Maoist Insurgency: Timeline (Terrorist Activities) -2022

Two cadres of the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist), including a top leader who was carrying a bounty of INR one million on his head, surrendered before Security Forces (SFs) in Ranchi District of Jharkhand on March 1, reports The Print. “Zonal commander of the banned CPI (Maoist) Suresh Singh Munda, who was carrying a bounty of Rs 10 lakh [one million] on his head, and area commander Lodro Lohra alias Subhash surrendered. They will get aid under the state’s surrender and rehabilitation policy,” Inspector General of Police (IGP), Operations, Amol V Homkar said. Munda, who was active in the outfit for the last 25 years, was wanted in 67 cases in Ranchi, Khunti, Chaibasa and Seraikela Kharsawan districts, while Lohra was carrying a reward of INR 200,000 on his head and booked in 54 cases, the IGP said. Read less...

A Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) cadre identified as Lakhma Kawasi was killed in an encounter between the District Reserve Guard (DRG) team and Maoists in the forest near Tumkapal village under Katekalyan Police Station limits in Dantewada District of Chhattisgarh on March 1, reports The Print. Kawasi, a resident Kodopal under Katekalyan Police Station, carrying a reward of INR 300,000 on his head by the Chhattisgarh Government is a member of Platoon ‘Commander’ 31, Darba Division. Following the encounter, Police recovered a pistol, five kilograms Improvised Explosive Device (IED), books, Maoist uniform, wires, items of daily use and other materials from the encounter site. Read less...

Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) ‘commander’ Suresh Singh Munda, who was wanted in 67 Naxalite [Left Wing Extremist, LWE] incidents in Jharkhand, surrendered before the Jharkhand Police in Ranchi District on March 1, leaving the path of violence on the appeal of his daughter, reports zeenews.india.com. Along with Munda, his associate Lodro Lohar, a prize money of INR 200,000, also surrendered in Ranchi. Both of them had remained the most wanted for the Police for a long time. Read less...

Three cadres of the Tritiya Sammelan Prastuti Committee (TSPC/TPC), a splinter group of the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist), were arrested following an encounter between the Naxalites [Left Wing Extremists, LWEs] and Police during a search operation jointly carried out by the District Armed Police and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in a forest near Turkun village in Palamu District of Jharkhand on March 1, reports prabhasakshi.com. Superintendent of Police (SP), Chandan Kumar Sinha told reporters that weapons were also recovered from the spot after the encounter. Bangles were also recovered from the spot which indicated that women cadre were also present there. The identities of the arrested LWEs are yet to be ascertained. Read less...

In a setback to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), the Chhattisgarh High Court on March 2 dismissed the probe agency’s appeal to quash or transfer the second First Information Report (FIR) registered in connection with the 2013 Maoist attack in Jheeram valley that had killed 29 persons, including several senior Congress leaders, reports The Indian Express. The FIR in question was filed by slain Congress leader Uday Mudliar’s son Jitendra Mudliar in 2020. A division bench of justices RCS Samant and Arvind Chandel passed the order, clearing way for the State Police to carry on with the investigation into the alleged conspiracy behind the attack. The central probe agency had moved the High Court after a special NIA court in Jagdalpur had rejected its plea. Reportedly, on May 25, 2013, Maoists ambushed and killed 29 persons, including senior leaders Nand Kumar Patel, Vidya Charan Shukla and Mahendra Karma, during a poll campaigning tour in Bastar. The Congress had alleged “a bigger political conspiracy” behind the attack, demanding an independent inquiry. The case was transferred to the NIA the same year and the Congress party termed the agency’s 2016 probe report “more of a cover-up than an investigation”. Read less...

The Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) opened fire on the Police personnel with the intention of harming the Security Forces (SFs) who were on a search operation in Partapur village under Koyalibeda Tehsil (revenue unit) in Kanker District of Chhattisgarh on March 2, reports naidunia.com. The Maoists fled after the Police retaliated, after which the SFs recovered large quantity of firecrackers, battery used for Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blast, pipe used in pipe bombs, Maoist uniform, banners and daily use material were recovered from the camp of the Maoists. Read less...

A joint squad of Police and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel unearthed an explosives dump of Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) in the reserve forest area in Medaram under Tadvai Mandal (administrative sub-division) in Mulugu District of Telangana on March 2 evening, reports The Hindu. The seized materials included 74 gelatin sticks, four detonators, one wire bundle and three plastic sheets. Read less...

Police arrested Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) cadre Kamta Yadav, who was absconding for the last 12 years, during a search operation in Kaimur hill area near Dhansa village under Rohtas Police Station limits in Rohtas District of Bihar on March 2, reports bhaskar.com. Superintendent of Police (SP), Ashish Bharti said that arrested Maoist Yadav has been booked for murder under Police case number 10. /06 in the year 2006 in Adhaura Police Station limits in Kaimur District. Yadav is also accused of being involved in a gun robbery case. Read less...

The Gaya district administration has initiated a slew of measures for strengthening the Security Forces (SFs) to curb Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) activities as well as providing basic amenities and livelihood opportunities to locals in the hinterlands, reports The Times of India on March 3. A big conference hall would soon come up at the Gaya Police Lines for holding strategic meetings to curb Maoist activities in and around the district, including neighbouring Aurangabad. An administrative sanction for construction of the same has recently been accorded under the special central assistance scheme. Besides, nod has been given for development of 11 heath centres in Sherghati sub-division to provide basic health facilities to locals. There is special focus under special central assistance scheme on building supplementary infrastructure for paramilitary forces, health infrastructure in remote villages besides, development of facilities for the common people in health, education, agriculture and other sectors with employment and income generation opportunities. Gaya District Magistrate (DM) Thiyagarajan SM said, “Infrastructure has to be developed at the SSB (Sashastra Seema Bal) camp at Gurpa, CRPF (Central Reserve Police Force) camp at Salaiya and the camps of paramilitary forces in Sherghati sub-division. Apart from strengthening the paramilitary forces with additional facilities at the camps, administrative sanction has been accorded for construction of a big conference hall at police lines here. A plan has been prepared to curb Maoist activities in and around Gaya district. Strategy to curb Maoist activities in and around Gaya and neighbouring Aurangabad districts falling on bordering areas of Bihar and Jharkhand would be discussed at the meetings held in the conference hall.” Read less...

A Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) cadre, identified as Ramdular Yadav, allegedly active in extorting contractors and businessmen and involved in expanding the Maoist-base, was arrested by a joint team of Police and Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) from the hilly forest areas of Kaimur plateau in Rohtas District of Bihar on March 4, reports Hindustan Times. Yadav, a resident of Banda village under Nauhatta Police Station had been active for a decade and was raising funds and recruiting cadres to strengthen the extremist organisation on the plateau, Superintendent of Police (SP), Ashish Bharti said. On a tip off that Yadav was to come to the market, the Police and SSB cordoned off the area and launched a search. The Maoist was arrested when he was trying to escape after seeing the forces. Yadav confessed his involvement in cases of extortion and other activities for which 2 cases were already registered against him with Tilothu Police Station under sections of Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Unlawful activities prevention Act (UAPA). Read less...

Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) set ablaze five vehicles including one Joseph Cyril Bamford (JCB) excavator machine, two tippers and two mixer machines, engaged in construction work in Marampani village in Kanker District of Chhattisgarh on March 4, reports naidunia.com. The work of CC road construction was going on from village Kalmuche to Marampani. After carrying out the incident of arson, the Maoists put up banners warning the laborers and supervisors to stop the work and fled from the spot. Read less...

Four cadres of the People's Liberation Front of India (PLFI), a splinter group of the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) have been arrested in Khunti District of Jharkhand on March 4, and arms and ammunition seized from their possession, reports devdiscourse.com. Acting on a tip-off, Police teams conducted raids on Binda and Gullu villages in Murhu Police Station area on march 3 and arrested the PLFI cadres while they were collecting ‘levy’ (extortion money), Superintendent of Police (SP), Ashutosh Shekhar said. Two country-made carbines, one country-made rifle, several cartridges, 12 mobile phones and INR 62,800 in cash were seized from their possession. The arrested cadres are identified as Anil Hassa Purti alias Sanjay Hassa Purti, resident of Itti, Stephen Soy, resident of Binda, Etwa Lohra, resident of Barjo and Gopal Wodediyar, resident of Tobaga. All four of them work with PLFI ‘area commander’ Laka Pahan, adds hindi.news18.com. Read less...

An Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blast took place when an unclaimed (abandoned) dog came in the grip of the IED bomb planted by the cadres of the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) in Koylibeda area in Kanker District of Chhattisgarh on March 5, reports naidunia.com. The Maoists had planted an IED bomb to target the Police and SFs in the Dhur Naxal [Left Wing extremism, LWE]-affected Katgaon Forest under Koylibeda Block (administrative sub-division) of the district. The Border Security Force (BSF) personnel during search also recovered a live pipe bomb from the area. Read less...

Police teams from Telangana, Chhattisgarh and West Bengal interrogated Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) leader and a member of its ‘central committee’ (CC), Arun Kumar Bhattacharjee aka Kanchan Da aka Kanak aka Kabir (72), who was arrested along with Assam state organising committee member of the outfit Akash Orang aka Rahul, from a tea garden under Udharbond Police Station limits in Cachar District of Assam on March 6, reports The Times of India on March 10. Bhattacharjee has over 200 cases registered against him in several states and a cash reward of INR 30 million was announced in exchange for information on him. Police sources said Police of these three States are likely to take him into custody in connection with their cases. “He will be in custody with Assam police for at least another 15 days as of now,” sources added. CPI-Maoist became active in Assam around 2009-10 and its activities gained steam after Bhattacharjee entered the State in 2019 and took charge of Assam and the northeast region. Read less...

Security Forces (SFs) exchanged fire with the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) cadres and recovered shells of Barrel Grenade Launcher (BGL) and Under Barrel Grenade Launcher (UBGL) at Tekametapara under the Gangaloor police station limits in Bijapur District of Chhattisgarh on March 6, reports Millennium Post. Maoists laid an ambush near Tekametapara and when the SFs reached the area, they opened indiscriminate firing and also lobbed BGL as well as UBGL shells. As security personnel launched a retaliatory action, the Maoists fled the spot by taking cover of villagers and the populated area, a senior Police officer said. During the search in the area, the SFs recovered BGL and UBGL shells, electric wire, empty bullet shells and Naxal [Left Wing Extremism, LWE] literature. Read less...

Veteran Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) leader and a member of its ‘central committee’ (CC), Arun Kumar Bhattacharjee aka Kanchan Da (72), was arrested along with one of his associates Akash Orang aka Rahul, from a tea garden under Udharbond Police Station limits in Cachar District of Assam on March 6, reports outlookindia.com. Guwahati Police Commissioner Harmeet Singh said. "He is a big catch for Guwahati Police. We got information about his movements in December and he slipped through two-three operations earlier. But last evening, we were able to arrest him when he tried to hide in a tea garden." Kanchan Da was tasked to set up a state-level committee of the CPI-Maoist in Assam and create a "red corridor" from a neighbouring country to other Maoist-hit States of India like Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh among others. "His job was also to organise state party congress, recruit local cadres and purchase weapons here. We seized one laptop, a mobile phone, a huge amount of incriminating documents and Rs 3.6 lakh cash from his possession," the Police commissioner said. He said efforts to set up a network of Maoist cadres in Assam were at a "nascent stage" and those had been "nipped in the bud". Singh also said the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has been informed about the arrest and their officers are on the way to Guwahati to take over the case as it involves multi-state terror activities, threatening national security. Read less...

Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) East Division Committee ‘secretary’ Aruna, issued a threat letter warning Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) Kottagulli Bhagya Lakshmi of Paderu Constituency from the YSRCP to resign and leave the party, reports ntvtelugu.com on March 8. The letter read, MLA Bhagyalakshmi took lakhs of rupees in Chaparatipalem, GK street zone, Visakhapatnam district and gave permission for bauxite mining under the guise of laterite. The letter further said they were opposed to bauxite mining. The leaders claimed to have spotted mineral deposits on 11,000 hectares of land in the area. Ajay Kumar, a businessman from Bhadrachalam, was accused of stealing bauxite worth crores of rupees under the guise of laterite. Warned to stop illegal excavations or leave the mansion, otherwise, severe warnings have been issued to the MLAs in the past, adds youtube.com. Read less...

Police arrested three Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) sympathizers on the outskirts of Lanjigarh Road in Kalahandi District of Odisha on March 7, while they were planning to provide communication devices to Maoists, reports ommcomnews.com. The accused have been identified as Kabi alias Prabin Kumar Rout (49), Pratidin Rout (20), and Shaktisamanta Dalabehera (29). Dalabehera is a native of Badakera in Angul District. As per their plan, they were proceeding to deliver two walkie-talkies (communication devices) to the Maoists of Kalahandi-Kandhamal-Boudh-Nayagarh (KKBN) division but got intercepted by the Police Party, and on search Police recovered two brand new walkie-talkies from their exclusive possession. During enquiry it was revealed that Kabi is a sympathizer and supporter of the Maoists of KKBN division and has acted as an active militia member providing logistics. Read less...

A Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) militia member hailing from Chhattisgarh was arrested, a knife and pamphlets were seized from his possession at Chintaguppa village in Dummugudem Mandal (administrative sub-division) in Bhadradri Kothagudem District of Telangana on March 7, reports Telangana Today. Superintendent of Police (SP), Sunil Dutt said that Dummugudem Police along with the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) 141 Bn G coy personnel while conducting vehicle checking near Chintaguppa noticed a person moving suspiciously and arrested him. Upon inspection they found a knife and some pamphlets of the CPI-Maoist in his bag. The arrested Maoist was identified as Madavi Kosa of Redlapadu in Sukma District of Chhattisgarh State. Kosa was working as a militia member of the Maoist Gollapalli Area Committee for the past six years, and was involved in recent burning machinery at Chintaguppa and the killing of a man Karko Raju of Vankamadugu village under Maraigudem Police Station limits branding him a ‘police informer’. Read less...

One trooper of the State Police was injured in an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) explosion in Bijapur District of Chhattisgarh on March 7 (today), reports India Today. This incident occurred when the Security Forces (SFs) were removing the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) banner between the villages of Awapalli and Ilmidi. Read less...

The Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) has called for a bandh (general shutdown strike) on March 10 in select areas of Jharkhand and Bihar to draw the attention of the people towards the “fascist behaviour” of the governments, reports The Times of India on March 8. The outfit also asked people to take lessons from the Russian aggression of Ukraine and described it as a fallout of the growing power of the “capitalist, fascist rulers”. It also drew a parallel between the Ukraine crisis and the Police action against the Maoists in the country. The bandh was called by the outfit’s Bihar- Jharkhand-North Chhattisgarh-Uttar Pradesh Simant Regional Committee (BJNCUPSRC) in Magadh division of Bihar, north and south Chhotanagpur divisions and Palamu division of Jharkhand. In a release, BJNCUPSRC ‘spokesperson’ Manas said, “Earlier, Ukraine was part of the socialist republic founded by great communist leaders — comrade Stalin and Lenin but with the growing power of imperialist and capitalist regimes, the republic disintegrated. Today, imperialist Russia is unable to accept Ukraine’s independent status and is trying to retake it its colony.” The statement also warned the people that a similar danger lurks in the country. Read less...

A 35-year-old surrendered Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) cadre allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself near his house in Gadchiroli city in Gadchiroli District of Maharashtra on March 8, reports The Free Press Journal. The man, who had surrendered before the security forces last year, hanged himself from a tree near his house, an official said. According to the deceased man's family, he may have taken the extreme step due to domestic issues, the official said, adding that further probe is underway. Read less...

