Maoist Timeline - 2008

• Andhra Pradesh

• Jharkhand

• Bihar

• Chhattisgarh

• Orissa

• Maharashtra

• West Bengal

• Karnataka

• Delhi

• Uttar Pradesh

• Kerala

• Tamil Nadu

• Goa

• Madhya Pradesh

Date

Incidents

January 2

Three Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) cadres, identified as 'District committee member Gunaganti Yadaiah alias Shyam (carrying head money of INR 300000), Nakka Raju alias Shekar and Boddu Kishtamma alias Shoba, both dalam (squad) members carrying head money of INR 20000 each, surrendered along with their weapons before the Superintendent of Police, Charu Sinha, at Mahabubnagar District headquarters. All the three extremists were accused of killing the Amangal mandal (administrative division) parishad president, R. Panthu Naik, in the District. Shyam was also reportedly involved in over 33 crimes, including the killing of Maktal Member of Legislative Assembly Chittem Narsi Reddy.

January 4

A squad member of the CPI-Maoist, identified as D. Srinu alias Vikram, who planned to extort INR One milion from businessmen in the Rangareddy District was arrested from Vanasthalipuram locality in the capital city of Hyderabad. Cyberabad Police Commissioner, S. Prabhakar Reddy, told that Srinu had earlier collected INR 10,000 from the businessman in Vanasthalipuram in December 2007. He approached the same businessman again with a fresh demand for INR One million but was caught by the Police. The Police also recovered an AK-47 rifle with 50 bullets from his possession.

January 8

The CPI-Maoist cadres killed D. Ramaswamy, a leader of the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) party, at Baavurugonda village in the Koththaguda mandal of Warangal District. The group of Maoists was led by Yellandu-Koththagudem area committee secretary Marri Ravi alias Sudhakar. The insurgents also left a letter in the name of Sudhakar alleging that Ramaswamy was responsible for the encounters in the Koththaguda agency area.

January 9

The Devarakonda Police unearthed a dump reportedly planted by the CPI-Maoist near a remote Kambalapally village in the Nalgonda District and recovered two plastic drums. "There are about 50 books in one of the drums," said the Deputy Superintendent of Police M. Srinivas. Apart from 125 electric detonators, a grenade launcher, about twenty four .22 bullets, a plastic cover, eight pairs of shoes, revolutionary literature was also recovered in the dump.

January 10

In a joint statement, the CPI-Maoist 'North Telangana Special Zone Committee' secretary, Chandranna, and the Communist Party of India-Marxist-Leninist (CPI-ML) Janashakthi group, "Godavari Valley Area Committee" secretary, Bharat, criticized the Congress Party for its decision to constitute a second States' Reorganisation Commission (SRC). They accused the Congress Party, Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) of working for the interests of the rich people from Andhra Pradesh.

January 11

Suspected cadres of the CPI-Maoist set ablaze a road construction machinery between Vanpalli and Garjanapalli villages of Yellareddypet mandal in the Karimnagar District.

Ramagundam Police arrested two Maoist cadres and recovered a tapancha (country made fire arm) from their possession in the Karimnagar District.

January 13

A CPI-Maoist couple, identified as Thalandi Motiram alias Akash, a former deputy commander of Mangi dalam, and his wife Shaikh Haseena alias Saroja, also a former member of the same dalam, surrendered to the Adilabad District Police. The Maoist couple, carrying a reward of INR 10000, were involved in nine and three cases respectively and citied health reasons and disillusionment with party ideology for surrendering. Motiram had joined the extremist outfit on October 2001 as Mangi dalam member and was a member of the North Telangana Special Zone Committee, till 2004. Later he worked as commander of a special guerrilla squad till 2006. Haseena joined the Mangi dalam on 2005. At present they were working in Dandakaranya area in Dantewada District in Chhattisgarh State since December 2006.

A deputy commander of Galikonda platoon of the CPI-Maoist, identified as P. Chinnabbai alias Ramakrishna, surrendered before the East Godavari Superintendent of Police B. Sreenivasulu at Kakinada. Ramakrishna, a native of Cheedigunta village of G.K. Veedhi mandal in the Visakhapatnam District, had joined the outfit in 2002 as a courier.

Five CPI-Maoist cadres of the Galikonda dalam, including three women, surrendered before the Superintendent of Police Akun Sabharwal in Visakhapatnam. The three were identified as G. Mohan Rao alias Jambri, a commander in the Galikonda Platoon and his wife Korra Kavitha alias Kamala, an area committee member, Korra Lakshmi, Korra Bonju Babu, and Vanthala Balamma, a militia member.

A Maoist couple was killed in an exchange of fire with the Police in a forest area in the Govindraopet sub-division of Warangal District. The slain extremists were identified as Satayya alias Suresh Anna, Secretary of Warangal, Karimnagar and Khammam District units of the CPI-ML Praja Pratighatna group, and his wife Rani, who was a commander of the party's armed squad. The Police recovered a spring loading rifle, a pistol and two kit bags from them.

Two CPI-Maoist cadres were killed in an encounter with the Police in Buruguvada village of Vararamachandrapuram sub-division in Khammam District. The deceased extremists were identified as Aithu alias Bhagat, 25, and Madakam Kosa, 26. They were suspected to be the commander and deputy commander, respectively, of the Bhadrachalam local organisational squad.

An activist of the ruling Congress party, Payam Lakhmaiah, was stabbed to death by CPI-Maoist cadres in the Sampathnagar village of Khammam District. The Police said that a six-member action team of the CPI-Maoist from Kothaguda (Warangal District) struck at his house at 10 p.m. and killed him in the presence of his family members. Extremists of the Sudhakar dalam, which is said to have carried out the killing also left behind a letter branding him a Police informer.

A civilian, Samireddy Ganeshwar Rao of Beram village, was hacked to death by the CPI-Maoist cadres at Pulumamidi village in the G. Madugula sub-division of Visakhapatnam District. In a letter found near Rao's body, the Maoists held him responsible for the Amidela Police encounter (September 24, 2007) wherein four Maoists were killed.

Six cadres of different left-wing extremist groups surrendered before the Superintendent of Police, D.S. Chouhan, in the Khammam District. The surrendered extremists included Mokala Sammaiah alias Kumara, Komaram Bikkaiah alias Ravanna, Bandi Yugandar, Komaram Saraiah, Eesam Krishna and Boda Nageswar Rao.

Police arrested three extremists working for the Sudhakar dalam of the CPI-Maoist in the Yellandu area in the Khammam District. They were identified as Punem Narasimha, Menchu Mallaiah and Joga Rama Rao.

Deccan Chronicle reported that Police are distributing free Direct-to-Home (DTH) systems and 21-inch colour television sets in the Maoist-affected remote areas of Warangal District to wean villagers away from the Maoists. The villages are located on the edges of Warangal District in the sub-divisions of Eturunagaram, Tadvai, Govindaraopet, Venkatapur, Kothaguda and Gudur. "We want the villagers to widen their horizons and not be susceptible to propaganda and the so-called ideologies (of Maoists)," said Soumya Mishra, the Warangal Superintendent of Police.

The Hindu reported that the CPI-Maoist, as part of a major redeployment exercise, has drafted cadres from the neighbouring State of Chhattisgarh for stepping up its presence in its strategically important strongholds of Khammam District. Members trained in guerrilla warfare were deputed in large numbers to the region and a majority of them were closely associated with the operations spearheaded by Maoist squads in the Bhadrachalam and Yellandu areas. Members from Chhattisgarh have joined the Sabari area committee operating in the Bhadrachalam division.

A CPI-Maoist 'deputy commander', Korra Rama Rao alias Manoj, surrendered before the Visakhapatnam District Superintendent of Police Akun Sabharwal. Rao joined as a member of the Galikonda special dalam in 2002 and gradually rose to the position of 'deputy commander' of Palakajeedi dalam. He was shifted as 'deputy commander' of Galikonda platoon, after the Palakajeedi dalam was banned. He was involved in more than 10 exchanges of fire with the Police and a murder at Peddavalasa.

Maoists called for building a militant movement for achieving statehood for the Telangana region. In a statement issued, the CPI-Maoist spokesman in Andhra Pradesh, Janardhan, said political leaders from the Telangana region were now being forced to speak in favour of carving out a separate State in view of the growing aspirations among the people of Telangana region.

CPI-Maoist cadres shot dead three persons, accusing them of being Police informers, at Borlagunda village in the Karimnagar District. According to the Police, a group of 15 Maoists entered the village at around 2 am (IST), picked up the three from their homes and gunned them down. The three had been associated with the Maoist outfit in the past.

According to a statement issued by the District Police, Muvvala Vannama alias Vara, a 20-year old member of the Galikonda dalam of the CPI-Maoist surrendered to the G.K. Veedhi Police in Visakhapatnam District. A native of Pedapadu village of G.K. Veedhi sub-division, she joined the squad in 2005 and worked for about one-and-a-half years in it.

Guntur District Police recovered arms and ammunition from two dumps belonging to the CPI-Maoist at Bollapalli and Papayapalem reserve forest areas. The seizure included two .303 rifles, a .38 rifle, .8 mm rifle, country made revolver, a S.B.B.L gun, revolver rounds and .38 rifle spare magazines. Police also recovered two landmines weighing 10 kilograms and three kilograms respectively, and 100 books of revolutionary literature.

The CPI-Maoist Central Committee member Lanka Papi Reddy Ranganna surrendered before the State Home Minister K. Jana Reddy in the Hyderabad Secretariat. Papi Reddy served the banned outfit in various capacities in Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh before being made in-charge of Haryana, a position he held till the surrender.

A woman was beaten to death in the Warangal District by naxalites belonging to the Prathighatana group who suspected her to be a Police informer. Police sources told that about 10 naxalites attacked P Sharda who owns a grocery shop in the Muttapuram village and left her dead.

Three naxalites including a self-styled commander of Kunta platoon, were arrested in the Gathumalla forest of Khammam District bordering Chhattisgarh. The arrested persons belonging to Chhattisgarh's Dantewada District have been identified as 'commander' Madkam Kosa alias Gangu, Deva and Sanna.

A CPI-Maoist cadre identified as Thummala Bhagavanthu alias Narsimha was arrested in Mahabubnagar District. A 303 rifle, 55 live rounds and INR 20,000 in cash were recovered from his possession. Narsimha was the 'commander' of Kalwakurthy dalam and was active in the Nallamala forest. He had joined the naxal movement in 1989 and was involved in over 90 offences, including murders, Police sources said.

Three CPI-Maoist cadres from Chhattisgarh were arrested by the Police in the Kothagudem area. The arrested included 'commander of the Konta platoon Section -C' Madakam Posa alias Ganga, the dalam members Deva and Sanna. Unspecified quantity of explosives were seized from them.

The CPI-Maoist 'Protection platoon commander' of North Telangana special zone committee (NTSZC) Ambir Kistaiah alias Krishna and his wife and NTSZC special guerrilla squad 'deputy commander' Alam Laxmi alias Sumalatha surrendered before Superintendent of Police Y. Gangadhar in the presence of OSD Harikrishna in Karimnagar. Kistaiah was involved in the Asarelli Police station attack in Maharashtra in 2000 and where he took away 20 SLRs, four .303 rifles, one revolver. He revealed that the Maoists are planning to comeback with a vengeance in its erstwhile stronghold of Dandakaranya in the north Telangana region by committing major offences to make their presence felt. The protection platoon of NTSZC is moving in groups of 25 to 30 members to commit a major offence and regain their lost ground. Later, the platoon committee members would split into smaller groups and move separately to commit offences on individual targets. He also said that the NTSZC meeting was held in November 2007 and it discussed about the economic support and strengthening of the dalams. He said that there were about 50 Maoists in entire NTSZC including 28 in KKW (Karimnagar, Khammam and Warangal Districts).

A zonal secretary belonging to the Praja Prathighatana faction for Khammam-Warangal region was killed in an encounter with the Police in Venkatapuram forests in Allapalli Police station limits in the Khammam District. Two cell phones, four SIM cards, kitbags, a spring field rifle, one 8 mm rifle were recovered from the encounter site.

A cadre of the CPI-Maoist was killed during an encounter with a Police party at Lovavalasa in the Vizianagaram District. He was identified as Rukdar alias Sudheer, the Malkangiri divisional committee member in Orissa. According to Police sources, rest of the Maoists belonging to the Koraput dalam managed to escape from the incident site.

Police neutralized a CPI-Maoist arms dump at the Reddypalem forest area in Karampudi Police station limits of Guntur District. The recovery was done on the basis of information provided by some of the arrested Maoists. The recovered arms included 10 claymore mines, four country made grenades and piped grenades, 50 detonators, a .303 rifle and a tapancha (country made fire arm) and some revolutionary books.

Police arrested B. Srinivas Reddy alias Jagan, a Naxalite belonging to the Subhash group of Praja Pratighatana in the Adilabad District. The Maoist was reportedly involved in several cases of extortion in Adilabad and Karimnagar Districts besides few other offences.

Seven CPI-Maoist cadres including some teenagers surrendered in the Visakhapatnam District.

Police distributed a dozen colour television sets along with Tata Sky antennae and connection for one year to the tribals of remote areas in the Visakhapatnam District. Under the programme "Call for Peace," the Police held a meeting at Kailasagiri where the tribals from the Maoist-affected Koyyuru, GK Veedhi, Chintapalle and other areas were given away TV sets. DIG Jitender said that they were trying to wean away tribals from the influence of Maoists and sensitise them on various development activities. The Police also promised to conduct more medical camps, distribute volleyball and cricket kits among youth so as to strengthen their rapport with the tribals.

Police personnel neutralised two landmines planted by the CPI-Maoist on the road at Dagudupalli under Annavaram Police station limits in the Visakhapatnam District. The explosives weighed 15 kilograms and five kilograms, and were packed in steel carriages.

A teenaged female cadre of the CPI-Maoist, identified as Gundu Uppamma alias Radhakka, surrendered before the Superintendent of Police Vijay Kumar at the District headquarters in Nalgonda.

Suspected cadres of the CPI-Maoist killed an activist of the ruling Congress party, identified as G. Prakash, in the outskirts of Baleru village in the Srikakulam District. The extremists also left a letter stating that Prakash was killed because he was working as a Police informer in the village.

CPI-Maoist cadres set ablaze teakwood worth INR two million at Pusuguppa village in the Cherla mandal of Khammam District. Some non-tribals in the name of tribals had taken permission from the Forest Department and cut down teakwood trees. Having learnt that the non-tribals were trying to enjoy the forest produce, the Maoists set the wood on fire.

Five Maoists, including three 'commanders' and a cadre of the CPI-Maoist and a 'zonal committee secretary' of the Prathighatana group, surrendered to the District Police at Warangal in the presence of Superintendent of Police Soumya Mishra. The surrendered included Kukunoor Local Organising Squad (LOS) 'commander', P. Sammaiah alias Naveen (carrying a head money of INR 200000) and his wife M. Pushpa, Narsampet LOS 'commander' Kadari Bhaskar alias Ramesh, and 'commander' P. Lakshmi alias Pushpa of the CPI-Maoist and Peddapalli zonal committee secretary of the Prathighatana group, K. Chinni Krishna alias Anil.

The CPI-Maoist and the Janashakti group of the naxalites called for a State-wide bandh (general strike) on March 14, protesting against the visit of United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Chairperson, Sonia Gandhi to the State. A joint statement whose signatories were Chandranna, Maoist North Telangana Special Zonal Committee (NTSZC) secretary, and Bharath, secretary of the Janashakti Godavari Valley Regional Committee, branded Sonia Gandhi an "American agent" and called upon people to observe bandh to protest against her visit. The statement also blamed the ruling Congress party for not taking up any developmental projects for Telangana region and for abandoning its promise of forming a separate State.

Two CPI-Maoist cadres, including a member of the Andhra Pradesh- Orissa Border (AOB) Special Zone Committee identified as Chokkari Gangaram alias Jagabandhu alias Kommu, were killed in an exchange of fire with Police between Kedaripuram and Elvispeta under Elvispeta Police station limits of Vizianagaram District.

The Khammam District Police conducted an aerial survey of the Maoist affected areas of the District with the help of a helicopter fitted with zoom camera and other gadgets.

G. Sampath, a cadre of the CPI-Maoist, was killed in an encounter with the Police personnel near Peddavagu between Nimmagudem and Pegadapalli villages in the Karimnagar District. He has been identified as a key action team member of the Mahadevpur area.

15 Naxalites belonging to different groups surrendered to the Police in the Khammam and Kurnool Districts. While ten extremists, including Vagaboina Saraiah alias Sagar, the District committee secretary of the Communist Party of India-Marxist-Leninist (CPI-ML)'s Praja Prathighatana group, surrendered in Khammam, five more surrendered in Kurnool. The Officer on Special Duty in Nandyal, Mohan Rao, said that the surrender was a part of the 'Operation Velugu Bata' launched by the Police.

Four suspected CPI-Maoist cadres killed a former coal mine worker identified as Pittala Sankaraiah, at his home in the Kanagarthi village of Peddapalli mandal in the Karimnagar District. The son of the slain person had also been killed by the Maoists on suspicion of the former being a Police informer.

Police neutralised an armed gang of former naxalites, named Telangana Jagarana Sena (TJS) in Sircilla sub-division in the Karimnagar District. Seven TJS cadres were arrested and two 9 mm pistols and 16 rounds of ammunition, one air pistol, two dummy pistols, five soap bombs and pellets used in the air-pistols were recovered from their possession. The TJS was formed by former CPI-Maoist cadres and the naxalites belonging to the Janasakthi group to eliminate some soft targets and create a sensation by killing a former Telegu Desam Party (TDP) legislator in the District.

