Incidents involving Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) 2009

Andhra Pradesh

January 1: The Superintendent of Police (SP) in Khammam District, Mahesh M. Bhagwat, said while launching a special programme to encourage surrender of the left-wing extremists that some 159 left-wing extremists, including 60 Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) commanders and squad members, were arrested in the District during 2008. 42 left-wing extremists, including eight underground activists of the rank of the District and zonal secretaries and three dalam commanders and 29 dalam cadres, were among those who surrendered in 2008, he said, adding, the Praja Pratighatana faction of the CPI-ML accounted for the highest number of 28 surrenders and 56 arrests and the Godavariloya sub-faction of the Praja Pratightana faction of the CPI-ML was more or less non-existent with the surrender of some important members on December 31.

January 7: Eight extremists, including a Deruvada Area committee cadre of the CPI-Maoist, identified as Nimmaka Bangaraju (34), surrendered before Police at Parvathipuram in the Vizianagaram District. Bangaraju, a native of Kusa village in G. L. Puram mandal (administrative unit), was involved in several extremist activities.

Central Committee of the CPI-Maoist has decided to constitute special teams to assassinate political leaders of the Telangana statehood movement in a meeting held at Bijapur in Chhattisgarh in August 2008.

January 15: A senior cadre and District committee secretary of the CPI-Maoist, identified as Karamthota Govinda Naik alias Sanjeevi alias Raju, was killed in an encounter at Mullampalli village of Pullalacheruvu mandal in the Prakasam District. However, four other Maoists managed to escape.

January 18: The Police recovered a landmine, weighing five kilograms, which was planted by the CPI-Maoist cadres at the forest village of Kaliveru in the Khammam District. The landmine was laid targeting the Police officials bound for Pedamidisileru village where the department had organised a health camp.

January 20: Three cadres of the CPI-Maoist, including a woman, were killed in an encounter which lasted for about half-an-hour during combing operations launched by Police in the Aberupadu forests area of Visakhapatnam District. Later, the Police recovered three weapons and kit bags from the encounter site.

A CPI-Maoist senior commander and area committee member, identified as Darshanala Lachanna alias Prabhakar alias Masu, surrendered to the Adilabad Superintendent of Police (SP) Anil Kumar. According to Police sources, Darshanala, a resident of Chirrakunta village of Mandamarri mandal, was working in the Kattekalyan dalam in the Dantewada District of Chhattisgarh from January 2002 and was also involved in six offences.

January 27: Though intensified combing operations are being carried out in the CPI-Maoist infested areas, the rapid movement of senior CPI-Maoist cadres and CPI-ML(Janashakthi) cadres have upset the Police's plans to completely wipe out the Maoist movement in the Kamareddy division of Nizamabad District. According to Police sources, the recent arrest of a commander of the Kamareddy dalam of the CPI-ML Janashakti, Cheryala Laxmipathi, and another cadre, Ramesh, has further strengthened the argument that the Maoists are regrouping.

A letter purportedly written by a CPI-Maoist leader Sudarshan alias Sriramulu Srinivas was sent to a Legislator belonging to the Telangana Rashtra Samiti party, T. Harish Rao, asking him to revolt against his party chief and maternal uncle K. Chandrasekhar Rao in case the party joined the Grand Alliance of Telugu Desam Party-Left. "TDP president Chandrababu Naidu is an agent of the capitalist forces. He is a staunch opponent of Telangana. Both the TDP and the Congress have betrayed the people of the region for decades," Sudarshan reportedly said in the letter. However, Rao has denied any such incident.

January 27: Though intensified combing operations are being carried out in the CPI-Maoist infested areas, the rapid movement of senior CPI-Maoist cadres and CPI-ML-Janashakti cadres has upset the Police's plans to completely wipe out the Maoist movement in the Kamareddy division of Nizamabad District. According to Police sources, the recent arrest of a commander of the Kamareddy dalam of the CPI-ML Janashakti, Cheryala Laxmipathi, and another cadre, Ramesh, has further strengthened the argument that the Maoists are regrouping.

February 1: Two women cadres of the CPI-Maoist, identified as Nagella Chandra Kala alias Swarnakka and Nallakasula Alivelumanga alias Sudha, were arrested by the Police from Tenali in the Guntur District. While Swarnakka is the commander of Maoist action team in Mahabubnagar, Sudha is the Bhopal-based central technical committee commander. Police suspect that the duo was trying to harbour some Maoists and spread activities of the outfit in coastal region of the State with Tenali as base. Police recovered some 'soap bombs' and electrical detonators from the two arrested cadres.

After the arrest of the two commanders, the Police now are looking into the possible ploy of Maoists to spread their wings in the coastal region of the State.

February 15: A senior CPI-Maoist cadre and 'State committee secretary' of the CPI-Maoist, identified as Konapuri Ilaiah alias Sambasivudu, surrendered before the Police at Begumpet in the capital Hyderabad. Sambasivudu, carrying a INR 1 million reward on his head, was involved in several cases, including the Balimela attack in Orissa on June 29, 2008, in which 38 Greyhounds personnel were killed and the Alipiri landmine blast targeting the then Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu. He was also involved in the Vempenta massacre, legislator C. Narsi Reddy's assassination and the attack on the former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Janardhan Reddy in Nellore.

Two CPI-Maoist cadres, identified as Dasari Prakash alias Guddi Seshanna and his wife Shaik Chathali alias Rajita, surrendered before the Superintendent of Police V. Navinchand at Ongole in the Prakasam District. While Seshanna, who was 'secretary' of the Vizianagaram District Maoist group, carried a reward of INR 300000 on his head, Rajita, who was an area committee member, carried a reward of INR 100000 on her head.

February 20: Police arrested a surrendered senior CPI-Maoist cadre, identified as Sambasivudu, in connection with the killing of ten people, including that of Indian National Congress party legislator C. Narsi Reddy, in the Mahbubnagar District. As reported earlier, Sambasivudu, the State secretary of CPI-Maoist, had surrendered to the Police on February 15.

February 23: Armed CPI-Maoist cadres stormed into the house of a tribal youth, identified as Sode Kannaiah, and subsequently shot him dead by branding him as a Police informer at Surakonda village of Chintur mandal in the Khammam District.

February 24: A CPI-Maoist commander carrying head money of INR 200000, identified as Bisetti Maheswara Rao alias Venu/Raghava, was arrested by Police from the Vizianagaram District.

March 1: The CPI-Maoist called for boycotting the forthcoming Parliamentary and State Legislative Assembly elections alleging that both the ruling Indian National Congress party and the Opposition Telugu Desam Party have deceived the people with false promises. The Maoists are reportedly conducting meetings in the Visakha agency advising the tribals against exercising their franchise. A spokesperson of the Visakha division, Bakuri Venkata Raman alias Ganesh, held a meeting with the tribals in the forests of G. Madugula area recently where he asked them to get ready for "mobile attacks" on the agency's Police Stations.

March 6: The Union Minister for Home Affairs P. Chidambaram in a press conference at Hyderabad asked the State Government to keep up the pressure on the CPI-Maoist and also called for improving urban policing in view of terror threats. "I think the Police forces have the upper hand now. Barring one incident on the Andhra-Orissa border, where 34 people died, the number of casualties in 2008 was among the lowest," he told.

March 11: Nine kilograms of explosive material, 48 electrical detonators, 14 non-electrical detonators, one flash camera, a multi-meter, 16 electric switches, banners and posters were recovered when Police unearthed a dump belonging to the CPI-Maoist cadres at Chaparaiguda under Neelakantapuram Police Station in the Vizianagaram District.

March 12: Five cadres, including two commanders, of Kandapali Armed Militia belonging to the CPI-Maoist surrendered before the Police in the Vishakhaptanam District. While the two surrendered commanders were identified as Vantala Suresh alias Kesab and G. L. Sibaji alias Shiba, the other three cadres were identified as G. L. Sunder Rao alias Ashok, Vantala Venkatrao alias Tilus and Vantala Vangrao alias Tilu.

March 13: The Warangal District Police recovered a cache of arms and ammunition belonging to the CPI-Maoist, including 11 weapons, 10 landmines and two claymore mines, 388 gelatine sticks, 972 detonators, 280 rounds of live ammunition, party literature and one medical kit, electrical wires, switches used in exploding landmines, during a week long combing operation in the forest areas of Eturunagaram, Mangapet and Kothaguda mandals of the District.

Khammam, Karimngar and Warangal division secretary of the CPI-Maoist, Bade Nageswar Rao, issued a statement warning two senior Indian National Congress party leaders, Konda Muralidhar and District Congress Committee president G.V. Ramana Reddy, against 'illegal activities and harassing innocent people'. He also issued a threat to a contractor who is close to Muralidhar.

March 17: Two surrendered CPI-Maoist cadres, identified as Pochaiah alias Srinivas of Medak and Rajeshwar alias Sagar, were arrested by the Police in connection with a case extortion of money from a person to settle a land dispute in Cyberabad.

March 18: In the backdrop of the recovery of arms dumps at Tadwai, Kothguda and Eturunagaram mandals of Warangal District and the finding of wall posters threatening people to boycott the general elections in the Venkatapuram and Vajedu mandals in the Khammam District, the Warangal District Police apprehends possible attack by the cadres of CPI-Maoist during the general election scheduled to be held on April 16 and April 23. According to the Police sources, Bade Nageswara Rao alias Haribushan, 'secretary' of the North Telangana South Zonal Committee of the CPI-Maoists, recently visited certain places in the District.

March 21: Police identified 33 villages on the Andhra Pradesh-Chhattisgarh border as being highly Maoist-affected and consequently needing special attention during the forthcoming election. The decision was taken in a co-ordination meeting of the Superintendent of Police of the Maoist affected Districts of Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh at Kothagudem in the Khammam District of Andhra Pradesh. While, 20 of the villages were identified in Khammam District, 13 others were in the Dantewada and Bijapur Districts of Chhattisgarh.

March 24: Eight CPI-Maoist cadres, including its Rachakonda area committee commander, were arrested as Police foiled a secret meeting of the Maoists during a search operation in the reserve forest area near Venkatapuram in the Thurkapally mandal of Nalgonda District. The arrested area committee commander was identified as T. Yadaiah alias Kranthi and other Maoist cadres were identified as B. Anuradha alias Jyothi, U. Vijay alias Nagesh, B. Balaiah, V Bikshamaiah, B Veeraiah, B Santosh, and Shaik Baba. Police also recovered some weapons and ammunition from the arrested extremists.

March 26: As part of stepped up surveillance to prevent untoward incidents during the general elections scheduled to be held in April 2009, Police conducted a cordon and search operation at Dasireddygudem, the native place of surrendered senior CPI-Maoist cadre Sambasivudu, of Valigonda mandal in the Nalagonda District.

April 27: CPI-Maoist cadres killed a tribal leader from Chhattisgarh in Kaliveru village of Bhadrachalam division in the Khammam District. The killed tribal leader has been identified as Madakam Kasanna (45). He was in the hit list of the Maoists for a long time and was hiding in the village for past few months.

Machavarapu Sreenu, a deputy Commander of the CPI-Maoist's East Platoon, surrendered before the East Godavari District Superintendent of Police at Kakinada citing personal reasons. He has been underground for the last five years and took part in 15 offences, most of them in Visakhapatnam District, Police sources said.

May 4: Andhra Pradesh Home Minister K Jana Reddy said that not more than 150-160 cadres of the CPI-Maoist could be present in the State. Speaking to reporters after a high-level review meeting on the post-election law and order situation at the State Secretariat he said, "We have very effectively tackled the Maoists over the past few years and now they have been reduced to nothing. At best, there could be some 150-160 cadres of the outlaws hiding underground in the state." He further said that talks initiated by the Congress government in late 2004 proved effective in tackling left-wing extremist menace. "Though the talks failed, we could very effectively curb Maoist activity in the state. Many of them have given up arms and surrendered before the police", he said.

May 8: Two home guards went missing after cadres of the CPI-Maoist opened fire on them at Cheemalapadu village of G. Madugula mandal in the Visakhapatnam District. The two missing persons were part of a three member team who were on a private visit to the village.

May 11: the CPI-Maoist commander of Special Guerrilla Squad of North Telangana Special Zone Committee, Durgam Butchaiah alias Vikram and dalam member Chinturu Nagamani alias Swaroopa surrendered before the Karimnagar District Police. Vikram, Police sources said, had joined the dalam in 2001 as a member and was elevated to the rank of commander.

May 18: In two separate incidents, two tribals, including the Hukumpeta mandal president of Indian National Congress party, were killed by the CPI-Maoist cadres in Visakhapatnam District. While the mandal president was identified as Korra Chittibabu, the tribal civilian was identified as Vanthala Malathi of G.K. Veedhi mandal. According to the SP Akun Sabharwal, a group of three Maoists attacked Chittibabu and shot him dead near his house in Hukumpeta because belonged to the Congress party.

Two cadres belonging to the Nallamala platoon of the CPI-Maoist, identified as Boya Sanjeev alias Saleem and his wife Laxmi, surrendered before the Superintendent of Police M.K. Singh in Anantapur.

May19: A group of 20 CPI-Maoist cadres accompanied by 30 sympathizers after looting the house of a sarpanch, dragged her along with her husband from their house and assaulted them at Kumada village in Munchingput mandal in Visakhapatnam District. The Maoists also set ablaze the house of the sarpanch, before leaving the place. The victims were identified as Setty Gangabhavani and her husband, a former sarpanch, S. Anjaneyulu. Both of them belong to the Bahujan Samaj Party, the report added.

May 24: Two senior CPI-Maoist cadres, identified as Patel Sudhakar Reddy alias Suryam alias Srikanth and Kanugula Venkataiah, were killed during an encounter with the Police at Gaurappa hillocks near Lavvala village in the thick Tadvai forest area in Warangal District. The encounter took place when one of the special party Police teams, who were pressed into combing operations for the past two weeks, spotted a group of Maoists camping on the top of Gaurappa hillocks near Lavvala village in Tadvai mandal. The Police recovered one AK 47, one 9 mm pistol, one 8 mm rifle, three kitbags, INR 20,000 in cash and revolutionary party literature from the encounter site.

While Reddy, a native of Kurthi Ravala Cheruvu of Maldarkal mandal in Mahabubnagar District, was a Central Committee member, Venkataiah, a native of Inapur village in Cheriyal mandal of Warangal District, was a member of State Committee of CPI-Maoist and also a member of its technical wing. Reddy was involved in a number of murder cases, including that of former Home Minister Alimineti Madava Reddy and senior IPS officers Umesh Chandra and Vyas. He was the mastermind behind the assassination attempts on former Chief Ministers N. Chandrababu Naidu and N. Janardhan Reddy. He played a key role in the Police Station attacks of Bommala Ramaram, Thirumalagiri, Eragondapalem, Yadagirigutta, Dindi and some other Police Stations in the State. He was also involved in three landmine blasts at Bandlamotu in Guntur District and Vepanagandla in Mahabubnagar District, in which two Sub-Inspectors and 12 constables were killed. He was also looking after the military activities in Orissa, Bihar, Jharkhand and Maharashtra and was made member of the Central Committee. Venkataiah, who worked in Cherial, Gerailpally and Nalgonda area committees of the outfit in the State, was taken into the technical wing of the outfit in 2006 and was made State committee member.

CPI-Maoist cadres killed a registered medical practitioner, identified as B. Srinivasa Rao, after branding him as a Police informer in Rudradam near Wazeedu in Khammam District.

May 27: Posters of the CPI-Maoist cadres warning the Police that they would avenge the killing of Sudhakar Reddy, the senior Maoist leader, were found pasted on the walls at Maddigaruvu village of G. Madugula mandal of Visakhapatnam District. As reported earlier, Reddy was killed by the Police in an encounter at Gaurappa hillocks near Lavvala village in the Tadvai forest area of Warangal District on May 24.

June 2: Seven left-wing extremists, including six CPI-Maoist cadres, and one belonging to Praja Pratighatna faction of the CPI-ML, surrendered before the Warangal District Superintendent of Police V. C. Sajjanar.

June 3: Around 40 CPI-Maoist cadres set ablaze a poclain, two tippers, a couple vehicles and some two wheelers of a contractor who has been laying roads along the Andhra-Orissa Border near Panasagondi area in Chintapalle mandal (administrative unit) of Visakhapatnam District.

June 9: A senior leader of the CPI-Maoist, Kondagorri Kurma Rao alias Kurranna, surrendered before the Police in Vizianagaram District. He was a member of the Maoist Nagavali area committee and was involved in several offences, including the blasting of Gummada railway station, a local development office, and attack on Udayagiri Police Station. The Vizianagaram Superintendent of Police, Y. Gangadhar, before whom Kurranna surrendered, said the latter was vexed with the Maoist philosophy and wanted to re-join the mainstream of life. He was also upset with the CPI-Maoist leadership after having served the outfit in various capacities since 1993, Gangadhar added.

June 14: The CPI-Maoist cadres torched a vehicle belonging to traders at Korukonda in the Nalgonda District. About 15 members of the Korukonda squad stopped the vehicle, broke its diesel tank and set it ablaze destroying it. The van belonged to a trader from Narsipatnam. In pamphlets left at the location, the Maoists threatened four traders from Annavaram and owners of two cinema theatres at Narsipatnam with trial in people's court.

August 10: The State Government decided to extended the ban on the CPI-Maoist and six of its affiliate organisations for one more year. The State cabinet that met in capital Hyderabad under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy decided to extend the ban from August 17, 2009 to August 16, 2010, according to a State minister. The banned outfits include the Radical Youth League, Radical Students Union, Rythu Coolie Sangham, Singareni Karmika Samakhya, Viplava Karmika Samakhya and All India Revolutionary Students Federation.

The ban on CPI-Maoist and its affiliate outfits has been continuing in the State for over six years now, barring a few months in 2004-05 when the Rajasekhara Reddy Government held talks with the Maoists in a bid to make them shun violence and join the mainstream.

August 11: The State Government is reportedly contemplating to seek the Central Government's approval for inclusion of three more Districts in the State in the list of areas declared as Maoist-affected. These Districts are Srikakulam, Vizianagaram and Visakhapatnam in north Coastal Andhra bordering the State of Orissa. At present, Khammam is the only District in Andhra Pradesh that finds place in the list of 33 districts across the country which has been declared as extremist-affected. Overall, Maoist activity has been on the decline in Andhra Pradesh, but the Government is reportedly seeking declaration of the three north Districts as Maoist-affected in view of the continuing activity in areas adjoining the Andhra Pradesh-Orissa border. Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy is expected to put forth a request to this effect to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the concerned Union Ministers during his visit to New Delhi on August 17. The move, according to official sources, would ensure more focus on the affected areas while enabling the State to secure more funds under the Backward Region Grant Fund.

August 16: Four sympathisers of the CPI-Maoist who were performing duties like couriers and extending help to the party surrendered before the Deputy Superintendent of Police, N. Narasimha Kishore, at Narsipatnam in the Visakhapatnam District. All the four are from Davadagoyyi village in Koyyuru administrative division. Among them only Panji Jyothi had been an active Maoist. She was with the Tandava dalam (squad) for two years in the past. Others who surrendered were identified as Pangi Prasad, Gammela Nageswara Rao and Gammela Devadas.

September 1: The Police unearthed an arms dump of the CPI-Maoist in the Pamidipadu forest area of Guntur District. The recoveries included three VHF sets, two chargers, one directional mine, 50 detonators and Maoist literature.

The Maoists resorted to barricading of roads by felling trees in the forest pockets of Khammam District as part of the two-day shutdown call given by them in the North Telangana Districts opposing the opencast mining by the Singareni collieries in the coal belt, large scale submergence by the Polavaram project and illegal damming in the upper stretches of Godavari River by the Government of Maharashtra. The shutdown, also backed by the Janashakti faction of the Communist party of India-Marxist-Leninist (CPI-M-L Janashakti), however, evoked no response in the tribal pockets while life remained normal in the coal bet too. Superintendent of Police Anil Kumar said the elements who were involved in barricading the forest routes have been identified. He said some Maoists had come from across the inter-State border for creating the obstacles to the vehicular traffic in the forest pocket. By and large life was reportedly normal in Bhadrachalam, Palvancha and Kothagudem divisions.

September 6: Vantala Jagannadh alias Naresh, a 20-year old 'deputy commander' of the Gurthedu Local Guerrilla Squad (LGS) of the CPI-Maoist, surrendered before the Officer on Special Duty, K.V. Mohana Rao, at Narsipatnam in the Visakhapatnam District. Naresh belongs to Valasapalli in East Godavari District. He was the security guard for the Andhra Orissa Border (AOB) East Division secretary Jagadish. He has been acting as 'deputy commander' of the Gurthedu LGS since February 2007 in which position he continued till July 2009. He was also East Division 'A' section 'deputy commander'. Citing health reasons, he quit the squad after informing the leaders.

September 15: A militia member of the CPI-Maoist was killed in an encounter with the Police near Jaggaram village in the Khammam District. Police said that special parties took up combing operations in the area following information about Maoist activities. While the dalam (squad) managed to escape, Madakam Bheemili, a Gothikoya youth from Chhattisgarh, was killed in the exchange of fire.

September 23: Six militia members of the CPI-Maoist - Korra Mohana Rao (30), Mamidi Dhananjaya (22), Pradhna Dumburu (21), Pongi Prasad (21), Korna Kottanna (26) and Vanthala Viswanadh (20) - surrendered before the G.K. Veedhi Police in Visakhapatnam District. They all belong to Valasagedda village in Sileru Police Station limits. The surrendered Maoists were dalam (squad) members in the Gurtheudu area in East Godavari District during 2004-2005.

September 25: The Police arrested 10 militia members of the CPI-Maoist from G.K. Veedhi Police Station area in Visakhapatnam District and on information given by them, recovered dumps at Cheedigondi, Yerragedda and Cheepurugondi villages. An empty shell of directional mine, a steel can containing 20 gelatine sticks, 36 detonators, an old hand grenade, electric wire bundles, red banner cloth, adhesive tins, medicines, marker pens, notebooks, letter pad, adhesive tins, etc. were found in the dumps.

October 7: The CPI-Maoist central committee member, Malla Raji Reddy, was released from the Cherlapally Central Prison on bail. He was arrested in December 2007 in Kerala. He was charged with involvement in many criminal cases, including murders and five landmine blasts at different places.

October 9: Seven cadres of the CPI-Maoist, including a 'deputy commander', one armed militia 'commander' and a 'platoon member', were arrested by Khammam District Police. The Police also recovered three landmines, two claymore mines, 50 kilograms of gelatin and 25 metre wire bundle from them. "The arrested are identified as K Chalamaiah, deputy commander of Chandranna Protection platoon, K Pullaiah, the armed ultra commander from Kurnapalli village of Charla mandal (amistrative unit) in Khammam District and D. Raghupathi," platoon member of KKW division, Bhadrachalam Assistant Superintendent of Police Raghunath Reddy told reporters. K. Pullaiah participated in the September 14 State Bank of Hyderabad robbery at Satyanarayanappuram in Charla mandal, the Police officer said adding "He was part of the forty-member Maoist group that committed about Rs 10 lakh robbery last month." Pullaiah is also involved in eleven offences including four murders in Charla Police Station limits in the past one-and-a-half years, Reddy said. The 'deputy commander' of Chandranna protection platoon K. Chalamaiah was with Dalam (squad) for five years and participated in 12 murders in Khammam and Warangal Districts besides in the neighbouring Chattisgarh State, the Police officer explained. The platoon member of KKW division D. Raghupathi participated in the triple murder in Tallagudem Police station limits in March 2009, he said. The Police also arrested four armed militia members of Burugupadu village, Reddy added.

October 11: Cadres of the CPI-Maoist killed a former Prathigatana dalam (squad) 'commander', Ramlal, branding him a Police informer, in Yathnaram village of Mahamutharam mandal (administrative division) of Karimnagar District in the night. Reports said three armed Maoists belonging to Mahadevpur area went to the Yathnaram village and woke up Ramlal and took him to the outskirts on the pretext of talking to him. At the village tank, the Maoists shot him dead by opening two rounds of fire. The Maoists left a note warning informers to mend their ways.

October 17: Cadres of the CPI-Maoist made an unsuccessful bid to abduct a former Naxalite (left-wing extremist) of the Prathigatana group of the CPI-ML-Prathigatana in the Saravaipeta village under Mahadevpur mandal (administrative division) of Karimnagar District in the night. Reports said three Maoists went to the house of former Prathigatana dalam (squad) member Srinivas and demanded him to escort them into the forests. However, Srinivas is reported to have escaped under the cover of darkness with the support of villagers. Later, the Maoists left the village warning the Police informers to mend their ways.

October 19: Cadres of the CPI-Maoist killed Uke Saraiah (60), husband of Ooke Sammakka, chief of the Lingala Panchayat (village-level local self-government institution) under Tadvai administrative division in Warangal District. Uke Saraiah was also a local leader of the CPI-M. Eight armed Maoists came to Saraiah's house at midnight and asked him to come out on the pretext of talking to him. They later assaulted him alleging that he has been informing Police about the movement of Maoists in and around the village. Later, they shot him dead.

October 20: A 16-year-old girl, who was a militia member of the CPI-Maoist, surrendered before the Superintendent of Police, Vineet Brij Lal, in Visakhapatnam. Pongi Sillo alias Lalita was given the name of Chinnari when she was with the Galikonda dalam (squad), belongs to the Kondu tribe and a native of Jerrela Kotturu in G. K. Veedhi mandal (administrative division) in the District.

Director-General of Police R.R. Girish Kumar admitted that there was "some spurt" in Maoists' activities in the State and assured that Police were taking adequate steps to meet the threat. At a press conference in Hyderabad, he said some incidents had occurred and the Police were aware of the developments in north Telangana and on the borders of the neighbouring States.

October 21: An action squad member of the CPI-Maoist was killed in an encounter with Police in the Kompelli-Asnanpalli area of Warangal District late in the night. Two other extremists, however, managed to escape. A 9 mm pistol was recovered from the incident site, a Police official said.

Cadres of the CPI-Maoist are suspected to be regrouping in a big way in Andhra Pradesh. The top Maoist leadership is concentrating on reviving the movement particularly in North Telangana. Intelligence sources claim that there is increased movement in areas where the insurgents have sought refuge along the North Telangana forest border with Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. Sources said the CPI-Maoist is planning to restore its strength in North Telangana by launching agitations against open cast mines of Singareni Collieries, an issue which is likely to have local support. Towards this end, the extremists have reactivated its frontal organisation, the Singareni Karmika Samakya, which has a strong presence among the coal miners.

October 25: Following intelligence reports of active movement of Maoists in the Manthani division in Karimnagar District, the Minister for Higher Education, D. Sridhar Babu, along with the Member of Parliament from Peddapalli, G. Vivekanand, Collector Sandeep Kumar Sultania and other officials cancelled their visit to the interior Mahadevpur administrative division. They were to participate in a medical camp organised by Rainbow, a NGO of lady doctors of Karimnagar.

October 28: The cadres of the CPI-Maoist killed an activist of the ruling Congress Party, K. Narasimhapur Reddy (40), at Konapur village in the Warangal District in the early morning. About 20 insurgents, reportedly led by the Kothaguda 'area secretary' of the CPI-Maoist, reached Konapur in the midnight and asked Narasimhapur Reddy to follow them as they had something to talk to him. Later, they shot him dead outside his residence and escaped from the incident site. Reddy was a village committee secretary of the party. The Maoists branded him as a Police informer and killed him warning other villagers of same fate if they befriended the police. This is the third killing in Warangal District by the Maoists in a month.

October 31: Two cadres of the CPI-Maoist were killed in an encounter with the Police in the Kodavatancha village of Warangal District. According to sources, the District's action team commander' Manthani Raju alias Daya and Nuneti Venkatesh alias Srinath alias Naveen were killed in the encounter in the cotton fields at around 2.30 pm (IST). Daya belonged to Jangedu village of Bhupalpalli mandal (administrative Unit) and had been underground from 1994. He was carrying a head money of INR 500,000. Action team member Venkatesh alias Srinath belonged to Pedakomatipalli village in Mogullapalli mandal. He earlier worked in the Praja Prathighatana outfit and after surrendering to the Police, he subsequently joined the CPI-Maoist in 2003. The Police recovered one 9mm carbine and one sten gun from the encounter site.

Within 24 hours of the Director-General of Police R.R. Girish Kumar's visit to the Visakha Agency area, the CPI-Maoist blocked the Kothapalli-Pakalapalem road on the way to Sileru on October 30 and gave a call to the people to support the countrywide shutdown on November 4 and 5, for which the party has given a call. In the evening of October 30, the Maoists cut down trees and placed them on the road. They also dug up a hole near a culvert on the road, presumably to plant a landmine. Several handwritten posters were left at the place condemning the Government's Operation Godavari to flush out Maoists and proposals for aerial bombing of Maoist strongholds. The posters were in the name of the Galikonda area committee.

November 17: The Adilabad First Additional Session Judge, S. Venkata Ramanaiah, acquitted a top CPI-Maoist leader, Tusharkanti Bhattacharya, in the Tapalpur murder case of November 1976. Tusharkanti Bhattacharya, who was arrested from the State of Bihar in September 2008, was one of the prime accused in the case and was the only one who had evaded arrest for 32 years.

The Director General of Police, Girish Kumar, clarified that there is no joint operation going on with the Chhattisgarh State against the Maoists in the border areas, reports Express Buzz. Kumar, who visited the Maoist insurgency-affected areas in the Bhadrachalam Division on November 15, addressed media persons at Kothagudem and said, "We are ready to face the Naxal [Maoist] threat in our border area. Our work is to prevent the entry of Maoists into our State but we will not enter Chhattisgarh State." He clarified that the Andhra Pradesh Police would not enter Chhattisgarh to participate in combing operations.

November 19: A cadre of the CPI-Maoist, Nagarjuna Reddy (30), was shot dead by a Police combing party in an encounter at Billalagutta near Veligallu reservoir in Galiveedu mandal (administrative division) in the Kadapa District. The deceased belonged to Medikurthi village in Chittoor district. Police recovered two 0.38 revolvers, three bullets, three tin bombs, a kit bag, four SIM cards from the encounter site. The Maoists opened fire at a Police party which was combing the area and Police returned fire in retaliation. Nagarajuna Reddy was killed while two others managed to escape, the Police said.

November 25: Mohammed Hussain alias Sudhakar, a CPI-Maoist central committee member was produced in Adilabad court in connection with the case related to his fleeing from Adilabad sub jail in 1988.

Suspected CPI-Maoist cadres set ablaze six vehicles belonging to the Singareni Collieries Company Ltd (SCCL) at its open cast mine site at Dorli village in the Tiryani mandal (administrative division) of Adilabad District in the night. According to Bellampally Deputy Superintendent of Police V. Bhaskar Rao, 40 armed Maoists came to the mine site between 10.30 and 11pm (IST) and asked the third shift personnel present near the vehicles to move away. They then set ablaze the vehicles, including a lubricating van, a diesel bowser, a water tanker and a lorry and two jeeps that were hired by the SCCL management. The incident comes after a lapse of more than four-and-half years of Maoist violence in the Adilabad District.

November 30: Koyyuru Police arrested one armed and six basic militia members, including a woman, of the CPI-Maoist. The arrested armed militia member Vantala Sattibabu (22) was with the Maoists since he was 10 years old. The arrests took place at Thotachilaka and Billupalem villages in Koyyur mandal of Visakhapatnam District.

Nine armed cadres, including three women, of the CPI-Maoist set on fire a tractor and a chip mixing machine, which were being used in laying a road near Lakshmipuram in Munchingput mandal (administrative unit) of Visakhapatnam District in the night. The incident happened a day before the Maoists commenced their annual week-long People's Liberation Guerrilla Army formation celebrations. The Maoists left some pamphlets and a banner at the site urging people to make the celebrations a success. They burned down the vehicle and equipment, belonging to a private contractor, in protest against the "firing by police against innocent tribals at Pydipalli in Pedabayalu mandal on November 22 and other incidents in which the tribals were killed, the Maoists mentioned.

December 2: Three cadres of the CPI-Maoist were killed in an encounter with special party Policemen in the evening in the forest near Kallegaon-Pittaguda under Kerameri Police Station limits of Adilabad District. While two of those killed were identified as Mylarapu Adellu alias Bhaskar alias Narsanna, Adilabad District Committee Secretary (DCS) of the CPI-Maoist and Chippakurthi Ravi alias Sudershan, a District Committee member, the third could not be identified due to darkness. Some 10 others were believed to have escaped. Adilabad Superintendent of Police P. Promod Kumar said a sten gun, a SLR, a pistol, a manpac communication set some batteries and blasting material were recovered from the spot. The encounter, which took place gains significance as it comes a week after the Maoists had burnt machinery at the Dorli open cast mine in adjacent Tiryani mandal. Adellu, who carried a reward of INR 500,000 on his head, had escaped a series of encounters with the Police parties in the Jogapur forests of Asifabad in November 2005.

December 6: A pamphlet in the name of Prajaswamya Parirakshana Samiti (PPS) surfaced in the coal belt of Adilabad District a few days ago on an unspecified date. The pamphlet declares that the PPS has been formed to counter the activities of the CPI-Maoists and their sympathisers who operate under different garbs. The PPS says the extremists now operating in the District have come back after being driven away by people of Chhattisgarh where they had functioned for the last three years. In order to seek shelter, the Maoists are resorting to disturbing the peace prevailing in the tribal areas and the coal belt for the last three years, the period during which the Maoists had quit the District.

December 8: A Congress leader was severely injured when the CPI-Maoist cadres fired at him at his residence in Eturunagaram. According to information, five Maoists went to M.P.P. Jadi Laxmi's house at 7.30pm (IST) and immediately opened fire on her and her husband Rammurthy. Her husband sustained bullet injuries in his arm and leg. The Maoists branded him as Police informer and tried to eliminate him.

December 9: The Andhra Pradesh Police expressed apprehension that the CPI-Maoist cadres were infiltrating the ongoing agitation for a separate province of Telangana. They were seizing the opportunity of the 'possible huge gathering' in the State capital on December 10 (today) in response to the Chalo Assembly (Go to Assembly) call given by the Joint Action Committee of students. The Inspector-General of Police A. R. Anuradha, spokesperson of the State Police said, "We have received Intelligence reports that the movement has gone out of the students' hands and that Maoists and other professional agitators are moving in. Given such a situation, we do not wish to take any chance with law and order problem. The Maoists already are believed to be in Dandakaranya."

December 13: Police killed a CPI-Maoist cadre, in possession of a service revolver, in an encounter in the Dharmaram forests, some 15 kilometers from Yellandu, in the Khammam District at around 6am. According to reports, Vajja Rangaiah, who was accused in three murders committed in Khammam and Warangal Districts, was killed in an exchange of fire between a special Police party and a Maoist dalam (squad). Other members of the dalam managed to escape. Rangaiah, who was underground for four years, belonged to Polaram village in the District. A service pistol that belonged to the Chhattisgarh Police was found near his body.

December 15: The CPI-Maoist will stand by the people of Andhra Pradesh and build up 'public pressure' as long as the process for a separate state of Telangana is not initiated, the Maoist politburo member Kishen said. "We will build public pressure on the Government so that they start the process for a separate Telangana state. The people will not allow creating deliberate disturbance to stop statehood for Telangana," the Maoist leader said. He claimed that 'public pressure' had similarly paid off in case of anti-Maoist 'Operation Green Hunt'. "Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram had to tone down 'Operation Green Hunt' under tremendous public pressure," he said. Kishen also said that the problem of the people of Telangana would be solved through a 'new democratic revolution'. Maoists, he said, wanted the people of Telangana to have their constitutional rights and protection of their religion, culture and social customs. On the demand for a separate state of Gorkhaland in north Bengal, Kishen said the GJM, spearheading a movement for such a state, "should not trust national leaders" and continue the movement. "The Gorkha leaders withdrew the bandh trusting Chidambaram and L. K. Advani (leader of opposition in Parliament). There is no reason to trust these leaders. They (Gorkha leaders) should carry on with their own political program until they succeed," he added.

December 17: The CPI-Maoist stepping up violence in Visakha Agency area during the last one month or so could be a tactical move, felt SP Vineet Brij Lal in Visakhapatnam. Talking to reporters the SP said that the Maoists activity was being observed in Pedabayalu and Munchingput mandals (administrative divisions). This could be a new strategy of Maoists as they were mainly concentrated and active in Orissa in the Andhra-Orissa Border (AOB) region and to escape pressure from the Police there after the Narayanapatna incident and another reason might be because the Andhra Pradesh Police were now more engaged with the ongoing agitation on the Telangana issue. During the last few incidents it was noticed that the Maoists, who would come into Andhra Pradesh area from Orissa and retreat after committing a crime, were foraying deeper into the Andhra Pradesh area instead of their usual practice of creating incidents very near the border on Andhra Pradesh side.

The Andhra Pradesh Police on their part were conducting orientation for its forces by conducting discussions on their operations to find out strengths and weaknesses. Violence witnessed during some incidents during the ongoing agitation might be related to the Maoists, he said. Visakhapatnam District received two platoons of Andhra Pradesh Special Police force, consisting of 60 members, and with 400 Armed Reserve and 900 civil Policemen, the force was sufficient to deal with the present level of agitation. On the reports that some of the Maoists leaders were moving around in the Agency area, Brij Lal said that the terrain in the District was their advantage and it was not possible to establish the communication network all over the area.

The District Police released posters as part of its campaign to contain the activities of the CPI-Maoist. The SP released posters with photos of 48 Maoist leaders and active dalam (squad) members in Visakhapatnam District along with details of reward on their heads, the destruction of vehicles engaged in laying roads in the Visakha Agency area and on the Maoists encouraging cultivation of ganja (marijuana) by the Girijans.

During the last two years, the Maoists disrupted work on laying of 10 roads in the Agency area by burning the vehicles engaged in the work on the plea that the roads were meant for bauxite mining. But the roads were in Pedabayalu, Munchingput and G. Madugula where bauxite mining was not planned. "This is a hypocrisy on the part of Maoists. By disrupting work on roads, they are also denying transport facility to the Girijans, for whom they are claiming to be fighting. They are not allowing road laying as they are scared of losing hold over the area", Brij Lal said. He called upon the Girijans to chase away the Maoists when road was disrupted. Recently villagers of Boodaralla in Koyyuru mandal did not respond to a call from the Maoists to attend a meeting, he pointed out. The poster on Maoist leaders has photos and details of top leaders like Ganapathi, Ganganna, RK, Jampanna, Bhaskar, Sudhakar and some other active cadres. Reward on the heads of these Maoists ranged from INR 12 lakhs to INR 20,000. There are 67 underground cadres in the District. Poster on the ganja cultivation has photos of ganja crop being raised by the Girijans at the behest of Maoists, who the SP alleged were allowing each Girijan family to raise 200 plants. Some Girijans arrested recently in the ganja cases revealed that the Maoists were receiving some cut from the traders from Kerala and Tamil Nadu who were financing the cultivation and smuggling ganja to other parts of the country, Brij Lal concluded.

December 21-22: Eight CPI-Maoist cadres were arrested by the Chintapalli special Police party at Korukonda village in Visakhapatnam on December 21 and the arrested were sent for remand on December 22. According to the District Police Officer, the eight belonged to Rollagedda village in Orissa, which is very near to Andhra border. They were carrying Maoist party literature, banners and other material, when they were arrested.

December 25-26: Two persons were arrested on charges of assisting the CPI-Maoist in collection of party funds in the Warangal District and INR 60 lakhwas seized from their possession, Police said. V Veeraiah and Siddam Shetty Vykuntam were arrested while they were handing over INR 60lakh, extorted amount from civil contractors, to the CPI-Maoist cadre near Gangugudem village under Eturnagaram Police Stations limits on December 25, Superintendent of Police (SP, Warangal) Shahnawaz Qasim told PTI over phone. Veeraiah and Siddam came to the forest abutting to Gangugudem village to handover the extorted money to the Maoist) cadre, but were arrested while around 12 CPI-Maoist cadres who came to collect the amount managed to escape in the dense forests after noticing the Police party, he said. The duo in their confession to the Police said that they were working for the CPI -Maoist and assisting it in extorting money, the senior Police officer added.

December 26: The Maoists came out in support of a separate Telangana, asking the people of the region to "wage a united militant mass struggle" to achieve the statehood. Azad, the spokesperson of the Central Committee of the CPI-Maoist, said in a statement that a separate state of Telangana is an "inalienable right" of the four crore people of the region. He called for a "united militant mass struggle" against the "fascist Congress regime" and the "betrayers" in various political garbs to "achieve" a separate Telangana. "Their sole fear was that any mass agitation would become militant and slip out of their hands," Azad alleged.

December 28: The CPI-Maoist cadres killed two tribal leaders, including the gram sarpanch (village head), in the Komanapalli village of Khammam District.. The dead were identified as sarpanch Kaviti Rajulu and his uncle and former village head Kaviti Subbaiah.

The Maoists have successfully created a parallel network working for the organisation in Komanapalli. They had a village-level committee working for the organisation on the lines of the 'sanghams' comprising militant supporters floated by the Maoists in the tribal habitations of the neighbouring Dantewada District. Four persons arrested from the village by the Police on September 14 were identified as members of the grama (village) committee. They all had confessed to be party to every activity sponsored by the extremists groups in the tribal pocket. One of the four members of the village committee, Thati Bhadraiah arrested by the Police, had committed suicide in Warangal central jail on November 27.

The Maoists had reportedly attributed the arrests to the CPI-Marxist supporters in the village. Sarpanch Kaviti Rajulu and former village head Kaviti Subbaiah, both staunch supporters of the CPI-Marxist in the pocket, had become their target in the episode. But the sarpanch, blamed for arrest of the Maoist supporters, had approached the Police officials and the elected representatives to secure their release. Though he was successful in the mission, he failed to convince the Maoists and hence paid the price. The Maoist raid on the village was planned and led by Sabari area committee secretary, Mutta Mogili alias Naresh. The armed Naxalites, who stormed the village, were accompanied by a group of Gothikoya youths from nearby villages in Maraigudem Police Stations (Chhattisgarh) limits. Maoists could gain a free passage to villages on the inter-state border ever since the Police outpost at Mallampet in Chintur mandal was shifted to Edugurallapallli and upgraded into a Police Station. It is highly difficult to keep track the movement of the Maoists dalams (squads) which were indulging in sneaky attacks and retreating to Chhattisgarh forests.

December 30: The CPI-Maoist is trying to resurface in Andhra Pradesh in a big way, the Director General of Police (DGP) R.R. Girish Kumar warned but assured that Police were keeping "utmost guard and vigil". The DGP said that Police were keeping "utmost guard and vigil" to thwart Maoists' attempts. "There is a move (by Maoists) to resurface in Andhra Pradesh in a big way. Any such attempt will be repulsed with all the force at our command," he said.

Claiming that Maoist activity in the State had ebbed to the lowest in over a decade, the DGP said Police remained vigilant in view of the developments in neighbouring States. "We are monitoring their activities across the border. We hope to reverse any effort to cross over and set up bases in the state," said Girish Kumar. He claimed to have received information about Maoists trying to regroup in Karimnagar, Adilabad and Warangal Districts. Andhra Pradesh, a former stronghold of Maoists, registered only 56 incidents of Maoist violence during 2009, against 96 last year. The number of incidents was as high as 576 in 2005. No Policeman was killed during 2009 while 34 Policemen were killed in 2008. The number of civilians killed has come down to 15 from 45 in 2008. The DGP said 13 Maoists were killed, 326 arrested and 91 surrendered during 2009. He also said that there were only 13 incidents of exchanges of fire with Police in 2009 as compared with 28 incidents in 2008. The State Police, including the elite Grey-Hounds, has received laurels for anti-Naxalite operations, the DGP added.

The DGP noted that not a single Policeman was killed by Maoists in a year for the first time. The daily, however, quoted the DGP as saying that 16 Naxalites were shot dead in encounters by the Police, which were again the lowest in a year. The DGP said the killing of Patel Sudhakar Reddy, a member of the central committee of the CPI-Maoist, in an encounter in Warangal was the biggest success of Police on Naxalite front during 2009. The Government was examining proposals to establish 15 marine police stations and seven outposts keeping in view the threat of infiltration of terrorists along the coast line.

The Visakhapatnam District Police is on high alert in view of the January 2 bandh call given by the CPI-Maoist in support of separate Telangana. "Though the situation in the agency area is peaceful at the moment, we are anticipating violence from across the border with Orissa," Superintendent of Police Vinit Brijlal told The Hindu.

Bihar

January 1: Three CPI-Maoist cadres including an 'area commander', were arrested and arms and ammunition, including a pistol, six rounds of cartridges, were recovered by the Police following an encounter during a search operation at the house of the village head of Dhankaul in the Begusarai District. The 'area commander', identified as Radhey Sah alias Shyam Sahni, was wanted in several cases, including an incident of dynamite blasting on the house of Dinesh Singh, a leader of the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M), murder of one Rampukar Chaurasia and forceful acquisition of land of a relative of Excise Minister Jamshed Ashraf. The two others arrested were identified as Hare Krishna Mahto and Surendra Paswan. The village head man, identified as Upendra Choudhary, was also detained by the Police for harbouring the insurgents.

January 4: Security was stepped up at Bihar's Aurangabad District jail and Police Stations were put on high alert after receiving a phone call from suspected cadres of CPI-Maoist, threatening to carry out a jailbreak. "Additional armed forces have been deployed at Aurangabad District jail. The Police do not want to take any chances after threat of a Jehanabad-like jailbreak," the Assistant Superintendent of Police, A.R. Singh, said. Aurangabad is one of the four Districts of south Bihar affected by Maoist violence where dozens of Maoists, including their 'commanders', 'zonal commanders' and 'area commanders', are lodged in the District jail.

January 6: The Bihar Government has also sanctioned a sum of INR 70 million from the Bihar Contingency Fund to be spent on acquisition of 133.28 acres of land meant for the Bihar Police Academy. Two battalions of Bihar Military Police (BMP) would be raised in Bettiah (BMP-15) and Saharsa (BMP-12) for which process of land acquisition is already continuing. Since the 65 Panchayats (village-level self-Government institutions) of seven Districts are Maoist-infested, the State Government is focusing on the recruitment among the constabulary rank, besides making special efforts to modernise the Police force.

January 9: Six cadres of the CPI-Maoist, including a senior 'area commander', were arrested by the Police during a search operation at Bhagwanpur Matia village in the Jehanabad District. According to the Jehanabad Superintendent of Police (SP), Manu Mahraj, "the self-styled area commander of Maoists, Uday Yadav, who was absconding since Jehanabad jailbreak in 2005, was arrested along with two country made carbines and four country made pistols." The other Maoists were identified as Ashok Yadav, Madhusudan Yadav, Ajay Yadav, Dharmendra Yadav and Mahesh Choudhary. Police also recovered two locally-made carbines, four pistols and 38 live cartridges and Police belts.

January 14: Two arms suppliers of the JLT, also known as People's Front of India, identified as Santosh Yadav alias Mukesh and Sumant Kumar, belonging to the Bhurkhunda Ekma village of Gumla District of Jharkhand, were arrested by Police outside the Bakhtiyarpur railway station in Patna District (Bihar). Yadav, who had to receive a consignment of ammunition -.3006 bore, .303 and .315 bore cartridges - from Kanpur, was arrested on suspicion. During interrogation, Yadav revealed details of his modus operandi and disclosed the names of the Kanpur supplier of arms and ammunition and also the name of Dinesh Gope, the JLT member who was to receive ammunition from him. Sumant was also found involved in this clandestine deal of arms and was subsequently arrested. A sum of INR 400000 was also recovered from him. Yadav said that on three earlier occasions he had supplied arms and ammunition to Gope. To date, 10,000 cartridges have been supplied to the Jharkhand Maoists, he disclosed to the Police.

January 15: More than 100 armed cadres of the CPI-Maoist attacked the control room of a private company's mobile tower with bombs and partially damaged it at village Anwarpur under Sarai Police Station in the Vaishali District. The Maoists were trying to enforce a 24-hour bandh in north Bihar to protest against alleged atrocities on their senior cadre, identified as Rampravesh Baitha alias Satish Ji alias Rakesh Ji, lodged in the Central Jail in Bhagalpur.

January 16: Three CPI-Maoist cadres, along with eight under-trial prisoners, escaped from the Jammui District civil court premises while they were being brought to the court for regular production. A group of 50 Maoists waiting at the court premises attacked the Police party by spraying chilli powder. They also exploded bombs as the Policemen tried to stop them. Three Police personnel sustained injuries. In the ensuing chaos, three Maoists, identified as Sunil Baitha, Paresh Hembram and Vivek Yadav, escaped from Police custody.

January 22: A group of armed cadres of the CPI-Maoist intercepted 11 cement laden trucks, dragged out the drivers and set them ablaze during their bandh call in the Tumba and Ranjeetganj road of Rohtas District. According to the Additional Director General of Police Neelmani, the CPI-Maoist has called for a 24-hour shutdown in Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Orissa.

A State Auxiliary Police personnel, identified as Om Prakash Tiwary, and a suspected cadre of the CPI-Maoist were killed during an encounter at Chaturpatti village under Paro Police Station in the Muzaffarpur District. The Additional Director General of Police, Krishna Chaudhary, said there could be more casualties among the Maoists as Police had found blood trails in a mustard field, indicating that injured or slain Maoists had been dragged during retreat.

Maoists blew up a Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited mobile tower at Nayakagawn village under Dumaria Police Station of Gaya District during their general shut down call.

January 26: Groups of CPI-Maoist cadres forcefully entered into the premises of the Government administered primary and high schools and unfurled black flags to mark their boycott of official Republic Day functions in the Pakridayal sub-division of East Champaran District.

January 27: More than 200 armed cadres of the CPI-Maoist stormed the control room of a BSNL communication tower and asked the employees to vacate it before detonating dynamites at Maigra village in the Gaya District.

February 2: Suspected CPI-Maoist cadres blew up a portion of a bridge over a canal with dynamites to obstruct the movement of Police vehicles at Deo-Baluganj Road near Berhni village in the Aurangabad District. The SP, Ganesh Kumar, said the bridge was blown up apparently to prevent large Police vans and armoured vehicles from reaching Maoist strongholds of Baluganj and Ketaki.

February 4: A driver was among three suspects arrested and a huge cache of explosives, including 4000 gelatine sticks weighing about 600 kilograms meant for supply to the CPI-Maoist, was recovered by the Police from a vehicle at Grand Trunk Road under the Barachatti Police Station of Gaya District. According to Police sources, the explosives bear production marks of Hyderabad and were to be delivered to a CPI-Maoist 'area commander'. The three suspects were identified as Mohammed Zahid of Chatarbar in Koderma and Sawood Khan alias Bholu of Hamzapur of Gaya District in Bihar and driver Shahzad of Hindpiri from Ranchi District in Jharkhand.

As a part of its rehabilitation scheme to bring CPI-Maoist cadres into the mainstream, the Bihar Government distributed INR 500000 amongst 16 surrendered Maoists, including an 'area commander', in the Muzzaffarpur District.

February 9: At least 10 Policemen, including some from the Special Auxiliary Police, were killed when more than 150 armed CPI-Maoist cadres launched a surprise attack on the SF personnel who were providing security at a function at Ravidas Ashram in the Mahuliatand village of Nawada District. The Additional Director General of Police, Neelmani, said, "When an 18-member Police team led by Ram reached the village, Maoist guerillas suddenly attacked and shot them dead. The incident happened in a remote area. Therefore, the final figure can only be available once the top Police officials reach the spot with reinforcements. An intensive operation has been launched against Maoists in Districts bordering neighbouring Jharkhand." There is no report of civilian being killed, he added. The Maoists subsequently fled with the arms and ammunition of the slain Policemen. The Police later launched a combing operation at the Bihar-Jharkhand State border.

February 11: Three cadres of the former MCC, presently known as CPI-Maoist, identified as Vyas Kahar, Naresh Paswan and Yugal Mochi, were sentenced to death while three others, identified as Tyagi Mahto, Vijay Yadav and Madhusudan Sharma, were acquitted by a TADA court in Gaya for the massacre of 35 persons at Bara village in the Gaya District. The MCC's armed cadres brought the 35 persons of Bara village to the bank of a nearby canal, tied their hands and slit their throats on February 12, 1992. Earlier on 2001, a TADA court had sentenced four MCC cadres to death in the same case.

The Police lodged FIRs against four persons, identified as Ajit Yadav, head of Lalpur panchayat, his body-guard, Rambhuj Ravidas, head of Mahudar panchayat and Jamuna Ravidas, a resident of Tisri Police Station area of Giridih District and 150 CPI-Maoist cadres in Kauakaul Police Station, in connection with the killing of 10 Policemen in a Maoist attack on February 9 in the Nawada District.

A six-member Police team headed by a SHO escaped unhurt when suspected cadres of the CPI-Maoist triggered a landmine explosion in the Gaya District. The landmine exploded seconds before the armoured vehicle carrying the Police party was returning from Gaya, said Superintendent of Police Malar Vizzi.

February 13: CPI-Maoist cadres attacked a brick kiln as the owner of the kiln did not give any heed to their 'levy' demand under Sadar Police Station of Vaishali District.

February 15: About 150 suspected cadres of the CPI-Maoist blew up a wall of an under-construction jail after forcing workers out of the building in the Sheohar District. The Maoists also left behind pamphlets that warned of more such attacks.

February 16: CPI-Maoist cadres blew up a bridge using dynamite near Baghaura under Roh Police Station in the Nawada District.

February 17: The Bihar Government sanctioned INR 199.3 million under the Police modernisation scheme for construction of buildings to accommodate 300 Police officials in six CPI-Maoist affected Districts of Nawada, Jamui, Jehanabad, Arwal, Aurangabad and Bhabua. The Additional Director General of Police, Neelmani, said that 184 and 108 lower grade and upper subordinate quarters under the separate family accommodation scheme would be constructed by the Bihar State Police Building Construction Corporation.

February 21: A Bihar Military Police constable, identified as Rajesh Kumar, who had sustained injuries in an attack by the CPI-Maoist cadres on Police personnel in the Nawada District on February 9, succumbed to his injuries at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi.

February 22: The armed cadres of the CPI-Maoist ransacked a village and later killed the village headman, identified as Neeraj Kumar Mukul, after dragging him out of his house in the Rohua Panchayat under Shyampur Vatha Police Station in the Sheohar District. Maoists are said to have strong cadre base in at least 50 villages of this area and regularly collect money from extortion, fake currency racket as well as donations from villagers to run their operation. In last five years, more than 12 village headmen have been killed in the area, adds the report.

February 25: A senior CPI-Maoist commander and central committee member of the outfit, identified as Satyendra Kushwaha alias Naresh alias Dadan, was arrested by Police from the Dalmianagar area of Rohtas District on February 25. According to Police sources, Satyendra, the Songanga-Vindhyachal 'zonal commander' of the outfit and in-charge of Rohtas, Bhojpur, Kaimur and Buxar Districts, was wanted in several cases of violence, including the 2005 Jehanabad jailbreak, the killing of Police personnel in encounters and landmine blasts. He was also operating in the Mirzapur, Chandauli and Sonbhadra Districts of Uttar Pradesh and Garhwa District of Jharkhand.

February 26: About 50 armed CPI-Maoist cadres held a 'Jan Adalat' (People's Court) in the Banke Bazaar area of Gaya District. The 'Jan Adalat' was held in the presence of the heads of five village panchayats, who hailed the 'effort' of the Maoists by raising pro-extremist slogans. The Maoists also called for a boycott of the Lok Sabha elections and also paid a tribute to around 14,000 Maoists cadres who were killed in parts of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Uttaranchal, Nepal and Bihar. The report also said Maoists are regularly holding 'Jan Adalat' at gun point in the District.

February 28: About 24 armed CPI-Maoist cadres set ablaze a railway station in the Munger District after asking people to move out.

March 1: The CPI-Maoist cadres blew up 150 feet of railway tracks at Bhalui halt between Kiul and Jhajha in the Jamui District on the Howrah-Delhi mainline.

Two communication towers were damaged by the Maoists in two separate incidents. "While a BSNL mobile tower was damaged in Aurangabad District, another mobile tower of a private service provider was damaged in Rohtas District," the Police said. "We have put all the Districts on high alert and reinforcements in Naxal-affected Districts were sent in advance to thwart any possible Maoist attack," said a senior Police official.

March 3: SFs belonging to the Special Task Force and CRPF destroyed a large quantity of opium in a CPI-Maoist dominated Sankhwa village in the Gaya District. "We got information that there is a huge quantity of opium growing in this field. So a team of STF, and CRPF came to destroy the crop. We found around 10 acres under opium cultivation. The entire village has been vacated. People have left their houses. We are trying to find out the persons behind this opium cultivation," said Jay Prakash Pandit, a Police official in Barachatti. Police suspect Maoist involvement behind the cultivation of opium in the village.

March 9: The suspected cadres of the CPI-Maoist killed two women and two children of a family by slitting their throat in connection with a land dispute case at Pachubigha village in the Arwal District. The victims have been identified as Pluleshwari Devi, mother of Nageshwar Mahto, his wife Lakhmani Devi and daughters Ritu (3) and Mitu (5) The Police suspect that Avadhesh Singh, a distant cousin of Mahto hired Maoists to take revenge of the land dispute controversy. Nageshwar was not at home when the incident took place. Before leaving the place the Maoist cadres left a leaflet which threatens Nageshwar with eliminating other members of his family if he did not settle the dispute in favour of Avadhesh Singh.

March 11: Around 100 CPI-Maoist cadres entered into a village, dragged a leader of the ruling Janata Dal-United (JD-U) out of his house and killed him by slitting his throat after the a kangaroo court pronounced him guilty of acting as a Police informer at Parsando village in the Munger District. The slain leader was identified as Manoj Singh, president of the Kharagpur block unit of the JD-U. Before disappearing into the adjoining thick forest, the Maoists left a leaflet accusing Manoj of defying their order to pay extortion money and acting as a Police informer.

A CPI-Maoist 'area commander', identified as Ravidas alias Badal, was lynched to death by a group of civilians at Khaira village in the Lakhisarai District. According to Police sources, Ravidas had entered the house of a person, identified as Devendra Yadav, and started threatening the family members at gunpoint. "When women in the family started shouting, a group of villagers gathered there and beat him to death," sources added.

March 14: The Special Task Force of Police arrested three CPI-Maoist cadres, including a 'zonal commander', identified as Bhupendra Baitha, during a search operation at Ismailpur near Gaya railway station. Baitha, carrying a head money of INR 25,000, was wanted in nearly 24 cases of violence in the Gaya, Aurangabad and Rohtas Districts of Bihar and in the Palamu District of Jharkhand.

March 16: In retaliation to the lynching of a CPI-Maoist 'commander' on March 11, armed Maoists raided Khaira village in the Lakhisarai District and shot dead three men and injured two women. The victims were identified as Damodar Yadav, Mukesh Yadav and Wakil Yadav and the injured were identified as Usha Devi and Rahvo Devi.

March 18: A group of more than 100 suspected CPI-Maoist cadres set ablaze 25 tractors belonging to a private company, constructing an embankment, as it failed to pay 10 per cent 'levy' to them, in the Adalpur village of Sheohar District. "Most of the officials and workers engaged in construction of the embankment fled after the attack," said an unnamed Police official.

The Bihar-Jharkhand-Chhattisgarh special area committee of the CPI-Maoist called for a boycott of the Lok Sabha elections scheduled to be held in April and May 2009. "After five years of misrule, India is again going for election. The present Lok Sabha election will empower the political parties to misrule the State for another five years… Another political mandate for five years will promote hunger and repression against common people the country. The policies of next Government will only increase the unemployment," a press release issued by the Maoists said.

March 21: A group of armed CPI-Maoist cadres blew up the railway tracks between the Buraru and Pairayya stations of Gaya District. The blast uprooted both the up and down tracks and damaged the overhead traction wires.

March 23: Four persons were arrested and around 2000 kilograms of explosives meant for the CPI-Maoist were recovered by the Police at Haji Suhanpur in the Munger District. "A vehicle loaded with 38 bags containing 1900 kg of explosives mostly ammonium nitrate were found in a Police raid," said the DSP Ashok Kumar. The arrested persons were identified as, Ishwari Begum, wife of Mohammed Salam who is believed to be an explosives supplier, Gorelal Yadav, Fantush Yadav and Jai Ram Yadav.

March 24: Two CPI-Maoist cadres, including an 'area commander' identified as Shankar Yadav, were arrested while many others managed to escape during a search operation by the Police in the Chandauti Police Station area of Gaya District. Shankar was involved in several cases of Maoist violence, including the attack on the Paraiya Police Station a few years back in which four Policemen were killed. The other arrestee was identified as Raj Bhallabh, a school student, who is also a fresh recruit.

Police arrested a CPI-Maoist cadre, identified as Shambhu Da alias Bablu, during a search operation at Parsando village in the Munger District. Shambhu was involved in as many as 12 cases of violence, including the murder of Kharagpur block ruling Janata Dal-United party president Manoj Singh and a retired Superintendent of Police, Munger, K. C. Surendra Babu, said Sunil Nayak, the Superintendent of Police. A pistol and a magazine were recovered from the arrested Maoist, he added.

March 25: With 19 out of the 40 Parliamentary constituencies facing a threat from the CPI-Maoist, the State has urged the Centre to provide four Helicopters to be used in election-related works during the general elections scheduled to be held in April and May. The constituencies facing a Maoist threat fall under the Kaimur, Rohtas, Aurangabad, Gaya, Nawada, Jamui, Jehanabad, Munger, West Champaran, East Champaran, Sheohar, Sitamarhi, Muzaffarpur and Vaishali Districts. According to an unnamed senior Police official, "These choppers would be used for undertaking rescue operations in case Naxalites attack polling personnel or the Security Forces during polls." The Bihar Police is also undertaking a rigorous exercise of mapping the areas facing the most potent threat from Maoists and the information would be provided to the Election Commission which would be used as an input while deciding the force deployment during the polls.

March 31: Around 50 heavily-armed cadres of the CPI-Maoist blew up a State-run school at Chormara village under Bhimbandh forest range in the Jamui District in the early hours. However, no casualties were reported in the attack, Police said.

April 5: Over 100 heavily-armed Cadres of the CPI-Maoists blew up the building of Rajkiya Buniyadi Madhya Vidyalaya at Faluka in Gaya District.

April 6: Around 150 suspected cadres of the CPI-Maoist attempted to explode a Government school using dynamite at Ketaki village in the Aurangabad District. However, the school building was not damaged as the explosion was not powerful. The Maoists took away a generator of the school before the Police reached the spot. According to Police sources, the ongoing attacks on schools by the Maoists have been an attempt to foil the State administration's bid to house Central Reserve Police Force and other para-military forces in schools for deployment in Maoist affected areas during the Parliament elections scheduled to be held in April-May.

April 8: Around 150 armed CPI-Maoist cadres blew up two rooms of a school building and a village level child care centre by detonating dynamites at village Baluar in the Gaya District. The school was two kilometers from the ground where Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was to address an election rally hours later.

A group of 50 CPI-Maoist cadres destroyed a mobile phone tower and other equipments, including a generator, belonging to a private telecom operator by crude bombs at Bishinpur Sagahan village in the Aurangabad District.

Handwritten posters of the Maoists threatening villagers that their hands would be chopped if they vote in the coming general election in April and May were found in the Gaya District. "The hands of anyone casting a vote would be chopped," read one poster in Hindi language. The posters, pasted on walls, trees, schools, panchayat buildings, also warn middlemen to stay away from the election process. According to an unnamed Gaya District administration official, "Maoists pasted posters at villages in Bankabazar, Barachatti, Dumaria, Imamganj and Amas blocks of Shergathi sub-division in Gaya."

In the wake of Maoist threats, the Election Commission decided to reduce the voting time in nine assembly segments spread over four parliamentary constituencies - Sasaram, Aurangabad, Gaya and Jamui - which would go to polls in the first phase on April 16. Voting would start at 7 am in these assembly segments, as is the case in other segments, but it would conclude at 3 pm, two hours prior to the scheduled time of 5 pm when voting would come to an end in other assembly segments. The assembly segments where reduced time would be available for voting are Chainpur and Chenari in Sasaram, Kutumba, Rafiganj and Imamganj segments in Aurangabad, Barachatti in Gaya and Sikandra, Jhajha and Chakai in Jamui.

April 13: A group of 100 CPI-Maoist cadres raided a community centre, which was proposed as a polling centre for the upcoming Parliamentary elections scheduled to be held on April 16, at Pandu village in the Aurangabad District. However, no causalities were reported.

April 13: An unspecified number of armed CPI-Maoist cadres intercepted the vehicle of a candidate belonging to the Shoshit Samaj Dal (a local political party) for Aurangabad Parliamentary constituency, identified as America Mahto, dragged him and his six supporters out, assaulted him and set ablaze his vehicle near Dadamchilmi village in the Aurangabad District.

April 14: CPI-Maoist cadres forcefully entered into Gosain-Besra village and blew up a Government primary school housing polling station of the Gaya Parliamentary constituency. Parliamentary elections are scheduled to be held in the State between April 16 and May 7.

April 15: Eleven CPI-Maoist cadres were killed and one BSF personnel injured during a seven hour long encounter at Dhansa Ghati in the Rohtas District. The encounter occurred when more than 150 armed CPI-Maoist cadres surrounded the BSF camp and opened fire at the Security Force personnel. The injured SF personnel was identified as Arjun Shekhawat. The incident happened just one day before the commencement of Parliamentary election in the District. "The aim of the Maoists, besides damaging the BSF position, was to loot arms and ammunition and to derail the poll process as Sasaram goes to poll on April 16. It appears that during their retreat, the Maoists took away the injured and bodies of the dead colleagues," BSF sources said, adding, "This is for the first time in the series of recent Maoist attacks that they were made to retreat after suffering substantial casualties without causing much damage to the BSF." According to the Additional Director General of Police Neelmani, "Maoists used three rocket launchers. Two launchers failed and one rocket hit a wall."

A group of CPI-Maoist cadres set ablaze the campaign vehicle of a candidate belonging to the ruling Janata Dal (United) for Karakat Parliamentary seat, identified as Mahabali Singh, in Aurangabad.

April 16: Armed CPI-Maoist cadres shot dead two Security Force (SF) personnel, including a Police constable and a Home Guard, at Singhpur village in the Gaya District. The slain Police constable was identified as Vishwambhar Choudhary while the Home Guard was identified as Ramdeo Khair. A spokesman for the State election office said "An estimated 40 to 45 per cent of a little over 1.75 crore voters exercised their franchise," during the first phase of polling for the 13 of the 40 Parliamentary constituencies in Bihar. Polling was held for Gopalganj, Maharajganj, Ara, Gaya, Buxar, Jehanabad, Aurangabad, Nawada, Saran, Sasaram, Siwan, Karakat and Jamui seats.

April 19: Heavily-armed cadres of the CPI-Maoist attacked workers carrying out repair and broadening of the National Highway in Gaya District and set ablaze the earth-movers. However, no casualties were reported, Superintendent of Police M.R. Naik said.

Security Forces (SFs) arrested two Maoists and seized arms and ammunition from them following a gun-battle at Nilampar village in the Jehanabad District. Acting on a tip-off that nearly 100 Maoists had taken shelter in the village and were planning an attack, a joint team comprising the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and State Armed Police personnel surrounded the village following which an encounter ensued. While the rest of the Maoists managed to escape from the incident site, the SFs arrested two Maoists.

The CPI-Maoist called for a Jharkhand-Bihar general shutdown on April 22, a day before the second phase of parliamentary elections, in protest against the "killing of five villagers" by CRPF personnel at Barhania valley in Latehar District in Jharkhand on April 15. The encounter occurred immediately after a landmine explosion was carried out by the Maoists. The CRPF personnel claimed that the five were Naxalites, but villagers said they were innocent.

April 21: Three incidents involving the CPI-Maoist were reported from Bihar. Maoists set ablaze three oil tankers and five trucks on the main GT road in Gaya District. A truck driver who was shot at is reportedly critical and has been hospitalised. Separately, Maoists have taken over a polling station in the Aadapur block of Motihari District and have reportedly planted two bombs at the venue. In the Aurangabad District, the insurgents blew up a community centre in Deo block. However, no causalities were reported in the incident.

April 23: Four Security Force personnel and a civilian were killed in a landmine explosion triggered by the CPI-Maoist near Karpoori Chowk in the Mohabbatpur village of Muzaffarpur District. A civilian driver also sustained serious injuries in the blast. The victims were all part of an Election Commission team and were returning to deposit the Electronic Voting Machines in the Vaishali parliamentary constituency.

May 19: The CPI-Maoist cadres blew up a State Government building under the Human Resource Development department during their 48 hour bandh call in the Imamganj Police Station area of Gaya District.

May 20: Security has been beefed up across Bihar following a 48-hour bandh called by the CPI-Maoist in four States -Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Orissa - against non-compliance with their call for boycotting the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections from the midnight of May 20. "Security measures have been tightened at vital installations, including those of Railways, often soft target of Maoist attacks, and Police Stations have been put on maximum alert," said S. K. Bharadwaj Inspector General (Operations).

A CPI-Maoist cadre, identified as Maan Dev, was arrested and a cache of arms and explosives, including a pistol, 150 hand grenades, 5,500 detonators, 460 live cartridges of revolver, seven magazines of SLR and carbine, was recovered from his possession during a search operation by the STF at East Mohan Bigaha village in Rohtas District. Some survey maps of Patna and Kaimur-Rohtas ranges, geographical maps of Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh along with laser lights, CDs of past Maoist operations, compass, T-shirts and sarees for women Maoist cadres, DVDs and Maoist literatures were also recovered by Police. The arrested Maoist is a native of Joga village in the Palamu District of Jharkhand.

May 24: The CPI-Maoist cadres shot dead a dacoit for allegedly extorting money from people by posing himself as a Maoist in the East Champaran District. "Bihkara Prasad was shot dead by Naxals at Bihsunpur village in the District on Sunday. After killing him the rebels fled, leaving behind leaflets saying those trying to malign the organisation would also face the same consequence," said M. K. Anand, Deputy Superintendent of Police of Pakridayal sub-division.

June 4: The dead body of Surendra Yadav, a farmer, was found lying in a field near Navranga village in Gaya District. A group of more than 20 Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) cadres had abducted Surendra Yadav and Krishna Yadav, also a farmer, from Maksudpur village in the night of June 3. However, Krishna was reportedly freed.

June 15: An armed militia of around 70 cadres of the CPI-Maoist blew up at least three Government buildings at Chakarbandha village under Dumaria Police Station in the Gaya District, close to the Jharkhand border. Reports said the Maoist militia raided the village after midnight and blew up a Government middle school building, a community hall and the panchayat bhawan (building of the village level self Government institution).

The Gaya District Superintendent of Police, M. R. Naik, said the Maoists and Police exchanged fire as the Police party returning from the incident site was fired upon by the insurgents. However, no casualty was reported from either side.

June 19: A large amount of explosives and detonators were recovered in a joint operation by the Special Task Force and Nalanda Police from a truck on the Nalanda-Biharshairf Road. The Police also arrested five hardcore CPI-Maoist cadres, including Prawesh Mishra, the brother of top Maoist leader Promod Mishra. The Inspector General of Police (Special Branch), Binay Kumar, said, "Initial interrogation has revealed that the explosives were loaded on the truck in Koderma (in Jharkhand) and was on its way to Nepal. Perhaps the explosives would have been down loaded in between." Over one ton of explosives and 6,000 detonators were detected on a truck camouflaged as a truck carrying stone chips.

June 23: The CPI-Maoist cadres ambushed a Police team at a court premises in the Lakhisarai District and freed Misir Besra, a member of the Central Military Commission (CMC) and Polit bureau of the CPI-Maoist, after shooting a Policeman dead and hurling bombs to scare away people. The District Development Commissioner Rajiv Ranjan, who was sitting in his office adjacent to the court complex, sustained splinter injuries as bombs were hurled freely by nearly 30 Maoists who entered the court premises on motorcycles, S.K. Bhardwaj, the Inspector-General of Police (Operations), said. The ambush of the Police team took place when Besra was being taken out of the court. The Maoists also snatched away a carbine and two rifles from the Police escort team. The District borders were later sealed and a massive manhunt was launched. "The Police located them near a river on the town outskirts and were chased by Policemen travelling in a Mine Proof Vehicle (MPV). However, the motorcyclists drove through the river and the MPV could not follow them. But the police managed to nab two Maoists and seize two motorcycles," Bhardwaj said.

A ''commander'' of the Sone-Punpun 'Area Committee' of the CPI-Maoist, identified as Sunil Kahar, was arrested from near Koriam Chowki in Arwal District. Kahar, a native of Chattanbigha village under Karpi Police Station of the District, was wanted in connection with nearly a dozen cases of Maoist violence.

The Maoists blew up a building of a cultural centre at Thikathiya village in the Aurangabad District and triggered a blast at a mobile tower at Kharati village in Gaya District. "These two incidents were part of the bid to execute the bandh," the Additional Director General of Police, Neelmani, said.

June 27: Armed cadres of the CPI-Maoist set ablaze a bus near Ramnagar village under Tirhut division in Muzaffarpur District during a bandh (shutdown) called by the outfit at Tirhut. However, no one was injured in the incident. The bandh was called to protest against the murder of a Maoist, Jagdish Mahto, whose body was recovered by Police from the banks of a river near Piprakothi in East Champaran District a week ago.

July 15: Cadres of the CPI-Maoist set ablaze a JCB excavator, an earthmoving machine, at Niyamatpur in Gaya District. Police said the insurgents torched the excavator machine when they did not find anybody around.

July 20: Stating that there has been steady decrease in the crime graph in the State, Bihar Government said it would strengthen policing to combat Maoist insurgency and constitute an Anti Terrorist Squad (ATS) to tackle terrorism, PTI reported. "Highest allocation of INR 2,557 crore for the year 2009-10 has been made for good governance and for better policing... There has been steady decline in the crime graph in recent years," Water Resources Development Vijendra Prasad Yadav told State Legislative Council. The minister in-charge of home department said the Government was committed to provide better policing to combat the Maoists, adds Zee News.

To strengthen the force, the Government has increased the number of State Auxiliary Police (SAP) force from 5000 in 2006 to 11500 considering its better performance particularly in tackling the Naxalites, Yadav added. The minister said that 712 newly appointed sub-inspectors' have completed their training and 10311 constables had already been recruited and the process to recruit 12877 constables were on. To tackle Maoists, the Government has started 'Aapki Sarkar Aapke Dwar' scheme (Government at your doorstep) in seven Maoist-affected Districts of Patna, Gaya, Jehanabad, Rohtas, Munger, West Champaran and East Champaran under which development and welfare schemes were initiated. The State Government has prepared an outline to constitute the ATS on the lines of Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh. To impart better and modern training to the Police, the Government has initiated the process to set up a modern Police training centre (Bihar Police Academy) at Rajgir in Nalanda District, Yadav said. The Government also wanted to establish a model Police Station in every District (a total of 40) for the Government had cleared INR 1.12 crore for every such station, he said. The minister said that Government had sanctioned a contingency fund of INR 25,000 for Police stations in urban areas, INR 15,000 for such stations situated in Maoist-affected area and INR 10,000 for other stations.

July 21:A bandh (shutdown) called by the CPI-Maoist in Bihar to protest against rising prices of essential commodities began in the night of July 21 with the extremists blowing up a house of their rival Revolutionary Communist Centre (RCC) 'commander' Vinod Marandi. As the bandh began, over 100 Maoists raided Diha village near Gaya and blew Marandi's house in the same night.

July 22:A Maoist, identified as Dharmendra Yadav, was arrested from the Barachati Police station area in Gaya in the morning of July 22, the Additional Director General of Police (Headquarters) Neelmani said. All Police stations have been put on alert, he said, adding patrolling has been intensified in vulnerable pockets in Patna, Gaya, Jehanabad, Nawada, Aurangabad, Kaimur,Rohtas, Banka, Munger, Lakhisarai and Jamui Districts. Railway tracks were also being patrolled.

July 25:Police and the STF in a joint operation arrested four CPI-Maoist cadres in Gaya District and recovered 200 live cartridges and three cellular phones from them. The arrestees were identified as Ramadha Yadav, Umesh Yadav, Ram Janam and Parshuram, whom the Police described as being active cadres of the Moist Communist Centre. The four CPI-Maoists cadres were arrested when they were reportedly waiting to deliver the consignment of cartridges, Police said. "We had gone there (at the destination to exchange arms), stopped our vehicle, our friends took time to reach the place. We were calling them, but got caught by the Police," said one of the arrested CPI-Maoists, Umesh Yadav.

July 28:Armed cadres of the CPI-Maoist exploded the house of a village chief at Nadaura in the Gurua Police station of Gaya District, the Police said on July. Around 50 Maoists raided the village in the night of July 27 and detonated a dynamite to blow up the house of Rajendra Yadav after getting it vacated by the occupants, Police sources added. However, no casualty was reported.

July 29: Suspected CPI-Maoist cadres on July 29 shot dead a panchayat (village-level local self Government institution) head in the Muzaffarpur District as he refused to pay levy to the extremists, Police said. The victim, identified as Premchand, head of Paigampur panchayat, was killed outside his residence by a group of armed Maoists at Dera Chowk in Minapur block, an unnamed Police officer said. The village head had been demanding security from the State Government fearing a threat to his life. He also had sought help from Chief Minister Nitish Kumar by appealing in the local dailies a few months ago. Earlier, Premchand's brother was killed by the Maoists who have been demanding levy from the rich people of Minapur.

July 30: 137 Policemen have been killed while 197 rifles and 6,342 rounds of ammunition were looted by the Maoists at different places in Bihar since January 1, 2003, the Energy Minister Vijendra Yadav said. Replying on behalf of the State Government in the Legislative Assembly, Yadav said that according to figures compiled by the Bihar Police, 137 Policemen lost their lives in violence perpetrated by the Maoists between January 1, 2003 and May 31, 2009. Asserting that the State Government was firm in its resolve to contain the Maoist activities, he said vacancies in 210 posts for sub-inspectors, inspectors and deputy superintendents to be deployed in the Maoist-affected areas would be filled soon. Further, the Special Auxilliary Police (SAP) personnel were also engaged in tackling the Maoists. Steps have also been taken for recruitment of over 6,500 SAP personnel on contract to engage them in Police operations against the insurgents, he added.

August 5: Police in Patna, capital of Bihar, arrested seven CPI-Maoist cadres, including the area commander of Sone-Punpun area committee, from Paliganj in the night of August 5. They were identified as Ganesh alias Ganesh Bhagwan, a resident of Imamganj, Manoj Kumar, Rajit Kumar, Upendra Kumar, Nand Kumar, Upendra Gupta and Ramswaroop Paswan alias Naresh Paswan alias Mahesh, all residents of Karpi in Arwal, and Kasinath, a resident of Begumpur in Patna. The Senior Superintendent of Police, Vineet Vinayak, said on August 6 that the Maoists were arrested while they were on way to Gurua in Gaya District, carrying sheets of bullet-proof jackets to show them to their seniors so that their outfit could procure it. He said besides the metal-sheets, Maoist literature was also seized from their possession. Vinayak said Ganesh alias Ganesh Bhagwan was an accused in a case of looting of five Police rifles in Arwal in 1999. He was released from jail about 10 months back and elevated to the rank of 'area commander'. Ganesh was also involved in the blasting of towers of a private cellular phone company in Paliganj few months back, he added.

August 9: A 'area commander' of the CPI-Maoist, identified as Akhileshwar Paswan alias Akhilesh Ram, was arrested from Bhadwa Bazaar area in the Aurangabad District. The Superintendent of Police, Nishikant Kumar Tiwari, said the Police, on specific information, raided the locality and arrested Akhileshwar Paswan who was wanted in several cases of Maoist activities in Aurangabad and adjoining Districts.

August 19: The CPI-Maoist cadres in Bihar, where 26 of the 38 Districts have been declared as drought-hit, have been guarding water resources in their villages to prevent from being misused by neighbouring villagers. The Maoists in Gaya District have entrusted themselves the job so that they have enough water to irrigate their land. "We are guarding water as there is shortage of water to irrigate the land. We also need water for our animals. Neighbouring villagers will take the water and we will be deprived of it," said an unnamed Maoist.

August 21: The Bihar Government has sought the inclusion of four more Maoist insurgency-affected Districts under the SRE. Apart from 15 out of the 38 revenue Districts covered under the scheme at present, similar treatment is required for four more revenue Districts affected by the insurgency, the Inspector General of Police (Operations) S. K. Bharadwaj said. The State Government had proposed inclusion of four more Districts - Lakhisarai, Munger, Buxar and Sheikhpura - in the SRE scheme. The Centre has, however, decided to cover Munger only, Bharadwaj added. "We have submitted a fresh proposal to this effect," official sources said, adding that Saharsa also ought to also be included in the list of Districts covered under the SRE. Under the SRE scheme, the expenditure incurred on security is reimbursed by the Centre. The CPI-Maoist has reportedly made their presence felt in 31 Districts of Bihar.

August 22: Four Police personnel, including an Assistant Sub-Inspector, were killed while two others sustained injuries when Maoists attacked them at a place under Sono Police Station in Jamui District. The Additional Director-General of Police Neelmani said an Assistant Sub-Inspector and three Special Auxiliary Police personnel were killed while two other Police personnel sustained injuries when around 40 armed CPI-Maoist cadres ambushed a Police patrol team.

August 23: With another Policeman succumbing to injuries, the number of Police personnel killed in the CPI-Maoist attack on a Police patrol in Jamui on August 22 increased to five. "One more Special Auxiliary Police (SAP) jawan succumbed to injuries at a hospital in Jamui," Addition Director General of Police Neelmani told PTI in capital Patna. "Body of a Naxalite who might have been killed during the encounter was also recovered today from an isolated place, about three km from the spot," he said, adding that there was a possibility of several other Maoists being killed in the encounter whose bodies may have been taken away by the insurgents.

August 24: The 48-hour bandh (shutdown) called by the CPI-Maoist evoked a partial response in Bihar. The Additional Director General of Police (ADG), Neelmani, said there was no untoward incident reported from any part of the State. "Strict vigil is being maintained on railway platforms, bus stands and other public places as a precautionary measure. Trains are being escorted by the police," he added. "Besides, personnel of the Special Task Force and the Central Reserve Police have been engaged in carrying out intensive raids on different hideouts of the Maoists," Neelamni said. The CPI-Maoist had called for a two-day shutdown in five States, including Bihar, to protest the arrest of Anil Kumar, a CPI-Maoist politburo member, and Kartik, a central committee member from Patna. The bandh began on August 24.