A cadre of the People's Liberation Front of India (PLFI), a splinter group of the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist), identified as P. Robert Lugoon was arrested from Gullu under Murhu Police Station limits in Khunti District of Jharkhand on March 8, reports jantaserishta.com. Khunti Superintendent of Police (SP) Ashutosh Shekhar had received information that PLFI militants have reached around Gullu for ‘levy’ recovery. INR 50,000 of ‘levy’ (extortion money), PLFI leaflet, donation receipt, Apache bike (JH 01 BA 6542) and other items have been recovered from the Lugoon, a resident of Soga under Bandgaon Police Station area in West Singhbhum District. Read less...

Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) ‘Central Core Committee’ member Mithlesh Mehta aka Mithlesh Mahto aka Rohit aka Abhishek aka Bhikhari aka Gehun Da (58) was arrested from Delho on Mahapur Road under Amas Police Station limits in Gaya District of Bihar on March 8, reports livehindustan.com. Mehta, accused of blowing up the building of a government school in Sondaha village under Banke Bazar Police Station and a member of the ‘Central Core Committee’ of CPI-Maoist. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Harpreet Kaur said that in the year 2007, the Police had arrested Mehta and he was in jail for 11 consecutive years till 2018. After leaving the jail, in the year 2019 and 2020, he organized Naxalite [Left Wing Extremist, LWE] activities by staying in Chhakarbandha area of Gaya. Mehta, a resident of Vishnupur Khaira of Kutumba Police Station in Aurangabad, came out of the Budha Pahar area of Jharkhand, and was reported to be living in the Gaya-Aurangabad border area. Small teams of Gaya Police, Aurangabad Police, Commando battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) were deployed, and during search operation, a person was taken into custody on the basis of Hulia (appearance) near Delho Mahapur Road, who was identified as Mithlesh Mehta, who had joined the Naxalite organization 32 years ago in the year 1989 and has been continuously working for the Maoist organization till his arrest. Read less...

The Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) party leadership was committing various forms of harassment against tribal women and girls, alleged Superintendent of Police (SP) Sunil Dutt on March 8, reports Telangana Today. In a statement in Bhadradri Kothagudem District on March 8 the SP said Maoists have no minimum etiquette, no moral attitude towards women and International Women’s Day. Describing the banned Maoist party as fascist and terrorist party he said tribal women and girls were being oppressed by the Maoists. Tribal girls were not being given the opportunity to study. They were being forced to join the Maoist party. Tribal girls were being forcibly married off by Maoist leaders who were not even providing the girls proper medical facilities, Dutt complained. He noted that the Maoists were using women to meet their needs in Dandakaranya and obstructing their development. Maoist ideologies were forced on innocent tribal women and alienated them from the outside world. Read less...

Cadres of the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) exchange fire with the Commando battalion for Resolute Action (COBRA) battalion of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in the forests of Nagowar and Ek Rupaya villages under Imamganj Police Station in Gaya District on March 10, reports daijiworld.com. The Maoist group also set a Poclain machine (earth mover machine) of a road construction company -- Shri Ram construction -- on fire at Piparwar village under Dumaria block in Gaya District. The Maoists also pasted a poster and maintained that as the contractor of the company did not receive their phone call, they have burnt the machine. The CPI-Maoist group is demanding ‘levy’ (extortion money) from the construction company. Read less...

Railway operations were disrupted for more than three hours on the Gaya-Dhanbad main route in Bihar on March 10 after a crude bomb allegedly planted by the cadres of the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) was found on the railway track near Guraru railway station in Gaya District of Bihar, reports daijiworld.com. Later, the explosive was defused by the bomb squad. The Maoists has claimed responsibility for planting the bomb to make its presence felt. Reportedly, the Bihar-Jharkhand Regional Committee of the CPI-Maoist had called a Magadh bandh (general shutdown strike) on March 10. The Maoists distributed warning letters in the villages under Magra and Imamganj Police Stations in Maoist-dominant Gaya District against the joint operations of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and the Bihar Police in the forest areas of the Gaya and Aurangabad Districts. In a letter, the Maoists have said that the CRPF’s Commando battalion for Resolute Action (COBRA) battalion and the Bihar police explode bombs in the jungle which harms the environment. Read less...

The bandh (general shutdown strike) called by the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) on March 10 had a severe effect in Maoist-infested Imamganj, Dobhi, Sherghati and other areas in Gaya District of Bihar, reports daijiworld.com. Also, schools, colleges, block offices and other Government offices were shut down in various blocks of Aurangabad such as Nabinagar, Kutumba, Dev, Madanpur, Rafiganj, Goh, Haspura, Daudnagar, Obra, Barun and District headquarter Aurangabad. Read less...

The Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) ‘Central Committee’ (CC) has appealed to the people to observe ‘Anti-Imperialist Week’ from March 23 to 29 across the country, reports Telangana Today on March 10. In a statement in Bhadradri Kothagudem of Telangana on march 10 the CC ‘spokesperson’ Abhay said the Anti-Imperialist Day would be celebrated on March 23 marking the 90th death anniversary of freedom fighters Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru. Russian imperialism led to its aggression on Ukraine which was the result of the imperialist contention between US-EU and Russia. The people of Ukraine were giving stiff resistance with the spirit of anti-imperialism to this aggression. Imperialist forces put the burden on the backward countries, working class and middle classes of the capitalist countries. Imperialists thought it necessary to deploy para-military forces to suppress the rising struggles against imperialist exploitation. In India Brahmanic Hindutva fascist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was instigating fake nationalism and implementing exploitive policies more aggressively since it came to power. The country’s economy was totally surrendered to the imperialists. The result was demonetisation, Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime, black agrarian laws, making Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)s to plunder country’s natural resources, anti-worker laws, suppression of revolutionary movement through SAMADHAN-Prahar offensive and splitting the country on the basis of religion, Abhay said. On the other hand, the Central government was privatising insurance, banking and railways to benefit capitalists. All the Maoist parties, oppressed classes, sections and professionals, the national bourgeoisie have to celebrate the anti-imperialist week, he added. Read less...

A self-styled ‘area commander’ of the Tritiya Sammelan Prastuti Committee (TSPC), a splinter group of the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist), laid down arms and ammunition before Government officials in Palamu District of Jharkhand on March 10, reports latestly.com. 'Abhay ji' alias Sakendra Yadav surrendered with two .315 bore rifles and 14 live cartridges in Medininagar, the district headquarters, before Deputy Commissioner Shashi Ranjan and Superintendent of Police Chandan Kumar Sinha, an official said. The 28-year-old TSPC leader was involved in over half a dozen Naxal-related incidents. Yadav said he had joined the TSPC in 2014 following a land dispute in the family and surrendered under pressure from his wife. Read less...

The Palamu divisional bandh (general shutdown strike) called by the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) on March 10 witnessed a wide impact in the block in Palamu District of Jharkhand, reports prabhatkhabar.com on March 11. The shops and establishments of the block headquarters were closed since morning. There was silence in the bus stand due to non-operation of passenger buses. Buses opening from Mahuadand to Medininagar, Ranchi, Gumla, Lohardaga and Chhattisgarh and other places remained closed. In Latehar, the movement of passenger buses and long-distance vehicles was not seen on the Ranchi-Medininagar National Highway (NH 75) in the bandh on March 10. Although small vehicles were definitely seen operating. The effect of the bandh was not seen in the market. Markets, shops and offices were open like any other day. Read less...

The presence of armed cadres of the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) was reported from Seethapara tribal settlement under Chakkittapara Panchayat (village level local-self-Government institution) in Kozhikode District of Kerala on March 10, reports english.mathrubhumi.com. The armed Maoists, a gang of six, were spotted in Seethapara tribal settlement and they demanded food items from the locals. The armed Maoists were seen near the river bank at around 7:30 PM [IST]. The gang asked the residents who came to bathe to purchase rice for them. However, the residents informed that they cannot get it. Then the Maoists demanded the residents to get rice from their own houses. They held two people under captive and sent the others. After the two residents brought rice, the Maoists left the place. Earlier on March 8, armed Maoists reached the Pushupagiri region and entered three houses to seize food staples. There were four women and two men in the gang. From the three houses, the gang took items like rice, coconut and bakery products. Interestingly, from one house, they even had tea and charged the mobile phone. From another house, they seized soap and nails. It is suspected that the Maoists spotted from two different places was from the same gang. Read less...

A Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) ‘commander’, carrying a reward of INR 300,000 on his head, was killed in an encounter with Security Forces (SFs) at a forest near Kaika and Mosla villages under Naimed Police Station limits in Bijapur District of Chhattisgarh on March 11 (today) morning, reports The Hindu. A trooper of the District Reserve Guard (DRG) was also injured in the gunfight. The encounter took place at around 8.30 a.m. [IST] at a forest near Kaika and Mosla villages, when a group of armed Maoists opened fire on a joint team of the DRG and 222nd battalion of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) patrolling team leading to the gun-battle. After the exchange of fire stopped, the body of a male Maoist along with a 12 bore rifle and Maoist-related material were recovered from the encounter spot. "The killed ultra was identified as Ritesh Punem, who was active as commander of Sendra Local Organisation Squad (LOS) of Maoists," Inspector General of Police (IGP), Bastar range, Sundarraj P. said, adding that he carried a reward of INR 300,000 on his head. Read less...

A suspected Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) cadre was injured in an exchange of fire between Police and Maoists in Gondia District of Maharashtra on March 12, reports latestly.com. Vishwa Pansare, Superintendent of Police (SP), Gondia, said, "A group of suspected Naxalites [Left Wing Extremists, LWEs] opened fire on the police team that went for patrolling in the area. We arrested them and rushed the injured to Deori hospital for first aid but his condition was critical. Now he has been admitted to Orange City Hospital in Nagpur and is undergoing treatment." Police said that the identity of the suspected Maoist team has not been ascertained yet. Read less...

Two personnel of the District Reserve Guard (DRG) were injured in an exchange of fire with cadres of the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) in a forest near Chichorguda village under Kerlapal Police Station limits in Sukma District of Chhattisgarh on March 13, reports Telangana Today. Inspector General of Police (IGP), Bastar range, Sundarraj P. said, the skirmish took place in the morning in a forest near Chichorguda village under Kerlapal Police Station limits when a team of the State’s anti-Naxal force DRG was patrolling to ensure security to a road construction work. The road is being constructed between Chichorguda and Nilawaya villages, considered as a Maoist stronghold. When the patrolling team was cordoning off the forest area near Chichorguda, located about 450 kilometres from the State capital Raipur, it came under fire from a group of Maoists, leading to the gunfight, IGP said. “DRG constable Somdu Pyam and assistant constable Mehru Ram Kashyap suffered injuries in the gunfight,” IGP, Sundarraj said. Read less...

A Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) couple with a collective reward of INR 1.3 million on their heads surrendered in Kabirdham District of Chhattisgarh on March 14, reports latestly.com. Kabirdham, Superintendent of Police (SP), Lal Umed Singh, identified the couple as Karan alias Suddhu Hemla (26) and his wife Anita (22). "Hemla was active as Bodla Area Committee commander and Anita was a member of this committee. They were part of the outlawed movement's Kanha Bhoramdev division committee," the SP said. He further said, "Hemla was involved in three incidents of violence and was carrying a reward of Rs 8 lakh., His wife Anita has taken part in five incidents of Maoist violence and the bounty on her head was Rs 5 lakh. They left the movement in 2019 and decided to surrender now." They were given INR 10,000 each after the surrender and they will be rehabilitated as per the state Government's policy, the SP said. Read less...

A decade after the Bijapur encounter in Chhattisgarh, an official report, tabled in the State assembly on March 14, has revealed that the eight tribal villagers killed in the operation at Edesmetta village under Jagargunda Police Station limits in Bijapur District the intervening night of 17 and 18 May 2013 were not “Maoists” [Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist)], reports news18.com. A judicial probe report, which was tabled by Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, said the security forces had opened fire on tribal people celebrating Pandum festival in panic. According to the report, the Security Forces passing through Edesmetta village in Bijapur district on the intervening night of May 17 and 18, 2013, had spotted a gathering and suspected that they were Maoists. Soon after the force members took position and opened fire on the crowd. The judicial probe had found that there was no aggression from the tribals as there was no evidence that they opened fire. The probe had categorically mentioned that the firing did not take place in self-defence. The enquiry commission had deduced that the firing took place in nervousness and was a direct result of mistaken identity from the side of security forces. A proper training, modern communication gadgets and state of art equipment could have averted the incident. Read less...

A special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court in Dantewada District of Chhattisgarh on March 14 acquitted tribal activist Soni Sori and three others in a case filed against them by the Chhattisgarh Police in 2011 for alleged channelizing of ‘protection money’ to Naxalites [Left Wing Extremists, LWEs], reports The Pioneer. Special Judge (NIA Act) Vinod Kumar Dewangan passed the order on March 14. Besides Sori, the court also acquitted her activist nephew Lingaram Kodopi, construction contractor B.K. Lala and then Essar company official D.V.C.S. Verma, citing that the prosecution has failed to prove the charges against the accused. Therefore, in the absence of corroborative evidence, the accused are acquitted, the court said in a 76-page order. Sori and Kodopi were arrested on charges of acting as Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) conduits and allegedly receiving "protection money" for the rebels from the Essar company. They were booked under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 124 (A) (sedition), 121 (waging or attempting to wage war against government) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) and the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) and the Chhattisgarh Special Public Security Act. Read less...

Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) was killed and a trooper suffered injuries when a pressure Improvised Explosive Device (IED) planted by cadres of the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) went off between Dondribeda and Sonpur villages in Narayanpur District of Chhattisgarh on March 14 (today), reports The Indian Express. Inspector General of Police (IGP), Bastar range, Sundarraj P. said, the incident took place around 8.30 am [IST] between Dondribeda and Sonpur villages when a team of the ITBP’s 53rd battalion was out on patrolling duty to ensure security to a road construction work, and when the patrolling team was cordoning off a forest patch, security personnel came in contact with the pressure IED, triggering an explosion. ASI, Rajendra Singh, was killed in the blast, while head constable Mahesh received injuries. Read less...

Naxal [Left Wing extremism, LWE] violence in the country has reduced by 77 per cent, from an all-time high of 2,258 in 2009 to 509 in 2021, Union Minister Nityanand Rai told the Lok Sabha (Lower House of the Indian Parliament) on March 15, reports The Pioneer. The Minister of State Home Affairs (MoSHA) said the Central Government has been supplementing the efforts of States as envisaged in the 'National Policy and Action Plan (NPAP) to address Left Wing Extremism', which was launched in 2015. He said the steadfast implementation of the NPAP policy has resulted in consistent decline in violence and constriction of its geographical spread of the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist). "The incidents of LWE violence have reduced by 77 per cent from an all-time high of 2,258 in 2009 to 509 in 2021. Similarly, resultant deaths — civilians and security personnel — have reduced by 85 per cent from all-time high of 1,005 in 2010 to 147 in 2021," Union Minister Rai said. Read less...

Six Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) cadres surrendered in Sukma District of Chhattisgarh on March 15, as part of the police’s ‘Puna Narkom’ campaign to get Maoists back into the mainstream, reports The Print. Sukma, Superintendent of Police (SP), Sunil Sharma, identified the six surrendered Maoists as Kartam Kosa, Sodi Lakhma, Kawasi Deva, Kawasi Manga, Padam Somdu and Mandvi Ganga, all lower rungs functionaries of the CPI-Maoist. The SP informed, “They have laid down arms citing disappointment with the Maoist ideology and also due to our campaign called Puna Narkom (which means new dawn in the local Gondi dialect). Ganga has cases under IPC [Indian Penal Code] and Arms Act provisions, while others have also taken part in incidents of violence.” Read less...