A CPI-Maoist deputy commander, Dasarapu Radha alias Swapna, carrying a head money of INR 50,000 surrendered before the Police in the Warangal District. Superintendent of Police (SP) Soumya Mishra said that Radha hailing from Ramakrishnapur in the Chityal mandal had joined the Chityal dalam in 2003 and worked with top Maoist leaders such as Chettiraja Papaiah alias Somanna and D.V.K. Swamy alias Yadanna. She was working with the newly formed Chennur squad in Adilabad District since 2007.

Boya Ramanjamma alias Umakka, an extremist belonging to the CPI-ML-Janashakti surrendered before SP Shankarbhratha Bagchi in Kurnool District.

A bandh called by the CPI-Maoist in the Visakha agency to protest the killing of its cadres in Police encounters in the recent past, partially affected general life in some places and failed to evoke a response in some other areas. State run bus services to interior areas were suspended. In areas including Paderu, Hukumpeta and Dumbriguda mandals, shops were closed. However, in Chintapalli and the tourism centre of Araku Valley, the strike had no impact.

Andhra-Orissa Border Special Zone Committee East Division Action Team Commander and Galikonda Platoon 'A' section member Velusuri Srinivas alias Prasad alias Chinni Vijay (22) surrendered before the East Godavari District Superintendent of Police B. Srinivasulu.

March 25

CPI-Maoist cadres triggered a bomb blast at the Gumada Railway station in the Vizianagaram District. A group of seven Maoists, including three women, planted gelatin sticks at the station after forcing the railway staff on night duty to come out from the station. The signal system was badly damaged due to the blast and traffic between Vizianagaram and Orissa was disrupted following the explosion.

March 29

Kursinge Kousalya Bai alias Kamalakka, a CPI-Maoist woman cadre, surrendered before the Adilabad District Police. Kamalakka hails from Lothera in the Jannaram mandal and had participated in the attack on a Police camp at Rani-Bodli in the Dantewada District in Chhattisgarh in which 55 Policemen were killed.

April 2

A senior CPI-Maoist leader, identified as Gajerla Saraiah a.k.a. Azad a.k.a. Bhaskar, was killed in an encounter with the Police near Kanthanpalli in the Rampur forest area of Warangal District. Azad's wife and another Maoist B. Aruna alias Rama too were killed during the encounter. Azad was a central committee member of the outfit and was in-charge of its central military commission. Four Maoists, however, managed to escape from the incident site fro where a pistol, a revolver, one 30 mm carbine and three kitbags were recovered.

The Eturu Nagaram Local Guerrilla Squad (LGS) 'commander' of the CPI-Maoist, Purushotham Tirupathi alias Naresh, surrendered before the Karimnagar District Superintendent of Police Y. Gangadhar. Purushotham, a native of Nandi Medaram village, joined the Maoist group in 2001 and had worked in the Peddapalli dalam and Eturu Nagaram dalam before being promoted as dalam 'commander' of Eturu Nagaram LGS in 2005. He was involved in five exchanges of fire and four murders.

April 7

Naxalites of the CPI-ML-Praja Prathighatana killed a youth, identified as Enugula Lakhmaiah, at Thummalagudem village in the Palvancha mandal of Khammam District. Four armed cadres of the Mohananna dalam reportedly intruded into his house and subsequently shot him dead a little away from his residence.

April 12

The lone woman member of the CPI-Maoist Central Committee, 54-year old Anuradha Ghandy, also known as Narmada and Rama, died of cerebral malaria, a release by the outfit's Central Committee spokesman Azad said. Anuradha had joined the Naxalites in the early 1970s and was the founding member of the CPI-ML in Maharashtra. She also served as a member of the Vidarbha regional committee and the Maharashtra State Committee and was elected to the Central Committee of the CPI-Maoist in January 2007.

April 19

Andhra Pradesh Police arrested two TJS cadres from Sircilla in the Karimnagar District. Two 0.9 mm pistols and 24 rounds of ammunition were recovered from the arrested extremists, identified as Vemula Ramesh a.k.a. Sagar and Chepyala Raju, both natives of Konraopet mandal in the Sircilla division. Superintendent of Police, Y. Gangadhar, claimed that with these arrests the TJS has been neutralised in the Karimnagar District.

April 25

Two CPI-Maoist cadres were arrested at Kinchuru in Peda Bayalu mandal in the Visakhapatnam District. Identified as Vandalam Chinna (20) and Poibu Machi Raju (22), the arrested Maoists were planning to plant two land mines. Two land mines and some quantity of explosives were seized from them.

April 29

CPI-Maoist State committee member, M.A. Srinivasan, surrendered before the Andhra Pradesh State Human Rights Commission. Haling from the Sangareddy District, Srinivasan had joined the left-wing extremist movement in 1985 and was operating in north India since 1993.

May 2

CPI-Maoist Maddedu divisional committee member of the Dandakaranya region, Velpula Rajesh Kumar alias Tirupati and area committee member, local organizing squad (LOS) commander and his wife Chunchu Rama Devi alias Sharada surrendered before Karimnagar Superintendent of Police Y Gangadhar. Tirupati, a native of Khammampalli in Manthani Mutharam mandal of former Assembly Speaker D. Sripada Rao at Dubbalapadu in Manthani division of Karimnagar District. He had joined the left-wing extremism in 1993 as dalam member.

May 5

Three naxalites belonging to the Janasakti faction of the CPI-ML including two senior functionaries of the outfit, were killed during an encounter with Police party in Rollapadu forests under Tekulapalli Police station limits in the Khammam District. Eight other naxalites, however, managed to escape. Four weapons including two 88 mm rifles, a Springfield rifle and a tapancha (locally made revolver) were recovered from the spot. The slain naxalites were identified as District committee secretary Solipeta Yadava Reddy alias Daya, State committee member Konda Sanjeeva Reddy alies Bhaskar and Pandu Yadagiri alias Arun, a leader of the rank of District Committee Secretary.

A former Janashakti naxalite was found dead with stab injuries on the outskirts of Kandikatkur village in Illanthakunta mandal in the Karimnagar District. A letter placed besides the body in the name of Telangana Janavimukti Sena (TJS) claimed responsibility for the killing and branded the killed person a Police informer.

The Warangal District Police arrested eight naxalites belonging to the Praja Pratighatana group in two separate incidents in the Warangal town. In the first incident, the Police intercepted a four-wheeler near KITS College on the outskirts of Hanamkonda and arrested five extremists along with a 9mm pistol with eight rounds and one 8mm tapancha with five rounds. Separately, Police intercepted another vehicle and arrested three extremists along with three 8 mm rifles, three 9 mm pistols and one-point 38 revolver sans cylinder.

Police recovered one 8 mm rifle and 30 live ammunition from a dump of the Praja Pratighatana at Bugga Cheruvu at Pathipally village in the Warangal District.

Five CPI-Maoist cadres surrendered in Warangal. They were identified as Khammam District committee member CP Koppula Bathakaiah alias Naveen of Tadvai mandal, Chennur Local Guerrilla Squad (LGS) commander, Dudapaka Sampath alias Kondanna of Chityal, Chilpur LGS commander Velmala Bhemavva alias Nirmala of Khanapur in Adilabad, and Khammam District committee member Vajja Samba Rao alias Ashok of Govindraopet mandal.

Three Naxalites belonging to the Communist Party of India-United States of India (CPI-USI) set ablaze a passenger bus in the Borlagudem village of Mahamutharam mandal in the Karimnagar District.

May 6

Two youths, identified as Dabba Chander Rao and Gattupalli Srinu, were abducted by a group of 70 CPI-Maoist cadres from Tippapuram village in the Charla mandal of Khammam District. Both the abducted youths are reportedly supporters of the Communist Party of India (CPI).

May 11

The CPI-Maoist claimed to have killed Gabba Chander Rao, one of the two tribal youths abducted from the Tippapuram village in Charla mandal in the Khammam District. A statement issued by the outfit said that it was forced to punish him for his covert operation which resulted in the killing of 14 leaders and activists of the outfit and four civilians in an encounter at Kanchala in the Pamedu area of Chhattisgarh's Bijapur District on March 18.

May 19

Four persons, including a sarpanch (head of village level self-government institution) were abducted by cadres of the CPI-Maoist cadres from tribal villages in the Bhadrachalam division of Khammam District. The sub-divisional Police officer of Bhadrachalam, Shashidhar Raj, said that Khanithi Narsaiah, sarpanch of Kurnavalli village, Karam Kannaiah from Erraboru village and Sunnam Venkat Rao and Sunnam Rambabu from Bathinapalli village were taken away from their home by the Maoists at around midnight. Unofficial sources, however, maintained that the total number of abducted persons was 11 and they were abducted by Maoist dalams which came from the neighbouring forests pockets of south Bastar in Chhattisgarh.

May 23

Police in Warangal District recovered two weapons and large number of live rounds of ammunition from dumps suspected to belong to the left-wing extremists. Superintendent of Police V. C. Sajjanar said that during combing operations in the Karlapalli forest area under Govindaraopet mandal recovered one 303 rifle and one spring field rifle, 37 rounds of ammunition of 303 rifle, 28 rounds of 30 carbine, 27 rounds of .38, 47 rounds of springfield, nine round of .63 and eight rounds of .22 weapons from a dump belonging to Praja Pratighatana faction of the CPI-ML.

May 29

A Police constable was killed and three others were injured when the Maoists opened fire on a Police party consisting of anti-Maoist Greyhounds personnel in the Gudem Kotha Veedhi mandal on the Andhra-Orissa border in Visakhapatnam District. Police said that the Maoists, who triggered a landmine explosion, exchanged fire with the Police party, which was combing the area.

May 30

At least four CPI-Maoist cadres were killed in an encounter with the Andhra Pradesh Police near Gunupurai village in the Visakhapatnam District. Among those killed were Jhansi, a woman 'Dalam (squad) commander' of the Korukonda area. Unofficial sources said that Police have arrested three more Maoists during the incident. Police sources, however, did not confirm the arrests.

May 31

The Hindu reports that Maoists have imposed a ban on the use of mobile phones in the tribal habitations in the Bhadrachalam division. At some places in these areas, mobile phones have been taken away by the Maoists. In the past one week, an unspecified number of persons have also been abducted by the Maoists from the villages in the vicinity of Charla on the suspicion of being Police informants. They were reportedly assaulted by the Maoists who also robbed them off their mobile phones and motorcycles.

June 1

A Naxalite belonging to the Praja Pratighatana faction was killed in an encounter with the Police at Mellamadgu village in the Bodu Police station limits of Khammam District. Three others Naxalites, however, managed to escape. One 8-mm rifle was recovered from the slain extremist. Police sources said that the extremist dalam was camping at the site encounter for collecting money from contractors engaged in removal of overburden of Singareni opencast mines.

The Visakhapatnam District Police arrested four CPI-Maoist cadres belonging to the Korukonda dalam at Velamjuni village. Two directional mines and an equal number of grenades and a battery for use in blasting were recovered from their possession.

June 3

Naroju Srinu alias Chandranna, the Karimnagar and Khammam Districts 'secretary' of the Praja Prathigatana faction surrendered before the Karimnagar Superintendent of Police Y. Gangadhar. He deposited three weapons and some ammunition. Chandranna, a native of Khammampalli village had joined the outfit in 2001 as dalam member. Later, he was elevated to work as 'commander' and 'zonal secretary' in Warangal.

June 5

CPI-Maoist cadres killed an auto rickshaw driver, Thati Bhaskar, suspecting him to be a Police informer at Pusuguppa, a village close to the Chhattisgarh border in the Khammam District. The killed person was accosted on the village outskirts and taken to the nearby jungle where he was shot dead at a close range. The Khammam District committee of the CPI-Maoist left a letter at the spot owning up the killing.

June 18

A group of armed CPI-Maoist cadres along with about 40 overground workers of the outfit looted the house of Panchayat Sarpanch of Pedabayalu village, Jambu Balaraju of the Congress party, in the Visakhapatnam District. Maoists took away INR 200,000 in cash, gold ornaments, several bags of rice, utensils, DVD player and home theatre and also two cows and 16 goats from the house.

Media reports indicated nearly 120,000 Gutti Koya tribals of Bastar and Bijpur Districts of Chhattisgarh have crossed over into Andhra Pradesh's border District of Khammam over the past six months to escape Salwa Judum camps and the Maoist violence. A confidential report of the intelligence bureau has cautioned the Andhra Pradesh government of growing unrest among the local tribals in the border Districts and prospective violence unleashed by the Maoists as the Gutti Koyas are known supporters of the CPI-Maoist. "They might also be the advance party of the Maoists' re-entry into AP", the report said.

June 19

The Andhra Pradesh government raised the reward for information leading to the arrest of left-wing extremists by nearly 20 percent. The government order raised the reward on arrests of top leaders to INR 1.2 million while the same on lower-rank cadres was hiked to INR 100,000. The reward on the state committee members of the CPI-Maoist is now INR 800,000 and on zonal committee members INR 600,000. Claiming that the Maoist movement has suffered huge losses, the government order said the number of armed cadres has come down by 746 since last year. According to the latest list, there are only 474 armed cadres in the state.

June 22

Maoists killed a trader, Balaram, on suspicion that he was a Police informer at Neelavadi village under Parvathipuram Police sub-division in the Vizianagaram District.

July 2

CPI-Maoist cadres abducted two tribals from Chennapuram village in Cherla mandal in the Khammam District bordering Chhattisgarh. According to Police sources, former sarpanch of Pedamidisileru village N Tirupati and his brother Moteru, both natives of Tippapuram village, had gone went to Chennapuram to attend the marriage of their relatives, from where they were abducted.

CPI-Maoist threatened to step up attacks on the Police, especially the elite Greyhounds personnel and leaders of the Congress party, if the Police resorted to attacks against people to avenge the Chitrakonda ambush in Orissa which left 35 Greyhounds personnel dead. In a statement issued in Hyderabad, the Maoist spokesman in Andhra Pradesh, Janardhan, said that the statements of Chief Minsiter Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy and Home Minister K. Jana Reddy on the Chitrakonda incident spoke of the government's plan to unleash repression and target people believed to be Maoist sympathisers. The spokesperson termed the Chitrakonda ambush as a 'fitting lesson' to the Greyhounds personnel who had become a law unto themselves. He further said that the success of the People's Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) in carrying out the ambush only proved false the claims that the Maoist movement was wiped out from the State.

July 4

P Gajaraju (50) alias Bhadranna, State committee member of the Praja Prathighatana faction of the CPI-ML was shot dead by one of the cadres of the outfit in the Bangaruchelaka forest area in Kothagudem mandal of Khammam District. The Police recovered one 8 mm rifle from the scene and a bullet injury was found on the chest of the victim.

July 5

The CPI-Maoist turned down the offer of talks by Home Minister K Jana Reddy after the ambush of the Greyhounds in the Sileru-Balimela reservoir on the Andhra Pradesh-Orissa border recently. The outfit, in a statement on July 5 said that it would not repeat its mistake of parleying with the Government. The statement by the outfit's central military commission chief Basavraj and central committee spokesperson Azad, said, "We assure the people of AP and India that we will not make the mistake of going in for talks with these double-dealers (Congressmen)."

July 8

One person was killed and another suffered serious injuries after suspected CPI-Maoist cadres opened fire at them at Marikal village in the Mahabubnagar District. The victims, identified as Azeem and Niranjan were attending a function in the village.

July 8

CPI-Maoist cadres killed a civilian and injured another at Marikal village of Pedda Kothapally mandal in the Mahabubnagar District. Maoists came to the house of a registered medical practitioner, identified as Niranjan, looking for his son-in-law Azim. In the ensuing scuffle, Azim was killed and Niranjan was injured. Over six months back, the Andhra Pradesh Police had declared the District as "Maoist-free".

July 9

Maoist posters in the name of the outfit's Krishnapatti area committee 'secretary' Vikram appeared at Machavaram mandal in the Guntur District. The posters warned the Machavaram Zilla Parishad Territorial Committee (ZPTC) [local government institution] member Konanki Venkateswarulu alias Busaiah that he would be brought before the Praja (people's) court for his extortionist tactics and for working as a Police informer.

July 10

Police arrested four CPI-Maoist couriers from the Yellandu town of Khammam District. Vasam Chandraiahm, Vattam Kannaiah, Vepa Ramakrishna and Made Veera Bhadram were arrested while buying vegetables and provisions for supplying to the Sudhakar dalam (squad) of the outfit near the new bus station of Yellandu. Police sources said that the arrested persons have been working for the Maoists for the past two years.

Police also arrested another courier of the Praja Pratighatana faction of the CPI-ML on the same day from an unspecified location in the Khammam District.

July 23

Damayanti alias Aruna, area coordinator of the Nagavali dalam (squad) of the CPI-Maoist, was arrested from a house at Piridi village in the Bobbili division of Vizianagaram District. Her accomplice Emanapalli Santosh alias Kishore, who is also an area coordinator, is reported to have surrendered before the Police after Damayanti's arrest.

July 28

Two Naxalites, one belonging to the CPI-Maoist and another to the Praja Prathighatana (Mohannana group), surrendered to the Police in the presence of Superintendent of Police, V.C. Sajjanar, in Warangal. Jajjeri Sammakka of Gangaram village went underground in 1994 and worked in various capacities. She was District committee member, National Park area of Chhattisgarh State and was involved in 12 crimes. The Praja Prathighatana District committee member, Bhukya Pratap alias Suryam belonging to Gurrampet village, was involved six crimes. He has been underground since 2004.