August 24-25: A group of 50 Maoists blew up a newly built community centre in the Akri village under the Dev block of Aurangabad District in the midnight of August 24. No casualty was reported as the building was empty when the Maoists triggered the blast.

August 25:A CPI-Maoist cadre was killed and five others were arrested in an encounter at Sakir Bigha in Gaya District. "Acting on a tip-off, police raided the area where the Maoists had assembled. The encounter took place when they, on being sighted by the police, fired at them," Superintendent of Police (SP) Sushil Khopade said. A Maoist sustained injuries in the encounter and died on way to the hospital, the SP added. One carbine, two country-made rifles and rounds of ammunition were recovered from the five arrested insurgents, he said.

Maoists blew up two mobile towers in the Gaya District and set ablaze four vehicles at Tilhautu in the Rohtas District as the 48-hour shutdown called by the Maoists in five States, including Bihar, ended in the night of August 25. Around 400 extremists detonated dynamites to blow up the towers at Guraru and at Gurua in Gaya District, Neelmani told media. The Naxalites also blocked the road at Tilhautu in Rohtas and set ablaze four vehicles. The Naxalites told passengers to vacate the vehicles before setting them on fire, he added.

The Maoists attacked the Ismailpur railway station under Gaya-Mughalsarai rail section and abducted station manager and other railway staff.

August 26:More than 50 CPI-Maoist cadres set ablaze two mobile phone towers at Mathurapur village under Guraru Police station area and Gurua. While the Mathurapur tower belonged to Reliance Communications, the Gurua tower belonged to Aircel. Gaya Superintendent of Police Sushil Khopde said prima facie it appeared to be the handiwork of the same group which on August 25 evening put Ismailpur station on fire and abducted the station manager, Mayur Kumar. The station manager was subsequently released.

August 27:Police arrested two CPI-Maoist cadres from the Mandebigaha village of Jehanabad District, around 45 kilometres from the State capital Patna. Identified as Rajballabh Bind alias Balgovind Bind and Akhilesh Bind, the Maoists were arrested in a raid, Superintendent of Police Ganesh Kumar said. Rajballabh was accused of killing two persons in an attack on Darogachak village in 1999, whereas Akhilesh was accused of killing three persons in the Masaurhi area of Patna.

A Maoist was arrested by Police from Champapur village in the East Champaran District. Acting on a tip-off, the Police raided the village and arrested the Maoist who supplied mobile phones to the outfit, Superintendent of Police Umesh Kumar said, adding, he was being interrogated.

August 29-30: A CPI-Maoist leader was arrested in connection with the attack on a Police party which killed five Policemen in the Jamui District on August 22, Police said on August 30. Acting on a tip-off, Police raided a place at Sono Bazaar in Jamui in the evening of August 29 and arrested CPI-Maoist leader Mustkeen Ansari, the Additional Director General of Police (Headquarters) Neelmani said. Ansari has revealed vital information about the attack, he claimed. As reported earlier, four Special Auxiliary Police personnel and an Assistant Sub-Inspector of Police were killed by the insurgents at Sono Bazaar on August 22. They had also looted six weapons and ammunition from the Policemen.

August 31:A CPI-Maoist cadre was arrested from Ajimgang village in the Munger District. Acting on a tip-off, Police raided a house and arrested Bhim Koda, the Additional Director General of Police (Headquarters) Neelmani said. The village sarpanch (village council chief) was also arrested along with the insurgent, he said. Some Maoist literature and INR 13,580 in cash were seized from them, the Police official added.

September 2: About 60-armed cadres of the CPI-Maoist attacked the base office of SPML Road Construction Company under Chandramandi outpost of Chakai Police station, about 40 kilometers from the headquarters of Jamui District, at around 11.30 pm and abducted eight of its security guards in Jamui District. Two of the guards, however, managed to escape during an encounter that later took place between the extremists and Police. The Maoists raided the SPML plant at Hariondhi village and damaged pay loaders and three trucks, the Additional Director General (Headquarters) Neelmani said. The Maoists also set ablaze six vans and damaged the store where construction materials were kept.

Bihar is likely to become the fourth State to have its own ATS, the blueprint for which has already been prepared. "The Bihar ATS will be armed with modern and latest weapon system after the home department approves it," said an unnamed senior official. The Bihar ATS - to be headed by an officer of inspector-general rank - will have two deputy inspectors-general and four superintendents of police, says the blueprint. The ATS will have more than two dozen "operational units" within itself to deal with emergency situations. The squad will be raised from the existing personnel of Bihar Military Police and be specially trained to deal with sudden strikes. Currently, Bihar has a Special Task Force which deals with cases of organised crime and Maoist insurgency. Only Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh have an ATS.

September 3: A farmer abducted by the CPI-Maoist was killed at Gulambigha under Madanpur Police station of Aurangabad District. Armed Maoists had abducted two farmers, Yadunanandan Mehta and Balwant Mehta, from village Pagre under Madanpur Police station on September 1. Yadunandan's body was recovered from a field from adjoining Gulambigha in the afternoon of September 3, sources said.

Armed Maoists exploded a landmine during an encounter with Police when the latter was trying to rescue the six abducted security guards of a private company in the Jamui District. As the Special Task Force and District Armed Police continued search operations in the morning of September 3, the extremists hiding in dense forests fired on them and exploded a landmine at a place under Chakai Police station in the District, the Additional Director General of Police Neelmani said. A Police vehicle was partially damaged in the blast, he said, adding that three Maoists were arrested during the operation.

September 12: The North Bihar regional western zonal committee of the CPI-Maoist called for a North Bihar shutdown on September 12 through hand-written posters pasted at more than a dozen places of Muzaffarpur District to protest against the arrest of one of their leaders, Shankarji, at Motihari on August 26. The first Maoist poster was found at Paroo Chowk on September 9. Since then, identical posters, requesting the public to observe a total shutdown in North Bihar were found at Minapur Chowk, Turki Bazaar under Minapur Police station area, at Panapur flyover, Simri and Narma villages under Hathauri Police station, Banghara Chowk under Sivaipatti Police station, Bishanpur Saraiya under Deoria Police station and Deoria Chowk.

September 25: A person, identified as Ragunath Sao, was arrested on the charge of supplying firearms to the CPI-Maoist from the Rohtas District. Acting on a tip-off, Police raided a house in the Nauhatta area and arrested Ragunath Sao, the District Superintendent of Police Vikas Baibhav said.

September 26: The Gaya Police seized a huge cache of explosives, including 1,200 detonators, five gelatine sticks and 200 metres of wire, from a room at Balthar village under the CPI-Maoist-dominated Barachatti Police Station of Gaya District. The Superintendent of Police Sushil Khopde said a suspected Maoist has been arrested in this connection. Identified as Surindra Manjhi, he is said to be the caretaker of the room where the detonators were found under a heap of animal fodder.

A top CPI-Maoist cadre was arrested from the Deo Police Station area of Aurangabad District. The Additional Director General of Police (Headquarters), Neelmani, said the Maoist has been identified as Sushil Bhuian, who was wanted in half a dozen cases, including the blasting of a community building.

September 28-29: Two CPI-Maoist cadres were arrested from the Gangta forest area of Jamui District late the night of September 28, Police said on September 29. Jamui Deputy Superintendent of Police Ashok Kumar Singh said that on a tip off, a Police team raided Gangta forest area and arrested two Maoists - a man and a woman. The Police also seized some papers which confirmed their involvement with the extremist group.

October 1-2: 16 civilians, including five children, were shot dead by suspected CPI-Maoist cadres at Amosi Bharen Diara village in the Khagaria District late in the night of October 1, a top Police official said on October 2. "Around 100 people, suspected to be Maoists, armed with automatic weapons attacked the village Amosi Bharen Diara and fired indiscriminately late last night, killing 11 men and 5 children on the spot," Inspector General (Operations) S. K. Bharadwaj said. According to Police, the cultivation on the disputed 40 bighas of land is said to be reason behind the attack on the victims belonging to backward caste. The Additional Deputy General of Police (Headquarters) Neelmani said that the attack was carried out on the villagers by the suspected Maoists with the intention of grabbing the land. The victims, belonged to Amdaicharua village and had been living in the makeshift camps on the land for cultivation, he added. "Speaking to The Hindu, Neelmani, said, "Ten people have been arrested so far, including O.P. Mahto, whom we believe is the prime suspect."

October 2: The CPI-Maoist has threatened to kill Chief Minister Nitish Kumar if two of their top leaders were not released from jail. 'Dabloo', a Maoist leader, in a SMS from the mobile phone number -- 09308670993 -- to a reporter of a private TV channel, claimed that there was a plan to kill the Chief Minister, State Home Department Principal Secretary Amir Subhani said. The message demanded the release of Maoist leaders 'Raviji' and Diren Singh.

October 3: Seven persons were arrested by the Police for the attack on villagers by the CPI-Maoist cadres at Amosi Bharen Diara village in Khagaria District on October 1. The suspected mastermind behind the attack, O.P. Shah, was among those arrested, the Police said.

October 7: A cache of explosives, including 300 detonators and 400 kilograms of ammonium nitrate, kept for delivery to the CPI-Maoist cadres were recovered from a house in the Rohtas District. Acting on a tip-off, the Police raided the house at Dhaudad village under Mufassil Police Station and recovered the explosives, the Additional Director General of Police (Headquarters), Neelmani, told PTI. Besides 150 metres of wire used for detonators was also seized from the house, he said, adding, three persons, including two women, were also arrested in this connection. Police suspect the explosives were to be used for exploding the Sasaram jail, where a large number of Maoists are lodged, adds Hindustan Times. The Superintendent of Police (SP), Vikas Vaibhav, said the explosives were recovered from an area adjacent to the District Prison. "We have arrested two women activists of the CPI (Maoist) with the cache of ammunitions. The recovery of such a huge quantity of explosives indicates towards a big plan of the Maoists. The raids are still continuing", he added.

Eight Maoists, including an 'area commander', were arrested from the East Champaran District. Acting on a tip-off, the Police raided places under Patahi, Sarpa, Chiraiya, Kesaria and Ghorasahan Police stations and arrested Lal Babu Yadav alias Shastri alias Doctorji, an 'area commander' of the CPI-Maoist, the SP Umesh Kumar said. Among others arrested were top Maoists Mukesh Ram alias Praveen, Naresh Ram, Chandrakishore Rai, Jagannath Sah, Sahai Sah, Mohammed Ishrail and Musafir Ram, the SP said. A locally-made pistol, two cartridges, INR 40,000 in cash, a cell phone and a diary were seized from them, he said. They were wanted in connection with several cases, including one related to an explosion at Madhuban five years ago, he added.

October 8: The CPI-Maoist called for a two-day shutdown in Bihar and Jharkhand from October 12 in protest against what it alleged was the Centre's effort to put down its campaign using paramilitary forces. The announcement was made through a press release by the spokesman of the Bihar-Jharkhand-Orissa-Chhattisgarh Special Committee, Gopal. The outfit has also been observing a protest-week from October 7 to 13, the release said.

October 9: The CPI-Maoist blew up three culverts in the Aurangabad District, Police said. Around 50 Maoists planted dynamites in the culverts at Kachanpur, Bhedhna and Berhani villages and blasted them, police added. Police also said that the Maoists blew up the culverts over alleged non-payment of the extortion amount by the contractors constructing them in the District.

October 10: An 'area commander' of the CPI-Maoist was arrested from near NTPC at Gamaharia in the Aurangabad District. Acting on a tip-off, the Police raided a place near NTPC and arrested Rajendra Singh, the Additional Director General of Police (Headquarters), Neelmani, said. One pistol, four live cartridges and a jeep were also seized, he added. The arrestee was allegedly involved in many cases relating to attack on Policemen and kidnapping for ransom and killings.

October 12: The Maoists exploded the telecom tower at Salaiya village in Aurangabad District. The Maoists also dug up a 15-metre stretch of a road at Chanda village, disrupting traffic between Deo and Dhibra. They left behind pamphlets, claiming responsibility for the incidents, official sources said.

The Maoists set ablaze a rail office at Banshipur station of Lakhisarai District. In a midnight attack, around 150 extremists stormed the railway station in the important Patna-Kiul-Jhajha section under the Danapur division of the East Central Railway and set ablaze a railway panel room besides destroying the traffic control system, railway officials said. Rail traffic in the section was halted for over six hours as a result, they said, adding the extremists stormed the station and took six railway officials, the station master and assistant station master on duty as hostages but let them off after warning them of dire consequences if they did not follow the extremists' diktat to stop movement of trains during their agitation, the officials said.

Patna Police arrested two arms smugglers and recovered 2,340 live cartridges of different calibres. The SSP Vinit Vinayak said that the State Police had received information about some arms suppliers passing through Patna to make a delivery to the Maoists in Nawada and other Maoist -infested areas to coincide with Diwali festival. During a vehicle check the Police, intercepted a vehicle with two men on Bhattacharya Road. Upon inspection, the Police recovered 2,340 cartridges of .315, .32, and 9 mm calibre carefully hidden in a secret chamber behind the car doors. The two men, who were identified as Mantu Sharma and Dhananjay Kumar, were taken into custody. According to the police report, the two men had come to Patna from New Delhi with intent to sell the ammunition to Maoist extremists in Nawada, Munger, Gaya, Jehanabad and Aurangabad Districts.

October 12-14: The Maoists bombed a tower of a private telecom firm and set ablaze a truck at Brindabazar in the Sheohar District in the night of October 12. Around 45-50 insurgents arrived at Brindaban Bazaar, ordered the villagers not to venture out of their homes and destroyed a tower of the Airtel company, officials said on October 14. They later set ablaze a truck after asking its occupants to vacate it.

October 13: Over 100 CPI-Maoist cadres assembled at a block office building at Sangrampur in the Munger District and detonated dynamites blasting the construction, officials said. Portions of the building collapsed in the powerful explosion which also destroyed furniture and gutted land revenue related documents. The Maoists also left pamphlets on the spot owning responsibility for the blast.

The Maoists raided a newly-built block office at Bandhu Bagicha under Chanan Police station in the same District and set ablaze important files and documents.

In Aurangabad District, the Maoists partially destroyed the tower of a private telecom company at Padaiya village. The extremists exploded bombs in which a portion of the tower collapsed, officials said. They also dug up roads near Amba in the same District to disrupt movement of traffic.

The Maoists raided Bankepur Bazaar area Gaya District and exploded mobile tower of private company. Though nobody was injured in the incident, the extremists left pamphlets owning responsibility for the violence, officials said.

The Maoists have been observing a 48-hour shutdown beginning October 12 to protest the Union Government's alleged efforts to put down their campaign by force.

CPI-Maoist cadres set ablaze three cellular phone towers in the Banke Bazaar Police Station area of Gaya District. While two towers were set ablaze in Hussainganj village, the other was set ablaze in Baltharwa. However, the Gaya District Superintendent of Police, Sushil Khopde, said only two towers were set ablaze - one each in Hussainganj and Baltharwa villages. According to reports, the extremists - numbering several dozens who carried sophisticated weapons - leisurely walked to the mobile phone towers, pumped oil out of the generators supplying power to the towers and poured the same oil all around before putting the equipment on fire.

A Politburo member of the CPI-Maoist, Koteshwar Rao alias Kishanji, alleged that the Bihar Police had arrested a Maoist ideologue and an agriculture scientist, Ravi Sharma, along with his wife on October 10. Sharma's wife Anuradha was working with the State Bank of India in Hyderabad, capital of Andhra Pradesh, till recently, Kishanji added. An unnamed senior Police officer confirmed that Ravi Sharma was arrested from a forest close to the Hazaribag National Park under Ichak Police Station on October 10, adds Times of India. Anuradha, chief of the Maoist women's wing Nari Mukti Sangh and Ravi Sharma' wife, was also arrested.

Reacting to the Centre's move to initiate stern action to tackle the rising Maoist insurgency, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said, "Naxalism was not only the problem of a particular State, but also of society as a whole." Police action "formed only a limited part" of society's response to the spectre of Red menace, he added, saying, "Naxalism is a problem that has to be dealt with jointly by the community, the State and Central Governments acting in harmonious coordination… We will saturate the Naxal-prone areas with development."

October 16: The Bihar Government is revising its existing surrender and rehabilitation policy for the Maoists to make it more attractive to lure more insurgents from the CPI-Maoist to lay down arms and join the mainstream, Police officials said. Officials said the Government felt the growing need to revise its surrender policy following an alarming rise in incidents of Maoist violence in the recent months. "The new surrender policy will incorporate some facilities to those who shun violence and join the social mainstream", the DGP, Anand Shankar, said. "It (the policy) will be better attuned to needs and open to new idea", the DGP added. The existing surrender policy provides for a financial support of INR 200000 and additional payment of INR 100000 if surrendered along with arms. It also provides for a monthly stipend of INR 3000 and free education to children but this has failed to attract the Maoists so far. In the last four years since this policy came into being, less than 200 Maoists have surrendered in Bihar.

October 19: The Bihar Inspector General of Police (Operations) K. S. Dwivedi told Indian Express that operations against the Maoists will intensify while tougher laws would be applied against those in custody. "We have enforced Unlawful Prevention Activities Prevention Act against ultras, ensuring five years' jail for them. We will soon enforce Section 121 (waging war against the state) of the Indian Penal Code against them. They may well face sedition charges," Dwivedi said. He added that Police treated Maoists as hardcore criminals and had been pressing for speedy trials against them. Of 274 Maoists facing trials since 2007, 10 have been awarded death sentence and 22 life sentence in the State, he stated. He also sought at least 20 extra battalions of the Central Paramilitary Forces (CPMFs) for anti-Maoist operations. At present, a 400-member Special Task Force, 23 companies of the Central Reserve Police Force, 16 Bihar Military Police battalions and 7,000 Special Auxiliary Police personnel, besides the usual Police forces, are tackling Maoists in the State.

October 21: The CPI-Maoist blew up a state-run primary school at Gerua village Banka District. Over 100 extremists surrounded the building at around 2.30am and used dynamites to trigger the explosion, Police said. The roofs of the three-room school caved in due to the explosion. The school was adjacent to the Sangrampur block (administrative division) office which was blown up by the Maoists last week. The district administration had earlier planned to set up a Police post at the school, the report added.

Armed cadres of the CPI-Maoist and the SFs exchanged fire in Barsudhi forest under the Barachatti Police Station area near Bihar-Jharkhand border, some 50 kilometres from Gaya. The encounter lasted for 90 minutes and the two sides reportedly fired several hundred rounds, with more than a hundred rounds being fired by the Policemen alone. The CRPF later arrested three CPI-Maoist cadres after a gun battle in the Gaya District. Acting on a tip off, the CRPF troops began combing a forest under Barachatti Police station and an encounter followed soon after. "Three activists surrendered, who were hiding in the fields when we launched a search operation. On interrogation they confessed they had relations with Maoists and were helping them with arms and ammunition," said the CRPF Commandant Vijay Kumar. "We recovered huge quantity of items like wireless sets, explosives which had timer devices, ammunition and uniform," he added.

October 24-25: A cadre of the CPI-Maoist was arrested during a Police raid at Akbatrpur market in the Rohtas District, the Superintendent of Police, Vikas Vaibhav, said on October 25. Acting on a tip off, Police raided a house in the night of October 24 and arrested the extremist, he said. The arrestee later confessed to being involved in an encounter with the Police in the District in June 2009, Vaibhav added.

October 27: The SFs neutralised a training camp of the CPI-Maoist and destroyed their explosives in the Pesraha forest area of Munger District. Acting on a tip-off, the SFs raided the forest and neutralised the training camp, the Additional Director General of Police (ADG, Headquarters), Neelmani, said. A truck-load of explosives, including detonators, gelatine fuse wires, besides uniform and generators kept in adjoining bunkers were also destroyed, he added. The ADG said that the SFs were engaged in an encounter with the Maoists for about half-an-hour, but the insurgents managed to escape into the forests.

The Union Government sanctioned four schools to teach jungle warfare technique to Bihar Police personnel. "Select Bihar Police and Bihar Military Police (BMP) jawans [personnel] will be given three months' training by retired Army officials at these schools," ADG Neelmani told Times of India on October 26, adding that the Union Government has allotted INR 1.5 crore each for the schools which will come up at BMP-2 HQ at Dehri, BMP-3 HQ at Gaya, BMP-4 HQ at Dumraon and BMP-15 HQ at Valmikinagar. These schools are likely to become functional by December 2009. Neelmani said the Police personnel trained at these schools will be part of the State's Special Task Force and used exclusively to combat the Maoists.

October 28: The Bihar Government plans to modify its existing surrender policy for the CPI-Maoist cadres and make it more attractive by incorporating a rehabilitation policy for those willing to surrender. The Director General of Police, Anand Shankar, recently said that the surrender policy would be made more attractive. "The policy is being drafted for the state government's approval with suitable changes incorporating a rehabilitation package for the naxalites volunteering to surrender with arms", Shankar added. The rehabilitation package in the new policy, he said, would be made more attractive.

The existing policy, official sources said, was a failure in attracting the Maoists in their strongholds of the Jehanabad, Gaya, Aurangabad and Jamui Districts. Statistics revealed that while 74 Maoists surrendered in 2005, the figure came down to 21 in 2006. The years 2007 and 2008 registered surrender of 21 and 29 insurgents respectively and till March 2009 only two Maoists had surrendered, official sources added.

October 30: 15 CPI-Maoist cadres, involved in the killing of a Police officer and looting of firearms from Police Stations, surrendered in Rohtas District. The Maoists, who surrendered before the Police at Vikramganj, were later sent to prison, Superintendent of Police Vikas Baibhav said. The arrestees confessed to their involvement in the killing of Deputy Superintendent of Police Akhilesh Prasad Singh in 2008 and cases related to loot of rifles from two Police Stations in the District recently, the SP added.

October 31: The CPI-Maoist cadres fired at a private vehicle in the Aurangabad District injuring one person, said the Additional Director General of Police (Headquarters) Neelmani. The Maoists first blew up a culvert using improvised explosive device and then fired at the vehicle at Rajbigha village injuring one person, Neelmani added. They were planning to attack a Police patrol vehicle but missed the target as the vehicle carrying the Policemen had passed through the area just minutes before.

November 2: Three CPI-Maoist cadres and their eight suspected accomplices were arrested from Rukunpura village in the Gaya District, Police said. Acting on a tip-off, a team of the Special Task Force of the Bihar Police raided the village where the extremists were hiding, and arrested them, the Superintendent of Police S. Khopde said. Two locally-made pistols and 10 live cartridges were recovered from their possession, he added. Out of the 11 arrested, three were Maoists according to the records and were involved in several offences. The criminal records of eight others are being examined, he added.

November 3 :Three CPI-Maoist cadres were arrested and a huge cache of arms and explosives were seized from them in the Munger District. Acting on a tip-off, Police raided a place at village Patan and arrested the Maoists who are wanted in connection with several cases related to murder, loot of Police rifles and kidnapping, the Additional Superintendent of Police, Sridhar Mandal, said. Two pistols, 70 kilograms of ammonium nitrate, four bundles of detonators and 125 meters fuse wire were seized from them.

November 4-5: Armed cadres of the CPI-Maoist blew up a road bridge at Rohe village in the Gaya District, Police said on November 5. Around 50 Maoists assembled in the village in the night of November 4 and detonated dynamites to blow up the bridge. The road link to Imamganj bazar was severed as a result.

November 5: Two top Maoists were arrested from Aurangabad District, police sources said, The Hindu reports. Acting on a tip-off, Police raided Khaira village under Deora Police station and arrested Dharmender alias Mintu and Kamlesh Kahar, sources added. The arrestees were wanted in connection with the recent blasting of road bridges during the recent shutdown by the Maoists in Bihar.

November 7: A top Maoist was arrested by the Special Task Force personnel of Bihar Police from Mayapur area under Goh Police station in the Aurangabad District, Police said, Outlook reported. Acting on a tip-off, Police raided a place under Mayapur area and captured the Maoist, identified as Sunil Kumar alias Chintu, they said. Sunil was wanted in connection with several cases related to explosion, kidnapping for ransom and killing, sources added.

November 8: A CPI-Maoist cadre was shot dead by his companion following a dispute over distribution of extortion money in the forests of Dudhapaniya in Munger District, Police said. The Deputy Superintendent of Police A. Chandra said the Maoist, who was shot dead by his own group member, has been identified as Rasik Yadav, a resident of Tilwariya village of the District. The Police official also said that Yadav was killed for defalcating the money collected from private companies engaged in road construction works and the farmers for allowing them to till their lands falling in the Maoist areas.

November 10: Police detained four people for questioning after the seizure of a huge consignment of explosives and chemicals, suspected to be meant for the Maoists, a police official said. The Deputy Inspector General of Police (central range), Jitendra Kumar, said that four people have been detained and Police are trying to trace the route of the consignment, seized on October 7 and 8 in Patna. As reported earlier Police seized 900 kilograms of explosives - 600 kilograms on November 8 and 300 kilograms on November 7 - as well as 18 bags of explosives powder on November 8 from a house in a residential locality in Bhootnath Road. Besides, 300 bottles of chemicals for preparing improvised explosive devices (IEDs), 7,221 live cartridges, 50 detonators, parts for making 14 carbines and Maoist literature were also seized. Police suspect that the consignment was for supply to Maoists in Bihar and Jharkhand.

November 10-11: Nearly a dozen heavily armed cadres of the Revolutionary Communist Centre (RCC) late in the night of November 10 raided village Pipra under Dumaria Police station of Gaya district and set ablaze a road construction machine being used in the ongoing construction of a road linking Dumaria with the divisional headquarters. The RCC is a splinter group of the former Maoist Communist Centre (MCC). Construction activity consequently remained suspended on November 11 in view of the attack. Confirming the incident, the Sherghati Sub Divisional Police Officer Ranjan Kumar said that only partial damage has been caused to the road construction machine.

Fearing that the CPI-Maoist would infiltrate the Districts bordering the State of Jharkhand during the Legislative Assembly Election in the state (Jharkhand), the Bihar Police are making all possible arrangements. "This threat is not ruled out and we have asked the Superintendents of Police of all Districts bordering Jharkhand to tighten vigil," said U. S. Dutt, Additional Director-General of Police (headquarters) on November 10. The State will become more vulnerable in the coming weeks as Bihar is sending five companies of paramilitary forces to the poll-bound State, he added. A similar threat is suspected by the Jharkhand Police, too, which feels that Maoists from Bihar may enter their territory.

November 11: The Patna Police shifted the Gaurichak Police Station, which was located in a remote area, to a community hall adjacent to the National Highway for security reasons. According to official sources in the Police headquarters in Patna, the Police station was shifted following intelligence reports warning that police stations situated in deserted places could be attacked by the Maoists.

November 13: Suspected CPI-Maoist cadres attacked a cloth shop at Saraiya Bazaar Chowk under Belsand sub-division in the Sitamarhi District. They also threatened the shopkeeper and set ablaze his motorcycle in an apparent bid to collect levy.

November 13-14: Patna Police arrested Subodh Singh, who is wanted in connection with the recovery of a haul of explosives besides rifles and cartridges from Patna and Gaya in Bihar and Ranchi, Hazaribgah and Bokaro in Jharkhand during successive raids earlier this month. Patna Senior Superintendent of Police Vineet Vinayak said on November 14 that Subodh, son of Rabindra Singh, and his wife were arrested from a house at Ramnagari under Rajeev Nagar Police station in the night of November 13. A pistol, 650 rounds of cartridges, SIM cards, fake driving licences, PAN and identity cards and Naxalite literature were seized from the place. Subodh later led the Police to a house in F sector under Kankerbagh Police Station from where three automatic rifles, 720 live cartridges, CDs and Maoist literature were seized. The rifles were kept in the cabinet of a book shelf, Vinayak said. Quoting neighbours, the SSP said the house had been taken on rent by one Prince alias Rakesh Ranjan for the last four years. Subodh, in collusion with Prince, used to stock the explosives, arms and ammunition there and transport the stuff as and when demanded by the Naxalites, he said.

On the basis of confessions made by Subodh, Police also seized six vehicles of a travel agency owned by Prabhat Singh, a resident of road number 11 of Ashok Nagar. From Prabhat's house, Police seized another Ambassador car, which had in its boot a special cavity. 275 cartridges of different makes were recovered from that cavity, Vinayak said. Police have also seized five VIP beacon lights, nameplates of some senior officials of the income-tax department, CDs and Maoist literature from Prabhat's house. Prabhat, who used to supply vehicles to ferry Maoists and explosives to various places, the SSP said, adding that Police were on the lookout for Prince and Prabhat. Police also arrested three associates of Subodh for allegedly supplying arms to Maoists. Over 250 cartridges made in China and Pakistan was found concealed under the seat of an Ambassador car seized from Subodh's transport agency. Some of the seizures in Patna, Gaya and Bokaro in the past week have thrown up Chinese hand-grenades that look like "peeled coconuts". The Police said these are a "hot favourite" with the Maoists. The Maoists were also said to be "in possession" of hundreds of pistols made in China and even Pakistan, the Police added. Pistols of Pakistani make and magazines were recovered from two suspected Maoists picked up recently from Khagaria District in Bihar. Guns made in Bihar's Munger, a centre of illegal arms factories for three decades, are also suspected to have reached Maoists.

November 14: The Additional Director General (headquarters) U.S. Dutt on November 14 said the Police were probing the recovery of the explosives and arms, Hindustan Times reports. "Police are trying to find out the real story behind the recovery of the huge consignment of explosives and arms, brought for use of the Maoists," Dutt added.

November 15: Four suspected Maoists were arrested and a large quantity of chemicals and explosive materials meant for making bombs were seized in Munger District. "Three packets, weighing one kg each containing gelatine sticks, one kg potassium chlorate, 145 detonators and a hand grenade were seized from the houses of two hardcore Maoists last night in Banvarsha village," the Deputy Superintendent of Police (Headquarters) Ashok Kumar said. He also said a hundred detonators bore the mark of Gulf Oil Corporation Ltd, Hyderabad and the rest were having the mark of Rajasthan Explosives and Chemicals Ltd, Dholpur. Four Maoists - Ashok Paswan, Manoj Paswan, Tuntun Kumar and Ishwar Sah - were arrested and three others managed to escape, Kumar added. The owner of the car, from which huge quantity of explosives was seized in Patna recently, was arrested on November 15 from a village under the Haveli Kharagpur Police Station in Munger District. Haveli Kharagpur SDPO K. Chandra said acting on a tip-off, Police raided the house of Ashok Paswan and arrested him. Ashok's brother Manoj Paswan and car driver Tuntun Shah, both residents of village Gowadda under the Haveli Kharagpur Police Station, were also arrested. Chandra said the three arrested persons are top cadres of the Maoists. The car was used by Ashok to carry firearms and explosives. The explosives were stored at the house of one Ishwar Shah, resident of village Vanvarsha under the Nayaramnagar Police Station in Munger. Police also arrested Ishwar and his two associates, who are also top cadres of the Maoists. The SDPO said the arrested persons have admitted that they were involved in the murder of a contractor of Haveli Kharagpur and two other influential persons of the sub-division in 2008-09. The consignment of explosive material, which was seized from Kankerbagh Police Station area of the state Capital Patna on November 7, was to be delivered to the Naxals operating in Munger.

A senior STF officer said that Chinese hand-grenades covered in polythene bags were also made available to the insurgents in huge quantity. Besides, the Maoists were in possession of hundreds of pistols made in China and even in Pakistan.

November 16: Armed cadres of the CPI-Maoist killed a village chowkidar (guard) by slitting his throat at Badaki Hathia village in the Munger District. Around 50 Maoists raided the village, captured the chowkidar and took him to an isolated place and killed him, the Police said.

November 18: Following seizures of huge cache of arms and explosives in Patna, Gaya, Munger and Bokaro (Jharkhand) by the Bihar Police in recent weeks, the CPI-Maoist has threatened to carry out bloody reprisals against the kin of officers, ministers and politicians. A two-page statement issued on November 18 in the name of Gopal, spokesperson of the Bihar-Jharkhand-Orissa and Chhattisgarh Special Area Committee of the CPI-Maoist, said the arms and explosives seized by the Police were all basically meant to protect the defenceless people against the fresh wave of State repression. "Putting national sovereignty to ransom, the UPA [United Progressive Alliance] Government at the Centre was playing second fiddle to imperialist masters led by the USA and the Indian masses are groaning under the yoke of a thoroughly degenerated politician-police-bureaucrat nexus", it said.

Charging the Bihar Police with letting loose a reign of repression against the kin of a top Maoist leader Arvind Kumar and his aide Subodh Kumar at Shukulchak village in Jehanabad, it said if the repressive action against them is not stopped forthwith, its People's Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) are ready to give a befitting reply. Regarding the recovery from the houses of Prabhat and Prince located in Patna, it stated it is a "white lie" as both of them are earning their livelihood on their own and have absolutely nothing to do with the CPI-Maoist. The CPI-Maoist warned "if police feel elated at the recent seizures, they should also prepare themselves mentally to shed tears sooner than expected".

November 19: A Policeman was killed and five others critically injured in a landmine blast by CPI-Maoist cadres near Maker police station in Saran District. Saran Superintendent of Police Mithilesh Kumar said the blast occurred in the afternoon when the head of Maker block Guddu Sharma was on way to his office, 75 kilometres from capital Patna. Due to the blast, his vehicle was blown to pieces and Sharma's bodyguard was killed on the spot, he said. The five injured, including Sharma and his driver, were rushed to Hospital, Kumar added.

November 20: Two Maoists were arrested in the night of November 20 in connection with November 19 landmine explosion near Maker block in Saran District in which two persons were killed and four others, including Maker Block (administrative division) Head Mukesh Sharma, who was the main target of the Maoists, sustained injuries. Siwan SP Amit Kumar Jain, also in charge of Saran District at present, on November 21 said the arrested cadres were identified as Arun Kumar Rai alias Arun Ji alias Rakesh, an active member of the North Bihar West Zonal Committee of the CPI-Maoist and Amarendra Kumar Bhagat alias Amar Ji. While Rai was arrested from Karnpura village under Dighwara Police Station of Saran, Bhagat was arrested from Jagdishpur Dhano village under Paru Police Station in the Muzaffarpur District. Bhagat said he was in charge of collecting INR 1 lakh per month as levy from road construction contractor Chadda and Chadda. The Maoists have admitted to their involvement in the explosion, said Jain, adding that the plan to kill Sharma was chalked out at a meeting in Lakhna village of Saran District on November 13. It was presided over by 'area commander' Ram Pukar Mahto alias Rajan Ji alias Pandey of Karia Madhuban village in the East Champaran District.

November 22: Two CPI-Maoist cadres were arrested from Aurangabad District, Police said. Superintendent of Police (SP) Nishant Tiwari said that the two Maoists, identified as Surendra Yadav and Ramesh Pal, were wanted by the District Police for exploding over half a dozen culverts and small bridges in the District during the past one month by triggering landmine blasts. Tiwari also said the two were being interrogated and hoped that they would provide vital clues to the Police about Maoist activities in the District.

November 24: The huge cache of explosives, seized by Bihar Police from different parts of the State and Jharkhand during the past few days, was mostly pushed into the State from Avadi in Pune and Srikakulam in Andhra Pradesh. This was disclosed to interrogators by the four persons who were arrested in Rohtas following seizure of a large quantity of ammonium nitrate. Police said the arrested persons later confessed that the chemical was to be sent to Medinapore in West Bengal and Jharkhand where Maoists were to use it to enforce their poll boycott call. Assembly elections are being held in Jharkhand in five phases beginning November 25.

Over one lakh kilograms of ammonium nitrate was recovered from Patna, Gaya, Rohtas, and Bokaro (Jharkhand) following raids which started on November 7, 2009. "For the last three years, not even a gram of ammonium nitrate was supplied to Rohtas by the Government for use as fertiliser," a senior police officer said and added that seizure of gelatine sticks gave further credence to their belief that it was to be used for nefarious purposes. Ammonium nitrate, if mixed with diesel and triggered with gelatine sticks, can cause huge explosion. "It is a good substance for making effective explosive devices," the Police officer said. Patna Senior SP Vineet Vinayak said the explosive materials were to be distributed in Maoists-hit Districts of Bihar and Jharkhand.

Police is still searching from where are the Maoists getting .315 bore and 12 bore cartridges, a large number of which too were seized in raids. "These are obsolete bores, neither being produced nor in use by Police or Army anywhere in the country," said Additional Director General of Police (HQ) U. S. Dutt. Police speculate these ammunitions might have been pilfered from army go downs, adding, "We are working on this theory."

November 23: The huge cache of explosives, seized by Bihar Police from different parts of the State and Jharkhand during the past few days, was mostly pushed into the State from Avadi in Pune and Srikakulam in Andhra Pradesh. This was disclosed to interrogators by the four persons who were arrested in Rohtas following seizure of a large quantity of ammonium nitrate. Police said the arrested persons later confessed that the chemical was to be sent to Medinapore in West Bengal and Jharkhand where Maoists were to use it to enforce their poll boycott call. Assembly elections are being held in Jharkhand in five phases beginning November 25.

Over one lakh kilograms of ammonium nitrate was recovered from Patna, Gaya, Rohtas, and Bokaro (Jharkhand) following raids which started on November 7, 2009. "For the last three years, not even a gram of ammonium nitrate was supplied to Rohtas by the Government for use as fertiliser," a senior police officer said and added that seizure of gelatine sticks gave further credence to their belief that it was to be used for nefarious purposes. Ammonium nitrate, if mixed with diesel and triggered with gelatine sticks, can cause huge explosion. "It is a good substance for making effective explosive devices," the Police officer said. Patna Senior SP Vineet Vinayak said the explosive materials were to be distributed in Maoists-hit Districts of Bihar and Jharkhand.

Police is still searching from where are the Maoists getting .315 bore and 12 bore cartridges, a large number of which too were seized in raids. "These are obsolete bores, neither being produced nor in use by Police or Army anywhere in the country," said Additional Director General of Police (HQ) U. S. Dutt. Police speculate these ammunitions might have been pilfered from army go downs, adding, "We are working on this theory."

November 24: The CPI-Maoist blew up a Government building near the Kharakpur sub-divisional office in Munger District in the night. Over 55 persons assembled at the building and exploded it with dynamites and escaped.

November 25: Two Maoists were arrested by the Special Task Force of State Police from Nimidih village in Aurangabad District, police said. Acting on a tip-off, Police raided a house at the village and arrested Shankar Yadav and Suraj Singh, both wanted in connection with several operations carried out by the CPI-Maoist, Police sources said.

November 26: The Police recovered powerful can and cylinder bombs planted by suspected CPI-Maoist cadres under the road near Purushottampur in Gaya District. Acting on a tip-off, Police searched the road and recovered one 8-kilogrmas can bomb and a 12 kilograms cylinder bomb, besides several metres of wire. However, none was arrested, the Police said.

Five persons, suspected to be associated with Maoists, were arrested and sophisticated weapons seized from them in Patna District. Acting on a tip-off, a team of Special Task Force of Bihar Police raided a place in the Bakhtiarpur town, about 150 kilometres from Patna, and arrested the persons. An AK-47, two magazines, five hand grenades and several live cartridges were recovered from their possession, Police added. The arrested were suspected to be involved in supplying firearms to the Maoists, Police further said.

An Orissa Police team arrived to Patna to interrogate an alleged arms supplier of the Maoists. Subodh Singh alias Subhas Singh was arrested in Patna 10 days ago after Police seized huge consignments of explosive materials and firearms this month. Orissa Police suspect that Singh allegedly supplied explosives to the Maoists who attacked a Police Station in Orissa in April 2008 killing eight Policemen. "Orissa Police is likely to interrogate Singh here Thursday," a Police official said.

November 27: Armed CPI-Maoist cadres blew up two school buildings in the Gaya District. About 200 insuregnts surrounded State-run primary schools at Sonedaha and Latua late in the night and blew up the buildings by detonating dynamites, they said.

December 3: A top CPI-Maoist leader, accused in the killing of 11 Policemen was arrested in the Nawada District. Acting on a tip-off, police raided Mahuliatand village and arrested Meero Ravidas, Superintendent of Police Anil Kishore Yadav said. Ravidas was the prime accused in the killing of 11 Policemen in the same village on February 9, he added.

Two other Maoists were arrested from Nautan Bazaar in the Rohtas District. The Security Forces carried out a raid and arrested the insurgents. Four 9-mm pistols and several rounds of ammunition were seized from the arrested insurgents, who were also identified.

Eight suspected CPI-Maoist cadres were arrested in the Aurangabad District. The arrests took place during a joint operation involving Police and the Special Task Force. "The Maoists were arrested while they were holding a jan adalat (people's court)," a Police official said.

Police seized about seven quintals of potassium nitrate used to make explosives from a village under Chakai block (administrative division) in the Jamui District and arrested five people.

December 5: An active cadre of the CPI-Maoist, identified as Jamuna Paswan wanted in connection with the killing of a Police Inspector was arrested from Telhatta Dhamani village under Kauakol Police Station limits of Nawada District late in the night.

December 7: Three persons were killed and many others wounded by the CPI-Maoist cadres in Sheohar District in the night. The Maoists numbering over 50 came on a truck to a market place at Dariani Chapra in the District and started firing indiscriminately killing three persons on the spot, they said.

December 10: Two cadres of the CPI-Maoist, identified as Rajkishore Ram and Babulal Ram, were arrested from Yadopur Chainpur village in the East Champaran District. The duo, both residents of Sishohan village in the District, was involved in a landmine blast and an encounter with Police at Betani village during the last Lok Sabha election.

December 16-17: Cadres of the CPI-Maoist blew up a Government school building in the Aurangabad District, Police said. Heavily-armed Maoists numbering around 25 surrounded the building at Poha village in the District and detonated dynamites to blow it up late in the night of December 16, the Superintendent of Police Nishant Tiwari said.

December 17: Inspector General of Police (Operations) K.S. Dwivedi said that at least 25 Policemen lost their lives while three Maoists were killed in gun battles with Police in Bihar this year. "Twenty-five Policemen were killed in 16 encounters (gun battles) with Maoists in Bihar so far this year. Only three Maoists were killed in these encounters,' Dwivedi said. The figures are till the first week of December. In the same period, 26 people were killed in 110 violent attacks by the Maoists in the State. According to Police records, 21 policemen and 31 Maoists were killed in 26 gun battles with Maoists in 2008. In the same period, 43 people were killed in 76 violent incidents by Maoists in the state. Maoist guerrillas also looted 28 guns from Police during attacks on Police Stations and patrolling teams in 2009. Dwivedi said 384 Maoists were arrested during operations IN 2009 and 105 arms and huge quantities of ammunition were recovered from the Maoists.

December 18: Jamui Police recovered five can bombs from a village under the Laxmipur Police Station in the Jamui District. The Jamui Superintendent of Police Rakesh Kumar Rathi said one of the recovered can bombs weighed 50 kilograms while the other four weighed 14 kilograms each. "The bombs were presumably meant to target a Police patrolling party," said Additional Director General of Police (ADG, Headquarters) U. S. Dutt. The Jamui SP, who led the raiding party on getting confidential information that extremists had collected some explosives, surrounded the hideouts of the suspected Maoists at village Thada Mor under the Laxmipur Police Station. The Maoists, however, managed to escape leaving behind the explosives and five detonators.

Munger Police on recovered one foreign made rifle and a pistol, INR 1 lakh in cash and two country made pistols from a place at village Ponkari under the Haveli Kharagpur Police Station in a raid. Haveli Kharagpur Sub Divisional Police Officer A. Chandra said Police recovered 200 kilograms raw materials meant for manufacturing bombs. Equipment for manufacturing firearms were also recovered during the raid. Police have taken two persons, Ajay Kumar and Pawan Kumar, under custody for interrogation. The village is a Maoist stronghold, Police said.

Maoists numbering about 200 entered the premises of prosperous farmers Arun Kumar Singh, Sunit Kumar Singh and his brother Manoj Kumar Singh located at village Lakrihaar under the Dharhara Police Station in the Munger District and looted about 400 mounds of paddy stacked there. The extremists loaded the paddy on the tractor of farmer Arun Kumar Singh and drove towards the forest area. When the caretakers protested, the Maoists set ablaze a go down as a result of which furniture were reduced to ashes, Police said, adding the Maoists also assaulted the caretaker.

December 18-20: A college employee was found dead in the Gaya District, two days after he was abducted by suspected CPI-Maoist cadres from a village, police said. Kamlesh Kumar, a fourth grade employee of Upendra Nath Verma College, was abducted by suspected Maoists from Juri village in the Banke Bazar Police Station on December 18, they said.

December 19: Armed Maoists blew up a state-run school building at Karma village the Aurangabad District, Police sources said. Around 50 Maoists surrounded the vacant school building, planted dynamites and blew it up, sources said. No harm was caused to anybody.

December 20: Hundreds of poor school children in Aurangabad District appealed to the cadres of the CPI-Maoist not to damage or target their schools as it impacts their education badly. In an open letter to Maoists, the school children urged Maoists not to deprive them of education by damaging and blowing up the school buildings.

December 21: The huge cache of explosives, seized by Bihar Police from different parts of the State and Jharkhand during the past few days, was mostly pushed into the State from Avadi in Pune and Srikakulam in Andhra Pradesh, Times of India reported on December 21. This was disclosed to interrogators by the four persons who were arrested in Rohtas following seizure of a large quantity of ammonium nitrate. Though Bihar Police are yet to get to the bottom of the case, they are now convinced that the explosives were to be supplied to Maoists. Over one lakh kilograms of ammonium nitrate was recovered from Patna, Gaya, Rohtas, and Bokaro (Jharkhand) following raids which started on November 7, 2009. Those arrested initially tried to hoodwink the cops by maintaining that the chemical was meant for use as fertiliser. "For the last three years, not even a gram of ammonium nitrate was supplied to Rohtas by the government for use as fertiliser," a senior Police officer said and added that seizure of gelatine sticks gave further credence to their belief that it was to be used for nefarious purposes. Ammonium nitrate, if mixed with diesel and triggered with gelatine sticks, can cause huge explosion. "It is a good substance for making effective explosive devices," the Police officer said. Police said the arrested persons later confessed that the chemical was to be sent to Midnapore in West Bengal and Jharkhand where Maoists were to use it to enforce their poll boycott call. Assembly elections are being held in Jharkhand in five phases beginning November 25. "Thank God, the explosives were seized in time otherwise one can very well imagine the extent of damage the Maoists would have caused during elections in Jharkhand," the Police officer said. Patna Senior Superintendent of Police Vineet Vinayak said the explosive materials were to be distributed in Maoists-hit Districts of Bihar and Jharkhand. Meanwhile, Police are still wondering from where are the Maoists getting .315 bore and 12 bore cartridges, a large number of which too were seized in raids. "These are obsolete bores, neither being produced nor in use by police or Army anywhere in the country," said Additional Director General of Police (Headquarters) U. S. Dutt. Police speculate these ammunitions might have been pilfered from army go downs. "We are working on this theory," said Dutt.

December 22: Shankar Sada, a self-styled 'area commander' of the CPI-Maoist and his two accomplices were arrested from a place under Bakhri Police Station in the Begusarai District Police sources said. Acting on a tip-off, the Police raided a house and arrested Shankar, 'commander' of the Kosi belt of the Maoist, and his two associates, the sources said. Shankar and the two others were wanted in connection with several criminal offences, including attack on a patrol and loot of Police rifles, they said.

The Maoists in Bihar have warned of action against dishonest officials if rampant corruption is not curbed in the implementation of Government sponsored welfare schemes, Police said. The Maoists in Arwal District asked the authorities to immediately curb rampant corruption in the implementation of the schemes. "We will be forced to take action against corrupt officials," Maoists said in their posters pasted in public places in the District. The Maoists pointed out that rampant corruption was depriving the poor of the benefits of the welfare schemes, a Police officer said. Local dailies reported that the Maoists were angered as there were major leakages in Government-run food schemes.

December 22-23: The CPI-Maoist cadres killed two villagers and set ablaze machines of a road construction company in two separate incidents in the evening of December 22 in Bihar, Police said on December 23. In the first incident in Atari region of Gaya District, armed Maoists, looking for a deserter, fired indiscriminately at a house that they suspected to be his hideout. Two villagers were killed in the firing, but they had nothing to do with the Maoists. "As soon as we received the information, we reached the spot with the Police force. We searched for the rebels but they had fled," said Nand Kishore, Assistant Sub Inspector. Elsewhere in the District, the Maoists set ablaze machines of a construction company at Gurua, including two JCB machines, a tractor and a motorcycle, whose owner had reportedly refused ransom. A Maoist outfit named Shastra People's Morcha (SPM - Armed People's Front) claimed responsibility, said a Police official. "This is the first violent activity carried by SPM (Shastra People's Morcha) in Gurua. Outfits like MCC (Maoist Communist Centre) have carried out violent activities here earlier but it is for the first time that we have recorded a militant activity by SPM," said Rup Narayan Ram, Police Officer in-charge, Gurua.

December 23: Armed Maoists set ablaze seven vehicles of a private road construction firm at Badiha village in the Rohtas District. Around 200 extremists stormed the office of S. N. P. Infrastructure, confined its employees in a room and set ablaze the vehicles, the Police said. None of the employees were harmed in the incident, the Police said. Three road rollers, two pay loaders and a water tanker were among the vehicles set ablaze. The private road construction firm was engaged in construction of a National Highway between Dehri-on-Sone and Tilauthu in Rohtas District. Patrolling was intensified after the incident and a combing operation launched, the Police said.

December 26: The Maoists blew up earthmoving machinery of a road construction project at Gurua near Sherghati in the Gaya District. According to the local Police, around 30 to 40 extremists belonging to the Revolutionary Communist Centre came late in the night of December 25 and blew up the JCB machinery in theSherghati area, where a road widening project is underway.

December 27: The CPI-Maoist cadres blew up a State run school building at Birhni village in the Aurangabad District, Police said. Over 200 extremists surrounded the school building and detonated dynamites to blow up the school building. Four rooms of the school collapsed in the blast, the police said.

December 28: A CPI-Maoist cadre was arrested and over 1,500 rounds of cartridges were recovered from him possession in Sasaram, the District headquarters of Rohtas district. On a tip off, Additional Superintendent of Police Ranjit Kumar Mishra led a Police party at Kheelamganjlocality and arrested a Naxalite, identified as Surendra Kumar, with the cartridges and two wireless sets, Additional Director General of Police (headquarters) U. S. Duttsaid. Of the seized cartridge, 480 rounds were of 12 bore guns, 715 rounds were of .315 rifle and the rest of Insas and revolvers, Dutt added.

December 29: Armed cadres of the CPI-Maoist detonated dynamites to blow up a school building at Jurati village in the Aurangabad District. Around 200 extremists surrounded the State-run school and triggered blasts partially damaging its building, Police said. A Police patrol soon arrived and engaged the extremists in an encounter for more than two hours. Police recovered two can bombs, cable wires and several Police uniforms besides Naxal literature from the spot.

December 30: A large quantity of explosives, including 11 can bombs kept in a dry water tank by the CPI-Maoist cadres, was unearthed in the Nawada District. "Acting on a tip-off that Maoists had held a meeting in the deep forests of Marai Kalunda area in the District late on Tuesday [December 29] night, police launched a search operation and found the explosives hidden by them," Deputy Superintendent of Police (Rajauli) Ajay Kumar said. 11 can bombs, two cylinder bombs weighing 10 and 20 kilograms, 35 detonators, 40 gelatin sticks, one country-made carbine and a pistol were kept in a dry plastic water tank buried in the jungle, he added.

Dozens of farmers are guarding their potato crop with guns as they fear Maoists may attack their fields, Police said. Farmers are fearful that the Maoists may attack their fields in Paliganj, about 40 kilometers from State capital Patna. "We are protecting our potato crop with guns," local farmerRamadhar Singh said. Also, about 2,000 labourers have been hired by the farmers to harvest the potato crop in nearly 1,000 bigha (400 acres) land in Paliganj riverineareas. In past also, farmers guarded their fields in Maoist-affected Districts of Bihar.

December 31: Armed CPI-Maoist cadres blew up two school buildings in Aurangabad , Police said,. Over 200 extremists surrounded a State-run school at Chandaur and blew the building with dynamites, Superintendent of Police (SP, Aurangabad) N.K. Tiwari said.

In another attack, the Maoists detonated dynamites to blow up another school building at Belowa, he added. However, there are no reports of any injury or casualty.

Police seized a large number of detonators and neutralised a Maoist training camp in the Jamui District. The anti-Maoist operation was launched by the Superintendents of Police of Munger, Lakhisarai and Jamui Districts. Acting on a tip-off, Munger SP M. Sunil Kumar Nayak said that Police of the three Districts conducted raids at a Maoist hideout in the Karmagh village under Barhat Police Station of Jamui District and recovered a big gas cylinder and a tractor without number plate besides a large number of detonators and Police uniforms from a small hut. The Maoists were running a training camp there, Police added. It is presumed that the extremists had escaped the hideout after getting clue of the Police operation. The Munger SP said the village is situated in a deep forest, at least 10 kilometres away from the Police Station. Police also said the village is a Maoist stronghold.

Chhattisgarh

January 3: Five tribals were killed in separate attacks by the CPI-Maoist cadres in the forested stretches of Bijapur District. The dead bodies were found dumped on roadsides along the national highways connecting Bijapur-Bhopalpattanam and Bijapur-Geedam in the Dantewada District. "All the deceased are male and tribals. They were killed with sharp edged weapons," said Ankit Garg, Bijapur District Superintendent of Police (SP).

The Director General of Police (DGP), Vishwa Ranjan said that the State Government has planned to raise an Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) by training 1,000 Policemen to tackle terrorists. "We have decided to convert State Police's third battalion into an ATS that will be purely used to tackle terror attacks," he said, adding, "The ATS commandos will be kept ready purely for anti-terror operations and to be employed in operations against Maoists only in emergency cases." The DGP also said that the ATS commandos, selected from Policemen below 30 years, will be given "tough training in a phased manner in the State, and then the central Government will be requested to arrange their highly specialised commando training".

January 5: The Chhattisgarh Governor, E. S. L. Narasimhan, said that the State Government would set up an ATS and also take a slew of other measures to strengthen the Security apparatus to effectively fight terror and the Maoist threat. Addressing the first session of the newly-elected State Legislative Assembly, he termed terrorism and left-wing extremism as the worst internal Security problems being faced by the country today. He also said the proposed ATS, which would consist of highly trained commandos, would be deployed at the State as well as the District headquarters. He also said the State Government had decided to convert a Chhattisgarh Armed Forces battalion into a Commando unit. Narasimhan said the Government would also establish Anti-Terrorist Control Rooms and Analysis Group at the State and District headquarters to compile, analyse and share information relating to terror elements with the Security Forces (SFs) of neighbouring States and Central agencies.

January 6: Reviewing the progress of the Pradhanmantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY, Prime Minister's Village Road Construction Scheme), the Minister for Panchayat (village-level self-Government institution) and Rural Development, Ram Vichar Netam, said in capital Raipur the State Government is facing difficulties in implementing the PMGSY in the CPI-Maoist affected areas, leading to delay in taking up construction of 441 roads in the State. "Construction of roads in remote Naxalite (left-wing extremist) areas has to be taken up on a priority basis. We will seek the help of Police and para-military personnel to provide Security cover, wherever necessary," Netam said. More than INR 3.09 billion has been earmarked for the construction of these 441 roads under the PMGSY in the Maoist affected areas but the work either did not begin, or had to be abandoned at some places following threat from the insurgents.

January 7: A passenger bus was set ablaze by cadres of the CPI-Maoist in Maddedu forests of Dantewada District. Maoists stopped the bus by barricading the road some 100 km away from the Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh border and forced the passengers to get down before setting it on fire. Maoists had earlier warned against operation of the inter-State bus service along the forest route.

Speaking in favour of the Salwa Judum (anti-Maoist vigilante movement) campaign, Chief Minister Raman Singh said the State Government would continue giving protection to tribals who were involved in the "anti-Maoist" movement in the State.

In two separate incidents, four persons, including three SPOs, were killed by the Maoists in Bijapur District. SP J.S. Watti said suspected left-wing extremists had killed three persons, including two SPOs, in Aramangi village and one SPO in the Belchar village. According to him, the CPI-Maoist cadres are increasingly targeting Policemen and SPOs in Bijapur District "out of desperation." He added: "They are selectively killing Police and SPOs to create a reign of terror in the District as we have eliminated 11 hardcore Naxalites in recent months."

January 8: 15 cadres of the CPI-Maoist were killed and three SPOs were injured during an encounter in the forest areas of Gollapalli of Dantewada District. The encounter took place when the SFs opened fire on a group of armed Maoists during a search operation. "It's a big success. The Police are trying to capture several rebels alive who received bullet wounds in the gun battle and are attempting to run away under the cover of darkness," said Rahul Sharma, the District SP. The Police also recovered a large cache of arms and ammunition from the encounter site.

Another Maoist was shot dead by the Police in the Mankedi forest area of Bijapur District.

January 10: Chhattisgarh Chief Minister, Raman Singh, speaking on the vote of thanks on the Governor's speech in the State Legislative Assembly, said that Salwa Judum is the answer to get rid of the CPI-Maoist menace in the State. He further said that Salwa Judum began as the people of Bastar region wanted to stop Maoist atrocities and this movement would continue till the menace is eradicated.

A cadre belonging to the Jan Militia of the CPI-Maoist, identified as Nanda, committed suicide by hanging himself in the CRPF custody in Aranpur village of Dantewada District.

A Legislator of the opposition Congress party from the Konta constituency, Kawasi Lakhma, said that "since early 2005, neither Police nor Government officials nor I myself have dared to visit the 60 villages where insurgents have total monopoly. People's life in my segment is like hell they have nothing to eat. About 50,000 innocent tribals in my constituency alone have migrated to neighbouring Khammam District of Andhra Pradesh since June 2005 when the fight between Salwa Judum cadres and Maoists began. Due to fights between Salwa Judum cadres and the rebels, the local weekly market system, which was a lifeline for the entire Dantewada District, has almost become non-existent."

January 12: The DGP of Chhattisgarh, Vishawa Ranjan, said that commandos of the ATS of Chhattisgarh, which came into existence on January 10, will not only tackle terrorist attacks like those witnessed in Mumbai, but will also be employed for anti-Maoist insurgency operations during any emergency. He said, "ATS came into existence January 10. The ATS commandos are now ready to respond to any terror challenge at very short notice," adding, "tough training" will be provided by the State Government to the commandos in a phased manner. In addition, the central Government will be requested to provide their "highly specialised commando training". Commandos up to the age of 30 years will be employed in the ATS. "Anti-terrorist control rooms have also been set up in all the 18 Districts to deal with possible terror attacks and Maoists," said home department officials.

January 13: The CPI-Maoist has decided to strengthen the Maoist's influence in Maharashtra by merging of its Maharashtra operations with that of the larger and stronger Dandkarenya committee, active in Chhattisgarh, at a recent meeting in the jungles of Gadhchiroli District in Maharashtra. As of now, left-wing extremism in Maharashtra is confined to only 4-5 Districts, comprising of Chandrapur, Bhandara, Gondia and Gadhchiroli, and the Maoists did not pose much of a challenge to the State Police due to their limited operational capabilities. By the merger of Maharashtra operations with the more powerful Dandkaranya committee - which is successfully engaging counter-Naxal forces in south Chhattisgarh, including the Special Task Force, Central Reserve Police Force and the Commando Battalions for Resolute Action battalion - the CPI-Maoist cadres hoped to carry over the operational successes in Dandkarenya to the adjoining Districts of Maharashtra. This would also further facilitate the inter-State operations of the Maoists.

The Chhattisgarh Police has discovered documents exposing the CPI-Maoist's latest strategy to identify and target Police informers in the villages and also hit at soft targets in a bid to lay traps for the Police.

January 14: Two Policemen were killed and a woman Police constable went missing after the CPI-Maoist cadres opened indiscriminate fire on a Police team in a thickly forested area of Pakhanjoor in the Kanker District. According to Police sources, the Maoists opened fire on six Policemen riding motorcycles in a hilly stretch killing a Policeman on the spot, while another succumbed to his injuries in the hospital. One woman Police constable went missing following the incident. Three other Policemen returned to a Police Station. The attack occurred almost an hour before the Forest Minister Vikram Usendi was scheduled to cross the area.

The Chhattisgarh Police has said the CPI-Maoist cadres are recruiting minor girls as part of a stepped-up drive to get members for the Krantikari Adivasi Mahila Sangh, a women's wing of the CPI-Maoist. "Maoist militants are now on a stepped-up drive to recruit minors, mainly female adolescents, because it's easier to brainwash them. The forced recruitment drive in the Bastar hinterland is now basically to fill up hundreds of slots vacated due to mass desertion of the CPI-Maoist cadres due to relentless Police pressure and exposure of the myth of Maoist ideology," Pawan Deo, a senior Special Intelligence Branch officer said. The Director General of Police, Vishwa Ranjan, stated that, "some 30 percent or 15,000 of a total of 50,000 armed rebels are female insurgents who actively participate in carrying out major strikes against civilians and Police forces."

January 15: Meanwhile, taking in view of the Government official's reluctance to join posting in the CPI-Maoist affected areas, the Chhattisgarh Government is considering a proposal to divide the State into three administrative zones for transfer and posting purposes and make three-year posting in each of them mandatory for all officers and employees. "Either you work in one zone now or three years later but you cannot escape transfer from one region to another after three-year period. People who have been posted in various places of the affected regions for long have grown weary of working in the tense situation and therefore their replacement and new posting in their place is a must for among other things the implementation of the scheme in a time-bound manner in Bastar region," said an unnamed Government source. The move is aimed at accelerating the development work in areas known for a strong Maoist presence like Bastar, Dantewada, Bijapur, Narayanpur and other Districts, the report added.

January 16: More than 150 armed cadres of the CPI-Maoist set ablaze a bus after looting the passengers on board at Manikanta village in Dantewada District. "The Naxals asked the passengers to disembark the bus and looted valuables from them," said Rahul Sharma, the District SP. Before leaving, the Maoists broke the fuel tank of the vehicle and set it on fire. The Maoists also left a note saying the incident was in retaliation to the Police action against them in Singavaram on January 8, he added.

January 22: The Andhra Pradesh Police with the help of the Army and the Arunachal Pradesh Police arrested two commandants, who had deserted the Kondabaridi area committee of the Srikakulam Division of the CPI-Maoist, identified as Biddika Paintho and his wife Biddika Parvathi, from the Yankiyang area of Arunachal Pradesh on January 22. Paintho and Parvathi carried a head money of INR 300,000 and INR 200,000 respectively. Paintho was an offender in a series of 17 cases.

January 24: At least five CPI-Maoist cadres were shot dead by the Police during an encounter in the Bijapur District under Bastar Division. According to Police sources, a huge cache of arms and explosives was also recovered from the encounter site.

An abducted woman constable, identified as Kiran Usendi, was set free by the CPI-Maoist in the Pakhanjoor forest stretch of Kanker District. She went missing when the Maoists attacked a Police team in which two Policemen were killed on January 14.

January 25: More than 400 armed cadres of the CPI-Maoist barged into a vehicle garage of a contractor, K.A. Papachand, and set ablaze 24 vehicles after threatening the workers of dire consequences if they raised any alarm at Kirandul in the Dantewada District.

More than 30 armed Maoists set ablaze four machines of a construction company engaged in road work between Bhanupratappur and Antagarh in the Kanker District. They also abducted the vehicle drivers but released them later.

Three abducted Policemen, identified as Lakhan Netam, Chandrasekhar Thakur and Ramprakahs Tiwari of Amabeda Police Station, were released by the CPI-Maoist in the Kanker District. The released Policemen said they were abducted when they had gone to Sode village under Amabeda Police Station to make telephone calls to their homes. The extremists also took their mobile handsets and two motor cycles. According to the Police, the Maoists had taken them deep into the forest, tied them to trees and threatened them to quit the Police service.

An abducted woman constable, identified as Kiran Usendi, was set free by the CPI-Maoist in the Pakhanjoor forest stretch of Kanker District. As reported earlier, she went missing when the Maoists attacked a Police team in which two Policemen were killed on January 14.

January 28: A CPI-Maoist cadre, identified as Kasipoina Ravi alias Sagar, was killed while five others managed to escape following an encounter during the combing operation launched by the Police at Kodishala forest area of Tadvain mandal in the Warangal District. The slain Maoist was a native of Devannapeta village of Hasanparthy mandal and was also a member of Khammam-Karimnagar District committee of the CPI-Maoist.

Over 4,500 kilograms of marijuana worth nearly INR 10 million and INR 46,000 were recovered from three people during a search operation conducted by the CRPF personnel in the Maoist infested Khammam District.

January 29: The chief of Badgaon village, identified as Lakhmaram Gaode, was abducted and later killed by cadres of the CPI-Maoist as they suspected him of being a Police informer in the Kanker District. Gaode, who was abducted on January 26, was found dead near Bhanupratappur Road, about seven kilometres from Badgaon.

February 3: The CPI-Maoist killed 241 people, including Policemen, in Chhattisgarh between January 1, 2008 and January 12, 2009, said the Home Minister of Chhattisgarh, Nankiram Kanwar, in a written reply to the State Legislative Assembly. Kanwar also said the Police killed 82 Maoists during the same period and arrested 164 insurgents besides 431 village level cadres called `Sangham members'.

February 5: While perusing the Action Taken Report filed by the Chhattisgarh Government, the Supreme Court said that the Government cannot arm common men or those associated with the Salwa Judum to curb violence perpetrated by the CPI-Maoist. "We do not underestimate the enormity of the problem (Naxalism). But State should not encourage the common man by arming them to fight Naxalites," a Bench comprising Chief Justice K. G. Balakrishnan and Justice P. Sathasivam observed. The Bench said, "...arming common men will create a dangerous situation... unless legal powers are vested, you can't arm people. Common men are under dilemma whether to support the Government or Naxalites." The Bench was of the view that instead of arming common men, the State Governments should properly utilise the funds granted to them under schemes sponsored by the Centre for the economic upliftment of the villagers and tribals.

As many as 400 COBRA personnel have reached a camp of the CRPF in the Masgaon of Bastar District on February 5 to join the anti-Naxalite operations. The rest of 657 personnel of the battalion are expected to be in Bastar by April 2009, official sources said. The Centre has agreed to provide two COBRA battalions to tackle the growing Maoist threat.

February 9: The State Government allocated INR 9.41 billion, a hike of 22 percent from the 2008 allocation, for the modernization of the Police force to tackle the threat posed by the CPI-Maoist. "The Government is committed to combat Maoist or Naxalite violence. The steep budgetary hike of 22 percent for the Police is made with special focus on security related infrastructure needs in the worst affected District of Bijapur and Dantewada," said Chef Minister Raman Singh after presenting the budget in the State Legislative Assembly. "Now the cops strength at each Police outpost will go up to 27 as against the earlier figure of just eight and at Police Stations the number will touch 65 as against the existing set up of 32," he added.

February 10: Addressing the State Legislative Assembly the State Home Minister, Nankuram Kanwar, said that about 480 people have been killed in 1,190 incidents of violence involving the CPI-Maoist between April 2007 and January 15, 2009 in Chhattisgarh. "277 civilians, 49 SPOs and 154 Policemen were killed in incidents of CPI-Maoist violence during the period," Kanwar said. During the current financial year till January 15, 2009, there had been 556 Maoist related violence in the State, in which 54 Policemen have been killed, he added. In a written reply to a question, he said there had been 450 incidents in Bijapur, 72 in Bastar, 174 in Narayanpur, 262 in Dantewada, 160 in Kanker, 29 in Rajnandgaon, 22 in Balrampur, six each in Raipur and Durg Districts, four in Surajpur, two in Koriya and one in Jashpur District.

February 12: A woman 'section commander' belonging to the Milita dalam of the CPI-Maoist, identified as Rame alias Ranjita, was arrested by the Police near a bus stop in the Dhanmtari District. She is wanted in several cases, including the attack on the Rani Bodli camp on March 15, 2007, in which 55 SF personnel were killed, besides the killing of SF personnel in Gadchairoli in Maharashtra and Kanker, Dantewada and Narayapur in the past. The Superintendent of Police of Dhanmtari, Neha Champawat, said. "Rame, who is the wife of Bandu Mandavi of Dornapal village in Dantewada District, had come for some medical treatment to Dhamtari.'' The Police also recovered a diary containing vital information about Maoist incidents and INR 1000 from her possession.

Chief Minister Raman Singh has asked the Maoists to shun the path of violence and come forward for talks. "The channel of talks was never shut. We have been asking Naxalites to shun the path of violence and come forward for talks. Now, as there was a reported talk offer by them, the Government is ready to reciprocate," Singh said, adding, "I have no objection to anybody mediating in the talks. It will be the Government officials, may be the Director General of Police who could represent the Government at the initial level of talk, if at all it happens, so that we could measure the real intention of the Naxalites. If anything positive comes out from this, then the political class would be involved in the talk."

February 13: Around 20 armed CPI-Maoist cadres in an attempt to block communication between villagers and Police looted the BSNL cellular and WLL phones from residents of Churhatpat village under Samri Police Station in the Balrampur District. Two villagers, identified as Sagar Yadav and Bandhan Ram, were assaulted for having given land to the BSNL to erect mobile towers. The land owners were asked to take their land back from the BSNL, Police said. Subsequently, the Maoists set ablaze the BSNL generator by using the diesel in its fuel tank at Sabagh village nearby.

February 18: The Police arrested two persons, identified as Bhola Bagh and his wife Ruchi alias Sunita, for their involvement in the CPI-Maoist related activities from Bhilai in the Durg District. According to Police sources, the couple was involved in several Maoist related activities in the State, including providing shelter to Maoists in their residence at Maroda in Bhilai. The Police were searching for them ever since an arrested CPI-Maoist cadre, Rama, had given vital information about the logistic support she had got in Bhilai.

Three CRPF personnel were killed and nine others injured in an ambush carried out by the CPI-Maoist cadres when the CRPF team was patrolling at village Mankapal under Koilibeda Police Station in the Kanker District. The Maoists first detonated a powerful landmine targeting the Security Forces who narrowly managed to escape the blast. Subsequently, the Maoists opened indiscriminate fire targeting the CRPF personnel killing three of them while injuring nine others.

February 22: Seven CPI-Maoist cadres were arrested by the Security Force personnel when they were on their way to the famous local festival Mauli Mela in the Narayanpur District. "During the interrogation, they admitted to their involvement in several encounters and bombing incidents in the District, following which they were formally arrested today," said Superintendent of Police of Narayanpur District Amresh Mishra.

February 25: In two separate incidents, the Police arrested seven CPI-Maoist cadres in the Kanker District. While four Maoists, carrying a head money of INR 5000 each, identified as Kanglu, Sukalu, Satte and Kunjuram, were arrested at Koylibeda, three others, Sadhuram, Binsar and Khemraj, were arrested from Antagad.

March 1: In the wake of Maoists attacking a railway station in the neighboring Orissa and the 24-hour general shutdown call by the CPI-Maoist in five States, the Chhattisgarh Government has stepped up security arrangements within the State. Security at Chhattisgarh's borders with Uttar Pradesh, Orissa and Jharkhand has been tightened while additional forces have been deployed in railway lines, border and railway Police Stations, said the Deputy Inspector General Pavan Dev.

March 9: Police arrested a CPI-Maoist 'area commander', identified as Krishna Singh Khairwar, while many others managed to escape during a search operation in the Balrampur District. The arrested extremist was involved in several cases, including an attempt to kill an Inspector General of Police of Sarguja range, B. S. Maravi, in which he was seriously injured. Two locally made pistols and cartridges were also recovered from the arrested Maoist.

March 10: Two women cadres of the CPI-Maoist were killed and another was arrested by the Police during an encounter at Badgai village in the Bastar District. Police also recovered some unspecified number of arms and ammunition from the encounter site.

March 15: One person, identified as Pradeep Amla, a Government school teacher, was killed when cadres of the CPI-Maoist opened indiscriminate fire on a passenger bus in the Bijapur District. Two others persons were injured in the incident.

March 16: A Special Police Officer, identified as Ramaram Mincham, who was living in a Salwa Judum camp along with his family members for safety reasons, was stabbed to death by CPI-Maoist cadres at a weekly market in Chindawar village in the Dantewada District.

March 17: Five tons of explosives and ammunition, including 17,500 rounds of rifle ammunition and 1550 bullets, was recovered by the Police from a truck during a search operation at a check post on the Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand border in Jashpur District. The Police suspect the explosives were meant for the CPI-Maoist which is planning to disrupt the Parliament elections in the State.

March 20: A class nine student, identified as Surju Nareti, son of a Special Police Officer who was killed in 2008, was shot at and then stabbed by the CPI-Maoist cadres in the presence of teachers and fellow students in the forested interiors of Koyalibeda in the Kanker District. The Maoists suspected him to be a Police informer. "Nareti was surrounded by three Maoists clad in civil dress when he completed his exam and came out of the school complex. Fearing for his life, he ran back into the school and the Maoists chased him and shot him dead," said Ajay Yadav, the District Superintendent of Police.

March 21: Police identified 33 villages on the Andhra Pradesh-Chhattisgarh border as being highly Maoist-affected and consequently needing special attention during the forthcoming election. The decision was taken in a co-ordination meeting of the Superintendent of Police of the Maoist affected Districts of Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh at Kothagudem in the Khammam District of Andhra Pradesh. While, 20 of the villages were identified in Khammam District, 13 others were in the Dantewada and Bijapur Districts of Chhattisgarh.

March 22: The CPI-Maoist cadres abducted and later killed four tribals, suspecting them as Police informers, in the Bijapur District. "The rebels had abducted four men, all aged around 30, late Sunday from Tarlaguda village. Their bodies were recovered on Monday from a hilly area," said Superintendent of Police Ankit Garg.

March 24: A constable, identified as Ashwani Kumar, was killed and two other Policemen were injured in an hour-long encounter which followed a bomb blast by the CPI-Maoist cadres during a combing operation in a forested stretch of Narayanpur District. According to Police sources, the encounter occurred in the early morning when a 75-member Police squad was on its way to neutralise a Maoist hideout. "Armed guerrillas carried out a flash attack, but the search squad retaliated immediately. The guerrillas had to run for cover in the nearby forests," said Pawan Deo, the Deputy Inspector General of Police.

The CPI-Maoist cadres abducted four persons from Bhupalapatnam village in the East Godavari District of Andhra Pradesh, took them into the forest between Dharma Tallagudem and Bhupalapatnam, and subsequently crossed the inter-State border to enter Chhattisgarh, where, after branding them as Police informers, the Maoists killed them. The victims were identified as Jangam Jagdish, A. Srinu, Kurasam Sudhakar and P. Rajasekhar of Dharma Tallagudem in the Khammam District of Andhra Pradesh. According to Police sources, the youth had gone to Bhupalapatnam, close to the border of Chhattisgarh, and were captured by the Maoists on their way back late in the evening.

March 25: An encounter took place between the CRPF personnel and the CPI-Maoist cadres when the Maoists attacked a CRPF convoy on the National Highway 221 in Dantewada District. "Militants opened fire on the convoy and CRPF personnel retaliated. No casualty was reported from any side," said the DIG of Police Pawan Deo. The District Superintendent of Police Rahul Sharma said that the CRPF DIG Sahi, who was leading the convoy, and some 40 of his colleagues escaped unhurt in the attack.

March 27: The CPI-Maoist cadres are planning to target important political figures during the coming Parliamentary election in Chhattisgarh in April, media reports indicated.

April 3: Three motorcycle-borne CPI-Maoist cadres shot dead a Salwa Judum activist, Chhannu Karma, outside Dantewada town. He was the nephew of senior Congress party leader Mahendra Karma, who launched the Salwa Judum movement. Chhannu was attacked when he was on his way to the town riding a motorcycle.

April 6: A woman commander of the CPI-Maoist was killed in an encounter when a joint party of the CRPF and the Police neutralized a Maoist hideout during a search operation in the Narayanpur District. An unspecified number of arms and ammunition were also recovered from the hideout.

April 7: The CPI-Maoist cadres blew up a bullet-proof Police van by detonating a landmine, killing two Policemen and injuring five others in the Bijapur District. However, the District Superintendent of Police, Ankit Garg, escaped unhurt as his vehicle crossed the site minutes before the blast. "Rebels had targeted the District Police chief, but missed," said Pawan Deo, the Deputy Inspector General of Police. According to Deo, Police personnel led by Garg were on en route to Bhopalapatnam in the Bastar District for a search operation when they were ambushed while passing through a mountain pass, some five kilometres from the Bijapur District headquarters. While a constable Nand Kishore Sori died on the spot, another constable, Nohruram Netam, succumbed to injuries on the way to a hospital in Bijapur.

April 9: A CPI-Maoist cadre was killed in an exchange of fire with the Police in the Narayanpur District. The incident occurred in the Kodenar jungle area after Maoists opened fire targeting a Police patrol party, the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Pavan Dev, told. Three 'tiffin bombs', a hand grenade, a detonator and a pistol was recovered from the incident site, the District Superintendent of Police Amresh Kumar said.

April 10: 10 CRPF personnel, including a Deputy Commandant, and three suspected CPI-Maoist cadres were killed during an encounter near Minta village under Chintagufa Police Station in Dantewada District. Deputy Commandant Diwakar Tiwari, a sub-inspector, four head constables and four constables were killed in the encounter, while 11 others, including an Assistant Commandant, were injured, an unnamed CRPF officer said in New Delhi. The incident occurred in the forests of Kotampalli when troops of the 55th battalion of the CRPF, who were on a patrol in the area, walked into an ambush set by the CPI-Maoist leading to a gun battle. One AK-47 rifle and a few wireless sets were also recovered from the encounter site. Times of India adds that the two-hour encounter started around 1 pm when the CRPF personnel were returning to their camps in two batches after a routine patrol, said Deputy Inspector General of Police (anti-Naxalite operations) Pawan Deo.

April 12: 10 persons, including six CPI-Maoist cadres and two SF personnel, were killed in three separate incidents. Four people, including one CRPF personnel and one Police personnel, were killed and another injured in a landmine explosion triggered by the CPI-Maoist when a joint patrolling team of CRPF and local Police was on clearance duty for the elections near the National Highway-16 at Gorla Nala area of Bijapur District. The patrolling team was on its way from Maded Police Station to Bhopalpatnam in the District when the incident occurred. The victims were identified as Mohammad Hussain, a constable belonging to the 170th battalion of the CRPF, Dontay Nag of the local Police and a civilian Kurtam Shankar. However, the identity of the fourth victim has not been ascertained.

Three Maoists were killed in an encounter during a search operation by the Police in the forests of Hiroli in the Dantewada District. The encounter occurred when the CPI-Maoist cadres started firing at the Police team.

The 65th battalion of the CRPF personnel killed three Maoists in a two hour long encounter in the Sarandi area of Kanker District. 11 weapons, including assault guns, were recovered from their possession.

April 12: CRPF claimed to have killed nearly 30 CPI-Maoist cadres during the April 10 encounter in which 10 CRPF personnel were killed in the Dantewada District. According to the CRPF official sources, the assessment on the CPI-Maoist cadres killed based on what the personnel saw during the operation and the drag marks in the forests. "Our team on the ground in Dantewada informed the Director General A S Gill that more than 30 Naxals were killed in the encounter that took place on Friday. Though only three bodies were recovered, the rest were dragged back into the forests by the Naxals," said CRPF spokesperson Ajay Chaturvedi in NewDelhi.

Five SF personnel were injured when the CPI-Maoist cadres triggered a landmine blast targeting the bus on which the SF personnel were traveling on a poll duty near Bhusa Ghati under Gadiras Police Station in Dantewada District. The Maoists fled from the spot when the SFs opened retaliatory fire, said Deputy Inspector General (Naxal) Pawan Dev.

April 16: Five poll officials, including a zonal officer identified as A.K. Acharya, were killed and many others injured when CPI-Maoist cadres blew up a van ferrying election officials by triggering a landmine blast at Phulwera village in the Rajnandgaon District, said Additional Director General Police Girdhari Nayak.

Two CRPF personnel were killed and five others injured when the Maoists attacked a polling station in the Marocci area of Bastar District.

In two separate incidents, armed CPI-Maoist cadres attacked polling booths by triggering improvised explosive device (IED) blasts and exchanging fire with the Security Forces in the Dantewada and Narainpur Districts. The attacks took place at Maroki, Mangnar and Jangampal in Dantewada District and in Nernar, Sonapal and Karmari in the Narainpur District. The Superintendent of Police in Dantewada, Rahul Sharma, said the CPI-Maoist cadres opened fire at two polling booths - Marokhi and Mangnar in Maoist-hit Dantewada Parliamentary constituency. In Narainpur District, the Maoists exploded IEDs in Sonapal and Kokaneta regions but there was no danger to the polling officials, said Narainpur Superintendent of Police Ambresh Mishra. Parliamentary elections are being held in the State.

Maoist also attacked polling stations in Nernar, Sonapal and Karmari areas of Narainpur District. However, no casualties were reported. Girdhari Nayak said the Maoists carried out blasts at nearly a dozen places while 12 landmines were recovered by the Security Forces.

Around 51 percent of the electorate in Chhattisgarh exercised their franchise for the Lok Sabha (lower house of Parliament) elections on April 16 despite widespread Maoist violence. There are 11 Lok Sabha constituencies in Chhattisgarh. Electoral Officer S. K. Kujur said Durg, Korba and Raigarh recorded the highest average of 55% each, followed by Bilaspur (53%), Rajnandgaon (52%), Mahasamund (51%) and Jangir (50%). Bastar, the worst hit by Maoists, recorded 46%. Surguja, which too faces Red threat, recorded the lowest turnout at 45%. Only 47% voters turned up in capital Raipur.

April 25: The Chhattisgarh Government announced the extension of a ban on the CPI-Maoist and its six frontal organisations for one more year, under sub-section one of section three of the Chhattisgarh Special Public Security Act, 2005. In a notification issued by the Home Department, the ban on the CPI-Maoist and its six affiliates - the Dandakaranya Adivasi Kisan Mazdoor Sangh, Krantikari Adivasi Mahila Sangh, Krantikari Adivasi Balak Sangh, Krantikari Kisan Committee, Mahila Mukti Manch and Janathana Sarkar - was extended till April 12, 2010. The CPI-Maoist was first banned in the State in April 2006.

April 29: The CPI-Maoist cadres blew up an electricity supply tower at Bodli village in the Bijapur District, 550 kilometres south of State capital Raipur. As the supply was disrupted after the tower collapsed, more than 700 villages in the area were plunged into darkness. Bijapur Superintendent of Police Ankit Garg said, "The damage was not serious and hence, the power company officials managed to erect it in the day."