Two women Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) were killed in an encounter with Security Forces (SFs) in a forest near Gorli-Mutheli villages under Katekalyan Police Station limits in Dantewada District of Chhattisgarh on March 15, reports The Hindu. Following specific inputs about the presence of cadres of Pedaras (Local Organisation Squad (LOS) and Katekalyan Area Committee formations of Maoists in the forests of Jiyakortha, Gorli, Mutheli and Danikortha villages along the border of Dantewada and Sukma Districts, a joint squad of personnel belonging to the District Reserve Guard (DRG) from Sukma and Dantewada, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF)'s 230th battalion and Chhattisgarh Armed Force (CAF) was sent to the area, wherein at around 11.30 am [IST], the gunfight broke out between Gorli and Mutheli. After the exchange of fire stopped, bodies of two women Maoists along with two 12 bore rifles and a country made weapon were recovered from the encounter spot. The slain Maoists were identified as Pedaras LOS ‘commander’ Manjula and Gangi Punem, a protection team member. Read less...

The ‘zonal commander’ of Tritiya Sammelan Prastuti Committee (TSPC), a splinter group of the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist), Bhikhan Ganjhu was arrested from an unspecified place under Sadar Police Station limits in Ranchi District of Jharkhand on March 16, reports prabhatkhabar.com. The Jharkhand Government has announced a reward of INR 1 million on Ganjhu. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) was looking for Ganjhu in the terror funding case related to Ashoka of Piparwar and Magadha and Amrapali coal projects of Tandwa in Chatra District. Bhikhan, a resident of Piparwar in Chatra, is accused of collecting ‘levy’ (extortion money) from coal projects for TSPC. Read less...

A Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) couple carrying a collective reward of up to INR 2.0 million on their heads have surrendered before the Police in Gadchiroli District of Maharashtra on March 16, reports The New Indian Express. Dipak alias Munshi Ramsu Ishtam (34), a resident of Gaderi in Etapalli Tehsil (revenue unit) in Gadchiroli, and his wife Shambatti Nevaru Alam (25), a native of Hidwada in neighbouring Chhattisgarh, surrendered before Gadchiroli, Superintendent of Police (SP), Ankit Goyal. Dipak was operating as a ‘divisional committee member’ (DCM) and ‘commander’ of Platoon No. 21, while Shambatti was a member of his platoon, the official said. According to the Police, Dipak was involved in three murders, eight encounters and two arsons. He had also conducted six ambushes, in which 31 Police personnel were killed in various parts of Chhattisgarh. Similarly, Shambatti was involved in two encounters with the Security Forces (SFs), it was stated. The Government had announced a reward of INR 1.6 million on Dipak and INR 400,000 on Shambatti, the official said. Read less...

An ‘area commander’ of the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist), identified as Surajnath Khairwar, who escaped from the clutches of “Operation Double Bull”, run by the Police against Naxalites [Left Wing Extremists, LWEs], surrendered before Police in Lohardaga District of Jharkhand on March 16, reports prabhatkhabar.com. Khairwar, a resident of Bulbul village under Bagdu Police Station area in Lohardaga District, and eight to 10 cases are registered against him in Lohardaga and other Police Stations. He carried a reward of INR 200,000, and used to work for Ravindra Ganjhu’s squad. Read less...

Communist party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) poster in protest of Anis Khan death were found in Barasat in North 24 Parganas District of West Bengal on March 16, reports tv9bangla.com. The poster says "I want revenge for Anis's murder". Police said, they have already started investigation into the incident to find out who or what is behind the poster incident. Several posters were seen on the pillars of the overhead gate adjacent to the Barasat Colony junction. In red ink on a white piece of paper, one of them reads, "I want revenge for the murder of Anis Khan." One reads, "Revenge the murder of Anis Khan, bury the grassroots." Somewhere it was written, "Martyr Comrade Anis Khan Lal Salam." Written in place of the sender below, CPI (Maoist). However, it is reported that Anis Khan died of a fall from the roof of his two-storey home at the Dakshin Khan Para in Sarda village under the Amta assembly constituency in Howrah District on February 19. Read less...

Some Communist party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) posters were recovered from near Chhatradhar Mahato's house in Lalgarh in Jhargram District on March 16, reports khaskhobor.com. The posters had the signature of the CPI-Maoist. Chhatradhar Mahato is currently in jail, so, in the case, the Police are investigating who is behind this poster. Read less...

Superintendent of Police (SP), Sunil Dutt has accused the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) Party leader Azad of molesting women working in the party, reports Telangana Today. In a statement in Bhadradri Kothagudem District of Telangana on March 16, the SP said it was a shame that Maoist party leaders who claim to be fighting for women’s rights were committing atrocities against women. Despite complaints by Azad’s victims, the top leadership had failed at least to reprimand him, he alleged in his statement. Referring to a specific incident Dutt said Police have credible information that Azad recently assaulted sexually a woman working in party when she went to take bath in the forests of Buttalanka-Yerrapalli on Telangana Chhattisgarh borders. The victim, greatly pained at the incident, complained to the Maoist top leadership but no action was taken against Azad. Following that the woman went into a State of deep depression and confusion. It was unfortunate that no action was taken against him even after the woman complained about the incident and Azad continues to sexually harass innocent tribal women, Dutt remarked. Innocent tribal women were forcibly recruited into the party by Maoist leaders for their survival and then they were being used for unscrupulous activities in the name of corrupt ideologies. How could the Maoists do justice to women when they harass the women in the Maoist party, SP sought to know. Read less...

Suspected cadres of the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) killed a Pastor in Angampalliguda village under Madder Police Station limits in Bijapur District of Chhattisgarh on March 16, reports newsriveting.com. According to Police sources, armed rebels struck at the residence of Pastor Yalam Shankar in Angampalliguda village and dragged the Pastor out from his house and slit his throat with sharp edge weapon. Sources said the Pastor associated with the local church died on the spot itself. The rebels fled after committing the crime. Read less...

Lack of road connectivity remains a “serious” challenge for Security Forces (SFs) who are moving deeper into Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist)-dominated areas of Chhattisgarh to set up new camps every year, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) Director General (DG), Kuldiep Singh, said on March 17, reports The Indian Express. He said the force has set up 20 Forward Operating Bases (FOBs) deep inside the State’s forests but over 330 kilometres of roads in the Sukma-Bijapur-Dantewada region are pending completion for almost 12 years. “The issue of roads (in the core Naxal [Left Wing Extremism, LWE] zone) is a serious one. Our camps are increasing by the day, deeper in Maoist areas. But we don’t have roads connecting them. There are projects stuck since 2007-08,” he said. According to CRPF data, 58 FOBs have been set up by the CRPF in zones affected by Left Wing Extremism (LWE) since 2020. Of these, 35 have been set up in the past one year alone, mostly in Chhattisgarh where Maoists continue to hold sway in parts of South Bastar. At the same time, the data show, only 50 per cent work has been completed on the 331 kilometres of roads in the Sukma-Bijapur-Dantewada region that was sanctioned by the Government in 2010. In 2012, two more road projects — Konta-Gollapalli (44 kilometres) and Bheji-Chintagufa (65 kilometres) — were sanctioned for Sukma, but only six kilometres of these have been constructed. Similarly, work on an eight-kilometres road project in Sukma sanctioned in 2015 is still in the initial stage. SFs have been pushing for good roads in core Maoist areas for them to launch quicker operations and prevent Improvised Explosive Device (IED) attacks. “There are multiple difficulties in this, the threat from Maoists is one,” Singh said. In 2017, 12 CRPF personnel were killed in a Maoist ambush while on security duty for a road being constructed at Bheji in Sukma, followed by another ambush more than a month later in Burkapal where 25 CRPF personnel were killed. Over the past year, the CRPF engaged in multiple encounters with Maoists in LWE areas where 19 Maoists and 10 CRPF men were killed. Read less...

Suspicious objects suspected to be landmine placed by the Communist party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) were found under the culvert of Pichdhala road in Shalbani in West Midnapore District of West Bengal on March 17 morning, reports khaskhobor.com. Locals saw a suspicious object lying under a culvert and informed the Police, who later called the Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad (BDDS) to safely diffuse the landmine. Read less...