July 30

A former Naxalite of the Janashakti group and founder of the CPI (ML) Jana Vimukthi, J. Linga Swamy, was killed in an encounter with Police near Jillella village of Karimnagar District. According to Police sources, Linga Swamy and his accomplice had opened fire on the Police team which was combing the area for Naxalites and was killed in the retaliatory fire. He was reportedly involved in three murder cases and several other extortion cases in the Karimnagar, Warangal, Adilabad and Nizamabad Districts.

A special team of Police engaged in combing operations recovered a cache of explosives and ammunition hidden in a bag close to the Orissa border at Ramarai in the Srikakulam District. The seizure included 60 gelatine sticks, 20 electrical detonators, 30 non-electrical detonators and several rounds of live ammunition.

August 2

Five Naxalites belonging to the CPI (ML) Pratighatana group, including two of its commanders, surrendered before the Superintendent of Police Y. Gangadhar in Karimnagar. They were identified as Pratighatana Mahadevpur dalam (squad) commander Koyalker Subash (26), Janagam Ganapati (32), Chilumula Sammaiah (30), Kummari Srinivas (20) and Kummari Errababu (25).

August 13

Police, combing the Annavaram-Kannavaram forest of Koyyuru mandal in the Visakhapatnam District found a Maoist dump. Seven detonators, three claymore mines, three directional mines and three electrical wire bundles were stored in a drum and buried underground.

The Andhra Pradesh State Government renewed the ban on the CPI-Maoist for a period of one year with effect from August 17. Through the Government Order No. 515 the Government declared the outfit as an unlawful association under AP Public Security Act, 1992. The Order said that the outfit was continuing to indulge in unlawful activities and that if such activities were not stopped, they would constitute a serious danger and menace to public order, peace and tranquility. The CPI-Maoist was banned in the State on August 17, 2005 and the proscription is being renewed every year.

August 14

CPI-Maoist cadres killed a civilian belonging to the tribal community at his native village Kondilovagondi in G. K. Veedhi mandal in the Visakhapatnam District.

The CPI-Maoist, in its information bulletin, attributed their recent successes in 'counter offensive actions' against security forces in Orissa and Andhra Pradesh to support from people. In the bulletin, Bhaskar alias Modem Balakrishna, Secretary of the Andhra Orissa Border Special Zonal Committee (AOBSZC) of the outfit has said that the Balimela attack of June 29 and also the subsequent landmine attack in Malkangiri District that killed 15 Orissa Police personnel travelling on a Mine Protected Vehicle have proved the supremacy of guerrilla tactics and the 'constant flow' of information on Police movement.

August 19

CPI-Maoist cadres looted a provisions store and beat up the guards of a coffee plantation run by the Andhra Pradesh Forest Development Corporation (APFDC) in Teemulabanda village of GK Veedhi mandal area in the Visakhapatnam District. Police sources said that a group of 20 armed Maoists along with nearly 70 sympathisers looted rice and essential commodities from the provisions store owned by a non-tribal, Pula Reddy, and also decamped with his TV, some cash and other articles from his house. Later, they entered the Teemulabanda and Marripakala Coffee Plantation and beat up the guards for not having heeded their warning last year that non-tribals should not enter the plantation. The Maoists had earlier threatened that the 50 acres belonging to the corporation would be distributed to the tribals, and non-tribals entering the area would be killed.

August 26

CPI-Maoist Nagavali area committee member Madangi Papa Rao alias Vijay, a native of Balesu village in G.L. Puram mandal of Vizianagaram District surrendered before Parvathipuram Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) B. Sudershana Rao. The SDPO told that Vijay was involved in eight offences, including attack on Udayagiri Police station, blasting of Kurupam Mandal Parishad Development Officer (MPDO) Office and panel board at Cooneru Railway Station.

September 4

Nine left-wing extremists belonging to different factions were arrested from the Warangal District. Police recovered 16 weapons and 1,200 bullets from the arrested extremists, identified as Pavrala Bikshapathi, Ramkoti and Challa Seetharamulu of the Praja Prathighatana faction of the CPI-ML, K. Buyya, Kunti Swamy, K Sadaiah and Uppula Raju of Prathighatana faction of the CPI-ML, Prabhakar of the CPI-Maoist and Mohammed Khasim of the Rythu Coolie Sangham.

September 5

CPI-Maoist leader Bashapaka Yakaiah alias Santhosh alias Sujith alias Mahesh, responsible for the Dantewada jailbreak surrendered to the Warangal Police. Yakaiah had joined the outfit due to a family dispute in 2002. He worked in Chityal area and Yellandu in Khammam District before being shifted to Chhattisgarh in 2004. He was involved in exchanges of fire in 2005 at Andugulameedhi in Venkatapur mandal (administrative division) of Warangal District, at the National Park area in 2005 and at Pamedu in Chhattisgarh in 2005.

September 12

Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil has said that the Union Government is keen that the other states currently affected by left-wing extremism should replicate the Andhra Pradesh model. Speaking to media persons after reviewing a parade to mark the 60th anniversary celebrations of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy (NPA) in Hyderabad he said Maoist-related incidents had come down by 60 to 70 per cent in Andhra Pradesh.

September 13

A CPI-Maoist cadre belonging to the Galikonda dalam surrendered at G K Veedhi mandal in the Visakhapatnam District. The extremist, Muvvala Bhaskar Rao, a native of Mangalapalem village used to work from his home and had been active in the outfit from 2000 to 2006, Police sources said.

September 23

Member of a CPI-Maoist action team Chikkudu Chinna Rao alias Sudheer and another sympathiser of the outfit Pongi Bhaskara Rao were arrested near Mangabanda in Pedabayalu mandal in the Visakhapatnam District. Both were charged with attempting to murder a jeweller at Paderu on the night of September 18. Another action team member Korra Rambabu, who also participated in the attack, is still at large. The jeweller M.C. Reddy was injured in the attack.

Potturi Ramulamma alias Geeta, wife of CPI-Maoist leader Bisai Kamaraju alias Ranadev, who was killed in the Gunkuravyi encounter a few months ago, surrendered before Superintendent of Police Akun Sabharwal in Visakhapatnam. The 27-year-old Geeta, 'B' platoon commander cadre of the outfit was considered a 'doctor' and was treating the sick and injured Maoists. Ill health (malaria) was the reason for her to surrender, Geeta said.

October 8

Eight persons, including seven tribal youths, were abducted by CPI-Maoist cadres from four forest-villages (Dongala Jaggaram, Narsingapeta, Alliguidem and Bandigumpu) under Chintur Police station of Khammam District, all located close to the inter-State border with Chhattisgarh. A large tribal group comprising mainly the kin of the abducted persons embarked upon a massive search in the Bastar forests in the neighbouring Bijapur District in Chhattisgarh. This group was reportedly prevented by militants from entering some villages in Gollapalli Police station limits -- a pocket considered to be the Maoist heartland. Members of sanghams had assured them of the safe return of all those abducted. However, none were released. The tribals, however, have declined to take the help of Police fearing a Maoist backlash.

October 21

CPI-Maoist cadres abducted a tribal leader and sarpanch of Kurnavelli gram panchayat, Kaniti Narsaiah from Bodhanelli village in Charla mandal in the Khammam District. Maoists had tried to abduct another tribal leader who, however, managed to escape. The Kurnavelli sarpanch is in the custody of the Maoists for the second time in this year. He had been abducted by the Venkatapuram area committee of the CPI-Maoist on May 18 last and was let off on May 22 following the intervention of tribal organisations. Maoists had asked him to quit the post of sarpanch, which he had declined to obey.

October 27

Gopu Sammireddy, Andhra-Orissa Border Special Zonal Committee (AOBSZC) member, operating in Malkangiri division of Orissa was arrested at Vishakhapatnam railway station while travelling by Coromandel Express. He was remanded to judicial custody after being produced in court in Salur. Sammireddy is an accused in the shooting incident in the Salur court hall in September 2002, which resulted in the death of Circle Inspector Muddada Gandhi.

Police unearthed a Maoist arms dump and apprehended three Maoists near Pamidipadu village.

October 28

Four CPI-Maoist cadres, including Valluri Venkata Rao alias Kailasam and Thota Gangadhar alias Ramachander, secretary and member, respectively, of the Andhra Pradesh Special Committee (APSC) were killed in two separate encounters in Vizianagaram and Guntur Districts.

In the Vizianagaram District, Venkata Rao and his courier Ashok alias Ramana were shot dead in an encounter with the special team between Ravikonavalasa and Battivalasa villages under the Parvathipuram rural Police station limits. M. Ravindranath Babu, Officer on special duty (operations) said that the encounter followed a tip-off to a Police combing party. Two kit bags, one 9 mm pistol, a tapancha (locally made revolver) and some cash were recovered from the site of the encounter.

In Guntur, a woman was among the two Maoists killed in the encounter near Manepalli in Bollapalli reserve forest bordering Prakasam District. Apart from Ramchander (48), the other Maoist was identified as Jaya alias Aruna, who belongs to Gollapalli village in Narsapur Mandal of Medak District. Police recovered an AK-47 rifle and a tapancha from the site of the encounter. Officer on Special Duty M. Ravi Prakash said a special Police team combing the area came across a small group of about five to seven Maoists in the deep forest and in the resultant exchange of fire, the two extremists were killed.

Two CPI-Maoist cadres, identified as M Prabhakar and his wife Nagamani, were killed in a Police encounter near Bollapalle village in Nallamala forest in Andhra Pradesh. The encounter took place when Maoists attacked a training camp of the para-military CRPF and were killed in the retaliatory fire.

November 2

Suspected CPI-Maoist cadres belonging to the outfit's Koraput dalam, numbering about 20, blasted two tractors, two sheds and some machinery of a contractor executing the Adarigedda minor irrigation project in Parvathipuram division of Vizianagaram District around 11 p.m. A letter left behind by the Maoists said that they were protesting against the injustice meted out to tribals displaced by the project.

Munemma alias Latha alias Jyothi of Srikalahasti, a left-wing extremist who worked for the kalinga dalam for the last 15 years, surrendered to the Chittoor District Police. She told the Police that three more extremists are willing to surrender to the Police due to illness. K. Lakshmi Reddy, Chittoor Superintendent of Police presented the surrendered extremist a cheque for INR 200,000 under the rehabilitation scheme.

November 4

CPI-Maoist cadres burnt a jeep and a van at Busuput village of Pedhabayalu mandal in the Visakhapatnam District on the Orissa border. Maoists stopped the jeep and the van, ordered the occupants to alight before setting the vehicles afire. No one was injured in the incident. The Maoists left behind some pamphlets.

November 5

District committee member of the CPI-Maoist, Meesala Prabhakar alias Venkatesh, was killed in an encounter with a Police party at Kanamurlapudi reserve forest area near Bollapalli mandal in the Guntur District. Police sources told that Prabhakar was involved in seven cases including the killing of Karampaudi Zilla Parishad Territorial Committee (ZPTC, a District level administrative institution) Venna Bhaskara Reddy in 2007 and Mandal Parishadh President (MPP, a block level administrative institution) member Bollapalli Bhuma Ramireddy in 2005.

The CPI-Maoist cadres have restarted their activities in Adilabad District's Chennur-Sirpur, Mangi and Vaipet forest areas. A group of 15 Maoists are known to be hiding in the forest areas of the District following the 'tactical withdrawal' of the outfit sometime in 2005. In the first week of October, Maoists were reported to have visited some villages in Chennur mandal on the Adilabad District's border with Karimnagar District. They are reported to have sung songs and held meetings with villagers. Maoist movement was also reported subsequently from the Mangi forests between Asifabad Sirpur (U) and Vaipet forests in Indervelli mandal. The dalam (squad) reportedly consisted of 13 men and six women cadres.

November 7

The Khammam rural Police arrested Daravath Saidulu and five others of his dacoit gang in connection with a dacoity and recovered some stolen property including a gold chain, digital camera and a motor cycle. Superintendent of Police Mahesh M. Bhagwat said that the gang is linked with the Praja Pratighatana faction of the CPI-ML. The gang has been involved in previous incidents of Maoist-sponsored arson in the District.

November 8

Two CPI-Maoist cadres were killed in an encounter with a special Police party in Pedamidisaleru forests in the Khammam District, close to the inter-State border with Chhattisgarh. One of arrested Maoist is suspected to be a senior member of the outfit while the other was an activist of the Sukhdev dalam (squad) operating under the Venkatapuram area committee. Two 8 mm rifles with 18 rounds were recovered from the place along with a medical kit containing some tablets and disposable syringes. The Police said that four other Maoists managed to escape into the forest during the exchange of fire.

November 9

A former CPI-Maoist cadre Nomula Bala Raju, was found dead under mysterious circumstances at Pondugula village in Dachepalli mandal (administrative division) in the Guntur District. A letter allegedly written by Siva Ram, District secretary of the Janashakti faction of the CPI-ML was found besides the body. In the letter, Siva Ram accused Raju of resorting to extortion in the name of Maoists and threatening people. Maoist sympathisers, however, alleged that Raju was killed by the Police.

November 15

The Karimnagar District Police arrested 10 naxalites belonging to the Janashakthi faction of the CPI-ML in separate places of Sircilla and Vemulawada circles. Literature of the outfit, flags, banners, wall posters and 10 'soap bombs' were recovered from their possession. The arrested naxalites were involved in several extortions activities in the area. They were also erecting temporary martyrs' memorials and pasting of wall posters to rebuild the outfit.

November 16

A distillery was raided by 300 Maoists, including their sympathizers, at Jaganadhapuram in the Srikakulam District. According to sources, the Maoists destroyed brewery machinery and also set ablaze a jeep and a TVS Suzuki bike. A group of workers were manhandled and were threatened not to continue with the brewing activity by the Maoists.

November 17

31 members belonging to the 1st and 2nd Armed Militia Platoon of the CPI-Maoist of Gunukurai surrendered before the SP, Akun Sabharwal, in the Visakhapatnam District. According to the SP, among the 31 cadres, six were in the rank of commanders, three deputy commanders and the rest members. Some of the surrendered Maoists were identified as Korra Chittibabu, Vantala Rama Rao, Korra Jagan, Sukuru Chinnayya, Anuguru Balayya and Korra Kameswara Rao, all commander-level cadres, Vandalam Chinnabbai, Korra Subba Rao and Korra Rambabu, at deputy commander-level. The surrendered Maoists reportedly took a pledge not to indulge in violence in future and instead work for peace.

November 19

Suspected Naxalites belonging to the Praja Pratighatana group abducted Surender Reddy, a contractor's brother, from Meenajipeta village in Karimnagar District. The Naxalites were demanding a ransom from the contractor who was doing road works worth INR 1.92 crore in the area.

November 20

Two cadres of the Praja Pratighatana group of the CPI-ML, identified as S. Babu of Buttaigudem and D. Pochamallu, were killed in an encounter with the Police in the forest area of Pasara of Govindaraopet mandal (administrative unit) in the Warangal District. Two pistols and a motorbike were recovered by the Police from the incident site.

An arms dump, including 180 empty hand grenades, 31 electric detonators and a bundle of fuse wire, of the CPI-Maoist was recovered near a tree between Teklova and Bittavtonki villages of Vizianagaram District on Andhra-Orissa border, while the Special Police Team was conducting a combing operation.

November 21

Three cadres of the Rachakonda dalam (squad) of the erstwhile PWG, identified as Maddunuri Sheshaiah, his wife Maddunuri Narasamma and Tirupati Balaiah belonging to Mahaboobnagar District, were acquitted by the Second Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge L. Ravi Babu due to lack of evidence against them for their involvement in the killing of the DIG Vyas. The DIG Vyas, the founder of the elite anti-Naxal Police commandos, Greyhounds, was shot dead by a group of Naxalites (left-wing extremists) when he went for jogging at the Lal Bahadur stadium on January 27-evening, 1993. Out of 21 persons, accused by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing Vyas' killing, nine of them were arrested earlier and six are still absconding while three others, including main accused Mekala Damodar Reddy, were killed. The remaining three were acquitted.

A meeting of the surrendered Naxalites was convened by the District Collector M. Ravichandra and Superintendent of Police K. Lakshmireddy, in which 23 surrendered Naxalites participated, for the purpose of speeding up the rehabilitation process in the Chittoor District.

November 24

Seven Naxalites (left wing-extremists), including four belonging to the Godavariloya Praja Pratighatana faction of the CPI-ML and three of the Praja Pratighatana, surrendered before the Deputy Inspector General of Police, K. Laxman Mohan, in Warangal. They were identified as Mankidi Saraiah alias Tirupati,Komuram Balaiah, Vynala Murali alias Srikant, Bandi Ratna Kumari alias Aruna, Daida Venkanna alias Damodar, Dandre Ramesh alias Ranadheerand Bollepally Radhika. The surrendered Naxalites deposited four 8-mm rifles one Springfield and one .30 mm carbine weapons and 142 rounds of live ammunition. According to Superintendent of Police V. C. Sajjanar, the District Police had set up an exclusive cell to assist the surrendered cadre, help them apply for help from various state agencies, ensure bank loans and set up their own enterprises besides the financial reward being given by the Government.

November 26

A cadre belonging to the CPI-ML-Janashakti, identified as Kalyankar Nagaraju alias Ramesh, was killed in an encounter with the Police on the outskirts of Gollapalli and Nimmapalli villages under Konaraopeta mandal in the Karimnagar District. The killed extremist hailed from Kamareddy in the Nizamabad District.