May 2: Two CRPF personnel were injured in a landmine explosion carried out by CPI-Maoist in the Dantewada District. The CRPF personnel were travelling from Palner village towards Kuwangkoda in a Police convoy when the blast occurred. The Maoists subsequently opened fire on the convoy. Police managed to arrest four Maoists while they were escaping in the nearby forest areas.

May 6: Suspected CPI-Maoist cadres killed Darbar Singh Mandawi, a senior leader of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party at an unspecified location in Rajnandgaon District.

11 persons, including four civilians and seven SF personnel, were killed in an ambush by the suspected cadres of the CPI-Maoist on a special Police party. The incident occurred three kilometres from the Vinjaram base camp in the Dantewada District. The killed SF personnel included five SPOs and two CRPF personnel. The Maoists managed to flee with the weapons of the dead SF personnel. The Police party was on its way back after delivering a consignment of monthly ration at a police camp at Bhejji, when the Maoists triggered a land mine blast.

May 7: CPI-Maoist cadres killed a Police officer at Pharsgaon village in Narayanpur District of the southern Bastar region. The Police officer Abdul Wahid Khan, in charge of the Pharasgaon Police Station had gone to the weekly market when the Maoists hit him with a heavy stick from behind and then slit his throat, Police sources said.

May 9: Suspected CPI-Maoist cadres killed four persons, including two SPO, at a forested hamlet near Pharsegarh in the Bijapur District. According to the report, the extremists opened fire on workers engaged in constructing a road and the Police team that was escorting them. Two other SPOs were injured in the attack. Maoists set ablaze four vehicles engaged for the construction work before leaving.

May 11: 12 Policemen and a civilian were killed and six persons sustained injuries after 150 heavily armed cadres of the CPI-Maoist ambushed a 41-member Police force in hillside Risgaon village of Dhamtari District. The Policemen were part of the Kanker District Force search convoy and were travelling in three vehicles. Girdhari Nayak, the Additional Director General of Police, said, "The heavily armed rebels first triggered multiple (landmine) blasts and then opened indiscriminate fire from hilltops on SF personnel. Ten constables, one hawaldar, one SPO and a civilian, who was the driver of one of the vehicles, were killed." He further said local Police authorities were unsure whether the Maoists had walked away with arms of the slain Policemen. This was the first ever attack by the Maoists in Dhamtari District.

May 15: A Police constable, identified as Laxmi Narayan Dhurv, was killed and another injured when Maoists opened fire at a helicopter and at the Security Forces who were guarding the helipad at Kistaram village in Dantewada District. However, the pilot managed to take off the helicopter from the incident site.

May 16: 11 persons, including eight CPI-Maoist cadres and three SPOs, were killed in an encounter during a search operation at Neelamdagu village in the Kistaram forest area of Dantewada District.

Suspected CPI-Maoist cadres abducted an unarmed CRPF trooper who was travelling in a bus along with six other colleagues near Manikonta in Dantewada District. Although some sources in Chhattisgarh said three CRPF personnel had been kidnapped, CRPF officials have denied this. "It isn't correct that three of them have been abducted. Only one jawan was kidnapped. We are trying to secure his release," said the CRPF Director General A.S. Gill.

May 20: The two day bandh called by the CPI-Maoist affected normal life in the interiors and brought transportation of iron ore to a halt in the Bastar region on May 20, Police said. Maoists have reportedly put heavy wooden logs on the National Highway 221 in Dantewada District and National Highway 16 in Bijapur District and the various State highways. The railway authorities have cancelled for three days the goods train that transports iron ore from the National Mineral Development Corporation's Bailadilla mines in Dantewada District to Visakhapatnam in the State of Andhra Pradesh. "Security in all vulnerable areas, mostly the Government facilities, and Police posts in forests have been beefed up,' said Pawan Deo, DIG, adding, "We are taking all precautionary measures to deal with the strike but it has affected life in Bastar and road and rail traffic are the worst-hit."

May 21: A CRPF constable belonging to the 85th battalion, identified as T. Rajendra, who was abducted by the CPI-Maoist cadres from Dantewada on May 16, was set free.

Chhattisgarh Government has asked for a financial assistance of nearly INR 160 billion from the Finance Commission to fight the insurgency and work for the development of the State. The demand was made by Chief Minister Raman Singh at a meeting with the Chairman of the 13th Finance Commission, Dr Vijay Kelkar. Raising the issue of Maoist insurgency prevalent across the State, the Chief Minister said there is a need for more Police stations in the affected areas. More barracks are needed for the safety of Police personnel on duty, Singh said and demanded grants for fighting the insurgency.

MAY 23: Mahesh Gagda, a Member of Legislative Assembly from the Maoist-affected Bijapur constituency, has alleged that Maoists are forcibly taking away children from villages and using them as human shields against Security Forces. "Maoists are forcibly picking up boys and girls from their houses and schools in the interiors to use them as shields in the war against (security) forces," said Gagda. He also said "Maoists have completely halted development in about 100 villages out of 272 villages that form Bijapur constituency. Kids in Bijapur are carrying arms, even AK-47s. Maoists deliberately put arms on children's body and then cover these with a school dress or other simple clothes to dodge Police security and frisking. Maoist leaders always keep armed kids around themselves and whenever they want to kill anyone, they use the weapon being carried by the kid," adding "The Maoist menace has reached its flashpoint in Bijapur. They are forcibly recruiting boys and girls in their rank and file and generally girls are also sexually exploited."

May 29: Police arrested 10 suspected CPI-Maoist cadres at village Risgaon in Dhamtari District for their alleged role in an ambush on a Police team on May 10, in which 12 Policemen and a civilian were killed. "The insurgents, mostly active members of the village committee of the banned Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist), were arrested for their role in killing of Policemen early this month," said District SP Neha Champawat. She also said that Police recovered Maoist literature from the suspects' houses during the search operation.

May 31: A 'commander' of the CPI-Maoist, identified as Mukesh alias Ramesh Baruar, was killed in an encounter during a search operation by the Police at Traka village in Sarguja District. Mukesh, who was carrying a head money of INR 25,000, was wanted in over 20 criminal cases. Police recovered a 315 bore rifle and 17 live cartridges from the encounter site. Police said three associates of Mukesh, however, managed to escape into the forest.

June 3: To provide specialised training to Security Forces to check the CPI-Maoist violence, the Union Government planned to set up two counter-insurgency and jungle warfare training institutes in the State. "I have discussed with the Home Minister the issue of setting up of two jungle warfare training institutes in our State," Raman Singh told reporters after a meeting with the Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram in New Delhi. The State already has one such institute at Kanker which imparts specialised training to personnel of the State Police forces as well as paramilitary forces dealing with the Maoists.

June 5: The CPI-Maoist cadres killed a father and son duo, identified as Kamruddin and his son, who were abducted on June 1 suspecting them of being Police informers in Basaguda area in Bijapur District.

Maoists killed a former headman of Hirapur village of the same District, identified as Punem Hunga, who was abducted on June 2. Meanwhile, whereabouts of another individual, identified as Jhari Nagesh, a panchayat (village level local self-Government institution) secretary of Mallepalli village who was abducted along with Hunga, has not been ascertained.

A civilian, identified as Kunjam Balram, was killed by Maoists in Garel village in the same District.

June 6: CPI-Maoist cadres, in the guise of locals, attacked the villagers who had gathered at the weekly market in Benur in Naryanpur District and killed Sub-Inspector J. L. Lakhda deployed there.

A group of 12 Maoists killed a Special Police Officer, identified as Rajman, in Madpnar village in the same District by slitting his throat.

June 7: Around a dozen armed cadres of the CPI-Maoist picked up two brothers, identified as Sundru and Mangauram, from Padbeda village in Kanker District in the night of June 7 and beat them to death suspecting them to be Police informers. The Police recovered their dead bodies in the night of June 8.

June 8: A constable of the Chhattisgarh Armed Force (CAF) was killed and seven Policemen, including an Assistant Commandant of the CRPF, were injured in two separate attacks by the CPI-Maoist cadres in the Bastar region. Constable Santosh Verma was killed early in the morning when Maoists opened indiscriminate fire at the CAF camp at Dhanora in Narayanpur District. CRPF Assistant Commander P Singh, two head constables and three Special Police Officers were injured when Maoists ambushed a CRPF party at Pavnar village in Bijapur District at around 10 am, leading to an encounter between the two sides.

June 9: Nine CRPF personnel were injured in a landmine explosion triggered by the Maoists in Bijapur District. The incident took place when the Maoists blew up a Police vehicle carrying the CRPF personnel near Bijapur valley, 450 kilometres from the State capital Bijapur, the District Superintendent of Police Ankit Garg said.

June 10: An Assistant Commandant of the CRPF, Rajpal Singh, was killed and five other CRPF personnel were injured when the CPI-Maoist cadres attacked a Police patrolling team in the forests of Karchuli village of Bijapur District. Rajpal Singh succumbed to injuries en route to the hospital, Deputy Director General (Naxal operations) Pawan Dev said.

June 14: Three CPI-Maoist cadres were killed in separate encounters with Security Forces in the Bastar region, Police said. Officials at the Police headquarters said that two Maoists were killed in a brief gun-battle in Dantewada District's Jagargunda forested stretch, while another Maoist was shot dead in Bijapur District's Jungla locality.

June 19: CPI-Maoist cadres, who had abducted two personnel of the Chhattisgarh Armed Force (CAF), Ram Bhuwan Patel and Dhanjay Verma, from a hilly stretch in Bijapur District on June 17, killed them and dumped the bodies on a roadside in a forested area. Police said the victims' throats were slit with sharp edged weapons.

Maoists killed a man, Vimal Meshram, in a busy weekly market near Lohandiguda village in Bastar District for his support of a mega Tata Steel project. Meshram, an influential tribal leader, was the president of Lohandiguda janpad panchayat (village council).

June 20: 12 CRPF personnel were killed in the landmine blast triggered by the CPI-Maoist cadres at Tonagapal in Dantewada District in the evening. About a dozen CRPF troopers sustained multiple injuries in the incident. The attack was meticulously planned, as the CPI-Maoist cadres set ablaze a few trucks of a private contractor in Tongpal village, about 100 kilometers from Dantewada in the same morning. The CRPF personnel along with State Police personnel left for Tongpal. After patrolling the area, the Security Force (SF) personnel were returning to Dantewada when they were trapped into the Maoist ambush near Kokanara village in the evening. The Maoists allowed jeeps to pass and targeted the mini-truck, carrying 20 SF personnel, which was last on the row to inflict maximum casualty. The Maoists also opened fire at the ambushed patrol, but the troopers instantly retaliated, killing seven insurgents. The bodies of seven insurgents were recovered.

June 21: The Maoists shot dead a senior divisional officer of the State Government in Bijapur District after he was abducted, an official statement said. The bullet-ridden body of M.D. Gandhi, a sub-divisional officer with the water resource department, was found in a forested area in the District, the statement said. Gandhi was adducted at gun point by the Maoists on June 20 when he was en route to Bhopalpatnam area on a motorcycle.

June 26: The State Police recovered about 270 cartridges from a pond in the Charoda village of Durg District. "The cartridges are of 12 and 315 bore rifles, which are largely used by Maoists," the Durg District Superintendent of Police Deepanshu Kabra said.

June 28: Cadres of the CPI-Maoist killed a Salwa Judam (an anti-Maoist vigilante group) activist, identified as Somulu, when he was on his way home from a CRPF camp near Pinkoda village in Bijapur District.

July 1: Cadres of the CPI-Maoist killed Pando Bhima, an activist of the Salwa Judum (anti-Maoist vigilante group), in Dantewada District. Pando Bhima, who lived at a relief camp in Dornapal village, was killed while he was going to his village in the forest interiors, some 4 kilometers away from the camp, Police said.

Six Maoists were arrested from a forested stretch in Narayanpur District when a joint team of the District Police and the Special Task Force encircled a meeting venue of the Maoists, Deputy Inspector General of Police Pawan Deo said. Police recovered two guns, six detonators, a huge stock of wires being used in making landmines and some Maoist uniforms.

July 6: Two cadres of the CPI-Maoist were shot dead in an encounter with the Police in Narayanpur District. "Two Naxalites including their commander Jairam were killed in an encounter near Chinari village of Narayanpur district," the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Pawan Dev, said. He added that pipe bombs, weapons, and detonators were recovered from the slain Maoists.

A 'commander' of the CPI-Maoist, identified as Rajdev alias Chattan Singh, committed suicide by consuming poison in his house at his native village Manpur in the Surguja District.

July 9: Two persons, including a serving Special Police Officer (SPO), were killed by cadres of the CPI-Maoist in Bijapur District. "Mukesh Kudiyam, serving Special Police Officer and former SPO Suresh Chapdi were killed by the Naxals with a sharp-edged weapon at Usoor village in the district," the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Pawan Dev, said. Kudiyam of Usoor Police station went to Chapdi's house when the extremists attacked them and slit their throat with a sharp-edged weapon, Dev added.

July 12: Cadres of the CPI-Maoist killed 30 Police personnel, including a Superintendent of Police (SP), in two incidents in the Rajnandgaon District. An encounter in a third place, Sitagaon, was still going on. While the bodies of 36 Police personnel, including that of SP Vinod Kumar Chaubey have been found, the Security Forces' toll could rise once search operations resume. ''There was heavy firing on the police party,'' said Inspector General of Police Mukesh Gupta. ''The firing occurred in two phases. First, they killed policemen in a senior Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) camp in Kerkatta village and then, they targeted the SP when he arrived with reinforcements. We are finding bodies everywhere. The more we look, the more bodies we see." Rajnandgaon (Kawardha), which happens to be Chief Minister Raman Singh's Legislative Assembly constituency, is 68 kilometers from Raipur, the State capital.

In a bid to counter Left-wing extremism in an effective manner, the Chhattisgarh Government has appointed senior Police officer Ramnivas as the Additional Inspector General of Police (Naxal Operations), official sources said. The Government created this new post after the Maoist attack in Rajnandgaon.

July 26:Five CRPF personnel, including a SI, were killed and three others injured in a landmine explosion triggered by the CPI-Maoist cadres in the Dantewada District, Police said. "The incident occurred when the CRPF jawans were returning to Barsur village from routine patrolling during the weekly market at Geedam village," the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Pawan Dev, told PTI. The Maoists blew up the Police van in which the troopers were travelling, he added. Of the five killed, one is a Sub-Inspector (SI) and the rest are Constables. While two of the victims were identified as SI Naresh Kumar Yadav and Constable Jayant Rai, the remaining constables are yet to be identified, Dev added.

Over 26 Policemen escaped any untoward incident when they got off a truck carrying their belongings and weekly ration before the CPI-Maoist cadres intercepted it at Polampalli village near Konta in the Dantewada district.

The Maoists were reportedly felling trees in some areas of Bastar and digging up roads in the Rajnandgaon District.

July 27:Indian Express reports that the death toll in the July 26 landmine attack triggered by the CPI-Maoist in the Dantewada District has risen to six with one more constable succumbing to injuries on July 27, Police said.

July 29: Heavily armed CPI-Maoist cadres fired several rounds on a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) post in the Bastar region in the night of July 29, Police sources said. The Maoists fired several rounds twice at the checkpost at Keshkutul village under Bhairamgarh locality in the Bijapur District at around 9pm. The CRPF personnel returned fire. However, no casualty was reported in the incident.

July 30-31: Two persons, including a Special Police Officer (SPO), were killed in attacks by the CPI-Maoist in Bijapur District, Police said on July 31. The Maoists killed SPO Padam Sarju and a villager, Varge Munna, using sharp weapons in separate incidents on July 30, the DIG of Police Pavan Dev said. Sarju, who was visiting Muchler village under Farsegadh station area, was attacked by a group of 10 armed Maoists after they learnt about his whereabouts. In another incident, the insurgents hacked Munna to death when he went to his village Koter for some personal work, the DIG added. Munna was reportedly living in the Cherpal rescue camp.

July 31: In the wake of a spate of Maoist attacks in the recent months, the Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh said that new Police stations and check posts will be created at several places and personnel will be given modern arms and equipment. Special attention will be given on the modernisation of the Police with the help of information and technology, the Chief Minister said. Apart from raising the confidence level among the SF personnel, they will be provided with additional night vision binoculars, bulletproof jackets and other equipment, Raman Singh told reporters after a meeting with the State's Home Minister Nanki Ram Kanwar and senior officials at the Police headquarters in Raipur. Announcing more recruitment of Police officers in the ranks of Sub Divisional Police Officer and Station House Officer, the Chief Minister said officials have been instructed to work with better coordination with those SF personnel deployed in the insurgency-affected areas.

August 3: Five CPI-Maoist cadres were arrested along with explosive material from the Dantewada District, Police said. The District Superintendent of Police Amresh Mishra told that acting on a tip-off a Police team raided a hideout in the Kuakonda area where the insurgents were holding a meeting. The arrested Maoists were identified as Khorami Mulla, Sodhi Masa, Miryami Mahesh, Miryami Deva and Sodhi Joga. Detonators and wires besides Maoist banners and posters were recovered from the incident site, he added.

August 8: The CPI-Maoist cadres killed two civilians in the Manpur area of Rajnandgaon District, some 175 kilometers from State capital Raipur, Police said. Maoists killed a local contractor named Deepak and a civilian, Ramswaroop, on suspicion that they were Police informers, F.J. Tigga, a Police official from Manpur told IANS.

August 11: Six heavily armed CPI-Maoist cadres were killed after a 20-hour encounter with the SFs in the Dantewada District. Police and paramilitary teams from the Dantewada and Bijapur Districts shot dead the insurgents in the Kirandul area of Dantewada, 400 kilometers south of capital Raipur. "We basically hit a Maoist camp, our heavily armed policemen assisted by Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) put the militants under heavy fire throughout Monday and early morning on Tuesday. We finally killed six militants and recovered their arms," Superintendent of Police (Dantewada) Amresh Mishra told IANS.

August 11-12: The Chhattisgarh Government is reportedly moving heavy contingents of Security Forces into Kanker District to investigate the report that eight members of a family- including two children aged two and four- were assaulted to death and their dead bodies burnt following failed negotiations over a property dispute, according to The Hindu. "The place has a very high presence of Maoists as it is near Abuz Maad. Our forces are moving very cautiously anticipating Maoist attacks", Director General of Police (DGP) Vishwa Ranjan said.

August 14: The reported massacre of eight members of a family, including two minor girls, over a property dispute in the remote Koilibeda area of Kanker District was a fake complaint, intended to lure SFs into a CPI-Maoist ambush, Police said. "None of the eight people of a family was killed, we confirmed earlier. A man narrated a pathetic story about how and where Maoists wiped out his entire family Tuesday in an interior village of Kanker District and then also cremated their bodies," the DGP Vishwa Rranjan told reporters. He said Police reached the village on August 14 and found four members of the family and took two of them to a local Police station, where they were interrogated. It was found that the whole massacre story was fabricated to make Policemen rush to the crime scene so that Maoists could ambush them. Ajay Yadav, the Kanker District Superintendent of Police, said Police would have suffered heavy casualties if they had reacted to massacre complaint urgently, as it was intended to take the troops to forests where Maoists were probably waiting to ambush them. The incident was reported on August 12 by one Ramain Vishwakarma who claimed that eight of his family members were killed by the Maoists as he defied their diktat to settle a family land dispute. Vishwakarma, whom the Police are now suspecting to be a Maoist informer, belongs to Kesikodi village that comes under the Maoist-controlled Abujhmad region, known as headquarters of the CPI-Maoist.

Two CPI-Maoist cadres were arrested from the Kanker District, Police said. Acting on a tip-off, a Police team arrested Ramsai and Rateram from Koilebeda area, District Superintendent of Police Ajay Yadav said. The two, hailing from Narayanpur District, have been accused of indulging in violent activities during the recently parliamentary elections, he said.

Chhattisgarh has been put on high alert after the Maoists asked people to stay away from Independence Day celebrations on August 15. The Director General of Police (DGP) Vishwaranjan told IANS, "The entire state has been put on high alert in wake of possible Maoist attacks and their call for a boycott of Independence Day." He said security has been tightened at all Government installations in 18 districts of the State and patrolling has been intensified in sensitive areas like the 40,000-sq kilometres of Bastar region.

About 15 Policemen were suspended in Chhattisgarh after they refused to take part in anti-Maoist operations, DGP Vishwaranjan told IANS. "We have made groups of 100 policemen in insurgency-hit areas to launch anti-Maoist operations but 15 constables were reluctant to join the drive and were thus suspended. I can't tolerate indiscipline," he said. The suspended Policemen were posted in Rajnandgaon District. On July 15, 29 constables were suspended in Janjgir-Champa District after they refused to go for a 15-day orientation course at the Counter Terrorism and Jungle Warfare College in Kanker District before being deployed for four-month long postings in areas affected by Maoist insurgency.

August 15: Chief Minister Raman Singh asked the people to take a pledge to free the State from the Maoists and announced an INR 2060-crore plan to create jobs through the rural employment generation scheme. He said, "I salute the brave tribal brothers and sisters who created a movement against Maoist terrorism through Salwa Judum. I also salute the common people and security personnel who laid down their lives in the fight against Maoists. I appeal to you all people to take a pledge to free the state from Naxalites (Maoists)." "Naxalism has become a threat to the country's security and sovereignty. They are maintaining a hold in inaccessible areas on the strength of violence and suppression," said the Chief Minister.

August 24: Four CPI-Maoist cadres were arrested in the Dantewada District. Acting on a tip-off about Maoist activities at Musaras village, Police raided the area and arrested Barse Manjhi, Sodhi Hunga, Kudami Ganga and Kavasi Deva and seized some arms from them, the Dantewada Superintendent of Police Amresh Mishra said. The recovered items also included Maoist literature, a locally-made revolver and five cartridges. Several cases of murder and attempt to murder are lodged against them in various Police stations of the Dantewada District, Mishra added.

August 26: Two CPI-Maoist cadres, including a woman, surrendered in the Bastar District. "Deputy Naxal Commander (Baarda Dalam) Mukesh (25) and a woman Naxal, Jasaun (16) surrendered before the police last evening," Inspector General of Police R.K. Vij told PTI. Both the extremists took the decision to join the mainstream after being dissatisfied with the Maoist ideology, he said. According to Mukesh, he was forcibly picked up Maoists from his village in the Kadakda area in 2005 and given weapons training at the Maoist camps. The teenager girl was also pushed into the Maoist stream and was trained in carrying out blasts and other criminal and destructive activities, Mukesh said.

The Chhattisgarh Government dismissed 13 Policemen for refusing to fight the Maoists. "We can't tolerate indiscipline, the 13 cops had openly refused to go to Madanwara in Rajnandgaon District where Maoists killed 29 Policemen in coordinated attacks on July 12 in which we lost a brave SP (Superintendent of Police) V.K. Choubey as well," R.K. Vij told IANS. The 13 Policemen of constable rank had recently completed a specialised training course at the Counter-Insurgency Training and Jungle Warfare College (CTJWC) in the Bastar region's Kanker town. The college had been set up by the State Government in 2005 to provide training to Policemen. In July 2009, 29 constables were suspended in the Janjgir-Champa District after they refused to go for a 15-day orientation course at the CTJWC.

August 27: The CPI-Maoist cadres shot dead a person in the Rajnandgaon District for extorting money from traders in their name, Police said. "Maoists raided the house of 35-year-old Jailal Kanwar and took him to an open ground and shot him dead," Bharat Notyia, station in-charge of Baghnadi, where the incident took place, told IANS. "As per preliminary investigations, the rebels killed Kanwar for extorting money from small traders by posing as a Maoist leader," he added.

September 1: Two villagers were killed by the CPI-Maoist cadres in the Rajnandgaon District, accusing them of being Police informers, Police said. Some 50 extremists, including several women, came to Bijepar village and killed the two villagers, in their late 20s, in front of the other people, Superintendent of Police Praveer Das said. Some villagers who tried to intervene were assaulted, he said, adding that Police have launched a drive in the forested stretches around the village to arrest the Maoists.

September 2: The Chhattisgarh Government placed a demand for grant of INR 94.22 crore from the Central Government to develop educational facilities in the CPI-Maoist-affected areas. According to State Government sources, Chief Minister Raman Singh put the demand before the Union Tribal Affairs Minister Kantilal Bhuria. He also submitted details of assistance anticipated by the State Government to Bhuria, sources added. Singh informed Bhuria that Chhattisgarh needed central assistance mainly for construction of some 218 ashram schools (residential schools where all needs of the students will be looked after by the State Government), sources further added. Maoists have reportedly attacked many of the ashram schools in the Bastar region in the past claiming that they blow up the school complexes because they provided shelter to the forces involved in anti-Maoist operations. State Government is also reportedly looking for assistance to the programmes of job-oriented training to the unemployed tribal youths and constructing houses for the tribals.

September 4: Bodies of four villagers killed by the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) cadres were recovered from a forest in the Aaded village of Bijapur District. The extremists had attacked Kandulnar, Gudipal and Aaded villages in the District on September 2 and had abducted four villagers, Anganpally Lakshmayya, Vasamchandru, Anganpally Buccha and Anganpally Jeetu, the Superintendent of Police Avinash Mohanty said. Villagers found their bodies in the forest and later reportedly informed the Police. While Buccha and Jeetu were shot dead, other bodies were found with throats slit. "Police had arrested two top Maoists from this area two months ago. The rebels suspected that the four were responsible for tipping the police off which led to the arrests," said Avinash Mohanty, adds Times of India.

September 7: Raju, the 'deputy commander' of the Bhansi guerilla squad, was killed by the Police during an operation near Raja Bangla village in Dantewada District, Superintendent of Police Amresh Mishra said. Four other Maoists, including a school student, were arrested during the operation. Police arrested Deva, Bheema, Radhe and Vinod. According to Mishra, Vinod is a school student, who was allegedly abducted from Jangla village by the Maoists.

September 9: Two CRPF personnel were injured when they walked over a bomb planted by the CPI-Maoist cadres in a thickly forested area of Jagargunda in the Bijapur District, about 450 kilometers south of capital Raipur.

September 10: Three CPI-Maoist cadres, including a woman, were killed in an encounter with the Police in Dantewada District. SFs shot dead the insurgents during an encounter in the forests of Banjepalli village, the Dantewada District Superintendent of Police Amresh Mishra said.

September 12: A youth was killed by the CPI-Maoist cadres in the Tunder village after he refused to go along with them. "Maoists went to Tunder village and forced the village boys to go with them. They could take two boys with them but the third one, Manglu, resisted. He did not want to go with them. In retaliation, the Maoists punished him by shooting at him. They took the rest of the boys for training," said Bastar District Superintendent of Police P. Sundar Raj. "We appeal to villagers that if Maoists forcefully take their boys with them, the villagers must resist this collectively. We are starting a campaign to create awareness on this," Raj added.

September 16-17: Two suspected CPI-Maoist cadres were killed in an overnight encounter with the SFs in the dense forest of Bijapur District. Acting on a tip off, the CRPF personnel in the night of September 16 launched a search operation in the forest under Dharampur Police station area where some Maoists were scheduled to meet. "Seeing the CRPF jawans (personnel), they started firing which was retaliated by the security personnel. In the ensuing gun battle, which lasted till this morning (September 17), two Naxalites have been killed," an unnamed senior CRPF official said.

September 17: In its maiden offensive operation, the elite anti-Maoist force CoBRA neutralised a Maoist arms factory besides shooting down an armed activist in the Dantewada District. Nine guns which were under production in the makeshift arms factory were recovered.

The Bijapur District Police arrested a female CPI-Maoist cadre who is wanted for several attacks on the Police in recent months.

September 18-19: A combined team of CoBRA and the Chhattisgarh Police killed at least 24 CPI-Maoist cadres in the Dantewada District on September 18. An Assistant Commandant of CoBRA, Manoranjan Singh, was also killed in the attack launched by the SFs on September 17-night. 10 dead bodies of the Maoists were recovered. While four SF personnel sustained injuries, five others were said to be missing. The SF personnel later on September 19 recovered the bodies of five of its missing personnel, including Assistant Commandant Rakesh Chaurasia. The Operation Green Hunt lasted for 48 hours.

September 24-25: At least 12 CPI-Maoist cadres were killed during an encounter between the Chhattisgarh Police and insurgents in the Bijapur District. Though the Police could not locate the dead bodies of the slain extremists as they were carried away by their fellow cadres, they arrested two Maoists.

Chhattisgarh Police sources told Express Buzz that 600 Police personnel from Dantewada set off for the Maoist stronghold of Isulnar village in Bijapur two days ago on specific information about the presence of at least 200 Maoists (a company of the Maoists besides local militia). "We fired around 2,000 rounds in reply to an almost equal number of rounds fired by the enemy," Police sources said. "We saw nine bodies being carried away but the number of deaths on their side could be more," sources added. The Police suspect that among those killed could be a 'section commander'. The report added that the Maoists used two-inch mortars which are normally available with the Police or paramilitary forces. Two Maoists, identified as Kursam Budru (35) and Kursum Mura (30), were arrested from the encounter site. PTI quoted the Additional Director General of Police Ram Nivas as saying that there is possibility that nearly 12 Maoists were killed in the four-hour long encounter near Isulnar village.

September 26: Suspected CPI-Maoist cadres opened fire at the two sons of the BJP Member of Parliament and tribal leader Baliram Kashyap from Bastar District, leaving one of them dead. The victim's brother sustained injuries in the shoulder when the Maoists fired at them in their ancestral village where the two siblings had gone to celebrate Durga Puja (religious festival). While Tansen succumbed to head injuries sustained in the attack in Pairaguda village, his bother Dinesh was wounded in the shoulder, said Inspector-General of Police R. K. Vij.

October 1: Chhattisgarh Police shot dead two CPI-Maoist cadres in the Nalkathong forest area of Dantewada District. "The dead bodies of both the guerrillas were recovered from the encounter site along with 12 bore guns," Amresh Mishra, Superintendent of Police (Dantewada), told IANS. He also said that nine people were detained from the area.

October 4: The Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh reiterated the commitment of his Government to neutralise the Maoists and informed that a fresh operation against them would be launched from November 1 after successful completion of Operation Green Hunt. However, he stressed the need to launch a co-ordinated offensive against the insurgents by the affected States, including Orissa, Jharkhand and Andhra Pradesh. He said the matter has been taken up with the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and a strategy would be worked out soon.

October 15-16: Nine CPI-Maoist cadres were arrested from the Bastar District, Police said on October 16. The arrests were made late in the night of October 15 at Babri Kokaobhata and Chamai villages of Bastar. "The arrested people were active members of the banned CPI-Maoist. We have recovered four pistols and Maoist literature from them," the Superintendent of Police (Bastar), P. Sundaraj, told reporters. He said the Police were interrogating them for their alleged role in several killings and robberies in the area. Police claim that the forested Bastar region spanning about 40,000 square kilometers is home to nearly 10,000 Maoist insurgents, who have access to rocket launchers and mortars apart from smaller firearms.

October 19: The CPI-Maoist have held up construction work at more than 350 road sites in the Bastar region of Chhattisgarh, an official said. "At least 350 road construction projects under Prime Minister's Rural Roads Scheme were held up in Maoist violence-hit Bastar region, mainly in Dantewada, Bijapur and Kanker Districts. It is difficult to continue the work due to violence," an official in the panchayat (village-level local self Government institution) and rural development department told IANS. The projects amounted to INR 10 billion. The contractors had told District Police authorities that they were finding it difficult to carry on construction work due to Maoist intervention. According to Police, the Maoists have set ablaze at least 65 vehicles in 2009 alone in Bastar that were engaged in road construction projects. Several officials and workers who were carrying out construction work were abducted by the extremists and set free only after they guaranteed not to return to work.

Suspected Maoists have damaged scores of school buildings in Narayanpur. "Under Narayanpur district around 77 concrete buildings were either damaged or demolished. We are continuing schools in alternative buildings made of tin-shades," said H. R. Gourela, Deputy Commissioner of the Scheduled Tribe Welfare and Development Department of Narayanpur District. Maoists frequently made demand on the education department authorities to put with a percentage of resources given to them to improve the infrastructure of the schools, the report added.

October 20: Armed cadres of the CPI-Maoist set ablaze two vehicles in a forested hamlet of Korchatola in Rajnandgaon District bordering Maharashtra, Police said. The vehicles belonged to a private contractor who was building a road under the Prime Minister's Rural Roads Scheme.

The CPI-Maoist is forcibly conscripting children in southern Chhattisgarh and exhorting villagers to provide five boys or girls from every village to be recruited into their ranks, the MHA said. "The information reveals the real face of Naxals (Maoists), who not only kill children but also put them in great danger by recruiting them in their armed squads to carry out their violent activities," a ministry statement said, adding, "The government condemns this despicable act on the part of Naxals and reiterates its commitment to control their diabolical activities."

October 25: Five CPI-Maoist cadres and four Security Force personnel were killed in separate attacks in three Districts of the Bastar region in southern Chhattisgarh.

Four CISF personnel were killed and two critically injured in a landmine blast triggered by the Maoists in a hilly terrain in the Dantewada District. The Dantewada Police officials said the CISF personnel were travelling in a jeep when the insurgents detonated a landmine killing a sub-inspector, two head constables and a constable on the spot. The CISF personnel were deployed in Dantewada to guard a public sector unit and premier mining company, the National Mineral Development Corporation, from Maoist attacks.

In two separate encounters in the forested terrain of Bijapur District, about 400 kilometres south of State capital Raipur, the Police shot dead at least four Maoists. The Bijapur Superintendent of Police, Avinash Mohanty, told Hindustan Times that a fierce gun-battle continued till the evening and the casualties suffered by the Maoists would be high. "We have recovered four bodies of Maoists so far. Two bullet-riddled bodies were dragged out from Basaguda and two from the Usoor area. There is no report of any casualty or injury inflicted on the cops," Mohanty said, adding, "It was due to the timely retaliation by the cops that we succeeded in killing the rebels." The Police also recovered some firearms and explosives.

In Kanker District, a woman Maoist was killed by the Police.

October 26-27: The CPI-Maoist cadres killed a local trader in the interiors of Chhattisgarh, accusing him of being a Police informer, officials said on October 27. The incident took place in the Bhopalpattanam area, more than 500 kilometers from State capital Raipur, in Bijapur District late in the night of October 26. A local hosiery shop owner, Sheikh Ahmed, 44, was abducted early this month and his dead body was recovered alongside a road in Bhopalpattanam area, Police officials told IANS. Police found some pamphlets at the incident site where the body was dumped which stated the trader was acting as a Police informer for several years. The deceased originally belonged to Sironcha locality in Maharashtra that shares a border with Bhopalpattanam. Police claim that cases of civilians being killed by Maoists on charges of being Police informers have been on the rise in Chhattisgarh in the recent months.

October 29: The CPI-Maoist cadres killed a senior Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) office-bearer Jaisingh Manjhi, 40, and his two relatives in Dantewada District. According to the Police, approximately 60 heavily-armed extremists entered Manjhi's home in the Chindgarh village at midnight. The extremists allegedly took Manjhi, his brother and nephew to a nearby field. "The rebels, it seems, slit the throats of Manji, his brother, Pileshwar, 37, and nephew Livir," said an unnamed Police officer in Dantewada. The villagers discovered the bodies in the field early in the morning of October 30. Pileshwar was a panchayat (village level local self Government institution) secretary in Kirkirpal village panchayat. Manji's wife Jamuna is the vice-chairperson of Janpad panchayat and was in New Delhi for official work. "Guerrillas stormed into a village in Kikirpal under Sukma block (administrative division) and butchered three middle-aged people with sharp edged weapons,' S. L. Baghel, Additional Superintendent of Police (Dantewada) told IANS.

A Special Police Officer (SPO) was killed by cadres of the CPI-Maoist in the Rajnandgaon District, Police said. The SPO, Bisru Ram, was shot dead near a shop in Khadgaon. The shopkeeper was also injured in the incident, the Police added.

November 3-4: Two tribals were killed by the CPI-Maoist cadres in the Bastar region after branding them as Police informers. The Police on November 4 found the dead bodies of Marvi Bheema and Marvi Chhanna along a roadside in a forested area of Dantewada District. "The civilians were killed Tuesday night with sharp edged weapons and their bodies were dumped on the roadside," the Superintendent of Police (SP, Dantewada) Amresh Mishra told IANS. Around 20 Maoists reached Puswada village and attacked the duo, the SP said, adds PTI. The Maoists then took both of them to a village crossroad and slit their throats using sharp weapons, he added.

November 4: Police arrested two CPI-Maoist cadres following an encounter in the Bijapur District. The insurgents opened fire at a patrol party in the forested area near Kamkanar village, Avinash Mohanty, Superintendent of Police (Bijapur) told PTI. With the Police retaliating, the extremists escaped from the incident site and were subsequently arrested. Some Naxal literature was also recovered, the Police added.

November 7: The CPI-Maoist cadres blew up a primary school building in the Dantewada District, Police said. Some 80-100 Maoists set explosives inside a primary school building in Phulpar village in the night of November 6 and destroyed a major portion, officials at the police headquarters in Raipur said. Education department officials said that Maoists over the past two years had set ablaze 80 school buildings in Dantewada and Bijapur Districts. Police said they have recovered leaflets from Maoist dominated areas in recent months in which the insurgents said they are targeting school and hospital buildings in Bastar region as these provide shelter to Security Force personnel for anti-Maoist operations.

November 10: Seven CPI-Maoist cadres were killed and a Policeman was seriously injured in an encounter in the forests of Tetemdagu, about 18 kilometers from Kistaram in the Dantewada District. The Dantewada Superintendent of Police, Amresh Kumar Mishra, told Telegraph that the encounter took place at around 9am (IST) He added, "The jawans (personnel) of District Police and special Police officers were on a regular patrol and search operation in and around the area when the rebels camping in the thickly-forested pocket opened fire. The number of rebels is not known," adding, the SF personnel retaliated killing seven insurgents. The slain extremists who were in uniform were not identified yet, the officer added. Two rifles, locally-made pistols, Maoist uniforms and a large quantity of explosives and detonators were recovered from the incident site. The SF personnel were returning after a three-day anti-Maoist operation in the area.

November 13: As many as 16 suspected CPI-Maoist cadres were arrested in the Narayanpur District Police said. The village level cadres, who are bracketed as 'Sangham members', were picked up from two different locations in Narayanpur District, officials at the Police headquarters said.

November 15; The Chhattisgarh Police killed a CPI-Maoist cadre and arrested eight others. The Maoist was killed in the Markanar village of Kanker District in an encounter, Superintendent of Police Ajay Yadav said, adding that some Maoist literature was recovered from the incident site.

Police arrested eight Maoists from Gadamalli forests in the Bijapur District. The arrested Maoists had allegedly set ablaze five trucks engaged in development work in the District, Superintendent of Police Avinash Mohanty said.

November 16: At least 30 kilograms of improvised explosive devices buried by suspected Maoists were recovered from Madanwara forest in the Rajnandgaon District, Police said. "We suspect that more such bombs are buried in the area with a purpose to hit Policemen. Our search parties are combing the area with the help of experts to recover such bombs," Praveer Das, the Rajnandgaon District Superintendent of Police, told IANS.

November 17: Chief Minister Raman Singh criticised the CPI-Maoist for spreading rumours in the Bastar region that the Police would target all those who failed to produce photo-identity cards. "I appeal to people not to fall prey to such Maoist tactics and no one needs to panic about photo I-cards," he stated. The Chief Minister was reacting to reports that panic-stricken tribals in the Bastar region have been frantically reaching photo studios as they believe they will be branded as Maoists and killed by the Security Forces unless they produce photo-identity cards.

November 18: Three persons were killed and two others injured in a bomb blast at a village in the Rajnandgaon District. A group of five villagers were going to a paddy field when they found a container on the way. As they tried to open it, the explosion took place, leaving three of them dead, the Deputy Inspector General of Police (Rajnandgaon range), A. D. Gautam, told PTI over phone. Gautam did not rule out the possibility of the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) behind the blast.

November 21: Chhattisgarh Police is not prepared to face the guerrilla war waged by the CPI-Maoist, Chief Minister Raman Singh said and emphasized the need for two-pronged integrated action plan to tackle the menace in the country. The Chhattisgarh Government has started a training college for the State Police, he added. "The integrated action plan should be formulated jointly by the Centre and the Maoist-hit states and besides combing operations, it should include all-round development including improvement of infrastructure in the areas badly hit by the menace", he further said. The Government should provide land to villagers, develop it for agriculture and provide facilities, he said, adding a surrender policy should also be formed to bring the Maoists back into the mainstream of the society.

November 24: A search team of CRPF and Special Police Officers killed a CPI-Maoist cadre in the Bijapur District. Police recovered some ammunition and Maoist literature from the hideout where the insurgent was killed.

November 27: A CPI-Maoist cadre was killed and seven others arrested after a gun battle with the Security Forces in the Dantewada District. A team of paramilitary CRPF and State Police exchanged gunfire with Maoists at Hiroli in which one extremist was killed and seven arrested Dantewada Superintendent of Police Amresh Mishra said. Police also recovered one 12 bore gun, three landmines and Maoist literature from the arrested insurgents.

The CPI-Maoist cadres killed a deputy forest ranger after abducting him in the night from Deobhog in Raipur District. According to Police sources, the victim had been identified as Gokul Tandi, who was posted in Indagaon forest range of Deobhog development block. Around 11.30pm (IST), he received a phone call that a group was illegally cutting trees in the forests. Tandi, along with four forest guards, started for the spot. "As they entered the forests, about 12-15 armed Maoists intercepted them and took them into custody," Deobhog Police Officer T.R. Nagwanshi said. They released the guards after threatening not to inform the Police and took the official into dense forest. Local villagers, Nagwanshi said, in the morning of November 28 discovered the body in the forest and informed the Police. Since the Police feared ambush, a team of forest employees and villagers were sent to the spot to bring the body. The body bore severe assault mark, as the insurgents brutally bashed the forest official with guns and lathis till he succumbed to his injuries. No bullet mark was found, he added.

A day-long shutdown called by the CPI-Maoist in Dhamtari and Raipur Districts hit normal life as people preferred to stay at home fearing violence, officials said. The strike was called to protest arrest of two Maoist leaders in the State November 8. The insurgents put wooden logs on roads in forested areas of Mainpur, Gariaband, Devbhog in Raipur District and Nagri and Sihaba areas in Dhamtari District to block vehicles. All schools, banks, hospitals and Government offices in the interiors of these two Districts were shut, officials added.

November 30: The CPI-Maoist cadres killed two of their cadre, accusing them of spying for Police. The incident took place in Gangloor area in Bijapur District of the Bastar region. The youths - Ramu and Ramesh - whom Police had arrested last week but later managed to escape from custody, were killed by Maoists in a forested area, officials at Police headquarters said.

A villager was assaulted to death and another hanged by the CPI-Maoist cadres in the Bijapur District. Anil was hanged in the Daglipura village by the extremists in front of the residents, Bijapur Superintendent of Police Avinash Mohanty said. He was abducted by the extremists on November 23 and was subsequently hanged by the Maoists, who accused him of being a Police informer, Mohanty said. Anil, who was earlier working with the Police department, had later joined the Maoists, the Police official said. He, however, returned to the mainstream recently which infuriated the Maoists leading to his brutal killing, Mohanty added.

A villager was assaulted to death by Maoists using lathis and rods in Pidiya village, Police said.

Another person was killed and an under-construction Police barrack was destroyed allegedly by Maoists in two separate incidents in the Kanker District, police said. Accusing one Najuk Ram Koracha of being a Police informer, the Maoists dragged him out of his home in Thudhud village in the night of November 29, Inspector General of Police R. K. Vij said. His body was recovered by villagers the next day with his throat slit, he added.

The Maoists destroyed a Police barrack in PV-34 village after learning about its construction, Vij said.

December 2: Normal life was hit hard in the interiors of Chhattisgarh, the first day of the weeklong anniversary celebrations of the PLGA the military wing of the CPI-Maoist. Passenger buses were off the road and shops were shut in Rajnandgaon District bordering Maharashtra State and in the entire Bastar region comprising of five districts - Bijapur, Narayanpur, Kanker, Dantewada and Bastar - due to the fear of Maoist attack. The State Government has already sounded a high alert after Police recovered a number of leaflets from Bastar, in which the insurgents had asked people to observe the ninth anniversary of the PLGA between December 2-8. In the leaflets in Gondi language, the Maoists have also appealed to people to become members of the CPI-Maoist and get recruited as PLGA fighters.

December 3: The Government launched a major offensive codenamed Operation Green Hunt against the CPI-Maoist in Chhattisgarh. The assault Green Hunt was launched against insurgents in Chhattisgarh--the epicentre of violence between Maoist fighters, Security Forces and pro-government militias since 2005. Officials said there was least resistance from some of the Maoist strongholds, which could be a ploy. "We are handling the Operation Green Hunt in a more decisive way. And as on today the operation is on in districts like Bijapur and Dantewada. According to the information that we have, the police are not facing any resistance in the interior areas of the Maoist strongholds. It maybe an operational tactics of Maoists; we are still discussing this issue with our officers," said S. R. P. Killuri, Deputy Inspector General (Police).

December 6: Four civilians were killed when suspected CPI-Maoist cadres blew up a truck in a landmine blast in the Dantewada District, Police said. The Maoist blew up the truck near Keralapal village in the District, killing all the four persons travelling in the vehicle on the spot, Superintendent of Police (Dantewada) Amresh Singh said. The truck had left Doranapal village in the District for Sukama with truck's owner Surya Narayan Raju and three labourers. As it reached near Keralapal village on NH-221, the Maoists triggered landmine blast, he added, saying, Police was trying to ascertain the identity of victims.

December 8-9: About 50 armed CPI-Maoist cadres raided Thema village in the Kanker District of Bastar region and shot dead two brothers allegedly on charges of spying, Police said on December 9. The incident took place in the night of December 8. "Guerrillas raided the village and took away two brothers- Rakesh, 30, and Rajuram, 25, into a nearby forested area and shot them dead on charges of being police informers," Vishwa Ranjan, Director General of Police told IANS over the phone. He said the extremists shot at another civilian of the same village, Chabilal Markam. The villagers said Markam was taken to a Government hospital and was in a critical condition.

December 9-11: Suspected CPI-Maoist cadres killed a senior official of the Small Forest Produce Cooperative Committee in the Raigarh District, Police said on December 11. Brijlal Yadav, manager of the committee, was stabbed to death in village Kindhra, Special Divisional Police Officer G. N. Baghel said. The assailants, who had come in a jeep, abducted Yadav from his residence in the village in the night of December 9 and his dead body was found in the evening of December 10 in a nearby forest, he said.

December 11: Seven CPI-Maoist cadres were killed in an exchange of fire with the Police in the Dantewada District, the Police said on December 11. The operation led by the District Police force took place in the Aranpur forests of Jangargunda area on December 11, Inspector General (Bastar range) R. K. Vij said. Weapons, including .303 rifles, grenades and IEDs were recovered from the possession of the slain Maoists, he added.

December 15: Two Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) cadres were killed in a gun battle with the Security Forces in a thickly forested village of Surakhera in the Bijapur District. The Maoists opened fire on a Police team and the Policemen returned fire and killed two Maoists. The gun battle continued for about 90 minutes. Some Maoists were reported to have received bullet injuries but they were dragged inside the forest by other cadres, the Police added. Police also recovered a loaded gun, some tiffin bombs and Maoist literature from the site of the gun battle.

December 17: The CPI-Maoist cadres killed a local businessman in the Bastar region, Police said. "Rammanohar, a small businessman based in Bijapur District was killed by Maoists with a sharp edged weapon late Wednesday [December 15] in Bijapur District," said Inspector General of Police T.J. Longkumer. Police recovered the disfigured dead body and his charred motor-cycle from the interiors of Bijapur District. Local Police officials said they suspect the businessman was killed because he was allegedly a Police informer.

December 20: A Police officer was killed and another critically injured in an encounter with the CPI-Maoist in the Bijapur District. Assistant Sub-Inspector Baldev Patel died and Constable Jairam Nag was seriously injured in the encounter at Tumnar village under Bangapal Police Station, Bijapur Police Superintendent Avinash Mohanty said.

December 22-23: Three CPI-Maoist cadres were killed in a gun battle with the Security Force personnel, while an equal number of extremists were arrested in separate incidents in Chhattisgarh, Police officials said on December 23. The Maoists killed in Bijapur District on December 22 were part of a group that had killed Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Baldev Patel during a gunfight on December 19.

December 23: Three Maoists, including a woman, were arrested from the Dantewada District after a brief exchange of fire with the Police, the officials said.

December 24: The CPI-Maoist cadres blocked a National Highway in the Dantewada region in protest against the Operation 'Green Hunt' launched by the Security Forces. The extremists felled down trees and dug up the roads at several places on the NH-221. The road blockade crippled traffic, leaving several trucks and buses stranded. The Maoists also pasted several bills warning the Police.

December 27: As per the figures by Police department 235 persons fell victim to the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) violence between January and November 2009. They include 99 Policemen, two under cover Police, 11 Government officials, 21 Special Police Officers and 102 commoners.

December 29: Two CPI-Maoist cadres were killed by the Police, while three others were arrested in separate incidents in Bijapur District, officials said. Police department spokesman Inspector General R. K. Vij told PTI that two Maoists were killed in an exchange of fire with the Police in jungles near Bechapal village, while others managed to escape taking advantage of the thick forest cover. Arms and explosives were also seized from the spot, he added.

In the other incident, three extremists were arrested after a chase by the Police near Tumnar village, Vij said. The arrested Maoists are facing several criminal cases, including that of murder and attempt to murder, the Police officer said.

Delhi

May 4: The special cell of Delhi Police arrested three members of the Maoist Communist Centre including a zonal commander of the outfit from a house in the Badarpur area of south Delhi. The accused reportedly confessed that they were trying to set up a base in the city. Police said that zonal commander Yogendra Singh Bhokta, Satish Kumar and Sheetal Kumar were arrested while other members of the outfit are on the run. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Alok Kumar said, "We have received inputs in February this year after which their movements were being tracked. Further intelligence revealed that they were hiding in the Badarpur area after which a raid was conducted and all three were arrested from a house there."

September 21: The Special Cell of the Delhi Police arrested Kobad Ghandy, a politburo member of the CPI-Maoist, from the Bhikaji Cama area. Ghandy was reportedly looking after the central propaganda committee of the outfit. Kobad was produced before a Magistrate at the Tis Hazari court who sent him to 14-days of judicial custody.

Gujarat

April 10: Five CPI-Maoist cadres belonging to the Narayanpur District of Chhattisgarh were arrested by a joint team of the Chhattisgarh Police and Gujarat Police from the Hazira industrial area of Surat. The Maoists were identified as Arjun Ramlal Yadav, Surajlal Rupjiram Gond, Jankuram alias Dholuram Virsing Gond, Chandu alias Chanda Bavanji Gond and Sonmati Rasiya Gond. The arrestees were involved in an attack on a Police van in Narayanpur District where 23 Security Force personnel were killed in 2006.

According to senior Police officials, the Maoists, including two women, were acting as a sleeper cell and used Surat and Hazira as a hiding place after carrying out attacks in Chhattisgarh. They were working as labourers in a construction company and living in the staff quarters near Singotar Mata temple. The operation was planned after Police from the Dhantri District of Chhattisgarh received a tip-off that the extremists were hiding in Surat. The Surat Deputy Commissioner of Police, Subhash Trivedi, said the group used to visit Chhattisgarh frequently. "They used to return to Surat, either after carrying out attacks, or when any member fell ill," he added.

Jharkhand

January 2: Two Maoist cadres, identified as Suresh Ram and Kameshwar Ram, were arrested and a rifle was recovered from their possession at Sameli village in Garwah District.

Maoists set a crusher machine on fire in Gagaria village in Latehar District.

January 4: During a joint operation, a special task force (STF) team and District Police personnel shot dead a 'sub-zonal commander' of CPI-Maoist, identified as Babulal Munda alias Marandi, also known as Raman, and four other cadres in the Baish Resham forest area, nearly 30 kilometres from the Hazaribagh District headquarters. The encounter took place when the Security Forces reached the Baish Resham forest area where the Maoists were holding a meeting. Hazaribagh Superintendent of Police Pankaj Kamboj confirmed the exchange of fire and admitted recovery of the body of the killed extremist. Few other bodies, however, were taken away by the extremists who had escaped taking advantage of the poor visibility condition in the evening, Kamboj said.

January 5: CPI-Maoist cadres shot dead Dhanai Kisku, general secretary of Nagrik Suraksha Samiti (NSS), an anti-Maoist body set up by the East Singbhum District Police in 2002-03, near his house at Musabani under the Ghatsila sub-division of the East Singhbhum District. As the two motorcycle-borne Maoists opened indiscriminate fire, two others, including a tea stall owner, were also injured. Subsequently, a man, suspected to be a Maoist, was lynched by a mob while he was fleeing from a check post leaving his motorcycle behind during a Police drive to check vehicles at Tetla village under the Potka Police Station of the District. The killed person was suspected to have been involved in the killing of Dhanai Kisku.

Raju Singh, accused of killing social activist Lalit Kumar Mehta, was shot dead by Maoists near Kelari in the Palamau District. He was one of the five accused in Mehta's murder. Maoists subsequently claimed responsibility for the murder and threatened to kill the others accused in Mehta's murder.

January 7: Nearly 25 kilograms of explosives were seized during a special drive against the CPI-Maoist at Parsokhad village in Garwah District. The explosives were found stacked in small containers in a house of one Gopal Yadav during a joint operation by para-military forces and the District Police. Superintendent of Police (SP) Saket Kumar Singh said that the house was abandoned and Yadav had been missing for the last several months, adding no one was arrested.

Bokaro Police decided to distribute thousands of bags on which they have printed ways to curb the Maoist menace in Jharkhand. Bokaro District SP Priya Dubey distributed these bags at a public meeting at Tulbul (Gomia), about 75 kilometers from Bokaro steel city. These bags would be distributed for free in Maoist strongholds such as Jhumra, Gomia, Nawadih, Bokaro thermal, Petarwar, Kasmar and other areas. The Police have also published two phone numbers (06542-242266 and 06542-242299) to help villagers contact the Police in times of emergency and to share vital information.

January 8: The Chatra District Police arrested one person from a rented house at Kathotia locality in Chatra town on the charges of extorting money for the CPI-Maoist. INR 200,000 was seized from the house of the arrested person, identified as Vineet Kumar Soni.

January 9 -11: CPI-Maoists killed two villagers in the Garwah and Latehar Districts in two separate incidents.

January 10: A group of about 40 to 50 CPI-Maoist cadres killed two villagers, identified as Vijay Nayak and Charku Nayak, at Anjan village, about 16 kilometres from the District headquarters of Gumla. Both were members of Shanti Sena, an anti-Maoist body set up three years ago with the help of Police. The Maoists also ransacked the houses of village Shanti Sena chief Satyanarayan Thakur and another Sena member Rampyare and set ablaze a motorcycle.

January 11: A CRPF trooper was killed and another sustained injuries in a landmine explosion triggered by the Maoists at Gorabandha in the East Singhbhum District. "Shivpal Singh, a havildar, was killed in the blast at Rajabasa-Kirodari village and a constable, Jitendra Singh, was rushed to Tata Main hospital with critical injuries," Deputy Commissioner of East Singhbhum, Ravindra Agarwal, told PTI.

January 13: Police arrested three cadres of the CPI-Maoist, identified as Bhagirathi Hansda, Moso Tuddu and Budhan Mardi, from Ashthi village in the East Singhbhum District, where the insurgents had planned to kill a school teacher. A pistol and some live cartridges were recovered from them. Superintendent of Police Naveen Kumar Singh said the arrested Maoists are residents of Sakragora village in Mayurbhanj District of Orissa and are members of the Puta Munda squad active in Ghurabandha for the past several months.

January 17: Six Policemen were killed in a landmine blast triggered by suspected CPI-Maoist cadres in the Latehar District. "The explosion took place around 1.30 pm when the police personnel were on patrol at Do-Pahani village,'' Inspector General (Police) G. S. N. Pradhan said. While five Policemen died on the spot, one constable succumbed to his injuries in the hospital. Police suspect the possibility of Maoists triggering the blast to avenge their 'zonal commander' Sashi Bhuiyan's arrest in the Gumla District on January 15. The explosion coincided with a bandh (shut down) called by the CPI-Maoist in Gumla, Simdega, Latehar, Lohardaga and Ranchi Districts in protest against Bhuiyan's arrest.

January 18: The Bokaro District Police, with help from the Special Task Force, arrested seven senior cadres of the CPI-Maoist along with a large quantity of arms from a passenger train and foiled the Maoists' plan to blow up the Daniya railway station under Coal India Chord section of the Dhanbad railway division. However, several extremists managed to escape after the Police stopped the train. The arrested Maoists said they were working under the guidance of the newly appointed 'zonal commander' of the "Zilang zone" that comprises Hazaribagh, Bokaro, Girdih, Chatra and Dhanbad. Bhuvneshwar Mahto of Vishnugarh (Hazaribagh) had reportedly trained them and planned the attack.

January 22: A general shutdown call given by the CPI-Maoist to protest against rising prices severely disrupted normal life in the State. Factories, shops, offices and all educational institution remained closed as news filtered in about Maoists torching vehicles and destroying mobile phone towers in different parts of the State. Road transportation and train services were also affected badly. Shipment of coal and bauxite from mines was also negatively affected as truck and lorry owners suspended their services. Life in the neighbouring States of Bihar, Orissa and West Bengal was also affected by the shutdown call.

January 22: Police recovered 150 kilograms of explosive powder from the Chatra area and arrested one CPI-Maoist sympathiser. Police raided the house of a person, Javed Khan, in Chatra District's Boura village and seized the explosive powder and arrested him, Superintendent of Police Akhilesh Jha said. A separate Police team arrested a suspected cadre of the People's Liberation Front of India (PLFI), identified as Asif Kumar Bhagat, from Gumla District's Kanduatoli village, the Police said. A locally made pistol, cartridges, a mobile phone and PLFI literature were seized from his possession.

January 27: Four CPI-Maoist cadres, including an 'area commander' identified as Kamal Kharia, were arrested from the jungle area under Palkot Police Station in the Gumla District while they were holding a meeting to chalk out strategy to ambush a Police party in the District. Police seized two pistols and live cartridges, among other things, from the arrested Maoists.

Police arrested two cadres of the PLFI, identified as Kuldip Minz and Pradeep, from a jungle area under Basia Police Station. Police seized a pistol, live cartridges and Maoist literature from their possession.

January 31: Chidambaram clarified that States should formulate a surrender policy for Maoists, who would, however, be rehabilitated by the Centre once they want to join social mainstream. "A national policy is not the need of the hour. A policy evolved by the State, keeping the requirements of its own geographical area in mind, often proves more effective as it is in the case of Andhra Pradesh," he said. Chidambaram also said that 145 Police Stations in the State were Naxalite (left-wing extremism) affected and over 25 blocks did not have Police Stations.

February 2: Residents of Hesalpidi village in the Ranchi District lynched three CPI-Maoist cadres who were trying to abduct a contractor. According to the report, the Maoists in the night of February 1 had made a failed attempt to abduct one Sanjay Mahto, a contractor involved in constructing a panchayat (village-level self-government institution) building from the village. Mahto however, managed to escape and informed the villagers, a Police official said. Later, hundreds of villagers surrounded the Maoists to prevent them from escaping. However, the Maoists in their bid to escape opened fire on the villagers injuring two of them. Angry villagers then lynched three Maoists to death and later informed the police about the incident.

A group of 50 Maoist cadres blew up a transmission tower of Airtel situated in the Garo village of Chatra District. More than 13 such towers have been blown up by the Maoists in the State in the last three years.

February 3: Authorities in the East Singhbhum District distributed free mobile phones to villagers to provide information about left-wing extremists. The heads of about 220 villages in the State were provided with a mobile phone each and users was provided with a list of Police numbers to call as part of the latest strategy to fight the Maoist insurgency.

February 4: Cadres of the CPI-Maoist killed a 30-year-old man in Bokaro's Jhumra hills suspecting him to be a Police informer. About 50 Maoists surrounded the man's house, dragged him out and slit his throat. The Police, however, said Manjhi had been giving shelter to the Maoists and recently fell out with the insurgents.

One of the senior-most CPI-Maoist leaders hailing from Andhra Pradesh, identified as Mohammed Hussain, was arrested in Ranchi by the Jharkhand Police. Hussain, who went by the name of Sudhakar in his party circles, was looking after the trade union activities in north India for the CPI-Maoist. He was one of the founder members of the Singareni Karmika Samakhya (Sikasa), a trade union started by the erstwhile People's War Group. Hussain, a native of Mandamarri in the Adilabad District of Andhra Pradesh, was a coal miner and went underground in the early 1980s to build a militant worker's movement.

The 24-hour general shutdown call given by the CPI-Maoist in the Palamau, Garwah, Latehar, Lohardaga, Simdega and Gumla Districts of the State in protest against the recent arrest of two Maoists, impacted rural areas, but did not affect life in urban areas.

February 5: The Union Ministry of Home Affairs decided to sanction a one-time express grant of INR 200 million to the State to beef up its intelligence network dealing with Maoist extremism in and around the State.

February 6: Five Police personnel were injured when the CPI-Maoist cadres detonated a landmine near a bridge situated in the Bundu block in the Ranchi District. The injured Police personnel were returning to the Bundu Police Station in an anti-landmine vehicle.

February 9: A letter purportedly written by the CPI-Maoist and published in local media invited a Planning Commission team to have an open discussion with them about the problems of the rural people. In an open letter published in some newspapers, the CPI-Maoist regional committee said the security of the Planning Commission members visiting them would rest with the Maoists and they could directly discuss with them about the problems of the rural masses.

February 9: More than 100 cadres of the CPI-Maoist blew up the house of one Chandrashekhar Dagi, an assistant jailer in the Hazaribagh central jail, in the Lembugua village of Chatra District accusing him of torturing Maoists in the jail. The Maoists asked all the people inside to come out before blowing up the house. No one was injured in the incident, though the house was completely destroyed.

February 13: The Jharkhand Government announced a rehabilitation package for surrendered cadres of the Maoists in the State. Addressing the media, State Secretary P. K. Jajodia said a zonal committee member on his surrender will get INR 500,000, a sub-zonal committee member INR 300,000 and an area commander will be benefited by INR 200,000. The surrendered cadres will also get insurance, medical benefits, housing, vocational training and security-related jobs, besides a host of other benefits, he added. Each Maoist would get four decimal of the land and INR 50,000 separately for construction of dwellings. Surrenders could be made before a Minister, Legislator, Deputy Commissioner or Police in the rank of Inspector General or Deputy Inspector General or Superintendent of Police. Those surrendering weapons would get more benefits, he added.

February 13: Police arrested a CPI-Maoist cadre, identified as Uday Sarkar alias Ujjwal, at the Chakulia-Shyamsundarpur border, around Jamua in the East Singhbhum District. Ujjwal originally hails from Jalpaiguri in North Bengal. A Police officer said, "He is involved in the murder of Nagarik Suraksha Samiti (NSS) secretary Dhanai Kisku, landmine blast at Rajbhasa Mines and several other separatist incidents". He is also an active member of the Ghurabanda platoon. Pistol and cartridges were recovered from him.

February 19: A teacher, Koili Singh, was arrested in the Ranka area of Garwah District on the charge of being a sympathiser of the CPI-Maoist. Koili Singh's name figured in an FIR which had been lodged after a Police encounter with the Maoists several months ago.

February 27: A group more than 30 cadres of the CPI-Maoist blew up the Panchayat (village-level local self Government) building in Mahdand village of the Palamau District. However, no one was injured in the incident.

Maoists blew up a Government building in the Lathear District.

February 28: The 24-hour shutdown call given by the CPI-Maoist partially affected normal life. The shutdown, which had its impact in the rural areas of Palamau, Latehar, West and East Singhbhum, Gumla, Hazaribag, Chatra, Ranchi rural, Lohardaga and Simdega Districts, affected road transport as most operators withdrew buses from the National Highway.

Four Maoists, including 'political secretary' Sandip alias Motilal Soren alias Sujan, were arrested from Deruwan village in West Singhbhum District. The others were identified as Amrit Hans, Sanjay Besra and Herman Lumga. Sandip, who joined the Maoists' ranks in 2000, was wanted by the Police in 14 Naxalite-related cases and was an accused in the landmine blasts cases at Bitkilsoy, Baliva and Karampada.

March 4: The CPI-Maoist cadres shot dead Kailash Chandra Hembrom, a prominent member of the Nagrik Suraksha Samiti (NSS) as well as the block president of Manjhi Pargana Mahal, at Jadugora village in the Dumaria block of East Singhbhum District.

March 8: A gang of CPI-Maoist cadres shot dead one of their associates, Budhadev Singh, at Dahudad-Mungatoli in the Gumla District, for not parting with extortion money. Released on bail in 2008, Singh was arrested on the charge of murdering a village chief in 2001.

A Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel and one civilian were injured in a landmine blast triggered by the Maoists near Kanjgiro village in the Bokaro District.

March 9: An 'area commander' of the CPI-Maoist, identified as Rajesh Toppo, was shot dead by the Police during an encounter near Karkari river under Tamar block of Ranchi District. Toppo was accused of killing former minister and Janata Dal-United (JD-U) legislator Ramesh Singh Munda in July 2008 besides a dozen Security Force personnel. One pistol and live cartridges were seized from the incident site.

March 11: A CPI-Maoist militia of around 60 cadres killed a Government school teacher, Kedar Singh Bhotka, at Gurudih village under Katkamsandi Police Station in the Hazaribag District, suspecting him to be a Police informer and a supporter of the breakaway Maoist outfit, the Jharkhand Prastuti Committee. Kedar Singh Bhotka and his brother Ganesh Singh Bhotka were dragged out of their house at around 2 am. Both were then tied to a tree and beaten up after which Kedar was killed. Ganesh, who was later released, was undergoing treatment at the District hospital.

March 13: The CPI-Maoist threatened villagers in the Latehar and Chatra Districts with dire consequences if they take part in the forthcoming general elections, which is scheduled to be held in April.

March 15: Two CPI-Maoist cadres were killed after a two-hour-long gun-battle with the Police near Barijharia village under Chainpur Police Station in the Palamau District. Acting on a tip-off, a Police team raided a hideout of the Maoists and asked them to surrender. The Maoists, however, opened fire at the Police and in the retaliatory action, two insurgents were killed. However, some more Maoists, reportedly more than 10 in number, managed to escape along with the bodies of their slain comrades.

March 17: More than 20 members of the TPC raided Lawagarh village in the Latehar District and abducted six people who are relatives of two commanders of the CPI-Maoist. The abducted villagers are relatives of Chotu, a 'sub-zonal commander' and Abhishek, an 'area commander' of CPI-Maoist. TPC members also set ablaze four houses and one tractor of the villagers, alleging that they were CPI-Maoist supporters. The abducted villagers are said to have been taken to the nearby jungles. According to Police, the incident is a consequence of the rivalry between the two groups.

A Policeman was killed by cadres of the CPI-Maoist near Bhaliaahi village in the Giridih District. The incident occurred during a raid on a Maoist hideout by the Police on the basis of a tip off. "When security personnel asked the rebels to surrender, the Maoists retaliated. In the gun battle that lasted more than two hours, one constable Surendra was killed," an unnamed Police officer said. The Maoists later managed to escape from the incident site.

Four Maoists were arrested in the Bermo area of Bokaro District. They have been identified as Mohammed Shahid, Mohammed Alam, Mohammed Muslim and Mohammed Minhas. Three bombs, a couple of Police uniforms, daggers and receipt books of levy connection were recovered from them. During interrogation, they revealed to the Police the details of their action plan for the coming Parliamentary elections scheduled to be held in April 2009. According to sources, the arrested told the Police that the command to tackle the Security Forces has been handed over to area Naxalite commander and in-charge of Jharkhand, Navin Manjhi, who has roped in the services of the cadres from West Bengal, Orissa, Chhattisgarh and Bihar.

March 21: The CPI-Maoist cadres blew up a primary school and a primary health centre at Nitar under Manatu Police Station in Palamu District. Superintendent of Police Ravi Kant Dhan informed the media on March 22 that the walls of both the buildings were badly damaged, while doors, furnitures and other goods were reduced to ashes.

March 23: The Police repelled a CPI-Maoist attack on the Dhurki Police Station in Garwah District after a two-hour gun battle. About 50 to 100 Maoists in four groups launched a simultaneous attack on the Police Station around 2am (IST) firing over 500 bullets, Police said. The Police counter attack forced the Maoists to retreat at around 4am without causing any harm to the Police Station.

March 25: Normal life was affected in the Ranchi District due to the daylong shutdown called by the CPI-Maoist. The shutdown was called to protest against alleged harsh Police treatment meted out to the Maoists in prisons. Consequently, bus and train services were badly affected in the District.

March 28: Cadres of the CPI-Maoist shot dead Yakub Kongari, a Jharkhand Party leader, at Domtoli under Kolebira Police Station area in Simdega District. Pamphlets were reportedly strewn around his body reading: "Police ke mukhbiro ka yahi hashra hoga (all police informers will meet the same fate)."

March 29: A group of uniformed CPI-Maoist cadres armed with sophisticated weapons blew up an Aircel telecom tower and a house at Daihar village in the Chouparan area of Hazaribagh District. According to the Sub-divisional Police officer (SDPO) of Barhi, Arun Kumar Sinha, the house belonged to one Gopal Singh, who was a member of the Shastra People's Morcha, a breakaway group of the CPI-Maoist. No loss of life was reported from the house as it was abandoned. Before leaving, the Maoists left pamphlets, saying Gopal Singh's house was blown up as he and Shastra People's Morcha were behind the killing of four members of the outfit two months ago in Jori. They also asked the villagers to boycott the election.

March 30: The CPI-Maoist cadres blew up four public buildings at different places in the State. A vacant community hall was blown up at Penk village in the Bokaro District. A separate group of Maoists exploded two buildings housing primary schools in Ghansitola village in the Latehar District. In the third incident, a primary school building in the Banalat area of Gumla District was blown up destroying a portion of the structure. However, no loss of life was reported in any of these incidents.

April 1: Life in the Ghatshila sub-division remained paralyzed as a CPI-Maoist-sponsored 24-hour general shutdown call evoked a near-total response in the East Singhbhum District and adjoining Mayurbhanj District of Orissa. State offices, as well as private firms, remained closed in Ghatshila, Musaboni and Bahragora. Schools, colleges and training centres across the sub-division were also shut.

April 2: CPI-Maoist cadres blew up a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader's house, a school building and a healthcare centre in the Moktama village of Chatra District, the Police said. About 50 Maoists barged into BJP leader Mahendra Yadav's house and asked his family members to run out, the report added. They then detonated bombs. They also blew up a school building and an anganvadi (mother and child centre) building in the same village. In the last three days, Maoists have reportedly blown up six Government buildings in the State.

April 4: A Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) vehicle was badly damaged in a landmine blast triggered by Maoists at a forest area near Bareni village in Latehar District. The vehicle was ferrying luggage of CRPF personnel who were returning to their base after handing over charge to BSF personnel for election duty. The Jharkhand Police spokesperson Inspector General S. N. Pradhan said the CRPF personnel had a miraculous escape as they were walking beside the vehicle when the Maoists triggered the landmine blast.

April 5: About 40 cadres of the CPI-Maoists under the leadership of their 'sub-zonal commander' Sanjay Yadav blew up the Project High School at Makka village in Lohardaga District. The Project High School is located less than a kilometre away from the village middle school where paramilitary Border Security Force (BSF) personnel are reportedly camping these days.

Ranjan Yadav alias Dinkar, a member of the Bihar-Jharkhand-Chhattisgarh special area committee of the CPI-Maoist, was expelled from the outfit for contesting in the general election from Chatra constituency defying the group's poll boycott call, a statement issued by the outfit said. Yadav is contesting as an independent from Chatra. The CPI-Maoist declared Yadav as an anti-revolutionary, who had nothing to do with the outfit.

April 7: An armed squad of the CPI-Maoist cadres set ablaze the house of a teacher at Motuda village under Chandil Police Station in Seraikela-Kharsawan District.

April 8: Cadres of the CPI-Maoist attacked a make-shift camp of the paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) at Ranpura in Garwah District, but failed to inflict any damage and retreated as the Security Forces retaliated. Nearly 50 Maoists surrounded a middle school, where the CRPF personnel were camping, and fired about 200 rounds from all sides, Police said.

April 9: A 'commander' of the CPI-Maoist, Krishna Yadav, was killed in a gun battle with cadres of the Jharkhand Prastuti Committee (JPC), a breakaway faction of the Maoists, in the forest area of Angarha at Simaria in Chatra District. The Deputy Superintendent of Police, Naushad Alam, confirmed the killing and said the Krishna's body has been recovered. Alam said one more member of Krishna's team, Uday Ganjhu, was killed while four others sustained injuries. Krishna was mainly active in the Chatra and Hazaribagh Districts.

The Police arrested two Maoists, identified as Sita Ram Majhi and Babu Lal Mahto, from Kotaladda village in Dhanbad District, which is considered to be a Maoist-stronghold. Both the cadres admitted their involvement in a SLR snatching case in Katras colliery area ten days ago.

About a dozen armed Maoists blew up the building of the Belhra High School at Bishrampur in the Palamau District, taking the total number of Government buildings destroyed by them to 10 in different Districts within a week. There was no loss of life in the incident. The Maoists left a note at the incident site claiming responsibility for the blast.

April 10: The Border Security Force (BSF) personnel repulsed a Maoist attack on their base camp at Furrow under the Bhandarya Police station in Garhwa District. The Garhwa Superintendent of Police (SP) Saket Kumar Singh said the Maoists opened fire at the BSF camp from a distance in a bid to make their presence felt. However, the insurgents failed to inflict any damage as the camp was beyond their firing range. The Maoists used AK 47, SLRs and 3.3 rifles during the 15-minute attack which was retaliated by the BSF personnel present at the camp, the SP added.

April 11: Five Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel were killed and three others injured when CPI-Maoist cadres opened fire on them inside Jalko forests under Arki Police station in Khunti District. "It appears the rebels had already taken positions on the hills of the forests," said Inspector General (provision) and State Police spokesman S.N. Pradhan. "While the jawans were passing through, they opened fire," he mentioned. The slain Paramilitary personnel were identified as Hoshiyar Singh, Majhar Ali Khan, Sunil Rai, Sahadilip Singh and N.N. Sharma. "We have recovered a large number of bullets and empty cartridges from the venue. We have also recovered the body of a Naxalite," Ranchi Senior Superintendent of Police Praveen Kumar Singh said over phone from Jalko and added that the CRPF personnel had killed another cadre of the CPI-Maoist, but his dead body was yet to be located.

April 12: Normal life was affected in Ranchi because of a day-long shutdown call given by the Maoists to protest against the killing of two commanders of the outfit during an encounter in Chatra District recently.

April 14: About 30 to 40 Maoists ransacked and set ablaze the election offices of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and an independent candidate at Kundari village under Lesliganj Police Station area in Palamu District. The Maoists also fired indiscriminately during the incident. No loss of life was reported.

Industrial activities in Chandil and Chowka (Seraikela-Kharsawan) remained stalled as CPI-Maoist called a district-wide general shutdown that saw complete response.

April 15: The Maoists triggered a landmine blast at Varnia Ghati in the hilly tracts of Barwadi in Latehar District blowing up a bus ferrying CRPF personnel leading to an exchange of fire with the Security Forces in which two CRPF personnel, a civilian driver and five Maoists were killed. Immediately after the blast, 80 CRPF constables, who had earlier alighted from the bus fearing a Maoist attack since a road stretch had a sharp incline slowing down traffic and were walking behind the vehicle, took positions and fired on the extremists, Inspector General of Police (Provisions) S.N. Pradhan said. Parliamentary elections are scheduled to be held in the State in two phases on April 16 and April 23.

April 16: In a bid to disrupt the parliamentary elections, cadres of the CPI-Maoist blew up a paramilitary BSF bus ferrying the BSF personnel from Ladhup to Arah at a place about 125 kilometres from capital Ranchi in Latehar District, killing seven BSF personnel, one helper and the civilian driver of the bus on April 16. The BSF personnel were returning after patrolling. The Deputy Commissioner of Police, Sarvendu Tathagat, said a helicopter was flown to the spot for rescue operation, adding an encounter is going on.

The Security Forces forced a group of Maoists to retreat after heavy gun-fire near Kumudih railway station in Latehar District.

April 19: About a dozen armed cadres of the CPI-Maoist blew up a school building in Kiukra village under Pirtand Police Station in Giridih District, days after the Security Forces (SFs) used it as a shelter during combing operations ahead of the second phase of parliamentary elections in Jharkhand on April 23. This was the 15th Government structure to be destroyed by the Maoists in five Districts for housing SF personnel, on anti-Maoist raid, during the last one month.

Villagers spotted CPI-Maoist posters asking people to stay away from voting in the Giridhi parliamentary constituency area. The constituency, having a strong Maoist presence, will go to polls along with seven other seats in the second phase of elections on April 13.

The CPI-Maoist called for a Jharkhand-Bihar general shutdown on April 22, a day before the second phase of parliamentary elections, in protest against the "killing of five villagers" by CRPF personnel at Barhania valley in Latehar District in Jharkhand on April 15. The encounter occurred immediately after a landmine explosion was carried out by the Maoists. The CRPF personnel claimed that the five were Naxalites, but villagers said they were innocent.

April 21: A group of over 50 Maoists bombed the Utari Road railway station and also destroyed a nearby track in the Palamau District late. Police said the militants had planned to target the New Delhi-bound Rajdhani Express, which was to pass through the station 30 minutes after the blast.

The Maoists blew up a school and health centre in the Narayanpur village of Chatra District.

April 22: Nearly 200 CPI-Maoist cadres seized the Gomo-Mughalsarai train (number 627) carrying nearly 700 passengers near the Hehegarha station at 7.30 a.m. in Latehar District and later released it around 11.50am (IST) without causing any harm to the passengers. They later fled the spot after spotting a helicopter.

April 23: Maoists attacked a CRPF camp and blew up the Chiyanki railway station in Palamau District. They also bombed the outer cabin of the railway station. The cabin man and porter have been missing since the attack.

In West Singhbhum District, Maoists attacked a CRPF camp. A gun battle between the militants and Security Force personnel was still on, officials said.

Police said the Maoists also triggered an explosion on the road between Giridih and Dumri and cut trees to block it.

An Executive Magistrate, Rajendra Prasad, and a Police Constable were wounded when the CPI-Maoist cadres lobbed a bomb at their vehicle near Dadi-Srirampur village in Giridih District.

The Security Forces repulsed a Maoist attempt to disrupt polling at Bansdera in the East Singhbhum District, 165 kilometres from capital Ranchi, after an hour-long gun-battle with the insurgents, the Inspector General of Police S. N. Pradhan said in Ranchi.

The CPI-Maoist cadres killed a chowkidar (security guard) accompanying a polling party at Kathikund in the Dumka District Four other persons, including two polling officials, a driver and a constable, were injured.

The Maoists fled away with the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) from a booth at a school at Rajavita in the Godda District.

April 30: The State administration ordered an inquiry into the killing of five tribals on April 15, which the CRPF had claimed was an encounter with Maoists. The administration also transferred three senior officials, Latehar Deputy Commissioner Sarvendu Tathagat, SP Hemant Toppo and DIG Nandu Prasad. Governor Syed Sibtey Razi ordered Palamau Deputy Commissioner A K Pandey to probe the allegations. "We've have started the inquiry," said Pandey.

May 9: Cadres of the CPI-Maoist set ablaze three vehicles at Kolibera in Simdega District as the 48-hour shutdown called by them in the District and neighbouring Gumla ended. A group of armed Maoists stopped an iron-laden truck and two other vehicles carrying soft drinks and set them ablaze after pouring petrol. The shutdown was called by the Maoists to protest the recent arrest of its self-styled sub-zonal commander Pratap Hinjia

May 12: Suspected cadres of the CPI-Maoist abducted three railway officials, including the station master, of Hendegiri station in the Latehar District. "A group of armed Maoists raided the station on Tuesday night and abducted station master Lalit Prasad, Deputy Station Master Anil Kumar and Assistant Station Master S. K. Tete," Divisional Railway Manager (Dhanbad division) A. K. Gupta said. Three other employees of the railway station located about 140 kilometres from capital Ranchi were also abducted but later freed, Gupta added.

The Ranchi Police issued advertisements in local newspapers inviting youth from the left-wing extremism affected areas of the District to enroll for a free vocational training course. These courses will help youth get jobs in the Army, Police, Central Paramilitary Forces and also as drivers. The Senior Superintendent of Police, Praveen Kumar, said youths from the Maoist-affected areas, including Bundu, Tamar, Angara, Sonahatu, Bero, Rahe, Lapung, Khelari, Chanho, Silli and Sikidri, will have to get in touch with officers in charge of the respective Police Stations and submit their applications.

May 14: Three railway officials, abducted by suspected cadres of the CPI-Maoist on May 12, were rescued after an intensive combing operation in the forests of Amjharia in the Hazaribagh District, 140 km from Ranchi. "Station Master Lalit Prasad, Deputy Station Master Sushil Kumar Tete and Assistant Station Master Anil Kumar of Hendigir railway station of the East-Central Railways have been rescued unharmed," Superintendent of Police (SP) Pankaj Kamboj told journalists. During the combing operation, the kidnappers saw the police approaching and started firing. After retaliatory action, all of them fled leaving the officials behind, he said. The abductors, who claimed to be Maoists, could belong to either the Jharkhand Prastuti Committee (JPC) or TPC, breakaway groups of the CPI-Maoist, the SP said. Three rifles, two country-made revolvers, six live cartridges, four cell phones and explosive materials were recovered from the spot.

May 19: A bus conductor was killed and three CRPF personnel injured in two landmine blasts triggered by suspected cadres of the CPI-Maoist near Pomgir village in the West Singhbhum District. The blasts occurred when a joint team of CRPF and Police personnel were on long-range patrolling duty in the Saranda forest under the Bandgaon Police Station. "The security personnel were patrolling on foot while a police bus moved close-by. When they reached somewhere near Pomgir, two landmines were set off by suspected Maoists," an unnamed official said. The conductor of the bus died on the spot while the three CRPF soldiers sustained injuries in the incident.

May 20: The diktat by the CPI-Maoist to tendu leaf (leaves of diospyros melonoxylon used for rolling bidis) traders in Ghatshila sub-divisional villages in East Singhbhum District to pay an enhanced rate has caused economic hardship to the tribals. As the traders are not ready to obey the diktat, tribals, who collect tendu leaves on a daily basis during the season from April to June, are left with no buyers since the Maoists have set ablaze three depots of tendu leaves in the Sukhlara panchayat (village-level local self Government institution) under MGM Police Station, Jhanti Jharna and Karadoba panchayats in the Ghatshila Police Station area.