The Border Security Force (BSF), which has been deployed in Odisha’s Malkangiri and Koraput Districts, the area was once considered a Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) bastion, has asserted that the region is now free from the clutches of the Maoists, reports The Telegraph. After visiting Malkangiri District, particularly the ‘Swabhiman Anchal (earlier known as cutoff area) of Malkangiri District of Odisha, considered to be a Maoist hot bed, for two days Inspector General (IG) BSF Satish Chandra Budakoti said in Malkangiri on March 17: “The Swabhiman Anchal which used to be a liberated zone of Maoists has almost been sanitised. With the support of Odisha police, we fought and the Maoists fled away from the area.” The IG also appreciated the Odisha Government’s surrender policy, which has motivated the Maoists to lay down their arms and surrender. “We ensure that developmental work takes place in the area. Now the roads, bridges, schools and health facilities have changed the ground situation. New mobile towers are now installed in interior areas with support and cooperation of the BSF,” said IG BSF, Satish Chandra. Read less...

The Kerala High Court on March 17 quashed the charges slapped under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) and under section 124A (sedition) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) against Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) leader Roopesh in three cases registered in Kuttiadi and Valayam Police Stations in Kozhikode District of Kerala, reports The New Indian Express. A Division Bench comprising Justice K Vinod Chandran and Justice C Jayachandran issued the order while allowing the petition filed by Roopesh seeking to quash the cases. The authority headed by a retired high court judge had recommended charging the section against the petition based on the letter of the home department on February 7, 2018. The sanction of the State Government in the first two crimes was on June 6, 2018, and in the other crime on April 7, 2018; both delayed. In the UAPA and the Rules framed thereunder, a specific time of seven days is provided. The Authority has to make a recommendation, after which the appropriate Government also has to issue a sanction within another seven days from the receipt of the recommendation, argued the petitioner. "Amidst the raging controversy as to the retention of offence of sedition in the IPC; which the naysayers categorise as a relic of the colonial past; a symbol of British hegemony and the votaries support in the wake of rising anti-national feelings under the cloak of liberal thought, the Government sat over a sanction for six months, violating the time frame prescribed in the rules," observed the Bench. The Bench held that the sanction under the UAPA granted after six months from the date of receipt of the recommendation of the authority is not a valid sanction. "We find the sanction order of the UAPA to be not brought out in time, as statutorily mandated and bereft of any application of mind; both vitiating the cognizance was taken by the Special Court," observed the court. Read less...

Communist party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) cadres have killed a villager accusing him of being an informer in Koyalibeda area in Kanker District of Chhattisgarh on March 19, reports jantaserishta.com. Maoists dumped the dead body in the middle of the road from Koyalibeda to Markanar road. A Naxal [Left Wing Extremism, LWE] leaflet in the name of the Rawghat Area Committee has also been seen on the dead body, in which the Maoists accused the youth to be a ‘Police informer’, who informed the presence of Maoists in the forests, to the Police. So far, the deceased has not been identified. Read less...

At least 24 ‘militia members’ of the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist), including 10 women members, surrendered under the ‘Puna Narkom’ (New Morning-New Beginning) campaign leaving the path of violence at Potkapalli Naveen Camp under Kistaram Police Station limits in Sukma District of Chhattisgarh on March 20, reports livehindustan.com. The ‘militia members’ who surrendered include Sodi Kosa, Vetti Hadma, Madvi Ayta, Oyam Joga, Vetti Hunga, Vetti Bhima, Madkam Handa, Sodi Hunga, Sodi Bhima, Vetti Devi, Veko Deva, Vetti Ganga, Sodi Hidma, Vetti Joga, Vetti Bheem, Vetti Nande, Vetti Muye, Vetti Deve, Kiche Bheem, Kiche Rame, Madvi Hungi, Sodi Somdi, Sodi Somdi and Vetti Masse. All the surrendered members are residents of Potkapalli village under Kistaram Thana (Police Post), in Sukma District. Sukma, Superintendent of Police (SP), Sunil Sharma said that under the pressure of the force, the Naxalites [left Wing Extremists, LWEs] are surrendering or are being killed in the encounter. He said that the surrendered Naxalites would be given the benefit of the rehabilitation policy of the Government. Read less...

Wanted ‘zonal commander’ of the Tritiya Sammelan Prastuti Committee (TSPC), a splinter group of the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist), identified Bhikhan Ganjhu and his close aide Rahul Munda were arrested from Ranchi District of Jharkhand on March 20, reports devdiscourse.com. According to the Police, Ganjhu was a ‘zonal commander’ of the TSPC having INR one million bounty on his head with 26 cases registered against him. He is also wanted by National Investigation Agency (NIA) for smuggling of arms and ammunitions to Maoists and gangsters with help of the Naga underground, the Police records stated, said the Police, adding that he was highly active in coal belt areas of Ranchi, Hazaribagh, Chatra, and other joining Districts. Surendra Kumar Jha, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) in Ranchi said, "Arresting him was not easy as he didn't leave many traces behind. But due to the sustained efforts of the police and information system, we got information about him. A team under the leadership of the City Superintendent of Police was formed and he was finally arrested. His arrest is very important because he is the top brass of TSPC and we are hopeful to nab more cadres after his interrogation." In 2019, NIA registered case against him Under sections 414, 467, 468, 471 and 474 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), sections 25(1)(a), 25(1A), 25(1AA), 25(1-B)(a) 26, 29 and 35 of the Arms Act and sections 16, 17, 18, 18B & 19 of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), 1967. NIA's step came after the interdiction of five sophisticated weapons on February 7, 2019, by Bihar Police, including Under Barrel Grenade Launchers (UBGLs) and a large number of AK-47 ammunition being smuggled allegedly from the Myanmar border with the help of some Naga undergrounds to be supplied to Maoists and gangsters in the country. Read less...

A territorial army soldier identified as Sanjay Kunjam was shot dead by suspected Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) cadres in the middle of a market in Gumjhir village under Antagarh Tehsil (revenue unit) in Kanker District of Chhattisgarh on March 21, reports livehindustan.com. Kunjam whose posting was at present in the Kanker headquarters had gone to the cock market in the annual fair of Gumjhir village, 20 kilometres from Kanker. Two suspected armed Maoists opened fire on the forehead of Kunjam standing inside the market circle. There was chaos in the market after hearing the sound of bullets, and taking advantage of this, both the assailants fled from the spot. Read less...

Three Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel sustained injuries as Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) cadres opened fire at a CRPF camp in Elmagunda area under Chintagufa Police Station limits in Sukma District of Chhattisgarh on March 21, reports The Indian Express. The Maoists used country-made weapons to attack the security camp, and according to the Police, the firing started on Monday (March 21) morning, which was immediately retaliated by the 2nd battalion of CRPF. Inspector General of Police (IGP), Sundarraj P. said, “In the firing, head constable Hemant Chaudhary and constables Basappa and Lalit Bagh have sustained injuries. They are stable and have been airlifted to Raipur for better treatment.” The Maoists, besides firing, also hurled locally made grenades, the officers present there said. Read less...

The Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) cadres have set fire to seven vehicles and machines in Matala village under Ambeda Police Station limits in Kanker District of Chhattisgarh on March 22, reports enavabharat.com. Police officials said that seven vehicles, including a Joseph Cyril Bamford (JCB) Excavator machine, a mixer machine, a tractor and a water tanker, were set ablaze by the Maoists in Matala village. Police officials said that the road was being constructed from Karmari village to Kiskodo village in the area, but the construction work has been stalled for some time, due to which the contractor had kept the vehicles in Matala village. However, the Police and Security Forces (SFs) who reached the spot have given them full assurance of their safety. Read less...

A young villager employed as a forest camp assistant was abducted and shot dead by Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) cadres suspecting him to be ‘Police informer’ near Kanha National Park in Balaghat District of Madhya Pradesh on March 23, reports The Times of India. The body of the forest camp assistant was dumped near a resort close to Kanha’s Mukki Gate. The Maoist kill squad left leaflets on victim Sukhdev Parte’s body, threatening forest officers to stop ‘GPS-based’ patrolling in forest ranges. The Maoist leaflets warned rangers of Mukki, Bhesanghat, Kanha, Kisli, Sari and Motinala ranges to stop GPS-based patrolling. The Maoists threaten to hold rangers accountable for intensified police search operations and “punish” them for it. Read less...