Police recovered arms, including one .410 Muscat and one .22 bore rifle belonging to cadres of the CPI-Maoist, during combing operation at the centre of Railway Track of the Macherla-Nadikudi section in the Guntur District.

November 27

A teacher, identified as Korugattla Pagidiraju, was shot dead by three suspected cadres of the CPI-Maoist in the Eturunagaram mandal of Warangal District. The Maoists reportedly accused him of being a Police informer.

A huge cache of arms and ammunition belonging to the Maoists, including five claymore mines, 20 gelatine sticks, 10 electrical detonators, one camera flash hider, 10 batteries and several electrical switches and plugs, was recovered by the Police during a search operation at Puthikavalasa village in the Srikakulam District.

November 30

A trader, identified as Jamalapuri Ramashankar, was killed by CPI-Maoist cadres at Satyanarayanapuram village of Charla mandal in the Khammam District. According to sources, a group of armed Maoists entered his house and shot him dead in the presence of family members, branding him a Police informer.

All the six tribal youths including the sarpanch (chief) of the Pusuguppal gram panchayat (village level self-government institution) in the Khammam District, who were abducted by the CPI-Maoist were set free after being in captivity for more than 24 hours. They had been taken to the forests in Pamedu area in Chhattisgarh after their abduction on November 28.

A political activist of the Communist Party of India-Marxist, Domala Biksham of Edduguralla Pallai village, was abducted by Maoists who took him to Banda forests in Chhattisgarh and assaulted him. He was later let off after being warned to refrain from assisting the Police.

The Maoists partially destroyed the pipeline control unit of Gujarat Essar, a private steel manufacturing company, and took away its solar plates and batteries.

December 1

Two tribals, identified as Killo Sanu and Battula Rama Rao, were killed and their houses looted by around 30 armed cadres of the CPI-Maoist at Meduru village of Chintapalli mandal in the Visakhapatnam District. The Maoists had reportedly branded the tribals as Police informers. They also warned other tribals of serious consequences if they support the Police.

December 3

A Naxalite, identified as B. Badru alias Sanjeev of Govindaraopet mandal, belonging to the Praja Pratighatana faction of the CPI-ML was killed in an encounter with the Police in Gangaram forest area of Kothaguda mandal in Warangal District. A cache of arms including two 8 mm rifles, one Springfield rifle and one .30 carbine was recovered by the Police from the vehicle he was travelling in.

Two cadres of the CPI-Maoist, identified as K Indrasen and S Ravinder, were arrested by the Police during a routine vehicle checking at Huzurabad town in the Karimnagar District. Two bombs and some gelatin sticks were recovered from their possession. The duo had previously handed over extortion money of INR 590,000 to the Maoists and was also giving shelter to the Maoists.

December 6

Three CPI-Maoist commanders, wanted in different cases in Dantewada District of Chhattisgarh, were arrested by the Police at Dummugudem in Khammam dsitrict. The three were involved in a Maoist ambush that left 12 Policemen dead in Gollapalli Police station limits and attack on Police in Maraiguda Police station limits.

The Huzurabad circle Police arrested a cadre of CPI-Maoist identified as Gaddam Rajanarsu alias Raju (26) from his native Dandepalli village. He revealed to the Police that the Maoists were planning to conduct a major offence on the eve of general elections.

December 7

Around 100 children, in the age group of 10 to 18, fled to the neighbouring villages of Sileru, Koraput, Jaipore and Viskhapatnam as the CPI-Maoist is forcefully recruiting child soldiers in the areas adjacent to the Andhra Pradesh and Orissa border. The Maoists have specifically targeted Pappuluru, Kappatotti, Naguluru, Tarigetta, Chintagunnal, Kuntawada, Sanyasiguda, Nimmalapadu, Doraguda, Gassiguda and Allurukota villages located near G K Veedhi mandal for their recruitment drive. The CPI-Maoist's Malkangiri division in Orissa has also decided to fill up the vacant slots in the platoons and area committees as they are worried over the depleting cadre strength. The Maoists have threatened villagers and asked them to send a minimum of 10 children from each panchayat to join them. "If the parents ignore their call, the Maoists swoop on the villages in the night and take away kids,'' the report said.

December 8

15 CPI-Maoist cadres surrendered before the Police at Narsipatnam in the Visakhapatnam District. Among them were three dalam (squad) commanders, one dalam member and 11 militia members. The extremists are natives of Kothapalli, Peddrugondi, Boddalagondi, Atchampalli, Gillagondi and Kannerusilpa villages in the G.K. Veedhi mandal.

December 10

A CPI-ML commander belonging to the Janashakti faction of the Sircilla region in Karimnagar District, identified as Malyala Rajesh alias Johnson, surrendered before the S P, Y. Gangadhar, along with locally manufactured .32 and 8 mm revolvers and some live rounds. Gangadhar revealed that he was forced to join the extremist movement at the instigation of Janashakti State secretary Yadanna.

A weapons dump of the CPI-Maoist was unearthed by the Police during a search operation at Damaratogu forest of Gundala Police station in the Khammam District.

December 11

Police arrested two cadres of the CPI-Maoist, including militia commander Madivi Rammurthy and a cadre identified as Podiam Saraih, at Venkatapuram in the Khammam District. Both of them were accused in the murder of a political activist of the Communist Party of India-Marxist.

December 17

Police constable Abdul Karim was injured when a group of CPI-Maoist cadres hurled grenades at Mallecharvu Police station in the Nalgonda District. Police suspect that the Bellamkonda dalam members might have carried out the attack. Around 10 to 12 CPI-Maoist cadres attacked the Police Station and the adjoining residential quarters in Kodad mandal. However, the Maoists managed to escape when the Police personnel repulsed the attack.

December 18

A deputy commander of the CPI-ML (Janashakti), identified as Badavath Bhaskar alias Bharath, belonging to the Medak-Kamareddy area, was captured by the villagers and later handed over to the Domakonda Police in Nizamabad District. While two of his associates managed to escape, one revolver and five live bullets were recovered from his possession.

The State Government has asked the Police to try the 30 CPI-Maoist cadres, who were involved in the failed assassination attempt on former Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on October 1, 2003 at Alipur, under provisions of the Indian Penal Code and the Explosive Substances Act instead of the Prevention of Terrorism Act, which was repealed in 2004.

December 19

Seven left-wing extremists, including two women cadres of the CPI-Maoist and five cadres of the CPI-ML (Janashakti), surrendered before the Superintendent of Police Mahesh M. Bhagwat in the Khammam District. The CPI-Maoist cadres were identified as Vagaboina Anasurya alias Vasanta, wanted in connection with a killing in Chhattisgarh and Soyam Venkata Lakshmi alias Venkatamma alias Aruna, a member of the Kukunoor Local Organised Squad of the CPI-Maoist. The CPI-ML cadres were identified as Enumula Naresh alias Nagesh, Molkam Suresh, Uke Nirosha and Keesara Sammmaiah, Setti Vinoda alias Swapna.

The Khammam Police has reportedly launched a new programme titled 'Agyatham Nunchi Swescha' (freedom from the underground) aimed at bringing back left-wing extremists to the mainstream.

December 23

Two cadres belonging to the Janashakti faction of the CPI-ML, who fled from the scene when villagers caught hold the Party squad commander Bharath during their attack on a petrol station at the Domakonda mandal headquarter on December 18, were arrested by the Domakonda Police in Nizamabad District. The duo was identified as squad commander of Kamareddy, Chetyal Lakshmipathi, and squad member Naskal Ramesh.

December 28

The Praja Rajyam party inducted 250 former cadres of the CPI-Maoist as its grassroots-level cadres at Perecherla on the outskirts of Guntur city.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy has claimed that Maoist insurgency is contained in the State and has attributed this to the stable Government which has taken up several development and welfare programmes.

December 29

A suspected Madanna dalam cadre of the CPI-Maoist was killed while five others managed to escape during an encounter with Police in the forests of Charla in the Khammam District. SP Mahesh Bhagwat said the Maoist was carrying a claymore mine, a grenade and wire-bundle.

December 30

Six dumps of illegal arms and ammunition, including 312 kilograms of gelatine sticks, 30 detonators, 170 coupling bombs and 60 rounds of ammunition belonging to the CPI-Maoist and three arms hidden by the Praja Pratighatana faction of the CPI-ML, were recovered by the Warangal District Police. These arms and ammunition were recovered during a search operation in the Tadvai, Kothaguda and Chityal mandals and major recoveries were made at Velishala hills in Chityal and the Kothaguda forest. The Superintendent of Police, V.C. Sajjanar, said the Maoists were procuring gelatine sticks from Lalapur village in Uttar Pradesh, adding, "We would track down the transport and supplier network soon." Sajjanar said that there could be about 125 people from the District working for various left-wing extremist groups while about 15 were still operating in the forest areas of the District. He also said that during 2008, the District Police recovered arms and ammunition on a massive scale which include 26 rifles, 18 pistols, five revolvers, five tapanchas (locally made fire-arm) and one gun. The seizure included 2,170 rounds of ammunition, 383 kilograms of gelatine sticks, 217 bombs, 83 detonators, seven landmines, four grenades and one binocular.

The Karimnagar District Superintendent of Police, Y. Gangadhar, said the CPI-Maoist activities had considerably declined for the fourth consecutive year in Karimnagar due to the people friendly policies initiated by the Police. The extremists are reportedly on the run from the District to the neighbouring State of Chhattisgarh. In 2008, the extremists had killed four persons branding them as informers and damaged a bus and a private cellular phone tower in the Mahamutharam mandal. Three extremists were killed in encounters with the Police. The Police arrested 73 Maoists during the year, including the CPI-Maoist Chhattisgarh Muded area divisional committee member Velpula Rajesh Kumra alias Tirupati, and his wife and dalam member Ramadevi, and Janashakti central committee member Kura Devanna alias Amar. Around 15 extremists, including seven Maoists from Chhattisgarh region, had surrendered before the Police. In the first week of December, the Police had arrested some Maoists and thwarted their attempts to revive the party in the District. He also said Police had recovered 13 weapons including one Springfield rifle, two revolvers, four tapanchas, three pistols and one SLR and 150 live and empty rounds of ammunition of various weapons. The Police also recovered 27 soap bombs, six tiffin bombs, four clipping bombs during 2008.

December 31

A Penna Ahobilam dalam commander of the CPI-Maoist, identified as Pujari Peddanna alias Chalapati alias Adi, native of Venkatammanahalli village of Pavagada taluk in Karnataka and allegedly involved in several violent incidents including murders, robberies, attacks, was arrested by the Police in the Anantapur District. Peddanna was associated with Maoist activities for over a decade and went underground for the past two years. Towards the end of 2006, he developed differences with the party leadership. He was also trying to secure weapons through some sources at Pamidi and Garladinne mandals and attempting to re-organise the party in Uravakonda and Ramagiri areas.

Five left-wing extremists, including a cadre of the CPI-Maoist, and a senior cadre of Khammam and Warangal Districts belonging to the Godavari Loya sub-faction of the Praja Pratighatna faction of the CPI-ML surrendered before the DIG of Police (Warangal range), Ramlakshman, and Khammam Superintendent of Police, Mahesh M. Bhagwat. One of the surrendered extremists, identified as Made Krishna, laid down his weapons, including 8 mm rifle and 78 live ammunition, to the DIG.

A senior CRPF official of Southern Sector, P. Mallana Goud, said that training for the special anti-Naxal Force, COBRA, comprising ten battalions from the CRPF will begin by April of 2009 and it would be functional in one year's period. He said, "Persons (trainer of trainers) who have to train the forces are already trained with the help of local Greyhounds, an elite anti-Naxal force in Andhra Pradesh."

A Police official, Arvind Rao, said that the Maoist violence has touched the lowest ebb ever in Andhra Pradesh with 30 percent decline in extremist activities during 2008. Though the State's elite anti-Maoist force Greyhounds lost its 38 personnel in a major ambush by Maoists in neighbouring Orissa, the Andhra Pradesh Police managed to keep the Maoist activity in check through intensive combing operations. While 45 civilians were killed in Maoist violence in 2008 compared to 44 in 2007, the number of incidents has come down from 132 in 2007 to 94 in 2008. Rao also said 36 Maoists, including seven State committee members of the outlawed CPI-Maoist, and seven dalam commanders, were killed in 27 gun battles with the Police. He also said 392 extremists, including one State committee member and five dalam commanders, were arrested and 193 extremists and one central committee member had surrendered in 2008. Maoist violence reportedly saw a 42 percent decline in 2007. The Maoist movement has further weakened with the killing of several top leaders in gun battles with the Police during last couple of years. Police said the CPI-Maoist cadre strength has come down by nearly 50 percent, from 850 to approximately 400.

Date

Incidents

January 1

A Police constable, identified as Sunil Kumar, was killed and three others wounded when armed CPI-Maoist cadres attacked a Police outpost at Bansjore in the Simdega District. "Nearly 500 Maoist rebels surrounded the outpost and hurled petrol bombs before firing indiscriminately around midnight last night. Policemen retaliated and the gunfight lasted till three in the morning," said Sergeant Major J.K. Jha. Police have claimed some fatality on the Maoists side on the basis of bloodstains found at the encounter site. A civilian was also injured in the attack.

An explosion targeting the Simdega Superintendent of Police, D.B. Sharma, who was rushing with Police re-enforcement to the encounter site, and a brief exchange of fire between the Police and extremists occurred at Keriaghati. However, no casualty was reported in the incident.

January 3

A joint team comprising Police personnel of Palamau and Garwah Districts raided Obra village under Bishrampur Police station in the Palamau District and arrested five alleged CPI-Maoist supporters. Five guns were recovered from their possession.

The Garhwa District Superintendent of Police, Saket Singh, suspended a Police constable, identified as Mukesh Kumar Singh, on the charges of passing information to the Maoists. Police sources said that the conduct of Mukesh was under the scanner since he was posted with Majhiaon Police station. Recently, the Police found strong evidence showing his indulgence in passing vital information to the Maoists in the area.

A CPI-Maoist senior cadre, Ashok Yadav alias Ashokji, a resident of Arwal village in the Jehanabad District, was arrested by the Special Task Force personnel near Danua village in the Giridih District. Ashokji was wanted in 13 cases of murder, arms loot and ransom. A pistol, five live cartridges, two cell phones and a diary were recovered from his possession.

Police arrested Vineeta alias Simppi, the women wing 'area commander' of the CPI-Maoist, from Bardari village in the Garwah District. She was wanted in 22 murder cases and 37 cases of encounter with the Police. During her interrogation, Vineeta reportedly admitted that she was a part of the CPI-Maoist squad, which had planted a landmine which killed six Police personnel at Saro valley in the District on September 12, 2007 and looted 185 rifles from a Police barrack in Giridih on July 14, 2007.

Around 200 armed CPI-Maoist cadres raided Muktma village under Simaria Police station in the Chatra District and abducted three persons. Subsequently, two of the abducted persons were killed in a nearby forest area while the third one was released.

Jharkhand Police indicates that the CPI-Maoist unit in the state recently gave compensation to families of their cadres who died during the anti-Maoist operations by the Police. The families of some of the cadres killed in the Latehar and Chatra areas were the first beneficiaries of the scheme. Jharkhand Police spokesperson, R K Mallik, confirmed the introduction of compensation by Maoists. In some cases, the Maoists have also taken over the responsibility of school-going children of their dead cadres, he said.

Tritiya Prastuti Committee (TPC) cadres, splinter group of the CPI-Maoist, shot dead a civilian, identified as Revalal Yadav in the Latehar District. Police recovered the dead body from the Balumathon-Murpa road.

Three CPI-Maoist cadres, including a 'zonal commander' of the CPI-Maoist, Mahendra Karwa, were killed in a three hour gun battle with security forces in Chainpur hills of the Palamau District. The gunfight took place when patrolling Jharkhand Police and CRPF personnel spotted 10 Maoists on January 11-night. Two rifles, live cartridges and explosives were recovered from the slain cadres.

The Jharkhand Liberation Tigers (JLT) has ordered villagers not to sell or consume liquor. The JLT, which is active in the Ranchi, Khuti, Simdega and Gumla disricts of the state issued posters and pamphlets calling for a ban on the sale and consumption of 'Hadia' - a local brew made from rice and Mahua flower and such posters have been found in villages of Khuti and Simdega Districts. "If anyone is found selling or consuming Hadia, he will be suitably punished. The consumption of Hadia has destroyed many families. This will not be accepted", the posters read. The posters also directed the school teachers not to remain absent from the schools. "Teachers found absent during school hours will not be spared. JLT will not tolerate students returning to their homes because of absent teachers", the posters read.

Two CRPF personnel were killed and four others injured during an encounter with cadres of the CPI-Maoist in Giridih District. The encounter followed an ambush by the Maoists on a Police patrol in the Madhuban forest area and it reportedly continued for over 12 hours. Police sources claimed that over a dozen Maoists were killed, but their colleagues managed to take away the bodies. Maoists also triggered seven landmine blasts during the encounter.

The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) decided to despatch five companies of para-military forces (600 personnel) to Jharkhand to tackle the Maoist violence. The decision followed a meeting between the Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil with senior officials of Jharkhand. He also advised the State Government to use the para-military forces for operational purposes and not for normal law and order or static duties.