May 23: Ttwo persons, identified as Paswar and Maqsood, were beaten to death by cadres of the CPI-Maoist at Banbar village under Bhandaria Police station in Garhwa District. According to Garhwa Superintendent Police (SP) Saket Singh, the Maoists first asked Paswar to provide them with a 9-mm pistol. When he pleaded his inability to do so, he was beaten to death with lathis (batons). Maqsood, too, was beaten to death in a similar way. A handbill left by the Maoists at the spot stated that Maqsood used to extort money in the name of their party organisation and that he was also a rapist. "Maqsood was a notorious criminal. He was released from jail about a month ago. But on what basis did the rebels demand a 9mm pistol from Paswar is rather intriguing. Both cases are being investigated," said the SP over phone.

May 24: A Maoist was killed and a CRPF personnel was injured in an encounter between the SFs and the Maoists in Hazaribagh District. Acting on a tip-off that the Maoists of Jharkhand and Bihar were holding a meeting in the deep forest in Tetariya More bordering Gaya District of Bihar, a security team was rushed to the area, sources said. When the Maoists saw the Security Forces, they opened fire in which a CRPF personnel, Raj Kumar, received bullet injuries on his shoulder. The SFs retaliated the fire in which a Maoist was killed, sources claimed.

In Chatra District, suspected Maoists blew up two blocks of a middle school building in the Kaura village under Pratapur Police Station. During the just concluded Lok Sabha elections, the Police had put up camps in these buildings.

May 28: SF personnel following an encounter arrested nine CPI-Maoist cadres and recovered three rifles, can bombs, uniforms and urea in the Ulung village under Rania Police Station area of Khunti District. The encounter took place when a joint team of Police and CRPF engaged in a long-range patrolling were fired upon by the Maoists at around 9.30am. The encounter, involving 40 SF personnel and some 200 Maoists, reportedly continued for 45-minutes. According to the SP of Khunti, Prabhat Kumar, "One out of the three rifles seized was a .303-rifle that is used by the Jharkhand Police personnel. Rebels must have looted the gun from a Police outpost. However, we are not sure from where," adding, "three can bombs were recovered but we are yet to count the number of uniforms recovered. Besides, we have also recovered empty canvas kit bags used to carry all the equipment." He also said that "As an exchange began, the rebels were left with little option other than escape into the nearby village (Ulung)." After the Maoists stopped firing, Police cordoned off the village and carried out a search operation that carried on till 5pm in the evening. "Afterwards, we drew out eight persons who were neither Ulung residents nor related to the villagers. After a brief inquiry, we ascertained that they were rebels and then mounted pressure on them to help recover arms, ammunition and uniforms from the area. While returning from the village, we arrested one more, a man who doubled up as an informer," he added.

May 31: Two separate encounters took place between the Police and CPI-Maoist cadres under Namkum and Bundu Police Stations in Ranchi District. Police also neutralized a bunker having a capacity of 50 people at Barahatu under Bundu Police Station and recovered four 9-mm pistols along with few AK-47 bullets. While no Policeman was injured in the encounters, Police claimed that a Maoist was shot dead in the 30-minute gun battle. His body, however, was taken away by his associates.

Police arrested 36 CPI-Maoist cadres, including 12 women, belonging to the Banspahari unit of the Police Santras Birodhi Public Committee of West Midnapore in West Bengal while they were taking out a rally in support of the bandh at Chakulia in East Singbhum District in the evening.

June 1: The 24-hour nationwide bandh called by the CPI-Maoist to protest the recent killings of their central committee member Sudhakar Reddy and the LTTE chief Velupillai Prabhakaran by Police and Sri Lankan Army respectively affected train service in various parts of the State.

May 31: Police is imparting vocational training to the unemployed youth of CPI-Maoist infested regions to enable them earn a livelihood and join the mainstream. About 250 youths from the insurgency-affected areas are presently being trained for recruitment in the army, paramilitary forces and Jharkhand Police. According to the Superintendent of Police in Ranchi, Praveen Kumar, the initiative is sure to break the local support base of the Maoists, who recruit a large number of local youth every year. "Our main concentration was rural areas. Because we know that those living in big cities will get this opportunity anytime because of their geographical location. But those living in villages don''t even have access to newspapers and basic information. There are many unemployed youth who are school outs and are idle. They do not even try or don''t have the right channel to do anything," Kumar said, adding, "According to my personal observation, all this has created a furore among the Maoists because they are aware that this initiative would lead to eradication of their local support base."

May 31: Two separate encounters took place between the Police and CPI-Maoist cadres under Namkum and Bundu Police Stations in Ranchi District. Police also neutralized a bunker having a capacity of 50 people at Barahatu under Bundu Police Station and recovered four 9-mm pistols along with few AK-47 bullets. While no Policeman was injured in the encounters, Police claimed that a Maoist was shot dead in the 30-minute gun battle. His body, however, was taken away by his associates.

The 24-hour nationwide bandh (general shut-down) called by the CPI-Maoist on June 1 to protest the recent killings of their central committee member Sudhakar Reddy and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) chief Velupillai Prabhakaran by Police and Sri Lankan Army respectively affected train service in various parts of the State.

Police arrested 36 CPI-Maoist cadres, including 12 women, belonging to the Banspahari unit of the Police Santras Birodhi Public Committee of West Midnapore in West Bengal while they were taking out a rally in support of the bandh at Chakulia in East Singbhum District in the evening of May 31.

June 2: Nine CPI-Maoist cadres, including five women, were arrested by the Police at Jamshedpur. Earlier, Police had detained 20 persons who organised a rally with a plan to declare a State-wide shutdown on June 1. "From the people we had detained, we have found that Geeta, a member of Dasta Maoist outfit and other hard core Maoists who used to work as logistics and work for strengthening the unit. We have identified nine of them and will present them in court," said Superintendent of Police Navin Kumar Singh.

Panic gripped the residents of Chakulia village in East Singhbhum District after the CPI-Maoist-backed People's Committee against Police Atrocities (PCPA) announced that they would not allow anyone from Jharkhand to enter Bengal. The decision, taken by the Committee at a meeting in Jhargram in West Bengal, close to the Jharkhand-Bengal border, is aimed at exerting pressure on the Jharkhand Police to release the nine suspected Naxalites (left-wing extremists) arrested on May 31. PCPA will block all roads connecting Chakulia, Ghatshila and Dhalbhumgarh with Belpahari in Bengal. East Singhbhum Superintendent of Police Naveen Kumar Singh said that there was no question of releasing the nine suspected Naxalites.

June 10: 11 Policemen, including a CRPF Inspector, were killed and six others injured when Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) cadres triggered a landmine explosion targeting their vehicle in West Singhbhum District on. A joint team of the CRPF and Jharkhand Police was returning from a two-day long-range patrolling in Saranda forest when the explosion took place between Serengda and Aruanga villages, Director-General of Police V. D. Ram said. The victims also included the Officer in Charge of Goilkera Police Station, Philips Tete, and Assistant Sub-Inspector P. C Hembram besides CRPF inspector P. Parimal. An encounter between the Maoists and the Police followed the blast which was still continuing, CRPF Commandant Sanjay Singh said.

June 12: At least 13 Security Force (SF) personnel were killed in two separate attacks by the CPI-Maoist cadres in Bokaro District. CPI-Maoist cadres attacked a State Bank of India (SBI) branch near Fusro market of Bokaro town in the afternoon, killing two Jharkhand Police personnel, who foiled their attempt to loot money from the bank. At least 10 people were injured when the Maoists hurled bombs and opened indiscriminate fire in the market area. An encounter took place between SFs and the Maoists in the Bermo Police Station area of Bokaro after the attack.

The CPI-Maoist cadres detonated a landmine in the Nawadih area of the same District, killing at least 11 SF personnel and injuring eight, said the Director General of Police (DGP) V.D. Ram. The slain SF personnel belonged to the Jharkhand Armed Police and Special Armed Force, raised to fight the CPI-Maoist. This is the second major Maoist attack in the last two days.

June 12: The Maoists organised a general shutdown on in six States, including in Jharkhand, to protest against the killing of Venkat Reddy, a member of the central committee of the CPI-Maoist, in Andhra Pradesh recently.

June 13: Maoists detonated a landmine near Rania in Khunti District injuring 10 Jharkhand Armed Police personnel, five of them critically. The incident, the third in last four days, took place when the Jharkhand Armed Police personnel were returning to the Rania Police camp in a Police van after purchasing diesel. By the time the injured Policemen took position, the Maoists opened indiscriminate firing on them. The Policemen also fired over 100 rounds and mortars. The encounter lasted about half-an-hour following which the Maoists retreated into the nearby jungles. "The landmine was planted on a bridge. The vehicle, which carried diesel containers, was coming from Torpa to the Rania Police camp," Sub-Divisional Police Officer Ashok Kumar Rai said.

June 14: One person, identified as Balakram Soren, reportedly a rural medical practitioner, was shot dead by suspected cadres of the CPI-Maoist at Panchangora Tola in the West Singhbhum District late in the night.

June 16: Four Policemen were killed and five others sustained injuries in an encounter between the Police and cadres of the CPI-Maoist at Manatu Police Station area of Palamu District. The Police personnel were returning after a long range patrolling when the Maoists opened fire on them.

June 23: Around 10 to 15 cadres of the CPI-Maoist blew up a panchayat (village level self-Government institution) building in the Chahapur village of Palamau District. However, no casualty was reported as the building was empty at the time. After blowing up the building, Maoist shouted slogans against the Security Forces' operation in the Lalgarh area of West Bengal.

Meanwhile, Jharkhand Police arrested three Maoists, including a woman, from a nursing home in the Bokaro District. Police also arrested Ratan Lal Manjhi, the owner of the nursing home.

Around 10 cadres of the CPI-Maoist set ablaze a truck laden with iron ore near Bhuiadih village in Khunti District.

June 26: Two CPI-Maoist cadres, identified as Santosh Sao and Ganesh Sao, were arrested from Lalpania near Jhumra hill in Bokaro District and 200 kilograms of explosives and 100 pieces of detonators were recovered from them. Police described the duo as hard-core cadres of the CPI-Maoist. They were involved in supplying explosives and arms to the ''red squad'' of the outfit.

June 28: 11 suspected cadres of the CPI-Maoist, who were extorting money on the pretext of religious celebrations and warning of a Lalgarh-type situation in the State, were arrested from of Nimdih, about 50 kilomeres from Jamshedpur in East Singhbhum District. Police said the men, aged between 20 and 24 years, were residents of Koira village in the Patamda block of the District. They were detained at the weekly haat (market) at Chaliama village in adjoining Seraikela-Kharsawan's Nimdih Police Station area. Though no arms or explosives were found from them, some Maoist literature was recovered.

June 29: The Centre indicated that Jharkhand should fill-up vacant posts in the Police department. "I think the state has lot of vacancies in its own posts. And as you have seen everywhere the Centre will give adequate forces, but the primary responsibility lies with the state government," said Gopal Pillay, who takes over as the new Union Home Secretary from June 30, told the media in capital Ranchi. He was responding to a query as to whether Jharkhand has adequate central forces to deal with the Maoist insurgency.

June 30: A CPI-Maoist leader, identified as Nathuni Mistry alias Prem alias Premnath, was sentenced by a local court to seven years of imprisonment for attacking a Police patrol in Balurmath in Latehar District in 2000. A resident of Mandanpur in the Aurangabad District of Bihar, Mistry was arrested from Ranchi in June 2002. Terming it as a major success, Jharkhand Police spokesperson and Inspector General of Police (provisions), S. N. Pradhan, said it was a major success for the Police in terms of prosecution, Times of India reported. "More than 15 cases are pending against him in Bihar and Jharkhand," said Pradhan.

July 4: A hardcore cadre of the CPI-Maoist, identified as Somnath, was killed in an encounter with the Police at Koramba forest in the Ramgarh block of Dumka District. Acting on a tip-off, a Police team reached Koramba to flush out the Maoists but the Maoists started firing at the Police party, Superintendent of Police Arun Kumar Singh said. Somnath was killed in retaliatory action. An SLR rifle was found from the incident site.

S.N. Pradhan, the Inspector-General of Police (Operations), said the Jharkhand Police will soon have, among other things, assault rifles with night vision in its armoury to take on Maoists as part of the ongoing Police modernisation programme.

July 6: A dozen Maoists, who had allegedly planned to blow up the Bishnugarh Police picket at Dudhmania in Hazaribag District, were arrested. After a tip-off, Security Forces rushed to the NH-100 and arrested them, District Superintendent of Police Pankaj Kamboj said. The Maoists, who had deployed teenage villagers, asked them to keep a watch on Police movement while the seniors execute their plot by laying landmines near the Police picket, he said. "To divert police attention, the Maoists also decided to loot the SBI [State bank of India] Banaso branch on the same route," he said.

July 7: Cadres of the CPI-Maoist shot dead one CRPF trooper, Pitambar Kumar Singh, in his house at Ninder the Latehar District. Singh, who was posted at the Ghatsila sub-division in East Singhbhum District, was reportedly on leave.

Two Maoist sympathisers were arrested from the Gandhi Nagar area of capital Ranchi following a raid conducted by the Special Task Force (STF). The duo, identified as Sanjay Kumar Singh alias Manoj Kumar Singh and his wife Uma Minz, stayed in a rented house. Singh, who posed as a transporter, used to give shelter to Maoists and his guests included sub-zonal 'commander' Uday Ganjhu. The STF recovered a huge quantity of ammunition, explosives, left-wing extremist literature, films, compact discs, a computer, chargeable battery, blank audio cassettes and two multi-utility vehicles during the raid. The seized explosives included four kilograms of ammonium nitrate and 403 live cartridges. Police sources said the couple admitted during interrogation that the house in which they had been staying for the last one and a half years was taken on rent by Ganjhu.

Kalijit Ganjhu alias SP, chief of the Jharkhand Prastuti Committee (JPC), a breakaway Maoist faction, was arrested at a check-post at Sila on the National Highway 100 (Hazaribagh-Chatra Road) in Chatra District. Kalijit was sitting on the pillion of a two wheeler en route to the jungle when he was arrested. The outfit, mainly operating in the Hazaribagh and Chatra Districts, had been making extortion demands to contractors engaged in the construction of the KodermaHazaribagh-Barkakana-Ranchi railway line of the East Central Railway.

A 13-year-old sympathiser of the CPI-Maoist, identified as Baburm Kisku, was arrested on an unspecified date from Khadimba village in the Dumka District.

July 9: The CPI-Maoist launched a poster campaign at Chakulia town in the Ghatshila sub-division of East Singhbhum District on triggering a fresh panic among residents. Posters were seen in the heart of Chakulia town, on walls of a temple and the panchayat office. More than issuing warnings, the posters reportedly appealed to owners of rice mills and detergent factories to pay up a minimum wage of INR 100 to daily-wage labourers.

A CPI-Maoist squad led by Madan Mahto, which was active in Lalgarh in bordering West Midnapore District of West Bengal, crossed over to Ghatshila in East Singhbhum District. Intelligence sources revealed that the 16-member squad is operating within 20 kilometres radius of Ghatshila town. The Maoists, mostly hailing from Belpahari area in West Midnapore's Jhargram sub-division are reported to have taken shelter in villages like Jhanti Jharna, Basadera and Dainmari - all in dense forest without any motorable road - under Ghatshila Police Station area near the Bengal border.

July 11: Three persons, identified as Babban Pandey, Yamuna Prasad and Ashwini Kumar, were arrested from Fusro in the Bokaro District for selling arms and explosives to the CPI-Maoist. According to Police, Babban Pandey was arrested at Fusro railway station in the morning when he arrived from Kolkata, capital of West Bengal, and 2,000 pieces of components for hand grenades were seized from him. Acting on information revealed by him, the others were arrested from Fusro market. Police said the three men were working for CPI-Maoist leader Navin Majhi.

July 12: Over 40 Maoists attacked Jogibigha village under Pratappur Police Station area in Chatra District on the Jharkhand-Bihar border and seriously injured one Moinuddin Khan. Chatra Superintendent of Police (SP) Narendar Kumar Singh said the Maoists surrounded the village and pulled out Khan from his house and shot him in the leg. According to sources, the Maoists attacked the village and shot at Khan who was luckily saved after the villagers retaliated with traditional weapons. No one else was injured as the Maoists retreated after the villagers retaliated, the sources said.

The Jharkhand Government which adopted an aggressive strategy to promote tourism has said the Maoist problem in the State has been blown out of proportion and tourists were not harmed by the leftwing extremists. "It has been made out as if entire Jharkhand is infested with Maoists. Not all the tourist destinations in the state are affected by the menace. A negative image has been sought to be created about Jharkhand. Tourists have not been harmed by the ultras," Jharkhand Tourism Secretary Arun Kumarr Singh told newsmen in Kolkata.

July 14: Police seized a consignment of sophisticated communication devices, binoculars and bullet-proof jackets which were to be delivered to the CPI-Maoist cadres operating in Bihar and Jharkhand was seized from Ranchi, capital of Jharkhand,. Two persons were arrested in this connection from Daltonganj (Jharkhand) and the national capital New Delhi. The communication gadgets were transhipped from Delhi by Air India cargo, booked by a Jharkhand-based contractor, Naresh Sharma, against the name of his staff. The consignment was to be received from the Air India office at Pradhan Tower on Mahatma Gandhi road in Ranchi. While Naresh was arrested from Daltonganj in Palamu District, the supplier of the devices, identified as Praveen Sharma, was arrested in Delhi by the Special Cell of Delhi Police based on information provided by Ranchi Police. Police also seized a bullet-proof jacket from Naresh''s possession. The jacket along with the consignment was to be delivered to the CPI-Maoist central committee member Sandeepji. The seized items include 60 Motorolla walkie talkie sets, 60 headphones, chargers, 3.6 volt 54 batteries, 10 Sony compact transistors, two world radio transistors, six mini cassette recorders most of them made in Japan and China.

A hardcore cadre of the banned CPI-Maoist, identified as Suresh Oraon, who is active in Chhattisgarh, was arrested from Chainpur Chowk in Gumla District. In Suresh Oraon''s possession, Police found 10 mobile chargers, one mobile set, one FM radio set, a long list of telephone numbers of 700 persons, including those of Maoist 'commanders' and arms suppliers. He had joined the CPI-Maoist in 2004.

July 16: A 'commander' of the Jharkhand Prastuti Committee (JPC), a breakaway faction of the banned CPI-Maoist, identified as Raman, was arrested from Burkunda area of Ramgarh District. Raman had come to the Burkunda area to extort money, Police said. Incriminating documents, including Maoist literature, were recovered from Raman, Police added. Raman was wanted in more than a dozen cases.

July 17: Police recovered landmine, weighing 20-kilograms, which was planted by the CPI-Maoist cadres under a bridge on the outskirts of capital Ranchi. According to Police, a search team was sent to the spot following an intelligence tip-off and it found the landmine near the Ganghat railway station, around 30 kilometres from Ranchi. The bomb disposal team later successfully defused the landmine.

The CPI-Maoist cadres killed two persons in two separate incidents in Giridih and Gumla Districts after branding them as Police informers, Police said. According to Police, the CPI-Maoist cadres killed Manoj Sao by slitting his throat. Manoj reportedly ran a shop and hotel at Pirtand block of Giridih District. A pamphlet branding Manoj as Police informer and a rapist was left near his body found in the morning of July 18 near Chachondo village of Giridih District, around 190 kilometers from capital Ranchi. In Gumla District, the CPI-Maoist cadres killed a teacher by crushing his head with heavy stones. He was also accused of being a Police informer.

July 18: Police in capital Ranchi arrested Firdaus, a 40-year-old resident of Hindpiri, in the evening of July 18 along with a 9-mm pistol, two mobile phones, four SIM cards and INR 2,400. The Superintendent of Police (city), A. Vijayalaxmi, said Firdaus had confessed to his association with cadres of the CPI-Maoist and had provided the Police vital clues on explosives stored in Giridih. "Firdaus is an explosives supplier active in the Bundu and Tamar areas of the district. Besides explosives, he also supplied shoes and uniforms purchased from city stores," she added.

July 19: Eight Naxalites (left-wing extremists) were arrested at three places in Jharkhand Police said. Four Naxalites belonging to the PLFI, earlier known as JLT, were arrested in Ramgarh District following a tip-off. Those arrested include two 'area commanders' of the PLFI, using the aliases of Cobra and Tiger, who were wanted in more than a dozen cases, Police added. Police also seized two revolvers, live cartridges, computers, three mobile phones and Maoist literature from the arrested cadres. In addition, three CPI-Maoist cadres were arrested from the Latehar District. In Gumla, Police arrested Chhota Gope, an 'area commander' of the PLFI, along with a revolver.

July 20:A gun-battle was reported between Police and cadres of JPC, a breakaway faction of the CPI-Maoist, in the forests near Chirudih village of Barkagaon, some 47 kilometers from the Hazaribagh District headquarters. Though no casualty was reported the Police recovered a wireless set, five mobile phones, 143 cartridges and files containing names of persons who had paid 'levy' to the JPC. The extremists, however, reportedly managed to escape. According to sources, the Barkagaon Police had received a tip-off regarding JPC members holding a meeting inside the Chirudih forests after dark. Accordingly, a team led by officer in charge of the Barkagaon Police station, Gopal Krishna, and assistant sub-inspectors K.K. Pathak and J.P. Marandi, reached the spot around 12.30 am. Sources said the extremists became aware of the Police presence and began to fire indiscriminately. Hazaribagh Superintendent of Police Pankaj Kamboj said the Police fired 10 rounds and the insurgents 15 rounds before the encounter ended. "There were about 10 to 15 rebels at the spot. They managed to escape under the cover of darkness. Otherwise, we would have surely managed to kill or arrest them," Kamboj added.

The Maoists have called a 24-hour bandh (shutdown) in Jharkhand from the midnight of July 21 in protest against price rise. The CPI-Maoist Jharkhand State Central Committee gave the bandh call in a faxed message to the media late in the night of July 20.

The Jharkhand unit of the outlawed CPI-Maoist has warned Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Union Minister of Home Affairs P. Chidambaram and the ruling UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi against ''dreaming to wipe out Naxalites from the country'', saying if they don't give up on their bid, all three would be eliminated.

The threat was issued through a letter originating in Garhwa District and is now in circulation in State capital Ranchi. Dated July 20 and numbered 25, the letter is signed by one Anupji "on behalf of Ghatshila sub-zonal committee." The letter-head reads, "CPI (Maoist), Jharkhand State Central Committee" and is not addressed to anyone in particular. "Chidambaram says Naxalites would be wiped out... He should stop daydreaming or else he would be given death punishment," the letter reads and dares him to come to the "land of Jharkhand" and see that "Naxalites are not clay toys." The letter also threatens Prime Minister (PM) Manmohan Singh and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, saying, "Both the PM and Sonia Gandhi will meet a fate like former prime minister, late Rajiv Gandhi." It asked all Congress legislators, both from the Parliament and Assembly, to quit within a week or face "death warrants."

However, the Superintendent of Police in East Singhbhum District, Navin Kumar Singh, said "I have not come across such a committee as of now," when asked whether Anupji operated in Ghatsilla sub-division which falls under East Singhbhum. "The letter could be fictitious and was found by someone in Balumath in Latehar District and was released in Garwah District in Jharkhand," he added. "The CPI (Maoist) is desperate after it was termed as a terrorist outfit. It just wants to gain mileage by issuing such press releases," another Police official involved in anti-Maoist operation in Jharkhand said.

July 22:Police claimed that six CPI-Maoist cadres were killed in an encounter with the Security Forces that led to neutralizing of three CPI-Maoist camps in the Simdega District. The encounter began in the morning as personnel of the newly formed Jharkhand Jaguar Force (JJF) led by Kolibira Police station in-charge N. K. Sinha raided three Maoist camps near Khareganja village, about 90 kilometers from State capital Ranchi. The JJF personnel observed six Naxalites falling to their bullets and the extremists dragging them away, Simdega Superintendent of Police (SP), Abhishek Kumar, told reporters. He said a Naxalite was also arrested after the encounter, but no dead body was recovered from the incident site. Police recovered eight guns, a pistol, nine detonators, including one electric detonator, eight mobile handsets, seven rucksacks, a gas cylinder and several cartridges from the camps. "The encounter began at 1.30pm and continued till 3pm. As many as 1,000 rounds was fired from both sides. Fortunately, no personnel were injured. We recovered five 0.315 rifle, three double-barrel guns, one police pistol, 150 rounds of cartridges, a detonator, a magnetic compass, a walkie-talkie and seven mobile phones, besides crockery and a map of Jharkhand from the spot," the SP was quoted as saying by Telegraph.

The bandh (shutdown) called by the CPI-Maoist against price rise evoked mixed response in rural Jharkhand. In the Latehar, Palamau, Khunti, East and West Singhbhum Districts, the bandh was reported to be total while the shutdown call had no effect in the Santhal Pargana region comprising six Districts. Mineral transport was affected as truckers went off the road. While life in urban areas remained normal, it came to standstill in the Maoist-dominated rural areas of Giridih, Garhwa, Palamu, Latehar and Chatra Districts.

July 23: The Padma Police raided the house of one Sunil Kumar Mehta in the Chameli forest and seized a large quantity of explosives. Briefing the media, Deputy Superintendent of Police (Headquarters), Naushad Alam, said the seized explosives include 10 pieces of power gel, 15 pieces of electric detonator, a 100-metre safety fuse and about 15 kilograms of ammonium nitrate. The raid was conducted under the leadership of Padma Police Station officer in-charge Devdas Yadav, he added. Alam said that Mehta did not have any licence for possessing the explosives. He also said that anti-social elements purchase explosive materials for carrying out illegal mining in stone quarries and pass on the same to the CPI-Maoist who are quite active in the Padma forest. Alam also said that the Police had seized a large amount of explosives during the 2009 parliamentary elections. These materials were supposed to be used by the Maoists to create disturbances during the elections, he added.

July 26:Police and paramilitary forces have intensified long-range patrolling (LRP) at Nimdih and Chandil after Police found CPI-Maoist posters declaring death to those found selling liquor and marijuana at these two places in Seraikela-Kharsawan. Police began LRP at Chaliama and Fadengda forests that borders the Purulia District of West Bengal, the report said, adding, six posters were found on the walls of primary schools and post offices in Chaliama and Fadengda while the Police were conducting a combing operation in these two areas. The Seraikela-Kharsawan SP Sheetal Oraon confirmed reports of the fresh poster campaign at Chaliama and Fadenga villages. "In the posters rebels have threatened those who sell liquor and marijuana to quit the practice or face death. We are conducting a probe into the matter and are trying to ensure that no harm comes to the people," she said. She added that the LRP have been intensified at most places sensing that Maoists must be keeping a vigil on the villagers. Three months ago, the Maoists had killed a man in Fadengda suspecting him to be a Police informer.

July 28: Suspected CPI-Maoist cadres set ablaze the house of a farmer, Amiruddin Ansari, at Hriday Toli village under the Kisko Police station in the Lohardaga District at around 4am (IST). Villagers, however, doused the fire which gutted fodder kept in two rooms of the house. "No one saw who set the house on fire. But we have reasons to suspect MCC's hand in the incident," Amiruddin said. He said that about 15 days ago, the Maoist Communist Centre had sent him a letter demanding a sum of INR 2 lakh and five SIM cards. Besides, the extremists also sought a monthly payment of INR 5000. He also received several threat calls from a number 9504097082. The caller even inquired about his son's Naushad Hussain's arrival. He said that his son, who is in Army, had recently come home on leave. Amiruddin said that the caller had asked him to deposit the levy and the SIM cards in the village school. The caller had also informed him about two fellow villagers who make a monthly payment of INR 5000 to the outfit through the school. Kisko police station in-charge Sunil Kumar Tiwari, however, said Police is scanning the contents of the letter, adding, "It seems that the letter has been issued either by some enemies of Amiruddin or by the local criminals."

About a dozen armed cadres of the JPC, a breakaway faction of CPI-Maoist abducted one Aditya Sahu (30) from Champi village under the Kuru Police station in the Lohardaga District at around 8pm. Sources said the armed JPC cadres led by "commander" Pradeep Ganjhu abducted Aditya from his grocery shop at Champi Chowk. Sources said one Mukesh Sahu was actually the target of the JPC men, but as he managed to escape the militants abducted Aditya instead. This is the second incident of abduction within six days at Champi village. On July 23, a teacher Savitri Kumari's son Manoj Chaoudhury alias Mannu was abducted from his residence. However he was rescued by the Police within three days.

High alert has been sounded across the State following intelligence inputs suggesting major strikes by the Maoists during "martyrs' week" that began on July 28. Banners and posters were spotted in different Districts of the State, including East and West Singhbhum, Bokaro, Latehar, Gumla and Simdega, asking the people to observe "martyrs' week" and remember the sacrifices of Maoist leaders. "These posters and banners have come to our notice. They could be a trap...The Maoists can ambush police parties when they go to remove the them," said Jharkhand Police spokesperson and Inspector General (provision) S. N. Pradhan. The IG said police have received inputs on Maoist mobilization in some areas and their plans to carry out big attacks there. "We are trying to thwart any major strike by the Maoists and for that, every SP is being instructed to act accordingly," said Pradhan. Fear of Maoist attacks during martyrs' week" has crippled mineral transportation in the State. Every year, the rebels observe Martyrs' Week from July 28 to August 3.

July 29: The Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, Ajay Maken, informed the Rajya Sabha that Jharkhand alone accounts for over one third of the Naxalite violence witnessed by the country in 2009. In a written reply to the Upper House, Maken said as many as 395 incidents of CPI-Maoist attacks were reported from Jharkhand till July 23, 2009, while in 2008, the number was 484. The country has witnessed a total of 1,217 incidents of Maoist violence so far in 2009, claiming 508 lives, including that of 233 Security Force personnel. A total of 107 insurgents were killed in the same period. Maken also said the state had, from time to time, appealed to the Maoists to abjure violence and hold talks with the administration on any issue that are of concern to them. "However, the Centre does not have any information whether the State is now engaged in any talks with the rebels," he added. The Union Minister also said no proposal of holding direct talks with the Maoists is under consideration of the Central Government.

August 4: The CPI-Maoist cadres shot dead a senior central committee leader of the JMM and wounded one of his associates at Patamda off Jamshedpur in the East Singhbhum District. Doren Singh Munda (48) was a close aide of former State land revenue minister Dulal Bhuiyan and had an active role in the movement for creation of Jharkhand as a separate State in 2000. Police said four motorcycle-borne militants raided Patamda village around 8.30am (IST), saw Munda and his assistant sitting outside the leader's house and started firing indiscriminately from their automatic weapons. Munda died on the spot.

August 7: The CPI-Maoist has put up posters in various villages warning people against joining the India Reserve Battalion, NDTV reported on August 7. The handwritten poster asks young people to boycott the recruitment. Meanwhile, the Police are trying to assure people that adequate security arrangements have been made to protect recruits. "The superintendent of police has made adequate arrangements, all those who have applied should not have any problems," Police said.

August 9: Four CPI-Maoist cadres beheaded their former comrade, Baldeo Besra at a location between Nagi and Chano panchayats (village level local self government institutions) of Bishnugarh Police station in the Hazaribag District, said Hazaribag Superintendent of Police (SP) Pankaj Kamboj. The Maoists then escaped with his head, which Police are yet to recover. In the note attached to the dead body, thrown on the Nagi-Chano road, the Maoists have accused Besra of being an informer and also warned others of meeting with the same fate if they dared to follow Besra.

With SF personnel carrying out counter-insurgency operations during the last one month, a decline in the number of Maoist attacks in Jharkhand has been observed in comparison to the same period at this time in 2008, ANI reported on August 9. "Maoist infested State of Jharkhand has seen a fall in number of attacks as compared to the last year. There has been a decline in Maoist violence in Jharkhand state," said S. N. Pradhan, the Inspector General of Police in Jharkhand. According to Police statistics, there have been 228 Maoist attacks till the end of July 2009, as compared to 245 incidents recorded in 2008 in the same period. Police said that as many as 20 most-wanted Maoists have been killed in 61 encounters besides 261 Maoists being arrested till July 2009. "The success against the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist) is a result of credible intelligence," he added. "We have got some big success owing to the intelligence information. The inputs provided to us were accurate about people and places. Action based on the intelligence helped us to get success against Maoists," added Pradhan. The Jharkhand Police, along with armed constabulary and paramilitary forces, have launched operations to flush out the Maoists flush out from their bastions. They claim to have foiled many attacks of the 'Red Army.' "To be on the safer side, we deploy more security personnel in places which are more prone to Maoist attacks such as government offices, railways or main highways. At the same time, we deploy them in remote Maoist areas. This has helped us to understand the strategy Maoists follow in attacking and the kind of places they target. However, we are very careful as Maoists change their strategy frequently and we have to adapt accordingly," the Police official stated.

August 11: Two Police personnel were shot dead by the CPI-Maoist cadres in the Dhanbad District. The Policemen from Dhanbad District, which is around 260 kilometers from State capital Ranchi, went to the local market in the night where the extremists fired towards them killing the duo. The victims were identified as Assistant Sub-Inspector Nirmal Kumar and Constable Deepak Bawari.

Over 700 Police personnel led by three SP have reportedly launched a three-pronged combing operation to flush out Maoist leaders from the hilly forests nestled between Bokaro, Hazaribagh and Giridih. The exercise, said to be one of the largest in recent times, is being monitored by two Inspectors-General and the Director-General of Police V.D. Ram, with the objective of arresting CPI-Maoist leaders like Navin Manjhi, Prabal Manjhi, Ranvir and Kundan Pahan, all of whom were said to be hiding in the area. Launched on August 10, the combing operation is being led from three sides by Bokaro SP Laxman Singh, Hazaribagh SP Pankaj Kamboj and Giridih SP Asim Vikrant Minj along with the Central Reserve Police Force's 26th battalion Commandant V.S. Sharma. Sources said that while the Hazaribagh police entered the Bokaro zone from Vishnugarh, Girdih police entered the zone through the Nimia Ghat route. The Bokaro police entered the Maoist bastion from Penk, Nawadih, Suarbasua, Chotki Kuri even as the CRPF battalion entered the forests through Joramana. Earlier, four persons were arrested from Nawadih after they were caught with arms allegedly meant for Maoists. Three others were detained for questioning in Gomia.

August 11-12: Police personnel in the morning of August 12 rescued one of their injured colleagues, attacked by the CPI-Maoist cadres on August 11, from a maize field. The Police also detained three persons, including one Shibu Tudu, in front of whose house the Policemen were attacked. The report also said that Maoists had left two posters near the dead bodies of the Policemen, demanding withdrawal of the 44-member Maniadih Police picket from the area and had asked the Policemen to stop torturing villagers. As reported earlier, two Police personnel were shot dead by Maoists in the Dhanbad District on August 11.

August 12: The East Singhbhum District Police have decided to distribute bicycles among students of middle schools in the extremist's pockets of Ghatshila sub-division to guard them against extremist influence. Initially 500 bicycles will be distributed in 15 schools in the five Naxalite (left wing extremist)-infested blocks of Ghatshila, Dumaria, Musaboni, Ghurabandha and Dhalbhumgarh, said East Singhbhum Superintendent of Police Naveen Kumar Singh. He said the bicycle gift was a means to urge students in the tribal sub-division to study further and not leave school midway. "Only higher studies can keep them away from rebel ideologies," he said, adding that the drive would be launched next week. According to a recent survey conducted by the Police, the percentage of dropouts in high schools is around 60. Many teenagers after dropping out of school reportedly become soft targets for the Maoist recruitment. "Most members in rebel leader Kanhu Munda's squad are in the age group of 15-18 years. They also hail from Ghurabandha and Dumaria," Singh said.

August 14: A transit camp of the CPI-Maoist was neutralized by the SFs in a two-hour encounter at Lotekocha jungle in the foothills of Dalma, 30 kilometers from Jamshedpur.

Police arrested a 'zonal commander' of the CPI-Maoist, identified as Mahendra Singh Khirwar, along with three of his associates from the Shahpur-Chainpur village of Palamu District. The arrestees were identified as Anil Saw of Kerso, Rameshwar Singh of Jamuniat and Mahendra Singh of Chinia.

Police and paramilitary forces intensified long range patrolling in the jungles of Ghatshila sub-division and also Chandil-Chowka-Nimdih, after Maoists threatened to observe Independence Day as 'black day'. Maoists have resorted to poster-campaigning at a number of villages in extremist-dominated areas of East Singhbhum and Seraikela-Kharsawan Districts. At Dampara and Karadoba villages under the Ghatshila Police station area and Matkumdih, Chaliama and Farenga villages under Nimdih block, the Naxalites have out up posters, urging villagers not to celebrate Independence Day.

August 16: The Maoists who had given a call to boycott Independence Day (August 15) celebrations hoisted black flags at a number of places, especially in schools, in the East Singhbhum and Seraikela-Kharsawan Districts. The targeted areas were Karadoba and Jhanti-Jharna panchayats (village level local self Government institutions) under Ghatshila block and Chandil, Chowka and Nimdih blocks in the Seraikela-Kharsawan. Black flags were also reportedly hoisted at Government buildings and market places in Chowka and Chandil.

August 17: A 10-year-old girl, identified as Gayatri Kumari, a resident of Ulilohor village in Ranchi, was among two persons killed in an attack by the CPI-Maoist on a passenger vehicle on the National Highway-33 near Tamar, 70 kilometers from capital Ranchi. Four others, including the driver of a truck caught in the firing, sustained injuries. The Bundu Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Anand Joseph Tigga said around 9am (IST), a group of six motorcycle borne Maoists, armed with self-loading rifles (SLR) and explosives, emerged from the forests flanking the highway and targeted a jeep carrying eight persons and a truck between Duwarsini and Rangaon in the Tamar area.

Suspected CPI-Maoist cadres set ablaze two vehicles and assaulted employees of the Indal Bauxite Mining Company inside the dense forest of Tewarpat under Bishunpur Police Station in Gumla, in the Netarhat plateau region which is rich with bauxite deposits. Reports.

Police seized 400 locally-made bombs, 30 mobile phones, 26 chargers and INR 7800 among other things from the Garwah District prison during a raid, officials said, adding that the prisoners might have been planning an escape. Many hardened criminals and about half dozen Maoists are lodged in the Garwah jail. Following subsequent raids conducted by the Hazaribag Police, 374 bags of ammonium nitrate concealed in two storehouses at Ichak More on the National Highway-33 and Nagwan village under the Ichak and Sadar Police stations respectively were seized on an unspecified date. Two persons were arrested in this connection. Disclosing this on August 17, the Hazaribag Superintendent of Police (SP), Pankaj Kamboj, said that during the last two months the Police have arrested several persons for supplying explosives to the extremist groups, including the CPI-Maoist.

August 17: Suspected Naxalites abducted 10 employees, including an engineer, of the HINDALCO Industries Limited from the company's Kujam mines area of Bishunpur block in the Gumla District. A squad of 20-30 armed extremists descended on the bauxite reserve on Netarhat-Kujam road and kidnapped engineer Vijay Kumar, a resident of Jodhpur (Rajasthan), three supervisors, five contractors and a driver. 12 hours later, around 9pm (IST), they returned to set ablaze 12 heavy equipment and vehicles on the mine premises. The South Chhotanagpur DIG, R.K. Mallick, said that though the CPI-Maoist was not involved in the abduction, it could be the handiwork of some new extremist faction which was trying to make its presence felt in the area. The Gumla Deputy Commissioner Rahul Sharma, too, suspected the involvement of a breakaway Maoist faction.

A major offensive to be launched in Jharkhand under the direct supervision of the MHA in September 2009 will be coordinated by senior officers of the Indian Army. The decision was taken at a meeting of Chief Ministers of seven Maoist-affected States held with the Union Minister of Home Affairs P. Chidambaram. [Governor K. Sankaranarayanan represented Jharkhand as it is currently under President's rule]. The State will be divided into different sectors and the CPI-Maoist stronghold is to be attacked from all sides. Air power will also be used to corner the insurgents incase they take shelter in a difficult terrain. During the meeting, it was also agreed that the Centre would provide need-based additional CPMF during the operation. The number of CPMF companies would be need-based as similar operations are to be launched in other States, including West Bengal, Chhattisgarh and Orissa, which borders Jharkhand, said an unnamed officer. It is expected that at least 50 companies (5000) will be provided to Jharkhand till the operation is over, the official added. The Jharkhand Police have launched limited operations in different sectors of the State to check its preparedness before the final offensive. The operations have been launched in parts of Bokaro and East Singhbhum. Jharkhand Police spokesperson Inspector General of Police, S.N. Pradhan, said the State Police launched operations at strategic locations to flush out the Maoists.

August 19: The Bokaro Police seized more than 600 tonne of smuggled coal during raids in the CPI-Maoist infested areas and arrested five persons. The coal was recovered from the Maoist hideouts of Kanjkiro in Nawadih block, Mahuatand in the Gomia block and the Bokaro thermal zone, in raids led by the Bokaro District SP Laxman Singh in the last 48 hours. Among those arrested was Doman Sah, said to be a kingpin and close confidant of the Maoists. Police also registered First Information Report against 70 people at Nawadih and Mahuatand and a search is on for them.

All 10 abducted employees of the HINDALCO Industries Limited were released from captivity after 52 hours from the Belwari forest under Mahuadarn Police station in the Latehar District in the afternoon of August 19. Gumla Superintendent of Police, Upendra Kumar, said the SFs had intensified combing operations in the dense forests of the region following abduction of the employees by the Naxalites on August 17, adding, when the SFs encircled the Belwari forest, the kidnappers opened fire which was retaliated by the SFs. But realising that they had been encircled in from all sides, the Naxalites let the captives off and disappeared deep into the forest, he added. Sources said the CPI-Maoist 'zonal commander' Sanjay Yadav, who had parted ways with the outfit along with his trusted lieutenants and a cache of sophisticated arms two months ago, is believed to have carried out the abduction.

August 20: The Lohardaga District Police arrested three sympathizers of the CPI-Maoist and recovered a huge cache of arms and ammunition. On the basis of a tip-off, the Police conducted raids in different parts of the town and its outskirts and arrested Sandeep Yadav of Raghunandan Lane near Gudri Bazaar, Moise Khan of Kharki Bala Toli, and Amit Singh of Khwas Ambava. A cache of arms and ammunition, including two Chinese and Italian-make pistols, one locally-made revolver, six empty pistol magazines and cartridges of different bore, were recovered from the houses of the three and the residence of Ashok Singh, who, however, managed to escape. A cellular phone and a car belonging to Sandeep were also seized by the Police.

August 21: A villager was shot dead while a couple of houses were damaged by suspected cadres of the CPI-Maoist at Jamua village in the Ghatsila sub-divison of East Singhbhum District.

August 23: Six CPI-Maoist cadres, disguised as pilgrims, were arrested along with 1,100 SLR cartridges after a brief encounter near Silli village on the Silli-Gola road at around 2.30am (IST) on August 23. Senior Superintendent of Police Praveen Kumar said the breakthrough had come after someone tipped them about the ammunition supply. "I have informed my Munger counterpart who is conducting raids to arrest the supplier," Kumar added, saying seven rounds of firing took place before the six persons could be arrested. Those arrested were identified as Bholo Shaw alias David, Pradeep Mahto, Rajesh Kumar Mahto, Prafulla Kumar Mahto, Mandal Das and Murari Hussian. The cartridges, supposed to be handed over to Maoist 'sub-zonal' commander Kundan Pahan were carried from Munger in Bihar in a car escorted by a motorcycle. Kundan Pahan's 'area commander' Budhram Lohra was arrested and a 10 kilograms can bomb was recovered from Barigarha village under Bundu Police station at around 3pm.

The CPI-Maoist has called for a two-day bandh (shutdown), beginning from the midnight of August 23, in the States of Jharkhand, Bihar, Bengal, Orissa and Chhattisgarh to protest against the arrest of its politburo member Anil and central committee member Kartik. Party leader Kishanji told media that the duo was arrested on August 19 while they were traveling in a train from Ranchi to Patna, the capital of Bihar. "We don't know their whereabouts as they have not been produced in court by the police till now," Kishanji said. However, denying the arrest of the extremists, the Director General of Police (Jharkhand) V.D. Ram said, "This is not the first time we are facing a meaningless bandh. We will take all precautions taken during rebel-sponsored bandhs. If we had such a big breakthrough, we would have informed everyone."

August 24: The CPI-Maoist cadres blew up a railway track in the Latehar District. Train services were, consequently, disrupted between the Barwadih-Barkakana route following the incident. About 20 insurgents exploded the track between Kumundi and Hehegarha railway stations, about 150 kilometers from capital Ranchi, the Latehar Railway Station Master P.N. Tiwari said. The blast occurred at 6:30am after the Rajdhani Express crossed the spot at 5:30am. Latehar Superintendent of Police Kuldeep Diwedi, however, said the blast was not targeted at any train.

The Maoists bombed and destroyed two towers in the Palamau District. They blew up a mobile tower. About 50 armed insurgents reached the site of the tower situated on Aurangabad-Medininagar route in the District, stuffed it with explosives before blowing it up, Deputy Superintendent of Police Brajmohan Paswan said in Latehar. The blast left a big crater on the spot, about 200 kilometers from Ranchi, he added.

The Union Home Ministry has asked all Maoist insurgency-affected States to tighten security and intensify vigil against possible strikes by the insurgents on important installations. The alert was sounded within hours of the Maoists' attacks in Jharkhand. There were intelligence inputs to suggest that the Maoists might try to target some important installations like railway property, telecom, roads and power stations, said an unnamed home ministry official, adding that these inputs had been shared with the concerned State Governments.

August 25: The CPI-Maoist cadres blew up a mobile tower in the Latehar District. The extremists went to Lali village, packed explosives inside the tower and triggered the blast, Police said. This is the third mobile tower to be blown up by the Maoists in two days.

The insurgents set ablaze four trucks on the Ranchi-Jamshedpur National Highway, Police said on August 25, adds IANS. One truck driver was also injured. As reported earlier, the CPI-Maoist has called for a two-day bandh (shutdown) in five States, including Jharkhand, to protest the arrest of Anil Kumar, a CPI-Maoist politburo member, and Kartik, a central committee member from Patna, the capital of Bihar. The bandh began August 24.

August 25: Maoists blew up railway tracks between Goelkera and Sonua stations under the Chakradharpur division at around 10.30pm (IST). Though the explosion did not cause much damage, it affected the movement of trains.

August 25-26: Two Policemen were injured in an encounter with the Maoists who set ablaze four trucks near Taimara Ghati on the Ranchi-Jamshedpur road. Senior Superintendent of Police (Ranchi) Praveen Kumar said the trucks were attacked by a Maoist squad that included women. An anti-landmine vehicle carrying 10 personnel of the District Armed Police then reached the spot from Bundu. The extremists opened fire injuring driver Satish Kumar Ohdar. Constable Sukra Oroan returned fire, but was also injured in the shootout.

Maoists in Latehar assaulted the owner of the land on which the Airtel tower, which the Maoists had exploded on August 25, existed when the latter offered resistance. "The rebels branded Santosh Thakur and his son, Sanjay, police informers to justify the punishment," a source said on August 26.

August 26: The CPI-Maoist cadres opened fire at a make shift CRPF camp at Bundu, killing a villager and injuring one CRPF trooper. Armed Maoists attacked the camp located in a school, about 50 kilometres from Ranchi, at around 11pm (IST), Deputy Inspector General of Police, R.K. Mullick, said.

Maoists set ablaze a truck at Manjhidih village between Tamar and Khunti, 70 kilometers from Ranchi.

The CPI-Maoist launched a poster campaign in the Sonua area of West Singhbhum District. The Maoists have demanded an unconditional release of two of their senior leaders - Amitabh Bagchi and Tauhid Mulla. They also demanded that atrocities on the innocent in the name of conducting an anti-insurgency operation in Lalgarh be stopped. Posters were found on the walls of a community hall in Sonua and also on trees in the area.

A local court on August 26 awarded death sentence to two Maoists in the Chatra District in connection with the killing of two Policemen and looting their firearms in 1998. District and Session judge Srikant Rai pronounced the verdict after convicting Krishna Ganju and Ramdeo Mahato of attacking a Police van and killing two Policemen on November 24, 1998 at Atampur village under Simaria Police station in the Chatra District. The duo had also burnt the van and looted their rifles. A son of a night guard was also killed in the incident.

August 26-27: Maoists ambushed a van carrying unarmed personnel of the Special Security Force (SAF) to Netarhat, killing one and injuring another in the Latehar District, Police said on August 27. Six SAF personnel had been to Commander Balvinder Singh's house to pick him back to the camp on August 26 when Maoists fired randomly on them on Netarhat-Mahuatand road near Charmunda Valley, SP Kuldeep Dwiwedi said.

August 28: Four persons, including a 12-year-old girl and a woman, were killed and another injured by the CPI-Maoist cadres who raided a civilian's home on the outskirts of Ranchi.

September 1: An encounter took place between the Police and Maoists at Kalrabera forest under Ghurabandha Police station in the Ghatshila sub-division. The East Singhbhum However, no casualty was reported from either side.

September 2: CPI-Maoist cadres killed a village guard in the Pachmo village under the Mahuatand Police station in Bokaro District. Police sources said the Maoists killed Ramdhani Ganju suspecting him to be a Police informer. The incident occurred when Ganju was attending a function in his village on the occasion of Karma Puja (religious worship). Approximately 100 armed Maoists held Ganju captive and took him to a nearby community building and later chopped off his neck. The Maoists also left behind pamphlets at the spot which said, "Jo mukhbiri karega, uska yehi halat hoga (Police informers would be dealt in a similar manner)." Police later recovered Ganju's body from the incident site.

September 3: Seven Naxalites were arrested after the Police overpowered them following an encounter at Matoli village in the Garwah District, Police said. "During the two-hour gun-battle with the Naxalites of the TPC, 200 rounds were fired from both sides. There was no casualty on either side," said Superintendent of Police (SP) Saket Kumar Singh. Getting a tip-off that a group of TPC activists had congregated near the village, the Police team rushed to the spot around 4pm (IST), triggering the exchange of firing. 11 guns were recovered from their possession, the SP said. The TPC, a breakaway group of the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist), has been engaged in extortion and loot in the area, the SP said.

September 4 : Two CPI-Maoist cadres were killed in an encounter with the Police in the Ranchi District. A gun battle ensued between the two sides when the Maoists opened fire towards a Police picket at Baruhatu forest in the Bundu Police Station area around 1.30am (IST). At least 700 rounds of bullets were fired from automatic and semi-automatic weapons during the encounter that continued for nearly three hours.

An armed squad of the Maoists attacked an abandoned Police picket at Maniadih in the Tundi block (administrative unit), some 40 kilometers from the Dhanbad District headquarters. The insurgents planted two powerful can bombs around 1am, destroying a major portion of the picket. They also opened fire and reportedly shouted slogans against the Police and the administration before leaving the spot. However, no one was injured in the incident.

September 6-7: Five villagers were shot dead by the CPI-Maoist at Pundigiri under Tamar block, 45 kilometers from Ranchi, Police said on September 7. According to the Police, the Maoists raided Pundigiri village in the night of September 6 and abducted the five villagers and took them to a forest where they were shot dead. "Five people were abducted by the Maoist rebels late Sunday night and were shot dead," Jharkhand Police spokesperson S. N. Pradhan said. The bodies were recovered on September 7. "The killed people had Maoist background. The activists killed them on suspicion of passing information about their movement to police," added Pradhan. The victims include two students.

September 7: Cadres of the CPI-Maoist killed two persons, Sajjad Khan and Dinesh Dusadh, at Chutwag village in the Latehar District.

September 9: The fast-track court II of Awdhesh Mal found a CPI-Maoist leader, Shyam Sinku, guilty in an arms case and sentenced him to five years' rigorous imprisonment. Sinku, an 'area commander' of the Ghurabandha region in the Ghatshila sub-division of the East Singhbhum District, was arrested from the same Police station area on June 26, 2006.

September 11: The Jharkhand Government will undertake a pilot project to construct helipads at Police stations in two Districts worst affected by the CPI-Maoist violence. "Under the project, helipads will be constructed at police stations in Palamau and Chatra Districts. These will be used for anti-Maoist operations," S.N. Pradhan, Jharkhand Police spokesperson, told IANS.

September 13: A landmine weighing 30 kilograms was recovered by the Police from Lipta village in the Chatra District. "The landmine was recovered in a Police operation against Maoist rebels in Chatra District. Maoist rebels had planted the landmine to detonate police vehicles," an unnamed Police officer said.

A CPI-Maoist 'area commander', identified as Bheem Singh Korwa alias Dukha Korwa alias Bheem Jee (30), was arrested from a maize field at Gasedaag under Barwadih Police station in the Latehar District. Two bombs of 15 kilograms each and seven of 10 kilograms each, besides 25 live cartridges, 100 metres of electric wire and a poster bearing slogans against recruitment of villagers in India Reserve Battalion were recovered from his possession. Latehar Superintendent of Police Kuldeep Dwivedi said.

September 14: Three CPI-Maoist cadres, identified as Nandu Ganju, Suresh Ganju and Mukesh Paswan, were arrested by the Jharkhand Police from the Konka forest of Mccluskieganj. Police also recovered a single barrel locally-made rifle, a locally-made pistol, Maoist literature, mobile phones and few live cartridges from them. The arrestees were involved in several cases of loot, extortion and murder at different Police Stations in the State.

September 15: Armed CPI-Maoist cadres assaulted five farmers for cultivating their land at Kada village in the Palamau District. The extremists also destroyed paddy and pulse which the farmers had planted. The Maoists had branded the five farmers as Police informers two years ago and ordered them not to cultivate the land located near the Sone river, Superintendent of Police Saket Kumar Singh said. Since then the farmers, who together own about 10 acres of land, did not dare to visit their land for fear of a Maoist attack, sources in the Husseinabad Police station said. However, they resumed ploughing following last week's rains in the face of severe drought in Jharkhand, sources added.

September 16: A CPI-Maoist cadre was lynched when he and a colleague went to a village to extort money and threaten residents in the Segaisai village of West Singhbhum District. While one of them managed to escape, the other was lynched, Police said.

September 17: 2,000 detonators were recovered and three suspected CPI-Maoist sympathisers were arrested from different places in the Hazaribagh and Koderma Districts.

September 19: CPI-Maoist cadres blew up a major portion of a community hall in the Burger Bazaar locality of Bhandaria block in Garhwa District. However, no casualty was reported.

September 22: Seven prisoners, including a CPI-Maoist 'commander', escaped from a court lockup from Khunti District. Around 20 prisoners were brought to the court premises for hearing in different cases and seven broke the window panes of the lockup and managed to escape, taking advantage of the heavy rainfall in the District. According to a Police official, the Policemen responsible for security were trying to shelter from the rainfall and the seven took advantage of this to escape. The Maoist 'commander' who managed to escape faces charges of murder and other serious crimes. Police have launched operations to re-arrest the escaped prisoners.

September 23: A woman cadre of the CPI-Maoist, identified as Sukarmani, was arrested by the Goilkera Police in the same District.

September 25: A security guard was shot dead by suspected Naxalites at Sindri village in the Khunti District. "Chowkidar (guard) Rajendra Mirdha was on duty near Grameen Bank when five Maoists shot him dead and fled the spot," Superintendent of Police, Jatin Narwal told reporters. The dead body of the victim was found on the bank premises with a pamphlet lying next to him. In the pamphlet it was allegedly written that Mirdha was killed as he had helped Police in their operation against Naxalites in the Arki area.

September 26-28: Four PLFI cadres, including an 'area commander', were killed in a clash with the CPI-Maoist in the Gumla District, Police said on September 28. The four PLFI cadres were killed in an encounter at Nawatoli village in the night of September 26, Superintendent of Police Upendra Kumar said. "All the bodies were recovered on Monday morning. One of the deceased was identified as Jayram Gop alias Bhavaniji, a self-styled area commander of PLFI," he said. A rifle and over hundred cartridges were recovered from the spot. The PLFI is having a running feud with the CPI-Maoist in the Gumla, Simdega, Khunti and a part of Ranchi District.

September 27: Maoists set ablaze a dumper and a road roller of a construction company at Jaldega village in the Simdega District in the night. According to Police, the Maoists set ablaze the equipments after their levy demand was denied.

September 28: Five Naxalites, including two top leaders, were arrested from two Districts. Four PLFI cadres were arrested in the night of September 28 from the Semara forest, which falls under Palkot Police station of Gumla District, around 145 kilometers from State capital Ranchi. The arrestees include Pahindra Gope, 'sub-zonal commander' of the group. Police also seized one double barrel gun, two country made pistols and live cartridges from the possession of the arrestees.

In the Lathear District, Police arrested Ajay Ganju, 'sub-zonal commander' of the CPI-Maoist.

September 30: Six CPI-Maoist cadres abducted Police Inspector (Special Branch) Francis Induwar, posted in the Khunti District, when he had gone to a local market at around 5.30pm (IST) to make house-hold purchases. The Khunti District Superintendent of Police, Jatin Marwal, who confirmed the incident, said six extremists, some of them posing as villagers, were involved in the operation. "We gathered from eyewitnesses that the rebels, who were carrying no weapons, surrounded him instantaneously. They then caught hold of him and dragged him away from the market place," Marwal said.

October 2: Birbal Oraon, a 'Deputy Section Commander' of the CPI-Maoist operating in Latehar, was arrested from a place in Latehar. During interrogation, Oraon confessed to blowing up two buildings housing a school and a health centre in April 2009. Oraon was allegedly part of a guerrilla squad that shot dead five Policemen on July 29. "Oraon also admitted that he had made an abortive attempt to target a police van when he fitted a 100-kg bomb under a culvert at Podialana on March 19, 2009," a Police officer said.

October 3: The CPI-Maoist blew up a railway track in the West Singhbhum District at the Jharkhand-West Bengal border. The extremists blew up the railway track near Maharesal railway station under Chakradhapur railway division at around 4.30am (IST). The Maoists have called for a nationwide strike on October 3 to protest the arrests of senior leaders Kobad Ghandy and Chhatradhar Mahato.

October 3-4: Two Policemen were wounded in a two-hour encounter with the CPI-Maoist cadres in the forest of Bundu Block, 45 kilometers from State capital Ranchi, Police said on October 4. An encounter took place at Madhukamdih village under Tamar Police Station in the Ranchi District on October 3 during a search operation launched to rescue the abducted Special Branch Inspector Francis Induwar. Over 500 rounds of fire were exchanged between the two sides. The SFs had rushed to the village on specific information that a Maoist squad had assembled near the native place of the CPI-Maoist 'zonal commander', Kundan Pahan. The Inspector General of Police, S. N. Pradhan, said a combing operation was launched on specific intelligence inputs about the presence of Maoists in the area. "The security forces ultimately forced the Maoists to retreat," he added.

The Maoists have demanded release of their senior leaders, including Kobad Ghandy, as a condition for freeing the abducted Special Branch Inspector Francis Induwar, local media reports said. Samarji, claiming to be 'secretary' of South Chhotanagpur Committee of Jharkhand, called local Hindi newspapers late in the night of October 3 and said, "The abducted Police official of the intelligence department is in our custody. He is safe. He will be released after the arrested leaders - Kobad Ghandy, Chhatradhar Mahto and Chandra Bhushan Yadav - are released." "Do not torture relatives of Kundan Pahan and other people otherwise we will abduct family members of government officials," he added. Police suspect the role of the Kundan Pahan group - active in the border areas of Ranchi, Khuti and Jamshedpur Districts - in the abduction.

October 5: Police claimed to have arrested a woman CPI-Maoist 'commander' in capital Ranchi. The arrestee, whose identity the Police did not disclose immediately, was arrested from a colony situated under Sukhdeonagar Police Station. Police said a Self-Loading Rifle and live cartridges were recovered from her possession.

October 6: The Jharkhand Police said they had found the decapitated dead body of the abducted Police Inspector Francis Enduwar. The Deputy Inspector General of Police, R. K. Malik, said Enduwar's headless body was found at around 9.15am on the Jamshedpur-Ranchi Highway with a note from the Maoists saying that they could expect more of the same treatment if their demands were not met. They claimed full responsibility for the killing of Enduwar. He confirmed that the Maoists had been demanding the release of two of their prominent leaders Kobad Ghandy and Chatrodhar Mahato, who have been arrested by security agencies in Delhi and West Bengal respectively. As reported earlier, the Police official was abducted on September 30. He said that the Maoists had offered to handover three of their cadres in exchange for the release of Enduwar. Enduwar's execution was carried out after the Government refused to release Ghandy.

October 8: The CPI-Maoist called for a two-day shutdown in Bihar and Jharkhand from October 12 in protest against what it alleged was the Centre's effort to put down its campaign using paramilitary forces. The announcement was made through a press release by the spokesman of the Bihar-Jharkhand-Orissa-Chhattisgarh Special Committee, Gopal. The outfit has also been observing a protest-week from October 7 to 13, the release said.

October 9: The CPI-Maoist acknowledged that their cadres carried out the beheading of Police Inspector Francis Induwar in Jharkhand on October 6. Speaking to Times Now, the CPI-Maoist Politburo member Kishenji admitted that his operatives on the ground beheaded Induwar, adding, that they will behead all their real enemies.

The Ranchi SSP, Praveen Kumar, said that people's support to the Maoists in the Bundu and Tamar areas of Ranchi District was emerging as one of the biggest stumbling blocks to anti-Naxalite (left wing extremists) operations. "Whether it is out of fear or otherwise, the support of villagers that the sub-zonal commander, Kundan Pahan, enjoys in the area, has made him almost invincible," he added. As a result, Pahan's intelligence network, comprising villagers, had become quite strong. "Whenever Police are about to conduct raids in the area, Pahan invariably gets wind of it," said the SSP. "We were close to the squad two days ago and an encounter took place in which two of their members were shot. But the bodies were taken away by the other members of the group," said Kumar. Pahan is the prime suspect in the killing of Francis Indwar and Police have launched a massive hunt for him.

October 12: CPI-Maoist cadres blew up a stretch of railway track and set ablaze three trucks in Jharkhand. "They (Maoists) blew up a stretch of railway track around 2.30 am at Jharandih in the Coal belt Industrial Chord section in Dhanbad," Senior Public Relations Officer of the Dhanbad Rail Division, Amrendra Das, told PTI in Dhanbad. The Shaktipunj Express was held up due to blast, he added.

About 12 armed Maoists set ablaze three trucks at around 1am in the Isri area of Giridih District and cut down trees to block road traffic on the Dumri-Giridih road, said the Giridih SP Ravi Kant Dhan. They also partially damaged a road bridge, which connects Dumri to the Grand Trunk Road, using explosives, the SP added.

Hazaribagh SP Pankaj Kamboj said the Maoists partially damaged a road with explosives at Sardalo, bordering Bokaro District.

The Maoists enforced the closure of hundreds of stone mining and crusher units situated in the vast stretch under Shikaripara block of Dumka District by putting up posters at various places in the Pindargarhia and Haripur Chowk, They warned the owners of the stone mine and crusher units to support the shut down failing which they would have to face dire consequences.

As part of the Government's move to fight Maoists on a different plank, Jharkhand - which has been under President's rule since January - has withdrawn over one lakh petty cases slapped on tribals under Forest Conservation Act. The move is aimed at winning the confidence of locals who provide massive support base for the Maoists. "The tribals are running from pillar to post in connection with these cases. So we reviewed the issue with the state government and advised it to withdraw the cases and they did it accordingly," said a senior home ministry official, adding, "We hope that by withdrawing the cases, we would be able to win the goodwill of the tribals and they will help us in the fight against the Naxals." He added, "… This is part of our strategy to deal with the Naxal problem by making the presence of governance felt at the ground level and thereby weeding out Maoist sympathisers who were drawn towards the extremists due to non-governance in several Naxal-affected states." Sources said that other Naxal-affected States had also been asked to withdraw similar cases slapped against tribals. While some of the states had done so, others appeared to be willing to do so when the subject was broached with them during consultation meetings, they added.

A Police Sub-Inspector, Habil Bara, allegedly tried to commit suicide inside his Police Station while being interrogated for his alleged links with Shyam Mahto, an 'area commander' of the CPI-Maoist, in the Kuchai area of Seraikela-Kharsawan District. The Police had earlier in the day arrested two Maoists, identified as Feroj Singh Munda and Lakhan Sardar, from Kuchai. The Police had also seized a pair of whistles, rifle springs and Maoist literature from the two, who were on their way to hand them over to Mahto in Kuchai. During their interrogation, the duo had alleged that Habil Bara had links with Shyam Mahto and he was known to the other Maoists also. Bara was also privy to various "underhand dealings" with them, the duo added. The Seraikela-Kharsawan District Superintendent of Police (SP) Abhishek said, "When we summoned the sub-inspector to the Police station and began interrogating him about his (Maoist) links, he fell sick suddenly. Later, he had to be admitted to hospital," Abhishek said, refusing to confirm or deny that it was a suicide attempt. The SP admitted the allegation that Bara, a resident of Roshanpur village in Sisai in Gumla, used to help the Maoists of Kuchai was serious.

October 13: The CPI-Maoist blew up a school building in the Chatra District. "A group of armed Maoists packed dynamites inside the Nawadih Middle School and triggered the blast, damaging its three rooms," SP, D. B. Sharma, told reporters in Chatra.

Two coal company officers of Amrapara in the Pakur District were shot dead by the CPI-Maoist cadres, while they had gone for a morning walk.

CPI-Maoist cadres opened fire on a pilgrims' bus on G.T. Road at Isri in the Giridih District, injuring 12 passengers. The extremists also lobbed a bomb on the bus which was on way from Kolkata (capital of West Bengal) to Ajmer in Rajasthan.

Maoists blew up a section of the rail track between Jogeshwar Bihar and Dania which resulted in damage to the overhead equipment. According to railway sources, a night patrolman had noticed a three-foot hole, presumably dug for planting explosives, in the down track near the Karmabad station. Further, in the afternoon, a freight train was derailed near Mahua Milan in the Latehar District.

The State Government approved the raising of 20 additional companies of the Jharkhand Jaguar, a special force of the Jharkhand Police constituted to tackle the Maoist insurgency. The decision to raise additional companies was approved by the Advisory Council to Governor K. Sankaranarayanan as the State is under President's rule since January 19, 2009. Principal Secretary Aditya Swaroop said the Advisory Council approved recruitment of 22 officers each in the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police, Inspector and Sub-Inspector. Besides, the force will have 53 assistant Sub-Inspectors, 145 junior Sub-Inspectors, 351 head Constables and 1,258 Constables. The Advisory Council also extended the age limit of woman Constable aspirants in the Jharkhand Police from 28 years to 30 years. As many as 20 companies of the Jharkhand Jaguar are currently deployed in the insurgency-affected areas of the State.

October 15: The CPI-Maoist put up posters claiming responsibility for the killings of Dina Nath Saran, Executive Director of the Panem Coal Mine Project, and Senior Manager Sital Prasad while they were out on a walk on October 13. The posters appeared in the Paharpur area under Amrapara and in the Gummamore and Kuscheera hamlets in Pakur and Gopikander administrative divisions in the Dumka District. The Pakur SP Mohammed Neehal said the posters claimed the duo was killed because of their hostility towards villagers and the anti-people attitude of the Panem Coal Mines at Amrapara. The posters also asked villagers to keep away from the company.

Two Maoists, allegedly involved in the killing of Special Branch Inspector Francis Indwar, were arrested by the Ranchi Police. Vikesh Das alias Vikeshji (22) and Sudhakarji (40) of Haramlohar under Tamar Police Station were arrested on their way home. The SSP, Praveen Kumar, said the duo has revealed the number of Maoists and the group involved in murdering the officer. "During interrogation, they have revealed that the group of Kishore Munda and six Maoists had brought Indwar to Raisa More by tractor and beheaded him at the order of their commander Kundan Pahan," he added. "Vital clues have been received by the arrest of the two active members of the squad, including the list of supporters and informers, especially those who played an important role in the kidnapping and murder of the slain cop," the SSP further said, adding, "Both the Maoists were named accused in the encounter that took place during the search for the slain inspector and the one that took place after the killing and they have even confirmed that two of their senior comrades have been shot. They have revealed that as police had launched an intensive combing-cum-search operation in the area to rescue the slain Policeman, these Maoists were continuously getting information about the movement from their sympathizers in each village and kept shifting their hostage from one place to another."

October 17: A makeshift structure, once used by the state irrigation department, was blown up by the CPI-Maoist cadres at Bansua village near Sonua block (administrative division) in the West Singhbhum District. Confirming the incident, West Singhbhum SP Akhilesh Kumar Jha said the structure had been put up six years ago, but was abandoned later. "The incident took place past midnight, but we only got to know of it early this morning. We immediately started long-range patrolling in Sonua and Goelkera jungles as well as combing operations in Bansua village to apprehend the rebels responsible," Jha added. He also said that Police or paramilitary forces had never used the structure for anti-insurgency operations in Saranda or Sonua. He said the extremists might have blown up the structure anticipating its use by the Police in future. Further, an intelligence source said, "Right from the time the Naxalites entered Saranda forest nine years ago, they have blown up each and every forest guesthouse in the area. They wanted to ensure that the police or paramilitary forces did not use forest guesthouses or lodges to take shelter."

October 20: Three persons were killed and six others critically injured when the CPI-Maoist cadres attacked Rajpur village in the Chatra District. The dead, identified as Umesh Mali, head of a SPM, a splinter group of the CPI-Maoist, Umesh Singh Bhokta, a local leader of the Lokjanshakti Party, and Ranjit Rajjak, were watching a cultural programme near Rajpur Middle School at around 2am (IST), when a group of armed Maoists fired on them, District Superintendent of Police Deo Bihari Sharma said. The condition of all the injured, including a Police driver, is stated to be critical, he said. Samay Live, however, put the death toll at four.

October 19: A joint Police team of Dumka and Pakur Districts arrested six persons in connection with the Maoist posters put up recently claiming the responsibility of killing two top-ranking officials of the Panem coal mine. In the posters put up at different places in the Amrapara and Gopikandar block (administrative division) areas a couple of days after the incident, the Maoists had taken the responsibility of killing the two Panem officials for their alleged role in exploiting the displaced persons where the coal mine is situated. The arrested persons were identified as Nandlal Bhagat, Bablu Bhagat and Gopin Murmu of Kuschira village under the Gopikandar police station of the District and Sunil Bhagat, Ganpati Rajak and Vrindavan Pandit of Amrapara. As reported earlier, the executive director of the Panem coal mine, D Saran, and assistant mining manager Sheetal Prasad, shot dead by the suspected Maoists on October 12 while they went for a morning walk.

October 19-20: A businessman, identified as Mahendra Prasad Mittal, was killed by a Naxalite (left wing extremist) leader in Lohardaga District. Police said on October 20 that the man who killed businessman Mahendra Prasad Mittal in Lohardaga on October 19 was Manjitji, an 'area commander' of the recently formed Chhattisgarh-Jharkhand Simant Committee (CJSC) - a splinter group of the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) - and a close aide of the CJSC chief Sanjay Yadav. "Mittal was shot dead by Manjit at his office. His brother Narendra said he did not have any threat to his life. But investigation has revealed that Mittal had been threatened a number of times by Manjit and his group," said Subodh Prasad, Lohardaga Superintendent of Police, adding, that Mittal and his business associates had never taken Police into confidence on such issues.

The CPI-Maoist cadres set ablaze two vehicles of a local Jharkhand Mukti Morcha leader at Kurund village in Latehar District, police said on October 20, according to PTI. A group of armed Maoists reached the house of JMM's Latehar District youth President Amrit Joi Kujur in the night of October 19 and used inflammable substance to set ablaze his tractor. Kujur, however, was not at home. The Maoists also took away his jeep to Gumla where they set it ablaze, sources said.

October 23: Suspected CPI-Maoist cadres abducted and killed two former cadres of a rival outfit, TPC, at Chando village of Palamau District. Sources said that about 20 suspected Maoists abducted Pappu Singh and Mohammad Ansari from their houses and shot them on the outskirts of the village. The bodies were recovered this morning, Police said, adding a note left by the killers accused the duo of working as Police informers. Refuting the allegations, Police said Singh and Ansari were earlier cadres of another Naxal outfit, the TPC. The CPI-Maoist is engaged with a turf war with the TPC.

October 25: Four CPI-Maoist cadres were killed and three others arrested during an encounter with the SFs at Jonha, about 40 kilometres from capital Ranchi, Police said. Following a tip off about Maoists' movement taking place towards Purulia District in the neighbouring State of West Bengal, the SFs laid a trap by putting blockades at various places. "We had placed blockades at six places which were there continuously for the past 2 days. We were successful near Jonha area where following an encounter four Maoists were killed, though we have only found one body. The search operation is on to find rest of the Maoists. We have found three rifles, backpacks, their vehicle, a motorcycle and lot of ammunitions," said Praveen Kumar, Senior Superintendent of Police (Ranchi). Police also confirmed of having arrested three Maoists.

October 26: The prime suspect behind the beheading of Special Intelligence branch inspector Francis Induwar, Kundan Pahan, might be among the four CPI-Maoist, cadres injured in an encounter near Jonha, about 35 kilometres from State capital Ranchi. "As per our information, Kundan Pahan is among the Maoists who were injured during the encounter that took place at Jonha near Angara yesterday," Senior Superintendent of Police, Praveen Kumar said on October 26. Pahan managed to escape, he said, adding he and his associates were trying to cross over borders when they were spotted. As many as four companies of paramilitary and police forces are scouring the forests of Ranchi and Khunti Districts to trace the injured or dead Maoists, Kumar added.

October 27: Maoists blew up two schools in the Giridih District. The Maoists packed explosives inside Upgraded Haridih School and Upgraded Dharpahari School, damaging the structures, Police said. There was no loss of life in the incident.

October 27: Suspected cadres of the TPC, a rival faction of the CPI-Maoist, abducted a Government official from Hazaribgah District. According to Police, suspected TPC cadres abducted Nirmal Toppo, circle officer of Keredari block (administrative division) of Hazaribgah District, when he had gone to inspect development work in a rural area. "Keradari block circle officer Nirmal Toppo was returning to Hazaribagh after his office hours when a group of armed men stopped his vehicle between Keradari and Barkakana and abducted him and his driver. The driver was later freed," said Superintendent of Police Pankaj Kamboj.

An indefinite shutdown called by a pro-Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) organisation affected normal life in five districts of Jharkhand on October 27. The shutdown was effective in Ranchi, Ramgarh, Gumla and Simdoga Districts. Vehicular traffic and the rail traffic were particularly affected.

October 28-29: CPI-Maoist cadres set ablaze the house of a cadre for breaking away, the Latehar Police said on October 29. Armed Maoists went to the house of Chetanji at Gurgu village under Latehar Police Station and asked his family members to leave, before setting it ablaze in the night of October 28, the Police said. Chetanji was the 'sub-zonal commander' of the CPI-Maoist before joining the Jharkhand-Chhattisgarh Simant Committee, a breakaway faction of the CPI-Maoist. The Latehar District Superintendent of Police (SP), Kuldeep Dwivedi, said that Jharkhand Chhattisgarh Seemant Prastuti Committee was commanded by a former CPI-Maoist cadre, adds Telegraph. "The outfit is active in the bordering area of Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh. It has been constituted by Sanjay Yadav, who left CPI-Maoist with his supporters six months ago," Dwivedi added.

Police arrested an 'area commander' of the PLFI, a breakaway faction of the CPI-Maoist, from Dugduga village under the Basia Police Station of the Gumla District in the night of October 28. The Police also recovered a locally-made pistol and two cartridges of .303 bore from his possession. The Gumla District SP, N. K. Singh, said on October 29 that a joint team of the Basia and Kamdara Police stations arrested the insurgent, identified as Vijay Tete alias Vishalji, after being tipped off that he had visited his wife's home in the same village. Tete, who belongs to Dugduga village, had joined the outfit about three years ago and was a confidant of the PLFI chief Dinesh Gope. Tete was elevated to the rank of a 'sub-zonal commander' after the Basia Police arrested his predecessor Bhaiyaram Oraon from capital Ranchi recently. His area of operation extended up to Basia and Kamdara in Gumla, Karra in Khunti and Lapung in Ranchi District, the SP said, adding that Tete's squad was also active in some parts of Bihar, including Gaya. The SP said that Tete disclosed the names of his squad members during interrogation. Besides, the arrested PLFI cadre also gave an account of the weapons, which include two rifles, a semi-rifle, a gun and two pistols, possessed by his squad. The SP claimed that the PLFI is now on the verge of extinction with many of its top leaders already arrested.

October 29: West Singhbhum Police arrested two CPI-Maoist involved in looting explosives from bordering Orissa's Sundergarh District in July 2009 and defused a bomb they had planted on a road used by the SFs combing the Saranda forest. The two extremists were arrested in the night of October 29 from Thalkobad, around 80 kilometres from the District headquarters of Chaibasa, by the Police and Central Reserve Police Force who were on long range patrolling. The two later confessed they were members of the outlawed CPI-Maoist and were in platoon No. 22 of the outfit that was active in Saranda. The duo then took the Police to a spot on Karampada-Thalkobad Road in Jamboiburu where they had planted a powerful can bomb. The Police later defused the bomb.

Following the arrest, the Police also recovered the cell-phone of sub-inspector Ajit Bardhan who was killed by Maoists when they ambushed the Police party escorting the truck carrying the explosives in July 2009. Confirming the arrests made after the two were brought to Jamboiburu in Saranda's Manoharpur Police Station area, the West Singhbhum District Superintendent of Police (SP), Akhilesh Kumar Jha, said, "After Bardhan's mobile phone was recovered, we interrogated the duo. They confessed to being involved in looting the explosives-laden truck in Rourkela." However, they could not reveal where the explosives had been taken by the Maoists. The SP said the Police believed the two arrested extremists, Gopal Munda and Etewa Oraon, could provide information about Maoists hiding in Saranda and elsewhere in West Singhbhum.

October 30: Maoist leader Ajay Kanu, who was the mastermind of 2005 Jehanabad jail break, was brought to Hazaribgah and produced in the court of chief judicial magistrate B.N. Pandey in an arms and ammunition case. He was forwarded to Hazaribgah Central Jail.

October 31: A villager was injured when a stray bullet hit him during an exchange of fire between Police and the Maoists at Daniya village situated on the foothill of Jhumra under Gomia block of the Bokaro District. The Bokaro SP, Saket Singh, said the Police are trying to ascertain whether Argaria is a villager or a Maoist. He said that the victim's presence at the spot has raised suspicion against him. The SP said that Security Force personnel from the District Police and the Central Reserve Police Force were conducting a search operation in the nearby forests when Maoists suddenly opened fire on them. "In retaliation, the security personnel opened 15 rounds of fire. The gun battle did not last for long as the Maoists retreated in haste," he added.

Another group of the CPI-Maoist cadres went to Sanjay Yadav's house, asked his family members to vacate the house, doused it with inflammable substance before setting it ablaze, reported Outlook. Yadav, who was not at home, had recently broken away from the CPI-Maoist to join the Jharkhand-Chhattisgarh Simant Committee.

October 31-November 1: The CPI-Maoist cadres shot dead a person and set ablaze a house in separate incidents in the Latehar District, Police said. The Police recovered the bullet-riddled dead body of Surendra Nagasia from Mahuadand village in the morning. The armed insurgents forcibly took away Nagasia from his home to Bota Chowk near the village at around 10.30pm on October 31 and fired two shots in his head, Police said. They left a note in which they accused Nagasia of raping a woman recently.

Police claimed to have killed several Maoists in a five-hour encounter in the dense forests of Sarwaha in Hazaribgah in the night of October 31. The Security Forces are tracking blood stains to reach the fleeing Maoists, the SP Pankaj Kamboj said on November 1.

November 1-2: The Police arrested five Naxalites, including a 'sub-zonal commander' of the TPC, a rival group of the CPI-Maoist, at Manjariyatoli village under Dumri Police station in the Gumla District in the night of November 1. A cache of arms and ammunition were also seized during the raid. One of those arrested was identified as Vishwanath Gaunjhu alias Bisheshanji, a TPC 'sub-zonal commander' of Lohardaga and a resident of Heshawar village in Latehar District. Gaunjhu was involved in as many as 10 criminal cases, including six cases lodged with the Balumath Police Station. The others were identified as armed squad members of the TPS, Mohamed Israfil Alam, Johnson Ekka, Sanjana Minz and Abhas Ekka, the Gumla SP Narendra Kumar Singh said on November 2. The SP said on getting a tip-off that the TPC members had arrived at Manjariyatoli to collect levy from someone, a Police team rushed to the village in the night of November 1 and laid a trap. All five TPC members were arrested without any encounter, the SP added. Police also recovered two .315 rifles, two country made pistols, some live cartridges, TPC letter pads, a diary containing the names of TPC members and other vital information about the outfit, mobile sets, pamphlets and other documents during the raid. Gaunjhu was involved in as many as 10 criminal cases, including six cases lodged with the Balumath Police Station, the SP said. Meanwhile, sources said that the TPC is trying to establish its network in Latehar, particularly in the Chainpur-Dumri area.

November 2: Maoists put up posters in the Latehar District calling upon people to spurn the initiatives of the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the Congress President Sonia Gandhi and the Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram. The posters, that had CP-Maoist written below, also asked the people to stay away from the democratic process. "We did not see who pasted these posters. The posters read 'push back Sonia Gandhi and other leaders'," said Virendra, a local villager. The he first phase of the elections for the Jharkhand Legislative Assembly is scheduled to begin from November 25.

November 3: Maheshwar Oraon, an 'area commander' of the Peoples' Liberation Front of India (PLFI), a rival faction of the CPI-Maoist, who was active in the eastern zone of Gumla Sadar Police Station was killed by villagers.

The Police of Bundu Police Station seized a car near Nawadeh in which three persons were travelling with huge quantity of explosive materials. The arrestees were identified as Jubour alias Muna Singh of Khunti, Gudu and Hemant of Siwan (Bihar). The seized explosives were reportedly for supply to the Kundan Pahan group of the CPI-Maoist.

Adequate security deployment would be made during the five-phase Legislative Assembly elections in Jharkhand beginning on November 25, the Chief Election Commissioner Navin B. Chawla said in capital Ranchi. "They (security personnel) are in adequate number," Chawla told a press conference when asked about the security arrangements during elections in the Maoist insurgency-affected Districts.