A senior Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) leader was arrested during a raid in West Singhbhum District of Jharkhand on March 23, reports The Print. Acting on inputs that suggested Murgi Bodra alias Vishwanath alias Dore, a ‘section commander’ of the CPI-Maoist, was conducting a recce in Nakti Bazar area, Superintendent of Police (SP), Ajay Linda formed a team of officers to carry out of a raid and arrested the leader. Bodra was subsequently arrested by the security personnel, and a pistol, live ammunition and a tablet were seized from his possession, the SP said. The Maoist leader’s interrogation led to the recovery of six Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) in Halmad and Rogto forest area. Bodra, who joined the outfit in 2012, was wanted in several cases of crime, including ‘levy’ (extortion money) collection, murder and encounter, the officer said, adding that he was also involved in planting landmines in Gudri forest to target security personnel. Read less...

Extending its unstinted support to the two-day nationwide general strike called by the joint platform of central trade unions on March 28 and 29, the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) ‘Central Committee, (CC)’ has called upon workers in organised and unorganised sectors to unite and build a broad-based labour movement against the “anti-labour” and “pro-capitalist” policies of the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) dispensation at the Centre, reports The Hindu on March 24. “The fascist regime at the helm has been aggressively pursuing the privatisation and globalisation policies ever since it came to power at the Centre,” said CPI-Maoist ‘CC’ official spokesman Abhay in a statement. He further alleged that the hard-won 44 labour Laws were converted into four labour codes, attempts were being made to privatise public sector undertakings and hand over the bauxite and iron ore mines to corporate entities besides auctioning of coal blocks. The working class should play a lead role in the anti-imperialist struggle to protect the rights of the workforce and other toiling masses and safeguard public assets including Public Sector Units (PSUs), he said, calling upon workers, farmers, youth, and other sections of society to extend their full support to the general strike. Read less...

At least four Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) cadres were arrested during Maoists observing ‘Anti-Imperialism Week’ from Basaguda village under Usur Tehsil (revenue unit) in Bijapur District of Chhattisgarh on March 24, reports udaipurkiran.com. Those arrested cadres were identified as Suresh Kaka, Madkam Hidma, Kadti Nagesh and Jantana Sarkar, who were allegedly involved in many Naxal [Left Wing Extremism, LWE] related incidents. Read less...

Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) cadres killed a Sarpanch (head of the Panchayat, village level local self-Government institution) by slitting his throat on suspicion of being a ‘Police informer’ during the annual Mandai fair at Hiroli village under Kirandul Police Station limits in Dantewada District of Chhattisgarh on March 24, reports UNI. The cultural event commenced on March 22 and villagers flocked from distant places bearing deities in palanquins and carrying chhatris, in which Joga Kunjam was partaking of a ceremonial feast when he was targeted late March 24 by six Maoists disguised as rustics. Read less...

The cadres of the Jharkhand Sammelan Prastuti Committee (JSPC), a splinter group of the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist), fired indiscriminately at the Batching Plant set up by Larsen & Toubro (L&T) company for the construction of conveyor belt at Tunda village under Keredari Block (administrative sub division) in Hazaribagh District of Jharkhand on March 24, reports prabhatkhabar.com. It is being told that the JSPC cadres reached the plant late in the night and started firing, and later on the Naxalite [Left Wing Extremism, LWE] organization also pasted the poster. It is said that after a decade, the Naxalite organization JSPC has knocked again, and a month ago, several posters were pasted against companies in the name of this organization in Chattibariatu area. Read less...

A `deputy commander’ of the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist)’s military platoon surrendered in Bijapur District of Chhattisgarh on March 25, reports The Print. Mithu Kashyap, ‘deputy commander’ of military platoon-16 under the Indravati Area Committee of the Maoists, surrendered before Bijapur Superintendent of Police (SP), Pankaj Shukla. Kashyap joined Maoists in 2008 as a platoon member and in March 2018 he was elevated as ‘deputy commander’, the official added. He was allegedly part of the Maoist squad which ambushed a Police team in Narayanpur District in 2009, in which two Police personnel were killed and two INSAS [Indian Small Arms System] assault rifles looted during the incident. Read less...

A Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) banner claimed to be of Mainpur Divisional Committee of the CPI-Maoist, was found along State Highway in Hatabharnadi under the Kundi Police Station limits in Nabarangpur District of Odisha on March 25, reports The Pioneer. The Maoists banner threatened Medical Officer Dr Satya Ranjan Sahu and the clerk Gobindo Sarkar of the Community Health Centre, Hatabharnadi alleging that they were fleecing innocent patients of the tribal dominated area. The doctor and the clerk allegedly charging INR 1,000 on the pregnant women for delivery and INR 500 for issue of birth and death certificate, it stated. The Maoists also threatened these medico staffs to appear before the ‘Praja Court’ (kangaroo court of the Maoists) or else to face death sentence. Read less...

As many as 58 Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) cadres have been neutralised in Police action, 194 have been arrested and 108 surrendered during the last five years, Odisha Governor Ganeshi Lal said on March 25, reports Kalinga TV. Addressing the State Assembly, the Governor said Left Wing Extremism (LWE) was dealt with firmly during the last five years. The number of LWE affected Districts now stands at 10 from 21, due to the proactive response of the State Government and the Security Forces (SFs). The turnaround in the situation in ‘Swabhiman Anchal’ (earlier known as cut-off area) of Malkangiri District, which once was a Maoist bastion, has been the most redeeming feature in the success achieved in the anti-LWE front in the State. Stating that the overall law and order situation has remained by and large peaceful in the State in 2021, Lal said that communal tension, agitations by different labour and service organisations and students’ unrest, if any, were contained through the process of dialogue and Police alertness. The State Government is placing much needed emphasis on human resources requirements of the State Police, he said, adding that 4,205 posts in different ranks have been created to augment the capacity of the State Police during the last five years. Similarly, 29 Police Stations, five outposts and one town outpost have been created during the period, he pointed out. Read less...

In a bid to prevent youth from joining Naxal [Left Extremism Extremist, LWE] groups, Jamshedpur Police are organising street plays to show the hollowness of the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist)’s way of life, “Bhatke Rahi (Misguided Traveller)” on March 25, reports The Avenue Mail. ‘Bhatke Rahi’ street plays are being staged in Police Station areas like Bodam, Patmada, MGM, Ghatshila, Galudih, Dhalbhumarh, adjoining the West Bengal border. Its response is also overwhelming. Sports events are also being organised under community policing during street plays and prizes are also distributed among the winning contestants. The people of the village are also openly participating in this. “Poverty has basically been responsible for their problems. So, we are addressing these issues. If the youths start getting employment, they probably won’t take to arms. Hopefully, even hardcore Naxalites too would see logic behind our campaign, which seeks to encourage them to give up arms and join the mainstream,” said a Police official. Involving the community and educating them may effectively address the Naxalite menace in this area. The concept of community policing has also been introduced in many States, including Tamil Nadu, Assam, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh. In this initiative, community support is sought to help Police in crime prevention, giving information about any antisocial or criminal activity in the area and helping Police in the arrest of proclaimed offenders. Read less...

Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) Sabari ‘area committee member (ACM)’ Madakam Idumamma (22) surrendered before Police in East Godavari District of Andhra Pradesh on March 26, reports The New Indian Express. Superintendent of Police (SP), M Ravindranath Babu said several Maoist party members are joining the mainstream due to several reasons. Idumamma, belongs to Pungutta in Pega Panchayat (village level local-self-Government institution) of Chintur Mandal (administrative sub division), and had joined the Maoist party in 2016. She became a member of the Local Operations Squad (LOS), and carried a 303 rifle with her. A year after she was transferred to Charla LOS. The SP said that after four years, she came back to the Sabari area as ‘deputy commander’. Read less...