Seven CPI-Maoist cadres, including Vikash, an accused in the killing of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) Member of Parliament Sunil Mahto, were killed in an encounter with security forces at Phuljore in the East Singhbhum District. Deputy Inspector General of Police Manoj Mishra stated that two women cadres were among the slain Maoists. The encounter followed an exchange of fire between the Maoists and the Nagarik Suraksha Samiti (NSS), a vigilance organisation formed by villagers with support of the District Police, in which two Maoists were killed. When a joint team of the CRPF and local Police personnel rushed to the area to assist the NSS, an encounter took place with the Maoists in which five extremists were killed. Eight weapons and some live cartridges were recovered from the encounter site.

The CPI-Maoist called a 24-hour State-wide strike on February 21 against the killing of seven of its cadres on February 14.

Around 2500 cartridges were recovered by a joint team of the Bokaro District Police and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel from Jhumara hill under Gomia Police station limits. Bokaro District Superintendent of Police, Priya Dubey, told reporters that the Jhumara hills continue to remain a strong foothold of the Maoists in the State.

The Bokaro District Police and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel recovered a huge cache of arms and ammunition from Mangra Togri forest of the Jhumra hillocks in the Bokaro District. The arms and ammunition recovered included, three rifles, 12 kilograms of explosives, 135 detonators, eight hand grenades, nine improvised explosive device (IED) electronic circuits, two battery circuits, two wireless sets, VHF set, two walkie-talkies, a map of united Bihar, dozens of Police and military jerseys and Maoist literature.

Two cadres of the CPI-Maoist, including a self-styled 'zonal commander', were killed by the security forces at Dhenkua in the Garwah District.

A 'sub-zonal commander' of the CPI-Maoist was killed in an encounter with the Police while another 'sub-zonal 'commander' of the outfit was arrested at Madanpur village in the Palamau District. The incident occurred after the Maoists opened fire on a Police patrolling party.

The CPI-Maoist cadres attacked three strategic positions of the Jharkhand Police - Netarhat Police station, Special Task Force camp at Vivah Mandap and Jharkhand Armed Police camp - in the Netarhat forest area of Latehar District. However, no loss of life or injury was reported. "No one sustained injury in the incident as the rebels fled under the cover of darkness," Police spokesperson R.K. Mallick said. "Around 500 rebels attacked to loot arms and ammunition," an unnamed Police officer said. "While the rebels fired 800 rounds on the camps, we fired 500 rounds on them in the two-hour face-off," said another Police official at Netarhat.

In a joint operation, the Bokaro District Police and CRPF personnel recovered a cache of arms and ammunition hidden in the Jhumda hill near Simrabera. The seizure included three bombs, two grenades, three automatic guns, 100 rounds of ammunition and three kilograms of explosives.

Police destroyed large amounts of poppy cultivation allegedly grown by the CPI-Maoist in the Ghaghra area of Gumla District. "It cannot be said very clearly, but of late, cases of opium farming have come from the militancy-hit areas. It cannot be denied that it is the rebels who benefit from opium plantations," said Vinod Kumar, Station House Officer in Ghaghra-Gumla station.

Police recovered around 22 kilograms of explosives and 11 live cartridges of 315 bore, seven detonators, two flash guns, one rifle and Maoist literature from Kumrahi forest area during an anti-Maoist operation in the Latehar District. The Director General of Police V. D. Ram confirming the recovery said, "We have recovered explosives and arms and ammunitions besides Maoist literatures while carrying out Operation Guard under Manika Police Station in Latehar."

The CPI-Maoist cadres attacked three Jharkhand Armed Police (JAP) personnel using chilly powder at Chowka under Chandil Police station jurisdiction in the Seraikela-Kharsawan District and snatched two INSAS and one self-loading rifle from them. The extremists then reportedly fled into the forests in Dinai hills near Urmal, about five kilometers from Chowka Police station, where an exchange of fire between the Police and extremists was reported.

Manoj Tiwari, a trooper of the Special Task Force (STF), was killed in an encounter with JLT cadres at Karra in the Khunti District. The STF was conducting an operation against the JLT in the Bilsiring forests when Tiwari suffered bullet wounds and later succumbed to his injuries. Police claimed that a JLT cadre too was killed during the operation, but his body could not be recovered.

A woman leader and 12 of her accomplices belonging to the JLT were arrested at Saldaga village in the Simdega District. District Superintendent of Police Deo Behari Sharma said that the woman, identified as Radha Devi, and her accomplices were active in the Khunti and Simdega Districts. They were hiding at the Saldega village after committing a murder at Kairbera village.

Extremists of the Jharkhand Prastuti Committee (JPC), a breakaway group of the CPI-Maoist, who had called a State-wide bandh against alleged Police atrocities, set ablaze seven trucks at Demotand and Bendi in the Hazaribagh District. They also opened fire at several buses and trucks near Demotand on the National Highway-33.

Joint teams of the Jharkhand Police and the CRPF personnel in an encounter killed eight CPI-Maoist cadres, including a woman and a 'sub zonal commander' of the outfit, at Bandu village under Ranka Police Station in the Garhwa District. The Director General of Police (DGP), V. D. Ram, told, "We had received a tip off about the movement of Maoists. One SLR, four 303 rifles, three 315 rifles, one sten-gun, one DBBL gun, one country made revolver and large number of live cartridges besides naxal literatures and belongings of the Maoists were recovered." Of the eight slain Maoists, one was identified as Basant Yadav, a 'sub-zonal commander', while two others are suspected to be Rajesh Paswan and Lallan Thakur, both 'area commanders'.

Security Forces also recovered 80 landmines planted on a 1.5-2 kilometre stretch of road in the forest area between DTPS and Nawadih Police stations in Bokaro during a subsequent operation. The DGP said the recovery of landmines was the biggest in Jharkhand.

CPI-Maoist cadres killed four civilians at Poradih-Chenpur village in the Khunti District. Dead bodies of the victims whose throats were slit were recovered on April 2. A hand-written note left behind by the Maoists claimed the four persons were being 'punished' for indulging in robbery. The Maoists also claimed to have taken away a hand-made pistol and three motorbikes from the slain villagers.

13 security force personnel and a two-and-a-half-year-old girl were injured in a landmine blast triggered by suspected Maoists in the Banasu village in the Hazaribagh District. The SF personnel were conducting a joint patrolling in the area, about 35-kilometres from the District headquarters.

Six TPC cadres, including 'area commander' Surendra Ganju, were arrested in the Ramgarh District. A special Police team led by Superintendent of Police Amol Homkar, intercepted a car carrying the extremists near Topa area. Two locally-made revolvers, cartridges, two knives and an unspecified number of cellular phones were recovered from their possession.

Ranchi Police arrested a suspected CPI-Maoist cadre, Jeetan Marandi, from the from Sukhdeonagar locality in the Ranchi city. The arrested Maoist is suspected to have led an attack in October 2007 that led to the killing of 19 people, including the son of former Jharkhand Chief Minister Babulal Marandi.

Nine persons were killed and two others injured when the CPI-Maoist cadres fired on a vehicle and subsequently set it ablaze in the Semra forest area under Palkot Police station of Gumla District. Among the victims were Bhado Singh, a member of Shanti Sena (Peace Force), a Police backed resistance force, and his family members. Singh and his family members were proceeding to Palkot from Bhagina village.

A group of five CPI-Maoist cadres killed the brother of a civil contractor at Bamnatora village in the East Singhbhum District. The contractor, Bholanath Mohanty, was not present at the site of an under-construction check-dam when the Maoists were looking for him. Not finding him, Maoists killed his brother, Sashinath, who was supervising the construction work.

The CPI-Maoist cadres blew up a two-metre stretch of railway track between Hazaribagh Road and Parasnath railway stations in the Giridih District. The blast affected rail traffic in the Grand Chord section of Jharkhand, the main line that connects eastern and northern India.

Two civilians were killed as CPI-Maoist cadres opened fire on moving trucks at Karamdih under Chandil Police station in the Saraikela-Kharswan District. The outfit had called for a 24-hour general strike in Jharkhand, Orissa and West Bengal in protest against price rise. Superintendent of Police Laxman Prasad Singh said that a group of 15 Maoists fired at the trucks plying on the Tata-Ranchi highway killing two persons aboard two separate trucks. Another truck fell into a roadside ditch after its driver, in an attempt to escape the gunfire, lost control over the vehicle. The Maoists subsequently set ablaze the truck.

11 persons engaged by a private contractor for construction work in the Koderma-Hazaribagh railway line were assaulted by the JLT cadres at Mahagona in the Hazaribagh District. The JLT cadres also destroyed the construction material and set fire to the compressor machine and road rollers.

Three Policemen and two CPI-Maoist cadres were killed in an encounter in Dumka.

Two Maoists were arrested during a combing operation near Parasnath in the Giridih District. A landmine and some detonators were recovered from the Maoists, identified as Manoj Chaudhary and H. Singh. The duo was involved in several extremist activities, including looting of Police weapons in Madhupur.

Five CPI-Maoist cadres were killed during an encounter with the security forces near the Dilwa railway station. Police sources said that a group of 100 Maoists were planning to blow up the nearby Koderma railway station when the SFs intervened, leading to the encounter. The SF personnel recovered an unspecified number of rifles and cartridges from the incident site.

A group of armed CPI-Maoist cadres killed a civilian in the Dolh Gaon village of the Garwah District branding him a Police informer.

A group of Maoists set ablaze five houses in the Nathpur village of Gumla District. The Superintendent of Police, Baljeet Singh, said that the Maoist action followed after the villagers allegedly continued to give shelter to one Manoj Yadav, who snapped links with the CPI-Maoist to join the JLT a month ago. Household articles of four of the five houses were destroyed in the fire.

CPI-Maoist cadres triggered an explosion damaging an under-construction Government building at Madhuban in the Giridih District. A group of 20 Maoists reportedly reached the vacant building site and packed it with explosives before triggering the blast. In February 2007, the same building being built for the tourists by the Government had been destroyed by the militants.

Seven claymore mines and three landmines were recovered during a search operation launched jointly by the Police and Central Reserve Police Force at Sarju Ghati under Garu Police station in the Latehar District.

A wireless supervisor of the Police was killed and three other Police personnel were wounded in an attack by the CPI-Maoist cadres at Holong Ghati near Hazaribagh. The Hazaribagh District Superintendent of Police told that a vehicle carrying five Police personnel from Giridih was attacked by a group of 50 Maoists, who opened fire and lobbed explosives targeting the vehicle, thus, killing the Police wireless officer Oliver Purti. Later, the Maoists blocked the Hazaribagh-Dhanbad road via Bishnugarh and Bagodar on National Highway (NH) No. 100 resulting in a traffic jam for six hours on the route.

Bokaro Superintendent of Police (SP) Priya Dubey survived a Maoist bomb attack on her convoy while on a midnight anti-Maoist mission. The SP's convoy was ambushed while going to a village bordering Vishnugarh in the Hazaribagh District where the Maoists had taken shelter for the past few days. No injury was reported among the Police personnel.

The officer in charge of Charhi Police station and a CRPF trooper were killed and three security force personnel were injured during an encounter with the CPI-Maoist cadres in the Dahudaag forest area of Charhi of Hazaribag District. A mortar fired by the SFs hit a house in a nearby village injuring a seven-year-old girl and four other villagers.

Police arrested a senior CPI-Maoist leader Pramod Mishra from Dhanbad. The arrested Maoist is a member of the outfit's Politburo.

Three women CPI-Maoist cadres were arrested following an encounter in the Chatra District. The Superintendent of Police, Akhilesh Kumar Jha, said that a 'firing squad' of the CPI-Maoist confronted security forces at Gheighat village in the Chatra District and both sides exchanged fire for half an hour. He also said, "some Maoists fled the area following the strong retaliatory action, but three women extremists of the firing squad were overpowered and apprehended along with two rifles, 42 bullets and INR 10,000 in cash."

A Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, identified as Mahadeo Sahu, President of Senah block (administrative division), was killed by the CPI-Maoist cadres in the Lohardagga District. The BJP leader was abducted by the Maoists along with and two others on May 16-night. While the Maoists released the other two, they killed Sahu and left pamphlets at the spot alleging that he was a Police informer.

A huge cache of ammunition suspected to belong to the left-wing extremists, including 25 detonators, 17 electronic detonators, two hand grenades, cartridges of .303 rifle ignition sets, dozens of charger clips and safety fuses, wires and other equipment, were recovered from Suarkatwa on the Jhumra hills in the Bokaro District. A source of the Central Reserve Police Force which participated in the raid along with the Bokaro District Police said that a stove, foreign literature on how to attack military camps, Police and military uniforms, were also found. The extremists were reported to have held a high-level meeting in the area on May 15 and 16 following the arrest of senior leader Pramod Mishra.

The CPI-Maoist cadres shot dead three persons and injured another at Kotam village in the Gumla District. The Superintendent of Police Baljit said that among the dead were two brothers, identified as Nijamul Ansari and Ajmul Ansari. A group of six Maoists opened fire on a shop owned by the brothers killing them and a customer Mahesh Mahto. Police suspect extortion could be the motive behind the attack.

Suspected Maoists looted a currency van of the ICICI bank carrying INR 50 million and one kilogram of gold near Tamar area in the capital Ranchi on May 21. The currency was being transferred from the Jamshedpur branch of the bank to Ranchi. Police said that the bank had not informed the Police about its currency movement and no security was provided.

Ramashankar Mahto, a resident of Gorga village in the Dhanbad District was hacked to death by the Maoists.

Cadres of CPI-Maoist killed a Nagarik Suraksha Samity (NSS) activist, Sushen Murmu, at Mucchrisole village in the Ghatshila sub-division of Jamshedpur District. Reports said that at around 2am (IST), about 70 Maoists came to Muchhrisole village and raided Murmu's house taking hostage his father as he was sleeping outside. Subsequently, they entered the house and dragged the 26-year-old youth to an open field and slit his throat.

Suspected CPI-Maoist cadres triggered a bomb blast near Tamar on the National Highway No. 33 between Ranchi and Jamshedpur in an abortive attempt to booby-trap Police personnel patrolling the highway. No one was injured in the incident. Police personnel subsequently recovered and defused another explosive device in the area.

Four CPI-Maoist cadres, including a 'sub-zonal commander' and a woman extremist, were killed in an encounter with the Police at Sundermahto village in the Hazaribag District. A tip off by an arrested Maoist, identified as Arjun Yadav, reportedly led to the encounter in which three Maoists and the former were killed. Police sources said that Arjun was killed while trying to escape. Police recovered two guns, one pistol and a landmine weighing 30-kilograms were recovered from the possession of the slain Maoists.

CPI-Maoist cadres killed three villagers near the capital Ranchi for allegedly collecting money in the name of the outfit. Police said the three people were abducted from Parasi village in Tamar block, around 70 kilometres from Ranchi, on June 1 and their bodies were recovered the next day from the forest area of Tamar. Pamphlets left near the bodies said, "Anyone who will extort money in the name of our organization will meet the same fate."

Three CPI-Maoist cadres were killed during an encounter with the security forces near Bhopadih village in the Chatra District. The slain Maoists include Ganesh Ganju, a 'sub-zonal commander' of the outfit. Police also arrested two Maoists. The encounter occurred when the Police personnel carried out a raid in the village after receiving information of a Maoist meeting there. The Maoists retaliated with gun fire when the SFs asked them to surrender. One carbine, one pistol, explosives and Maoist literature were recovered from the encounter site.

Police in the East Singhbhum District confirmed the arrest of the veteran cadre of the CPI-Maoist Tireng Kedia alias Mahabir. Mahabir, hailing from Chakaduba village in East Midnapore District of West Bengal, was arrested from Kuiani village under Patamda Police station along with a country-made pistol and 16 live cartridges from him. East Singhbhum superintendent of Police Naveen Kumar Singh said Mahabir was a member of the Dalma zonal committee of CPI-Maoist and used to operate in areas such as Nimdih, Patamda, Dalma and Chandil.

The 12-hour general strike call given by the CPI-Maoist in the Districts bordering West Bengal passed off peacefully. The call evoked partial response in Maoist-affected areas of East Singhbhum and Seraikela-Kharsawan Districts. Long distance buses did not ply, trucks and trailers remained off the National Highway no. 33. Petrol pumps and other business establishments in Ghatshila remained closed.

CPI-Maoist cadres blew up a portion of a road bridge near Tundi between Dhanbad and Giridih, in the Dhanbad District. Maoists had called for a 24-hour general strike in the North Chottanagpur area in the State in protest against the killing of four of their activists in Hazaribagh last month. The general strike call reportedly evoked no response in Hazaribagh, Giridih and Koderma Districts.

Eight wagons of a goods train were derailed and four severely damaged as People's Liberation Front of India (PLFI) extremists blew up about five feet of railway tracks between two small stations, Pokla and Bakaspur in the Ranchi division of Jharkhand. The PLFI had earlier called for a 12-hour general strike in the area to protect against price rise, corruption and alleged Police atrocities on extremists, the impact of which was most noticeable in Gumla, Simdega, Lohardaga, Chatra and Khunti Districts. Long-distance busses remained off the roads and markets were closed in these Districts. State Police spokesperson and deputy inspector-general of Police Raj Kumar Mallik said that the PLFI had only a marginal presence in some parts of the state and had joined hands with the Jharkhand Liberation Tigers to gain strength.

Two persons, identified as Pankaj Singh alias Pintu and Bhuvaneshwar Ganjhu, were taken hostage and subsequently killed in an attack by around 70 CPI-Maoist on a school classroom, a cluster resource centre and four rooms of a Jain dharamsala at Vashisth Nagar in the Chatra District. The Maoists also left pamphlets on the spot labelling the victims as Police informers and warning others of similar consequences. The dharamsala's caretaker, Nemichand Jain, was also assaulted.