November 3-4: The CPI-Maoist cadres shot dead an activist of JPC, a rival group of the CPI-Maoist, on the Panki-Balumath road in Palamau District, the Police said on November 4. In the night of November 3, about 30 Maoists went to the house of Bhagat Yadav, an alleged activist of the JPC, and took him to the road before firing two shots, killing him on the spot, the Deputy Superintendent of Police, N. K. Lal, said. He also said that the dead body was recovered in the morning of November 4 and the Maoists had left a note claiming responsibility.

November 4: Police arrested three persons in Ranchi District for supplying lethal arms and ammunition to the Maoists. During a search operation in the jurisdiction of Namkum Police Station, the Police personnel came to know about an inter-state gang working with links in West Bengal. The explosives seized included ammonium nitrate and detonators that could be used by the Maoists for attacks on the State machinery. Praveen Kumar, Senior Superintendent of Police, said, "A group which used to supply explosives has been identified and the leader of the group Mohammed Zubaid and other two arms suppliers named Mohammed Guddu and Hemant Kumar, both of them the residents of Asansol, have also been arrested." The arrested persons with Maoist links were involved in a series of incidents and other acts of sabotage directed against the local and central Government, Police said.

November 5: The CPI-Maoist expelled 10 of its cadres over poll participation in Jharkhand. A spokesperson of the party's Bihar Jharkhand and North Chhattisgarh Area Sub-Committee, Gopal, said that 10 cadres have been expelled for indulging in anti-organizational work as well as for taking a keen interest in the upcoming election, which the Maoists have been opposing and boycotting altogether. Sources said this is the first ever occasion when the expulsion of as many as 10 Maoists has been announced.

November 5-6: The CPI-Maoist cadres rebels blew up a school building in the Chatra District, Police said on November 6. The extremists blew up a middle school building at Asona village of Chatra late in the night of November 5. Around 20 to 25 Maoists blew up the school building by using detonators and explosives, an unnamed Police officer said. The officer said the insurgents blew up the building to prevent stay of Security Force personnel during the assembly polls scheduled this month and the next. The Maoists have blown up more than 30 school buildings in Jharkhand in the last five years, the report added.

November 8: The Lohardaga Police were engaged in three gun battles with the Naxalites at three different places along the District's border with Latehar under the Kisko Police Station. The Lohardaga SP Subodh Prasad, who led the Police in taking on cadres of the JCSC, a breakaway faction of the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist), said the extremists were led by Sanjay Yadav. The SP said Police recovered three Motorola walkie-talkie sets and a transistor-type device whose function was not known. "After a Maoist-related incident at Navagarh village in the neighbouring Latehar district two days back, we despatched a team of District Armed Police and CRPF [Central Reserve Police Force] personnel to the area led by Senha and Kisko police stations officer-in-charges - Police Constable Deogam and Sunil Kumar Tiwari - respectively. It was a preventive step to check the rebels from entering Lohardaga district. The police team detected rebels led by Sanjay Yadav trying enter the district near Siram village of Kisko block which resulted in the first encounter at Siram around noon," the SP added. It was then the joint CRPF and police team informed nearest police pickets at Makka and Richughuta and asked help of additional forces to surround the escaping Maoists. "I requested Latehar SP Kuldeep Dwiwedi to send his nearest forces and rushed towards the spot. I joined the police team from Richughuta police picket who had by then engaged the Maoists in the second encounter near Makka, while the third encounter with forces from the Makka police picket took place at a place between Makka and Peshrar," the SP further said. He said Police forces from both Lohardaga and Latehar were conducting search operations in their respective areas to arrest the Maoists who were on the run. There was no casualty on either side, the SP added.

November 10: The CPI-Maoist cadres blew up a school building at Banbirua in the Latehar District, the SP, Kuldip Diwedi, said on November 10. A group of armed Maoists stuffed dynamite and triggered the blast late in the night of November 9 in the school at Banbirua, the SP added. There is no loss of life in the incident, he added. Maoists blew up the structure to prevent the Security Forces from making it a make-shift camp during the ensuing 5-phase Legislative Assembly elections starting on November 25, the police added.

November 9-10: The CPI-Maoist cadres blew up a school building at Kona village in the Latehar District, Police said on November 10. The school was blown up in the night of November 9 using detonators and explosives, a Police official said. As reported earlier another school was blown up in the Banbirua village in the same night. The extremists left behind pamphlets saying the buildings had been blown up to prevent the Security Forces from using them as make-shift camps during the forthcoming Legislative Assembly elections. The five-phase poll begins on November 25.

November 12: Three labourers, including one Munshi, engaged in construction of Government building were abducted by suspected Naxalites in the night from Karuakala village in Garhwa. In this case hand of Maoists is suspected.

The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Ramchandra Singh, who was a member of the last Jharkhand Legislative Assembly, was abducted by a group of 25 CPI-Maoist cadres at Manika in the Latehar District, Police sources said. Singh, accompanied by six of his supporters, was returning home after attending a function when he was intercepted by his abductors. Police sources suspect that Maoists from the neighbouring State of Chhattisgarh abducted the RJD leader.

November 14: Police neutralised a base camp of the Maoists at Sarjamurmu forest located on the border of Angara and Namkum Police Stations in Ranchi District. The Maoists had, however, deserted the camp two days ago. The Police recovered some camouflaged fatigues, medicine packets, Maoist literature, books on jungle warfare tactics and a few maps from the camp located on a hillock about 40 metres in height. Earlier in the evening of November 13, the Police had arrested two women Maoists and a sympathizer who supplied provisions to the insurgents at their base camp. The supplier, Goverdhan Munda, was coming from the base camp along with the two women cadres, Sulochana Munda and Sangeeta Munda, when they were arrested. The three persons, who were on their way to Angara, told the Police that about 80 Maoists stayed at the base camp. Ranchi Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Praveen Kumar said," Sulochana Munda is the wife of Sanjay Pramanik alias Doctorji, the third-in-command of Platoon-39 of the CPI-Maoist. On the basis of revelations made by the arrested persons, the Police raided the base camp on Saturday." He added that Pramanik, who led a local guerrilla squad, a sub-group of Platoon-39, was wanted in connection with several high-profile cases executed by the CPI-Maoist in the past couple of years. "Pramanik earned the sobriquet of Doctorji since he was a para-medical staff and had been running a clinic at Bundu for the past two-and-a-half year. Later, he became an active member of the guerrilla squad," the SSP said. The SSP said that the arrested women cadres have given vital information to the Police about the whereabouts of the members of the guerrilla squad, adding, "We hope to make more arrests soon." Talking about the whereabouts of guerrilla squad leader Kundan Pahan, the SSP said that he (Pahan) managed to escape under the cover of darkness following a fierce encounter with the Police at Angara on October 25.

November 16: The Maoists attacked a security camp at Khudisar under Dumri Police Station, where the SFs were stationed for election duty. About 200 Maoists attacked the security camp and exchanged fire with the SFs. However, no one was injured. Vehicles of two election campaigners were also attacked and glass panes were damaged. The tyres of the cars were also punctured.

November 17: An armed squad of the CPI-Maoist shot dead one of their fellow cadres after calling him out from his home at Barudih village in the Nimdih block of Seraikela-Kharsawan District. Sources said at 1.30am, about 12 Maoists turned up at 35-year old Shivraj Singh Sardar's house and called him outside. Subsequently, two Maoists opened fire at him before escaping into nearby forests. Sardar is reported to have died on the spot. According to sources, Shivraj Singh Sardar was killed because of a dispute over levy collection. The Seraikela-Kharsawan District Superintendent of Police (SP), Abhishek, said the killing was carried out by the CPI-Maoist 'area commander' Arup Mochi's squad that is active in Dalma, Patamda and Nimdih. "It is the same squad that had killed Naxalite leader and former MCC [Maoist Communist Centre] area commander Bhola Singh Sardar," the SP said. A case against Mochi and others has been filed.

Armed cadres of the CPI-Maoist attacked a school building at Taliya near Barwadda Police Station of Dhanbad District and forced the teachers and students to leave the premises. The school was a temporary accommodation for Security Forces (SFs) during the forthcoming Legislative Assembly elections. According to Police, Maoists entered Taliya Vansthali High School at 11.30pm and assaulted the night guard and cook of the hostel. They also assaulted a school teacher for allowing the SFs to take shelter for the election. The Maoists later put up posters asking people to boycott the elections and not allow the SFs to stay in the schools and colleges. Elections are farce, the posters said.

The Maoists have issued an election boycott call at several places in and around the Dhanbad and Giridih Districts despite the fact that six Maoists leaders are contesting the Legislative Assembly elections, according to Times of India. They are also not allowing other candidates to campaign at Rajganj and Dumri in Dhanbad and Giridih Districts, respectively. Armed Maoists have issued a call to boycott the elections at Tealiya, Palma, Jatipur, Nawda, Bagaro, Harladih and Maniyadih villages of Dhanbad. The Maoist posters have demanded punishment to the Police officers committing atrocities on tribals and alleged that the Police provoke violence in many parts of Jharkhand. They also talked of corruption in the National Rural Employment Guarantee Schemes in villages and asked the people to boycott the election.

The Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel deployed on election duty in Jharkhand for tackling Maoist subversion have been asked not to consume water from wells and ponds as it could be laced with poison, reports Zee News. "We have specific intelligence inputs that water bodies might be poisoned by the ultras to cause harm to the para-military forces. Hence, we have asked our jawans to avoid drinking water from such points and be extra cautious," a RPF source said. About 40 companies of the RPF and Railway Special Protection Force personnel have been deployed for checking Maoist activities in Jharkhand. About 25,000 para-military personnel will be deployed for the five-phase Assembly elections in Jharkhand which are scheduled to be held in November and December 2009.

November 18: Four suspected Maoists, one of whom is stated be an expert in bomb-making, were arrested in the Latehar District. "Subhas Sao of the CPI-Maoist is an expert in making can bombs. The police caught him at Hutar village along with two cans, pencil batteries and two plastic jars required to make explosives," Superintendent of Police Kuldip Dwivedi told reporters in Latehar. A separate Police team arrested three activists of the Jharkhand Prastuti Committee under Barwadih Police Station, he said, adding, that two guns and cartridges were seized from their possession.

November 19: At least 20 residents of a village in West Singhbhum District were reported missing since November 19-night, official sources said. Block Development Officer Arvind Kumar Lal said the residents of Durgasahi village in the Goilkera Police Station area were all members of the Gram Raksha Samiti (village guard committee) which guards the village from Maoist attacks. Intelligence sources said the persons were abducted by the Maoists.

November 20: Two passengers were killed and over 47 others injured when eight bogies of the Tata-Bilaspur passenger train derailed after the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) cadres blew up railway tracks in the night of November 19 in West Singhbhum District. Railway minister Mamata Banerjee said that the train comprised 10 coaches of which five derailed and three toppled over as also the engine. She said two bodies were found in a overturned bogie, while 47 passengers were injured. Six passengers were trapped in another capsized bogie. Three passengers have been rescued so far as rescuers were using gas cutters to gain entry to the coaches, three of which were badly damaged, Banerjee added.

The blast occurred between Manohar and Posoita railway stations just in front of the engine of the train, some 20 minutes after a pilot engine had passed. Banerjee said, "Maoists blew up a portion of a railway track which caused the derailment. There were also three to four blasts nearby to deter rescuers."

The CPI-Maoist cadres shot dead a ration dealer in the Latehar District. Latehar Deputy Superintendent of Police Ashwini Kumar said about 20 armed Maoists took the ration dealer Kedar Baitha, whom they suspected to be a Police informer, to Maruhao village and killed him.

Six Policemen, including the officer-in-charge (OC) of Gurabandha Police Station, were injured in a landmine blast triggered by the CPI-Maoist at Bhakad in East Singhbhum District. The Policemen were returning to the Police Station on an anti-landmine vehicle following regular patrolling in Naxal-hit areas when the landmine exploded injuring six of them, including Gurabandha Police Station OC Indu Bhusan Kumar, Sub-Divisional Police Officer (Ghatsila) Anup Birtheray said.

The Maoist bandh (shut down) reportedly paralysed rural life in the State. The shut down was called by the Maoists in protest against the recent arrest of their leader Ashok Mahato and upcoming assembly polls in the State. Jharkhand Police spokesperson and Inspector General (Human Rights) V. H. Deshmukh said the bandh was by and large peaceful except for the incidents that occurred before the bandh began.

Following November 19 attack on a passenger train in Ghagra, the Maoists apologised saying it was carried out by ''overzealous new recruits''. Samarji, 'secretary' of the Bihar-Jharkhand-Orissa regional committee of the CPI-Maoist, said on November 20, ''Why should we kill the common man for no reason? They are our assets as we bank on them for our movement and the movement is also meant for them only.'' The party will ensure that common man is not targeted in future, he added. Talking to Times of India, Samarji said there was no plan to blow up the railway tracks initially and it was carried out by ''overzealous'' new recruits against whom the party would take appropriate action. As reported earlier, two passengers were killed and over 47 others injured when eight bogies of the Tata-Bilaspur passenger train derailed after the CPI-Maoist cadres blew up railway tracks in the night of November 19 in West Singhbhum District.

November 20-21: Maoists blew up a house of their former colleague at Charkakala village in the Chatra District, police said on November 21. A group of Maoists went to the residence of Nehal Khan, asked his family members to vacate the house and triggered a dynamite blast in the night of November 20, Superintendent of Police (SP) D. B. Sharma said. Khan was not at his house when the incident occurred. A note left by Maoists accused Khan of running away with their money.

November 21: Police seized a huge cache of explosives from an area under Pratappur Police Station. The Chatra SP D. B. Sharma said that the seizure was made when Police, during long-range patrolling, came across three persons carrying sacks and wires at a jungle near Kalhibar village. When the Police personnel asked the men to stop, they escaped while leaving behind the sacks and wires, he said. On checking the sacks, Police recovered 10 kilograms ammonium nitrate, 110 detonators, 40-metres of fuse wire, 10 metres of electric wire and other equipment used for making improvised explosive devices (IEDs). Police had tip-off of that Maoists plan to create disturbances during the poll and intensive search and combing operations was launched in the area ahead of the polls, the SP added.

The Lohardaga District Police arrested a Maoist, identified as Vardan Minz (45), son of one Tiyus Minz and resident of Narauli village under Bhandra Police Station. The Lohardaga SP Subodh Prasad said Minz was wanted in about a dozen Maoist-related cases in the District and adjoining areas. At least eight cases, including the killing of a chowkidar (guard) on January 25, 2001, have pending against him at the Bhandra Police Station. One case each was reported to be pending against him in Lohardaga town and Sisai Police Station of Gumla District. The SP said Minz had shifted his base to Kolkata and was working there. "Acting on a tip off, we managed to arrest him when he came to meet his family," the SP added.

November 22: Two CRPF personnel and a Police driver were killed and six others injured in a twin landmine blast triggered by the CPI-Maoist near Lapung village under Bishunpur Police Station of Gumla District. Sources said the landmines, connected in series, exploded simultaneously completely damaging the anti-landmine vehicle in which the Security Force personnel were travelling. While head constable Pramod Kumar Singh and Constable Arvind Sarkar of the CRPF (D-41 Battalion) died on the spot, District Police driver Prakash Minz, who was driving the anti-landmine vehicle, succumbed to his injuries later. The CRPF Deputy Inspector General Alok Raj said the blasts occurred when the CRPF personnel were on their way from Gumla town to Jorri village under Bishunpur Police Station following the blowing up of a primary health centre (PHC) at the village by Maoists late the night of November 21. "It appears that the Maoists lay in wait to ambush the security personnel after damaging the PHC," Raj added.

A total of 14 security personnel, including the Police driver, were travelling in the vehicle when Maoist triggered the blasts. The intensity of the blasts were such that it threw the CRPF vehicle 10-feet in the air and created a huge crater at the spot. "Though security personnel were wearing protection gear, the impact of the explosions led to the death of three securitymen," Jharkhand Police spokesperson and Inspector General (human rights) V. H. Deshmukh said. "The Maoists are trying to disrupt the poll process and even announced to boycott the polls. We have information that Maoists could disrupt the poll process and hence intensive anti-Maoist operations are being launched," he added. The D-41 battalion was earlier stationed in Bhopal had been deployed in Gumla District on November 16 for conduct of assembly elections scheduled on December 2. Assembly polls would be held in the State in five phases from November 27 to December 18.

Police arrested Mohammed Irshad, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha's Bundu block president and his two associates, Sukhdeo Swansi and Haradhan Lohra, under the Unlawful Activity (Prevention) Act, for supply of goods to the Maoists. They were allegedly involved in supplying explosives to the CPI-Maoist 'zonal commander' Kundan Pahan, whose area of influence lies in Bundu and Tamar block of Ranchi District. After a tip off, a Police team intercepted a Bolero (JH01R-4724) and took Irshad, Swansi and Lohra into custody after the search carried out by it led to recovery of goods including 20 flash guns of camera, one bundle of wire, two soldering equipments, more than two dozen Durocell batteries and one charger which were used in manufacturing of the land mines. According to the report the supplier was based in Ranchi. "We have already traced him and hope to arrest him soon," a Police official said. "There is a large plan by terrorists to plant landmines…They use camera flashes, wires, switches, holders, batteries in landmines and then exploding them. There are also a large number of woollen clothes and shoes. An accomplice of terrorists along with his colleagues was taking the entire material to Bundu from Ranchi," said Praveen Kumar, Superintendent of Police (Ranchi), adds ANI. Assembly elections are being held in Jharkhand in five phases beginning November 25.

November 23: Suspected CPI-Maoist cadres blew up three schools in Palamu and one in Giridih District. Maoists used dynamite to blow up a Government middle school and an aided high school at Dhakchha village in the Hariharganj block (administrative division) and a Government middle school at Koo-koo Kalan village in the Chhatarpur block of Palamu District. The Manjhladih Middle School at Dumri in the Giridih District was also blown up.

November 24: Armed Maoists set ablaze an election vehicle of All Jharkhand Students' Union candidate Vinod Kumar at Jashpur, 15 kilometres from Giridih town after asking the occupants to run away and not to come again in the area.

Four Maoist sympathisers were arrested on the border of Chatra and Hazaribgah for carrying arms and ammunition in the last 24 hours. Hazaribgah Sadar Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Naushad Alam said the insurgents, arrested from Garukhurha village, near Itkhori, had four rifles and live cartridges in their possession. The consignment was meant for 'sub-zonal commanders' of the little-known Jharkhand Sanyukta Morcha, a breakaway faction of the CPI-Maoist. The group was travelling in an SUV that had a tampered number plate. DSP (rural) Sangeeta Kumari said Morcha chief Rampati Ganjhu had been arrested in Ranchi two years ago and sent to Chatra prison. Reorganising a team even from behind bars, Ganjhu ordered his men to supply arms to 'sub-zonal commanders' Nageshwar Ganjhu alias Nagji and Chamra Munda alias Sudhirji. Three of the arrested insurgents - identified as Ram Nandan Prasad, Sanjay Kumar and Awadh Kumar, all residents of Gaya - confessed that they had supplied bullets to Nagji and Sudhirji in the past, too. The DSP (rural) said the SUV belonged to the fourth, Santosh Kumar, who pleaded innocent.

November 22: Police arrested Mohammed Irshad, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha's Bundu block president and his two associates, Sukhdeo Swansi and Haradhan Lohra, under the Unlawful Activity (Prevention) Act, for supply of goods to the Maoists, Indian Express reported. They were allegedly involved in supplying explosives to the CPI-Maoist 'zonal commander' Kundan Pahan, whose area of influence lies in Bundu and Tamar block of Ranchi District. After a tip off, a Police team intercepted a Bolero (JH01R-4724) and took Irshad, Swansi and Lohra into custody after the search carried out by it led to recovery of goods including 20 flash guns of camera, one bundle of wire, two soldering equipments, more than two dozen Durocell batteries and one charger which were used in manufacturing of the land mines. According to the report the supplier was based in Ranchi. "We have already traced him and hope to arrest him soon," a Police official said. "There is a large plan by terrorists to plant landmines…They use camera flashes, wires, switches, holders, batteries in landmines and then exploding them. There are also a large number of woollen clothes and shoes. An accomplice of terrorists along with his colleagues was taking the entire material to Bundu from Ranchi," said Praveen Kumar, Superintendent of Police (Ranchi), adds ANI. Assembly elections are being held in Jharkhand in five phases beginning November 25.

November 23: Suspected CPI-Maoist cadres blew up three schools in Palamu and one in Giridih District in the night. Maoists used dynamite to blow up a Government middle school and an aided high school at Dhakchha village in the Hariharganj block (administrative division) and a Government middle school at Koo-koo Kalan village in the Chhatarpur block of Palamu District. The Manjhladih Middle School at Dumri in the Giridih District was also blown up.

November 24: Armed Maoists set ablaze an election vehicle of All Jharkhand Students' Union candidate Vinod Kumar at Jashpur, 15 kilometres from Giridih town, in the morning after asking the occupants to run away and not to come again in the area.

Four of their Maoist sympathisers were arrested on the border of Chatra and Hazaribgah for carrying arms and ammunition in the last 24 hours. Hazaribgah Sadar Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Naushad Alam said the insurgents, arrested from Garukhurha village, near Itkhori, had four rifles and live cartridges in their possession. The consignment was meant for 'sub-zonal commanders' of the little-known Jharkhand Sanyukta Morcha, a breakaway faction of the CPI-Maoist. The group was travelling in an SUV that had a tampered number plate. DSP (rural) Sangeeta Kumari said Morcha chief Rampati Ganjhu had been arrested in Ranchi two years ago and sent to Chatra prison. Reorganising a team even from behind bars, Ganjhu ordered his men to supply arms to 'sub-zonal commanders' Nageshwar Ganjhu alias Nagji and Chamra Munda alias Sudhirji. Three of the arrested insurgents - identified as Ram Nandan Prasad, Sanjay Kumar and Awadh Kumar, all residents of Gaya - confessed that they had supplied bullets to Nagji and Sudhirji in the past, too. The DSP (rural) said the SUV belonged to the fourth, Santosh Kumar, who pleaded innocent.

November 25: The CPI-Maoist cadres carried out five powerful bomb blasts at Niro Madanpur hillocks in the Topchanchi block under the Tundi Assembly constituency of Dhanbad District. Dhanbad Deputy Commissioner Ajay Kumar said that no one was injured in the blasts that occurred in a hilly area, about two kilometres from residential areas, at around 1pm (IST). Dhanbad Superintendent of Police Suman Gupta added that it was a desperate attempt by the Maoists to disrupt the poll process. But they failed to do so.

The Maoists in the night blew up a middle school, Anant Madhya Vidyala, at Pratappur in the Chatra District after placing dynamite in the rooms. The school was one of a cluster where voting was to take place on December 18 for the Assembly polls, the Police said. This was the fourth school in three days to have been blown up by the Maoists in Jharkhand. On November 24 they had demolished two schools in Palamau District and one in Giridih District.

November 26: The CPI-Maoist blew up a Police jeep, killing a Policeman and injuring four others at Jaranga village in the Khunti District. The Inspector-General of Police, V. Deshmukh, said the jeep overturned under the impact of the blast. He, however, ruled out landmine causing the blast. The jeep was escorting a bus full of Security Force personnel when the incident occurred at around 9am (IST). The bus was on its way to Arki from Tamar ahead of the second phase of polls in the Khunti Assembly constituency scheduled for December 2. Khunti Superintendent of Police (SP) A. V. Minz said the jeep was badly damaged. "The intensity of the blast was such that the vehicle was thrown several feet into the air and landed upside down in the jungle. The blast site is located about four km from the Arki Police station," he added.

Police recovered a landmine weighing 20 kilograms from a Maoist-hit region near the Tetair-More at Lapu village under the Bishunpur Police Station of Gumla District. The landmine was later deactivated. The Police recovered the landmine during a long-range patrol in a particular area where the Maoists had triggered a landmine blast a few days ago, Gumla SP N. K. Singh said. The landmine was recovered from a place located about 18-19 kilometres away from the Bishunpur Police Station on the Jori-Jamti road, the SP added.

After the peaceful first phase elections in Jharkhand, the Maoists renewed their call for poll boycott of the remaining four phases in the State. A press release to the effect was issued here by Gopal, the self-styled spokesman of the CPI-Maoist Jharkhand-Bihar-Chhattisgarh area committee. Posters calling for poll boycott were also found in Chatra's Pratappur area. The first phase of polls in Jharkhand was held on November 25 and the subsequent phases will be held on December 2, 8, 12 and 18. Polls for Latehar, Palamu and Chatra will be held in the last phase as per the schedule.

The CPI-Maoist called for a 48-hour Jharkhand bandh (shut down) from November 29 in protest against alleged atrocities inflicted by the Government on their sympathizers. The Chotanagpur Zonal Committee spokesman of the Maoists, Samarji, appealed to public and private entrepreneurs to suspend business operations for these days. The Maoist leader has also 'advised' people not to travel and use public transport. The spokesman also asked SAIL to either suspend all its business during the strike period or face consequences. He warned, "Our men, including Virendra alias Ashok, were picked up by Angaad and Salaki Police in West Singhbhum on October 23. 33 days have passed since, but we don't know where he is. The Government must come clean. If it doesn't, it should be ready for trouble.

November 28: Hours before a 48-hour bandh (general shut down) called by the CPI-Maoist in Jharkhand, the Maoists blew up a panchayat (village-level local self Government institution) hall and a school building in the Palamau District.

The Maoists demolished two school buildings in the Palamu District in the night.

Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Ajay Maken expressed dissatisfaction over the intelligence network in Maoist-infested Jharkhand and renewed the Centre's call to the Maoists to sit for a dialogue. "There are loopholes in intelligence network in Jharkhand. It should get more strength. The Centre will provide whatever needed to put in place a strong network," Maken told reporters. Stating that the Centre had directed that Policemen posted in interior areas be given incentives, he said the fight against the Maoists was not an overnight affair. Calling upon the Maoists to prefer ballot to bullet, he said "ballot brings lasting solutions while bullets only give a handful persons to impose their ideas on others. We have asked the state governments to initiate dialogue process if the rebels give up violence."

November 29: Maoists blew up a room of the Mahubuang Railway Station in Simdega District. In addition, Maoists blew up the railway track between the Jageswar and Dania Stations in Bokaro District.

In the Chatra District, the Maoists blew up the house of RJD leader Chandrika Yadav in the Basisthnagar Police Station area at Jodi at around 11pm. About 100 armed Maoists surrounded the house and asked the family members to vacate the house, Superintendent of Police Jatin Narwal told reporters. The Maoists then packed dynamites in every room before triggering the blast, he said. The Maoists left notes warning against participation in the ensuing elections.

In Palamau District, the Maoists destroyed two schools late in the night at Kharagpur and Bhavwar villages, Police said. Maoists have blown up seven schools in the District over the weekend. They blew up five schools, besides a panchayat bhavan (building) on in the night of November 28. Separately, the Maoists disrupted movement of vehicles on the Daltonganj-Aurangabad Main Road from 10pm on November 29 to 10am on November 30 by felling three trees at Kanda. Also, during intensive patrolling, Security Forces recovered two landmines on November 29, each weighing 20 kilograms, planted beneath the Medininagar-Panki Road in Palamau, Police said.

November 30: On the second day of the CPI-Maoist bandh (general shut down), Chatra Additional Superintendent of Police Sunil Bhaskar escaped unhurt even as a series of attacks rocked several other Districts. Two among Bhaskar's four bodyguards and a Police driver sustained injuries when the insurgents triggered a landmine blast at Kharwanari village under Hunterganj Police Station area of Chatra District at around 8.30am (IST). Bhaskar was on his way to Hunterganj from Pratappur. Sources said the Maoists took advantage of dense forest cover near the village, around 10 kilometres from Pratappur. Bhaskar survived the attack, as he was not reportedly in the vehicle that he usually used. "Bhaskar was sitting in an ordinary vehicle with his two bodyguards and a driver. He also asked the driver of the landmine-protected vehicle to follow him. He deputed two bodyguards in the landmine-protected vehicle. His strategy yielded result, as the extremists detonated the mines only after the ordinary vehicle crossed the danger zone," a Police officer said. "The anti-landmine vehicle driver, Mashi Kachhap, and my two bodyguards, Mukesh Mishra and Vikash Paswan, sustained injuries. They were airlifted and admitted to a private hospital in Ranchi," Bhaskar said.

The Maoists blew up a culvert near Kasaribera village under Arki Police Station area in Khunti District at around 1.30am. In another incident in Khunti, Maoists blew up a school building at Sowde village under Rania Police Station area.

Maoists shot at and injured two persons, blew up a culvert and set ablaze four vehicles at Chatra as they ended their two-day Jharkhand shutdown in the night. The Maoists opened fire on a truck injuring the driver and his helper at Bhuiandih in the Chatra District a little before their shut-down ended, Superintendent of Police, D B Sharma, said. The insurgents also used explosives to blow up a culvert in the same village, disrupting traffic on the Chatra-Gaya route, besides setting ablaze four vehicles. The Maoists, who indulged in massive destruction of public property during the shutdown, were demanding production of their cadre Ashok Mahato before a court. The Police, however, have denied arresting any person by that name.

December 2: A Policeman was killed in a landmine blast triggered by the CPI-Maoist in the Giridh District. Maoists triggered the landmine at Teliabahiar when Policemen were on a foot patrol, Deputy Commissioner, Vandana Dadil, said.

The Maoists blew up a culvert at Matiobera in the same District.

The Security Forces (SFs) recovered a landmine planted beneath a culvert at Zarzari village under Bishnugarh Police Station of Hazaribgah District. Briefing the media, Deputy Commissioner-cum District Returning Officer Vinay Kumar Choubey said that the SFs recovered the landmine weighing 50 kilograms while patrolling the Bishnugarh-Gomia road. The officer said that the SF personnel, who were patrolling the area on foot, heard the sound of an explosion and saw smoke billowing out of the culvert. Subsequently, they conducted a thorough search of the culvert and found the landmine lying underneath it. A bomb squad, which accompanied the SFs, immediately deactivated the landmine, he added. Choubey said that the SFs also recovered a pair of shoes and slippers from the spot which the Communist party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) had probably left behind after planting the landmine. "A major mishap seems to have been averted as polling personnel were supposed to return from the same route along with electronic voting machines (EVMs) after the commencement of polls," he added. He said that polling personnel and SFs, who were supposed to cross the Maoist-hit areas under the Bishnugarh Police Station of the District, were advised to move on foot as a precautionary measure. The Police have launched a massive combing operation in the area, he added.

The Maoists threatened candidates with dire consequences if they open election offices in Palamu District, Police said. The Maoists also set ablaze the house of one of the supporters of Chhaterpur Congress nominee Radha Krishna Kishore recently to show their commitment to the cause. They have also pasted posters in the District warning electorates to stay away from the polls. Palamu Superintendent of Police Jatin Narwal, however, claimed that the Police would foil the ulterior designs of Maoists.

December 3: The CPI-Maoist cadres blocked a street in the Chakuliya area of East Singhbhum District in the morning bringing the traffic movement on the street to a standstill for hours. The local Police and the paramilitary forces removed the blockade at around 2pm (IST) after which the normal traffic resumed on the road. "The Maoists had blocked the Seeshakundh-Chakuliya link road by placing a felled tree in the midst of the street at Zoram. They had also laid some 100-odd bricks on the street," Sub Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) of Ghatsila Anup Virtherey said. In the morning, the Police received information that suspected Maoists had blocked a street in Chakuliya. The Police rushed to the spot immediately. Later, the local Police and some Central reserve Police Force personnel removed the blockade with ease, Virtherey said. "The motive behind the blockade appears to instil fear among villagers so that they do not take part in the poll exercise. This assumption gains credence since the Maoists left behind posters warning people not to take part in polling," the SDPO said.

The Maoists set ablaze the party flags of the Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (JVM) and left behind some posters asking villagers to boycott the polls in the Ghatsila subdivision. The security agencies in the subdivision are trying their best to ensure a peaceful atmosphere in the subdivision ahead of the fourth phase polls scheduled for December 12, he added.

December 4: Suspected CPI-Maoist cadres shot dead a guard in the East Singhbhum District. The activists arrived at the house of Tejlal Singh (40) in the night and dragged him out about a kilometre away before killing him in Chotachidka village under Bodam Police Station. The exact cause behind the killing could not be ascertained, they said.

December 7: Maoists blew up a vacant school building in Latehar District. About 20 Maoists went to the middle school and packed explosives before triggering the blast at Newari village. There was no casualty in the blast, which took place on the eve of the third of the five-phase elections in Jharkhand on December 8.

Handwritten posters were put up by the Maoists urging people to boycott the Assembly polls. The Maoists also challenged the Police administrations and threatened leaders of political parties, besides creating panic in the tribal-dominated villages of Bhandaria block of Garhwa District in the last 24 hours. The Maoists, in fact, have threatened people and political leaders with dire consequences if they opposed the poll boycott call.

December 8: Two BSF personnel were killed by the CPI-Maoist cadres in the third phase of Jharkhand Assembly elections. The elections for 11 seats in the 81-member House registered a turnout of 55 per cent. Maoists, who had given a call for poll boycott, fired at a BSF patrol party near the Sarasdangal forest in Dumka District, killing head constable Dharamvir Singh and constable Dinesh Sharma, Inspector-General of Police V. H. Desmukh said. The BSF personnel, on a road-opening mission for the passage of polling personnel, returned the fire, he said. The fourth phase is scheduled for December 12 and the fifth and final round on December 18. The results will be announced on December 23.

December 11: Security Forces killed two CPI-Maoist cadres in a fierce gun battle in Ranchi District. The SFs fired 500 rounds of bullets and also lobbed grenades. A huge cache of arms and ammunition including 200 kilograms of explosives, 100 detonators and 30 kilograms can bombs were also recovered. However, Times of India reported that Police busted a Maoist camp killing one extremist and injuring three others. The incident occurred at Anteorda village at the tri-junction of Ranchi, Seraikela and West Singhbhum Districts. "Police fired around 500 rounds, used four high explosives, 14 hand grenades in which one Maoist was killed while three were reportedly injured and the camp was busted by police," Ranchi Senior Superintendent of Police Praveen Kumar. "Around 70 Maoists took advantage of the low visibility and managed to flee through a small stream. But local people confirmed that Maoists were spotted taking their injured counterparts with them," he added. "Police recovered two single-barrel guns, one double-barrel gun, 200 kg ammonium nitrate, 200 kg semi-liquid explosive gel, two landmines weighing 30 kg, 200 detonators, 50 metre codex wire, 100 Duracell batteries, 25 camera flashes," said Kumar. Among other things recovered by Police were several kilograms of food grain meant for nearly 70 people, cooked food, 15 rucksacks of medicines for cerebral malaria, first aid kits and 200 soap cases to be used for making country-made bombs and two large barbed wire cutters. "The IAF helicopter was largely used during a recce mission to guide the movement of security men through the thick jungle," said Kumar, adding that a company of Security Forces will move into the forest in the morning of December 12 (today). "Looking at the recoveries, it appears that Maoists were planning a major attack during the ongoing election or attack police pickets or a camp of security forces," he added.

December 10: A top Maoist was arrested and three landmines were recovered from different areas of Jharkhand, Police said. The Maoist, identified as Joseph, was arrested from a village in Gumla District during a combing operation by the SFs, they said, adding he was an expert in making IEDs.

December 14: In another incident, about 30 Maoists stuffed explosives inside a primary school at Rorad in the Lohardaga District before triggering the blast, Police said.

December 14-15: The CPI-Maoist cadres killed a Policeman in the Chatra District, police said on December 15. The Policeman was killed in a gruesome act by the Maoists who descended on his house at Meral village, dragged him out and slit his throat and cut off his left hand in front of his family members in the night of December 14, said Chatra Superintendent of Police D. B. Sharma. The body was found on December 15 in the village along with a note by Maoists saying he was killed for being a Police informer, Sharma said.

December 15: The CPI-Maoist has announced Police Pratirodh Divas (Police Resistance Day) on December 27 and 28 in protest against the death of villagers in a blast that was targeted at Security Force personnel in Amjore village, Patamda, last month. The Maoists on December 15 launched a poster campaign at Nimdih and Patamda in adjoining Seraikela-Kharsawan and East Singhbhum Districts, accusing the Police and Central reserve Police Force (CRPF) of forcing villagers to run errands for them. The posters also demanded INR 10 lakh compensation for the next of kin of the deceased, besides an unconditional public apology. As reported earlier, on November 27, the Maoists had planted a pressure bomb under the felled trunk of a tree in Amjore to blow up a security convoy. But a team of CRPF personnel and Policemen - returning to their Jamshedpur base camp after the first phase of election in Patamda - forced a group of villagers to clear the road. As soon as they lifted the tree trunk, the IED went off, killing three. The same day East Singhbhum Superintendent of Police Naveen Kumar Singh declared a compensation of INR 1 lakh and Government job for the kin of the deceased. Cheques were handed over the next day while Singh said job would be provided at the earliest. Intelligence sources said that by demanding 10 times the compensation given by the administration, the Maoists were trying to gain foothold in pockets where it had no or little influence. The Seraikela-Kharsawan Superintendent of Police Abhishek said: "We are keeping close watch. No rebel programme will be allowed in Seraikela-Kharsawan."

A Maoist ideologue who has been associated with the Maoist movement in Jharkhand for 30 long years admits there are acute differences within the party. While the young cadres endorse armed action, the Maoist leadership is contemplating "whether entering the political mainstream and working in social sectors in the villages will help draw more people" into the CPI-Maoist fold, the leader told IANS. This is particularly so because the Indian Government has threatened a crackdown on the Maoists, and the Police and Army have already stepped up anti-Maoist operations. The leader, originally from West Bengal, who spoke to IANS near Ghatshila in the East Singhbhum District, is attached to the Communist Party of India-Marxist-Leninist (CPI-ML), which gave up violence for electoral politics in the early 1980s. "A new revolution is not possible at this stage - neither nationally nor internationally," he said, adding, "This is making the young armed insurrectionists in the state a little frustrated, impatient and restive. The dialectical debate has also forced a section of the Maoist leaders to surrender and join mainstream politics this time. The trend actually began a couple of years ago."

December 16: The CPI-Maoist cadres killed a villager in the Angadda area, a remote area in the Simaria constituency, in the Chatra District. One Sushil Oraon was dragged out from his home in the night of December 16 and killed. A Maoist poster recovered from near his dead body claimed that he had been punished for being an informer of the Jharkhand Prastuti Committee (JPC), a rival faction of the CPI-Maoist.

The Kisko Police lodged three separate First Information Reports (FIRs) against Maoist 'zonal commander' Nakul Yadav and 300 unidentified cadres hailing from Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Bihar and Jharkhand. The extremists have been accused of creating law and order problem in the Kekrang, Chandalgi and Rorad villages in the Lohardaga District in the past three days. Two FIRs were lodged by the owner and driver of two buses while the Police lodged a third FIR against Maoists for killing two Policemen of the motorcycle squad. Kisko Police Station in-charge Sunil Kumar Tiwari said that the Police lodged an FIR (case no. 74/09) against Maoists under the various Sections of the IPC, Arms Act, Explosive Substance Act and Criminal Law Amendment Act. On December 14, the Maoists killed two Policemen of the motorcycle squad and later blew up a bus and a school building. They also set two buses ablaze in the early hours of December 15.

In the past three days, Security Forces, including the Central Reserve Police Force, were airlifted to other places. Even personnel manning the Peshraar Police Picket were replaced by Jharkhand Armed Police personnel. The Superintendent of Police (SP) Subodh Prasad said the Police are keeping vigil on Maoist activities and even recovered landmines planted at certain places in Kekrang area. He said the State Police headquarters have been requested to send additional forces to combat Maoists who are present in the area in strong numbers. Besides, the rebels have also planted landmines at several places in the region. "The Maoists have outnumbered Security Forces in the District. We are waiting for additional forces to arrive from the Police headquarters in Ranchi," the SP said. Though the District has at its disposal one company of Indian Reserve Battalion, the Police are waiting for more forces from the State Police headquarters before launching any operation against Maoists, who have captured the Kekrang area.

Times Now has accessed to a Maoists training session that promises to do all they can to disrupt the polling process in Jharkhand. In Palamu, around 200 Maoists can be seen at a meeting preparing for more violence. One of the Maoist leaders who spoke to Times Now said they would target schools and hospitals because they believe the buildings are being used as a cover for Police camps. They also said any political leader part of the polling process would also need to face their wrath. Prasenjit, a CPI-Maoist 'zonal commander', said, "All leaders who are part of the elections are our targets. We will also target schools and hospitals. That's because those buildings are being used as police camps." Meanwhile, Jatin Narwal, SP, Palamu, said, "Our police force is equipped and well prepared to fight the Naxals."

Six cadres deserted the Tritiya Prastuti Committee (TPC), a splinter faction of the CPI-Maoist, to re-join the CPI- Maoist group in Jharkhand. Defying writ of local administration, Police and paramilitary forces, hundreds of CPI-Maoist cadres brandishing automatic rifles and villagers attended the ceremony deep in the forests of Manatu in Palamau District.

December 16-17: The Maoists abducted the Nawjavan Sangharsh Morcha candidate from Garhwa, Rajesh Kumar, from Siroikala village under Ranka Police Station area. Eight suspected Maoists abducted Kumar at gunpoint at 11am (IST) on December 17. The incident took place at the same spot where the Maoists had targeted a convoy of Rashtriya Janta Dal candidate and sitting Member of Legislative Assembly, Girinath Singh, on December 16.

December 17: A Government high school at Tiskopi under Gomia Police Station in Bokaro District was blown up. Though 10 rooms of the school were damaged, there were no casualties reported. As many as seven blasts were triggered by the Maoists to demolish the school building. Sources said Maoists had earlier threatened the school management to stop allowing Security Force (SF) personnel, who used the school as camps during the anti-Maoist operations, to stay there. Still, the SFs again camped at the school for the third phase of the Assembly election that concluded on December 8. After they left the building a couple of days back, 50 armed Maoists came to the school at around 11pm (IST) and detonated the landmines. Before leaving, they put up posters on the walls of the school, describing the explosion as revenge taken by them against Police personnel using schools as a camp. Another school was blown up in the Kawal village of Palamau District. Maoists also blew up a small bridge near Kahkula and Seriyar villages in the same District.

December 18: Two Policemen were killed and two others injured in landmine blasts triggered by the CPI-Maoist cadres in the West Singhbhum and Palamau Districts. A landmine, triggered at Mahur in the Hussainabad constituency of Palamau District, killed a Policeman and injured two others, Superintendent of Police Jatin Narwal said.

Police claimed to have neutralised a Maoist plan to cause disturbances during polling at Palamu and Chatra assembly seats with the recovery of a cell phone and charger from the high-security Hazaribagh Central Jail, where over 100 Maoists were lodged. The devices were recovered from a cell during a search following a tip-off that top Maoists, lodged in the jail, were conspiring with their counterparts in Palamau and Chatra to create disturbances during December 18 polling and to trap the SF personnel, Superintendent of Police Pankaj Kamboj said.

December 18-19: A trooper of the of Bihar Military Police (BMP) was killed and two others sustained injuries in a gunfight with CPI-Maoist near Kanda Ghati in the Bisrampur Police Station area of Palamu District, the Police said on December 19. The Superintendent of Police, Jatin Narwal, said that a BMP trooper, Pultas Sharma, was killed in the encounter that lasted for about four hours in the night of December 18. The encounter ensued after Maoists attacked a cluster centre at Nawa, the Police said.

December 20-21: Cadres of the CPI-Maoist blew up a community building in Bokaro District as it was used by the Security Force personnel in the recently concluded elections, Police said on December 21. The Maoists attacked the building in Palamau village under Nawadih block of Bokaro District on December 20. No one was injured in the incident, a Police officer said. "Maoists left a pamphlet saying that the community building was blown up as it was used by the security forces during the polls," the officer said.

December 22: A Police team seized bombs and explosive materials during a combing operation at the CPI-Maoist-hit Rengo forest in the Manoharpur area near Jamshedpur. "Seventy-five gelatin sticks, a can bomb weighing 25 kg and other bomb making explosive materials were found during the operation," Manoharpur Police Station officer-in-charge Ranjit Minz said. No Maoist was arrested during the raid, he added.

December 23: Only one of the six former CPI-Maoist cadres who contested the five-phased Jharkhand Assembly polls from November 25 to December 18 managed to pull off a victory. Polush Surin, a Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) nominee from Torpa, won the election by defeating Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Koche Munda by over 16,000 votes. Surin, currently in jail, was a cadre of the People's Liberation Front of India (PLFI), a break away faction of the CPI-Maoist.

The five others - Ugal Pal, Satish Kumar, Masi Charan Munda, Kuldeep Ganjhu and Ranjan Yadav - all lost their respective electoral battles. While Kumar and Munda were formerly associated with the PLFI, the remaining three were members of the CPI-Maoist. All except Kumar are in jail. Pal was defeated by Congress nominee Chandrashekhar Dubey. Kumar lost to Krishnanand Tripathy of Congress and Munda was defeated by BJP nominee Nilkanth Singh Munda. Ganju, an All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU) nominee, was defeated by Jai Prakash Singh Bhokta of the Jharkhand Vikas Morcha-Prajatantrik (JVM-P).Rashtriya Janata Dal nominee Yadav was defeated by independent nominee Videsh Singh. Except Charan all were on fourth or fifth positions in their respective constituencies. Charan lost by just 600 votes.

December 25: The CPI-Maoist cadres have started threatening gram pradhans (village heads) and chowkidars (guards) with dire consequences if any member of the CPI-Maoist outfit is arrested or if police raid their hideouts. The Maoists through posters put up at several villages under Shikaripara block (administrative division) of Dumka District, have threatened that village heads and chowkidars would be killed under the above-mentioned circumstances for being Police informers. Maoist posters were seen at various places in the three villages of Haripur, Maluti and Pinargarhia, which are considered to be Maoist strongholds. The CP-Maoist move to declare punitive action against the village heads and chowkidars is being viewed here as its modus operandi to persuade them to convince the common villagers being in regular touch to refrain from being Police informers by holding them directly responsible in case of an arrest or any other move by Police against it.

December 27: A couple was burnt alive by suspected CPI-Maoist cadres in the Palamau District due to their land dispute with a Maoist 'commander', Police said. "Divesh Singh and his wife, Devbrati Devi were burnt alive at Saraidih village by suspected Maoist rebels," Palamau's Superintendent of PoliceJatin Narwal told IANS. Around 10 to 15 extremists raided the Saraidih village, 180 kilometers from Ranchi in the night of December 26 and set Divesh's house on fire. The couple who were sleeping at the time were burnt alive. The extremists left a pamphlet at the spot, terming the couple "police informers". According to Narwal, Divesh had a land dispute with Mahendra Bhuiya, an 'area commander' of the CPI-Maoist.

December 29: Soren told Telegraph that talks are the "only solution" to Naxalism. "Naxalism is a big issue and, in my opinion, talks are the only solution to this socio-economic problem. I am in favour of initiating a dialogue with the rebels to try and find out what they want," Soren said. Soren said his Government would hold talks with the Maoists within six months. "I know of several channels through which talks can be initiated with the rebels," he said.

December 30: Making a fresh offer of talks with the CPI-Maoist, the Jharkhand Government said that the State's Naxal (Left wing Extremism) policy would be reviewed. "We are ready for talks. They should shun violence and tell us what they want. Do they want to run the government? If so, how? They should come forward for talks," Soren told a joint press conference with cabinet ministers Raghuvar Das and Sudesh Mahto. Mahto, who had introduced a Naxal policy when he was the Home Minister in the Arjun Munda Government in 2005, said the government would review it.

Kerala

July 12: Police arrested Sinoj alias Ramesan, a cadre of the Revolutionary Peoples Front (RPF), a frontal organisation of the CPI-Maoist, from the Chekadi colony at Pulpally in Wayanad District. The Police also recovered three propaganda CDs, a booklet on Lalgarh and some literature related to Maoists in Nepal. Sinoj was produced in the Judicial First Class Magistrate's court at Sulthan Batheri which remanded him in judicial custody. Sinoj, who hails from Talikkulam in the Thrissur District, was arrested from a tribal colony following a tip-off. The colony was reportedly under Police watch for sometime following information that Maoists were 'concentrating' on the area.

October 8: The Crime Branch of the Kerala Police believes that extremist outfits affiliated to the CPI-Maoist are carrying out clandestine operations in the tribal colonies of Wayanad District. A senior officer said that the Police were keeping a close watch on several tribal colonies based on intelligence inputs on activities of those organisations banned in the State. Recently, the Crime Branch arrested V.S. Sinoj (32), of Vadanappally in Thrissur District, from a tribal colony in Wayanad District on charges of attempting to propagate Maoist ideology among tribals and distribute material propagating the cause of the Maoist movement at Lalgarh and Nandigram in West Bengal. Based on a tip off, Sinoj was arrested from the Chekkadi colony at Pullppally on July 11. He was a State leader of the Revolutionary Peoples Front, which is affiliated to the CPI-Maoist. He had also admitted during interrogation that he had arrived in Wayanad District to spread Maoist ideology among the tribal population.

Karnataka

January 18: Four landmines, concealed near a bridge, were recovered and defused by the Police at Kyatagana Perla village near Pavagada in the Tumkur District. Police said a senior CPI-Maoist cadre, Peddanna, who was in the custody of the Andhra Pradesh Police and had been brought by the Pavagada Police for questioning in the Venkataramanahalli incident in which nine Policemen were shot dead, revealed that he had concealed the landmines under a bridge.

Two suspected armed cadres of the CPI-Maoist managed to escape on the plea of bringing the arms license from their home when Policemen tried to arrest them during a combing operation in the Nooralbettu forest of Udupi District.

February 4: A joint combing operation was launched by the Police and Anti-Naxal Squad to arrest the CPI-Maoist cadres who had attacked the villagers at Bidargodu in the Theerthahli taluk of Shimoga District. The security personnel carried out search operation in Maoist affected villages of Hosagadde, Karekumbri, Malndur, Balehalli, Gardergadde, Nemmaru and Bukkibyle in the Agumbe area. Wall posters pasted by the CPI-Maoist cadres justifying their assaults on the villagers were found in the Bidragodu village.

February 20: Literature belonging to the CPI-Maoist denouncing development projects being taken up against the wishes of locals was found at Kabbinale under Hebri Police Station limits in the Udupi District. In addition, a person, identifying himself as belonging to the Vishwa Karavali area committee of the CPI-Maoist, called up an office at Mangalore stating that they had put up the posters denouncing such projects and asking its promoters to stop work.

March 2: The anti-Naxal force have intensified combing operations after a group of CPI-Maoist cadres visited a house in a village near Hebri, a CPI-Maoist affected location, in the Udupi District.

March 5: The CPI-Maoist held a meeting of the villagers after conducting a house-to-house visit to invite the villagers to the meeting at Talagar near Bukkadibail in Sringeri taluk in the Chikmaglur District. The CPI-Maoist cadres, identified as B G Krishnamurty, Mundagar Lata and Prabha, were among the five-member Maoist team which organized the meeting. They also paid 'glorious tributes' to the slain CPI-Maoist cadres, Manohar, Devaiah and Ravi, who died in Police encounters, sang 'revolutionary songs' and criticised the Government policies.

March 17: Two constables of the Anti-Naxal Force were injured when a group of armed CPI-Maoist cadres lobbed grenades at the SF personnel during a combing operation in the forests near Matuvalli village in the Sringeri Taluk of Chikmagalur District. The Maoists exploded about eight grenades during the encounter, which immediately followed the incident, added the report.

March 24: Eight cadres of the CPI-Maoist visited houses in and around Muklupadi and Murantebail near Muniyal in the Udupi District and distributed pamphlets. The Maoists called on the residents to boycott the forthcoming Parliamentary elections in April 2009. The Maoists also pasted the same pamphlet at the Muklupadi bus terminal.

April 12: Police arrested three sympathizers of the CPI-Maoist and recovered a huge cache of explosives in three separate incidents in the Chikmagalur District. In a joint operation launched in Koppa, Sringeri, N. R. Pura, Jayapura and Belehonnur, Police seized 100 kilograms of explosive material, ammonium nitrate, 50 gelatine sticks, 10 detonators and pamphlets containing Maoist literature from the house of a person, identified as Nazir, in the Kachige village of Megunda revenue division. Based on information extracted from Nazir, they later raided the house of one Hamid from Baisigadde in Heggarkodige and recovered 23 detonators, 150 kilograms of explosives, ammonium nitrate and 70 gelatine sticks. In addition, Manju and Afsar, who were carrying explosives within the Balehonnur Police Station limits, were also arrested and 33 detonators, 58 gelatine sticks, 100 metres of electric wire, five kilograms of explosives and ammonium nitrate were recovered from their possession. According to the Superintendent of Police M. N. Nagaraj, the arrestees were tacitly supporting Maoist activities.

April 28: Five CPI-Maoist cadres and 30 of their sympathizers were arrested from unspecified locations as a preventive measure in the wake of the call for boycott by the outfit of the Lok Sabha (lower house of Indian Parliament) polls ahead of the third phase on April 30. Police sources said three of the arrested Maoists were involved in triggering off an explosion by throwing a hand grenade at Matholli in Sringeri recently, in which two Policemen were injured. Two other Maoists were wanted in connection with a murder case at Odeyarmath in Sringeri.

May 30: The Anti-Naxal Force arrested two CPI-Maoist cadres, identified as Suresh Nay and his wife Horale Saroja, and seized a cache of arms, ammunition and Maoist literature from their possession in Tumkur District. "Two 9 mm carbines without barrels, 28 live cartridges of 88 mm rifle, 129 cartridges of 7 mm rifle, 83 cartridges of 0.303 rifles, 86 gelatin sticks, 200 detonators and Maoist literature were recovered from their possession," said DGP Ajai Kumar. The arrested duo was involved in the burning of a State owned Transport Corporation bus at Agumbe in the Shimoga District on July 1, 2007, Singh added.

June 14: The Hubli-Dharwad Police arrested a woman, identified as Vijaya Nayak, the 26-year old daughter of Suresh Nayak of Belalakatte, for suspected links with the CPI-Maoist late in the evening of. She was arrested near Old Hubli bridge when she was returning to her village in a bus. Sources said Vijaya was a friend of Maoist Manohar, who was killed in an encounter in November 2008. After Manohar's death, she had come out of the Maoist camp due to failing health. She had reportedly come to Hubli from Shiralakoppa via Gadag to get medical aid. She got herself examined at Karnataka Institute of Medical Sciences, Hubli on June 13 and was on her way back when the Police arrested her.

July 24: The CPI-Maoist urged tribals who are living in Kudremukh National Park area in Chikmagalur District to take up their traditional weapons to fight the State Government and to protect themselves from eviction. In a letter sent to newspaper offices, the Maoist Area Committee member Kamala said until now the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was spreading just religious communalism to oppress minorities but now it has assumed a fascist face and started training guns on farmers, tribals and workers.

August 17: A group of 13 cadres of the CPI-Maoist entered the house of Narasimha Murty, father of the Dakshina Kannada District Crime Intelligence Bureau Inspector Venkatesh Prasanna, located at Kigga near Sringeri in Chikmagalur District in the night and threatened the family members of dire consequences, before leaving. While three of the cadres reportedly had .303 guns with them, three others had AK-47 guns. The other cadres wielded SLRs.

August 21: Police personnel were engaged in an exchange of fire with a group of Maoists at Edadalli, about 125 kilometres from Chikmagalur, an unnamed Police official said. The reports said that a Police team which spotted 10 Maoists during combing operations launched in the morning, asked them to surrender but the insurgents opened fire. The encounter between the two sides continued till the afternoon. Two Naxalites were injured in the incident. Police also recovered army grenades, electronic detonators, radio, walkie-talkie, large quantity of ammunition, condoms, medicines, letters addressed to different media groups, household utensils among other things from the encounter site.

September 13: A group of cadres of the CPI-Maoist led by B. G. Krishamurty, comprising Mundagaru Lata, Hosagadde Prabha, Srimati and four other women cadres, threatened the villagers of Sheerlu village of Sringeri taluk (revenue division) in Chikmagalur District with dire consequences when the Maoists had to retreat from the village due to stiff resistance offered by the villagers.

October 13: Two sympathisers of the CPI-Maoist, identified as Narayanan (32) and Chandru (28), were arrested while pasting posters relating to left-wing extremism in the Chikmagalur District.

October 24: Cadres of the CPI-Maoist visited three villages - Koodlu in the Udupi District, Melugadde in Shimoga District and Uluvadi in the Sringeri taluk (administrative division) of Chikmagalur District. The Maoists sought support from the villagers and urged them not to inform the Police. A 22-member CPI-Maoist team visited nearly 20 houses. It is learnt that Vikram Gowda paid visit to Udupi District and B. G. Krishnamurthy to Chikmagalur District along with their team.

October 28: The Government of Karnataka will rehabilitate Maoists who are willing to lay down arms, according to Home Minister V. S. Acharya. At the inauguration of the Internal Security Wing office Acharya confirmed that the Government will help Maoists who want to surrender. According to him, Maoist activity in Karnataka is lower than in other parts of the country. "The Police are doing well to control sporadic incidents," he said.

November 20: The Police arrested three suspected CPI-Maoist cadres in Bangalore. The arrestees were identified as Asha, Devendrappa alias Vishnu and Geetha alias Gangamma. Mahesh alias Kiran (31), a native of Raichur who had been residing in Bangalore, was arrested at the KSRTC bus stand on November 19. On interrogation, he had revealed that he was a member of the CPI-Maoist and 'state secretary' of Karnataka Janandolana Samithi. Based on his disclosure and on inputs from Andhra Pradesh Police, a joint raid was conducted by Karnataka Anti-Terrorist Cell and Shimoga Police at Muddamma Badavane, Chikkabanavara in Bangalore and the three were arrested.

Devendrappa, a law dropout, had been active as a student leader and organised the students through Pragathipara Vidyarthi Kendra. He later joined the 'central committee' of the Maoist movement as a member. Devendrappa was also involved in the Panchavati Colony movement organized by Parvathi, who had been killed in the Idu encounter. Police said he had narrowly escaped during that encounter. He also worked in Vimukti, a magazine edited by Saketh Rajan, who was killed in the Menasinahadya encounter. Asha studied at Sahyadri College and Kuvempu University and was active in theatre.

Madhya Pradesh

January 19: The Madhya Pradesh Police has stepped up security in the CPI-Maoist infested Balaghat District following reports of the movement of Maoists along the Madhya Pradesh-Chhattisgarh border ahead of the Republic Day celebrations on January 26.

March 4: A CPI-Maoist cadre, identified as Rajkumar alias Ketar alias Hare Singh, who was carrying a head money of INR 15000, was arrested by the Police during a search operation at Tumma village in the Balaghat District.

April 22: A landmine suspected to have been planted by the CPI-Maoist was recovered and subsequently defused near a polling booth at Haradahi in the Lanji tehsil (revenue division) of Balaghat District. Parliament elections are being held in the Maoist-infested 13 Parliamentary constituencies of the State, including Balaghat, on April 23.

September 27: Seven suspected cadres of the CPI-Maoist posing as labourers were detained by the Police in Shahdol District. "We picked up seven persons after they alighted from a train following a tip off from our counterparts in Chhattisgarh," the Shahdol Superintendent of Police (SP) Lakhanlal Ahirwar said. While four of them have admitted that they are Maoists, their three associates too have been found to be involved in the Maoist activities, he said.

October 12: Two cadres of the CPI-Maoist, identified as Bhudhari Singh Baiga (40) and Kailash Baiga (35), were arrested along with two locally-made rifles while they were attending a local meeting of the outfit near Mataghat region under Lanji Police Station in the Balaghat District. The Balaghat SP, H. C. Mishra, said some other persons at the meeting managed to escape. Mishra said these tribals of Balaghat District were members of the local Malajkhan Dalam (squad) and Police have been getting information about their activities for some time.

More than 50 cadres of the CPI-Maoist have sneaked into Madhya Pradesh's insurgency-affected Balaghat District from Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra after the Security Forces targeted them in the two States, the Balaghat Superintendent of Police, H. C. Mishra, said.

Maharashtra

January 10: An encounter took place between the Police and the CPI-Maoist cadres during a search operation at Salangtola forest range in the Gondia District.

January 12: A newly-sanctioned Police vehicle, allotted to the anti-Naxal operation squad as part of the efforts to modernize the unit, was stolen by suspected CPI-Maoist cadres from outside the driver's residence in Nagsenwan under Yashodhara Nagar Police Station in Nagpur.

January 13: The CPI-Maoist has decided to strengthen the Maoist's influence in Maharashtra by merging of its Maharashtra operations with that of the larger and stronger Dandkarenya committee, active in Chhattisgarh, at a recent meeting in the jungles of Gadhchiroli District in Maharashtra. As of now, left-wing extremism in Maharashtra is confined to only 4-5 Districts, comprising of Chandrapur, Bhandara, Gondia and Gadhchiroli, and the Maoists did not pose much of a challenge to the State Police due to their limited operational capabilities. By the merger of Maharashtra operations with the more powerful Dandkaranya committee - which is successfully engaging counter-Naxal forces in south Chhattisgarh, including the Special Task Force, Central Reserve Police Force and the Commando Battalions for Resolute Action battalion - the CPI-Maoist cadres hoped to carry over the operational successes in Dandkarenya to the adjoining Districts of Maharashtra. This would also further facilitate the inter-State operations of the Maoists.

January 15: Activities of the CPI-Maoist have declined in Maharashtra as the insurgents in the Gadchiroli, Chandrapur and Gondia Districts of the State are facing a shortage of cadre following zero-recruitment in the last few years. There is a drop in the CPI-Maoist related crime as well their activity over a period due to cadre shortage and increase in the number of arrests as well as surrenders, the Additional DGP (Anti-Naxalites Operation), Pankaj Gupta, said. Further, major heads in Maoist related crime including blasts, attack on Policemen and civilians, arson, kidnapping, dacoity and robberies, sabotages and other offences have shown a downward trend since the last four years, Gupta said. According to statistics, only 85 such offences were recorded in 2008 against 114 in year 2007, 128 in 2006 and 134 in 2005. Besides, the number of encounters with Maoists was 24 in 2008 dropping from 34 and 40 in 2007 and 2006 respectively against 24 in 2005, he added.

About 320 Maoists have surrendered since August 29, 2005 when the State Government came out with a Maoist Surrender Policy, the Police official said. Also, a record number of 145 CPI-Maoist cadres have laid down arms during 2008 against 93 in 2005, 67 in 2006 and 39 in 2007, he stated. As per the surrender scheme, the State Government extended financial assistance to the tune of INR 16.3 million to them, depending on their rank in the outfit.

Speaking on the crime scenario, Gupta said Police succeeded in killing as many as 41 Maoists between 2005 to 2008 including a highest number of 22 in 2006 and 11 in 2008. The figures of extremists arrested in 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008 (302, 93, 138 and 123) are impressive considering the stiff resistance and indiscriminate use of firearms by them, he claimed. Six Policemen were killed in 2008, three in 2007, four in 2006 and 25 in 2005, he added.

January 18: Around 87 Under Barrel Grenade Launchers, also known as 'small artillery', are likely to be commissioned soon to be part of the State's Security Force's arsenal - particularly in anti-Maoist operations. The multipurpose launcher, which can be used for simultaneous assault, can be put into action for both exposed and hidden targets like those behind barricades, trenches or bunkers and also on the other side of slopes or any other artificial or natural blockade. The weapon, which can operate best within the range of 50 meters to 400 meters, can be lethal within six meters radius.

February 1: 15 Police personnel, including a Sub-Inspector, were killed by the CPI-Maoist cadres when a patrolling party visited the forest area of Morke village in the Gadchichiroli District. The report adds that "seven to eight" Maoists were also subsequently killed during the encounter with the Police that followed the ambush. However, the Police have not recovered the bodies of slain Maoists. The Additional DGP (Anti-Naxal Operations) Pankaj Gupta said, "The encounter began at IST 10.50 am. It lasted for more than one and half hours. Fifteen of our people, including a sub-inspector, were killed in the encounter. I cannot say for sure as to how many Maoists were killed in the encounter. But, my guess is that seven to eight Maoists were killed in the encounter. We have not been able to lay hands on the bodies of the Maoists. Normally in this kind of situation, what Maoists do is that they drag away the bodies once their men are killed in the encounters."

The Maharashtra Home Minister Jayant Patil said the attack was pre-planned. "There is strong possibility of Naxals moving out to neighbouring States. We sent reinforcement after learning about the attack. We had summoned a helicopter from Chhattisgarh as well." The Maharashtra Minister of State for Home Nitin Raut said, ''Not satisfied with killing the cops, the Maoists also placed explosives on the bodies of dead cops. They also took away the weapons''

February 4: The Maharashtra Government approved a sum of INR 13.86 billion for special action programme to develop infrastructure and other projects in the CPI-Maoist infested areas of six Districts - Gadchiroli, Chandrapur, Gondia, Nanded Yavatmal and Bhandara.

February 5: 13 cadres of the CPI-Maoist, who were involved in the attack killing 15 Policemen on February 1, were arrested by the Police during combing operation at three villages, including Markegaon, in the Gadchiroli District. The SP of Gadchiroli, Rajesh Pradhan, told, "They were nabbed during the combing operation launched last Sunday afternoon immediately after the attack." Around 200 villagers from Markegaon have gone missing since the attack and the subsequent Police action.

February 11: Three persons were killed by the CPI-Maoist cadres in two separate incidents in the Lekurbodi and Dobur villages of Gadchiroli District. According to Police sources, a group of around 30 armed Maoists stormed into the houses of two villagers, identified as Maharsingh Rama Naroti and Hariram Jairam Madavi, dragged them out of their houses and killed the duo accusing them to be informers of Gondia Police in the Lekurbodi village. The Korchi dalam is suspected to be involved in the killings, sources said.

The Maoists also dragged out another civilian, identified as Mangru Doke Parsa, from his house and beat him to death with baton and sticks in the Dobur village of Bhamragarh tehsil accusing him to be a Police informer.

February 14: The Maharashtra Police's Anti Naxal Operation cell, while analyzing the pattern of recent killings of civilians the State, said that the CPI-Maoist was trying to divert the attention of the SFs from the ongoing operations in the Maoist-affected areas by killing civilians. "We are intrigued as the Naxals took almost a year to react in Bhamragarh area of South Gadchiroli. It may be a concerted effort to distract the forces' attention, as an operation is currently on along the Gondia and Chhattisgarh borders… These killings are being carried with an aim to create panic and send a message to the villagers to stay away from the Police," said unnamed ANO officials.

February 19: A group of 15 CPI-Maoist cadres were arrested and a cache of arms and ammunition, including seven locally manufactured guns, bundles of wire and a mine, was recovered by the Anti-Naxalite Squad personnel during a combing operation in the Gadchiroli District. According to the ANS chief Pankaj Gupta, "The operation is the outcome of accurate intelligence inputs which we garnered, strict road blockades and massive combing operations by Security Forces in two sub-districts infested with Maoists.

February 28: A gun-battle ensued between a group of CPI-Maoist cadres and Police personnel when the Maoists ambushed a patrolling party near Karka village under Jarawandi Police Station in the Gadchiroli District. Though no casualty was reported, blood stains at two spots at the encounter site suggested that at least two Maoists sustained bullet injuries in the encounter. The Police later recovered five nozzle-loading guns, two kilograms of explosives, camera flash, two detonators, four backpacks, wire bundle and other CPI-Maoist material from the incident site.

A group of CPI-Maoist cadres set ablaze two trucks deployed on a road construction site near Raspalli village under Jimalgatta sub-Police Station of the same District.

March 1: A team of the Police's Anti-Naxal Operations wing has left for Orissa to interrogate the senior CPI-Maoist cadres, including a central committee member. "The ANO personnel would be keen to know the latest decisions, targets and strategies adopted by Maoists from their central committee member," said a senior official, adding, "The details would be crucial in combating the Maoists in the Dandakaranya zones and adjoining areas."

March 26: Posters of the CPI-Maoist threatening a boycott of the Parliamentary elections scheduled to be held in April 2009 were found at Kotmi village in the Etapalli taluka of Gadchiroli District.

March 31: The CPI-Maoist called for a general shutdown in the Gadchiroli, Gondia and Chandrapur Districts on April 10. Police said Maoist propaganda material, issued jointly by the Maharashtra State committee, Gadchiroli division and Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee of the CPI-Maoist, was spotted at three places near Yerkar bus stop and on the road connecting Dhanora and Murumgaon. The banners ridicule Police operations like Sarvodaya and Parakram and condemn Police action against villagers of Markegaon, Bandhur, Kosmi, Katezhari and Gudekasa. The banners also claimed that Police commandos torched houses in Bandhur village. They also demanded immediate withdrawal of the para-military Central Reserve Police Force from Gadchiroli.

April 2: A group of 30 to 40 armed cadres of the CPI-Maoist killed a father and his son at Heti village in the Gadchiroli District. The deceased were identified as Deorao Narayan Madavi and his son Swapnil.

April 6: 14 CPI-Maoist cadres and three SF personnel were killed during a three hour-long encounter between a group of 300 CPI-Maoist cadres and around 30 SF personnel at Mungner village in the Dhanora tehsil of Gadchiroli District. The slain SF personnel were identified as Gopichand Netam, Dnyaneshwar Seph and Kalidas Wadde. Several commandos were injured during the encounter. The encounter took place when the SFs, led by Commander Munna Singh Thakur, were patrolling in the Dhanora area as a part of their regular operation. According to the Additional Director General of Police, Pankaj Gupta, "The heavily armed Naxals were in advantageous position in the hilly terrain. Commander Thakur's experience came handy in the crisis situation. The Naxals were tackled in a strategic manner by using the ammunition judiciously. Thakur ensured that the commandos advanced and try to corner the Naxals. The Naxals had rained bullets and also hurled mortars at the commandos. One of the commandos lost his life while trying to prevent the Naxals from fleeing with the bodies of their slain colleagues."

April 9: Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan in a meeting directed the State Home department to chalk out an action plan on an immediate basis to tackle the CPI-Maoist menace in the State. "Eighteen Policemen and 16 civilians have been killed in 12 Naxal attacks in last three months. We need tight security to ensure that the elections can be carried out peacefully. Apart from the support from Chhattisgarh, the Naxalites are believed to be assisted by their counterparts from Sri Lanka and Nepal," a senior official of the Home department told Chavan during the meeting. The State Government demanded four helicopters and four battalions of central security agencies to be used for the election in Maoist infested areas. Chavan also asked the Home department to seek the Army's help if needed. "An action plan should be immediately chalked out and followed rigorously to ensure elections are conducted peacefully," he added. The Chief Minister has also written to the Union Minister for Home Affairs, P. Chidambaram, for 12 companies of the paramilitary forces exclusively for Gadchiroli and Gondia Districts to counter the Maoists.

April 16: The SFs neutralized a CPI-Maoist attack when the troops were escorting election officials to the Michgaon polling booth. "The polling party had decided to halt at Michgaon Thursday night fearing an attack. It had faced an attack earlier. We sensed the danger and worked out a plan. A reinforcement of C-60 commandos was sent to help the escorting party," said the Anti-Naxal Operations chief Pankaj Gupta, adding, "Around 120 Naxals (left-wing extremists) tried to attack the polling party near Godalwahi village. The Security Forces retaliated fiercely compelling them to retreat. The frustrated Naxals then triggered a blast. In fact, we are sure they have lost a couple of their men."

April 17: Security Forces dug out a landmine from the road connecting Allapalli and Bhamragadh at Perimili in Aheri and rescued a polling party from CPI-Maoist attack when the party was returning from Michgaon village in Gadchiroli District. The Bomb Detection and Disposal squad from Pranhita defused the mine recovering almost 15 kilograms of explosives.

May 20: A dalam commander of the CPI-Maoist, identified as Sinu, killed a fellow cadre due to personal rivalry in the Gadchiroli District. The victim was identified as Manohar Korke Madavai.

Eight CPI-Maoist cadres reportedly surrendered before the Gadchiroli Police.

May 21: 16 Police personnel, including five women constables, were killed during a three-hour long encounter with a group of armed CPI-Maoist cadres near the hills of Hatti Tola in Gadchiroli District. The encounter took place when a team of 16 member Police party led by Inspector Ashok Aiyyar was busy in clearing the Dhanora-Murumgaon road of the District, which was blocked by the CPI-Maoist by felling trees during their two-day long bandh call from May 20 in the Bhandara, Gondia and Gadchiroli areas. The Maoists after killing all 16 Police personnel also looted their arms and ammunition and set ablaze the two Police vehicles.

A group of more than 70 Maoists, who were camping near Tabitola village, bordering the State of Chhattisgarh, opened fire on the Police personnel and triggered landmine blasts later, Superintendent of Police Rajesh Pradhan said. More than five dalams of Maoists, armed with AK-47 rifles and other sophisticated weapons, attacked the Police team, which was reportedly taken completely by surprise. This is the first time women constables have been killed in a clash between Maoists and the Police.

May 22: Following the killing of 16 SF personnel by the CPI-Maoist on May 21 in Maharashtra, Police have beefed up security in the State in May 22. "Security has been beefed up in the Naxal-infested areas of Kanker and Rajnandgaon Districts," said an unnamed senior Police official.

Home Minister Jayant Patil said the State Government has decided to set up a dedicated force of two to three battalions to tackle the Maoist violence and seek eight to 10 battalions of central paramilitary force to be stationed in eastern Vidarbha region. Patil also said that he will convene a meeting in Mumbai in first week of June to chalk out a joint strategy with Home Ministers of the neighbouring States of Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand and Orissa. Expressing an immediate need of additional special forces from the Central Government to deal with the Maoist activities in Gadchiroli, he said; "Chhattisgarh has 16 battalions of central forces posted in its territory, Andhra Pradesh too has few such battalions, but Maharashtra has none. I am going to raise the demand with Union Home Minister to deploy at least eight to 10 central paramilitary battalions permanently in State. Besides this, we (State Government) will also raise two to three new battalions to deal with the Naxalites." Rejecting the theory of military solution to Naxal problem, he said that "military action at this stage is not acceptable. It will be the last resort."

May 24: Following the killing of 16 Policemen in Godchiroli on May 21, Maharashtra Home Minister Jayant Patil has called for a joint operation involving the neighbouring States. Patil said the new operation envisaged bringing together the Home Ministers of neighbouring CPI-Maoist affected States to counter the menace. It might include simultaneous combing operations. Maharashtra had placed orders for night-vision binoculars and some other equipment. "We are waiting for delivery of arms," he informed. The State would demand more number of Central battalions. Earlier, the Union Government provided two battalions, which were later withdrawn. SP Rajesh Pradhan told that there were around 235 permanent Maoist cadres in north and south Gadchiroli. Hinting at a change in Maoist strategy, he said that earlier the attacks were carried out by cadres in small numbers. However, now they came in large numbers, he added.

CPI-Maoists have opened a new front at their stronghold in Gadchiroli called 'Indravati Company,' christening it after the river that separates the States of Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh. The revelation has come to fore recently, among other inputs, after surrendered Maoists revealed crucial details on being interrogated. 'Indravati Company', formed by amalgamating two platoon dalams having a strength of around 75 cadres, has been made functional to give impetus to the movement in the southern part of Gadchiroli, which is included in the ambitious Dandakaranya plan of the CPI-Maoists. The newly formed company, which is placed under Gadchiroli-based senior cadre identified as Suresh, has been assigned special responsibilities along with strengthening the movements in the stronghold.

May 28: The Mumbai Police recovered 917 live cartridges and arrested one person in this connection. The Joint Commissioner of Police, Rakesh Maria, said that Mumbai-based Mansood Khan was arrested along with 500 live cartridges and another 417 were found atop a public toilet. All the live rounds were reportedly of firearms .30, .32, 9 mm and .375 and 12 bore. They are good quality foreign-made cartridges, Maria added.

September 19: The State Government has decided to impart special training to the Special Task Force (STF) created to take action against the CPI-Maoist. The decision was taken to counter the increase in Maoist attacks at Gadchiroli, Chandrapur, Bhandara, Yavatmal and Nanded Districts. The Additional Secretary (Home), Kailash Bilonikar, issued a notification directing the Force One battalion (created specially to tackle terror attacks), to impart rigorous training to the STF at Wadachiwadi in Pune from September 1. The training centre would use the resources of the Unconventional Operation Training Centre.

September 28: A disabled Police constable, Nagesh Payam (40) and his niece, Sunita (18), were killed by a group of nearly 25 cadres of the CPI-Maoist in the Kopela village of Gadchiroli District. The victims were visiting their native village. The official said the Maoists could have killed the constable suspecting him to be a Police informer.

October 3: A 60-year-old man was killed by the Maoists in the night at an unspecified place as his son had joined the C-60 commando force in 2008.

October 4: At least six cadres of the CPI-Maoist were killed during an encounter with the Police at Tadgaon in Gadchiroli District. N.S. Jagtap, spokesperson for the Gadchiroli Police, told that no body had been recovered till late evening. But blood stains found at the place where the Maoists were holed up during the encounter indicated that at least six of them were either killed or seriously injured. "The injured (or dead) are suspected to have been removed by the fleeing Naxal group," Jagtap said, adding that the combing of the area was in progress to track them down. He said there was no injury on the Police side as the information about the waiting Maoist ambush had been received in advance, enabling the Police to take proper guard during the encounter. The Police later recovered a 12-bore rifle, a claymore mine, eight detonators, two gelatin sticks, bundles of electrical wire (used to trigger mine blasts), and some literature and medicines, Jagtap said.

October 6: A young woman cadre of the CPI-Maoist was killed in an encounter with the Police in Gadchiorli District. A group of Maoists opened indiscriminate firing at Police patrol party which returned fire in the Pannemara forests near Murumgoan village of Dhanora taluka (administrative division). The exchange of fire lasted for about 30 minutes after which the Maoists escaped, Police said. Later the Police recovered the body of a woman Maoist aged between 17 to 19 years. Four locally-made rifles, one grenade and three bags were recovered from the incident site. Police also spotted blood stains at three to four places and suspect that some Maoists might have been injured or killed. However, there was no confirmation of this claim.

October 7: Maoists beheaded one person, identified as Suresh Alami, at Kurkheda in the same District, suspecting him to be a Police informer.

October 8: Cadres of the CPI-Maoist killed at least 18 Policemen, including Sub-Inspector C. S. Deshmukh, in an ambush in the dense forests near Laheri Police Station in Gadchiroli District. The incident occurred when a 40 member Police party came under heavy fire from 150 to 200 Maoists at about 1pm (IST) when it was returning after undertaking search operations following intelligence inputs that Maoists had assembled in the area. District Collector Atul Patne told, "As many as two platoons of BSF (50 personnel) and additional police force was rushed to the spot and they could manage to save the rest of the Policemen caught in the heavy fire." Police sources said that about 15 Maoists were also killed in the gun battle.

A group of 30-35 Maoists set ablaze a gram panchayat (village-level local self government institution) office at Ramgarh in Kurkheda.

October 10: The Union Government dispatched 3,700 BSF personnel to arrest the CPI-Maoist cadres responsible for killing 18 Policemen in Gadchiroli District on October 8. Presently, there are 3,300 personnel of the Maharashtra anti-Naxal force- the C-60 -and the central paramilitary force. The Indian Air Force (IAF) has already pressed two Mi17 copters for the joint operations being carried out by the Maharashtra and the Chhattisgarh Police.

October 13: Cadres of the CPI-Maoist opened fire near Kasansur in Aheri block of Gadchiroli District shortly before polling commenced. However, Security Forces did not return the fire as part of a strategy since Maoists were not visible, Police said.

The State Government had received intelligence inputs that Maoists from neighbouring States have infiltrated into the State to foment trouble during voting for the Assembly elections, a senior Police official said.

October 13: Two MI-17 choppers and 450 troops were sent to Khamtala in the Gadchiroli District to evacuate polling officers on duty. The polling officers were struck in the post after being surrounded by cadres of the CPI-Maoist.

People in 22 polling stations in the Maoist-affected areas of the State, where poll officials could not reach on the polling day, will be given another opportunity to vote, the Chief Election Commissioner Navin Chawla said in New Delhi. The Commission said the polling percentage in Maoist-affected Gadchiroli was 55 per cent and in adjoining Gondia it was 68 per cent.

October 15: Suspected CPI-Maoist cadres opened fire at four polling stations in the Gadchiroli District where re-polling was completed. The Maoists opened indiscriminate fire at the Aeetalli polling station in the Kotni sub-district, said the Additional Superintendent of Police M. K. Sharma. "There were nearly 200 security personnel and we retaliated with firing in their direction. The attackers later withdrew from the area and polling was conducted peacefully," Sharma said.

Later in the afternoon, the Maoists again started firing at the same polling station as the voting ended and the poll officials were preparing to leave. Sharma said the Security Forces returned fire and escorted the poll team to safety. Similar incidents of firing took place at polling stations in Burgi in Kotni sub-district, Tadgaon in Bhamragad sub-district and Korchi on the Maharashtra-Chhattisgarh border, Sharma added. Sharma said all the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and around 100 poll officials have been safely escorted by road or airlifted to the District headquarters.

October 17: Mahendrakumar Narote (26) was dragged out of his house and killed by a group of Maoists in Kulbhatti village under Dhanora tehsil (revenue division) in Gadchiroli District, suspecting him to be a Police informer. The Maoists took him to nearby jungle and slit his throat with a sharp weapon. Sources said that Narote was a painter and had come back to his village recently after a four-month stay in Chhattisgarh.

October 17: Cadres of the CPI-Maoist expelled Tukaram Rajaram Kerami, chairperson of Korchi Panchayat Samiti (local self government body) from his village Bellargondi in Gadchiroli District. Police said a group of around 35 armed Maoists reached village Bellargondi late in the night and summoned a meeting of all villagers at the main square. Kerami along with all other family members were taken to the meeting place where Maoists announced a diktat of expulsion of Kerami family out of village on charges of allowing his son to join the Police forces.

October 18: Cadres of the CPI-Maoist stabbed to death Birju Kiranga (32) from Kothi village in the Etapalli division of Gadchiroli District in the midnight alleging him of being a Police informer. Around 50 Maoists were involved in the killing, Police sources claimed.

November 16: Cadres of the CPI-Maoist set ablaze the Halewara panchayat (village level local self-government institution) office in the Etapalli Division of Gadchiroli District. Police sources said around 35 armed Maoists reached the panchayat office and vandalized the office furniture and set ablaze all the documents in the building. The Police claimed a loss to the tune of INR 30,000 in the incident.

