networks, and encouraging surrender through outreach and legal processes. Among the high-ranking officials who attended the are Balaghat Zone IG Sanjay Kumar, Rajnandgaon Range IG Abhishek Shandilya, Gadchiroli Range DIG Ankit Goyal, ITBP DIG Anwar Elahi, Rajnandgaon SP Mohit Garg, Kabirdham SP Dharmendra Singh, Mohla-Manpur-Ambagarh Chowki SP Y P Singh, Balaghat SP Nagendra Singh, Khairagarh-Chhuikhadan-Gandai SP Lakshya Sharma, Gondia SP Gorakh Dhamre, ASP-Gadchiroli Ops M Ramesh, Balaghat Hawk Force commander Shiyaz K M, Balaghat additional SP Rakesh Kumar Pandro and ITBP ops deputy commander Jith James. The meeting marks a crucial step toward cross-state synergy in internal security, aimed at ensuring peace and stability in Naxal-affected zones through collaborative law enforcement and strategic operations.
The Hindu
14 hours ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Security forces engage in encounter with Maoists in Jharkhand's Jhariakela
The security forces engaged in an encounter with members of the banned Maoist organisation CPI (Maoist) at around 12 p.m. on May 30. The encounter occurred in the hilly/forest areas of Vangram Tirilposi under Jhariakela Police Station in Jharkhand, a press release said. During the encounter, seeing the security forces gaining an upper hand, the Maoists fled from the incident spot by taking advantage of the forests and mountains. Explosives and other daily-use items were recovered and seized by the security forces during the search operation. Recently, the Indian forces conducted a major anti-Maoist operation in Chhattisgarh's Narayanpur, eliminating 27 Maoists, which included top commander Basavaraju. Basavaraju, the general secretary of CPI (Maoist), has been involved in Maoist activities for the past 40-45 years and has been involved in more than 200 Maoist activities. Meanwhile, Maoist activity in Bastar and many regions of India has 'reduced significantly' as a result of carrying out operations against the banned and 'illegal' CPI-M outfit, a police official said on Wednesday (May 28, 2025). Inspector General (IG) of police, Bastar, P. Sundarraj told ANI, 'As a result of carrying out operations against the banned and illegal CPI-M outfit, Maoist activity in Bastar and many regions of India has reduced significantly... 4 districts of Bastar sub-division, Bijapur, Sukma, Narayanpur, and Kanker were identified as the most affected LWE districts... 6 districts of Chhattisgarh, including Bastar, Dhamtari, and Rajnandgaon, will be specially monitored by us for any kind of resurgence'. The IG stated that most of the districts in Chhattisgarh are seeing a drop in Maoist activity. 'In the country, only 18 districts are Maoist-affected, and 28 districts are included in the list of districts of maximum thrust... District of maximum thrust means that Maoist activity in the district has reduced to a great extent, but strict observations are still required... Most of the districts in Chhattisgarh are seeing a drop in maoist activity...,' he said.
Time of India
20 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Cops get swift promotions in Chhattisgarh for anti-Maoist ops
Cops get swift promotions in Chhattisgarh for anti-Maoist ops RAIPUR: The Chhattisgarh government has granted out-of-turn promotions to 295 police personnel in recognition of acts of bravery in combating Maoists as the state pushes on towards its goal of eliminating Naxal insurgency by March 2026. An order issued by DGP Arun Deo Gautam stated that police personnel who displayed exceptional courage during anti-Naxal operations across the region are being rewarded with accelerated promotions. Promotions have been given to lower and middle-rank personnel from the district police, Special Task Force (STF), and intelligence units. According to the order, 206 constables have been promoted to head constables and 37 head constables to assistant sub-inspectors (ASIs). Fifteen ASIs are now SIs, and 16 SIs are inspectors. Three platoon commanders have been promoted to company commanders, six assistant platoon commanders have been elevated to platoon commanders, and three dozen personnel have been promoted to assistant platoon commanders. Sharing the order copy on social media, deputy chief minister Vijay Sharma, who is also the home minister, said, "All the security personnel have displayed indomitable courage and bravery while fighting on the frontlines against Maoists to protect the Constitution and democracy. With the strength of soldiers, the future is definitely filled with development, happiness, peace and new enthusiasm in Bastar." Later, Sharma told reporters, "The era of Red terror in Bastar is coming to an end, thanks to the unmatched bravery of the state's security forces." As per Chhattisgarh police records, 425 Maoists have been killed in encounters, 1,444 arrested, and 1,406 have surrendered since last year.
Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Hindustan Times
NIA probes suspected Maoist links in loot of gelatin sticks in Odisha
A DIG-led three-member team from the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday started a probe into the theft of around 1.5 tonne of gelatin sticks from a truck on the Odisha-Jharkhand border by suspected Maoists on May 27 (Tuesday). Around 9.30 am on Tuesday, eight armed people rounded up the explosives-laden truck near a forested stone quarry at Banko within K Balang police limits, more than 90km from Rourkela, and drove the vehicle to a nearby forest where they unloaded the explosives and let the truck driver go. The driver, Debnath Toppo, told the police that another 10-15 people waiting inside the forest then looted at least 150 packets of explosives, each weighing 15-25 kg. The loot site is barely two km from the Maoist hotbed of Saranda forest in West Singhbhum district of Jharkhand. Odisha police officials, who interrogated Toppo and owner of the stone quarry, Niraj Pandey, said it is almost certain that Maoists looted the gelatin sticks. 'From our investigation, it is certain that Maoists from Saranda forest did it. The gelatin sticks can be used as IED if there are enough detonators with them. That's why NIA has started probing the loot,' a senior police official of Rourkela said. Rourkela and Sundargarh districts are not on the SRE (Security Related Expenditure) list of the Union home ministry anymore due to lack of Maoist activities for a long time. There have also been no anti-Maoist operations lately in the two police districts that are close to the southern side of Saranda forests. In 2009, when the Maoist violence was at its peak in the region, the rebels looted an explosives-laden vehicle from Champajharan forest within the Chandiposh police limits. Subsequently, some packets of explosives were found buried inside the Saranda forest. Officials said the loot could be the retaliation by Maoists for the killing of several of their top commanders, including general secretary Basavaraj, in Chhattisgarh's Narayanpur last week. 'The amount (of gelatin sticks) that they have looted is a lot for them to carry around. Besides, they normally burn down the vehicles after looting, which they have not done in this case. We are working closely with the NIA team,' the official said. In April 2009, Maoists had looted about 25 tonne of explosives, including ammonium nitrate and detonators, from a Nalco warehouse manned by CISF jawans. Eleven CISF jawans were killed in the attack.