Three cadres of the Tritiya Prastuti Committee (TPC), a splinter group of the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist), were shot dead by the Security Forces (SFs) at a forest area under Manika Police Station area in Latehar District of Jharkhand on March 26, reports India Today. Inspector General of Police (Operations) Amol V Homkar said, the Naxalites [Left Wing extremists, LWEs] were killed in a gunfight with the forces at a forest in Manika Police Station area, and some Naxalites managed to escape taking advantage of the dense forest. The three bodies were recovered during a search operation of the area following the gunfight, Homkar said. Read less...

Suspected Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) cadres killed constable Lakheshwar Nag with a sharp weapon at 2 pm [IST] on March 27 in Bodaras village under Kukanar Police Station limits in Sukma District of Chhattisgarh, reports naidunia.com. Prima facie, the Naxalites [Left Wing Extremists, LWEs] were said to be behind the killing, however, the Police is investigating from every angle. Lakheshwar Nag, a resident of Bodaras village located far away, is a constable and is posted in the Police line. Read less...

Joint team of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and District Police arrested three active cadres of Tritiya Sammelan Prastuti Committee (TSPC), a splinter group of the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist), from the forests near Khapia village under Giddi Police Station limits in Hazaribagh District of Jharkhand on March 28, reports hindi.news18.com. A country-made semi-carbine, two country-made pistols, 10 live cartridges of .315 bore, two live cartridges of 12 bore, three mobile phones, three pouches of bullets, a black colored bag inside which two of the combat uniform Shirt, a pant and T-shirt have been recovered from their possession. The arrested cadres have been identified as Munnilal Mahto alias Dharmendra, resident of Khapia, Rahul Ganjhu alias Soren and Mahendra Ganjhu alias Palta, resident of Lavalong. The trio were involved in the firing incident on March 2, near the fork of CCL Rallygadha Colliery. Read less...

Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) cadres damaged the road going from Kutru to Bedre under Kutru Police Station limits in Bijapur District of Chhattisgarh on March 28, near Kapapatnam at 14 places, reports naidunia.com. The Maoists also put up a huge number of posters around the road, in which they have mentioned the opposition to the Police camp, and the construction of a bridge on the Indravati river. Read less...

Naxalites [Left Wing Extremists, LWEs] have announced bandh (general shut down strike) in Jharkhand, Bihar, West Bengal and Assam on April 5, reports news18.com. Eastern Regional Bureau (ERB) Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) ‘spokesperson’ Sanket issued a press release on March 28 saying that this bandh has been announced in protest against the arrest of ‘Central Committee (CC)’ and ERB member comrade Arun Kumar Bhattacharya alias Kanchan. According to the release, the ‘CC’ and ERB member comrade Arun Kumar Bhattacharya is being subjected to mental torture in the name of custodial interrogation. Despite the weak physical condition, proper arrangements for treatment and negligence in providing necessary medicines have been alleged in the release. It has also been said in the release that Kanchan should be given the status of a political prisoner and she should be released without any condition. Press, hospital, medical, milk supply vehicle and milk distribution center will remain free from this bandh. Reportedly, ‘CC’ of CPI-Maoist and ERB member Kanchan was arrested on March 22 from Assam. Read less...

Suspected Naxalites [Left Wing Extremists, LWEs] killed wife and three-year-old daughter of former ‘commander’ of the Jharkhand Jan Mukti Parishad (JJMP), a splinter group of the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist), identified as Amarjit Lakra alias Ashok, near Kanchan More in Janawal village under Chainpur Police Station limits in Gumla District of Jharkhand on March 28, reports prabhatkhabar.com. The Naxalites fired indiscriminately, in which Amarjit’s wife Neha Neeti Kujur and three-year-old daughter Ananya Kujur were shot dead on the spot. At the same time, Amarjit saved his life by running away after being shot, along with his five-year-old son Anuj Oraon, who has suffered injuries on his face and other parts of the body. Amarjit, a former JJMP cadre, was going home on his bike with the family, when the suspected Naxalites attacked. Amarjit was injured in the attack while his wife and a daughter were killed. Amarjit was at his house after being injured, when he was arrested by the Police, and weapons including AK-56 rifles, bullets have been found from him, Superintendent of Police (SP), Ehtesham Waqrib, said. In the month of October 2021, Amarjit, along with his companions, had killed JJMP's ‘platoon commander’ Sukar Oraon and fled. He ran away with weapons and money. Since then, the militants of JJMP were searching to kill him. Amarjit’s house was also destroyed by the JJMP three months ago. However, JJMP ‘spokesperson’ Karmaveer issued a press release and vehemently denied attacking Amarjit and his family. Karmaveer has said that our organization has no hand in this attack and some people are taking the name of JJMP organization to defame it. Read less...

Two Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) Party Cherla Local Guerilla Squad (LGS) members surrendered to the District Police and 141 Battalion (Bn) Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) Police in Bhadradri Kothagudem District of Telangana on March 28, reports Telangana Today. The surrendered Maoists were Madakam Kosa alias Jeevan of Jaggaram in Yetapaka Mandal (administrative sub division) of Andhra Pradesh, and Sodi Gangi alias Sodi Lakma of Kistarampadu in Cherla Mandal in the district, Superintendent of Police (SP) Sunil Dutt said. Kosa joined Maoist party in 2019 at the behest of Shabari Local Operating Squad (LOS) ‘commander’ Tulasi. Working as a member of Cherla LGS he carried a BGL weapon. Gangi joined Maoists in the year 2019 as a Dalam (armed squad) member in Cherla LGS and carried a rifle in the Dalam, SP said. Both the surrendered cadres involved in several bomb-blasting incidents from 2019 to 2021 in Cherla area, extremist violence cases and Tekulagudem exchange of fire in Tarrem Police Station limits of Chhattisgarh, he noted. Read less...

Two District Reserve Guard (DRG) personnel were injured in an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blast allegedly triggered by the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) cadres on the Jeevlapadar road in Narayanpur District of Chhattisgarh on March 28, reports ibc24.in. According to the information, the DRG personnel launched a search operation after getting information about the movement of Naxalites [Left Wing Extremists, LWEs] in the forest. During the search, the IED exploded on the Jeevlapadar road in which the two DRG personnel Sanau Vadde and Ramji Potai were injured. Read less...

During an operation, explosive material kept hidden by the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) have been recovered from in Gotang mountain in Judni Forest area in Lohardaga District of Jharkhand on March 29, reports prabhatkhabar.com. It was told that the seized explosives including 10 bundles of codex wire are used to blast Improvised Explosive Device (IED) bombs. Read less...

Former Jadavpur University student and a suspected Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) leader identified as Joyeeta Das was arrested from Jagulia village under Barasat I Block - 1 in Barasat Sadar subdivision in North 24 Parganas District of West Bengal on March 29, by the Special Task Force (STF), on charges of waging a war against the State, reports The Telegraph. Das, who had been associated with the Nandigram movement as a member of the Matangini Mahila Samity (MMS), a non-profit organisation, was arrested from Jagulia in Barasat after her name allegedly cropped up during interrogation of two persons involved in suspected Maoist activities at Nawada in Murshidabad District on March 24, the Police said. Das had been arrested earlier in 2013 and charged under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). The Police said the case for which Das had been arrested dates back to an incident when documents and leaflets related to the banned outfit, were found in the Maidan area in Calcutta. Two persons named Hasibur Sheikh of Nawada and Pratik Bhowmik of Dhantala in Nadia were arrested recently in connection with that case, interrogating whom, Das’s name had emerged, an officer said. The court has remanded her in custody till April 8, and interrogation is going on to get more information. Read less...

Two Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist), including a woman Maoist, have surrendered under the ‘Poona Narkom’ (New Morning-New Beginning) campaign in Sukma District of Chhattisgarh on March 30, reports livehindustan.com. Both the Maoists were active for a long time by after joining the CPI-Maoist and were involved in many big incidents including causing damage to the anti-Naxal Force. According to the information, Krantikari Adivasi Mahila Sanghathan (KAMS) ‘president’, woman Maoist Muchako Sunita alias Bani alias Khunti, along with male Maoist ‘Jan Militia’ (people’s army of the Maoists) member Madkam Soma alias Jagdish, resident of Kumodtong Police Station in Chintalnar, surrendered before the Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Parmeshwar Tilakwar. Read less...