November 19: Cadres of the CPI-Maoist shot dead Nagi Reddy (40), an engineer-contractor from Nellore District of Andhra Pradesh in Gadchiroli District of Maharashtra, apparently as a warning against executing any development work in this district. Having obtained a contract from the Maharashtra Government, Nagi Reddy was laying a 3-km-long road connecting Mahawada and Dudhnala villages. Nagi Reddy, who had settled down in Dhanora about 20 years ago, was expecting a lorry load of cement at the work site at about 10.30 a.m. when a band of 20 to 30 Maoistss arrived at the spot and shot him at point blank range.

November 22: A forest department bamboo depot was allegedly set afire by a group of 10-12 armed CPI-Maoist cadres in the Alapalli taluka (administrative division) of Gadchiroli District, Police said. The extent of losses could not be known immediately, they said.

November 24: A group of Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) cadres killed a road contractor in the Gadchiroli District. The Maoists in the night killed one Umesh Bhiwapure, 30, in the Malewada area under Kurkheda taluka (revenue division) of Gadchiroli District. Umesh's throat was slit and bullets fired at him, Police added. The Maoists suspected him to be a Police informer.

December 15: A CPI-Maoist manual that has helped Maoists accelerate their activities in Gadchiroli has been recovered. After a subdued stint in Gadchiroli, the Maoists have resolved to recapture their turf in the eastern District of Maharashtra. Inducting new militia, modernisng weaponry and much more is the new Maoist strategy to carry out red terror in Gadchiroli. The manual is prepared by Kosa alias Satynarayana Rao, 'secretary' of the Communist Party of India-Marxist-Leninist (CPI-ML) militant wing. This report, prepared late 2008, is an analysis of the Maoists decline in Gadchiroli. A future strategy, that's found resonance in attacks this year, including the gruesome encounter in Laheri that killed 17 policemen is mentioned in the report. The report also states reasons for an unsuccessful Maoist stint in Gadchiroli since 2003. According to Kosa's observations in the report, Gadchiroli has eluded Maoist attacks due to inadequate recruitment. The recommendations of the manual have now been taken very seriously. Three major attacks this year alone have massacred around 50 Policemen. Kosa's recommendations include, militia induction drives, classes for women in Upper Bastar based on new syllabus, formation of another revolutionary cell of locals and change from guerrilla warfare to mobile warfare. The Union Government's anti-Maoist operation 'Operation Green Hunt' is in its first stage. And Gadchiroli forms the first phase of this operation. Given this, Kosa's analysis could help the forces to beat the Maoists to their own game.

December 16: "It'll be bullet for a bullet in our fight against Maoists...We will not spare any Naxal in Vidarbha. They have already killed 52 police jawans this year and it is high time we take a firm stand," said Chief Minister Ashok Chavan. Chavan said there was a rise in Naxal (left wing extremist) migration from other states to Maharashtra. "We cannot have any sympathy for them nor can we wait for them to surrender. So many lives have been lost. We will henceforth be more aggressive," he stated, adding, "Maoists from Nepal have infiltrated and provided firearms and logistics support to Naxals hiding in our jungles. We are, therefore, expediting the process of strengthening our police machinery in Gadchiroli and other Naxal affected areas, and providing more funds for modern weaponry, helicopters and equipment." The State Home Minister R. R. Patil, had on December 14, announced various measures being taken by Government to tackle the Naxal menace.

December 23-24: A former CPI-Maoist 'commander' was shot dead by his old companions at his home in the Gondia District, Police said on December 24. Around 30 to 40 extremists entered the house of Raghunath Fagnu Markam (48) at Daharitola under Salekasa tehsil (revenue division) of Gondia District at 1am (IST) on December 23, took him out and pumped two bullets in his chest, killing the former Maoist on the spot, they said. Raghunath was associated with the Maosit movement from 1992 to 1999, before his surrender on November 25, 1999, they said. He has served as 'commander' of Tanda Dalam between 1992-'96, and was instrumental in attacks on Police party in the year 1993 and 1995 at Darekasa, Banjaritola and Murkudoh, Police added. Raghunath was also the man behind to blown up the BSNL mobile tower in the year 1994 at Darekasa, and was wanted by Chhattisgarh Police also, they said. After his surrender, the former Maoist served a three-year jail term and was living a peaceful life at Daharitola. Raghunath had also contested State assembly elections from Gondwana Gantantra Party from Amgaon seat and got 636 votes.

Orissa

January 2: Sabyasachi Panda, secretary of the Vansadhara Committee of the CPI-Maoist, in a statement said there was no splinter group in their party called M-2 as there had been no split in the organisation. The statement was received by some media organisations in an audio-tape.

Two threat letters supposedly written by Maoists were received by seven persons, including the village assembly president of Patarpada village in the Dhenkanal District.

January 3: Normal life was paralysed in Kandhamal, Gajapati and Ganjam Districts due to a 12-hour general shutdown call given by 'M2', described as a splinter group of the Maoists. While Gajapati District was partially affected, the shutdown call had little effect in Ganjam, official sources said.

January 4: CPI-Maoist cadres shot dead a trader, identified as Kalivarapa Kanta Rao, at Almonda village under Narayanpatna Police Station in the Koraput District suspecting him to be a police informer.

Kui Samiti, an association of tribals of Kandhamal District, came out in support of the M2. "The M2 has pledged to oppose those who are exploiting tribals while Maoists like Sabyasachi Panda have sided with a section of the minorities," said Samiti leader Lambodar Kanhar. "We welcome all those who stand by the tribals," he added. On the other hand Maoists issued posters in Rayagada district declaring that M2 was not a splinter of their organisation and that those who support or join M2 will be taken to task. The Maoist posters also demanded release of two persons arrested by Rayagada police for carrying INR 1.2 millions ostensibly meant to pay Maoist groups as protection money.

January 7: 17 out of the 30 districts of Orissa are affected by left-wing extremist violence at present, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said at a meeting of the Chief Ministers of seven Maoist-affected States at New Delhi. While Patnaik claimed that his Government had taken a series of measures to contain the insurgency, he said that there was an upsurge in Maoist violence during 2008. The Chief Minister requested the Centre to provide a dedicated helicopter to Orissa for aerial reconnaissance of Maoist-affected areas and for evacuation of injured troops and quick movement of the Security Forces. He also requested the Centre for deployment of six more battalions of the Central Reserve Police Force in the Maoist-affected Districts to effectively control the problem.

January 10: The cadres of the CPI-Maoist shot dead a businessman, identified as Bhogi Ramesh, at Ketalpeta in the Koraput District suspecting him to be a Police informer.

January 15: A faxed message from the Central Committee of the CPI-Maoist received by sections of the media in Orissa claimed to have expelled Sabyasachi Panda, secretary of the Vansadhara Committee of the CPI-Maoist, from the party for anti-party activities. The faxed message that contains detailed explanation for the action includes the killing of Laxmanananda Saraswati which ignited a communal strife in the Kandhamal District as one of the reasons.

January 17: One person, identified as Sudam Paikray alias Bulu, a resident of Sanashialimal under Daitari Police Station in the Keonjhar District, was injured when the CPI-Maoist cadres attacked him. The Maoists had earlier threatened him of dire consequence through many posters.

January 21: Seeking doubling of Central force deployment in extremist-infested areas of the State during the consultation meeting of the Commission on Centre State Relationship (CCSR) in Bhubaneswar, the Orissa Government described the left-wing extremist problem to be "much bigger" than cross-border terrorism. As the problem was serious, it was unjustified to leave the responsibility of tackling the menace on the State Government alone, Orissa Panchayati Raj Minister Raghuath Mohanty said, while presenting the State's case favouring a two-fold increase in deployment of Central forces in the CPI-Maoist infested areas. He said, "In many ways, Naxal (left-wing extremist) problem is much bigger than cross border terrorism...Therefore, the nation should tackle it with the same degree of seriousness as in case of terrorism. It was shocking to find that the Centre reduced the funds meant for modernisation of Police in Orissa." The Minister also said that the amount had come down to INR 350 million from previous year''s allocation of INR 600 million. He added that it has become difficult to arrange executing agencies and contractors to implement road connectivity works in Maoist affected Districts. He also mentioned that the Maoists try to ensure that no connectivity programme was implemented in tribal areas which have turned into havens for the outlawed outfits. "Executing agencies and contractors are unwilling to work in Naxal-infested Districts", he said, adding, efforts to provide road connectivity to all such areas had failed.

January 22: Cadres of the CPI-Maoist shot dead a village guard, identified as Mangala Khilla, at Karkatpali village under Kalimela Police Station area in the Malkangiri District suspecting him to be a Police informer. Two armed Maoists dragged Khilla out of his home and took him to the nearby forest where they shot him dead. A Police official said Khilla was on the Maoists' hit list.

January 24: Two Naxalites (left-wing extremists), identified as Chakradhar Haiburu (junior) and one of his associates Paresh Mahanto, wanted in many crimes, were arrested from the residence of a functionary of the Janashakti faction of the CPI-ML-Janashakti in capital Bhubaneswar by the Jajpur District Police. Haiburu is a close associate of the CPI-Maoist leader Anna Reddy.

January 27: Five cadres of the CPI-Maoist were arrested during a joint combing operation by a team of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and Orissa State Armed Police at Srirampur village in the Rayagada District. The Maoists, believed to be from neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, were identified as Kudingi Ganapathi, P. Venkataraman, P. Chiranjivi, P. Gouri and Beda Chalapati. They were wanted in connection with a number of offences, including a landmine blast, at Gunupur area of Rayagada District in 2002 in which six CRPF personnel were killed, the Police said.

January 30: A preliminary chargesheet was filed at a court in Kandhamal in the case relating to the killing of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader, Swami Laxmananda Saraswati. In the chargesheet, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) reiterated its claim that a group of CPI-Maoist cadres were involved in the murder. According to the chargesheet, a group of assailants, armed with AK-47 and INSAS rifles, attacked the Jalespeta ashram (hermitage) during Janmasthami (a Hindu festival) celebrations on August 23, 2008, and shot dead the 82-year-old monk. They also killed Kishore Baba (45), Amritananda Baba (62), Mata Bhaktimayee (40), all of them ashram inmates, and Puranjan Ganthi (28), brother of one of the girl inmates of the tribal residential school. However, the conspiracy to kill Swami had been hatched in December 2007, said CID sources. "We are looking for 150 more people. Investigations will continue and we may file a final chargesheet," said a senior CID official. Superintendent of Police of the Crime Branch, Yatindra Koyal, said that the Maoist hand was clear from the evidence. He said: "This is a preliminary chargesheet. The case is open. More facts will come out in the course of further investigation and trials."

February 5: CPI-Maoist cadres severely assaulted the Sarpanch (chief) of the Malavaram Gram Panchayat (village level self-government institution), Gjendra Bandara, for taking up repairing work of village roads under Kalimela Block in the Malkangiri District. The Maoists also pasted posters at different places in Telarai, MPV-77, Manyabkunda, Rajaikund, MV-79 and Motu areas in the way from Kalimela to Motu threatening contractors not to take up road repairing work. Through these posters, Maoists also threatened all those who are eligible to join Special Operation Group (SOG) and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) not to join these forces unless one of the family members also joins the Maoist camp.

February 9: An unspecified number of CPI-Maoist cadres destroyed over 60 percent of the Panchayat (village level self-government institution) office building of Badigata village in the Malkangiri District.

The Orissa Government officials admitted before a visiting Central Government team that nearly half of the Plan expenditure in the left-wing extremism-affected Districts is cornered by the Maoists.

February 15: Local residents of Nayagarh captured one person and handed him over to the Police suspecting him to be a CPI-Maoist cadre. However, two of his associates escaped, Superintendent of Police J. N. Pankaj said.

February 16: 13 Special Operations Group (SOG) personnel were injured in a CPI-Maoist-triggered landmine blast at Andhari Ghati near Adaba Police Station in the Gajapati District. The SOG personnel were travelling to Katama village in a minibus where they had organised a health camp to increase their relationship with the villagers.

February 18: A group of 40 CPI-Maoist cadres attacked a beat house of the forest department at Barda of Phulbani forest division in the Kandhamal District. They ransacked the forest beat house and looted two guns, one pistol and INR 100,000 in cash.

February 19: A Maoist, identified as Sunil Tirkey of Alighati village in the Sambalpur District, surrendered before the Police in Sambalpur. Tirkey had joined the CPI-Maoist in 2006 and was wanted in various criminal cases, including abduction of four forest department personnel, from Redhakhol area of the District.

February 20: The State Government asked the Forest and Excise Departments to surrender their arms in the wake of intelligence revelation that Maoists were targeting them.

February 21: The Central Committee of the CPI-Maoist has revoked the expulsion of Sabyasachi Panda, a member of the state organisation committee of the outfit. It is believed that the decision was taken to successfully execute 'Plan Kandhamal', the plan to 'take over' Kandhamal District along with intensifying activities in the Malkanigiri, Gajapati and Rayagada Districts when the State becomes 'busy' in general election. However, Panda has been reportedly warned not to take 'interest' in the upcoming general elections.

February 22: A group of approximately 70 CPI-Maoist cadres attacked the house of a contractor, B.K. Swain, at Govindpali village in the Malkangiri District and shot him dead. The Maoists also blew up his house besides setting ablaze four vehicles. Later, the Maoists set ablaze a Police outpost and blew up a mobile phone tower of the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited in the same village.

February 28: The CPI-Maoist cadres blew up two railway stations on the Howrah-Mumbai and Rourkela-Barasuan section in the Sundergarh District. While one group of around 70 Maoists, including some women, blew up the Bhalulata railway station, another group of Maoists attacked the railway station at Chandiposh on Rourkela-Barasuan section. Maoists also abducted two railway officials from Chandiposh.

A group of around 50 Maoists attacked a construction site at Jingiriguda village under Bamunigaon Police Station in the Kandhamal District and took away personal belongings and a motorcycle from a contractor and his staff.

March 1: The two railway officials abducted by Maoists from Chandiposh railway station on February 28 were released.

March 2: Two top CPI-Maoist cadres, including an alleged mastermind in the killing of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Laxmanananda Saraswati, were arrested near Rourkela in the Sundergarh District. The duo was identified as Atul and Ashutosh. Police said Atul was allegedly involved in the killing of the VHP leader and four of his associates on August 23, 2008 in the Kandhamal District. Ashutosh is a member of the central military commission of the CPI-Maoist and is alleged to have masterminded the attack on the Nayagarh armoury on February 15, 2008, in which at least 14 Policemen and a civilian were killed. He is also allegedly involved in hundreds of crimes in Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Bihar.

March 13: A CPI-Maoist cadre, identified as Debanath Mandal alias Anil, was arrested in a joint operation by the Orissa and Jharkhand Police. Debanath is a resident of Dattapara village in the Nadia District of West Bengal. Debanath reportedly confessed to his involvement in many cases of murder, loot, landmine blast, etc. in the East Singhbhum District of Jharkhand.

March 15: Through a large number of posters and pamphlets displayed at Chitapari-III and near Balimela Telephone Exchange under Orkel Police limits in Malkangiri District, the CPI-Maoist threatened leaders of the ruling Biju Janata Dal and those from the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party and Congress with death penalty if they campaign for their parties in the forthcoming general elections in April in the two constituencies of the District. The Maoists have also threatened the people to boycott the election.

March 19: The CPI-Maoist cadres killed Prabhat Panigrahi, an activist of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) - a Hindu right-wing organisation, at Rudiguma village in Kandhamal District. Panigrahi was among 14 persons on a hit-list prepared by the Maoists after last year's communal violence in Kandhamal. He was staying at the house of another RSS activist when he was shot dead. According to sources, 15 armed men reached the house and shot Panigrahi from close range. The assailants left a poster saying anybody trying to follow in the footsteps of Lakshamanananda Saraswati, the slain leader of Vishwa Hindu Parishad, another right-wing Hindu organisation, would face death. Panigrahi, who was booked in some cases pertaining to the communal violence in 2008, had come out of the Baliguda prison on bail on March 14.

The beheaded body of Ravi Oram, a Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) leader, also slain by the Maoists, was found at Renjada on the Orissa-Jharkhand border near Rourkela in Sundergarh District. Police sources said they suspected that Oram was beheaded on March 17 but the news reached them late as people were afraid of the Maoists. Through a poster, the Maoists alleged that Oram was a Police informer.

Maoists had begun an anti-election poster campaign in different parts of Rayagada District. Alleged Maoist posters were sighted in remote areas of three extremist-affected blocks of the District. They were seen in Kutragada area of Bisamkatak block, Dhelapada of Chandrapur block and Asada area of Gudari block. The posters, which were printed in Oriya, urged the voters to boycott the elections.

March 25: Around 100 armed CPI-Maoist cadres attacked the Police outpost and a nearby rest house at Padia in Malkangiri District and partially damaged the two buildings using a bulldozer they had forcibly taken from a road construction site. They also set ablaze the battery room of a Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd telecom tower and assaulted the watchman and another person when they protested. The District Superintendent of Police Satyabrata Bhoi is reported to have confirmed the incident. After destroying the buildings, the Maoists put up posters in the area asking people to boycott the general elections scheduled to be held in April 2009. They also warned that those taking part in the elections would be punished.

March 28: Cadres of the CPI-Maoist shot dead Nanda Kumar Kartani, a former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Zilla Parishad (District Council) president, near Sikpali Chowck under Kalimela Police Station area in Malkangiri District. His dead body was recovered by villagers on March 29. According to Police, Kartani was on way to his village Uskelbada from Malkangiri riding a motorcycle when the incident happened. The assailants also set ablaze his motorcycle.

March 29: One forest employee was injured and four others went missing after Maoists, in a simultaneous attack, blew up three forest range offices, looted tourists, damaged communication system and torched two vehicles in the Similipal Tiger Project (STP) in Mayurbhanj District. The Maoists decamped with eight rifles and VHF communication sets from forest range offices. "Using explosives, they razed the range offices at Barahakamuda, Chahala and Dhuduruchampa located in the core areas of the tiger reserve in a four-hour-long attack that ended around 2.30 a.m.," Field Director of the STP N. Nagaraj Reddy said. However, it was not clear whether the missing employees had fled or were abducted by the ultras, the Police sources said.

The woman Maoist who was killed by Police during an encounter in Kandhamal on March 24 was identified as Rinki Pal, an 'area commander' of the Maoists. She originally hailed from Jagatsinghpur.

March 31: A high alert was sounded in the Sundergarh, Keonjhar and Mayurbhanj Districts in view of the April 1 general shutdown call given by the CPI-Maoist in Jharkhand. The shutdown call was given by the Maoists to protest the re-arrest of their leader Bharat Mundari and his wife Premalata by the Jharkhand Police from their residence at Panchapoya village in the night of March 28 after their release from Bonai jail in Sundergarh. Mundari, who was commander of platoon number 22 of the CPI-Maoist, was in Bonai jail along with his wife after their arrest on September 25, 2007.

Cadres of the CPI-Maoist killed Bedanath Singh, a village leader, in Langalakanta village under K. Balang Police Station in Sundergarh District. Sources said Singh did not attend a meeting called by the Maoists on March 29, which led to his killing.

Maoists ransacked the forest rest house at Gudgudia and set ablaze the four-tent accommodation at Joranda in the Similipal Tiger Reserve (STR) in Mayurbhanj District.

April 2: A CPI-Maoist militia of about 100 cadres set ablaze two telecom towers of the Aircel business group in Malkangiri Village-24 and Malkangiri Village-22 under Padia Bock in Malkangiri District.

April 4: A group of 20 armed cadres of the CPI-Maoist, including eight women, looted INR 9.9 million from a vehicle transporting cash from State Bank of India's (SBI) Malkangiri branch to the Chitrakonda branch in Malkangiri District, about 60 kilometres away from Chitrakonda. The vehicle, which was accompanied by two armed guards and a bank official, had covered around 40 kilometres when the incident took place.

The Maoists looted and ransacked a forest rest house and a tourist complex at Jamuani in the Simlipal Tiger Reserve's Manda Range in Mayurbhanj District. This is the third time in a week that the Maoist attacked the tiger reserve.

April 6: Police said around 200 rounds of gun-fire were exchanged between the Police and CPI-Maoist cadres in the Bodigeta forest of Kalimela area in Malkangiri District. However, no arrests or casualty were reported so far.

April 9: Cadres of the CPI-Maoist killed Somnath Madkami, a candidate of the Samruddha Odisha party for the Legislative Assembly election scheduled to be held on April 16, near Arshaguda village in Malkangiri District. Somnath, who was to contest from the Malkangiri constituency, was a close relative of Nanda Kumar Kartami, the former Zilla Parishad (District Council) president of Malkangiri, who was killed by the Maoists on March 29. The incident coincided with Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik's visit to the District to attend rallies at Chitrakonda and Malkangiri. The body of Somnath was found near Arshaguda. His hands were tied and throat was cut with a sharp weapon. Talking to The Hindu, his son Lalit Madkami said that around 1 p.m. some persons, carrying a letter, came to their house at Kalimela. They called Somnath for a meeting with the Maoists inside the jungles near Arshaguda. While Lalit alleged that the murders of his father and uncle were part of a political conspiracy, the Sub-Divisional Police Officer of Malkangiri, Anup Sahu, said evidence pointed to the Maoists.

The Maoists called for election boycott in the District, besides holding out threats to politicians not to take part in the electoral process.

Hand-written posters in red ink suspected to be put up by cadres of the CPI-Maoist appeared on boundary walls of the Talsara Police Station, Balisankara block and Subdega block offices in Sundargarh District warning of death penalty to those allegedly involved in exploiting and harassing poor tribals. Pamphlets and posters also appeared in the Mohona block of Gajapati District by suspected left wing extremists. The posters, computer-typed in fonts of Oriya language, questioned the new political alliances that have developed just before the elections scheduled to be held on April 16 and 23.

April 11: Three Maoists were arrested in Raygada District.

April 12: 11 paramilitary Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel and four Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) cadres were killed in a gunfight following an attack on an armoury and bauxite mine of public sector National Aluminium Company Ltd. (NALCO) at Panchpatmali near Damanjodi in Koraput District. Over a hundred armed Maoists laid siege to the state-run National Aluminium Company Ltd (NALCO) bauxite mine at Panchpatmali near Damanjodi in Koraput District targeting the magazine depot, where explosives used for blasting purposes were stored. They also attacked a CISF camp nearby. Police sources said the 22 CISF personnel guarding the depot were outnumbered as firing ensued between the CISF personnel and the Maoists. They added that the Maoists also looted CISF weapons and disrupted the telecommunication network in the area by blowing up a mobile tower.

April 13: Fresh gun battle broke out in Koraput in the evening when Security Forces closed in on the fleeing Maoists. One more cadre of the CPI-Maoist was killed and four others were arrested in the combing operations against fleeing Maoists, even as the Security Forces recovered a substantial quantity of explosives and arms looted by the Maoists in the attack of April 12 on the NALCO bauxite mine at Panchpatmali near Damanjodi in Koraput District. The number of Maoists killed has risen to five. "Eleven CISF jawans posted at mines in Damanjodi were killed and 15 others injured in a five hour gunbattle after the ultras struck last night," Director General of Police M M Praharaj said. Bodies of four Maoists, including a woman, along with a light machine gun and a rifle were found at the spot, he said.

The Maoists fired four rounds targeting a Police van at Chaghati under Jashipur Police Station in the Mayurbjanj District on April 15. The vehicle was returning from Naana area inside the Similipal National Park to Jashipur Police Station. However, the Police personnel in the vehicle escaped unhurt.

April 16: The CPI-Maoist cadres set ablaze at least three polling booths, electronic voting machines and other poll material in Malkangiri District, disrupting voting in the area. The Maoists, who have given a call for poll boycott, struck at Andrahal in the Chitrakonda area setting ablaze a vehicle on election duty and two Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) after tying the hands of poll officials, the Malkangiri District Collector Nitin Bhanudas Jawle said. Consequently, polling could not be held in the booth. Maoists also disrupted polling with violence in seven booths in the same District. All these booths are located in the Kalimela Police Station area under Malkangiri Assembly segment except the Andrahal booth of Chitrakonda segment. Almost no polling was reported from booths in remote areas like Manyamkonda, Kurmanur, Poplur, Tangurkonda, Bodigeta and Karkatpalli.

The Maoists blocked roads in the Mathili area of the District by felling trees and placing boulders preventing movement of polling officials and voters. Parliamentary elections are scheduled to be held in the State in two phases on April 16 (today) and April 23.

Maoists destroyed EVMs and vehicles used by polling parties at Salimarikonda, MV 73, Bapanpalli, Vejangwada and Jagarkota booths. Consequently, polling could not be held in these booths. The Maoists reportedly attacked the polling party while it was returning after conducting elections at MPV 73 village. While they destroyed the EVM, the insurgents did not harm any polling official.

In the Narayanpatna block of Koraput District, a polling party returning from Bikrampur village narrowly escaped a landmine explosion. The blast occurred a few minutes after the vehicle of the polling party crossed the area. However, two CRPF Central Reserve Police Force personnel following the polling party on a motorbike sustained minor injuries. Two persons were detained from the location under suspicion.

In Koraput subdivision, the poll boycott call by Maoists and local reasons had an impact on 40 booths.

Maoists attacked the CRPF camp at Mahupada near Banki Police Station in the Sundergarh District. The Maoists attacked the camp of the paramilitary force from two sides and consequently there was a heavy exchange of fire, which lasted for more than an hour. "Once we got wind of their action we immediately took position and retaliated with full firepower and this caught them off-guard as they were not expecting an early response. But the guards were on high alert. And experience has shown that once they face stiff resistance they simply withdraw to save their bullets and cadres", said an unnamed CRPF official posted at Rourkela.

The first phase polling for the parliamentary and assembly seats in the State witnessed 52.6 per cent voter turnout despite the warning issued by Maoists in many parts of southern and western Orissa to boycott the elections.

April 17: The Andhra-Orissa Border (AOB) committee of the CPI-Maoist claimed responsibility for the attack on the National Aluminium Company Limited's (NALCO) Panchpatmali bauxite mines at Damanjodi in Koraput District on April 12. The Maoists conveyed this message to the local media in Koraput through a letter in Telugu. "Nalco has never worked for development of tribals in the area. Tribals of the area are still languishing. The PSU has deliberately neglected the area. Few local youths have been employed by the company. Our aim was not only to loot arms and explosives from Nalco but development of the area. Our fight against Nalco will continue," the letter stated.

April 21: Orissa Police claimed to have arrested a CPI-Maoist 'commander', identified as Udaya alias P. Rama Rao, along with his three associates after a raid on their hideout in the Gudari forest of Rayagada District. "Udaya is the third in the rank in the Vansadhra division and a link between (the Maoists') Andhra committee and the Orissa unit," District Superintendent of Police Ashish Kumar Singh said. Two of the associates arrested, Surendra and Jadu, are "hardcore cadre", Singh said, adding Padmana is an area committee member who provided logistics support to Udaya and others. Udaya was one of the masterminds behind the murder of Swami Laxmananda Saraswati, a Hindu right-wing leader, and four of his associates in Kandhamal on August 23, 2008, Singh said. Since being sent to Orissa in 2001 to expand the Maoist network, Udaya was involved in over 20 cases of murder, rioting and looting of Government armouries in the Udaygiri and Nayagarh Districts, Singh added. Some of the weapons seized from Udaya and others bore marks of the Nayagarh District armoury. Udaya, who has been with the CPI-Maoist for 18 years, originally belonged to the insurgents' Srikakulam division in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh. The Maoists refer to Kandhamal, Rayagada and Gajapati as the Vansadhra Division.

April 24: The CPI-Maoist cadres killed a village chief in Malkangiri District. Kasa Madhi was the chief of Palkhonda village under Malkangiri Police Station limits. His body was located in the morning near Talkonda village, about 15 km from Malkangiri town. The Sub-Divisional Police Officer of Malkangiri, Anup Sahu, said Madhi was beaten to death by his assailants. According to him, initial findings hint that it could be the handiwork of the Maoists. The insurgents had reportedly conducted a meeting in the village a few hours before his murder.

April 27: A group of around 40 cadres of the CPI-Maoist blew up the panchayat (village level self-government institution) building at Telarai village under the Kalimela Police Station in Malkangiri District using landmines. The incident occurred when the administration and Police were busy planning the re-polling exercise in 17 booths of the District scheduled to be held on May 3. Maoist violence disrupted polling in these booths during the first phase of elections on April 16.

April 28: The CPI-Maoist apologised for assaulting Election Commission (EC) officials during the first phase elections in Malkangiri District on April 16. In a letter handed over to the Kalimela Block Development Officer (BDO) Duryodhan Naik by a messenger the CPI-Maoist's Malkangiri Divisional Committee Secretary stated that the attack on EC personnel of three booths like Potteru, Tagarkota and Manamkonda by their frontal organization activists on April 16 was quite unfortunate and claimed such incidents will not be repeated in the future. According to the BDO, the Maoists also handed over a cash amount of INR 6,954, four mobile handsets and one mobile charger to him which they had snatched away from the EC officials on the polling day.

The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) acquired land in Chhattisgarh and Orissa for setting up operational headquarters of its anti-Maoist force Combat Battalion for Resolute Action (COBRA). The land has been acquired at Jagdalpur in Chhattisgarh and Koraput in Orissa for setting up operational headquarters of the newly created COBRA, CRPF officials said. The headquarters of COBRA are located in Delhi.

May 3: Seven cadres of the CPI-Maoist were arrested following a raid at their hideouts in different parts of the Rayagada District. "At least seven Maoist cadres were arrested today," Superintendent of Police A. K. Singh said, adding, three of them were involved in the attack on armouries and Police Stations in Nayagarh in 2008. The arrests were made acting on the information received during interrogation of Udaya, a Maoist 'Commander' who was earlier arrested on April 20, he added. Three of those arrested were identified as Madhab Tukuruka, Jara Tukuruka and D.Tukuruka. Of the four others, Dasarathi Hikabadika and Asu Mamalka, were acting as key informers of Maoists. They were members of area committees of Maoists and were organising 'praja courts' (people's courts) in remote areas. The other two persons were identified as K. M. Prasad and Dama Sambutika. These two persons were contractors who according to Police had helped Maoists in different incidents. All these persons were arrested from different places during combing operations in the Maoist-affected areas of Gunupur, Chandrapur, Gudari in the Rayagada District.

May 5: In fresh violence aimed at disrupting re-polling, the CPI-Maoist cadres exchanged fire with SFs at about 0900 hours near Bhejanwada polling station in Malkangiri District. The Maoists retreated after the SFs retaliated and there was no report of any injury among the SFs. The Malkangiri District Collector N. B. Jawale said that besides the shootout, polling was peaceful. Re-polling in 17 polling stations in Malkangiri and Chitrakonda areas in the State was being held as elections in these areas on April 16 had been disrupted due to the Maoist attacks.

May 6: Nearly a dozen armed cadres of the CPI-Maoist dragged a liquor seller, K.B. Patra, out of his home at Kaspanga village under Brahmanigaon Police Station area in Kandhamal District and killed him with sharp-edged weapons.

May 7: A group of Maoists attacked the CRPF personnel in Malkangiri District. The CRPF personnel also diffused a bomb just before the ambush, the Police said. Four companies of CRPF personnel were returning after election duty when they came across obstructions placed by Maoists by felling trees on Malkangiri-Jeypore state highway near Gobindpalli in Mathili Police Station area. While trying to remove the hurdles from the road, the CRPF personnel noticed a bomb beneath a tree and it was immediately defused. When the CRPF personnel were busy removing the obstacles, the Maoists fired on them and the CRPF personnel retaliated. However, nobody was injured in the shootout that continued for a few minutes.

Pravakar Patra alias Bhaskar, the man who led a series of Maoists attacks in Similipal Tiger Reserve (STR) during March and April was arrested in Keonjhar. Bhaskar is a member of Kalinga Nagar Area Committee (KNAC) of CPI-Maoist and responsible for the growing Maoist activities in Jajpur, Keonjhar, Dhenkanal and some parts of Mayurbhanj Districts. ''Bhaskar had mobilised armed platoons from Kalinga Nagar to carry out the series of attacks.'' sources said. He was also wanted in the recent murder at Keshaduarapal in border areas of Keonjhar and Jajpur.

May 10: Two hardcore cadres of the CPI-Maoist, identified as Madhav Sabar and Simanchal Kutruka, were arrested from two different places in Rayagada District, Superintendent of Police (SP) Asis Kumar Singh said. The duo was held on the basis of the information given by Udaya, who was arrested on April 20 on the charge of killing of the Hindu right-wing Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Laxmanananda Saraswati. While Sabar was arrested from his house at Mendapai under Bisam-Cuttack Police Station, Kutruka was arrested from his residence at Dimiriguda village under Gudari Police Station. The arrested Maoists were reportedly involved in the attacks on R. Udayagiri Police Station in 2004 and Dangasorada Police Outpost about eight months back. A number of Maoist literature and materials like banners, posters and maps being used by the insurgents were seized from their possession.

May 13: A brother and sister duo, reportedly providing logistics and other help to the CPI-Maoist, were arrested from Gudari area of Rayagada District. The duo was identified as Santosh Mohanty and his sister Rina Mohanty, both residents of Gudari. They were arrested while waiting to provide supplies to the Maoists. Apart from providing supplies they were also involved in extortion in the name of the Maoists, Police sources said.

Uday, the secretary of Bansadhara divisional committee, revealed during interrogations after being arrested from Gudari jungles in Rayagada District on April 21 that the Oriya-Telugu feeling has created rift among the CPI-Maoist cadres operating in Orissa-Andhra Pradesh border. While hardcore Maoists Basant, Ajad and Uday belong to Telugu community, Sabyasachi Panda is the lone Oriya and his ascendancy in the hierarchy has not gone down well among the cadres. Speaking to media persons Superintendent of Police A.K. Singh said because of this rift, the Orissa cadres have no stability and are working under duress. He hoped that more Maoists would surrender as the State has one of the best surrender policies.

May 19: Vehicular traffic between Boipariguda in Koraput District and the headquarters of Malkangiri District was blocked for more than 10 hours by cadres of the CPI-Maoist by felling trees near Tanginiguda in Boipariguda block. The Maoists had cut at least five trees near the village in the early hours of the day and had placed posters demanding compensation of INR 500,000 to the people on whom the paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force personnel had opened fire near the village a few days ago.

May 20: Normal life was disrupted on the first of the two-day general shutdown called by the CPI-Maoist in Malkangiri, headquarters of the Malkangiri District. No vehicle could reportedly be seen beyond Malkangiri town and the nearly 100-kilometres forest road at Motu along the Andhra Pradesh border was deserted. There was no vehicular movement on the roads connecting Malkangiri with Chitrakonda and Balimela. A red alert has been sounded in the region. The Maoists blocked all roads connecting Malkangiri town by felling trees and road communication from Chitrakonda and Balimela with Malkangiri town was completely paralyzed as the Maoists had blocked the roads at three places. The Andhra-Orissa Border Zonal Committee of the CPI-Maoist had called the shutdown demanding release of some of their cadres lodged in different jails in the State, withdrawal of central para-military forces from Malkangiri, an end to Police atrocities on villagers on the pretext of operations against the Maoists and some development issues related to tribals.

May 26: Cadres of the CPI-Maoist killed a peasant, identified as Kunja Mandingi, at Patingi village in the Narayanpatna block of Koraput District, suspecting him to be a Police informer. His dead body was found at a place about two kilometres from Narayanpatna. A letter in the name of CPI-Maoist found nearby stated that the victim had been punished for his 'anti-people act'. The letter also threatened that anyone who would emulate Mandingi was to face his fate.

Three CPI-Maoist cadres allegedly involved in the Nayagarh and Similipal attacks were arrested from Kaliapani area in the Jajpur District. The Jajpur SP, D.S. Kutey, identified the arrested Maoists as 23-year-old Mita alias Gundua, 21-year-old Hati alias Sanjaya Gagarai and 25-year-old Silu Champia. They were arrested during a joint operation by Special Operation Group personnel and Jajpur Police in the Kaliapani jungle under Kaliapani Police limits. Weapons, Maoist posters, banners and pamphlets were seized from their possession.

May 28: A group of CPI-Maoist cadres set ablaze five vehicles that were being used for laying a road in the Lakshmipuram Panchayat in Munchingput mandal of the District.

May 29: A construction contractor and president of the traders' association of Chitrakonda town, identified as Badri Narayan Patro, was killed by CPI-Maoist cadres near Mantriput in Malkangiri District. It is suspected that the Maoists resorted to this murder to dissuade contractors from taking up construction works in the insurgency-affected remote areas.

May 30: A group of 15 armed CPI-Maoist cadres led by around 100 Maoist sympathizers blew up a Police outpost by detonating a landmine at Mahupadar under Mathili Police Station limits in the Malkangiri District. The Maoists also set ablaze three motorcycles, documents and furniture of the Police outpost during their attack. However, the three Police constables posted at the outpost escaped unhurt. Before leaving the area, the Maoists looted rice stored in the Forest Department storehouse at the village and also damaged the tower of a private mobile service provider.

May 31: The CPI-Maoist cadres exploded an iron ore pipeline of the Essar Company at Rollagedda in the Chitrakonda area of the same District.

June 1: The CPI-Maoist cadres abducted and subsequently killed a young man, identified as Sibaram Hareka, after branding him as a Police informer in the outskirts of Kambivalasa in Narayanpatna block of Koraput District. The Koraput Area Committee of the CPI-Maoist claimed responsibility for the killing.

June 2: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said that training of all the newly appointed Police personnel would be completed by November 2009 in view of the growing Maoist insurgency in the State. The State Government had provided INR 433.1 million for recruitment of 4,822 Security Force personnel in the vote-on account presented in the Assembly on February 12. Besides, INR 94.1 million was earmarked for appointment of 2,100 tribal youths as Special Police Officers in the Maoist affected Gajapati, Rayagada, Koraput, Malkangiri and Kandhamal Districts. Patnaik also directed Police officials to expedite fortification work of the Police Stations and jails in the areas infested by Maoists.

June 3: The CPI-Maoist cadres set ablaze five vehicles, including a truck, a tipper, an excavator and two Sports Utility Vehicles of the Essar Steel Limited near Chitrakonda in Malkangiri district.

CPI-Maoist posters threatening to kill a State Legislator Manoj Pradhan of G. Udayagiri were found pasted at Raikia in the Kandhamal District. "We have got information about such posters and are verifying it," said Kandhamal Superintendent of Police Praveen Kumar.

June 5: A contractor, identified as Tukuna Sahu, was killed by CPI-Maoist cadres after being branded as a Police informer in Keonjhar District. The dead body of Sahu was found near a pond in Harichandanpur village. The Maoists also left a handwritten note near his body saying they had been looking for Sahu for a long time as "he was a Police informer".

The three day bandh (general shut-down) called by the Maoists from June 3 in Malkangiri District paralysed traffic movement as the insurgents felled hundreds of trees on both sides of the Malkangiri-Koraput road, blocking all movement of vehicles.

While unveiling the draft of special action plan sent by the Union Government to combat the Maoist insurgency, the Director General of Police (DGP), Manmohan Praharaj, said that fighting Maoists in 17 of the 30 Districts in Orissa has become tough due to a lack of infrastructure. "We are facing difficulties in training security men to fight Maoists in jungles and difficult terrains of Malkangiri and other places," said the DGP. While rejecting suggestions that Maoists rule over entire Malkangiri, he admitted that "a small part of Malkangiri" close to Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh borders in high altitude remained difficult for the security personnel. "Some places in Malkangiri remain under control of the ultras," he added, saying, "Besides constructing helipads and other facilities, the police are planning to set up security hubs and mobile camps in the region." Of the 17 Maoist affected Districts, Malkangiri and Rayagada would be covered under the special plan, fund for which would be provided by the Union Government.

June 7: Around 70 cadres of the CPI-Maoist attacked the Police Station in Baipariguda village in Koraput District and blew it up after forcing Policemen out of the premises. They also set ablaze several vehicles. Five Policemen were on duty when Maoists attacked the Police Station. "The rebels overpowered the Policemen, forced them out and blew up the building," Deputy Inspector General of Police Sanjeev Panda told. "They also blew up a Police outpost near by, ransacked the local forest office and set fire to nearly seven vehicles, including two Police Jeeps," he added. However, no one was killed or injured in the attack. The Maoists later escaped to the nearby forest. The Maoists left leaflets and posters at the site that claimed the attack was carried out to protest the killing of one of their leaders by the Police in the neighbouring State of Andhra Pradesh.

The State Government started the process of forming a State Industrial Security Force (SISF) on the line of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), official sources said. The process of having a specialised force was expedited after Maoists recently attacked the NALCO bauxite mines at Damonjodi and a steel company pipeline in Malkangiri. "An official of the rank of Inspector General of Police will be commandant of the proposed SISF," said Director General of Police Manmohan Praharaj.

June 8: A 'divisional commander' of the CPI-Maoist and his wife surrendered before the Orissa Police. The Ghumusur 'divisional commander' Akash alias Dora alias Ghasiram Majhi and his wife Jharana, who is also a Maoist, surrendered before the Raygada District Superintendent of Police. "He was a very senior member in the Maoist hierarchy of Orissa, next only to Sabyasachi Panda, the chief of the rebels in Orissa," said Sudhanshu Sarangi, Inspector General of Police (anti-Naxal operations). Akash, a resident of Kharikapadar village in Rayagada District, joined the Maoist ranks seven years ago and rose to become the outfit's Ghumusar division commander a few years ago. "He was involved in over 12 Maoist attacks in the State including several high-profile attacks but of late he had grown disillusioned with the Maoists. We were in touch with and had been trying to persuade him to surrender," said a senior Police official. Akash will reportedly get homestead land and other benefits as per the Orissa Government's surrender policy for the insurgents.

June 9: The State Government has requested the Centre to send four battalions of the para-military Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) to the State, in the wake of recent Maoist attacks in Koraput and Malkangiri Districts. Presiding over a review meeting, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik directed to rush more Special Operation Group (SOG), CRPF and other forces to the affected areas to be engaged in an ongoing combing operation. Of the 28 companies of CRPF presently deployed at various places in Orissa, six companies (600 personnel) have already been sent to the troubled region. Patnaik also stressed on training and modernization of the force as part of a long-term action plan to curb the Maoist activities. "The police stations and outposts, which have borne the brunt of ultras recently, will start functioning normally soon," he said.

June 10: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik accused the Centre of not co-operating with his Government in combating the Maoists. "We are trying our best to tackle Maoist extremism. But the Centre is not cooperating," Patnaik said replying to an adjournment motion moved by the opposition Congress party on attacks by the CPI-Maoist, including the blowing up of two Police Stations and an out-post in Koraput District in the night of June 7. "Instead of providing more force to tackle the Maoist violence, the Centre has withdrawn 48 (about 4800 personnel) of the 76 CRPF companies deployed in the state," he said. The Chief Minister claimed that the Government had been successful in utilising funds provided by the Centre for security related expenditure and Police modernisation.

Three employees of an NGO were taken hostage by suspected Maoists in the night but set free the next morning, Police said.

June 13: A tribal was shot dead by a group of eight armed cadres of CPI-Maoist on the suspicion of being a Police informer in Dakadihi village in Mayurbhanj District bordering Jharkhand.

Maoists blew up railway track near Chandiposh railway station, some 30 km from the steel city of Rourkela in Sundergarh District, R.K. Bal, the District Superintendent of Police (Railway), told. The blast occurred minutes after a goods train crossed the area, he said, adding that no body was injured.

June 14: An exchange of fire took place between Maoists and Security Force personnel in a dense forest near Tamparsingha village in Sambalpur District, about 60 kilometres from Sambalpur. However, no one was injured in the gun-battle. A patrolling team consisting of Orissa State Armed Police and CRPF were on a routine patrolling duty, when they came face to face with the Maoists. "Combing operation is on at Jujumara and nearby Kisinda," Sambalpur Superintendent of Police Sanjay Kumar said adding a landmine has been seized from the spot.

June 15: A Police Sub-Inspector, Narasingha Mahakuda, was killed in a gunbattle between Security Forces and the CPI-Maoist cadres at Tampargarh in a forest area of Sambalpur District, Police said. The exchange of fire continued for over four hours before the Maoists managed to escape. It was immediately not known whether the Maoists suffered any casualty. The gunbattle followed an encounter in the area between Maoists and the Police on June 14.

June 16: A nursery with 86,000 saplings and more than 50 trees was destroyed by cadres of the CPI-Maoist at Jogipaluru village near Narayanpatna in Koraput District. The Maoists displayed banners in the nursery protesting against the killing of two top ranking Maoists in the forests of Warangal in the neighbouring State of Andhra Pradesh.

June 18: Nine Policemen, including eight belonging to the Orissa Special Security Force and one belonging to the Orissa State Armed Police, were killed when a landmine triggered by cadres of the CPI-Maoist struck their convoy near Palur village in Koraput District. The Policemen were meant to cover the Orissa Disaster Rapid Action Force personnel proceeding towards Palur to clear trees felled on the roads by the Maoists.

June 20: Four persons, including the husbands of two elected members of panchayat samiti (block level self-Government institution) and panchayat (village level self-Government institution), were abducted by cadres of the CPI-Maoist from Sonepur panchayat in the Kandhmal District. The missing persons included husband of panchayat Samiti member of Kudura village Tirisingh Pradhan, ward member from Tahangia village Agadu Nayak, husband of sarpanch (president of a Panchayat) Sonepur panchayat, Manmohan Pradhan and Suresh Pradhan of Tutungia village. Villagers say these persons were abducted by a group of 15 Maoists from Kudura village. These four persons were among the list of persons who had been threatened by Maoists through posters pasted in Daringbadi area in the past. In May 2009, Manohar had also been attacked by the Maoists. They had also reportedly set ablaze his bike.

June 22: Two CPI-Maoist cadres were killed in a gun battle with the Police in Malkangiri District. The Maoists were spotted carrying a hand grenade in a bag during a security check in the evening of June 21 on the outskirts of Malkangiri. The Deputy Inspector General of Police, Sanjeeb Kumar Panda, told IANS that the two Maoists escaped into a nearby forest where they were later shot dead. He said two 9-mm pistols were also seized from their possession.

The State Government airlifted food and other essential commodities for the Police and paramilitary forces who are confined to Narayanpatna in Koraput District owing to a closure of roads by the Maoists. Since June 15, the roads to Narayanpatna are closed as the Government has failed to remove trees felled by the Maoists to block them. On June 18, nine Security Force personnel and a driver were killed when the insurgents blew off their jeep with a landmine near Narayanpatna.

June 23: Armed Maoists attacked the forest offices at Sunabeda sanctuary in Nuapada District and set them ablaze. Around 40 Maoists, including women cadres, targeted the rest shed, ranger and forester's offices of Sunabeda Wildlife Division at Sunabeda village. They tied up watchman Amar Majhi before setting all documents on fire.

June 25: Cadres of the CPI-Maoist damaged the control rooms of two mobile phone towers at Kakiriguma village in Koraput District and a signal panel of a railway station near the same village. The attacks occurred in the back of the Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram's visit to the region later in the evening to review the Police preparedness in combating the Maoists.

A cadre of the CPI-Maoist, identified as Suvendu Mallick, was arrested by the Raghunathpur Police at Ambadarda village in Jagatsinghpur District.

June 26: The Centre would consider the Orissa Government's plan to combat the Maoist (also known as Naxalite) problem in the State, said the Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram at the end of his two-day visit to the State. "We will examine the suggestions and demands to extend support as much as we can," he said after holding discussions with Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and senior Government officials about plans to combat the Left-wing extremism. He emphasised that combating Naxalites was the primary duty of the State Police and the Government should commit more forces to fight Left-wing extremism. The Centre would extend support on the basis of 1:1 ratio, he stated. "For every company of the state police, I will commit one. I had told the Bengal government: 'You commit one, I will give one'," Chidambaram said. On whether to use the Army to fight the Maoists, he said: "This requires a police action, who are competent to handle it" Chidambaram said, adding choppers would be provided to Orissa "whenever required".

Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram asked Police forces in the Maoist-affected areas to adhere to the standard operation procedures (SOP). Referring to a series of setbacks the forces have faced in the Maoist-affected belt, he said: "There is a standard operation procedure for police to move in Naxal-affected areas. If they follow these, such things will not happen." "Please do not violate the standard procedure," he said citing recent incidents in different parts of the country including the killings of Policemen in Orissa's Koraput District.

The Security Forces moved into Narayanpatna area of Koraput District after clearing the Laxmipur-Narayanpatna road blocked by Maoists for the past 12 days. Official sources said the Orissa Police were accompanied by the Central Reserve Police Force, the anti-Naxalite Special Operation Group, bomb disposal squad and others and entered Narayanpatna after the Laxmipur-Narayanpatna road was cleared of large trees felled to block it.

Four petty contractors abducted by the Maoists on June 21 managed to escape and return to Daringbadi in the Kandhamal District. Though no formal Police complaint has been lodged in this connection, Daringbadi Police officers have reportedly confirmed the incident.

June 27: A group of around 25 armed cadres of the CPI-Maoist made an attempt to blast the half-constructed building of a sub-jail at MV-79 village in Malkangiri District. However, the under construction building did not suffer any damage. The Malkangiri District Superintendent of Police, Satyabrata Bhoi, said the Maoists had also planted a booby trap for the Police at the spot.

July 4: Two cadres of the CPI-Maoist identified as Mata Tiria and Abhiram Adeya, involved in the attack on the Similipal sanctuary about three months ago, were arrested from Lambugada under Jashipur Police Station in Mayurbhanj District by the Special Operation Group of the Orissa Police.

July 6: Three CPI-Maoist cadres surrendered before the Deputy Inspector General of Police (South West), Sanjeev Panda, at the Rayagada District Police office. They were identified as Trinath Srambhutika alias Murali alias Raju (25) and A. Prakash Kimbaka alias Bata Kimbaka (25), both from Khandikapadar village under Gudari Police limits, and Krishna Kudkaka (25) of Jigdibhota village under Gudari Police limits in the District. Police said the three were active area committee members of Bansadhara division since 2001 and Trinath was also the 'commander' of Chandrapuram Dalam since 2006. Sanjeev Panda said the three were involved in a number of incidents.

The Sambalpur District Police arrested a hardcore Maoist, identified as David, from Jarang village under Jujumura Police limits and seized a licensed 12 bore rifle on an unspecified date. The rifle is believed to be that of the Sarpanch (village council chief) of Tampergarh who was hacked to death by the Maoists in January 2003. While the District Superintendent of Police Sanjay Kumar Singh confirmed the arrest he refused to divulge further details.

July 10: A large number of armed cadres of the CPI-Maoist, including women, blew up the forest beat office in Paniganda in Adaba area of Gajapati District after dragging out the guard and tying him. A villager who arrived at the spot out of curiosity after hearing the noise sustained minor injuries. The Maoists had called for a State-wide shut down on July 10. Inspector-in-Charge of Adaba Police station N. Kero said that the Maoists blew up the building using powerful explosives. The shut down had little impact in urban centres and evoked mixed response in rural areas amid closure of shops and thin traffic.

July 14: Naveen Patnaik, the Chief Minister of Orissa, said that he has no hesitation in having a dialogue with the Maoists if they eschew violence and agree for talks within the ambit of the Constitution. Replying to question in the Legislative Assembly, Patnaik said the ongoing activities of the CPI-Maoist are not conducive for talks. The State Government had announced its readiness for talks with them in the past, but there was no response, he said. Answering another question, the Chief Minister said INR 4.2808 billion had been spent under the modernisation of State Police forces scheme during 2000-01 and 2008-09. He added that the balance amount of INR 131.5 million will be spent.

July 16: Armed cadres of the CPI-Maoist looted an explosive-laden vehicle and abducted a Sub-Inspector of Police by firing at a Police van at Champajharan under Koida Police Station in Sundergarh District. Diptesh Patnaik, the District Superintendent of Police, said that over 80 Maoists looted the private vehicle on its way to Koida from Rourkela with the explosives meant for mining activities after firing at its driver. The Maoists then fired indiscriminately at a Police van which was escorting it and abducted Ajit Bardhan, Sub-Inspector of Koida Police Station. Koida is a Maoist-prone area near Jharkhand. The driver of the private vehicle is reported to have sustained bullet injuries.

July 17: The body of Sub-Inspector of Police, Ajit Bardhan, who was abducted by the CPI-Maoist cadres on July 16, was recovered during combing operations at Jharbeda in a dense forest of Chandiposh In Sundergarh District.

Cadres of the CPI-Maoist attacked the Police outpost at Katingia in the Kandhamal District. The Maoists set ablaze documents and furniture kept at the Police outpost, a bike and also destroyed the VHF set kept there. In addition, they also exploded a landmine to destroy a newly constructed building in the premises of the Police outpost. However, the three Policemen on duty during the attack were not harmed though they were overpowered. Around 50 Maoists took part in this attack. The report added that most of the Maoists rounded up the Katingia village not to let anyone go out to pass on message about the attack. Around 10 armed Maoists reached the outpost to overpower the Policemen and to trigger the explosion. Before escaping, the Maoists also blocked the Jhinjiriguda-Katingia road by cutting down trees.

July 18: Police in Gajapati District arrested three persons, identified as N. Narayan Rao, Dasima Gamang and Sinia Raita, from the Minigam village under Kasinagar Police station for illegal possession of explosives. According to Gajapati Superintendent of Police, Sanjiv Arora, 200 electronic detonators, 12 packets of detonator caps, three bundles of fuse wire and 10 kilograms of urea was seized from them. These persons are suspected to have kept the explosives illegally for use in a stone quarry near their village. But investigation and interrogation of arrested persons was on to ascertain whether they had any links with Maoists or not.

July 19: The CPI-Maoist claimed responsibility for the killing of an abducted Police officer in the Sundergarh District of Orissa, arguing they were forced to commit the act to protest the Centre's decision to ban the organisation. In a message to the branch office of an Oriya daily in Rourkela, the Chhotanagpur ''zonal commander'' of the Maoists, Samar, claimed responsibility for the killing of Sub-Inspector Ajit Bardhan after abducting him from Champajharan in the District on July 16.

July 21: Replying to an adjournment motion on Naxalite (left-wing extremist) activities in the State Assembly, the Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik blamed the Union Government for the State not being able to contain the Maoist insurgency. "As I have said earlier, there is not enough central assistance to counter Naxalites in the state effectively. Among the various requests, which I have made to the ministry of home affairs, I would like to mention our need for four battalions of central paramilitary forces on a long-term basis and three more for short-term engagement to control the menace. Our request for dedicated helicopter also has not been acceded to. Central forces have been withdrawn from the communally sensitive District of Kandhamal against my repeated requests to retain them. Kandhamal also has Naxal problems," Patnaik said.

Describing the insurgency as pan-India, the Chief Minister said, "As the nature of Naxal incidents would indicate, Naxalism is not an isolated problem. Since it is a menace of national magnitude and has inter-state ramifications, development in one state has an impact on development in neighboring states. It has to be addressed only through a coordinated approach of the central and State Governments". On the State Government's action, Patnaik disclosed that some 59 cadres of the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist), including top cadres, have been captured and eight Maoists have been killed in different encounters. Responding to some Congress legislators concern over media reports of the warning by the Orissa Police Association of non-cooperation, Patnaik clarified that some suggestions to effectively combat the Maoists given by the association like fortification of Police Stations, provision of barrack facilities and also imparting suitable training to the Policemen have been implemented to a large extent.

July 22: Two cadres of the CPI-Maoist, identified as Surendra Vekwara (19) and his wife Ruby (18), surrendered before the Rayagada Police expressing a desire to return to the mainstream, Police said. The couple who hail from Gudari area of Rayagada District admitted their involvement in several incidents, including the killing of VHP leader Laxmanananda Saraswati (August 2008), Nayagarh armoury raid (February 2008) and many other incidents, Superintendent of Police A. K. Singh told reporters. They were active in Rayagada. The couple decided to give up the path of violence and return to the mainstream as they were disenchanted with the Maoist activities, Police said.

July 23: Two cadres of the CPI-Maoist, identified as Trinath Brekwada and Purna Brekwada, were arrested from Uradi village of Bisamkatak block of Rayagada District. The duo joined the outfit in 2004 and was active members of the Bansadhara Division. They were involved in several cases of Maoist violence in Rayagada District, including the attack on the Dengasorada Police Outpost in 2006. They were also in-charge of the Chasi Mulia Samity, the frontal organization of the CPI-Maoist in Rayagada District. They were close to Uday and Azad, two top leaders of the Basadara Division. According to the report, Uday has been arrested earlier by Police in the Rayagada District.

July 26: At least 18 people from Bhatiguda, Nagiaguda, Podapadar and Bankuli in the Boipariguda block were detained by the Koraput District Police. According to sources, the Police was interrogating them suspecting their involvement in the June 7, 2009 Boipariguda Police Station blast by the CPI-Maoist cadres.

July 27: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik came up with a proposal to promote games like volleyball, football, hockey and cricket in all the CPI-Maoist-affected Districts to wean the youth away from Maoists. "INR 200,000 would be given to every tribal dominated District to distribute sports kits and organise sports events," Patnaik said.

Security Forces in the State are on a high alert in the Maoist-infested Districts in the wake of the outfit observing a 'martyrs' week' starting from July 28. Posters and banners of the Maoists calling locals to take part in the 'martyrs' week' have come up in remote areas of Kalimela and MV 79 areas of Malkangiri District. In the Rayagada District, CPI-Maoist posters and banners for the 'martyrs' week' were found in the Gudari and Chadrapur areas.

July 28: Cadres of the CPI-Maoist blew up two mobile phone towers of different private operators at Padmagiri and Tandapali in the Malkangiri District even as security was tightened in the State in view of 'martyrs week' being observed by the Maoists from July 28, the Police said. Normal life was affected in Kalimela, Motu, MV-79 and Padia areas of the District where shops and business establishments remained closed and vehicular movement came to a halt as the ''martyrs week'' called by Maoists began.

July 29: Suspected Maoists killed two Policemen, Assistant Sub-Inspector of Police Muralidhar Bastia and home guard Hadibandhu Mahanta, near Brahmanipal Police outpost in the Keonjhar District. The bullet-ridden dead bodies of the slain Policemen were found in the evening five kilometres away from the Police outpost. "We suspect the hand of Maoists in the crime," an unnamed senior District Police official said.

August 3: Three Maoists reached the house of L. Satyanarayana, the nephew of Gudari Notified Area Council (NAC) chairman, in Gudari and opened fire injuring L. Laxmi, wife of Satyanarayana.

August 4: The CPI-Maoist cadres killed one villager, identified as Gopinath Lima, at Burukudu village under Gudari Police station in the Rayagada District. Four armed extremists reached the house of Lima and dragged him out of the house. He was taken to the middle of the village and assaulted ruthlessly in front of the villagers. Then the victim was dragged into the near by agricultural field and was shot dead. It is suspected that Maoists murdered him alleging him to be a Police informer. Burukudu village is situated at a distance of one kilometre from the Gudari Police station.

August 5: Cadres of the CPI-Maoist set ablaze battery rooms of two cellular telephone towers belonging to the Reliance and Airtel companies in Dangabadi and Ramgiri village respectively in Koraput District. The Maoists have caused damage to more than a dozen such towers in three southern Districts of Koraput, Malkangiri and Rayagada in the past month, Police said.

August 8: Cadres of the CPI-Maoist separately raided the remote Gakdibali and Godarguda villages in the Rayagada District and shot dead two civilians, Siba Sabar and Bibhisan Behera, suspecting them to be Police informers. According to sources, Siba had past links with the Maoists. He was involved in preparing posters, pamphlets and banners for the insurgents.

The State Government has decided to fill up all the 12,000 vacant posts at all levels of the Orissa Police by October 2009. This includes 3,500 posts in the Maoist-affected Districts. A decision to this effect was taken at a high-level meeting presided over by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. Besides fresh recruitment, vacancies will also be filled up through promotions. It was decided that the sixth India Reserve Battalion (IRB) would be set up soon. About 1,000 personnel will be recruited for the IRB. Necessary training arrangements will be made for the newly-recruited force to make them capable of fighting the Maoists.

August 12: Three woman cadres of the CPI-Maoist were killed in an exchange of fire between a group of about 10 to 15 Maoists and a joint team of the Andhra Pradesh and Orissa Police near Ramannaguda in the Rayagada District, about 30 to 40 kilometres from the State border. According to information received by the Vizianagaram Police (Andhra Pradesh), the dead included Potanapalli Subhdara alias Swarna (30), wife of the Maoist party's Srikakulam divisional committee secretary Daya (Chamala Krishnamurthy) and Landa Rajeswari alias Sarada (26), wife of Gora Vallabha Rao alias Murali - Srikakulam divisional committee member. The third deceased was reportedly identified as one Jeevani, aged around 20, of Rayagada, Vizianagaram District Superintendent of Police (SP) Y. Gangadhar said. The Maoists were reportedly on their way back to the Andhra Pradesh side of the border when they encountered a combing party around 7am (IST). An INSAS rifle, two .303 rifles, a carbine and more than 100 rounds of ammunition were also recovered from the incident site. However, Modem Balakrishna alias Bhaskar, who is a member of the Maoists' Andhra Orissa Border State Committee, and one Daya, reportedly managed to escape during the exchange of fire.

Mahadev Tarai of the Kesipur village of Ganjam District was arrested along with explosive material by the personnel of the Gurandi Police Station in the Gajapati District near Jubarajpur village. Detonators, gun powder and other electronic equipment were seized from him. While Tarai claimed that these materials were to be used by a stone quarry, investigation is on whether he had any links with the Maoists.

Security was beefed up at National Aluminium Co. Ltd (NALCO) mine in the Koraput District following a Maoist threat. "We have beefed up security after we recently received a letter allegedly sent by Communist Party of India-Maoist," said P.K. Mohapatra, the head of the Damanjodi refinery and mine. "We have already informed the district police and administrative authorities about it," he added.

The State Government has assessed that about 50 prisons in the State need immediate fortification in view of the increasing activities of the Maoists. The State Government has sought INR 1.8 billion from the Finance Commission for upgradation of jail security and other measures.

August 13: Police arrested the 'deputy commander' of the Kalimela Dalam (squad) of the CPI-Maoist, Somnath Padiami from the Badigata jungles in Malkangiri District. Malkangiri Superintendent of Police (SP) Satyabrata Sahu said during interrogation the arrested Maoist had revealed their plans to blast the Poteru Police Station during Independence Day celebrations. Following this revelation, security and logistics to protect Police Stations in the District is being revamped. Somnath was involved in major Maoist attacks in the District like the sinking of the motor launch in Chitrakonda reservoir in June 29, 2008, which killed 38 Security Force (SF) personnel, including 36 belonging to the elite anti-Maoist Greyhounds from Andhra Pradesh, the landmine blast on July 16, 2008 near MV-126 (Malkangiri Village-126) that killed 17 Special Operation Group (SOG) personnel of Orissa and looting of INR 9.9 million from a vehicle of State Bank of India near Chitrakonda in April 2009.

August 15: Describing the Maoist insurgency as the biggest challenge facing the State and the country, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, in his Independence Day speech, urged the Maoists to shun violence and return to the mainstream. "We are taking strong steps to combat Naxalism. I am appealing to them to return to the mainstream," Patnaik said. Terming the Maoists as the biggest problem for the State, Patnaik said his Government has taken all necessary steps to counter violence, adding, "We are appointing tribal youths as special police officers."

August 16: The CPI-Maoist in a press release threatened that its cadres would kill some Police officials posted in Rayagada District, including the District Superintendent of Police Ashish Kumar Singh. The four-page press release was sent to journalists at the District headquarter of Rayagada. The note was allegedly sent by Dona Kesaba Rao alias Azad, who claims to be the Maoist 'commander' of the Vansadhara division that operates in the region. The Police, however, maintained that the threat was routine. "They are frustrated after we arrested more than 27 Maoists, including a ''commander'' of their division, in the past two months. Besides some Maoists, including a commander, have also surrendered before the police during that period," the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Sanjeeb Panda said.

August 18: The State demanded deployment of central paramilitary forces in the national sanctuaries and parks in the State, in view of the growing threat from the CPI-Maoist. "The red extremism is growing in national parks and Sanctuaries in the state. Extensive damage has been reported from Similipal Tiger Reserve," Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said at the day-long conference of all the state forest and environment ministers in New Delhi. He demanded deployment of central paramilitary forces in Badrama, Khalasuni, Lakhary Valley sanctuary, Sunabeda and Kotgarh. Patnaik also demanded additional funds for Orissa to strengthen the infrastructure in the Maoist-infested areas where extensive damage has been reported.

August 19: A woman, whose identity is yet to be ascertained, was found killed by cadres of the CPI-Maoist near MV-90 village under Kalimela Police Station in the Malkangiri District on. The murder is suspected to have occurred in the early hours of August 17. As per the handwritten pamphlet in Oriya language left by the Maoists near her body, the name of the deceased was Kamala. However, the Maoists had not mentioned the place from where she hailed. They threatened that anyone who helped the Police would face similar consequences. The Malkangiri SP Satyabrata Bhoi said, "How can this woman be a Police informer when no one in the area is able to identify her?" The SP said the age of the slain woman hinted that she may be a CPI-Maoist cadre who had got disenchanted and escaped from their camp. "Suspecting that she may surrender and spill vital information about the Maoist activities, the leftist ultras may have killed her," he added.

August 20: Armed cadres of the CPI-Maoist blew up at least two forest department office buildings at Tamada, located barely 20 to 35 kilometres from Rourkela in the Sundergarh District. "After boarding a bus at Karuabahal, around 40 Maoist cadres blew up the forest range office at Tamada using powerful explosives. The employees were driven away before destroying the office," Sudarsan Sethi, the Sub-Divisional Police Officer said. Maoists then reached Birida under Brahmanitaranga Police Station and similarly destroyed the forest beat house there. Sethi said this is for the first time that Maoists blew up forest department offices in Sundergarh District.

The District administration in Koraput set about clearing roads to Narayanpatna blocked by Maoists by felling trees since August 17. "We have started clearing the roads. We hope that vehicles will roll into Narayanpatna cut off since August 17. At first, the Narayanpatna-Laxmipur Road will be cleared," said District Collector Gadadhar Parida. The administration has pressed two teams from the Orissa Disaster Rapid Action Force, a bomb disposal squad and a large number of Security Forces, including the Central Reserve Police Force and Special Operation Group personnel, into service to clear the Laxmipur-Narayanpanta Road.

August 25: More than 20 heavily armed cadres of the CPI-Maoist attacked the Roxy railway station, located in a remote place under K. Bolang Police Station area in Sundergarh District, and blew it up after asking the employees to move out. The Maoists also abducted three persons, including the Station Master, besides setting ablaze around 15 vehicles parked near the small railway station used primarily for iron ore transportation, Police said. The station is used for transporting iron ore to the Rourkela Steel Plant. Later the three railways employees, who were held captive by the Maoists for over three hours, were released with a warning not to run trains during a shutdown.

A group of 15 armed Maoists attacked Bhalulata Railway station, 25 kilometres from Rourkela, but could not blow up the building as the explosive device did not go off.

Four suspected Maoists, caught by Hundula villagers in the Joda area of Keonjhar District, were freed after being detained for more than five hours, as Police failed to reach the area until then. "We had received information. But all our teams were already posted at Joda Municipality for bypoll duty. So we were unable to send forces," Inspector-in-Charge, Joda, M Naik said.

August 26: Cadres of the CPI-Maoist attacked the camp of a construction company and destroyed machinery near Mahupadar village under Mathili police station in the Malkangiri District. The Maoists set ablaze three tippers, one excavator and one machine used to melt and mix coal tar at the worksite. The construction company was laying a road under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) in the area. According to sources, around 20 armed Maoists along with more than 50 supporters reached the camp of the construction company. They threatened the labourers sleeping in the camp not to oppose their activities or try to contact anyone. The panicked labourers were kept under the watch of armed cadres while others got involved in the arson.

August 27: Three persons were abducted by the CPI-Maoist-backed Chasi Muliya Adivasi Sangh (CMAS) from Laxmipur in Koraput District demanding release of two of their companions. Earlier, on August 26, Laxmipur Police had arrested two CMAS activists, identified as Jaga Hikaka and Tuku Subudhi for their involvement in damaging a foreign liquor shop at Laxmipur. In that incident about 15 CMAS activists raided a liquor shop and destroyed stocked liquor worth several thousand rupees. They also looted more than INR 50,000 from the shop. Around 3pm (IST) over 400 CMAS activists armed with their traditional weapons, agitated in front of the Laxmipur police station, demanding the release of their companions. Later, the mob proceeded towards the distillery and took three persons as hostages, said sources.

Cadres of the CPI-Maoist abducted one Jiten Patel, a contractor, from Simdega in the Sundergarh District. Superintendent of Police Narasingh Bhoi said Jiten Patel was taken away from his work site at Simdega by six motor cycle-borne men, suspected to be Maoists, who then disappeared into neighbouring Chhattisgarh forest. Though the cause was yet to be ascertained, extortion and levy collection might be the reasons behind the abduction. Police said search operation is on.

August 28: A day after being abducted by cadres of the CPI-Maoist in Sundargarh District, contractor Jatin Patel was released by his abductors, Police said. Although Jatin has been released, he was, however, yet to reach his home at Sibdega, the official said, adding that further details about the incident would be known only after he arrives. Extortion was believed to be the reason behind the abduction.

August 29: 30 cadres and supporters of the CPI-Maoist were arrested during the night-long combing operations in four places of Sundergarh District. The Maoists were arrested during joint combing operations by Police and Central Reserve Police Force at Silipunji, Mundatala, Chandiposh and Champajharan areas in the District, Bonai Sub-Divisional Police Officer Sudarsan Sethi said, adding that arms, ammunition and posters were seized from them. Police claimed that during preliminary interrogation, the Maoists have confessed to involvement in the recent killing of Ajit Bardhan, officer-in-charge of Koida Police station, looting an explosive-laden van from Champajharan on July 16 and blasting three forest department buildings at Tamada and Birida areas in the District two months back.

The State Government asked Collectors of all the Maoist insurgency-affected Districts to verify allegations regarding the Maoists eating foodstuff meant for students of several State-run schools and hostels for tribal girls located in remote areas, official sources said. "Letters have been sent to all the collectors to verify allegations that Maoists forcibly eat food meant for school children living in hostels," the Scheduled Tribe and Scheduled Caste Development Department Secretary Ashok Tripathy told.

September 2: Cadres of the CPI-Maoist threatened to blow up block offices in the Sundergarh District if the authorities failed to pay compensation to families in the Subdega and Balishankara area who had lost lives and properties in elephant attacks. Two letters written with red ink in English, Oriya and Sadri (local tribal language) received by the block development officers of Subdega and Balishankara threatened the officials to pay compensation within September 5 to families in the blocks which lost their members, properties and crop in elephant attacks since 2006. The Maoists demanded INR 300,000 to families who lost their members in pachyderm attacks, INR 200,000 for those whose houses were completely damaged and INR 50,000 for half damaged and INR 30,000 for partially damaged houses.

September 4: Cadres of the CPI-Maoist damaged a mobile phone communication tower in MV 74 village and cut down trees to block some major roads in Malkangiri District. According to sources, some armed CPI-Maoist cadres accompanied by their supporters attacked the communication tower. They also damaged the control room and generator room of the communication tower by a blast. The CPI-Maoist cadres did not injure any one during the attack, Police sources said. The CPI-Maoists and their supporters cut down trees at several places to block the Chitrakonda-Balimela road and the Chitrakonda-Sileru road.

For the first time through banners and posters, CPI-Maoist threatened the teachers working in schools in remote areas of Malkangiri District. They intimidated the teachers to face their wrath if the Paramilitary Forces involved in anti-Naxal operations camped in their schools. Through their posters, the CPI-Maoist cadres also opposed the establishment of Cobra Battalion in Koraput District. To create a support base in remote areas of the District, Maoists also expressed their support to the demand of Konda Reddy community to be included in the Scheduled Tribe (ST) list of Orissa.

September 6: Three cadres of the CPI-Maoist, involved in two murder cases and other violence, were arrested at Topadihi village under K Balang Police station in Sundergarh District. The Maoists were captured by Security Force personnel when they were hiding in a forest near the village, the Police said, adding that all the three belonged to the village. They were reportedly involved in the killing of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions leader Rabi Oram and businessman Deonath Singh, sources said.

September 7: Two hardcore Maoists involved in the rampage in the Similipal Tiger Reserve (STR) were arrested from an unspecified location and two locally-made guns were seized from them. They were identified as Sushil Sanya of Jharkhand and based in Keonjhar District's Kailadapada village and Paoles Hembrom of Mayurbhanj District's Golamunda village. Sanya masterminded the rampages in Meghasan, Chahala UBK (Upper-Barha-Kamuda) range and Dhudruchampa. The duo was involved in at least 16 other cases. Sanya, believed to be a hardcore Maoist, was active in Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Jajpur, Dhenkanal and Angul Districts. Sanya and Tunu were arrested by one platoon of SOG, a group of District voluntary force and a team of 10 Police officers.

September 8: One person, identified as Suresh Pindi, who was wounded in a clash between the Narayanpatna and Bandhugaon groups of the Maoist-backed Chasi Mulia Adivasi Sangh (CMAS) in Koraput District on September 7, succumbed to injuries.

September 10: Cadres of the CPI-Maoist triggered about a dozen explosions blowing up railway tracks and at least four Government buildings in the Sundargarh District in the early morning. The Maoists had called for a 24-hour shutdown in the District to demand the release of 30 people who were arrested on August 29 on the suspicion that they were Maoists. The extremists blasted railway tracks at around seven places between Bimlagarh and Patangi, Police said. They also blew up an abandoned Police station building at Kalta, another building where a CRPF camp was functioning earlier, a community centre and office building of the CITU, Police said, adding they also set ablaze a truck. The Maoists also abducted five railway employees, including the stationmaster, from the Topadiha station in the District during the raid.

Speaking at the passing out parade ceremony of first batch of Sub-Inspectors who undergone training at the Biju Patnaik State Police Academy Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik informed that the State Government will soon come up with a new Police Training Institute where one thousand personnel will be able to under go training every year. The Chief Minister said five new India Reserve Battalions, four special security battalions are being established to take on Maoists.

September 11: The five railway employees who were abducted by the CPI-Maoist from Topadihi railway station in Sundergarh District on September 10 were released. After being abducted during a series of attacks by the Maoists in the Bonai area, they were believed to have been taken to a hideout in the dense Saranda forest in the neighbouring State of Jharkhand, Police said.

September 14: A suspected cadre of the CPI-Maoist slashed his throat with a shaving blade while in Police custody in Keonjhar District. Police said the man, Anandi Juanga (32), tried to commit suicide around noon while he was lodged with four other accused at the Police reserve in Keonjhar. Police, however, refused to divulge the reason behind the attempted suicide.

The State Government alleged that the Centre had never provided it with adequate Central Para-Military Force (CPMF) and other logistics to fight insurgency. The State Government's requests for more Central Force to tackle Maoist violence and other problems were never met, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik told media persons in capital Bhubaneswar while reacting to allegations of inaction in meaningfully tackling the Maoist insurgency.

September 17: Four hardcore cadres of the CPI-Maoist were forwarded to the court. Earlier, they were arrested from Harichandanpur and Daitary areas of Keonjhar District, Police said. The arrested Maoists, identified as Aswini Juang (24), Sugrib Juang (19), Pathani Munda (35) and Anadi Juang (28), were forwarded to the court. They were involved in many criminal incidents in Jajpur, Keonjhar, Angul and Dhenkanal Districts, he added.

September 20-21: A rural reporter of a local media, Laxman Choudhury, was arrested by the Police in Gajapati District on September 20 for his suspected links with the CPI-Maoist. Subsequently, members of the Berhampur Press Club blocked the road on September 21, in protest against Laxman's arrest. They also handed over a memorandum to the Deputy Inspector General of Police demanding his unconditional release. Meanwhile, the District Superintendent of Police (SP), Sanjeev Arora, defending the Police action said, "According to a preliminary probe, report there was enough evidence against Chowdhury about his nexus with Maoists."

September 24: Two cadres of the CPI-Maoist, involved in the attack on forest rest houses and beat office in Similipal Tiger Reserve area, were arrested in Mayurbhanj District. The duo, identified as Chotrai Dhirua (42) and Bindira Samath (35), were arrested in separate operations in the Gudgudia range of Similipal forests, the Additional Superintendent of Police Chintamani Panda said. Dhirua, who was involved in attacks on an inspection bungle and forest buildings, was arrested from Soharapata village, Panda said, adding the Maoist had also given shelter to another Maoist leader Sushil Sayaan, who was arrested recently from the District. Some Maoist literature, leaflets and other publicity materials were seized from Dhirua. Samath was involved in several offences including attacks on Meghasuni wireless centre, a forest range office and a forest beat house inside Similipal early this year, he said.

The State Government urged the Central Government for more Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel and a dedicated chopper to tackle the Maoist menace. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik met Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram in New Delhi to press the demand. He asked for seven battalions of the CRPF and a helicopter for tackling the extremists in the state. He also said that the amount sanctioned for hiring the helicopter was not adequate. He demanded increase in grant under security related expenses from INR 240 million to INR 640 million.

September 26: A cadre of the CPI-Maoist, identified as Katam Jaga (28), was arrested during an anti-Maoist operation in the Malkangiri District in the evening. "We were tipped off regarding Jaga's movement and he was arrested near Sudhakonda forests. We recovered a grenade from his possession," said Superintendent of Police (SP), Malkangiri, Satyabrata Bhoi. According to Bhoi, Jaga was on the Police wanted list since long for his involvement in a series of Maoist-related acts of violence, including the murder of Somnath Madkami, the Samdrudha Odisha candidate from Malkangiri Assembly seat, across Malkangiri over the last few months. "During interrogation, Jaga admitted to his involvement in the killing of Madkami. He has also confessed to the killing of a civilian on the suspicion of police informer at MV 79 in June. This apart, he was involved in several Naxal-related incidents in the district," the SP said. Police said Jaga belongs to the Motu Dalam (squad) of the CPI-Maoist.

September 29: The State Government said it was contemplating to launch a joint offensive along with Central para-military forces against the CPI-Maoist in southern and western Districts of the State. "Our Special Operations Group personnel have plans to launch a joint combing operation along with central forces against Maoists," Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik told reporters in Bhubaneswar on his return from Delhi.

In view of the growing Maoist threat in the State, the Government advised the companies using explosives for mining purposes to reduce the stock to a level sufficient for only 3-4 days.

September 28: Police recovered firearms, including one SLR and three AK-47 rifles, from the Nandagiri rehabilitation centre in Kandhamal District during a raid following the death of an inmate during illegal manufacturing of crude bombs there. The arms were looted from the Nayagarh Police armoury during a raid by the CPI-Maoist in February 2008. Nandagiri rehabilitation centre was opened for giving shelter to riot-hit Christians in the aftermath of the killing of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Swami Laxmananand Saraswati on August 23, 2008.

October 3: Cadres of the CPI-Maoist killed a former ward member, Irma Salwan (50) of Tekalguda, after accusing him of being a Police informer in Malkangiri District. "Salwan's throat had been slit and he bled to death. Out of fear, the villagers had buried the body in the woods. We were able to recover it only on Sunday [October 4]," Malkangiri Superintendent of Police (SP) Satya Brata Bhoi said.

October 4: About 30 armed cadres of the CPI-Maoist blew up the Katingia Police outpost in the Kandhamal District in the night. However, no one was hurt. The Maoists also set ablaze documents there. Additional Police force could not reach the spot due to felling of tress on the road connecting Brahmanigaon area, official sources said.

Traffic resumed on the Malkangiri-Bhubaneswar road that had been blocked by the Maoists near Govindpally Ghat road on October 3 to enforce their bandh (shut down) call. "All road blockades put up by the Maoists have been lifted and road connectivity has been normalized in the District," the SP said.

October 13: Cadres of the CPI-Maoist killed three Police personnel, including the security guard of senior Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader Sudam Marandi, after a football match at Bandap village under Chandua Police Station in the Mayurbhanj District. Sudam Marandi, a former Member of Parliament, however, escaped unhurt, Police said. The Maoists attacked the Security Force personnel accompanying Marandi when they were leaving the tournament venue after distribution of prizes, Police said, adding that Assistant Sub-Inspector of Police Narayan Pradhan and two other Policemen were shot dead.

October 15: 11 CPI-Maoist sympathisers were arrested from Jakalkundi village under Kalimela Police Station in the Malkangiri District. According to Malkangiri SP Satyabrata Bhoi, Police raided the village, situated at a distance of eight kilometres from Kalimela, to arrest a top Maoist who was hiding there. But a group of 11 tribals had allegedly accosted the Police with traditional arms like bows and arrows. Taking advantage of it, the Maoist leader allegedly managed to escape. Later, Police arrested the 11 sympathisers who had prevented the arrest.

October 20: Two persons were arrested from Berhampur railway station by a Police team from Gajapati District for their alleged links with the CPI-Maoist. A motorcycle with Andhra Pradesh registration number was seized from them. The arrestees were identified as Sumant Majhi and Andreo Majhi of Lamdang village under Adaba Police Station in Gajapati District.

October 21: Two top cadres of the CPI-Maoist, identified as Subhas Mambalaka (22) and Narasingha Mambalaka (25), were arrested from the dense forests of Bisamkatak area near the Halma village in Rayagada District during combing operations. The Rayagada Superintendent of Police A. K. Singh said both of them were involved in the attack on the Dangasorada Police outpost in Rayagada District in 2007.

October 22: The Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik ruled out any talks with the CPI-Maoist in the prevailing condition, saying that he is not hopeful of any positive outcome from such a dialogue. The Maoists are following the path of violence not only in Orissa but also in other States, he noted. "Until they shun violence and follow law of the land, I cannot see how talks can take place," he told journalists after returning from a four-day visit to the national capital New Delhi. Naveen said that his Government was open to talks with the Maoists for the last several years "but they never came forward." "Not only in our State, now they are indulging in crime, murder and terrible acts in other parts of the country also," Patnaik said.

October 23: Three cadres of the CPI-Maoist involved in many crimes including murder were arrested from forest areas under Gudari Police Station in Rayagada District during a combing operation by the Police, Superintendent of Police A. K. Singh told reporters in Rayagada. The trio belonging to Bansadhara committee of the Maoists was involved in a number of criminal offences, including murder, arson, violent attacks and loot and extortion, he said.

Swami Arupananda, a Hindu cleric, claimed he received a letter from the Maoists, threatening to kill him like they killed the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati.

October 24: Two cadres of the CPI-Maoist, allegedly involved in the killing of 10 CISF personnel at the NALCO plant in Damanjodi in Koraput District in April 2009, were arrested from Rayagada District late in the night. The Maoists, identified as Tuda Jagaranka and Gahi Jagaranka, aged between 25 and 30 years, were arrested during combing operations by the elite anti-Naxal force Special Operation Group at Seriguda in the Gudari area, the Rayagada District Superintendent of Police A. K. Singh said.