Ranchi Police arrested three JLT cadres and also recovered four rifles, one revolver and 300 live cartridges from them.

The Jharkhand Police arrested five CPI-Maoist cadres from the Districts of Ranchi and Palamau. Four members of Maoists were arrested from Parastoli area of Ranchi District. "We have arrested four Maoist rebels on a tip off. The arrested rebels were involved in spreading of the organization in the city and rural areas of the state," M.S. Bhatia, Senior Superintendent of Police of Ranchi, told. The Police also seized three revolvers, three mobile phones, Maoist literature and INR 50,000 in cash from the arrestees. One more Maoist was arrested from Manatu block of Palamau District with INR 170,000 allegedly extorted from a contractor.

A Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) and four constables were killed in a landmine blast triggered by suspected CPI-Maoist cadres at Pundigiri village in the Bundu area, 50-kilometres from State capital Ranchi. While the DSP and two constables were killed on the spot, two others succumbed to injuries when they were being shifted to the hospital. Another critically injured Police personnel was admitted to the hospital. The Police personnel were returning to the headquarters after conducting raids in the Bundu area. Jharkhand Police Deputy Inspector General (DIG) RK Mallik said, "The Maoists had planted a landmine on the return route of the Police party and set it off when the vehicle passed through that point."

Maoists blocked the Hazaribag-Bagodar NH-100 for three hours asking drivers and shop keepers to support the shutdown.

CPI-Maoist opened fire on a truck at Topchanchi in the Dhanbad District injuring the driver. Dhanbad Superintendent of Police Sheetal Oraon said that the Maoists also fired on another truck carrying livestock in the same area resulting in its engine catching fire. The driver and the livestock were unharmed.

Passenger trains on the Barkakana-Garwah road route under Dhanbad division were cancelled as a precautionary measure keeping in view the country-wide general strike call given by the Maoists. Goods train on the route were running with Police escort, the sources added. The strike call evoked partial response in the Maoist-pockets of Hazaribag, Chatra, Lohardaga, Gumla, Simdega, Palamau and Latehar Districts.

Police arrested CPI-Maoist 'zonal commander' Manoj Nagesia with his six associates at Gumla and recovered 100 detonators, two can bombs, two rifles, SLR and ammunition. Police sources said Nagesia is associated with more than 35 cases of loot and robbery registered at Gumla and Simdega Districts.

An exchange of fire between the Maoists and Police personnel was reported from at Muchadih in Giridih District. Maoists blew up a community building at Pipra village in the Palamau District. No one was injured in the incident.

An extremist belonging to the PLFI was killed and three persons, including a CRPF inspector, were injured in an encounter between security force personnel and PLFI cadres at an unspecified village in the Khunti District. Two more PLFI cadres were arrested. The extremists had converged at the village when the SF personnel carried out the raid, leading ton an encounter that witnessed exchange of 300 rounds of ammunition. Two 9mm pistols, two rifles, an explosive object and several rounds of ammunition were recovered from the encounter site.

CPI-Maoist cadres killed two persons in the Latehar District branding them as Police informers. According to the Police, both people were abducted on July 5 night from a nearby village and were shot dead near Demo railway station. In a pamphlet left near the bodies, the CPI-Maoist owned responsibility for the killing.

CPI-Maoist cadres shot dead a MLA belonging to the Janata Dal-United, Ramesh Singh Munda, along with his two bodyguards and a teenaged boy at the sub-divisional town of Bundu in the Ranchi District. The MLA was distributing prizes to students at the S. S. College when the incident occurred. Maoists, numbering around 12, first killed one of the three security guards, Shiv Nath Minj, outside the hall where the ceremony was under way. They then barged in and fired bullets killing Munda and his other bodyguard Khurshid Alam. A student was caught in the firing and died after being hit by a bullet. Munda's third bodyguard, Shesh Nath Singh, who survived, said that the entire attack was over within 10 minutes.

Five CPI-Maoist cadres, including two hardcore extremists, were arrested from the Hazaribagh bus stand following a tip off. The arrested cadres include Nageshwar Dangi and Ramu Yadav, who were suffering from 'brain malaria' and were going to the capital Ranchi for treatment.

The CPI-Maoist claimed responsibility for killing the former minister and JD-U legislator Ramesh Singh Munda at Bundu. A press statement by the outfit said the legislator was "deceiving the people of the state and has been punished." The outfit also apologised to the family of the student who was killed during the attack on Munda.

Jharkhand Police arrested two left-wing extremists from Panchdhara Road connecting Ranchi and Khuti in the Khuti District. Three pistols and live cartridges were seized from their possession. One of them was identified as Robin Purty, a former area commander and founder member of the Jharkhand Liberation Front, a break-away group of the CPI-Maoist.

Three hardcore Maoists, including two women cadres, were killed in an encounter that ensued after security force personnel raided the Tilaya forest area under Vishnugarh Police station in the Hazaribagh District. The slain insurgents were identified as a 'zonal commander' Niranjan Da alias Chandru Manjhi and two women cadres Anita alias Vinita and Mamta. Hazaribagh District Superintendent of Police Praveen Kumar Singh said that some injured extremists managed to escape from the incident site. The SFs also recovered one self-loading rifle, two regular rifles (303) both looted from Police, 150 rounds of ammunition which included live cartridges for 303 rifles, a large quantity of Maoist literatures, diaries containing the names and amount of levies realised, names of newly recruited members along with receipt books and one Motorola brand walkie-talkie and other materials from the spot. Approximately 100 Maoists had reportedly assembled at Tilaya forest area near Narki village to celebrate their 'martyr week' along with Niranjan Da and dozens of women cadres.

Suspected CPI-Maoist cadres blew up the block office building at Dandai in Garwah District. Police sources said that a group of Maoists assembled near the vacated building and blasted it with explosives. The extent of the damage to the building however, is not yet known due to the remote location of the office.

Two security force personnel belonging to the CRPF were killed during an encounter with the CPI-Maoist in Laxmantola in the Giridih District. The Maoists who had called for a 24-hour bandh in the Chhotanagpur area fired at a Police patrolling team. In the ensuing encounter that lasted over two hours, two SF personnel were killed. There was no casualty on the Maoist side. The bandh had been called in the Chhotanagpur region by the Maoists in protest against the killing of three Maoists during an encounter in Hazaribag District.

A 40-member team of the CRPF and East Singhbhum District Police neutralised a Maoist camp at Kia Jharna area. Two revolvers, one pistol, two can bombs, a Chinese walkie-talkie and detailed blueprint of training of the firing squad were recovered from the camp located on a hilly terrain on the Jharkhand-Bengal border.

The Jharkhand Police along with their counterparts in Delhi arrested a CPI-Maoist leader from his hideout in the national capital New Delhi. The arrested leader, identified as Alokji, is one of the founder members of left-wing extremism movement in eastern Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand. Police sources said that the Maoist leader was taking shelter at the residence of an acquaintance when he was arrested in a joint operation of the Jharkhand and Delhi Police. Alokji is believed to be behind the planning and execution of the Jehanabad jailbreak in Bihar and the Giridih arms loot in Jharkhand.

One Jharkhand Armed Police (JAP) trooper was killed and a sub-inspector injured when suspected CPI-Maoist cadres fired at them at Chak in the Palamu District. According to the report, three motorcycle-borne Maoists fired from AK-47 rifles and nine mm pistol at a group of six JAP personnel, including sub-inspector Sunil Chetri killing Ramesh Chetri, hailing from Padma in Nepal.

Maoists blew up a petrol pump building and set fire to four vehicles in Chatrapur Police station of Palamau District. Police sources said that a group of 20 to 25 Maoists surrounded the petrol pump, evacuated the building, blasted it and damaged the fuel refilling machines. The Maoist rebels then burnt four vehicles parked near the petrol pump. They also set a crusher machine on fire.

Two CPI-Maoist cadres were killed in an encounter with the Police in the Batuka forest area under Keradari Police station of Hazaribag District. Hazaribag Superintendent of Police Praveen Kumar Singh told, "While one body of a Maoist was found, the other one was taken away by the Maoists after the encounter late last night". Police sources said that the Maoists had called for a general strike in Jharkhand on that day. The Maoist group was being led by Maoist zonal commander, Krishna Yadav when the encounter occurred. A self-loading rifle, one .303 rifle, some ammunition and INR 171000 were recovered from the encounter site.

A CPI-Maoist cadre was killed in an encounter with the Police in a forest close to Matiari village under Bero Police station of the Ranchi District. The slain extremist, Charku Oroan, worked under the outfit's sub-zonal commander Uday Oraon. The Inspector General of Police, S.N. Pradhan, said the Police seized a carbine, a rifle, a pistol, a can bomb, magazines, 23 live cartridges and Maoist literature from the encounter site.

12 Police personnel were killed when the vehicle they were travelling in was blown up in a landmine blast in the East Singhbhum District. Deputy Superintendent of Police Madhusudan Bari told that the Policemen led by sub-inspector Ravi Kant, in-charge of the Digha Police picket, were on a long range patrol when the landmine planted by suspected CPI-Maoist cadres exploded near Burudih dam. All the 12 occupants of the vehicle died on the spot.

The Jharkhand Police, which launched a combing operation few hours within the attack arrested a Maoist, identified as Karan Singh Sardar, from an area near Chaliama picket under the Nimdih Police station in Saraikela-Kharsawan District.

Jharkhand Chief Minister Shibu Soren invited the CPI-Maoist for talks. Speaking to the press, after paying homage to 11 Policemen killed in a landmine blast triggered by Maoists in East Singhbhum District on August 30, the Chief Minister said, "I want an end to the bloodbath and the government is ready for talks. If the Maoists have any grievance against the system they should come forward for talks. The government will talk with them even if they want to come via any agency of their choice."

IANS reports that the CPI-Maoist for the past 15 days have imposed an economic blockade in Chak village of Palamau District of Jharkhand as an act of opposition to the setting up of a Police picket in the hamlet. After the establishment of the picket, Maoists put up posters across the village, ordering the people to shut their shops till the time the Police picket is not removed from the village. Maoists have also warned nearby villages against having any dealing with the people of Chak village. Closure of the shops has affected life in the village adversely.

Jharkhand Police claimed that the CPI-Maoist cadres are being trained in guerrilla and jungle warfare by former Army personnel. Following the arrest of hardcore Maoist sub-zonal 'commander' Shankar Bhuiyan alias Sanjay Ram, at Latehar on August 28, Police recovered a training manual of Maoists. The 200-page book divided into two sections contained minute details of planning and assault strategy in different terrains. Jharkhand Police spokesperson S. N. Pradhan said, "After going through the books and documents it can be said with certainty that experts having years of experience in military warfare are training the rebel cadre. Because no one can make such a meticulous training programme."

70 kilograms of explosive powder, 1,994 detonators and 10,100 metres of fuse wire were recovered and four persons arrested from the Ranchi District. Senior Superintendent of Police, M.S. Bhatia, told journalists that two persons were arrested at Lapung, 24 km from State capital Ranchi on September 6 and two others were arrested on September 7 on the basis of information provided by the duo during interrogation. The arrested persons were identified as Mohammad Salim, Tanvir Khan, Shamim and Anup Kumar. While Kumar and Shamim hailed from Ranchi town, the other two belonged to Lapung. Police sources said the explosives were smuggled from the coal mines and were possibly meant to be supplied to the Maoist group, the Jharkhand Liberation Tigers.

Five cadres of the JLT a breakaway group of the CPI-Maoist were arrested in the Ranchi District. Senior Superintendent of Police (Ranchi) M.S. Bhatia said, "The JLT members were arrested by a special team constituted to keep a tab on the activities of the rebel group." Two locally-made pistols, five live cartridges, three mobile phones, two motorbikes and Maoist literature were recovered from the arrested cadres. "This is a big success for the Police. The arrests have damaged the JLT's network in the state," Bhatia added.

Three cadres of the CPI-Maoist were killed in an encounter near Ghamapahari in the Chatra District. The 90-minute encounter occurred after a special task force of Police and CRPF personnel carried out a raid on a tip off about a Maoist gathering. Superintendent of Police, Hazaribagh, Praveen Kumar Singh said while the body of Jeetendra, believed to be the section commander of the action squad of Maoists has been recovered, Maoists managed to escape with bodies of two of their colleagues. An SLR and a .303 rifle, both looted from the Police armoury earlier were recovered from the encounter site. Other recovered items include ten bags, 450 live cartridges, four electronic detonators, INR 19,000, posters in Hindi and jewelleries.

Two hardcore activists of Jharkhand Prastuti Committee, a breakaway group of the CPI-Maoist were arrested in Hazaribagh. Deputy Superintendent of Police (Headquarters) Hazaribagh, Naushad Alam said Binod Mahto alias Deepak of Simaria in Chatra District and Sandeep Paswan of Keredari of Hazaribagh District were arrested following a raid on their hideouts. Both extremists are accused of kidnapping traders and construction company staff for exacting money. They are also accused of bomb attack in the Court Hazat in the District and sessions judge, Chatra on September 12 in which one criminal managed to escape and 14 persons including three Police and 12 under-trial prisoners were injured.

Suspected CPI-Maoist cadres blew up a school building in the Palamau District. Police sources said that a group of 20 to 30 Maoists surrounded a middle school in the Manatu block, around 190 kilometres from State capital Ranchi and blasted the building using detonators. No person has been injured in the blast. The school building was used by the security force personnel while launching combing operations against the Maoists.

Media reports indicated that the Jharkhand Police reportedly have drawn up a list of 60 hardcore Maoist extremists, of the rank of zonal commander, sub zonal commander, area commander and others, against whom an overall cash reward of INR 15 million will be announced soon. The list has been sent to the State home department for clearance. An unidentified source in the State Police department said, "The cash reward varies between INR 150,000 to INR 500,000 depending on the rank of the Maoist rebel."

CPI-Maoist blew up the control room of a mobile phone tower in Palamau District. Police sources said that a group of 20-30 Maoists surrounded the control room of the mobile operator Reliance India and asked the employees to vacate it. Subsequently, detonators were used to blast the control room. They also set a generator on fire.

Two persons, including a TPC commander were killed by suspected CPI-Maoist cadres at Kundu village in the Chatra District, 280 kilometres from state capital Patna. The Maoists struck around 3am when a cultural event was in progress at the village, a kilometre away from the Kundu Police station. The TPC activist, identified as Nilesh alias Kariman Ganju, was watching the event when about 50 suspected Maoists stormed the venue and shot him dead. The other person killed has been identified as Deolal.

A group of CPI-Maoist cadres carried out a raid on the Mahadevsaal railway station in the West Singhbhum District, assaulting its assistant station master and disrupting train services on the Rourkela-Chakradharpur section. Maoists numbering 12, dragged the assistant station master Y.C. Sawaiya out of his cabin along with a porter and assaulted him with iron rods. The official is undergoing treatment with serious head injuries. The Maoists left the spot when they saw a train approaching the station.

Rajendra Singh Kharwar, a Maoist zonal commander, was arrested from Udaypur village under Ranka block in the Garhwa District. A huge amount of explosives, apart from three rifles and three guns, were recovered from him. Garhwa superintendent of Police Saket Kumar Singh said Rajendra was wanted in several cases of murder and Maoist attacks in the area.

Jharkhand Police arrested four CPI-Maoist cadres from Parasnath hills of Giridih District, around 290 km from state capital Ranchi. A cache of arms, hidden in a water tank, was recovered subsequent to the arrest. The cache included two land mines, one bag full of detonators, five quintals of gelatin sticks, 25 live cartridges, 50 bundles of fuse wires and two rifles. The combing operation had been launched on October 11.

The Giridih District Police and para-military CRPF personnel seized huge quantities of explosives from the Parasnath hills. The recoveries include 50 bundles of Codex wire, 5,450 detonators and 750 quintals gelatine on the basis of information from two of the Maoists, Manir Ansari and Badruddin Ansari, arrested on October 14 from the same area. Pirtand officer-in-charge H.E. Siddiqui said, "Codex wire has been recovered for the first time in Jharkhand. It is a lethal explosive because it cannot be spotted by a metal detector and can cause a blast even inside water." "Only a knot in the wire can make it work like a bomb, only a single knot could cause a blast up to of 720 metres and could blow up a vehicle 20-feet high. So far, these explosive have been used only by forces in wars," he added.

Jharkhand Prastuti Committee cadres abducted four railway employees from McCluskieganj railway station under the Dhanbad railway division. The abducted employees include station master S.K. Singh, two deputy station masters and the guard of a goods train. S.N. Pradhan, spokesperson of Jharkhand Police said, "Police have launched an operation to search for the abducted railway employees.

CPI-Maoist cadres shot dead two persons at Bundu of Ranchi District. This was the third Maoist-sponsored incident in Bundu, claiming four lives within the past four days.

A CPI-Maoist cadre was killed in a gunfight between the outfit and cadres of its breakaway group, the TPC near Baruda village.

A para-military trooper of the CRPF was killed and two more were injured in an exchange of fire between the CRPF personnel and the CPI-Maoist cadres in Chatra District. The incident took place when a vehicle carrying the CRPF personnel on a LRP near Bora Sarif village was ambushed by the Maoists. The exchange of fire between the CRPF personnel and the Maoists lasted for over two hours.

About 20 suspected Maoists set afire the house of a local RJD leader and assaulted 12 civilians in the Latehar District on October 18 night. RJD leader Suresh Yadav, and his family members were not present in the house during the raid. Maoists also set a four-wheeler on fire before retreating.

The CPI-Maoist, in order to resurrect their image as social reformers, has started anti-liquor campaign at Chandil in Seraikela-Kharsawan District and Tamar-Bundu region of Ranchi. Anti-liquor consumption posters have been pasted by the cadres of the outfit with the tag of CPI-Maoist on them. Ranchi DIG Narendra Prasad Singh confirmed the poster campaign was started by the Maoists in Bundu, Tamar and Chandil. He said.

"This was a new ploy of the rebels to influence the common masses."

At least two CPI-Maoist cadres were injured in an encounter with the Police in the Ghatshila sub-division of East Singhbhum District, about 70km from state capital Ranchi. The encounter occurred an ambush attempt by a group of 30 Maoists targeting a team of Jharkhand Armed Police, the Special Task Force and the para-military CRPF who were carrying out an anti-insurgency operation in the Bonadungri forest of Ghurabandha area. Subsequent to an hour long encounter, which began around 7.30 am, empty rifle cartridges and two haversacks containing dry food, medicines and clothes were recovered. "Since we found two haversacks, we suspect two of the rebels were injured. The others helped them flee," Police officials said.

The Jharkhand Prastuti Committee released four railway employees abducted by the outfit after keeping them five days in captivity. Police sources said that the employees including two deputy station masters were freed around 11 pm in a jungle of Hazaribagh District. While Police claimed that it was their pressure which forced the Maoists to free the abducted railway employees, unconfirmed reports suggested that the release came after the railways paid around INR. Two millions as ransom to the Maoists ensure safe release of the employees.

The JLT pasted posters in Jharkhand capital Ranchi calling for a shutdown protesting against killing of its top commander Ajay Yadav two days ago in the Hazaribagh District. The outfit called the encounter fake. A poster pasted in Ranchi read, "Ajay Yadav was arrested by the Police and he was killed in a fake encounter." The media, ambulance services and chemist shops have been allowed to function during the shutdown. Ajay Yadav was one of JLT's founding members.

Cadres of the JLT, also known as the PLFI set afire six vehicles of a private construction company near Tetai village in the Latehar District of Jharkhand. Claiming responsibility for the attack, the PLFI claimed the construction company was continuing work despite the shutdown call given by the outfit in protest against the killing of one of its leaders.

Near Kurpurti village of Ranchi, Maoist rebels attacked four trucks when they were passing through the village. While the driver of one truck was killed, the rebels set fire to three trucks.

Police claimed to have arrested 13 extremists, including a top rebel leader in separate operations in October 25 & 26. Director General of Police V.D. Ram told reporters in capital Ranchi, "The arrested Maoist rebels include Lorense Mundri alias Carlos, zonal commander of the People's Liberation Front of India (PLFI), who faces a total of 30 cases of murder and other crimes." Separately, five CPI-Maoist cadres were arrested from Khuti District and two each were arrested from Ranchi, Palamu and Garwah. The seized arms include two carbines, three pistols, four revolvers, four mobile sets, INR 92,000 in cash, detonators, more than 800 cartridges and Maoist literature.

Police claimed to have arrested three CPI-Maoist cadres, including a self-styled area commander from Kajibigha village in the Palamu District. Deputy Superintendent of Police Ashwini Kumar said that Naresh Kumar and two of his associates - Ajay Kumar and Deendayal Ram, who had assembled at the latter's residence allegedly to carry out a 'destructive plan', were arrested and three rifles, a pistol and bullets were recovered from their possession. Naresh and Ajay hail from Bihar's Aurangabad District, he added.

TPC pasted posters asking the truck owners not to load and ferry bauxite from Pakhar hills in the Lohardagga District. "Any trucker found ferrying bauxite will be punished," the posters said. A senior Police official said, "The poster does not mention the reason. It seems that Maoist rebels are not getting levy from bauxite mining areas. We will provide full security to trucks and there will be no impact of posters on truck movement in the area." He said similar threats have been issued by left-wing extremists in the past. TPC is a breakaway group of the CPI-Maoist.

Three Naxalites belonging to a newly found group, Jharkhand Samrat, were arrested at Kachhapani village under Jaldega Police station in the Simdega District in connection with an extortion case in Orissa's Sundargarh District. According to the report, Police raided the hideout of the extremists and arrested Sunil Kumar Sahu (32), Surendra Kumar Sahu (33) and Fagua Singh (30).

Following an encounter between Police and CPI-Maoist cadres, two persons who allegedly went to handover money to the Maoists were arrested in extremist-hit Palamu District. Acting on a tip-off, a Police team raided Pipra under Harihargunj Police station. On seeing the cops, Maoists opened fire at them to which the Police retaliated.

Cadres of the CPI-Maoist shot dead a supporter of TPC in Palamu District. Maoists dragged out Srijan Chauhan from his house at Garediadih village, took him to a nearby place before shooting him dead, Police said.

A person was injured when a crude bomb exploded near Chandrapura railway junction in Bokaro District.

TPC cadres killed two suspected extremists belonging to the CPI-Maoist near the Misan roundabout under Balumath Police station of Latehar District. The TPC cadres left a pamphlet claiming the responsibility for the killing.

Four Maoists were arrested in Palamu and Gumla Districts. Two cadres of the Jharkhand Prastuti Committee (JPC) were arrested from Palamu District and two cadres of the PLFI were arrested from Gumla District. Two revolvers and Maoist literature were recovered from the arrested cadres.

CPI-Maoist cadres reportedly issued a set of instructions to the villagers of Nawadih block in Bokaro District through pamphlets and posters asking them to return the cycles, torches and other sports materials given to them by the District SP, Priya Dubey. The SP had given the gifts to villagers on the occasion of Jharkhand Foundation Day at Palamu village. The Maoists have reportedly decided to punish villagers who do not return the gifts.

A joint team of Police and CRPF personnel raided the Chouparan area on the Jharkhand-Bihar border and arrested 16 left-wing extremists who owe allegiance to the Shashtra People's Morcha (SPM), a breakaway faction of the CPI-Maoist. Hazaribagh distict Superintendent of Police, Praveen Kumar Singh, who led the operation in Chouparan, said the arrests had neutralised the rebel faction formed sometime in 2006. "We have arrested all its members, but one," he said, adding, that a huge cache of arms and ammunition were also recovered. Singh informed that the SPM was formed by two top-rung rebels - Sahendra Bhuiyan and Nitish Yadav - who apparently developed ideological differences with the CPI-Maoist leadership. The group had been active in Chatra, Hazaribagh, and Gaya in Bihar, for two years.

Seven cadres of CPI-Maoist, including sub-zonal commander Uday Oraon and two area commanders Sanicharwa and Sukra, were arrested from Gumla. The Police also seized four carbines, three rifles, ammunition and cash worth INR 0.6 million. Among the seven, Uday had escaped from the Lohardaga jail in 2006. They were active in Gumla and Lohardaga area.

Giridih District Police, with help from the CRPF, arrested an unspecified number of Maoists at Bharati Chalkari forest under Pirtand Police station area after an encounter. Police also recovered detonators, Maoist literature and important documents that revealed a nexus between the CPI-Maoist and Krantikari Kishan Morcha, Jharkhand Avon and Nari Mukti Sangh, Police sources said.

CPI-Maoist area commander, Tarkeshwar Kanhar, was arrested by the Police during a search operation at his residence in Ghodbanda village of Hussainabad in the Palamu District. According to the District Superintendent of Police Dipak Kumar Verma, the arrested commander was one of the founder members of the erstwhile PWG. At present, he was operating at Hussainabad division in Navinagar and Tandwa of Bihar. Verma also added that he was involved in eight different cases such as fixing a cane bomb in Alarpur village on Hussainabad Japla main road when Irrigation Minister Kamlesh Singh visited Hussainabad on May 27, 2007, blowing up bazar samiti building in Mahudand village on November 19, 2007, setting ablaze Ramlakhan Yadav`s house in Vishwasiya village on January 1, 2008, murder of Dhura Paswan who was supporter of Tritiya Prastuti Committee (TPC) on June 16, 2008.

A camp belonging to the CPI-Maoist was destroyed following an encounter between security forces and the Maoists at Dimna Hill in Patamda of East Singhbhum District. Maoists opened fire at the joint operation team of District Police and the CRPF at a place between Konkadosa and Koira village forcing the combing team to retaliate. Landmine making material, including flash gun, wire, uniform and literature were recovered from the spot.

A 20-member team of Sangharsh Janmukti Morcha, a Naxalite outfit, shot dead two payload operators, Vakil Khan (20) and Raju Rajak (30), at a coal dumping yard in the Khelari Police station area of Ranchi District. The group also set the pay loader on fire. The murders, Police said, was committed to pressurise company owner Laxman Tekmani to pay levy to the group, instead of the CPI-Maoist.

An 'area commander' of the CPI-Maoist, Nunulal Soren a.k.a. Kawang Da, wanted in connection with several cases, was shot dead by the security forces at Jamdaha village in Giridih District. Central Reserve Police Force and Jharkhand Police personnel had earlier surrounded his house after getting specific information about his presence.

A landmine weighing 20-kilograms was recovered from under a culvert near Sarubeda village. It was apparently laid to blow up a Police vehicle in the Maoist-dominated Nawadih area of Bokaro District.

Cadres of the CPI-Maoist set ablaze a jeep of the forest department at Digha in the Serenda forest area in Orissa-Jharkhand boarder just a day before 'Martyr's Day' celebration. After the incident, a high alert was declared in the boarder area and the Police of both states have launched a combing operation.

Police shot dead Vijay Shankar Bhagat alias Sidhantjee, the chief of Swantantra Jharkhand Prastuti Committee (SJPC), a left-wing extremist group, at Badri Bacho forest under Chanho Police station in Ranchi. SJPC was reportedly involved in an earlier incident of abduction of four railway employees at McCluskieganj.

About 50 cadres of the CPI-Maoist triggered an explosion targeting a school building at Panki in the Palamau District. The Palamau Superintendent of Police Deepak Verma confirmed the attack and said the Police personnel were camping inside the school premises about three days ago. "The main gate and windows of the school were damaged in the incident. There is no information of any deaths yet," he added.

Five PLFI cadres were arrested from the forest areas under Bero block of Ranchi District. They were holding a meeting when the security forces raided their hideout. Two 9 mm pistols, two revolvers, more than 100 live cartridges, Maoist literature and a motor bike were recovered from the extremists.

Suspected CPI-Maoist cadres hijacked a truck loaded with ammonium nitrate from the Ramgarh District. According to Police, the truck carrying 24 tonnes of ammonium nitrate was on its way to an explosives factory at Gomia in Bokaro District from a chemical factory in Chhattisgarh.

Cadres of the CPI-Maoist killed five Policemen in Khunti District and decamped with their weapons. The incident occurred around 2.15 pm near Rahe village under Sonahatu block, 30 km from Tamar in Khunti District, when the Policemen were returning on foot after patrolling in the morning when the Maoists ambushed them. "They opened indiscriminate firing, leaving them no scope to retaliate," said Director General of Police V. D. Ram who was supervising the combing operation in the area.

The CPI-Maoist pasted posters and banners at several places in Bermo and Nawadih blocks under the Nawadih and Gandhi Nagar Police station to observe a week long foundation day of the People's Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) to commemorate the sacrifices of their leaders throughout the country.

Unidentified assailants killed Ganouri Turi (30) at Khuddisar village under Dumri Police station in the Giridih District. Police sources said Ganouri was earlier associated with the Maoist Communist Centre of India (MCCI) as an area commander and was commanding the Western Dumri region.

The cadres of the CPI-Maoist opened fire at a Police patrol party in Chowka in Seraikela-Kharsawan District. The Maoists riding a motorcycle opened fire at the patrol team and sped away towards Palgam jungle in Chowka under the Chandil Police station area.

Over 50 kilograms of ammonium nitrate and 15 kilograms of highly powerful explosives along with several dozens of Police uniforms and 2500 posters belonging to the CPI-Maoist were recovered from Dinara in the Jhumra hillocks, about 145 kilometres from Bokaro steel city, by the para-military CRPF. The Jhumra hillocks is regarded a Maoist stronghold.

A joint team of Chhattisgarh and Palamau District Police in Jharkhand arrested a lawyer, Satyendra Kumar Choubey, near the divisional jail in Daltonganj when he went to meet a CPI-Maoist cadre Vikas alias Baleshwar lodged in the jail. The lawyer, a resident of Ambikapur in Chhattisgarh, was accused of giving shelter to Naxalites (left-wing extremists). He was also providing legal help to Vikas. Superintendent of Police of Palamau District, Dipak Kumar Verma, said the lawyer had contacts with national-level leaders of various Maoist groups.

Suspected Naxalites killed a resident of Konsasimertoli village in the Gumla District of Jharkhand.

Cadres of the CPI-Maoist shot dead four villagers in Kurkura village under Kamdara Police station limits in Gumla District, some 70 kilometres from the State capital Ranchi. Around seven armed Maoists entered the village near about 7.45pm (IST) and shot dead Sufal, Jiten, Uday and another person yet to be identified.

In Giridih District, around 8.30pm, Maoists killed three persons, identified as Gulab Ansari, Mansoor Ansari and Matin Ansari, in Dudhania village under Pirtand Police station limits, around 150 kilometres from Ranchi. The Maoists believed them to be Police informers. Another person, identified as Keshar Yadav, was shot dead near the Chaki railway station under Saria Police station limits in the District.

Two suspected CPI-Maoist cadres were lynched at an unspecified location after villagers retaliated when they were threatened with levies.

A 250-strong group of Maoists looted and then blew up the ancestral house of Satyanand Bhotka, a former minister and a legislator from Chatra, in Kari village of the Hazaribag District. Armed Maoists entered the village and confronted Bigan Ganjhu, a cousin of Bhokta, outside their ancestral house. They assaulted Ganjhu and forced him to call out his family members, asking them to open the door. After rendering the family hostage, Maoists looted clothes, cash and ornaments and later planted bombs in the house.

Latehar District Police arrested a CPI-Maoist cadre Naveen alias Chotu Das alias Satish, one of the conspirators behind the Jehanabad jailbreak case, from the Sartand forest area, around 120 kilometers from State capital Ranchi. Latehar District Superintendent of Police, Ravikant Dhan, said the Maoist was heading towards Kurjrum on a motorbike to join the Kisan Bachao Rally, a protest movement of farmers. Some pamphlets and Maoist literature were recovered from his possession.

Jivan Manjhi, a sub zonal commander of the CPI-Maoist, was arrested from Upper Ghat area in the Bokaro District. Manjhi was involved in Maoist activity for the last ten years in Jhumra hills of Bokaro District.

Ranjit Singh, a commander of the Jharkhand Jan Sangharsh Mukti Morcha, was arrested from Rakahat village in Latehar District, some 140 kilometres from the State capital Ranchi. Singh was wanted in more than 20 cases related to murder, abduction and extortion, the Police said. The Police seized one carbine gun, one pistol, 124 live cartridges and three mobile phones from his possession.

Two area commanders of the CPI-Maoist, identified as Kashi Yadav and Vinay Marandi, were arrested from Hazaribagh District. While Kashi Yadav was arrested from Mahutand village, Marandi was arrested from an area bordering Giridih District. Police seized two revolvers, live cartridges and Maoist literature from them. Kashi Yadav was wanted in more than a dozen cases by the Police.

Cadres of the CPI-Maoist killed one person, identified as Aparti Yadav, in Bhandaria block of Garwah District on suspecting him to be a Police informer.

Five persons were killed by unidentified assailants in the Raidih Police station area of Maoist-affected Gumla District. The District Superintendent of Police, Baljeet Singh, said only after investigations the Police would be able to ascertain which group or who were behind the killings.

Police and para-military forces came across more than a dozen posters in the Murathakra panchayat area under Ghurabandha Police station in East Singhbhum District. The posters, apparently put up by CPI-Maoist, warned the Nagarik Suraksha Samiti (NSS), an anti-Maoist outfit, with dire consequences if it fostered ties with the Majhi Marwa Sangathan of Bengal.

Cadres of the CPI-Maoist killed two persons in the Govindpur village of Gumla District.

CPI-Maoist cadres shot dead an ex-Army man, identified as Augustine Ekka (50), and his son, James (20), at Srinagar village of Gumla District. Sources said the Maoists suspected the father-son duo to be Police informers.

The Police and Maoists exchanged several rounds of fire in the Chichikala forest region of Katkamsandi Police station area in the Hazaribagh District. Though unofficial reports claimed that six Maoists were killed in the firing, Superintendent of Police Pankaj Kamboj did not confirm it. "There was a gun battle between our men and extremists, but we did not recover a single body from the site," he said.

Three villagers carrying food for CPI-Maoist cadres sustained bullet injury when they were attacked by them mistaking them as Policemen at Nawajaipur in the Palamu District.

Police recovered a powerful bomb half-buried in a road near the Kharkai river in the Ranchi District.

Three Maoist 'commanders' were arrested. Ajay Yadav alias Nandu, a sub-zonal commander of the CPI-Maoist, was arrested from Charaki village in Chatra District. The other two were arrested from Badigaha village of the same District. One of them was identified as Jamuna alias Jethan Paswan, a zonal commander of the Kisan Krantikari Committee, a frontal organization of the CPI-Maoist. Police have seized two revolvers, live cartridges and Maoist literature from the arrested Maoists.