October 28 : A day after the holding up of the Delhi-bound Rajdhani Express train by the People's Committee against Police Atrocities (PCPA) and CPI-Maoist in West Bengal, the Orissa Government identified at least seven rail routes "vulnerable" to attacks by the insurgents, official sources said. The routes identified as "prone" to a Maoist attack are located mostly in the Koraput, Rayagada, Sambalpur, Jajpur, Keonjhar and Sundergarh Districts. These routes are: Rourkela-Bimalagah-Kiribur, Rourkela-Jariekela, Boinda-Jujumara, Tamka-Keonjhar, Rayagada-Koraput, Koraput-Gorapur and Rayagada-Jhimiripeta lines. The respective District Superintendent of Police has been directed to make adequate arrangements for passenger safety in consultation with the Railways, official sources said.

October 30: Three cadres of the CPI-Maoist were arrested by Security Forces during combing operation in Gudari area of Rayagada District.

October 31: Over 20 cadres of the CPI-Maoist, including women, raided the house of Sunaram Tudu (35) at Rebana village under Daitary Police Station in Keonjhar District in the night and lynched him suspecting him to be a Police informer. The Maoists later assaulted another villager, identified as Trinath Mahanto, and abducted him. There is no trace of Mahanto as yet, the villagers said.

November 1: A top CPI-Maoist cadre, identified as Balabhadra Madhi (30), was arrested in the Malkangiri District. The Superintendent of Police Satyabrata Bhoi said Madhi was arrested during a combing operation by the CRPF and SOG in Salimarikuanda forest in Kalimela area while moving in a suspicious manner. During interrogation, it was found that Madhi is an 'area commander' of the Maoists.

The Balimela-Chitrakonda road which connects Andhra Pradesh with Orissa was blocked by the Maoists putting boulders and felling trees near Chidrakonda Ghat in protest against the planned anti-Maoist operation of the Government. As a result, Chitrakonda remained cut off from the District headquarter town, Police said.

November 2: Several rounds of ammunition were fired in a two-hour-long encounter between Police and Maoists at a forest near Kondajam village in Rayagada District. There was no report of casualties. "Quite a few rebels were injured during the encounter," said a Police officer. The encounter took place when a special action team of the Maoists, who included cadres from Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, came face to face with a team of the SOG and CRPF.

November 4: About 50 armed cadres of the CPI-Maoist attacked the guest house of a steel company at Gajiagoda in the Chitrakonda area of Malkangiri District around midnight and set it ablaze, the District Superintendent of Police (SP), Satyabrata Bhoi, said. The Maoists assaulted the guard of the guest house and stormed the building. The insurgents also assaulted two engineers of the company and locked them up in a nearby house, he said, adding that the two were later rescued.

Normal life was affected in the Malkangiri, Koraput, Rayagada and Gajapati Districts on the first day of the shutdown called by the Maoists to protest against the Centre's decision to launch counter-insurgency operations against them and alleged Police excesses, Police sources said.

The Maoists threatened to kill the SP of Koraput, Deepak Kumar Chauhan, in a letter addressed to the officer. The insurgents have asked him to stop all ongoing anti-Maoist operations or face the consequences. "Stop all anti-Maoist exercises in the district and withdraw SOG and CRPF personnel from such operations. If you do not obey us, you will be killed," the SP said quoting the letter. According to the SP, the Maoists have named a couple of other Police officers in their letter and warned them to refrain from anti-Maoist operations.

November 5: Normal life was affected in southern parts of Orissa following the shut down call of the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) who set ablaze two trucks in Sundargarh District. About 15 Maoists stopped two trucks in Anandpur village on old Ranchi road near Orissa-Jharkhand border and asked the driver and helper to step out and set the two vehicles ablaze, Police said.

Former Inspector in-Charge of Kotgarh Police Station in Kandhamal District H. K. Pradhan told Justice S. C. Mohapatra, probing the killing of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Laxamananda Saraswati and the violence thereafter that "Maoists might have killed Saraswati to get the support of Christians."

A cadre of the CPI-Maoist, identified as Purna Murmu, involved in several criminal cases including murder was arrested from Ghasisahi under Ghasipura Police Station in Keonjhar District. The Maoist was spotted by the Police at a function for distribution of land "pattas" to tribals, Police said.

November 6: Villagers began an indefinite blockade of a national highway at Silipunji near Rourkela in Sundergarh District demanding release of 30 people, who were arrested for allegedly having links with Maoists. About 500 villagers of Chandiposh, Mundatola and Silipunji under Bonai sub-division of Sundargarh district, led by Birmitrapur MLA (Member of Legislative Assembly) George Tirkey, sat on a dharna (sit-in) claiming that the Police had arrested innocent villagers branding them as Maoists. They blocked NH-23 linking Rourkela and Bhubaneswar via Talcher by felling trees leaving hundreds of vehicles, mostly trucks, stranded. Thirty people from three villages were arrested on August 27 on charges of having links with the Maoists, who had abducted Ajit Bardhan, sub-inspector of Koida police station, on July 16.

Sources in Orissa police said that Maoists are now engaged in building a new corridor from Andhra Pradesh to Chhattisgarh via southern Orissa districts of Koraput and Malkangiri. The planned corridor starts in Andhra Pradesh, crosses the Orissa border at Narayanpatna in Koraput District, passes through Pottangi and Machkund in the same District before meeting Mudulipada and Mathili in Malkangiri District along the Orissa-Chhattisgarh border. "Maoists have almost through with their job. We have also reports of the rebels organising camps near Mudulipada, but are unable to confirm it,'' a top Police officer involved in anti-insurgency operations said on condition of anonymity.

November 7: A cadre of the CPI-Maoist, identified as Muda Kabasi, a key suspect in the murder of a village head, was arrested by the personnel of CRPF and SOG from Lachhipuram village forest in Malkangiri District. Kabasi (35), who was suspected to be involved in the killing of the head of Binayakpur, Banda Reddy, seven months ago, confessed to having been associated with the CPI-Maoist for the past four years, District Superintendent of Police (SP) Satyabrata Bhoi said. The Police also seized some pamphlets from the extremist.

Police unearthed a landmine and detonator, planted on the BG-Kashidihi road close to Orissa-Jharkhand border in Mayurbhanj District. The landmine was unearthed by Police after being tipped off by locals, a senior Police officer said. "About 20 kg explosives, detonators and wire used for triggering the blast were recovered," the officer said. The Maoists had put up posters and leaflets in the area some days ago.

November 15-16: The body of a forest guard, Kirish Rout (35), who was shot dead by Maoists in Kutrabeda inside Sunabeda wildlife sanctuary on November 15, was recovered by the Komna Police in the night of November 16. He belonged to Dhekunpani village in Sunabeda gram panchayat. The poster left behind by the Maoists claiming responsibility for the murder was also seized. The Naupada Superintendent of Police, Bibek Rath, confirmed the involvement of Maoists in the murder. He said that preliminary investigation revealed that 20 to 25 Maoists had descended on the place before committing the crime. However, senior forest officials said that Kirish may have been killed for being a suspected Police informer.

November 18: A former ward member of the Sunabeda Panchayat (village level local self Government institution), Chandar Singh Barge (60), was shot dead by cadres of the CPI-Maoist inside the Sunabeda wildlife sanctuary in Nuapada District. The Maoists left behind a poster which stated that Barge was punished for refusing to toe their line. It is suspected that Chhattisgarh-based Maoists are involved in the killing as the sanctuary is located along the Orissa-Chhattisgarh border. Barge was reportedly close to forest officials and was a member of the forest committee at the panchayat level. He was reportedly targeted by the Maoists for his role in facilitating development projects inside the sanctuary and his proximity with forest officials.

November 20: Two cadres of the CPI-Maoist-backed CMAS were killed when Police opened fire on them to prevent arms loot at the Narayanpatna Police Station of Koraput District. Inspector in charge of the Narayanpatna Police Station, Jagabandhu Sahu, also received a bullet while trying to save the fire arms from the activists of CMAS. One of the two CMAS cadres killed in the Police firing was identified as K. Singhana. The identity of the other was yet to be ascertained. Koraput District Collector Gadadhar Parida said the firing occurred around 2.45 pm (IST). Some 300 CMAS cadres had gheraoed the Police Station demanding removal of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel from the area. They were opposed to the combing operation of Security Force personnel against the Maoists.

Union Home Secretary G.K. Pillai said that Orissa would be provided additional battalions of Central forces to fight Maoists after the Assembly polls in neighbouring Jharkhand. He added that there had been delay in sending Central forces to the State due to holding of elections in several States in the recent months. The State has four battalions of Central forces for anti-Maoist operations, and it has sought another seven battalions for the purpose.

November 22: The SFs continued to make further inroads into Narayanpatna Block of Koraput District, bastion of the CPI-Maoist-backed CMAS, and in the process, arrested some key leaders of the outfit. The leader of women's wing of CMAS, Kumudini Behera, and legal advisor Sahadev Parida, were among the nine arrested by the SFs, who took control of the area where the tribal outfit enjoyed full authority till a few weeks back. With November 22 arrest, the total number of those arrested has gone up to 12. Police have booked some of its members on charges of murder, arson and rioting in the last few months. During November 19 operation, a vehicle of the CMAS was seized by the Police. Sources said search operation is still on in the villages.

November 23: Policemen conducting a search operation in the Maoist insurgency-affected area exchanged fire with activists of the CPI-Maoist backed CMAS outfit in Koraput District. "Some persons opened fire on a Police team, which was conducting search operation in Narayanpatna area," Superintendent of Police of Koraput District, Deepak Kumar, said. The Police retaliated but none was injured in the firing, he added. The incident occurred three days after two members of the CMAS were killed when Police opened fire to prevent them from looting arms from a Police Station in Narayanpatna on November 20.

November 25: Security has been tightened in three Districts of South Orissa following the appearance of posters put up by the CPI-Maoist, warning the Police against alleged atrocities committed by them. The Police said additional armed Police force was deployed in Ganjam, Gajapati and Kandhamal Districts as the posters were found in public places like the panchayat (village level local self government institution) office and the bazaar (market), besides being pasted on passenger buses. All posters and leaflets have been seized and their genuineness is being verified, Police said. They speak about alleged atrocities committed by the Police on tribals in the past in places like Kalinga Nagar in Jajpur District and Maikancha and Mandrabaju areas of Kandhamal District. The posters were found in large numbers in Baragada, situated near dense forests, in Ganjam District.

November 29: The CPI-Maoist in the night damaged an excavator used for laying a village road under Pradhan Mantri Gramya Sadak Yojna (PMGSY) near Daringbadi in the Kandhamal District. According to sources, some 15 armed Maoists tried to set ablaze the excavator near Danekbadi village at a distance of 15 kilometres from Daringbadi. The excavator was being used for construction of the Danekbadi-Padenketa road under PMGSY. Maoists are opposed to construction of roads to interior areas.

Maoists in the Malkangiri District threatened the youths to refrain from joining the Police force and to resist combing operations by the Security Forces (SFs). These posters are seen in Kalimela, Bhejangwada, MV-79, Motu, Chitrakonda and Govindpalli areas. Maoists called upon the people to cooperate to make their PLGA week celebration a success. The posters and leaflets also demanded removal of personnel of the CRPF and CoBRA battalion from Maoist-infested areas. According to citizens of Malkangiri, usually the District gets gripped by panic of possible violence by Maoists during the PLGA week starting December 2.

Superintendent of Police (SP) Deepak Kumar Chouhan said out of the 15 persons arrested from a house in Jangdibalsa of Bandhugaon block bordering Narayanpatna on November 28 five were suspected to be hardcore Maoist cadres. Chouhan said that while most of the arrested persons were localites, two of them -- Tapan Mishra and Padmanav Sahu -- were from outside the District. According to him, the duo was staying at the Maoist camp that was raided. The SFs had acted on specific intelligence to conduct the raid. While most persons related to the camp had escaped, Police had managed to detain some, he said. Police had released the innocent villagers after preliminary enquiry and interrogation. 15 persons with Maoist links were arrested. The SP also displayed the articles and arms of Maoists seized during the raid. During the raid, 68 pairs of Maoist uniforms, six SMC guns, five SBBL guns, approximately six kilograms of gun powder, 10 electrical detonators, camera flash, wire, a wireless communication set, four rounds of ball ammunitions, banners, posters and literatures were seized. The SP said the evidences found from the spot linked Chasi Mulai Adivasi Sangh (CMAS) with the Maoists. Some of the arrested persons were also part of the CMAS. The seizure of SMC guns from the Maoist camp was a cause of concern as these guns are used for mass destruction, Chouhan added.

November 30: Four Maoists from neighbouring State of West Bengal, allegedly involved in a recent attack on JMM leader Sudama Marandi, were arrested from Mayurbhanj District. "The ultras were picked up during a combing operation in Bisusola forest in Suliapada police station area near West Bengal border," Superintendent of Police, Mayurbhanj, Dayal Gangwar said. The arrestees identified as Jagat Soren (20), Rohia Soren (20), Bhujaram soren (20) and Tharahari Soren (25), were residents of Patharneta village in Gopiballabhpur Police Station area of West Bengal, he said. "Preliminary investigation and interrogation showed they were involved in several incidents of violence including the attack on JMM leader Sudama Marandi on October 13 near here," he added. Though Marandi escaped unhurt, an assistant sub-inspector of Police and two personnel of Special Operation Group (SOG) were killed in the attack, the Police said.

December 3: Hundreds of tribals associated with the Maoist backed outfit 'Chasi Muliya Adivasi Sangh' (CMAS), after being fed up of the violence, surrendered before the Police in the Narayanpatna region on an unspecified date. The tribals were involved in agitations, and had forcibly occupied lands belonging to non-tribals across Narayanpatna, causing unrest in the region. But disillusioned with the life of violence and bloodshed, the tribals, who claim that they were forced into joining CMAS by the outfit's leaders, gave up arms in order to join mainstream.

December 4: The CPI-Maoist has come out in support of CMAS and called for bandh (shut down) on December 8 in protest against Police firing on CMAS activists at Narayanpatna in Koraput District.

Police put up posters of Nachika Linga, president of CMAS, in different parts of the District to arrest him. Linga heads the Maoist-backed CMAS Narayanpatna unit and is involved in several cases, including the attack on Narayanpatna police station.

December 6: The Orissa Police urged the State Government to ban the Chasi Mulia Adivasi Sangh CMAS which is active in Koraput District for its violent activities as well as links with the CPI-Maoists. The Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police, south-west range, Sanjeev Panda, said they have recommended the State Government to ban the CMAS for maintenance of law and order in Koraput especially in the violence-prone Naraynpatna block of the District.

December 11: The CPI-Maoist cadres blew up an under-construction Police outpost in the Malkanagiri District of Orissa. "It was an under-construction Police outpost. CPI-Maoist blew up part of the building. We had planned this outpost to increase our presence by stationing more armed personnel there," Malkanagiri Sub Divisional Police Officer Anup Sahu said. According to Police, about 40 CPI-Maoist were involved in the attack.

December 13: The SF personnel recovered 10 landmines and huge quantity of detonators in the Sundargarh District, reports Orissadailry.com. The seizures were made during a joint combing operation by the SFs in different Naxal (left wing extremisms)-infested villages under K Balang Police Station, they said. During the search, nine landmines, one claymore mine, 10 tension batteries, 150 metres wire and some Maoist literature were recovered.

The villagers' assured that henceforth they would not allow the entry of Maoists into their villages, said District Superintendent of Police Diptesh Patnaik, adding, that the area was infested with Maoists. Even though it is not possible to provide security to each and every individual, the villagers' cooperation will ensure a sense of security and safety. If the villagers do not cooperate with the Maoists, the insurgents have to retreat, he added.

Earlier several residents belonging to Mahupada, Langalakata, Jharbeda, Sanbalijore and Rehlatur villages had taken shelter in K Balang since December 10 after Maoists had issued whip to either support them or face death penalty. The threat came after the villagers demanded security following an attack on a man by Maoists, suspecting him to be a Police informer, in Mahupada village on December 10. The locals who were fed up with the Maoists activities and went to the Police, the report added.

December 16-17: Four suspected CPI-Maoist cadres, including three from neighbouring State of Jharkhand, were arrested during combing operation at Taiburu forest in the Sundargarh District bordering Orissa-Jharkhand, Police said. The extremists, arrested on December 16, were allegedly involved in the killing of Koida Police Sub-Inspector Ajit Bardhan on July 16, 2009 at Jharbeda under Banki, they said. One of the arrestee was identified as Guru Charan Singh of Mahupada village in K. Balang area and the rest three hails from Nuagam village in Jharkhand. A joint combing operation by the SF was on in Maoist-infested villages bordering Jharkhand after Maoists assaulted one Harekrushna Singh of Mahupada on December 10, suspecting him to be Police informer. During the combing, the SF personnel had recovered nine can bombs, a claymore mine and a huge quantity of materials used to prepare explosive devices, Police said.

Many residents of five villages affected by Maoist menace had deserted their villages and staged dharna (protest) near K. Balang Police Station and its adjoining NH-23 on December 11 demanding security. They returned only after security camps were opened at Jharbeda and Mahupada villages. The villagers of Relhatura, Sanbalijore and Nanglakata have been demanding similar security camps at their villages. The villagers numbering about 400 have left their homes on December 16 and taken shelter at K Balang town.

December 19: The Maoists reportedly had damaged three Government buildings, including the local panchayat (village level local self Government situation) office, at Relhatur. Around 100 armed Maoists stormed into Relhatur village and blew up the panchayat office and its adjoining panchayat store building. An eyewitness said the Maoists were shouting anti-Government slogans, daring villagers to call the Police. The extremists also pasted hand written posters at nearby villages of Rengeda and Topadih. The people of Mahupada, Jharbeda, Relhatur, Sanbalijore and Nangalkata village had earlier left their houses out of fear and staged a dharna (protest) before K Balang Police Station and NH No 215 demanding security. The villagers had returned only three days ago, after security camps were opened in their villages. The District administration had held a "civil action" programme at Relhatur on December 17 and announced several development programmes and appealed to villagers to cooperate with police to tackle the menace in their area. Superintendent of Police (Rourkela) Diptesh Patnaik said additional Police force with senior officers will be rushed to Relhatur and joint combing operation will be intensified.

Power generation at the Balimela hydroelectricity project in the Malkangiri District was disrupted following an attack by Maoists on the infrastructure of the unit during the early hours of December 19. Power Hindu, Malkangiri had not resumed at the unit till evening. Speaking to The Superintendent of Police Satyabrata Bhoi said about a dozen armed Maoists launched the attack at around 12.30am. The project is located in a remote area around 60 kilometres from Malkangiri. The Maoists were targeting the areas of the unit that had low security. When the Maoists reached the tunnel camp of the project, it was deserted. Then the attack took place.

December 20: A Police van carrying two platoons of the CRPF personnel had a narrow escape when a landmine, triggered by the CPI-Maoist, exploded in the Sundargarh District, Police said. There was no report of injury to the vehicle or any personnel, they said. The blast took place at Kamarposh on NH-215 under K. Balang Police Station, about 80 kilometres from Rourkela. The explosion occurred as soon as the Police van passed the culvert at around 11am (IST) and under its impact the small bridge was partially damaged, the sources said. The extremists were believed to have planted the landmine beneath a culvert to restrict the force movement on combing operation, continuing for two days following Maoists attack at Relhatur, a nearby village, on December 19.

A landmine, triggered by the CPI-Maoist cadres, blew up the parapets of a culvert on NH 215 in the Bonai sub-division of Sundargarh District. The blast appeared to be another attempt by the Maoists to make their presence felt amid mounting pressure from the Security Forces combing the area with the help of local tribals. The blast took place around noon and was targeted at a location close to a forested hilly terrain. The explosion was not powerful and it left only the parapets damaged. The expressway is a key link between Rajamunda and Panikoili. Normal vehicular traffic, however, continued. Rourkela Superintendent of Police Diptesh Patnaik played down the incident, by saying that the Security Forces are working overtime to sanities the areas.

December 22-23: In a series of attacks, the Maoists on December 23 blew up four school buildings and one healthcare centre in the areas bordering Jharkhand. The villages fall under Banki and K. Balang Police Stations in the Bonai sub-division of Sundargarh District. Four massive explosions, triggered between 9am (IST) and 1.15pm, saw Mahupada primary school, B. Jharbera upper primary and high schools and B. Jharbera primary health centre being razed to the ground. The residential school at Sanbalijodi was blown up in the night of December 22.

December 23: The Maoists blew up a mobile tower at Kiang in the Malkangiri District. The mobile tower of a private telecom company was badly damaged in the landmine blast, Police said. Communication was disrupted in the highly forested Malkangiri District due to damage to the mobile tower, Superintendent of Police Satyabrat Bhoi said.

There has been mass exodus of villagers from B. Jharbera, Langalkata, Karampada, Mahupada, Sanbalijodi and Relhatu located on the hilly terrains since the evening of December 23 following the Maoist attacks. Panic-stricken tribals, including women and children, accompanied by the Security Forces, trudged miles to reach K. Balang. They were shifted from their temporary camps at B Jharbera and Mahupada. Inspector General of Police (WR) Prana Bindu Acharya told Express Buzz that the situation was being assessed and that normalcy would be restored soon. The armed Maoists are believed to have formed groups and fanned out to different locations. At B. Jharbera, over 50 Maoists, including gun-wielding women cadre, were spotted. Altogether, 13 explosions were reported but there was no official confirmation.

13 persons, arrested on the charge of being involved in the Maoist attack on R. Udaygiri town in Gajapati District, were acquitted by a court in Paralakhemundi. The Maoist attack on R. Udaygiri occurred in March 2006.

December 24: A woman CPI-Maoist was killed and three security force personnel injured in an exchange of fire between the two sides at Pallur in the Koraput District. The exchange of fire took place when personnel of the Special Operation Group, the State's elite anti-Maoist force, were going on a combing operation in the Pallur area under Narayanpatna Police Station, said Sub Divisional Police Officer (Narayanapatna) Y. J. Rao. The gun battle, which began near the place where 10 personnel were killed in a landmine blast on June 18, was continuing till the report last came in, he added.

A trooper of the SOG, elite anti-Naxalite (left wing extremism) force, was also killed during a combing operation at Pallur in the Koraput District, nearly 500 km from here. As reported earlier, a woman CPI-Maoist cadre was killed and three SF personnel were injured in an exchange of fire between the two sides at Pallur in the Koraput District. Police suspects that at least two more Maoists might have been killed in the gun battle. "We recovered the body of the lady Maoist from the scene of the battle. An INSAS rifle was found near here. We believe there might be more casualties among the rebels and search operation is on to find dead bodies," Koraput Superintendent of Police Deepak Kumar said.

According to the report, a fierce gun battle between the SFs and the Maoists ensued when a group of around 30 Maoists ambushed a combing party inside forest at Pallur. The Maoists first detonated claymore mines targeting the combing party in which four SOG personnel were injured. Then they fired at them from their hideout provoking return fire from the SFs. While one SOG trooper died on the spot in the landmine explosion, three others sustained bullet injuries.

A 60-year-old man and a teen-aged boy, suspected to be Maoists, were arrested on December 24 for allegedly launching an attack on the Similipal National Park in March 2009.. Police sources said the man, Laxminarayan Isa, who belonged to Kanshpada village of West Bengal's Burdwan District and the 15-year-old Kanhu Barik, a resident of Badauski village within the national park, were arrested for their alleged role in the attack and suspected links with the Maoists.

December 25-26: Four CPI-Maoist cadres, allegedly involved in the assassination of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Laxamananda Saraswati, were arrested in the Rayagada District, Police said on December 26. The arrests were made by Security Force (SF) personnel engaged in anti-Maoist operation in the dense forests of Tembaguda, about 120 kilometres from Rayagada on December 25, Nilakantha Patra, inspector-in-charge of the Police Station, said. The Maoists identified as Suna Gandalaka, Dhobai Kadraka, Bhapei Praska and Gopala Pidikaka of nearby villages were allegedly involved in a number of crimes, including the killing of the VHP leader in 2008 and Nayagarh attack in 2007. The SF personnel had seized a land mine, explosive substances, Maoists literature and banners from the extremists, Patra added.

December 27: Alert was sounded in three southern Orissa Districts in view of December 28 bandh (shut down) call by Maoists in protest against alleged Police excess against tribals in the Districts. "We have alerted Security Forces in vulnerable areas of Ganjam, Gajapati and Kandhamal Districts in view of the bandh call given by the Naxalites", Deputy Inspector General of Police (Southern range) R. K. Sharma said.

December 28: The CPI-Maoist cadres set ablaze four buses, a mobile tower and blew up a forest department beat house in Gajapati and Malkangiri Districts, Police said. "Maoists have set ablaze four Government buses in the night. They set them on fire after forcing the passengers to get down around midnight. They have also set ablaze a mobile tower there. About 40 Maoists are involved in the incidents. We have rushed armed Policemen to the spot," said Superintendent of Police (Gajapati) Sanjeev Arora.

The Maoists blew up a forest department beat house and a mobile tower in Malkangiri District also. "Maoists have blown up a forest beat house at Orkel and a mobile tower in Chitrakonda chawk," said Anup Sahu, the sub-divisional Police officer of Malkangiri.

The Maoists reportedly blocked roads at different places in south Orissa by felling trees on to the roads. Passenger services were also hit on the Adaba-Rayagada and Brahmani Gaon-Rayagada routes and in Ajapati, Berhampur, Rayagada and Malkangiri too.

December 28-29: CPI-Maoist cadres set ablaze a shop and an auto rickshaw in the Raisuan village of Keonjhar District, Police said on December 29. "Maoists torched a shop last night [December 28]. About 20 armed Maoists had come and torched a shop and an auto," said Dhruba Charan Puhan, Sub Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) of Keonjhar. According to Police, the extremists set ablaze the shop by pouring petrol after asking the shop owner and his family members to leave. The Maoists have also left some literature, threatening the Police and some other individuals of the village.

December 30: Police said that six suspected Maoists were arrested during a joint combing operation by Security Force personnel in Sundargarh District. The arrests were made at Rubuda forests under K. Balang Police Station in the night of December 29, Sudarsan Sethi, SDPO of Bonai, said. The arrestees included Jagmohan Tarkode of neighbouring Jharkhand while the other five belonged to Relahatur village in Sundargarh District where the Maoists had triggered blasts damaging four school buildings and a hospital building last week. All the six were booked under five cases, including murder of Ajit Bardhan, sub-inspector of Koida Police Station in Sundargarh District and the recent blasting of school and hospital buildings.

One 18-year-old woman CPI-Maoist cadre, identified as Laxmi Pidkaka alias Sunita, surrendered before the Police in the Rayagada District to escape from a forced marriage to a cadre from Chhattisgarh. Her disclosures after surrender revealed that the Maoists in south Orissa had started using force to marry off their women activists to cadres from Chhattisgarh deputed to Orissa. It is part of their effort not to let the disillusioned women cadres get away from the clutches of their violent outfit.

Speaking to The Hindu, the Superintendent of Police (Rayagada) Ashis Kumar Singh said recently the Maoist leaders in Orissa were not letting their women cadres from Orissa to marry any other cadre from the State. "The Maoists have the fear that such marriages lead to surrenders, which has happened in the past. This year two married Maoist couples had surrendered in Rayagada District," he said. In recent times Maoists from Chhattisgarh are being deputed to work in south Orissa by the Naxal outfit. According to the confession of Laxmi, the Maoist leaders have started to compel women cadres of marriageable age to marry these Maoists from Chhattisgarh. As both would be from separate States the man from Chhattisgarh would not agree to surrender in Orissa and it would be hard for the poor woman to escape from the clutches of Maoists and her hardcore Maoist husband from Chhattisgarh.

Tamil Nadu

April 12: Police arrested a senior CPI-Maoist cadre, identified as Tamil Vanan alias Arthanarishwaran alias Manickam alias TV (64), at Vikkiravandi in Villupuram District. TV, one of the pioneers of Maoist movement in Tamil Nadu, had been on the run for nearly 37 years. He was also involved in several cases of killing in the State.

Uttar Pradesh

February 2: Police arrested three persons and recovered about 800 detonators from the Chandauli District. According to the sources, the arrested persons travelling on a private bus were to supply the detonators to the CPI-Maoist cadres in the Sonbhadra District.

March 17: Three CPI-Maoist cadres, identified as Vinod Yadav, Vinod Thakur and Shyamlal, were arrested by the Police during a search operation near the bank of Sone river, under Kone Police Station in the Sonebhadra District. The three hail from Gadhwa District in the State of Jharkhand. Police also recovered some gelatin rods and detonators from their possession.

April 12: According to the State Home Department sources, Police recovered 'tiffin bombs' tied with bolts, detonators and a 10 metre-long fuse wire from Sonbhadra. A case was lodged in this connection against Munna Vishwakarma and 10 other unidentified Maoists.

Explosive material weighing around 81 kilogram was recovered from a general merchant shop in the Ghosi Police circle area in Mau. Both theses consignments wire reportedly meant for the CPI-Maoist.

April 16: An estimated 48 per cent of polling was recorded in 16 Parliamentary constituencies, which included the CPI-Maoist affected areas of the State. "Approximately 48 per cent votes were polled in the first phase of the elections. As compared to 47 per cent polling in 2004, the poll percentage has gone up roughly by one per cent," said Chief Electoral Officer Anuj Kumar Bishoi in Lucknow.

June 20 - 21: Cadres of the CPI-Maoist damaged three border pillars and hoisted a red flag on a tree on in an area under Sirsiya Police Station in Shravasti District. The Home Secretary of the Uttar Pradesh Government, Mahesh Gupta, said on June 25 that a report on the incident is being sent to the Centre. Gupta said the incident was reported from a no-man's land on the border and occurred about eight kilometres from the paramilitary Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) post located in Bhauvanaka.

August 31: A cadre of the CPI-Maoist carrying a cash reward of INR 5000 was arrested from Darya forest under Raipur Police circle in the Sonbhadra District, Police said. Fagu Kharwar was arrested during an encounter with the Police following a tip off, Police said, adding that a carbine and a number of cartridges were recovered from his possession. Other associates of Kharwar, however, managed to escape from the spot during exchange of fire, they added. Kharwar was wanted in a number of criminal cases in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

September 29: In a bid to check infiltration of Nepal-based Maoists along the India-Nepal border, the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) had started shifting its border outposts deep inside the dense forest areas of Shravasti and Balrampur Districts. The move comes in the wake of the June 21 incident when Maoists damaged some border pillars and hoisted their flags atop trees on the side of the Indian territory. "The decision was taken after a group of Nepal-based Maoists intruded into the Indian territory," Deputy Inspector General (DIG) (Lucknow Frontier SSB Headquarters) Anil Agarwal told.

The State Government has decided to deploy 203 Police officers of special rank in the Naxal (left wing extremist)-infested Districts of Mirzapur and Sonebhadra. "As many as 203 officers of special rank would be deployed in the Naxal belt of Mirzapur and Sonebhadra districts. Besides, six companies of CRPF, 14 of PAC and about 2,500 police personnel would also be deployed in the Maoist-hit areas," Additional Director General (ADG) (Law and Order) Brij Lal told reporters.

October 1: The Sonebhadra District Police arrested an 'area commander' of CPI-Maoist, identified as Anil Thakur alias Baikunth in Maikaha area under Kone Police Station after a brief gun battle. Other Maoist cadres, however, managed to escape. The Police recovered two container bombs, connecting wire, flash battery, a revolver, live cartridges and Maoist literature from the possession of Baikunth. Baikunth was mainly active in Bhavnathpur and Kharaundi area. According to Sonebhadra Superintendent of Police (SP) Pritindar Singh, Baikunth belonged to Raji village under Bhavnathpur Police Station in Garhwa District of Jharkhand. He was working under the 'zonal commander' Lalvrat Kole. The Police of Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh were searching him for his involvement in eight terrorist attacks.

October 30: Police arrested two persons for supplying arms and ammunition to CPI-Maoist from Bahraich District. '"One of the arrested, Arvind Mandal, is a native of Bihar and the other, Mohammad Shoaib, is from Shrawasti District. The duo was caught with six high-quality country-made pistols and revolvers which they were going to supply to someone on the India-Nepal border," Bahraich's Additional Superintendent of Police V. P. Srivastava told IANS over phone. During interrogation, the two confessed to supplying illegal arms and ammunition to Maoists in India and Nepal, he added. "They also revealed that earlier this month, they delivered an assignment to a Nepalese Maoist area commander, Bheem," Srivastava said.

November 3: A cadre of the CPI-Maoist, identified as Naeem Ahmad, was arrested from Ghosada village in the Manchi area of Sonebhadra District along with 20 gelatin rods, eight electronic detonators and a locally-made fire-arm. Police claimed that during interrogation, Naeem admitted that he had supplied explosives to various Maoist groups in the area.

In a bid to integrate people in the Maoist insurgency-affected area of the State with the mainstream, Police in Sonebhadra District launched community policing. The Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order), Brij Lal, said that in order to provide employment to 20 youngsters, a 15-day driving learning camp is being organised in Sonebhadra Police lines from October 31.

December 3: Ram Briksha Kol, a cadre of the CPI-Maoist, carrying a head money of INR 50,000 was found dead in the in Kon forest area of Sonebhadra District. Two other Maoists, identified as Rakesh Mishra and Amarnath Khushwaha, who allegedly killed Ram Briksha Kol, were arrested by the Police team after an encounter in Kon area, Additional Director General (Law and Order) A. K. Jain told reporters in Lucknow. A self-loading rifle, a walkie-talkie and a number of cartridges of different bores were recovered from their possession, Jain added.

December 7: A CPI-Maoist cadre, wanted for carrying out landmine blasts and attacks on Security Force personnel, was arrested from Sonbhadra District, Police said. Vishundev, wanted by the Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand Police, was arrested following a joint operation conducted by the Police and Paramilitary Forces. "Though Vishundev was nabbed Saturday (December 5), an official confirmation about his arrest was made late Sunday (December 6) evening as we were busy interrogating him," Police Inspector A. N. Yadav told reporters. "Vishundev is a resident of Jharkhand. Acting on a tip-off, we caught him while he was trying to enter Sonbhadra district through the Jharkhand border," Yadav said. According to the Police, Vishundev has given vital clues about the hideouts of his aides who have managed to enter Sonbhadra District. "A revolver and several live cartridges were recovered from Vishundev's possession. During interrogation, he admitted that he works as an active member for a group headed by hardcore, wanted Naxalite Munna Vishwakarma," the officer said. Vishundev has some 10 criminal cases pending against him, including attacks on a Police outpost and carrying out landmine blasts in Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh, Police added.

December 9: Three persons were arrested along with 150 kilograms of ammonium nitrate, 95 detonators and 2,500 feet length of fuse wires in Uttar Pradesh, Police said. The persons were arrested from Shankergarh area of the Allahabad District that borders Madhya Pradesh. "People are given license in Shankergarh area to procure and use explosives for blasting purpose but there are a number of criminals involved in illegal smuggling of huge quantities of explosives from Madhya Pradesh. The three are being interrogated to ascertain from where they brought the explosives," Police Inspector D.K. Soni told reporters in Allahabad. Police suspect the three persons were smuggling the explosives to the State's Mirzapur District. "The three arrested are giving contradictory statements. There may be a possibility that they were transporting explosives for the Naxalites (Maoists)," said Soni.

December 11: The CPI-Maoist cadres beheaded a 25-year-old man after branding him a Police informer in the Sonbhadra District, Police said. A group of nearly 10 armed Maoists on December 10 beheaded Shiv Prakash, a resident of Pannuganj village in Sonbhadra, after holding a panchayat (village level local self Government institution) meeting in the village, they added. "They (Maoists) carried out the gruesome act just to create terror amongst the locals," Police Inspector Raveendra Singh told reporters in Sonbhadra. After killing Prakash, the Maoists apparently directed the villagers to inform the Police and fired a few rounds in the air before fleeing from the spot, the official said. "After the incident, security in the village has been strengthened and we have assured the locals that those involved in the killing would be arrested," said Raveendra Singh.

The Maoists were disgruntled over the arrest of two of their aides on December 3 and the killing of their leader Ramvriksh Kol, who died in a gang war among the Maoists.

West Bengal

January 7: The Centre decided to undertake a comprehensive plan to bring in the development of certain remote areas including Purulia, Bankura and West Midnapore District of the State. In the wake of the recent tribal agitation in Lalgarh, the Centre has come to realise that lack of development in these areas had aided the CPI-Maoist set up a strong foothold there.

At a war camp in Taldanga village on the Bankura-Purulia District border, over 1000 tribal men and women are being given commando training. The men and women are given theoretical and practical training in using traditional weapons to attack as well as defend. Armed with bows and arrows, spades and hammers, the tribals are training rigorously, under the guidance of CPI-Maoist.

January 24: A leader of the CPI-Maoist-backed People's Committee against Police Atrocities was killed while another was abducted in the morning of January 25, a few hours before a meeting of the organization was scheduled at Chakadoba in the afternoon of January 25. While assailants shot dead Nirmal Sardar at Talpukuria in Belpahari, more than 40 armed assailants abducted Himadri Mahato from his home at Keondishole.

January 25: A major racket in arms whose clientele included Maoists in Chhattisgarh was neutralised by the West Bengal Police. More than 5000 cartridges, locally-made and sophisticated rifles and revolvers, pen-pistols and a bullet-proof vest were among the items recovered. One of those involved in the racket, Anupam Chowdhury, from whose house the Police seized thousands of bullets and cartridges and several firearms was produced before a court in Barasat in the State's North 24 Parganas District that remanded him on January 26 to 10 days in Police custody. The reach of the gang members is believed to extend beyond the State's borders.

January 30: CPI-Maoist cadre, identified as Ratan Roy, was arrested by the Police from Mansai under Baksirhat Police Station in the Cooch Behar District. He was a key organiser and instrumental in spreading bases of the outfit in the State. "He is a prize catch for us. Roy is the biggest Maoist leader in North Bengal," said Zulfiquar Hassan, Special Inspector General of Police in Jalpaiguri. Police recovered several incriminating documents from Roy, who was living in Mansai in the guise of a person named as Saidul. Sources said he had taken arms training at a Maoist camp in Chhattisgarh in 2006-07. Ratan was also involved in several incidents of violence in West Bengal and Jharkhand. "Ratan used to operate as Prakash in Nadia and Birbhum and he was known as Bangtu in Siliguri. Recently he had started recruiting youths under the name of Saidul and was working among the Rajbangshis in Cooch Behar and adjoining Assam in an effort to indoctrinate them. This youth had his hand in several landmine blasts in Jharkhand," said the Cooch Behar Superintendent of Police, Devendra Prakash Singh.

February 1: A zonal committee member of the ruling CPI-M, identified as Nandalal Pal, was shot dead by a gang of five people at Murar village in Lalgarh. Police suspect the incident to be the handiwork of some Maoist groups.

February 25: The CPI-Maoist cadres shot dead two Railway Protection Force (RPF) constables and injured two others while snatching their weapons at Barabhum railway station in the Purulia District about 10 kilometres from the Jharkhand border. The deceased constables were identified as N.B.N. Ansari and S.R. Majhi. The incident occurred when the 3302 Subarnarekha Express (Tatanagar to Dhanbad) entered Barabhum station at around 2.20 pm (IST). The constables were returning in the brake-van at the rear of the train after escorting a cash consignment to Tatanagar. The assailants, who apparently knew the constables were in it, went up to the coach and opened fire at them.

March 13: A local committee member of the ruling CPI-M had a narrow escape on when a landmine, suspected to have been planted by cadres of the CPI-Maoist, missed its target at Lachipur village at tribal-dominated Lalgarh in the West Midnapore District. The landmine exploded barely a minute after Chandi Karan, a member of the Beltikri local committee of the CPI-M, and a security man riding on the pillion of his motorcycle, passed a desolate spot where the landmine was planted, the Police said.

March 18: Suspected cadres of the CPI-Maoist shot dead two local leaders of the ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) at Bhulabheda market in West Midnapore District. The victims were identified as Banspahari local committee member Durgapada Deshwali and Santosh Mahto. The District Superintendent of Police, Manoj Verma, said, "They died on the spot. Durgapada's brother, Palaram, suffered bullet injuries in his right leg after five Maoists shot them as they got down a bus and entered a tea stall."

March 20: Two cadres of the CPI-Maoist were arrested from Ghojadanga village near the Indo-Bangladesh border in Nadia District. The duo was identified as Sheikh Firdaus and Safikul. A 9-mm pistol, an improvised pistol, 13 rounds of cartridges and some important documents were recovered from them.

March 30: CPI-Maoist cadres set ablaze the house of a local ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) leader at Bersa village in Purulia District. The leader, Chandrasekhar Majhi, was not at home when the house was set ablaze. Other members of the house, however, escaped unhurt.

Three persons were arrested with a cache of Bihar-made arms allegedly meant for the CPI-Maoist cadres camping at Lalgarh in the West Midnapore District. The arrests were made when the trio's car was stopped for checks 10 kilometers before Lalgarh. One of the arrested persons is suspected to be a Maoist action squad member. Three pipe guns, parts of improvised rifles, 30 rounds of ammunition and Maoist leaflets, some of them calling for a boycott of the polls, were said to have been found.

April 10: Suspected cadres of the CPI-Maoist shot dead Asim Mondal, a branch committee member of the ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-Marxist), at Bhulabheda in the West Midnapore District. According to eyewitnesses, "Asim was sitting on a bench when suddenly three men, in their thirties, surrounded him. Asim carried a gun to protect himself. But he did not get a chance to take it out. The three fired and left." "Asim had quit the party in 2006 and circulated leaflets announcing this after Maoists threatened to kill him. Last year, he rejoined the CPM as a branch committee member," a Police official said.

April 17: The Election Commission declared six assembly constituencies of West Bengal as Maoist-affected saying that security arrangements would be stepped up there to tackle any violence during the Parliamentary elections scheduled to be held in three phases between April 30 to May 13. The security arrangements will be heightened in all six Maoist-affected areas - Jhargram, Bandwan, Jaipur, Balarampur, Bagmandi and Tinpur, the West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer Debashis Sen told a press conference in capital Kolkata. The Maoists are mainly active in three south Bengal Districts - Bankura, Purulia and West Midnapore - which go to the polls on April 30.

April 19: Two persons were injured when a landmine planted by suspected CPI-Maoist cadres, adjacent to an illicit liquor shop, exploded in the Purulia District. The Superintendent of Police, Rajesh Yadav, said the owner of the shop and a customer was at the incident site at around 7am (IST) when the landmine exploded injuring the duo. Maoists had earlier put up posters in the area demanding an immediate closure of all such shops.

April 21: Three members of the ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) were killed by suspected cadres of the CPI-Maoist in the adjoining Salboni region in West Midnapore District.

April 22: A group of about 70 Maoists entered the Dubrajpur and Saluka villages, four kilometres from the paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) camp at Ramgarh in West Midnapore District, and assaulted CPI-M leader, Gopinath Murmu, to death at Dubrajpur. The Maoists then went to Saluka looking for the CPI-M's local branch committee secretary Sudhir Mahat, who was in hiding after receiving death threats from Maoists. Not finding him, the Maoists attacked his family members and local CPM supporters. Sudhir's son Banabehari and six CPI-M workers, Bhagan Mahat, Shockap Mahat, Bankim Mahat, Uttam Mahat, Pratap Mahat and Uttam Murmu, were reportedly assaulted. They were also forced to write that they were quitting the CPI-M party and the posters were put up.

April 23: CPI-Maoist cadres killed two local leaders of the ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) at Supurdih village in the Balarampur area of Purulia District. Police said Bibhuti Singh Sardar and Baikuntha Mahato were returning from a fair at around 11pm when some motorcycle-borne assailants shot at them from a close range killing the duo on the spot. While the Police are yet to identify the assailants, family members of the victims said the killers raised slogans in support of the Maoists after killing the two. The CPI-M called a 12-hour shutdown in Balarampur on April 24 to protest the incident.

April 26: A leader of the CPI-Maoist action squad, identified as Nurul Mahalath, was arrested from the Bamongola area of Malda District. Nurul Mahalath's arrest comes at a time when the there are reports of the Maoists trying to regroup in north Bengal, according to a Senior Police official.

April 29: The CPI-Maoist gave an election boycott call in the Lalgarh area, 24 hours before the general election.

April 30: Four persons were killed when suspected cadres of the CPI-Maoist triggered a landmine blast targeting a convoy of three vehicles ferrying Election Commission (EC) personnel after polling at Jamboni in West Midnapore District. The blast occurred at 6:45pm in the area between Dahijuri and Belpahari in the Binpur parliamentary constituency when the EC officials, escorted by para-military personnel, was returning after conducting polling at a school building in a forest, the Inspector General of Police (Law and Order) said. While three of the victims were identified, the fourth body could not be recognised, said the District Magistrate N. S. Nigam.

Two central paramilitary force personnel were injured when Maoists exploded a landmine near a polling booth at Biramdih in the Purulia District. The security force personnel were patrolling the area when the landmine blast occurred at around 7.50am. Following the incident polling was suspended at the booth, the Superintendent of Police Rajesh Yadav said.

Koteswar Rao alias Kishan, the CPI-Maoist politburo member in charge of Bengal, Jharkhand and Orissa and head of the party's central military commission revealed in an interview that they got the ammunition from the ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) to combat the Trinamool Congress-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) armed motorbike gangs that raided villages at Keshpur in West Midnapore in May 2000. Further in Nandigram, the Trinamool Congress supplied them with arms in March 2007.

May 3: Nearly 5,000 tribals, wielding shovels, axes and hammers and led by CPI-Maoist cadres, demolished a Government building that till last week was a Police camp at Kalaimuri near Lalgarh in the West Midnapore District. Police said that around 11am, a group of Maoists gathered in front of the camp, one of four in Salboni. "They (the Maoists) contacted people in the neighbouring villages and asked them to assemble near the camp," a Police officer said, adding, "Nearly 5,000 villagers with bows, arrows, axes, iron rods and shovels gathered within half an hour. Some in the demolition squad were women. The Maoists held an hour-long meeting with them and the demolition began around 1pm. The camp building was completely destroyed by 4pm." Police sources said the tribals had come from about a dozen villages. This is for the first time that tribals of the area demolished a Government building. One of the tribals who helped bring the building down said, "Had the building remained standing, the Police would have returned with reinforcements. That's why we demolished it." Manoj Kumar Verma, the West Midnapore Superintendent of Police, said he had received news of the demolition and had informed his superiors. "We will not move into Kalaimuri now because it may lead to untoward incidents. We don't want a confrontation with the villagers at this moment. Today's demolition of the camp was led by Maoists," he added.

May 8: The CPI-Maoist leaflets demanding the immediate release of a dozen of its jailed leaders were found inside Writers' Buildings (the West Bengal Government Secretariat) in capital Kolkata. An employee of the Secretariat saw about 30 of them had been folded together and placed on a locker in the press corner on the first-floor, which also houses the Chief Minister's office.

May 23: In an open meeting, which the Maoists call a peoples' court', at Madhupur village of Salboni in West Midnapore District, six influential cadres of the ruling CPI-M were made to march almost eight kilometres through local villages after being garlanded with shoes. They, along with 26 CPI-M cadres were forced to announce publicly that they were severing all ties with CPI-M forever. The peoples' court was organised and supervised by an armed Maoist squad leader, who said, "This is to punish them for their activities." He also ordered another group of CPI-M men to apologise before the crowd by doing squats while holding their ears.

June 3: Three Policemen were killed and two others injured when a group of 15 CPI-Maoist cadres ambushed a Police patrol party when they were having lunch at Piralgiri in the Bankura District. The Maoists later decamped with a SLR, three .303 rifles and a revolver from the slain Police personnel. "They had some motorcycles hidden among the trees and sped away shouting 'Maobad zindabad'," said the hotel owner Kalachand Das.

June 4: Maoists allegedly killed two CPI-M supporters at Gajgiri, a day after the ambush on the Police in Bankura where three Policemen were killed.

June 6: Jayanta Mahato, a leader of the ruling CPI-M, was killed by cadres of the CPI-Maoist at Dirghosa forest in the Salboni area of West Midnapore District in the morning. An armed group of 15-20 insurgents dragged other CPI-M leaders out of their homes and assaulted them in the Dhinpur village Panchayat (village level local self Government institution) area. Earlier, on June 2, Maoists had announced at a meeting that Mahato would be killed. Shyam Pandey, CPI-M's Salboni zonal committee secretary, said, "Around 50 leaders have fled the locality in fear." Fearful villagers reportedly did not venture out to remove Mahato''s body. Superintendent of Police Manoj Verma said, "We heard that a few CPI-M leaders have been kidnapped by Maoists. However, we have not received a murder complaint yet."

June 14: Three cadres of the ruling CPI-M and one cadre of the CPI-Maoist-backed PCPA were killed in a gun-battle in West Midnapore District’s Lalgarh in the morning. Nine other CPI-M cadres have gone missing and are believed to have met with the same fate as their party comrades. Around 9.30am, the bullet-riddled bodies of the three CPI-M workers — Asit Samanta, Prabir Mahato and Naru Samanta — were found behind a bush on the Lalgarh-Dharampur road, barely 500m from CPI-M’s Dharampur local committee office. PCPA cadre Arun Mahato''s body was found later in the evening besides the Jirapara canal.

A gunrunning racket that supplied arms to Maoists and other insurgent groups was neutralised by the Police. Police arrested six persons, including four who hail from Lalgarh in West Midnapore. The gunrunners reportedly arrived at Howrah to deliver a consignment of arms to the Lalgarh-based group. Five sophisticated and improvised guns were recovered from them. Police are now looking for their associates. Jiten Mondal and his son Amit were the kingpins of the racket. Hailing from Jiaganj in Murshidabad, the two used to manufacture arms and supply them to Maoists.

June 15: Two more cadres of the ruling CPI-M were found dead as cadres of the CPI-Maoist-backed PCPA set ablaze three recently vacated Police camps and demolished house of a CPI-M leader, virtually taking control of Lalgarh in West Midnapur District after forcing Security Forces to leave the area. The Police camps at Belatkri and Dharampur and the Ramgarh outpost in Lalgarh were wound up in the wake of apprehensions that PCPA may loot the arms, the Police said. They also demolished a camp at Kaima from where the CRPF withdrew, the sources said. PCPA cadres also demolished the palatial house of a CPI-M leader Anuj Pandey with crowbars and hammers at Lalgarh, the sources said, adding that Pandey had fled the site.

A Maoist leader Bikash claimed that his outfit was leading the tribal agitation at Lalgarh. "Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee is saying that we are providing support to the tribal movement and not actively participating. This is not true. We are actively in the movement and will continue to support it," Bikash said over phone.

June 16: An office of the ruling CPI-M was set ablaze when the CPI-Maoist backed PCPA held a ‘victory’ rally at Lalgarh in the West Midnapore District, a day after its supporters ransacked several Police outposts, offices of the CPI-M and the house of a local CPI-M leader. However, the PCPA convener Chhatradhar Mahato told media persons that the objective of the rally was to "peacefully" protest against the State Government’s rule that the tribal people cannot hold armed rallies in capital Kolkata.

The Centre believes that West Bengal's indecision on outlawing the CPI-Maoist is hampering counter-insurgency operations in the Red corridor. "While the Bengal government accuses the Centre of not sending adequate paramilitary forces to counter Maoists, the ministry of home affairs has urged the state to impose a ban on the outfit. Till this is done, the menace cannot be controlled. But instead of considering a ban, the state government has even withdrawn its Police forces from the areas where Naxalites are operating. Under the circumstances, central forces who do not know the terrain or the people will be of little help," a Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) source said.

The Centre dispatched two companies of the para-military CRPF, trained in anti-Maoist combat, to take up positions at Lalgarh by the night, while three more companies are reportedly on the way.

June 17: A local leader and two activists of the ruling CPI-M were killed by the CPI-Maoist cadres at Banksole in the Jhargram area of West Midnapore District, about 20 kilometres from Lalgarh area. Six motorcycle-borne assailants killed the three persons, including CPI-M’s Shimli branch secretary Amal Mahato, when they were having tea at a shop after patrolling the forest in the night to guard against Maoist-backed tribal agitators. The three were part of a village resistance group approved by the administration to assist the Police, Jhargram Sub-Divisional Officer Ulganathan said.

Three houses belonging to the CPI-M leaders were ransacked and set ablaze in areas adjoining Lalgarh, parts of which have been rendered inaccessible with roads dug up by activists of the Maoist-backed PCPA to prevent the entry of Central Paramilitary Forces being deployed in the region.

The West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee is reported to have ordered a crackdown against the Maoists after a meeting of the Left Front but left it to the Police to decide the date. The State Home Secretary Ardhendu Sen said West Bengal Police would lead the assault, with central forces providing the "crucial back-up". A unit of Commando Battalions for Resolute Action (COBRA) arrived at Kalaikunda late in the night. Twelve more companies of the central forces are coming in phases to Midnapore town, Sen said.

June 18: As West Bengal launched a counter-offensive against the CPI-Maoist, the insurgents killed a leader of the ruling CPI-M and three others near Goaltore in the West Midnapore District. Their bodies, with throats slit and buried in a patch of ''shaal'' forest, were found early in the morning.

Hundreds of tribal youths from the Bankura District moved into Lalgarh in the early hours reinforcing the ranks of the Maoist-backed PCPA.

June 19: The second day of the Police operation at Lalgarh in the West Midnapore District, an IED explosion triggered by the CPI-Maoist cadres hit the Domkal Sub-Divisional Police Officer’s (SDPO's) car in Pirakata, injuring three Policemen. A culvert was also blown up in Nimtala. Around 9pm, gunfire was reportedly heard near the Lalgarh Police Station.

The Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram asked West Bengal to ban the CPI-Maoist in the State. Questioning the decision of the West Bengal Government for not banning the outfit in the State, he said, "I believe there are voices in West Bengal which have raised this issue. We think they should be banned in West Bengal as in other States."

June 20: The Maoists looted at least 24 licensed rifles from several villages adjacent to their citadel in Lalgarh in the night.

June 21: Hundreds of villagers in the Lalgarh area fled as Security Forces (SFs) started combing operations and arrested three CPI-Maoist cadres.

After reclaiming control of the key Lalgarh Police Station area, SFs pushed deeper to break the Maoist siege of 17 villages considered strongholds of the Maoists and tribals backed by them.

The Maoist-backed PCPA convenor Chhatradhar Mahato appealed to the State Government to declare a cease-fire until July 14 when a meeting was scheduled between the Government and the PCPA.

June 23: The spokesperson for the CPI-Maoist in West Bengal, Gaur Chakraborty, was arrested by the Kolkata Police outside the office of a private news channel in the Park Street area. He was arrested under Section 20 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967. He was remanded to Police custody for 14 days by a court in Kolkata on June 24.

June 24: Hundreds of supporters of the PCPA reportedly took out a rally at Dharampur near Lalgarh in West Midnapore District. The rally was led by Bikash, a prominent CPI-Maoist leader.

June 25: The Centre sent 600 more Security Force personnel to Lalgarh as part of its operations against the CPI-Maoist cadres, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) sources said.

June 26: There was heavy exchange of fire between the Security Forces (SFs) and cadres of the CPI-Maoist in areas adjacent to Lalgarh in West Midnapore District, the ninth day of the joint operation by the paramilitary forces and the West Bengal Police against Maoists and the Maoist-backed PCPA. Maoists triggered landmines as the SFs moved deeper into Lalgarh area from the Goaltore end and re-captured Kadasol, 14 kilometres from Lalgarh. Several improvised explosive devices were recovered and defused. "The Maoists triggered three landmine blasts in which none of the joint force personnel was injured. The bomb detection squad of the Criminal Investigation Department defused seven mines, while three were exploded in a controlled manner," Inspector-General of Police (Law and Order) Raj Kanojia said.

June 28: The Centre asked the Government of West Bengal to declare the CPI-Maoist as an "unlawful association" under the Criminal Law Amendment Act, 1908 (CLAA) as its scope is much wider than the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) enacted in 2008. Union Home Ministry officials said the West Bengal Government has been advised to declare the CPI-Maoist as outlawed because of the fact that the UAPA, under which the Centre outlawed the outfit on June 22, is essentially directed against unlawful associations that support secession. "The Criminal Law Amendment Act, 1908 (CLAA) has a very different objective. It is directed against associations which encourage or aid person to commit acts of violence or intimidation. The power is vested in the state government to declare an association as unlawful," a Union Home Ministry official said.

June 29: 48 hours after Ramgarh was captured, the CPI-Maoist stronghold of Kantapahari was seized by the Security Forces without any resistance in the morning. Barring a mine blast, in which no one was injured, a few felled trees and dug up roads, there was reportedly no sign of any opposition from the Maoists. Three mines were detected at Shijua, two of which were defused.

The Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) was invoked against two suspected Maoists, Kanchan Murmu and Gopinath Murmu, who arrested from Sarenga in the morning.

July 1: Security Forces retook Dharampur in the Lalgarh area of West Midnapore District, as the CPI-Maoist cadres offered no resistance. The Security Forces in their 10 kilometres advance to Dharampur only found felled trees at a number of places which were cleared by the payloaders accompanying the 10 companies, the Deputy Inspector General of Police (Midnapore Range), Praveen Kumar, told reporters.

July 2: Cadres of the CPI-Maoist triggered two simultaneous landmine explosions near a Police checkpoint at the entrance to Lalgarh in West Midnapore District. However, no one was injured in the incident.

Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee said that Chhatradhar Mahato has provided an open forum for Maoist activity in Lalgarh by forming the Sangram Committee (People’s Committee against Police Atrocities). Participating in a budget discussion on his department (Home and Personnel Administrative Reforms) in the Legislative Assembly, Bhattacharjee said: "Formally his name might not be on the [Maoist] organisation’s list, but by forming the Sangram Committee, he has provided an open-forum for Maoist activity in Lalgarh and its surrounding areas." He further said that the sources of strength and support for the Maoists were in Jharkhand where they have two training camps. "Where are their arms, their explosives coming from?" Bhattacharjee asked saying that the Maoists had seized the opportunity provided by Jharkhand.

The West Bengal Home Secretary Ardhendu Sen said in capital Kolkata that more than 100 Maoists were still hiding in Lalgarh’s forests and many of them are well-equipped with advanced arms and ammunition. "According our information, more than 100 Maoists are hiding in West Midnapore''s Lalgarh and many of them are well-equipped with fire weapons," Sen told reporters.

July 3: Four cadres, including a woman, of the CPI-Maoist were arrested from Ghatberakerua under Balarampur Police Station in the Purulia District. These Maoists were squad trainers, State Home Secretary Ardhendu Sen said on July 4. They were carrying pistols, landmine accessories and Maoist literature.

Security Forces arrested a suspected CPI-Maoist linkman, identified as Lal Mohan Murmu, from the Jhitka forests near the Lalgarh area of West Midnapore District.

July 4: The Maoist-backed People's Committee against Police Atrocities (PCPA) has called for a shutdown across the three Districts of Bankura, West Midnapore and Purulia on July 8. PCPA spokesperson Chhatradhar Mahato said that the shutdown has been called to protest the arrest of 30 PCPA workers, the warrant issued against him and the harassment of city intellectuals, who went to Lalgarh during the joint operations.

July 8: A local Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader, Kartik Deb Singho, was arrested from a relative’s house in the Manikpara Police Station area of Jhargram in West Midnapore District and has been charged with waging war against the Government of India. Singho was later produced in a court, which remanded him in Police custody for 10 days. The West Midnapore Superintendent of Police, Manoj Verma, said there are specific cases against Singho, adding, "He was arrested as he is accused of Maoist activities in the area and has links with Maoists squads. There are specific cases against him."

Threatening to launch a "greater movement" within a couple of days unless the West Bengal Government withdraws the joint security forces from Lalgarh, the PCPA convener Chhatradhar Mahato warned it against "any more arrests of innocent people in the name of a Maoist flush-out."

July 10: Two supporters of the ruling CPI-M were killed by cadres of the CPI-Maoist at Shirsha village, 25 kilometres from Lalgarh in West Midnapore District. A squad of around 50 armed CPI-Maoist cadres, including seven women, reportedly held a procession and a kangaroo court in the village, along with several cadres of the CPI-Maoist-backed PCPA. 12 villagers, who are also CPI-M supporters, were summoned to the court by the Maoists. The two persons sentenced to death were local CPI-M leader Gurucharan Mahato and Baren Mahato, a CPI-M supporter and local ration dealer. The rest were brutally assaulted and forced to quit the party. "The Maoists have claimed responsibility for the killings. We are conducting raids in several places in search of the assailants," Manoj Kumar Verma, District Superintendent of Police, told from Midnapore.

July 11: Armed cadres of the CPI-Maoist ransacked the house of Sudarshan Das, a local leader of the ruling CPI-M, at Nimal village near Lalgrah in the West Midnapore District. "They came, threw away all utensils, set my house on fire and beat me because I failed to tell the whereabouts of my son," Sudarshan''s father Rakhhari Das said.

July 13: Cadres of the CPI-Maoist attacked a camp of the Security Forces at Dharampur, about 15 kilometers from Lalgarh in the West Midnapore District. The Maoists reportedly fired about 20 rounds, the Inspector General of Police (Western range), Kuldip Singh, said. Subsequent to retaliatory action by the SFs, the Maoists retreated. District Magistrate N.S. Nigam said no casualty has been reported on either side.

The CPI-Maoist cadres detonated a landmine that damaged a portion of an under-construction community hall at Barabazaar in Purulia. Eyewitnesses said around 20-25 Maoists raided the community hall and left behind posters eulogising their ideology.

The Security Forces arrested a suspected Maoist, Sambhu alias Salil Lohar, from Bikrampur under Sarenga Police Station in Bankura District. Police claimed Lohar was involved in planting a landmine between Kargil junction and Baliapal a few days back.

July 14: Cadres of the CPI-Maoist killed two activists of the ruling CPI-M in the Lalgarh area of West Midnapore District. The bodies of the two CPI-M workers - Swapan Debsingha and Tarini Mahato - were found near a ditch in the forest area of Memul under Salboni Police Station, Inspector General of Police (Law and Order) Raj Kanojia told. Armed Maoists had abducted the duo in the night of July 13. .

July 15: Armed cadres of the CPI-Maoist shot dead Gangaram Mahato (45), the Purulia District committee leader of ruling CPI-M, at Burrabazaar near Purulia, a day after two CPI-M activists were killed by the Maoists at Salboni in West Midnapore District. The Police said an eight-member motorbike-borne gang of Maoists shot at Gangaram Mahato, who was returning from the market on his motorcycle, from a point blank range at Burrabazaar, killing him on the spot. Mahato was reportedly on the hit-list of the Maoists, the Police said.

Two days after attacking the Dharampur camp of the Security Forces, the Maoists again raided the same camp besides another at Andharjora in Lalgarh region in West Midnapore District. Casualty, if any, was not known, the sources said.

It was ascertained after the Intelligence branch of the West Bengal Police intercepted mobile phone calls between the Coordination Committee of Maoist Parties and Organisations of South Asia CCOMPOSA and action squad members during ''Operation Lalgarh'' that the Maoist action squad members who held sway over Lalgarh for nine long months were residents of West Bengal and Jharkhand, but the operation was masterminded by Nepal-based members of the underground CCOMPOSA. It further said that a team of around 200 CCOMPOSA members set up bases in the jungles of Jharkhand and Bastar in Chhattisgarh to monitor the activity in Lalgarh.

July 17: The CPI-Maoist-backed People's Committee against Police Atrocities (PCPA) gave call for a 72-hour shutdown in the West Midnapore, Bankura and Purulia Districts from July 19 to protest the month-long operation and alleged torture of innocent villagers at its core committee meeting near Lalgarh.

The CPI-Maoist called for a shutdown on July 22, immediately after the shutdown by the PCPA ends, in Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa and West Bengal in protest against the price hike of petrol, potato and essential commodities.

July 18: A local leader of the ruling CPI-M was shot dead by CPI-Maoist cadres at Andharishol, 20 kilometers from Lalgarh. Jaladhar Mahato, a resident of Jhargram, was a member of the CPI-M’s Jhargram zonal committee.

July 19: Maoists in Lalgarh forced 19 activists of the ruling CPI-M to quit the party. Soon after announcing that the 19 CPI-M members have voluntarily quit their party, the PCPA took out a huge rally near Dharampur which was also attended by several Maoists.

July 20: A landmine exploded at a jungle in Bankisole in West Midnapore District even as Security Forces (SFs) combed 43 villages on the second day of the three-day shutdown called by the CPI-Maoist-backed PCPA. However, no casualty was reported in the blast.

July 22: Cadres of the CPI-Maoist shot dead a leader of the ruling CPI-M, Fagu Baskey, at Madhupur village under Belpahari Police Station in West Midnapore District, minutes after he returned to his village following six months in hiding. A man who identified himself as Maoist leader Rakesh claimed responsibility for the murder. Baskey, a branch committee secretary of the CPI-M in Madhupur village, had fled home after suspected Maoist action squad member Nikhil Mahato was arrested. "After the arrest, the Maoists had issued death threats to Baskey for allegedly tipping off the police. He spent the past six months at the CPM office in Belpahari town, about 10 kilometers away," a Police officer said.

Maoists' call for a day's strike affected several areas of West Midnapore, Bankura and Purulia Districts, but no untoward incident was reported.

July 23: Supporters of the CPI-Maoist-backed PCPA, armed with traditional weapons ransacked the house of a local committee member of the ruling CPI-M at Pirrakhuli, 10 kilometers from Lalgarh in West Midnapore District, for allegedly informing the Police about the PCPA. However Madan Mahato, who had received several threats from PCPA supporters as well as the Maoists for his party affiliation, fled from his home before the attackers arrived.

July 24: A group of armed cadres of the CPI-Maoist and People's Committee against Police Atrocities (PCPA) abducted a Police officer and two others at Pirrakhuli, 14 kilometers from Lalgarh in West Midnapore District. Though the other two persons were later released, the Police officer was held hostage. The Maoists hijacked a water tanker on its way from the Pirakata base camp to the Bhimpur base camp with Assistant Sub-Inspector Dipak Pramanik onboard, along with the driver Banamali Mahato and the cleaner Santosh Mahato. The tanker was taken to the dense Bankishole forest and set ablaze. All the three abducted were badly assaulted. Police is yet to trace Pramanik who is suspected to have been taken by the Maoists to their stronghold in the dense forests adjoining Dharampur.

Heavy exchange of gunfire between the Security Forces and the Maoists was reported from Kantapahari later in the evening. The Security Forces have reportedly set up a base camp there.

July 25: The CPI-Maoist cadres released the Policeman they abducted on July 24 at Pirrakhuli, 14 kilometers from Lalgarh in West Midnapore District. In a press statement issued later, CPI-Maoist leader Bikash stated that "the policeman was released following discussions with local people, media and intellectuals."

Personnel of the West Bengal Police and the CRPF launched a joint operation to flush out Maoists in Purulia District. It is part of the simultaneous security operations that the West Bengal and Jharkhand Police had agreed upon at a joint meeting held in Jharkhand on July 8.

July 28: The CPI-Maoist cadres opened fire at a Police camp at Ramkrishna High School in the Lalgarh area of West Midnapore District. The Police retaliated by firing several rounds and the gun battle continued for about an hour. However, there were no reports of any casualties.

July 30: Cadres of the CPI-Maoist shot dead Sagar Masanta, a local committee member of the ruling CPI-M, and abducted five other party members in West Midnapore District. The Police said Sagar Masanta, a resident of Patharpara village at Goaltore in the Lalgarh Police Station area, was found dead and his body was recovered from the field near the village. Five other CPI-M members - Arun Mahato, Amal Mahato and Brahmanya Singha Roy from Salboni village in the Lalgarh Police station area and Sailen Deb Sinha and Anadi Deb Sinha from Kalaimuri village - were abducted from their homes.

The Maoists abducted two Policemen, Sabbir Molla and Kanchan Bauri, Assistant Sub-inspectors of the State Armed Police and members of the joint forces engaged in anti-Maoists operations in Lalgarh, while they were returning to their camp in Dharampur. This is the second incident of abduction of Policemen by the Maoists in a week in Lalgarh.

July 31: Cadres of the CPI-Maoist and Security Forces (SFs) exchanged fire at Bhulageria near Lalgarh in the West Midnapore District where an anti-Maoist operation is in progress. Some people were injured in the firing at Bhulageria, Home Secretary Ardhendu Sen told reporters in capital Kolkata, adding though there were reports about two Maoists getting killed in the Police firing, they were yet to be confirmed. Police said the Maoists fired at the SF personnel prompting the troops to retaliate. One of the injured was identified as Laxmikant Soren, unconfirmed reports said.

August 1: Cadres of the CPI-Maoist killed two local-level politicians, one from the ruling CPI-M and the other from the Jharkhand Party (Aditya) in West Midnapore District. Nirmal Mahato, who was killed just one kilometer away from the Lalgarh Police Station, was the CPI-M's Amdanga branch committee secretary. Kalipada Singh (35), a Jharkhand Party (Aditya) and Gana Pratirodh Committee (People's Resistance Committee) leader, was killed at Chirugeria in Belpahari. Both leaders were reportedly attempting to organize local resistance against the Maoists and People's Committee against Police Atrocities (PCPA). Nirmal had been on the Maoist hit-list for the past two years. He had been shot at in 2007, but managed to escape. Police have detained six persons, including Anil Mahato, brother of the PCPA spokesperson Chhatradhar Mahato, and five students from Amdanga and Amliya.

August 2: Meanwhile, the PCPA supporters dug up roads near Shirshi and Champashole in Kotwali while the Maoists put up posters asking locals to observe 'Martyrs' Week'.

August 2: A group of 15-20 cadres of the CPI-Maoist shot dead Nagen Singh Sardar (42), a resident of Nischintipur village in Belpahari, an adjoining block to Lalgarh in the West Midnapore District, when he was returning home late in the night. Sardar, a former CPI-Maoist activist, had switched loyalty and joined the Jharkhand Party (Naren), and later a local people''s committee – the Gana Pratirodh Committee (People’s Resistance Committee) -, which was set up to resist Maoist activities in the region eight months back. He was reportedly threatened by the extremists several times as they suspected him of passing information to the Police. The incident occurred within a three kilometre radius of the Tarafeni Police camp that was set up following the joint operation of Security Forces.

August 3: Gurucharan Tudu (56), a member of the Gana Pratirodh Committee, (People’s Resistance Committee), was killed by Maoists at Jamjurki village Belpahari, an adjoining block to Lalgarh in the West Midnapore District.

August 5: A group of around 70 cadres of the CPI-Maoist, including some women, killed Shankar Das Adhikary (38), a supporter of the ruling CPI-M, at Chilgora village, about 20 kilometers from Lalgarh in West Midnapore District. The Maoists barged into his house and dragged him out around 2.30a.m. (IST). A "people's court" was held in the village at which he was awarded 'death sentence' for his alleged connection with the Police, and then shot dead. A statement issued by Maoist leader Bikas through SMS said: "Extreme punishment has been meted out to Shankar Adhikary. After the arrival of the joint force, the Chandra camp was his regular address. He was also accused of exploitation and corruption."

Gunadhar Singh (46), was shot dead by the Maoists after being awarded the 'death sentence' at a "people's court" at Majgeria village in the Belpahari area, an adjacent block to Lalgarh.

August 5: Cadres of the CPI-Maoist shot dead three persons at Aankro village, about 25 kilometers from Lalgarh in the West Midnapore District. A group of armed assailants dragged the victims, identified as Ashim Soren, Shaktipada Murmu and Budhu Hansda, out from a local cold storage where they were employed. Villagers reportedly heard gunshots at night. The bullet-riddled dead bodies of the victims were later found in a paddy field. The deceased who were residents of the neighbouring Maguria were supporters of the Jharkhand Party (Naren) and were also associated with the Gana Pratirodh Committee (People's Resistance Committee) that was set up in December 2008 to resist Maoist activities in the region.

August 6: The State Government admitted that Operation Lalgarh has not been successful so far. "Our target was to arrest the Maoists or flush them out of the area. But we have not been successful. The Maoists are continuing with the siege almost everyday. Killings and abductions are regular," Home Secretary Ardhendu Sen said after a review meeting at Writers' Buildings (Secretariat of the State) in capital Kolkata. The West Midnapore District magistrate Narayan Swaroop Nigam is reported to have expressed fears of an attack on Midnapore town "any day". The Maoists have reportedly killed 10 people in the area in a week in spite of the huge presence of Police and central paramilitary forces.

August 7: Cadres of the CPI-Maoist, in a show of strength, held an armed rally at Domohani, barely two kilometers from Dharampur Police Station, in Lalgarh of West Midnapore District. The rally was attended by around 1,000 villagers. In the rally, the Maoists assured people that they were completely prepared to take on the armed forces. "None of our people has been killed or arrested," claimed Maoist leader Bikash.

August 8: One person, identified as Ramapada Mandal, was shot at and injured by the Maoists in the Lalgarh area of West Midnapore District late in the evening. Maoist leader Bikash claimed responsibility for the incident.

August 9: The dead body of a civilian, Manik Mandal, who was shot dead by cadres of the CPI-Maoist, was found at Pochapani in the Lalgarh area of West Midnapore District. Though the Police are yet to verify his political affiliation, reports said he was a supporter of the Jharkhand Party (Naren faction). Maoist leader Bikash claimed responsibility for the incident.

August 10: The cadres of the CPI-Maoist killed a local leader of ruling CPI-M at Dherua near Lalgarh in West Midnapore District. Paritosh Mishra, the CPI-M leader, was given death sentence by a 'people's court' as he had been working against their interest, Maoist leader Bikash said.

Workers of the Maoist-backed PCPA dug up roads leading to Jhargram town in 12 places to enforce an indefinite bandh (shut down) from August 11, Police said. The roads have been dug up between Bamal and Dherua and between Dherua and Baita, PCPA sources said.

August 11: Encounters between the Security Forces (SFs) and cadres of the CPI-Maoist were reported from the Lalgarh area of West Midnapore District. According to the District Superintendent of Police Manoj Verma, the two sides exchanged fire intermittently throughout the day in the forest areas near Lakhanpur and Hatilot, which fall under the Salboni Police Station. Commenting on the progress of the joint operations, Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, who was on a visit to Midnapur to review the progress of various development schemes, said a change in strategy was needed.

August 12: An intermittent exchange of fire between the SFs and Maoists continued in the Lalgarh region of West Midnapore District. SFs chased a group of about 100 Maoists early in the day at Chandavila village where they had taken shelter. With the Maoists opening fire, a gun-battle ensued with the SF personnel retaliating, the Police said. The extremists fled the village and entered Purnapani village where another encounter followed. Faced with heavy firing from the troops, the Maoists split in two groups - one proceeding towards Tarki village and the other entering the dense Bhulagara forest. The Bhulagara group was encircled by the SFs after a brief encounter and some of them were arrested. However, none of the group members who fled towards Tarki could be arrested. District Police Superintendent Manoj Kumar Verma told, "Some Maoists have been arrested and are being interrogated now. Heavy fire exchange took place in four places though there was no casualty on our side." One of the arrested has been identified as Baidyanath Hembram (20) of Rautara village in the region. However, no weapon was found on him at the time of arrest.

August 13: The State Government said the second phase of the operation was about to begin. Home Secretary Ardhendu Sen and Director General of Police Bhupinder Singh visited West Midnapore and held a meeting with senior Police and District officials. "The next phase of the operation will start very soon. We will also take the people in the area into confidence," Sen said. "There is no possibility of calling off the operations unless the entire area is free from Maoists," he added after meeting senior officers of the Central and State Police Forces engaged in the operations. Sen said the Central Forces would stay on in Lalgarh for a long period of time and their withdrawal would be considered only after a review of the security situation. "They will stay in Lalgarh at least till September when the situation will be reviewed again," the Home Secretary said.

"Overground" supporters of the CPI-Maoist and surrendered Kamtapur Liberation Organisation (KLO) cadres publicly floated a new political organisation at Dakshin Salsalabari village in Alipurduar block II of Jalpaiguri District. They have named the organisation 'Communist Organisation for North Bengal (preparatory committee).' Speaking on behalf of the new organisation, former Maoist leader Sudhanshu Das said his party would strive for the right of the farmers, tribal and Other Backward Classes, residing in north Bengal. "A new Leftist organisation focusing on equal rights for all was the need of the hour following the State Government's failure to ensure it. We dream of a new democratic society where people would enjoy equal status," Das claimed. Another "ex-Maoist" leader Ratan Roy said that the preparatory committee has 11 members who would work to build the organization all over north Bengal. "We published our manifesto today along with the organization's logo - a sickle and a hammer. We are grateful to our former KLO friends who joined our part to work for the development of north Bengal," Roy said. However, Jalpaiguri Superintendent of Police (SP) Anand Kumar said that they did not have any information about the development.

August 15: An activist of the ruling CPI-M, Ramakrishna Duley, was killed by the CPI-Maoist cadres at Saluka village in the Bankura District on.

Tribals led by Maoists held protests with black flags at various places in Lalgarh in the West Midnapore District on Independence Day. Villagers of Lalgarh, Salbani, Goaltore, Belpahari, Binpur reportedly stayed away from Independence Day celebrations and took out processions led by the CPI-Maoist in various areas with black flags. Over 5,000 tribals, including women, armed with traditional weapons, also gathered at Madhupur, a PCPA stronghold, near Salbani and hoisted a black flag, the Police said. Superintendent of Police in West Midnapore, Manoj Verma, said the Police were inquiring about the hoisting of black flags.

August 17: Four cadres of the CPI-Maoist were arrested late in the night in the Lalgarh region of West Midnapore District after the gun-battle in Madhupur jungle earlier on the same day. Sunil Mahato, Haradhan Khanra, Subhas Mahato and Arun Das were arrested from the Madhupur and Memul villages. Several traditional weapons and crude bombs were recovered from them.

Maoist leader, Molajella Koteswar Rao alias Kishan, claimed that the second phase of joint operations will also fail as "no government can oppress the voice of the people". "This is a people's movement and no government can oppress the voice of the people," Kishan told PTI on phone from an undisclosed location. "They were not successful in the first phase so they are preparing for a second phase," he added. He alleged that the joint forces were disrupting studies of students because of their occupation of school buildings and also harassing tribals in Lalgarh.

August 18: Life in tribal villages in 18 Police Stations across the three Districts of West Midnapore, Bankura and Purulia came to a standstill due to the shutdown call given by the PCPA, a Maoist-backed organisation. The shutdown was also successful in Lalgarh, Belpahari and Kantapahari. Local traders reportedly downed shutters despite the presence of Security Forces and schools were also closed. The PCPA started the indefinite shutdown with low-intensity blasts at Kantapahari and Narcha in West Midnapore, close to Police camps. Around 9pm (IST), the Maoists also set ablaze six trucks that had defied the strike and were plying on the Jhargram-Silda road.

August 19: Cadres of the CPI-Maoist and Security Forces exchanged fire at three places in the Lalgarh area of West Midnapore District for the second time in three days, Police said. The firing took place at Kantapahari, Bhulageria and Kadasole areas, which were earlier brought under control by the Central Forces and the Police in anti-Maoist operations since June 18. Sources said that there was no casualty in the firing and added that a 300-member armed group of Maoists have sneaked into Lalgarh.

A local committee office of the ruling CPI-M at Dherua, around 22 kilometers from Lalgarh, was ransacked by the PCPA. The Maoist-backed PCPA members felled trees at Tandra and other areas on roads leading to Lalgarh and organised a rally at Mehmul, near Salboni and at Madhupur to protest alleged atrocities during anti-Maoist operations by the Security Forces, sources said.

August 20: Cadres of the CPI-Maoist exploded an IED near Mahuatola in the Lalgarh area of West Midnapore District targeting a joint forces patrol, on the third day of the bandh (shutdown) called by the PCPA. Police also recovered three IEDs near the Kadashole Police camp.

Four CPI-Maoist cadres were arrested from Jhitka forests in the Lalgarh area of West Midnapore District. Police also confiscated pipe guns, cartridges and gelatin rolls from the insurgents. During their interrogation, it was revealed that the CPI-Maoist is piling up arms in the forests of Lakshmanpur and Tarki, about six kilometers from Lalgarh, close to the Jhitka forests. The arrests also reportedly confirmed that outsiders such as Subal Murmu, now in Police remand, had come all the way from Gajole in Malda to Jangalmahal, apparently for the Maoist cause.

August 22: The indefinite strike called by the Maoist-backed PCPA in the three Districts of West Midnapore, Bankura and Purulia that entered its fourth day and was 'relaxed' for a two-hour period "for the convenience of the people". Acknowledging the difficulties faced by the people, Chhatradhar Mahato, PCPA convenor, told The Hindu over telephone from his hideout, "We decided to relax the bandh for two hours each day for as long as it lasts". He, however, declined any chance of the movement slackening and stuck to the PCPA's demand of Security Forces' withdrawal from the region.

The State Home Secretary Ardhendu Sen, on a visit to West Midnapore District during the day, said the operations would continue. "The operations against the Maoists will not end quickly. They are continuing. The Centre has accepted that the security forces need to stay in Paschim Medinipur," Sen said, adding that the West Bengal Government has requested the Jharkhand Government to launch a simultaneous operation against the extremists for better results.

August 23: Cadres of the CPI-Maoist shot dead two activists of the Jharkhand Party-Aditya in the Belpahari area of West Midnapore District. Lalu Murmu and Karan Murmu, residents of Shakhabhanga village, were missing since August 22 and their dead bodies were found near a forest in the morning of August 23, authorities said.

The Director General of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), A. S. Gill, visited Salbani where a Combat Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) training institute would be set up. Gill visited the site allotted for the institute by the State Government beside the mint there. He also reportedly held a meeting with commanders of the 26 CRPF companies who are currently part of the joint forces engaged in anti-Maoist operations in Lalgarh

August 24: The 48-hour bandh (shutdown) called by the CPI-Maoist paralysed life in the Jhargram sub-division and Midnapore town in West Midnapore District though it evoked a mixed response in the Bankura and Purulia Districts. The outfit had called for a 48-hour bandh in five states, including West Bengal, in protest against the arrest of two leaders in Jharkhand, who were allegedly not produced in court in due time.

August 25: Suspected cadres of the CPI-Maoist ransacked the house of CPI-M leader Jagannath Mahato at Pathri village in the Lalgarh region of West Midnapore District.

Another CPI-M supporter, Govinda Mahato, was assaulted by the Maoists in the same village for his party affiliation.

Documents seized from hideouts of the CPI-Maoist in Lalgarh during joint operations reveal that it has set up six Zonal Committees (ZCs) in the State so far and at least five more will come up in south Bengal Districts. Representation from West Bengal in the outfit's Central Committee (CC) and Politburo has also increased, according to information available to the State and Central Police Organisations. The outfit is also planning to set up more units in Districts including Nadia, Burdwan, Murshidabad, Hooghly and Birbhum. The CPI-Maoist will be setting up two ZCs in Nadia and Murshidabad shortly, an officer said, adding that another unit will be established to spread Maoist activities in Arambag, Khanakul and Goghat (Hooghly) and Chandrokona, Ghatal (West Midnapore). A Maoist leader hailing from Jangipara in Hooghly has been entrusted with the responsibility of looking after this articular committee, the officer said adding that another Maoist leader from Jangipara has recently been inducted into the CC.

The operation to tackle Maoists from Jangalmahal in collaboration with Jharkhand will start after the monsoon, State Director-General of Police Bhupinder Singh. "We are in constant touch with the Jharkhand government but the monsoon is not the right time to launch the operation. The terrain is familiar to the Maoists but not to the forces. We are waiting for the monsoon to get over," Singh said. Flash floods, malaria and snakebites will be some of the major impediments if the operation is carried out during the monsoon.

August 26: Cadres of the CPI-Maoist killed Lakshman Mahto, a member of the ruling CPI-M, at Belasole in the Salboni area of West Midnapore District. Police said the attackers slit the throat of Mahto and left him bleeding at the spot.

At Chandra, near Lalgarh in the same District, armed Maoists damaged houses of one CPI and five CPI-M leaders, accusing them of having exploited tribals for years.

Cadres of the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) and members of the People's Committee against Police Atrocities (PCPA), a Maoist backed group, damaged offices of ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-Marxist) in four villages, around 30 kilometres from Lalgarh in the West Midnapore District. According to Police, a Maoist squad along with the PCPA members gathered around 600 people of Sirsi village, held them at gunpoint and told them not to support the CPI-M. The villagers shouted in agreement following which the Maoists split them in four groups and marched towards the CPI-M offices in Chandvilla, Binpur, Belia and Deuldanga, all under Midnapore Kotwali Police station.

August 28: Mangal Soren, a supporter of the ruling CPI-M, who had been trying to mobilise public opinion against a bandh (shutdown) backed by the CPI-Maoist was killed in the Binpur area of West Midnapore District. Mangal Soren was tilling his land when five assailants on motorcycles called him and shot him from close and later as Mangal slumped to the ground, they hacked him. An axe flew out of the hand of one of the attackers and hit another farmer at a distance. Sital Hembram, who survived the blow on his back, told villagers he saw a familiar face among the five and the residents of Ergoda village set out for the house of Chandan Mahato, a Jharkhand Party (Naren) supporter in neighbouring Guiara village. In Chandan's absence, the mob dragged out his 63-year old father Biren Mahato and hacked him with daggers and also shot him. "We think Mangal's murder was the handiwork of Maoists. We are probing whether any political party was involved," said District Superintendent of Police Manoj Verma.

August 29: Cadres of the CPI-Maoist shot dead Lakshikanta Kumar, secretary of Sindurpur local committee of the ruling CPI-M, when he was returning on a bicycle from the Chatuhasa village under Arsa Police station in Purulia District.

Chhatradhar Mahato, leader of the Maoist-backed PCPA declared, "We, the sons of the soil, want the rights to the land, jungle and water of Jangalkhand. We want total autonomy because our people and land should be ruled by us." He did not rule out the possibility of a statehood demand, saying, "We will soon set up a united ethnic platform to raise our demand for autonomy." This is the first time the PCPA leader has expressed a clear autonomy demand.

August 30: An active worker of the ruling CPI-M, Debiprosad Hansda (50), was shot dead by armed cadres of the CPI-Maoist on the charge of being corrupt at Bitting Lohar village in Purulia District, the Police said.

A group of 10 armed Maoists shot dead Sukdeb Mahato (40) of Manihada village in the Lalgarh area of West Midnapore District on the suspicion of being a Police informer. The Maoists dragged him out of his home and took him to the forest near by to "try" him in a Kangaroo court ('people's court') there, Police said.

A Maoist died when the improvised explosive device he was making to blow up a culvert exploded in a field on the outskirts of Behrampore town. Sambhu Dolui, his accomplice, who had joined a Maoist action squad six months ago, was seriously injured in the blast. The dead Maoist has not been identified as yet. Some Maoist literature was recovered from the possession of Sambhu, who told the Police that the duo had planned to blow up a culvert on the National Highway 34 to disrupt traffic between Siliguri and capital Kolkata.

In the West Midnapore District, Maoists shot at and injured a CPI-M leader while he was returning home from the market. Police sources said Ujjwal Kundu (55), member of the party's Kantapahari branch committee, had fled his house at Papuria village near Kantapahari, seven kilometres from Lalgarh, following the spate of violence in November 2008 and returned only after the Security Forces reclaimed the region from the Maoists. He, however, continued to receive threats.

August 31The Maoist-backed PCPA announced that the indefinite bandh (shutdown) being enforced by it since 14 days in the West Midnapore, Bankura and Purulia Districts would be 'relaxed' for a week from September 1 for the "convenience of local people." Speaking to The Hindu over telephone from his hideout in the Lalgarh area, PCPA convener Chhatradhar Mahato said, "Though we are receiving support from people of all sections in our protest against the presence of security forces in the region, we felt that the indefinite closure is affecting them, especially daily-wage workers."

September 1: Maoists abducted Kanai Nayek, (34), a worker of the ruling CPI-M, from his house in Barkola village, six kilometers from Lalgarh area of West Midnapore District in the night of August 31. There was no trace of Kanai till late in the night of September 1. "We are searching the local jungles," said West Midnapore Police SP Manoj Verma. Some 50-armed men came to Kanai’s house and dragged him out, said a resident of Barkola village, adding, "They tied his hands with a towel and took him away."

September 2: Two cadres of the CPI-Maoist were killed and an equal number were arrested in an encounter with the joint force of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and State Armed Police personnel at Madhupur village in the Salboni area of West Midnapore District. District Superintendent of Police (SP) Manoj Verma said the encounter occurred when the troops reached Madhupur in the morning and was fired on by the Maoists from near the banks of a nearby canal. There was no casualty among the Security Force personnel who have recovered the bodies of the two Maoists identified as squad leaders, Verma said. Three guns and a large quantity of ammunition were recovered from the slain and arrested Maoists, he added.

Another group of Maoists raided the house of a ration dealer and CPI-M supporter Lakshmikanta Das at Memul village in Salboni, 10 kilometers from Lalgarh. Das had fled home a month ago following threats from the extremists. While ransacking his house in the night, the Maoists found many ration cards and distributed them among the villagers.

September 6: Cadres of the CPI-Maoist killed two supporters of the ruling CPI-M, Satish Singh Sardar and Narendranath Mahato, in the Belpahari and Jamboni areas of West Midnapore District in the morning. According to the Police, an armed Maoist squad entered Chotopukuria village at around 3am (IST), called Satish outside of his home and took him to a desolate house before shooting him dead. Satish was a member of the Gana Pratirodh Committee (a group formed by the CPI-M in the area to resist the Maoists). Meanwhile, another squad attacked Narendranath Mahato, another CPI-M in Jamboni. He was hit with sharp weapons.

Two more unidentified bodies were found in the evening from Dherua in the same District.

September 7: Cadres of the CPI-Maoist shot dead a leader of the ruling CPI-M and abducted two others at Salbani near Lalgarh in West Midnapore District. Superintendent of Police Manoj Verma said armed Maoists entered Shyam Chalak's home at Keudi village and shot him dead from close range. Chalak was secretary of CPI-M branch office at Keudi village which was recently cleared off Maoists by the Police and Paramilitary Forces in a flush-out operation. Verma said one armed Maoist guerilla was arrested in connection with Chalak's murder.

Two other CPI-M leaders were abducted in retaliation by Maoists from Kadasole village near Lalgarh, hours after the arrest of a Maoist cadre, the Police said.

A group of armed Maoists, at least two of whom were carrying guns, was chased by nearly 40 villagers at Nepura village and three of them were caught. They were assaulted and handed over to Police. The Maoists reportedly came to target Durga Tudu (65), a former Legislator belonging to the CPI-M.

September 10: A local committee leader of the ruling CPI-M was shot dead by cadres of the CPI-Maoist at Chingra locality under Sarenga Police station in the Bankura District in the evening, Police said. "Krishna Kundu, CPI-M’s Bikrampur local committee secretary, was killed by a group of Maoists ultras," a senior officer of Sarenga Police station. The incident took place when Kundu was returning to his home from a nearby market on his bicycle.

September 10-11: Around 11.30 pm (IST), a group of 50-60 cadres of the CPI-Maoist in military fatigue raided the house of a local leader of the ruling CPI-M, Badan Paramanik, in Burudih village in Purulia District. Badan, whose name figures on the Maoist hitlist, had been staying away from home for some time. Failing to find him, the Maoists assaulted his son Goutam and wife Sabitri outside their home and warned that all of them would be killed if Badan did not quit the party immediately. They set ablaze to a haystack in the house before leaving. The Maoist group then went to the house of Chunnu Gorai at the other end of the village and asked him to hand over his licensed gun. "As I refused to do so, they threatened to blow up my house using landmines. My wife then urged me to hand over the gun and I did so. The Maoists left, but only after hurling a few bombs outside our house in a bid to create panic among villagers," Gorai said. Security Forces exchanged fire with the same Maoist group Bandih village at the foot of Ayodhya Hills near Kanthaljore forest in Purulia District around 1.30 am (IST) on September 11. The exchange of fire lasted around 15 minutes, after which the Maoists fled towards Jharkhand. However, there were no casualties in the encounter.

September 13: Cadres of the CPI-Maoist shot dead a supporter of the ruling CPI-M, identified as Nazrul Hasan (35), in the Binpur area of West Midnapore District. Around 10 Maoists came on three two-wheelers and shot dead Hasan from close range about 8.30pm (IST) while he was having tea at a local tea stall.

Earlier in the day, the CPI-M activists took out a rally from Kankaboti to Enayetpur, around 8 kilometres from Midnapore town to protest the killing of 31 party workers since the beginning of joint operation against Maoists in Lalgarh, with CPI-M district secretariat member Satyen Maity leading the rally, which saw the participation of more than 5,000 people. The Maoists, too, organized a rally comprising villagers from Chilgora to Dherua. Superintendent of Police Manoj Verma said, "We know about the rally. We recovered two suspected landmines, but they turned out to be fake." Further, suspected Maoists also dug up a road at Baita, around 15 kilometres from Lalgarh affecting bus service between Jhargram and Midnapore via Dherua.

September 14: Three workers of the ruling CPI-M, including a school teacher, were killed by cadres of the CPI-Maoist in the Lalgarh area of West Midnapore District. Kartick Mahato (38), a temporary-teacher in Jamda High School at Belatikri in Lalgrah, was shot dead in the morning by six to seven motorcycle-borne Maoists after barging into the classroom when he was taking a class. They also took away his motorbike. A few minutes later, the CPI-M's Salbani Branch office local committee Secretary Sambhu Mahato was shot dead along with one of his associate Anadi Mahato while they were sitting in a roadside tea-stall at Burikarli by the Maoists, the Police said. While Sambhu, a resident of remote Guripal village, died on the spot, his associate died in a local hospital.

September 14: Suspected cadres of the CPI-Maoist set ablaze the houses of three leaders of ruling CPI-M in Chainpur and Kundalboni villages in West Midnapore District in the night. The houses of Nitai Pal CPI-M's Dherua local committee member and teacher at Chandra High School and DYFI leader Manoj Pal in Chainpur were set ablaze. The Maoists had taken out a huge rally and attacked the CPI-M members' houses. There were no casualties. Maoists also set ablaze the house of CPI-M's Chandra local committee member Manik Mahapatra in Kundalboni. Manik had left the house two months ago.

September 15: A hardcore Maoist who faces 30 murder cases was arrested along with four others from an area under Lalgarh Police station in the West Midnapore District. Sundar Mandi, the Maoist, was also allegedly involved in several abduction cases, including that of two Police constables from Lalgarh area on July 30. Superintendent of Police Manoj Verma said Mandi is a member of the People's Guerrilla Association (PGA) of the Maoists and also a leader of the Maoist-backed PCPA.

September 17: Cadres of the CPI-Maoist set ablaze the houses of two civilians, Apu Singh and Rajib Singh, who were shot dead by Maoists on September 6.

The Maoists also took out a 5000-people-strong rally at Kharikashuli, about seven kilometres from Midnapore town.

September 18: Maoist-backed PCPA leader Swadesh Hembram (28), a resident of Ramgarh in Lalgarh in West Midnapore District, was allegedly lynched by activists of ruling CPI-M. Local CPM leaders, though, denied that their men were involved in the lynching. Swadesh's relative, Subhas Hembram, was seriously injured in the beating when he tried to rescue.

Eight persons, including suspected cadres of CPI-Maoist, were detained for interrogation after arms and ammunition seized from them during anti-Maoist operations in the District, Police said. "Eight persons from Ghuri village in Belatikri area in Lalgarh have been detained. We are interrogating them and if necessary, arrest some of them," West Midnapore Superintendent of Police Manoj Verma said.

September 19: Cadres of the CPI-Maoist killed two supporters of the ruling CPI-M, identified as Manik Mandi and Ashok Mandi, residents of Tarafena village in Belpaharai near Lalgarh in West Midnapore District in the night. The victims were members of Gana Pratirodh Manch, a mass organisation set up by the CPI-M to combat Maoists. According to the Police, armed Maoist squads called the duo out of their homes and beat them up. They dragged them to the centre of the village and slit their throats. Later, they shot in their heads. In a message to media persons, Maoist leader Bikash took the responsibility of the killings and said the duo was acting as Police informers.

In another incident in the same night in the same District, a local Maoist leader Asit Sarkar (52) was killed by four unidentified persons at Sandhipur area under Garbeta Police Station. Asit Sarkar, a founder member of the District unit of the erstwhile PWG became a senior District leader of the CPI-Maoist after the outfit was formed following the merger of the PWG with the MCC in September 2004.

Four Maoists, who were suspected to have shot dead a school teacher, Kartick Mahato, in his classroom on September 14, were arrested in Lalgarh. Of the four, Lakshman Baskey, from whose house the other three were also arrested, is a member of the Maoist-backed PCPA. The three others arrested were Baskey's son Rajendranath (18), his brother Ranjit (30), and Baburam Mandi (18), who is from Raipur in Bankura.

September 20: The Maoists killed Buddheswar Mandi (50), a resident of Kalapathar village in the Belpahari block, adjacent to Lalgarh. The victim was a member of the Gana Pratirodh Committee (People's Resistance Committee) set up with the support of the CPI-M in December 2008 to resist Maoist activities in the region. Several Maoist leaflets were also found at the spot, the Police said. Maoist leader Bikas claimed responsibility for the killing.

September 20: The CPI-Maoist threatened finance minister Pranab Mukherjee with dire consequences. The threat made public through leaflets found strewn in the Press Room of Berhampore in Murshidabad District in West Bengal. The leaflet also mentions that an improvised explosive device blast which took place on the NH 34 on August 30, in which one Maoist was killed, was intended for Pranab Mukherjee.

September 21: Scores of armed cadres and militia of CPI-Maoist attacked a party office of the ruling CPI-M at Enayetpur, 15 kilometres from Midnapore near Lalgarh in West Midnapore District in the afternoon triggering a gun battle that lasted till midnight. There was no casualty in the gun fight, but three persons suffered bullet injuries. The Maoist gunmen were reportedly led by Koteswar Rao alias Kishan and Bikash. According to sources, about 200 CPI-M supporters had assembled at the Enayetpur party office over the last three weeks, apparently to stop the Maoist advance towards Midnapore town. Many of them had also taken shelter there, with the Maoists killing CPM men almost every day. However, many of them had left the place in the morning to celebrate Eid festival. Only 50-odd CPI-M cadres held fort at the party office. In the afternoon, a 10,000-strong group of tribals, many of them carrying firearms, started marching towards the office, led by Kishan and Bikash. At 5pm (IST), the Maoist assault party started surrounding the building. The Maoists retreated after Security Force personnel reached the spot early on September 22.

September 23: Two activists of the ruling CPI-M, identified as Nemai Bishayi (60) and Samir Singha Mahapatra (50), were abducted and killed by cadres of the CPI-Maoist at Goaltor area in West Midnapore District late in the night. Both the dead bodies were recovered from a nearby forest area in the morning of September 24.

September 24: Maoist politburo member in charge of West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar and Orissa, Kishen alias Koteswar Rao told that they (Maoists) would not mind holding talks with the Government, but on three conditions. "We want the immediate withdrawal of joint forces from Lalgarh and the entire Jangalmahal area, want unconditional release of 60-odd women who were arrested from Lalgarh and the release of those poor villagers who were implicated falsely in various criminal cases," Kishen said. The Maoist leader, however, ruled out the possibility of surrendering arms to pave the way for a dialogue with the State Government. Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and CPI-M state secretary Biman Bose had earlier urged the Maoists to surrender arms and give up the path of killings to hold talks with the Government.

September 26: Chhatradhar Mahato, convener of the CPI-Maoist-backed PCPA, was arrested in an operation conducted by the State Police at Birkar village near Lalgarh in West Midnapore District. He was arrested by Policemen who posed as journalists, according to eye witness accounts. Immediately after Mahato's arrest, a landmine went off near Kantapahari (seven kilometres from Lalgarh) and another failed to explode at Kumarbandh. However, SP Manoj Verma said none was injured in the incident. Eight persons were arrested in connection with the incidents, four of them suspected to be Maoists. The Maoists, meanwhile, have called for a 24-hour all-India shut down on October 3. Kishan, Polit Bureau member of the CPI-Maoist, threatened, "Unless Chhatradhar Mahato is released unconditionally, the entire Jangalmahal in five States [West Bengal, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Bihar] will be up in flames."

The Maoists abducted two constables of the State Armed Police, Sisirkanti Nag and Siteswarprasad Singh, from Tamajhuri in Belpahari, a place about 50 kilometres from Lalgarh, in the night demanding the release of Mahato. The two constables were abducted when they were returning to their camp in Lalgarh aboard a public bus. The PCPA members later claimed that the duo had been abducted in protest against the arrest of Mahato. They also demanded his immediate release. "There is no doubt that Mahato is an important leader for the Maoists. They abducted two constables last night and demanded the release of Mahato. Moreover, the Maoists have called a bandh in protest against Mahato's arrest," said Manoj Verma, West Midnapore SP.

September 27: Chhatradhar Mahato was produced before the Jhargram assistant chief judicial magistrate on, along with eight suspected Maoists who were arrested from the Kantapahari and Kumarbandh areas on September 26. Mahato was charged with sedition and remanded to five day Police custody. He faces charges under various sections of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).

Shops and business establishments remained closed after Maoists called for a shut down in the Lalgarh area.

The two Police constables, Siteshwar Prasad and Shishir Kanti Nag, who were abducted on September 26 by Maoists demanding Mahato's release, were set free late in the night at Jamtalghera, about seven kilometres from where they were picked up.

September 28: Suspected cadres of the CPI-Maoist and members of the PCPA set ablaze a bus near Rathberia village, about 40 kilometres from Lalgarh in West Midnapore District in protest against the arrest of PCPA convener Chhatradhar Mahato. The passengers of the bus were asked to alight before the vehicle was set ablaze.

September 29: The Security Forces and cadres of the CPI-Maoist got engaged in a gun battle at Dahijuri in the West Midnapore District in the evening. However, no casualty was reported. The Superintendent of Police Manoj Kumar Verma said apart from the incident of fire-exchange, one landmine was also detected and defused by the Police during the day.

September 30: Cadres of the CPI-Maoist killed three members of the ruling CPI-M at Ranjia village under Shalboni Police Station area in West Midnapore District late in the night. The dead bodies were recovered by the Police in the morning of October 1. The victims were identified as Anadi Mahato, Radhanath Mahato and Bhakti Mahato. Anadi was a local CPI-M leader and member of Lalgeria Gram Panchayat (village level local self Government institution). Radhanatah and Bhakti too were local CPI-M leaders.

A carbine recovered from a betel leaf farm at Sonachura in Nandigram, close to the spot where the dead body of Trinamool Congress party leader Nishikanta Mondal was found, was finally identified as the same weapon stolen by the Maoists from Security Force personnel when they shot at and burnt to death CPI-M leader Rabi Kar and his wife Anandamayee on December 31, 2005, in Purulia's Bhombragarh.

October 1-2: The CPI-Maoist cadres killed two leaders of the Jharkhand Janamukti Morcha (JJM) in the West Midnapore District. While the JJM state president Panchanan Tudu (49) was dragged out of his house and shot dead at Panchiara near Dahijuri in Binpur in the night of October 1, his colleague Amalendu Patra (43) was shot dead down in the market at Kapgari village in the Jamboni Police station area around 6.30pm (IST) on October 2. Besides being a JJM leader Tudu was also a member of the Gana Pratirodh Committee the organisation set up to counter the Maoists. The CPI-Maoist leader Bikash said, "We killed Tudu as he helped police by forming the Jharkhand Samanway Mancha."

October 4: The Superintendent of Police of West Midnapore District, Manoj Verma, said photographs and other incriminating evidence were found revealing links between the CPI-Maoist and Chhatradhar Mahato, convener of the PCPA that led the agitation at Lalgarh and its adjoining areas. Details of the PCPA's funding were also emerged in the course of the investigation.

October 6: A day after two persons were arrested from capital Kolkata, Vivekananda Kumar, a former leader of the ruling CPI-M and now with the CPI-Maoist-backed PCPA, was arrested from Arsha in Purulia for links with the Maoists. Besides, Police also sealed a press in Manicktala for publishing PCPA posters and leaflets and arrested its owner Sadananda Singh. Two members of human rights organization Bandi Mukti Committee, Ramesh Das and Bhanu Sarkar, were also detained. Swapan Dasgupta, the editor of magazine People's March, was also detained in the same evening.

October 7: Suspected CPI-Maoist cadres set ablaze a tractor and a trekker vehicle at Pindrakhuli, 14 kilometres from Lalgarh in the West Medinipur District, after asking occupants to get off. The Security Force personnel, however, reached the spot soon after and doused the flames. No arrests were made in connection with the incident, the Police said.

Police arrested two suspected CPI-Maoist cadres from two different areas of Murshidabad District. "We arrested Majid Sheikh, a resident of Gangadhari village in Nawda and Israil Sheikh of Garibpur village in Domkal, three days ago for their direct involvement with the Maoists," said Murshidabad SP B. L. Meena, adding, "We have seized a firearm and two rounds of ammunition from Majid. Both of them are now in police custody." Majid was associated with Maoist activity in West Bengal and Jharkhand. "Police were on the lookout for him since long. Majid is accused of several murders and he was arrested a couple of times earlier," the SP added. He also said that Israil used to collect money for the Maoists. He used to work under a person known as Tajem, a senior Maoist functionary reportedly in charge of the Nawda, Hariharpara, Rejinagar areas in Murshidabad and a portion of Nadia. Israil was allegedly involved in extorting money from traders.

October 8: A cadre of the CPI-Maoist was killed during an exchange of fire between Maoists and the Security Forces in the Lalgarh region of West Midnapore District. While the Police refused to identify the person, the Maoists identified him as Marang.

The Maoists ransacked four houses belonging to local leaders of the ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist.

Kishan, a Polit Bureau member of the CPI-Maoist rejected Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram's call to the Maoists to abjure violence and take the path of democracy, saying there was no question of giving up arms. Defending armed struggle, Kishan told PTI over phone from an undisclosed location in West Bengal that "There will be arms in the hands of the people's liberation army as long as the state uses arms to throttle the voice of the people."

October 9: Members of Maobadi Pratirodh Committee (Anti-Maoist Committee), an organisation led by ruling CPI-M, shot dead a cadre of CPI-Maoist, identified as Chakradhar Mahato, at Jidighat in West Midnapore District, Police said.

The Maoists claimed responsibility for the murder of Trinamool Congress leader Nishikanta Mondal in Nandigram on September 22, alleging he was a Police informer. Underground Maoist leader Kishan told PTI from an undisclosed location that Mondal, panchayat pradhan (head of village level local self Government institution) at Sonachura in Nandigram, was killed because he was a Trinamool party leader and worked as a Police informer. "We have our base in Sonchaura in Nandigram, and Trinamool also has its base in the same area. Nishikanta was making negative propaganda and was not allowing us to function properly in the area. We had requested him many times but he refused to listen," Kishan said.

West Bengal DGP Bhupinder Singh said that Maoists received foreign funds through an NGO in the name of development. "The foreign funds were received by the Tribal Welfare Fund from an NGO for development purpose and a portion of this was diverted to the Maoists", Singh told reporters at the State Secretariat. The DGP also said several foreign-made arms were recovered from Maoists at different places. Singh said different political parties had connections with the Lalgarh movement.

The Maoists called a 48-hour-bandh (shut down) from October 12 in West Bengal, Bihar and Jharkhand in protest against the killing of a squad member by the Security Forces and cadres backed by the ruling CPI-M in the Lalgarh region of West Midnapore District. The bandh was earlier called in Jharkhand and Bihar in protest against the Security Force operation in the Lalgarh region.

October 11: Suspected cadres and supporters of the CPI-Maoist set ablaze a truck laden with sal (Shorea robusta) leaves in the Kotwali area of West Midnapore District. Police said a group of suspected Maoists stopped the truck at Nayagram under Kotwali area and asked the driver and helper to alight. They later set blaze the ablaze and retreated into the nearby forest. There was, however, no report of any casualty. Some reports suggested the Maoists also raised slogans demanding the release of tribal leader Chhatradhar Mahato, arrested from Lalgarh on September 26, but there was no official confirmation.

A day after Union Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee hinted that she was ready to mediate between the Maoists and Centre, Kishan, a politburo member of the CPI-Maoist, urged the minister to "make her stand clear" on the "state oppression" against tribals in Junglemahal. "The proposal (mediating between Maoists and the Centre) is very good. But she (Mamata Banerjee) is a part of the UPA [United Progressive Alliance] that sent forces to Lalgarh. First, she has to make it clear whether she stands by the tribal people," said Kishan from an undisclosed location.

October 12: Suspected cadres of the CPI-Maoist killed two persons in separate incidents at Binpur and Belpahari in West Midnapore District on the first day of the two-day bandh (shut down) called by the Maoists.

In the first incident, the bullet-riddled body of Kanai Murmu (44), a former gram panchayat (village level local self-Government institution) member of Jharkhand Party-Naren, was found beside a pond by local residents at Binpur's Salpatra. Murmu had been abducted from his home late on October 11. Murmu had joined the Gana Pratirodh Committee (an anti-Maoist Committee) and mobilized local youths against Maoists.

In another incident at Belpahari's Madhupur, a group of six armed men killed Ananda Mahato (32) while he had gone to his field. Mahato used to be a Congress worker who later switched to Jharkhand Party-Aditya.

The Maoists raided and ransacked the house of ruling CP-M Ghatbera Local Committee Secretary Chandan Singh Laya at Balarampur in Purulia District. They later set the house ablaze after failing to find him, Police said. The Maoist also shot at Chandrasekhar Singh, a member of the village resistance committee, injuring him in the knee when they were attacked with bows and arrows by the village resistance committee.

The joint anti-Maoist operations by Central Paramilitary Forces and Police in the State will continue with the Centre deciding to keep 17 companies of its forces stationed in the State.

West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee said that he agreed with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's comment that talks with the Maoists could take place only after they laid down arms.

October 16: A top leader of the CPI-Maoist supported PCPA was arrested from his Hooghly hideout in the night. Police said Sibu Murmu was wanted for sedition and murder. Sibu, the secretary of PCPA's Bankura wing, had been absconding since the Security Forces started operations in Jangalmahal in June 2009. Police said he was sheltered by his elder brother Shankar Murmu at the latter's residence at Dihibagnan Adibasipara in the Hooghly District. "In the past two months, we managed to nab at least 25 senior and influential leaders of the tribal outfit. It is a major setback for them," said an unnamed senior Police officer.

October 18: One person, identified as Sheetal Hembram, was hacked to death by unidentified assailants, suspected to be cadres of the CPI-Maoist, near Lalgarh in the West Midnapore District. Hembram had reportedly witnessed the murder of a member of the Jharkhand Party-Naren faction two months back and the Police suspect that Hembram was killed since he might have identified the assailants. The District’s SP, Manoj Kumar Verma, told, "Investigation has been initiated. Though prima facie it appears to be a Maoist killing, we are also not ruling out a political angle."

A suspected Maoist, Lakshiram Soren, was arrested from a forested area of Garbeta.

A local leader of the ruling CPI-M, Satya Ruidas, who was abducted by the Maoists on October 13 remained untraced. There were also incidents of houses of CPI-M supporters being ransacked and set ablaze by groups of suspected Maoists.

October 20: Cadres of the CPI-Maoist raided Sankrail Police Station in West Midnapore District and shot dead two Police officers and kidnapped the officer-in-charge of the Police Station. They also looted INR 923,000 from a bank located nearby. The Maoists numbering around 50, including some women, arrived in two groups on motorcycles and headed for the Police Station and the State Bank of India branch nearby, Police said. At the Police Station, they opened fire killing the second officer Dibakar Bhattacharya and abducted Officer-In-Charge Atindranath Dutta and an Assistant Sub-Inspector Swapan Roy, sources said. The body of Roy was later found from a swamp some distance away, they said, adding, the Maoists took away all the arms and ammunition at the Police Station. Times of India adds that the Maoists left behind posters demanding the release of the People's Committee against Police Atrocities (PCPA) leader Chhatradhar Mahato and withdrawal of Security Forces from Lalgarh. The CPI-Maoist politburo member, Koteshwar Rao alias Kishan, claimed responsibility for the strike. "The Police officer is in our custody. He will be killed if any attempt is made by security forces to follow our comrades," he said in a statement later.

Koteshwar Rao said the Maoists have launched their biggest ever offensive called Operation Venus in retaliation to the West Bengal Government's offensive against them. Rao also said they would arm people if the Government increases its offensive.

October 21: Assuring "total safety" of the abducted Police officer, CPI-Maoist leader Mallojula Koteswara Rao alias Kishan announced that Dutta will be treated like "any other prisoner-of-war" until the State Government accedes to the Maoist demands. Speaking to The Hindu over telephone from an undisclosed location in the District’s Lalgarh region, Kishan said: "Since we are at war with the State, we have to abide by the rules of warfare and take hostages. But we will take care of Mr. Dutta and even welcome his father and wife to come and stay with him till the State Government makes up its mind." The Maoists have demanded the release of all the tribal women arrested by the Police over the last five months for suspected Maoist links, as well as the withdrawal of SFs from the District against the release of the Police officer.

The West Bengal Government said it was ready to negotiate with the Maoists if there was any concrete proposal from them for the release of Dutta after his family met Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee. "The Government is ready to hold negotiations with the Maoists if they give any concrete proposal. But all their conditions as told to the media cannot be accepted," Chief Secretary Ashok Mohan Chakraborty told reporters. "We also have to keep in mind that the Maoists shot dead two Police officers at the Sankrail police station in cold blood, besides kidnapping the officer-in-charge (Atindranath Dutta)," he added.

October 22: Security Forces (SFs) opened fire on cadres of the CPI-Maoist who were to produce the abducted Police officer Atindranath Dutta before the media at Lakhanpur village in West Midnapore District in the morning. The CPI-Maoist leader Mallojula Koteswara Rao alias Kishenji told PTI that he has asked the SFs to stop the firing otherwise Dutta, the officer-in-charge of Sankrail Police Station who was abducted on October 20, would be beheaded.

The CPI-Maoist freed the abducted Police officer Atindranath Dutta in the Domohini forest near Lalgarh in West Midnapore District in the evening in the presence of a group of journalists. The Maoists had abducted Dutta after attacking the Sankrail Police Station in West Midnapore District on October 20. The news of the Maoists’ decision to release Dutta was announced in the afternoon after 14 tribal women and nine men were granted conditional bail by the District Sessions Court in Midnapore. The Maoists were demanding the immediate release of all elderly tribal women arrested for suspected Maoist links in exchange for freeing Dutta. A group of journalists was taken to an undisclosed spot in the Domohini forest so that Dutta could be released before the media.

October 26: Cadres of the CPI-Maoist shot dead Pratap Nayak (40), a member of Andharia gram Panchayat (village level local self government institution), at Chandra village under Binpur Police Station in West Midnapore District while he was returning home. Nayak was a member of the ruling CPI-M.

The Maoist backed-People’s Committee against Police Atrocities (PCPA) announced that it had turned into an armed outfit called Sidhu Kanu Gana Militia. The announcement came with the claim that PCPA members had looted 10 firearms by raiding a CPI-M armed rally in Goaltore. The PCPA spokesperson, Asit Mahato, who replaced Chhatradhar Mahato (under detention), said the tribal forum would "no longer continue democratic processes of rallies and agitations". "We have formed the People’s Militia Force," he said, adding "After facing continuous torture by the joint forces and the administration in Jangalmahal, PCPA has decided to pick up arms to combat the forces." Mahato threatened that the militia would soon hit state and central offices and Government agencies. He called for an indefinite strike in Jangalmahal from October 27.

October 27: Armed cadres of the People's Committee against Police Atrocities (PCPA) as well as that of the CPI-Maoist laid siege to the Bhubaneswar-New Delhi Rajdhani Express at Banstala Railway Station, eight kilometres from Jhargram town in West Midnapore District. The Security Forces rushing to the site for rescue operation were ambushed by the Maoists, triggering an encounter in which two PCPA men were killed and a Policeman was injured. After the gunfight, the PCPA cadres and the Maoists managed to escape. The Security Forces later reached the spot at 7.30pm (IST) and the train left an hour later. The PCPA cadres were demanding the release of Chhatradhar Mahato, the PCPA leader, who was arrested on September 26. Earlier at around 2:30pm, the Maoists held the train driver hostage and encircled the train for about five hours at Banstala. Some passengers were also injured in brick-batting. The driver and his assistant - initially taken to a building near the station - were later released.

October 28: A truck was set ablaze by unidentified men near the Kushboni forest close to Lalgarh.

October 29: The CPI-Maoist cadres shot dead two local leaders of the Trinamool Congress (TC), Jalad Baran Kar and Ashis Kar, calling them out of their homes at Bamundiha village under Belpahari Police Station in West Midnapore District in the evening.

In the neighbouring Bankura District, Maoists slit the throat of TC supporter Ajit Das and threw his body into a pond at Sangroghat under Ingas Police Station.

Tapan Mody and Dilip Mahato, local leaders of the ruling CPI-M, were abducted by the Maoist-backed PCPA supporters from Raghunathpur and Goaltore areas in West Midnapore District in the night. Their mutilated bodies were found on October 30.

The Maoist-backed PCPA decided to call off its shutdown. The PCPA has been demanding withdrawal of the Security Forces engaged in an operation to neutralise cadres of the CPI-Maoist from Lalgarh and surrounding region and the unconditional release of its convener Chattradhar Mahato.

The CPI-Maoist Polit Bureau member Mallojula Koteswara Rao alias Kishan told The Hindu during a telephonic interview that the CPI-Maoist supported the PCPA's cause and would provide supporters of the outfit strategic and military support to take on the Security Forces.

October 30: The military wing of the Maoist-backed People's Committee against Police Atrocity (PCPA) - Sidhu Kanu Gana Militia - vandalised property belonging to the State Government in two separate incidents in West Midnapore District. A group of armed men attacked the Silda Range Office in the Binpur block and ransacked and set ablaze six buildings. The group assaulted the officer-in-charge and looted money. It left behind posters demanding the unconditional release of PCPA convener Chhatradhar Mahato and other leaders of the outfit.

A group ransacked the Panchayat (village level local self government institution) office at Makli in the Goaltore area and later set it ablaze. Superintendent of Police Manoj Kumar Verma said the PCPA was behind both attacks and that they were being investigated. "The Police had been claiming that the PCPA is an offshoot of the Maoists and was involved in all kinds of violent activities. But only after they launched the so-called armed wing was it proved that there is no difference between the Maoists and the PCPA supporters," Verma said.

Suspected Maoist cadres looted around INR 400,000 from an irrigation department office in the same District in the afternoon, Police said. "Five motorcycle-borne Maoist rebels looted a state irrigation department office at Jhargram sub-division this (Friday) afternoon," Inspector General of Police (Law and Order) Surajit Kar Purakayastha said. He said one of the armed Maoists was caught by the locals and later handed over to Police. Four other Maoists escaped from the incident site along with the money.

October 31: One activist of the ruling CPI-M, identified Madhab Mudi (43), was shot dead by suspected CPI-Maoist cadres in the Lalgarh area of West Midnapore District. He was shot dead by a group of armed men while working in the field. The assailants reportedly shouted pro-Maoist slogans as they left the spot. Mudi's brother Montu and another person have been missing since October 18 and are suspected to have been abducted by the CPI-M cadres.

An exchange of fire was also reported between the Maoist-backed People's Committee against Police Atrocities (PCPA) and the CPI-M activists at Amjore village near Goaltore. The District Superintendent of Police, Manoj Kumar Verma, told over telephone, "There had been a gun-battle in which several villagers are reported to have suffered bullet injuries. Our teams have gone to the spot to investigate the matter, though prima facie it appears to be a clash between the PCPA and CPI-M cadres."

November 1: A local leader of the ruling CPI-M was shot dead at Salboni near Lalgarh in the West Midnapore District in the evening. Former pradhan (head) of the gram panchayat (village level local self government institution), Anil Mahato, was forced out of his residence at gunpoint by a group of persons. He was then taken to the grounds of a local school where he was shot dead, said the District Superintendent of Police Manoj Verma. Commenting on the progress of the Security Forces in the area, Verma said 18 persons had been arrested on November 1, mostly supporters of the Maoist-backed PCPA, he added.

November 4: A suspected cadre of the CPI-Maoist was arrested from West Midnapore District. "Sunil Kisku was arrested from Belpahari region, a Maoist stronghold in the District. He was an active Maoist ultra and used to operate in the region," the Inspector General of Police (Law and Order), Surajit Kar Purakayastha, said. He also said Kisku has been charged with launching attacks on the Security Forces’ camps in the region. He is also allegedly involved in some murder cases.

The Maoist-supported PCAPA started an indefinite roadblock in the three western districts of West Midnapore, Purulia and Bankura. PCAPA activists felled trees and blocked roads at multiple points on the roads leading to Lalgarh in West Midnapore District.

November 5: Six companies of the Central Security Forces arrived at Midnapore town of West Midnapore District from where they were despatched to different parts of Lalgarh region to join in the operation to flush out the Maoists. The six companies will be in addition to the 17 companies of Central forces, including the Central Reserve Police Force and the Border Security Force, as well as two units of the CoBRA already stationed in the region since June. Superintendent of Police Manoj Kumar Verma told The Hindu over telephone that with the arrival of additional troops, an intensified operation against the Maoists will be launched shortly in close coordination with the Police in Jharkhand and Orissa.

November 6: Cadres of the CPI-Maoist killed three persons in the forests of Kushbani under Binpur-I block in the West Midnapore District in the night, suspecting them to be Police informers. The bodies of Lakshmi Das, Manoranjan and Joyram, apparently in their twenties and thirties, were found lying on the state highway connecting Jhargram and Belpahari. Posters of the CPI-Maoist were found near the dead bodies. The feet of one of the bodies were tied with a rope. "They have been given the ultimate punishment for being police informers," claimed one of the posters.

November 7: Maoists killed an activist of the ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M), Nabakumar Singh, at Gohaldanga village about 25 kilometres from the circuit house in Midnapore town where the Chief Minister was staying in the night. Nabakumar had fled his home with several other activists in the wake of a Maoist strike in the area three months ago but had returned a fortnight ago for the potato-sowing season.

November 8: Cadres of the CPI-Maoist killed four Security personnel of the Eastern Frontier Rifles (EFR) and looted their arms near a Police camp close to a school in Gidhni Bazaar area under Jamboni Police Station in West Midnapore District. Kuldip Singh, Inspector General (Western Range), said the EFR personnel were attacked when they were patrolling the area. The incident took place at around 5.30pm (IST) after the Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and senior State Government officials left West Midnapore District for Kolkata after a two-day visit, Police said. Meanwhile, claiming responsibility for the killing of four EFR personnel, the CPI-Maoist politburo member Koteshar Rao alias Kishan dared the West Bengal and Central governments to deploy as much forces as they wanted in the West Midnapore District. "We have killed the four jawans as they tortured innocent school children who had taken out a rally in the area yesterday demanding the educational institutions be vacated by joint security forces and their classes resume at the earliest," Kishan told PTI from an undisclosed destination. Earlier, visiting the Naxal-hit West Midnapore District, Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee said the State Government is ready to start a fresh operation against Maoists, as he ruled out talks with them till they surrendered their arms and abjured violence.

November 9: Jagannath Mahato, a local leader of the ruling CPI-M as well as a former president of the Garmal village Panchayat (village level local self government institution), was shot at by cadres of the CPI-Maoist while he was on his way home in the Salboni area in West Midnapore District. His condition was reported to be critical, the District Superintendent of Police Manoj Kumar Verma said.

Encounters between the Maoists and Security Forces continued at three other places, besides Salboni.

A group of around 100 women supporters of the Maoist-backed PCPA gheraoed the office of the Jhargram Sub-Divisional Officer demanding the release of 17 men who were arrested a few days ago following intelligence reports that they had Maoist links.

November 15-16: Suspected cadres of the CPI-Maoist abducted five activists of the ruling CPI-M from Lalgeria village near Jhargram in the West Midnapore District late on November 15. While three persons were released early on November 16, the others remained untraced. The abducted persons, Joydeb Mahato, Bijoy Mahato, Ganesh Mahato, Ajit Mahato and Khudiram Mudi, were tried in a "people’s court" held by the Maoists in the village. According to Joydeb, Bijoy and Ganesh, who were released, a woman squad member of the Maoists was in charge of the kangaroo court, where she accused the five of corruption, Police sources said. Sources said an operation was launched in search of the missing men in the Nuniakundri forest adjoining Lalgeria. "No body has been recovered throughout the day though the released persons claimed that the Maoists had killed the remaining two. Blood patches were found at a spot, however," a senior Police official told The Hindu.

November 18: Two persons were found shot dead near a forest area in the West Midnapore District and Police said they suspected that cadres of the CPI-Maoist had killed them. "We’ve got reports that two bodies were found near Mohanpur area in Lodhashuli forest region this [November 18] morning. We’ve already sent our teams to the spot," West Midnapore Superintendent of Police M. K. Verma told IANS. "We assume that both of them were killed by suspected Maoist guerrillas," he said, adding, "The identity of the two is not yet known."

The Maoist backed-PCPA convenor Chhatradhar Mahato, who was arrested on September 26, 2009, was accused in a fresh case for helping the Maoists during a gun battle with the Security Forces in West Bengal.

November 22: The CPI-Maoist politburo member Kishan outsmarted the Security Forces in the Lalgarh area of West Midnapore District and sneaked into neighbouring State of Jharkhand a few days ago, Police officers tracking his phone said, blaming the terrain for his escape. "This is the first time he has left the area in six months. We were monitoring his cell phone and those of others in touch with him. The problem was in sealing the Bengal-Jharkhand border. There are hundreds of routes through dense forests and keeping an eye on all of them is impossible," said an unnamed officer overseeing the Lalgarh operations. Kishan apparently left with 50 others who are part of his three-tier security ring. Rajiv Kumar, special additional commissioner in charge of the Police Operation in Lalgarh, said, "We know Kishanji has crossed over to Jharkhand. He is camping there."

Intelligence Branch (IB) officials said Kishan was likely to shift to Orissa soon for party meetings. "The CPI (Maoist) is going to reorganise its central committee and politburo as many members have been arrested recently," said an IB official. The Maoist politburo’s strength has halved from 20 in 2005, the official added. "The central committee is 18-strong now after 12 arrests."

November 22-23: Cadres of the CPI-Maoist killed a supporter of the ruling CPI-M in the Lalgarh region of West Midnapore District. A group of insurgents stormed into the house of Tapan Mahato, a resident of Shirshi near Jhargram, and dragged him out. His bullet-riddled body was found on the National Highway 9, some distance away from his house. The Superintendent of Police (SP), Manoj Kumar Verma, on November 23 said that CPI-Maoist leaflets found strewn around the body claimed that Mahato was "given ‘capital punishment’ as he was involved in espionage for the police."

November 23: There were reports of an exchange of fire between the Maoists and Security Forces at several locations. Landmines, hand-made rocket launchers and explosives were recovered after the gunfight, though none could be arrested, the SP added.

November 24: Suspected CPI-Maoist cadres shot dead two leaders of the CPI-M and critically injured another person in the Lalgarh area of West Medinapore District in two separate incidents.

Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee said that the West Bengal Government will pay a special allowance to Police personnel who operate in Maoist-infested areas. "The Police are operating in difficult times. In north Bengal, there is the threat of certain separatist forces; in south Bengal, there are 21 thanas (police stations) spread across the Districts of West Medinapore, Bankura and Purulia where they have to counter terrorist activities [by Maoists] almost on a daily basis," he added. Steps were being taken to increase the firepower of the Police as well as induct more personnel, "or else we will be in difficulty," the Chief Minister said. He said though the functioning of civil administration had been hampered by Maoist activity, it was the Police who directly faced the threat from extremists. "I had gone to West Medinapore District for a better understanding of the situation and discussed issues with senior Police officials there," he further said.

November 22: Cadres of the CPI-Maoist killed a supporter of the ruling CPI-M in the Lalgarh region of West Midnapore District in the night. A group of insurgents stormed into the house of Tapan Mahato, a resident of Shirshi near Jhargram, and dragged him out. His bullet-riddled body was found on the National Highway 9, some distance away from his house. The Superintendent of Police (SP), Manoj Kumar Verma, said on November 23 that CPI-Maoist leaflets found strewn around the body claimed that Mahato was "given ‘capital punishment’ as he was involved in espionage for the police."

November 23: There were reports of an exchange of fire between the Maoists and Security Forces at several locations. Landmines, hand-made rocket launchers and explosives were recovered after the gunfight, though none could be arrested, the SP added.

November 24: Suspected CPI-Maoist cadres shot dead two leaders of the CPI-M and critically injured another person in the Lalgarh area of West Medinapore District in two separate incidents.

Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee said that the West Bengal Government will pay a special allowance to Police personnel who operate in Maoist-infested areas. "The Police are operating in difficult times. In north Bengal, there is the threat of certain separatist forces; in south Bengal, there are 21 thanas (police stations) spread across the Districts of West Medinapore, Bankura and Purulia where they have to counter terrorist activities [by Maoists] almost on a daily basis," he added. Steps were being taken to increase the firepower of the Police as well as induct more personnel, "or else we will be in difficulty," the Chief Minister said. He said though the functioning of civil administration had been hampered by Maoist activity, it was the Police who directly faced the threat from extremists. "I had gone to West Medinapore District for a better understanding of the situation and discussed issues with senior Police officials there," he further said.

November 26: Suspected CPI-Maoist cadres shot at a school teacher and a member of the non-teaching staff of a school at Baghmundi in the Purulia District, killing the teacher on the spot and critically injuring the other person. The victims, Subimal Mahato and Shankar Laya, were returning home from Ranga High School on a motorcycle when they were accosted by a group of insurgents who fired at them. Additional Superintendent of Police, C. Sudhakar, said in Purulia, "The case is under investigation. Though we are probing every other possibility, involvement of the Maoists is not ruled out." The area is located near the Ayodhya Hill, believed to be a strong Maoist base.

Suspected Maoists shot at former zilla parishad (district council) member and Jharkhand Jana Mukti Morcha leader Ashutosh Mahato near Machhkandna in the Belpahari area of West Medinapore District in the morning. Mahato was travelling to Belpahari on a bicycle when four insurgents suddenly emerged from a forest and shot at him. Superintendent of Police Manoj Verma said, "According to primary investigation, Mahato was shot at by Maoists."

November 27: Suspected CPI-Maoist cadres killed two Policemen by triggering a landmine blast near Lalgarh in the West Midnapore District. The insurgents triggered a landmine blast when some members of joint Security Forces (SFs) were walking from Pirakata Police camp to a forest near Burisole for an operation, Police said. The Maoists also fired at the patrolling party just after the explosion, following which the SFs forces retaliated. "Two security men, Alok Mondal and Srimanta Banerjee, of the Indian Reserve Battalion (IRB) were fatally injured in the landmine explosion. The duo was rushed to Midnapore Medical College and Hospital where they were declared brought dead," West Midnapore Superintendent of Police Manoj Kumar Verma said. The condition of three others was serious, he said. Local Police put the number of injured to eight.

Suspected Maoists shot dead a local CPI-M leader in the same District, Police said. According to in the sources, the incident took place in Jhargram Sub-Division’s Jitushol area in the night when a group of insurgents killed Karuna Mahato. "Mahato was a CPI-M gram panchayat (village council) member in Shalboni region. The Maoist ultras called Mahato from his residence late Friday night and took him to a nearby forest. He was found dead this (Saturday) morning on National Highway-9 near Kalaboni forest region," a District Police officer said. Police also recovered a few Maoist posters from the spot which claimed Mahato was a Police informer.

A businessman was shot dead by the Maoists in the Lalgarh area.

November 28: Renewing the call for dialogue, a Maoist leader said the central and West Bengal Governments should stop the anti-Maoist operations in West Midnapore and begin talks to resolve the problem. "At this moment, the people want a solution through dialogue," Maoist leader Bikash said. He claimed that resistance was continuing since the central and State Governments did not show willingness for peace by accepting demands for release of those arrested in West Midnapore. On the two Policemen killed on November 27 at Burisole in the District, he said they had died in a 'counter attack' by the people and the Maoists.

November 29: The bullet-ridden dead body of a person, suspected to have been killed by the CPI-Maoist, was found in the Lalgarh area of West Midnapore District taking the death toll in the region over the past three days to six even as incidents of exchange of fire between Maoists and Security Forces took place at several places in the morning hours. Villagers found the body of Dhanpati Murmu, District Secretary of the Jharkhand Party, on the outskirts of Khasjungle village early in the morning, Manoj Verma, District Superintendent of Police said.

December 1: The beheaded body of a school teacher, abducted by a cadre of the CPI-Maoist, was found near Goaltore in West Midnapore District. The teacher, Satya Kinkar Hansda, of Sirisboni village, who had been warned by the Maoists for being a member of Gana Pratirodh Committee (a group formed by the ruling CPI-M to resist the Maoists), was abducted by an armed cadre the night before and his decapitated body was found in a nearby jungle in the next morning, they said.

One BSF trooper, Chandrip Singh, was injured in an exchange of fire with Maoists in a jungle near Pirakulli at Salboni in the District.

The People’s Committee against Police Atrocities (PCPA) has called for a 120-hour bandh (general shut down) in the West Midnapore, Bankura and Purulia demanding an end to police patrolling for two weeks. The PCPA spokesperson Asit Mahato said the Central-state joint forces should stop patrolling for two weeks so that the farmers and locals could harvest their crops. The PCPA also requested the CPI-Maoist cadres not to attack the Police for the next two weeks to improve the prevailing situation. According to Mahato, they requested Home Secretary Ardhendu Sen through media a few days ago to withdraw Police patrolling for the next two weeks. The PCPA had fixed November 30-evening as the deadline for Sen to respond but he did not. Mahato said this is the time for harvesting and farmers store crops for next four-five months. The Central-state joint forces, he alleged, often arrest farmers from paddy fields and many are injured in the cross-fire between Security Forces and the Maoists. According to Mahato, the PCPA has formally requested the Maoists restrain themselves for the next 15 days but there was no assurance from the latter. N S Nigam, the District Magistrate of West Midnapore said the PCPA had not informed him on their bandh to be observed from tomorrow.

December 2: Among the suggestions given by the team from the Union Home ministry to the administration in West Bengal was the upgrading of technology and an increase in the strength of the Police. "They suggested introduction of better technology for gathering more information in Maoist-affected areas and increased manpower in the Police force," State Home Secretary Ardhendu Sen said at the conclusion of the two-day visit by the team, which did not visit trouble spots in the State, but met top officials from nine violence-affected districts in Kolkata, the State capital. "Modern technology introduced in other Maoist-hit states yielded better results," Sen said. The team, which had three meetings with top state officials in the last two days, also called for improved coordination among police stations in Maoist-affected Districts.

After a gap of a month, fugitive CPI-Maoists politburo member Kishan attended an open gathering in Jangalmahal to observe the foundation day of the PLGA. Another Maoist activist, Rakesh, leader of the West Bengal-Jharkhand-Orissa border regional committee also attended the function along with the ‘commander-in-chief’ of Jangalmahal, Bikash. The gathering was held amid tight security provided by PLGA activists who had surrounded the area with sophisticated arms and weapons to prevent the joint forces from attempting to foil the function and arrest top Maoist leaders like Kishan. It is, however, not clear whether Kishan is staying at Jangalmahal or left the place after attending the function there. The function was attended by the inhabitants at least 50 villages in the region.

December 3: Six companies of the BSF were withdrawn from the Maoist violence-affected areas in southwest West Bengal for deployment in the remaining three phases of the Assembly elections in Jharkhand, even as Security Forces (SFs) and the Maoists engaged in a seven-hour-long gun battle in the forests near Dherua near Lalgarh in the State’s West Midnapore District. "At about 10 in the morning a landmine was discovered near Dherua, after which they [Maoists] started firing at us and we had to return their fire," said Manoj Verma, the West Midnapore Superintendent of Police. There were no causalities, but the exchange of fire lasted until 5 p.m. (IST), Manoj Verma said.

The additional chief judicial magistrate’s court at Jhargram acquitted Chhatradhar Mahato, convenor of the Maoist-backed People’s Committee against Police Atrocities (PCPA), on charges of "waging war against the State." Mahato has been charged under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, besides being implicated for other criminal offences, and is presently in prison.

The West Midnapore District administration shifted SFs from only a single school in Lalgarh, though Advocate General Bolai Roy had assured the Calcutta High Court that it would vacate at least two schools by December 2. One company of forces was shifted from Gohamidanga High School, which had been occupied since July 1. After hearing a Public Interest Litigation on November 24, the Calcutta High Court had directed the State Government to vacate all the schools where Police camps had been set up to accommodate the Central-State joint forces. According to Roy, State Government had occupied 22 educational institutions between June to September at Binpur, Lalgarh, Salboni and Goaltore blocks in different phases to accommodate 4,100 personnel of the Central-State joint forces to carry out Police operation against Maoists outfits.

The Director General of State Police Bhupinder Singh conceded that the Maoist menace had raised manifold in West Bengal in the last ten years. His statement came in the wake of handwritten Maoist posters found at the BD Market area, and the walls of adjacent Bidhan Nagar Government School in the Salt Lake locality in the evening December 1.

December 4: A group of armed men, suspected to be cadres of CPI-Maoist, abducted three persons, identified as Neemai Singh, Phani Singh and Bagrai Soren, from their homes in Simulpal village under Belpahari Police Station area of West Midnapore District and took them to the near by forest area and killed them. The bullet-ridden dead bodies of the victims were found on the outskirts of the village in the morning. Two of the victims - Neemai Singh and Phani Singh - were reportedly actively associated with the Gana Pratirodh Committee, a local resistance group that has been campaigning against the Maoists.

A Policeman was injured in a landmine explosion at Ramgarh in the same District. Police suspect that the blast was triggered by the Maoists.

A truck and a car were set on fire on National Highway 6 on the fourth day of a five-day bandh (shut down) called by the PCPA. Police have not been able to identify those responsible for the incident, but suspect that PCPA supporters were involved.

December 7: Suspected CPI-Maoist cadres shot dead a CPI-Marxist activist in the West Midnapore District. The body of Sanatan Pratihar (44) was found near a forest in the Pingboni area. "The rebels also torched the house of another District CPI-M leader at Shalboni region this (Monday) morning," Police said.

The extremists set ablaze a pick-up van in the same District. Sources said the Naxals set ablaze the vehicle as it was plying during the five-day shutdown called by the People's Committee against Police Atrocities (PCPA). The PCPA had called for the shutdown in the Districts of West Midnapore, Bankura and Purulia, demanding a 15-day halt to the anti-Maoist operations in view of the harvesting season.

The State Police arrested a Maoist leader, the first since Maoists launched their movement in Bengal in November 2008. In the night of December 6, the Security Forces arrested Raju Adak (30), believed to be behind the Maoist insurgence in Purnapani, a pocket of the Maoists near Lalgarh. According to sources, Adak had led the team that killed two Police officers in Sankrail Police Station in West Midnapore on October 20.

December 9: The Maoists shot dead a supporter of the CPI-Marxist and injured another person in the Belpahari Police Station area near Lalgarh. A group of Maoists shot at Subal Mahato and Suresh Murmu at Chirakuti village and the former died on the spot, Superintendent of Police Manoj Verma told The Hindu over the phone. Mahato was involved in the Government’s local water supply scheme, District Magistrate N. S. Nigam said. At a rally in Kolkata, Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee said Maoists had killed 70 supporters of the Left parties in the region in the recent past.

December 10: Suspected CPI-Maoist cadres shot dead three CPI-Marxist workers at Sebaytan village in the West Midnapore District in the morning of December 10. The three deceased identified as, Bijay Mahto, Manik Mahto and Brihaspati Mahto, were called out from their homes in the village under Jhargram Police Station at about 1.30am (IST) and gunned down, Police said. The bodies were found this morning in front of a college with a note that the three were given the "extreme punishment by people's verdict" as they were 'Police informers', they said.

The Maoists blew up an office of the forest department at Jhitka in Lalgarh area using a landmine.

Police exchanged gunfire with a group of cadres of the CPI-Maoist in Satpati village in West Midnapore District in the night of December 10. While Police said no one was injured, a union minister of the Trinamool Congress, Mukul Roy, claimed one person was killed and six others injured in the gunbattle. An officer manning the control room told IANS that around 40-50 Maoists attacked the Pirakata outpost under Salboni police station around 8 p.m. "The police returned the fire. But there are no reports of any injury," the officer said.

The CPI-Maoist Malkangiri Divisional Committee Secretary Ramal in a letter to Orissa Daily’s Malkangiri-based reporter on December 10 said that all the ruling Bharatiya Janta Dal leaders, including party Members of Legislative Assembly and Members of Parliament, of Malkangiri and Koraput Districts in Orissa will be awarded death sentence if the Police atrocity does not comes to end in Narayanpatna of Koraput District. The Maoist leader also urged Chief Minister Naveen Pattnaik to beg apology for the Narayanpatna Police firing on November 20 and unconditional release of all the forcibly arrested innocent tribals.

December 11: A local leader of the CPI-Marxist was killed and several other party supporters were reportedly injured at Parulia village in Salboni sub-division following a gun battle between suspected Maoists and members of the Gana Pratirodh Committee that was set up last year to resist Maoist activities.

There was a brief spell of gunfight between the SFs and the Maoists in the forest adjacent to the Pirakata outpost, 16 kilometres from Lalgarh.

Police arrested two CPI-Maoist cadres from West Bengal for allegedly attacking Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) Orissa unit chief Sudam Marandi, authorities said. "We have arrested two Maoists involved in the attack on Sudam Marandi on October 13. They have been arrested from Gopiballav Police Station areas of West Bengal. Prime suspect Lossor Tudu along with his accomplice Jasai Soren have been arrested," Mayurbhanj’s Superintendent of Police Dayal Gangwar said. A weapon and few live bullets were recovered from them. An unnamed Police officer said four Maoists were earlier arrested in this connection. Marandi had escaped unhurt when the Maoists attacked him when he came out of a football field at Pandab village of Mayurbhanj District. Three of his Police guards were killed in the attack.

December 10-12: A supporter of the CPI-Maoist-backed PCPA was shot dead and five other PCPA supporters suffered bullet injuries in a clash with SFs in front of the Satpati camp in the Lalgarh area of West Midnapore District. Though the name of the victim, Tilak Tudu, was confirmed by the Superintendent of Police (SP) Manoj Kumar Verma, the identities as well as the exact number of the injured could not be established till later in the day. According to the PCPA spokesperson Asit Mahato, the SF personnel opened fire on villagers in the evening of December 10 when the latter protested against alleged high-handedness of the SFs. "Several CPI (M) cadres, dressed as security force personnel, have taken shelter at the Satpati camp. They were misbehaving with the local residents when the villagers protested…one of our supporters, Biplab Betal, was killed on the spot as the forces started firing at the local crowd and five more were injured," Mahato told The Hindu over phone from the Lalgarh region. The SP Verma, however, denied that the Police had opened fire at first and claimed that the SFs retaliated only when suspected Maoists in the crowd fired at the camp. Further, the PCPA leadership called for a gherao of the Satpati camp in protest against incident of its supporters being fired at. Elaborate security arrangements were made around the Satpati camp to avoid any more untoward incident. The PCPA supporters put up blockades on the road connecting Lalgarh with Midnapore town with felled tress at several places. There were also reports of torching of houses of Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-Marxist) supporters at some places late by suspected Maoists. Meanwhile, the PCPA called for a bandh (shut down) in the three Maoist-affected Districts of West Midnapore, Bankura and Purulia on December 12 (today).

December 11-12: Suspected CPI-Maoist cadres abducted one Trilok Tudu, a student of the Gorbeta College and member of the Students Federation of India, while he was returning to his village on December 11. His dead was found at Paraulia in the Lalgarh region of West Midnapore District in the night of December 12, Superintendent of Police Manoj Verma said.

December 12: A Trinamool Congress member, Amjad Ali (50), was killed by CPI-Maoist cadres at Bhagawanpur in the Bhangar area of South 24 Parganas District,. Five-six persons attacked Amjad Ali with sharp weapons when he was returning home from his party office in the evening. Ali died on way to the hospital. Criticising the CPI-Maoist for "unleashing politics of killing and violence", Union minister of State for shipping Mukul Roy appealed to his party workers "not to be provoked by CPI-Maoist's tactics".

A demand for autonomy for three tribal-dominated Districts of West Midnapore, Bankura and Purulia in West Bengal was made by a top Maoist leader, who also justified the Gorkhaland statehood issue. The Maoist politburo member Kishen told PTI from an undisclosed location, "We demand autonomy for the three districts on the lines of the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council." He alleged that the West Bengal Government had denied the legitimate rights of the people of the Districts, adding, "We demand autonomy to protect the language, culture and religious beliefs of tribals." Asked if he meant statehood, he replied, "the people of the three districts are not yet prepared for statehood." Queried if it was part of the demand for a 'greater Jharkhand', Kishen said, "That demand is no longer relevant. The scenario has changed. Moreover the formation of Jharkhand has not solved any problem."

December 12-13: Suspected Maoists killed a former CPI-Marxist in the same District. The dead body of Dinabandhu Soren, who was missing from his home in Dharampur since December 12, was found by the joint forces in the forests of Kadamdiha in Lalgarh on December 13, a senior District Police Officer said, adding, Dinabandhu was killed on suspicion of being a Police informer.

December 13: Two personnel of the joint SFs were injured when the Maoists exploded two landmines -- one at Pirakata and the other at Maldiha in Lalgarh.

December 16: The CPI-Maoist cadres late on December 10 ransacked and looted a forest beat office on the periphery of the Jhitka forest near Lalgarh in the West Midnapore District. But most of the looted materials were returned to the office employees on December 16. According to Vinod Kumar Yadav, Conservator of Forest (Western Range), the Maoists have apologised for the incident and even asserted that forest department officials would not be harassed in future.

A suspected CPI-Maoist, Chunaram Murmu, was arrested by the Police following a brief gun battle between the Security Forces and the extremists at Parulia village in the Salboni sub-division of West Midnapore District.

December 17-18: Three CPI-Marxist activists were killed in two separate incidents while several vehicles and properties were ransacked and set ablaze by suspected CPI-Maoist cadres in the Lalgarh area of West Midnapore District since. The bullet-riddled dead bodies of Anil Chalak and Dayal Chalak, both residents of Chandra village near Lalgarh, were found at Bandhgora near Jhargram town on December 18. Another resident of the same village, Ganesh Hansda, was also found in a critical condition with wounds inflicted by sharp weapons. All the three persons were abducted from their homes in the evening of December 17. While all three of them were members of the CPI-Marxist, Anil Chalak was also a former panchayat (village level local self Government institution) President and Hansda was a current panchayat member.

The dead body of another CPI-Marxist supporter, Amar Patra, was found at Baita village near Lalgarh on December 18. He, too, was abducted and shot dead. Superintendent of Police Manoj Kumar Verma said that the Maoists’ role was primarily suspected in the killing. The violence coincided with the first day of the indefinite blockade called by the People’s Committee against Police Atrocities (PCPA). The PCPA also called for a two-day-bandh (shut down) on December 28 and 29 in protest against the assault on tribal women by the Security Force personnel.

The situation in the Lalgarh region of West Midnapore District, it is feared, could take a bad turn from December 18 with the PCPA threatening to launch an indefinite violent movement. The PCPA leadership has issued a 24-hour-deadline to the Police for producing in court two of their supporters who were allegedly detained earlier this month, failing which they would be "forced to begin a violent movement in the three Districts of West Midnapore, Bankura and Purulia." The PCPA supporters, Raju Adak and Joydeb Bera, were allegedly picked up by the Lalgarh Police late on December 6 and could not be traced by their family members since. "We fear that both the men have been killed in police custody. Though the inspector-in-charge of the Lalgarh thana has assured us to produce them in court on December 24, we are not convinced," Asit Mahato, spokesperson of the PCPA told The Hindu over telephone on December 16. Mahato added: "We demand their production in court within the next 24 hours. If they fail to do so, the PSBJC supporters will set ablaze any vehicle that plies in the three districts from December 18. We will have no alternative." The Superintendent of Police (SP) Manoj Kumar Verma, however, said that the two persons were not in Police custody. "They were not picked up by the police in the first place. I have spoken to the inspector-in-charge of Lalgarh thana and he said that the police have not promised any production date…maybe this is one of the tactics adopted by the Maoists in order to create unrest," Verma alleged.

Farmers in West Midnapore District may not have to repay their crop loans. The Maoists have announced a waiver. This is the first time the extremists have announced such a decision. "Several peasants who took crop loans over the last two years have suffered losses. So, we have decided that they don’t have to pay back their loans," said a moist politburo member Koteshwar Rao alias Kishen. "Moreover, no agricultural cooperative, bank or private money lender will be allowed to charge more than two per cent interest on loans they advance to peasants this year," he added. Cooperative and public sector banks usually charge seven per cent interest on agricultural loans. Private moneylenders charge much more – between three per cent and five per cent a month. "If anybody, be it from public sector banks or private moneylender tries to squeeze money out of the farmers, he will be branded a people’s enemy and tried in a people’s court," Kishen threatened. Kishen claimed that farmers have suffered losses and that "no one is in a position to repay the loans. Since the government did nothing, it was left to us to give relief". These "courts" usually hand out the death penalty to those who defy their writ. "We will look into the matter and take action if anybody lodges a complaint," said the West Midnapore District SP.

December 19: Two trucks and a forest beat office were set ablaze by suspected Maoists in the West Midnapore district. Police said the two trucks were set ablaze on the National Highway 6 near Gajasul and a forest beat office at Sankhahar under Jhargram Police Station.

The Maoists launched a brutal assault on a zoo in Jhargram town in the night of December 19, firing indiscriminately into deer and black buck enclosures, setting fire to animal cages, burning hundreds of birds and beating the beat officer and forest guards, according to Times of India. The actual toll is still being assessed, but two black bucks are confirmed dead and hundreds of birds burnt to ashes. Forest department officials are now scrambling to save an elephant herd that is headed in the direction. The attack on the zoo, just two kilometres from Jhargram, could be a strategic move because it connects the town with Jharkhand via Banstala and Manikpara. Once Maoists have access to it, they can easily reach Jharkhand.

December 20: Two CPI-Marxist activists were killed by the CPI-Maoist cadres in the West Midnapore District, Police said. The dead bodies of two CP-Marxist workers Jyotidranath Mahato and Manik Midha, who along with four others were abducted by Maoists late in the night of December 19 from Balodhoba village, were found dead on December 20 at Lauria village near Manikpara, they said. The whereabouts of the other two persons abducted by the Maoists from Balodhaba village was not known, they added.

Two suspected Maoists were shot dead by the Security Forces near Jhargram during a gun battle that injured at least seven villagers caught in the crossfire. The Police identified the slain duo as Santu Mahato, 26, and Kajol Mahato, 22. The People’s Committee against Police Atrocities, meanwhile, said they were its leaders, "killed when the police fired indiscriminately at villagers". Santu’s body has been retrieved but Kajol’s was lying deeper in the Boira forest.

During a patrol along a State Highway that connects Kharagpur with Jhargram, the joint forces learnt that mines had been planted near Boira. Two companies (around 200 personnel) went there with a bomb squad and defused two improvised devices at around 3pm (IST). 15 minutes after the force had picked up two men on suspicion that they may have planted the mines, 500 villagers surrounded them protesting arrests. The Maoists opened fire from an adjoining forest, a Police official said, adding, "The Maoists tried to put the villagers in the line of fire. Shots rang out as we started lobbing tear-gas shells to drive the villagers away." The encounter on the fringes of Boira forest, 12 kilometres from Jhargram town, started around 3.30pm and continued till 9pm.

Two Policemen were abducted by Maoists from Tehgoria under Salboni Police Station at around 10am on December 20, the Police said, adding that a massive search operation was launched to rescue the policemen.

December 20-21: Two CPI-Marxist workers who were believed to have been killed by the Maoists returned home on December 21. Gopal Mahato and Khagen Mahato, residents of Shabardanga in Jhargram, said they were hiding in neighbouring Dubhkundi after they learnt of the alleged Maoist threat to their lives in the afternoon of December 20. Confirming the return of the duo, CPI-Marxist district secretariat member Dahareswar Sen said, "We feared the Maoists had killed Gopal and Khagen Mahato. The Maoists had organized a 'people's court' against them and their mobiles were also switched off. We came to know on Monday that they were alive." However, Kishan had earlier claimed responsibility for the "murder" of Gopal and Khagen saying they killed the duo to avenge the death of two villagers in firing by the joint forces.

December 21-22: Cadres of the CPI-Maoist-backed PCPA ransacked and set ablaze the houses of two CPI-Marxist leaders at Dahijuri village in the West Midnapore District in the evening of December 21. According to Police, a large group of PCPA cadres and several armed Maoists attacked the house of Amiyo Sengupta, a member of the CPI-M’s district committee, at Dahijuri. Though Sengupta was not at home at the time, his wife, three daughters and grand-daughter were present. The extremists ransacked the house and later set it on fire. Unable to get out of the house, the women took refuge on the roof of the three-storied-building to escape the fire raging on the ground floor. The Police said the extremists also attacked the neighbouring house of local CPI-Marxist leader Avijit Singha and set it ablaze. The family, however, managed to flee. Later, a contingent of SF personnel was dispatched from the Binpur thana (Police Station) on receiving news of the attack. The Maoists, however, had set up a booby trap on the way to Dahijuri from Binpur by planting a directional improvised explosive device on the way at Andharia. It was set off while the SFs were approaching the spot, injuring four personnel, including the Inspector-In-Charge of the Police Station, the Police said. Another contingent of forces was also dispatched from Jhargram, along with a fire-tending machine, but could not reach the spot fearing the presence of more landmines on the way. The SFs finally reached the spot in the morning of December 22.

The Maoist politburo member Koteswar Rao alias Kishan justified the attacks, saying they were "spontaneous outbursts of people who have been refused their rights and freedom for years and are continuously subjected to atrocities by the Security Forces."

December 22: The CPI-Maoist have apparently been shifting base from their strongholds in Lalgarh and Belpahari in the last two months, with killings and violence increasingly taking place in Jhargram subdivision, 40 kilometers away in the West Midnapore District. Police sources attribute this to the strong Security Force (SF) presence in Belpahari and Lalgarh. There are seven camps of the joint SFs in the Lalgarh and nine in Belpahari while there are only three camps in Jhargram and one in Jamboni. Quoting statistics, the sources said, that around 50 Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-Marxist) local leaders and supporters were killed around Jhargram in the last two months, while there was no casualty in Lalgarh, considered a Maoist stronghold and which had been wrested by the joint forces earlier 2009. "As there are many camps of the joint forces in and around Belpahari and Lalgarh, Maoists are not able to operate there and are shifting to areas around Jhargram," an unnamed senior Police officer said. Asked why Jhargram, the officer said Jhargram's proximity to Jharkhand was one of the main reasons, adding, "Maoist can slip away into Jharkhand easily after committing a crime and it involves time and legal problems for the West Bengal Police to follow them across the border."

Maoist politburo member Koteswar Rao alias Kishan said over phone, "We are not shifting base anywhere. We are always with the people. We will stand by the people anywhere." Claiming the support of the people of Jhargram, Kishan said, "The Government should know that they cannot control us or the people through force." Challenging the joint forces, he said, "We are at war with the state and have our own strategy. The government is well equipped with police, central force and intelligence network. Let them catch us." Kishan also said that the violent incidents taking place in and around Jhargram for the past two weeks was "the beginning of realising a long-term goal to turn Jhargram into a liberated zone,".

December 22-23: Three CPI-Marxist party workers were found dead in the Junglemahal area of West Midnapore District on December 23. Habul Patra, a cable operator and CPI-Marxist worker, was dragged out of his home at Bamal village in Lalgarh by the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) in the night of December 22. His dead body was found near his residence. Separately, a CPI-Marxist zonal committee member of Gopiballabhpur in Lalgarh was allegedly killed by Maoists in the night of December 23. Prabir Dandaput, 48, was returning to his home when Maoists fired at him. In addition, the bullet-ridden dead body of Sadhan Mahato, another CPI-Marxist member, was found at Damakata village in Salboni earlier in the day. While he was returning from a local tea stall, he was surrounded by a group of 10-12 armed extremists. As Mahato tried to flee, the Maoists shot fire at him. The incident took place very close to Pirakata Police camp. Mahato was forced to leave his home several months ago fearing Maoist onslaught and had returned Salboni on December 22.The Maoists had put up posters near the bodies stating that they were punished for being Police informer. "The incident is supposed to be the handiwork of the Maoists," said West Midnapore Superintendent of Police Manoj Verma.

December 23: The Maoist-backed PCPA set ablaze a truck near Dhosra village while they were on their way to Jhargram where they had gone to ransack the Parihati Range office. The PCPA activist ransacked and set ablaze the houses of two CPI-Marxist party workers at Goaltore. The first day of the PCPA-sponsored two-day bandh (shut down) paralysed life in the Junglemahal area on 23 with shops, educational institutions remaining closed.

One Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM, Aditya) leader was shot dead and another critically injured by the CPI-Maoist cadres at Belpahari in the West Midnapore District. Around 12.30am (IST), a group of 10-15 Maoists stormed into the house of 50-year-old Biswanath Murmu at Sakhabhanga village. Murmu was dragged out of his house in front of his family members. Later Murmu’s bullet-ridden dead body was found near his residence. A couple of months back, Murmu’s son Karan had also been killed by Maoists. Karan was a popular leader of the JMM (Aditya).

December 24: The Maoists shot at Durga Soren (48), a zonal committee leader of the JMM (Aditya). Soren was also called out of his house and Maoists pumped bullets into him. Additional Superintendent of Police (Jhargram) Murlidhar said, "We have been informed that one bullet-ridden body has been found in Simulpal. We have sent forces to the area."

A CPI-Marxist activist Biswanath Kundu was abducted allegedly by the Maoists. A missing complaint has been lodged with the Goaltore Police Station.

Following reports that Maoists may be shifting base from Lalgarh to Jhargram sub-division in West Midnapore, the State Government has decided to send an additional company of Central Paramilitary Forces to Jhargram. After sporadic incidents of violence in Jhargram recently, including the torching of the deer park and setting ablaze sponge iron units followed by an attack on CPI-Marxist district committee leader Amiya Sengupta’s house, the State Government has decided to boost the reinforce the strength of paramilitary forces in the area.

December 26: A CPI-Marxist leader was shot dead by suspected CPI-Maoist cadres at Barikul in the Bankura District. Rameshwar Murmu, the local committee secretary of the CPI-Marxist, was forcibly taken away from his residence at Bhulagara in the morning by an armed group of 15, who pushed aside his wife and son, saying Murmu deserved to be killed for his "anti-people activities." Shortly later the family heard gunshots and Murmu's dead body was recovered by Security Forces from a nearby forest. Police suspected Maoists, active in the belt, could be behind the attack but the identity of the attackers was still being probed.

Suspected Maoists ransacked and set abalze a forest beat office, after assaulting its employees at Sarenga in the Bankura District. Police added that the extremists also threatened the employees with dire consequences if they returned to work there. A group of 100 extremists set ablaze files and documents before escaping. This is the third attack on a forest beat office by the Maoists in December. The Maoists are active in areas under 30 Police Stations in Bankura, West Midnapore and Purulia Districts of the State.

The CPI-Maoist have given a 24-hour bandh call in five states on January 2 alleging that Communist Party of India-Marxist activist on fired at a Christmas tribal fair near Lalgarh in West Midnapore District. "Maoists has called the bandh on January 2 in West Bengal, Orissa, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Bihar to protest the unprovoked firing on villagers at Binpur," Maoist politburo member Kishan said on December 26. He claimed that two persons were killed and four others were injured in the firing at the fair. District Magistrate, Narayan Swarup Nigam confirmed the firing, but it was yet to be ascertained, if there was any casualty. He said that four hardcore Maoists were arrested in this connection. Earlier, a spokesman of People's Committee against Police Atrocities (PCPA) spearheading the campaign against alleged Police action on villagers and gave a 24-hour bandh call on December 27 in the West Midnapore, Bankura and Purulia Districts of West Bengal to protest the "unprovoked firing" at the fair.

December 27: Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee on admitted that it was difficult to track down Maoist politburo member Kishan despite his regular phone calls to prominent people, including State bureaucrats. "We can identify the (mobile) tower but it is difficult to pin-point his location in that area," he told reporters when asked about Kishan’s reported phone call to State's Principal Secretary (Environment) Madan Lal Meena to protest about polluting mines. Bhattacharjeesaid the Maoist leader was talking to "hundreds of journalists every day" but despite this, it was difficult to catch him. He also said, "We are facing some problems in getting to the deep forest areas or villages in the interior places where the Maoists are operating from. However, we have cleared main roads, police stations, shops and markets." Noting that Jungalmahal was one area where security operations were facing problems, he said, "We are in discussion with other (neighbouring) states".

Hundreds of PCPA supporters ransacked and set ablaze the house of a local leader of the CPI-Marxist at Radhanagar near Jhargram town in the West Midnapore District. While the CPI-Marxist leader, Manoranjan Pal and his family managed to escape, their house was ransacked and set ablaze. Several PCPA supporters in the crowd reportedly carried sophisticated firearms, the Police said corroborating local reports. The Superintendent of Police Manoj Kumar Verma told The Hindu that the report that some persons in the crowd were carrying firearms "proved once more" that the PCPA and the Maoists are "similar entities with different faces."

December 28: Top Police officials of the State said that the Maoist politburo member Koteshwar Rao alias Kishan’s mobility, apart from lack of local support, made it difficult to arrest him. While Kishan continues to be in West Bengal, as per the location of his cell phone that is being tapped by the Police, the closest the forces came to arrest him was on the morning of October 23, hours before abducted Police officer Atindranath Dutta was to be released. Orders had come from the top to abandon the raid at the time as Dutta’s life was at stake. West Bengal Director General of Police Bhupinder Singh acknowledged that Kishan is in the State, and that "there were a number of reasons" he still hadn’t been caught despite their best efforts. The special task force is hunting for Kishan.

December 29: The West Bengal Government said it was working with Jharkhand to launch joint operations against Maoists in both states. Joint operations were being planned by both states, Chief Secretary Ashok Mohan Chakraborti said, ruling out the possibility of deployment of Army in Maoist-affected areas in West Midnapore, Bankura and Purlia Districts. He said the joint forces operating in the area would remain there and the nine companies of central paramilitary forces which were dispatched to Jharkhand for the assembly elections would return soon. Chakraborti said the situation in the three Districts was improving. "Law and order situation has improved a lot in Purulia and West Midnapore," he noted.

After Maoist politburo memebr Koteshwar Rao alias Kishan’s recent phone call to state environment secretary M. L. Meena complaining about pollution allegedly caused by sponge iron factories, the West Bengal Government cautioned officials against speaking to any leader of outlawed organisations. "Why should any of our officers talk to Kishenji? We don't need discussion with any leader of an outlawed organisations like CPI (Maoist)," home secretary Ardhendu Sen told reporters. To another question, Sen said the whereabouts of outlawed leaders could not be pinpointed by mobile towers. "This is wrong. Then, the Centre could send high tech towers to all naxalite affected states to detect whereabouts of leaders of outlawed organisations," he said.

December 30: The PCPA said indefinite road blockade demanding release of its two arrested members, which began on December 18 in the Junglemahal – Maoist-affected Districts of Bankura, West Midnapore and Purulia-- will end on December 31.

Passengers of the New Delhi-Puri Purushottam Express had a narrow escape as suspected CPI-Maoist cadres removed the connectors between two tracks on a 400 metre stretch near Gidni station in West Bengal just before the train was to cross the area,. Patrolling railway men detected a group of people removing the pandoral clips, connectors between two tracks, and trying to bend the line near Gidni at around 1.15am (IST), a South Eastern Railway Spokesman said.  They immediately informed railway authorities at Gidni station following which movement of trains was stopped.  Train movement was restored after six hours, the spokesman said.

The supporters of the Maoist-backed PCPA squatted on the railway tracks in the Kharagpur-Adra division leading to disruption of train services for hours. According to the South Eastern Railway authorities, around 250 PCPA supporters squatted on the railway tracks, piled stone chips on the tracks and removed pandrol clips (device to hold the track and the concrete sleeper together) between the Midnapore and Godapiyashal stations to observe ‘martyrs day’.

December 30-31: Two CPI-Marxist supporters were killed by suspected CPI-Maoist cadres at Belpahari near the Lalgarh area in West Midnapore District, late on December 30. The victims, Konaram Singh and Ananda Singh, were abducted from their homes at the Balichua village. Their bullet-riddled dead bodies were found nearby on December 31. The Maoists left some posters near the dead bodies wherein it was stated that the duo had been punished for being Police informers and for supporting the anti-Maoist Gana Pratirodh Committee (Mass Resistance Committee), the Police said.