A top CPI-Maoist leader, identified as Nandu Yadav, was arrested during an anti-Maoist operation by para-military forces near Cat village under Manatu Police station in the Palamau District. Nandu was wanted in at least 14 cases, including the attack on the motorcade of Health Minister Bhanu Pratap Sahi in which one trooper was killed.

Five cadres of the PLFI were arrested from a house in Laxminagar colony under Sukhdeonagar Police Station in the Ranchi District on. They belong to Palamau District and had bought arms and propagated the Maoist agenda in rural areas of the State.

Date

Incidents

January 1

At least four Policemen were killed and another sustained injuries in an attack by the CPI-Maoist cadres on Bariapur Police post in the Munger District. More than 100 Maoists attacked the Police post, which was keeping a vigil over a picnic spot in Rishikund, where hundreds of people had gathered to celebrate the New Year. According to sources, the Maoists did not disturb the tourists and opened indiscriminate fire on Policemen killing four on the spot.

January 5

12 prisoners and the chief warden of the Sasaram divisional jail in Rohtas District were injured in a clash between a group of Maoist prisoners and other inmates. Jail Superintendent Sanjay Choudhary said that the Maoist prisoners alleged that ailing members of their group were treated in cells while others were treated in the jail hospital and one of the Maoists died recently as a result of the neglect. He said that the Maoists picked up a quarrel with other jail inmates alleging "discrimination" meted to their colleagues in treatment

The CPI-Maoist cadres shot dead Naresh Das, the husband of Pancha Devi, village head of Nazari panchayat (village level local administration body) under Lakhmipur block in the Jamui District. Police claimed that the Maoists killed Das because he had refused to pay them protection money.

TPC cadres attacked Bairiya village under Mali Police station of Aurangabad District -night and set the house of Satyendra Singh ablaze. Dozens of TPC cadres surrounded the village and searched for Satyendra Singh. Not finding him, they asked the members of his house to come out before setting it ablaze. They also set ablaze paddy crops stored in his field. Sources said that the Satyendra Singh a former PWG cadre had joined the CPI-Maoist.

Police claimed to have killed six cadres of the CPI-Maoist in an encounter at Bangudwa Naktaia hills in the Gaya District. The Deputy Superintendent of Police, Balram Kumar Choudhry, said that dead bodies of the slain Maoists could not be recovered from the encounter site as these were taken away by their colleagues. The encounter is reported to have occurred following a Police raid on a Maoist hideout. The encircled Maoists, instead of laying down their arms, opened fire on the raiding party forcing the Police to return fire in which six Maoists were killed.

A team of the Gaya District Police and Maoists numbering several dozens exchanged heavy fire near Domchuan village on the Bihar-Jharkhand border. Gaya Superintendent of Police Amit Jain said that as the Police team reached an area close to Domchuan village following a tip-off that a large number of heavily armed Maoists had congregated, Maoists opened fire from sophisticated weapons, including LMGs. Jain also stated that at least two Maoists were injured in the exchange of fire but were carried away by their comrades.

Armed CPI-Maoist cadres set ablaze four tractors and a machine of a private firm engaged in the construction of the building of Piro railway station in Bihar's Bhojpur District. Non-payment of money demanded by the Maoists from the firm management is suspected to be the reason behind the attack, Police sources said.

A cache of arms and ammunition was recovered from a CPI-Maoist hideout in the Gaya District during a raid. The hideout was located near a forest under Fatehpur block in Gaya, around 100 kilometres from State capital Patna. However, no arrests were made.

CPI-Maoist cadres dragged out two businessmen from their houses and shot them dead in the Jamui District of Bihar. The victims, identified as Vishnudeo and Sukdeo, were killed on January 28-night at Bamdah Bazaar under Chandramandi Police station in Jamui, about 150 km from the State capital Patna. "Over 100 armed Maoists stormed Bamdah Bazaar locality and surrounded the houses of Vishnudeo and Sukdeo. They were then dragged out and shot dead," the Police said. Jamui, which is located close to the border with Jharkhand, is considered to be a stronghold of the CPI-Maoist.

CPI-Maoist cadres detonated a dynamite destroying a Forest department rest house at Sonarwa village in Kharagpur sub-division of Munger District. They also set ablaze the furniture in the rest house. No one, however, was injured in the incident as the rest house was lying abandoned.

An encounter between cadres of the CPI-Maoist and Police personnel lasting over five hours was reported from Chouraha village in the Gaya District. Further details of the encounter were not available.

Police claimed to have recovered a cache of arms and ammunition from cadres of the CPI-Maoist following an encounter with them at Jhalar village in Gaya District on the Bihar-Jharkhand border. Amit Kumar Jain, the Superintendent of Police, told, "We have recovered two regular Police rifles, about 54 live rounds in a charger and magazines." He also said that the Maoists had escaped from the encounter site and a search was under way to find them.

A joint team of Police and excise department officials destroyed poppy crops allegedly grown by the CPI-Maoist in the Imamganj Police station area of Gaya District. "We have destroyed the crops grown on 24 acres of land under Imamganj Police station area," Omprakash Singh, a senior excise department official said. Imamganj and its adjoining areas in Gaya are considered as strongholds of the CPI-Maoist. Singh further said that the extremists cultivate poppy to fund their illegal activities.

Suspected CPI-Maoist cadres shot dead three farmers at Pipra village under the jurisdiction of the Darpa Police Station in the East Champaran District. Heavily armed Maoists attacked the village around midnight and shot dead three persons said to be farmers, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) A. K. Singh said. However, Times of India quoted the Raxaul DSP Santosh Kumar Gupta as saying that it was not a Maoist attack, rather it was the result of the clash between Community Party of India- Marxist Leninist (CPI-ML) and the late landlord's Harendra Singh's henchmen. The report said that the deceased, identified as Pandit (60), Mahendra Ray (36) and Ram Ekbal Majhi (40), all of Pipara village, were activists of the CPI-ML and were gunned down by an armed group of 25 persons at around 10pm (IST) on February 21 while they were sitting around a bonfire. The family members of the three CPI-ML men alleged that the killers were henchmen of late Harendra Singh, a landlord of the area.

The-24 hour bandh (general strike) called by the CPI-Maoist in Jharkhand partially affected train movement particularly in the Dhanbad, Mughalsarai and Danapur divisions of the East Central Railway (ECR). Movement of several passenger trains was cancelled due to the bandh as a precautionary measure. However, no untoward incident has been reported from any part of ECR divisions. The strike in Jharkhand was peaceful but it affected business and other activities in the rural areas.

Two villagers were killed in a shootout with armed cadres of the CPI-Maoist who raided a village in the Khagaria District. Three to four Maoists were reportedly injured in the incident.

Police arrested seven cadres of the CPI-Maoist from a van near Makhor village under Akbarpur Police station of the Nawada District. According to the Inspector General of Police (Operations), S K Bharadwaj 40,000 gelatin sticks, 8,640 detonators and 23 bundles of high explosive wires, were recovered from a truck travelling along with the van. Those arrested confessed before the Police that the consignment was on way from Guna in Madhya Pradesh to Maoist groups active in Sheikhpura, Jamui, Lakhisarai and Munger Districts of Bihar.

The Jamui District Police arrested an 'area commander' of the CPI-Maoist, identified as Sanjay Hembrom, from Chandramandi Police station area. Sanjay was involved in the Chilkaridih massacre that claimed 20 lives, including that of Anup Marandi, youngest son of the Jharkhand Vikas Morcha Prajatantrik party chief and former Chief Minister of Jharkhand Babulal Marandi, on October 28, 2007.

An engineer, identified as Sanjay Singh and a supervisor, identified as Dharmendra Singh, of a Jharkhand-based Vijeta Construction Company were abducted by armed cadres of the CPI-Maoist who raided their camp office at Chhotki Chenari under the Sheosagar Police station of Rohtas District. The Construction Company was engaged in the construction of Shivsagar-Chenari road in the District. According to Police sources, the company received a ransom call from the abductors for safe release of the officials.

A zonal 'commander' of the CPI-Maoist, identified as Nandu Mahato (carrying head money of INR 25000) was arrested from a hideout at Chauhuar village in the Gaya District. Police said that he was involved in several incidents of murder and abduction in the District.

An engineer and a supervisor of a private road construction company abducted by the CPI-Maoist in Rohtas District on February 26-night from their camp office at Chhotki Chenari, were rescued from Belao village in the neighbouring Kaimur District. The Additional Superintendent of Police, P Kannan, told that four persons were detained for interrogation. The Maoists had abducted the duo after the company refused to pay extortion demanded by the outfit.

An 'area commander' of the CPI-Maoist , identified as Basudev, surrendered at Banke Bazaar Police station in the Gaya District along with one automatic rifle, one regular rifle and large number of cartridges. Superintendent of Police Amit Kumar Jain stated that Basudev was involved in several incidents of murder and criminal activities in the District.

A joint team comprising CRPF and Special Task Force (STF) personnel raided Akurauni forest area in the Gaya District and neutralised a bunker of the CPI-Maoist. The raid was conducted on the basis of information provided by the Maoist leader Chandu Das who was arrested from Jhallar village in the District in the early hours on the same day. The team found a big water container inside the bunker and seized arms and 10,000 rounds of ammunition of several regular weapons, including INSAS rifles, 100 magazines of carbines and more than 100 hand grenades, said Superintendent of Police Amit Jain. Hundreds of Police uniforms, hand grenade-making equipments, one .9mm pistol and regular rifles were also recovered from the bunker. A suspected Maoist was arrested during the search.

The Gaya Police arrested Karoo Yadav, an 'area commander' of the CPI-Maoist from Ithari village under the Mohanpur Police station area. Superintendent of Police, Amit Jain said that Karoo was involved in an encounter between the Maoists and the Police in Mohanpur area. On the basis of information provided by Karoo Yadav, the Police raided Ragrej village under Bodh Gaya Police station and recovered two Police rifles, from the possession of one Janardan Ravidas who was later arrested by Police. The rifles were earlier looted by the extremists in one of its dozens of operations against the Police in Bihar and Jharkhand.

16 CPI-Maoist cadres surrendered to the Police in Muzaffarpur. Of those who surrendered, five were wanted in several criminal cases, the Muzaffarpur District Superintendent of Police Ratna Sanjay said. The Maoists also deposited over 50 kilograms of explosives, six detonators, two landmines, seven pistols, four rifles, two guns and several rounds of ammunition.

The CPI-Maoist cadres killed a leader of the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) in the Pakhtaul village of Begusarai District. The leader identified as Ram Pukar Mahto was a member of the Begusarai District committee of the CPI-M.

Two security force personnel were injured and 18 CPI-Maoist cadres, including six women, were arrested following an encounter at Saraunja village under Birpur Police station area in the Begusarai District. District Superintendent of Police Amit Lodha told "A constable of Bihar Military Police (BMP) 7th battalion Harendra Kumar Rai and Ganesh Rai of Special Auxiliary Police (SAP), a force comprising ex-servicemen raised to tackle Naxalite violence, were injured in the gunfight". Four country-made rifles, a musket, a revolver, a pistol, a crude bomb, more than 100 bullets and several Police uniforms were recovered from the possession of the arrested Maoists.

Over 200 CPI-Maoist cadres attacked the house of a member of the State Legislative Assembly (MLA) in the Kala Pahar village of Aurangabad District. They set ablaze three vehicles being used by the MLA's construction company and abducted four labourers. The MLA, Vijay Kumar Singh alias Dabloo Singh of the Lok Janshakti Party, was not present at his residence during the attack. Police suspect that the Maoist attack is linked to an extortion demand on the construction company.

Suspected CPI-Maoist cadres abducted three employees of a private contractor engaged in road construction in the Maheshwari village of Jamui District for not paying extortion amount. Contractor Pawan Kumar Singh said that the Maoists had demanded levy for continuation of road construction work and threatened him with dire consequences unless the amount was paid.

CPI-Maoist cadres killed six persons belonging to the Sashastra People's Morcha (SSM) in the Tardih forest of Rohtas District. The slain persons, natives of Barachatti and Mohanpur blocks of Gaya District, were former members of the CPI-Maoist and had formed the SSM to assist the Police. Maoist pamphlets charging the slain persons with "betraying the parent organisation and serving as Police informers", were found at the incident site.

Six persons, including five security force personnel and a porter, were killed in an attack by the CPI-Maoist cadres at Jhajha railway station in the Jamui District. A group of 200 Maoists attacked the crowded railway station, and looted 27 3.15 rifles, six self-loading rifles, two carbines and 898 rounds of ammunition from the GRP armoury. The Maoists also damaged an ATM of the State Bank of India in an attempt to loot cash, but had failed. They had also made an unsuccessful attempt to loot cash from a locker in the railway station.

Police arrested two suspected CPI-Maoist cadres, including a woman, who had taken part in the April 13 attack on the Jhajha railway station in the Jamui District.

The CPI-Maoist cadres blew up a railway track near Nathganj railway station on Gaya-Kodrama rail section. The blast affected rail traffic for over six hours. Maoists also abducted six railway staff but released them later.

The CPI-Maoist cadres blew up a petrol station at Kahudag on National Highway-II in the Gaya District. According to Police sources, over 200 heavily armed Maoists attacked the petrol station, belonging to the former Gaya District board chairman Bindeshwari Prasad Yadav, and abducted its two employees. Later they triggered a dynamite blast, blowing up the pump equipment and the building. Both the employees were released after the blast.

Armed CPI-Maoist cadres killed a civilian, working for a contractor who was assigned the job of mining sand close to the embankment of a river, near Roshan Ganj Police station in the Gaya District. Police sources said that the contractor had been asked by the Maoists to stop collecting royalty from the people and he had not obeyed the diktat.

The CPI-Maoist cadres destroyed houses of four persons whom they described as Police informers in the Nawada District. Police sources said that an armed squad of nearly 200 Maoists raided Jamunia village and asked the occupants of the four houses to come out before using dynamites to destroy the houses.

A fast track court in the capital Patna framed charges against the senior CPI-Maoist leader Ajay Kanu and five others for their alleged involvement in the killing of a Policeman in 2002 at Kandak village in Patna rural District.

Giving into the diktat of Maoists, 64 activists of the ruling Janata Dal-United and Bharatiya Janata Party alliance in the Islampur assembly constituency of Gaya District announced they would resign from the primary membership of their parties. Official sources said that the CPI-Maoist cadres had abducted 37 political activists and had taken them to the Chakrabanda hill area. These activists had been released on the condition that would resign from their parties by May 4.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar asked the Patna Zone Inspector General of Police (IGP) to investigate into the incident of the resignation of 64 political activists in the Gaya District due to threat of the Maoists. "I have taken a serious note of media reports of several National Democratic Alliance (NDA) workers having left their parties in three blocks of Gaya District," the chief minister said. He said he had asked the IGP to investigate alleged Police atrocities and implication of innocent persons in false cases in Maoist-related cases that led the Maoists to issue threats. He also said that a high-level committee comprising senior party leaders from the State and outside would also be constituted to look into the charge of lack of development in the affected areas.

Rampravesh Baitha, the CPI-Maoist's secretary of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand special area committee, was arrested from Golghar under Gandhi Maidan Police station in the capital Patna. Baitha's colleagues, however, managed to escape. No weapons were recovered from the arrested extremist leader. Baitha, who hails from Kuria village in the East Champaran District, is wanted in 34 cases of extremist violence.

Four suspected CPI-Maoist cadres were arrested near Kotwali Police station in the capital Patna. They were identified as Saroj Ravidas, Birendra Das, Sanjay Yadav and Kuldip Yadav, all active members of the CPI-Maoist. Senior Superintendent of Police (Patna), Amit Kumar, said that the arrested Maoists were involved in cases of criminal activity and wanted by the Police. An unnamed Police official said, "They were active in Gaya, Arwal and Aurangabad Districts.

Six CPI-Maoist cadres were killed in an encounter with the Police at Nawada on the Bihar-Jharkhand border. Police received a tip-off about a meeting of the Maoists at Mahari village to plan an operation in the area and subsequently rushed to the village. Six Maoists were killed and four Policemen were injured in the encounter. Police also seized three assault rifles, one carbine, hundreds of live cartridges and eight bombs from the incident site.

A 'Zonal Commander' of the CPI-Maoist, Raghu Chamar, was arrested from his residence at Jhari village in the Aurangabad District.

Two persons were killed by CPI-Maoist cadres during the 24-hour general strike called by the outfit to protest against the arrest of their leader Pramod Kumar Mishra. The duo was killed on the Bihar-Jharkhand border in the Aurangabad District of Bihar.

CPI-Maoist cadres blew up a railway line near Jaimurtinagar railway station on the Sitamarhi-Raxual section in the West Champaran District of Bihar. Armed Maoists detonated dynamites and blew up tracks in a 15 feet stretch near the Station.

Over 93 Naxalites were arrested from a forest area in Khaira in the Jamui District. Police raided a place during a meeting of the Naxalites and took over 150 persons into custody, Inspector General of Police (Operations), A. K. Bhardwaj, told the media. Several hardcore Naxalites and its sympathisers were believed to be participating in the meeting, Bhardwaj said. The Police recovered Naxalite literature, posters, microphone sets, one generator set and CDs during the raid.

CPI-Maoist cadres killed a watchman in Batwari village under Dharhara Police station of Munger District accusing him of being a Police informer. According to the report, about 100 Maoists stormed the residence of the slain watchman, tied his limbs, dragged him out to the street and slit his throat in public.

Maoists detonated explosion targeting the twin rail track on the Jamalpur-Malda section near Masudan station halting traffic for several hours.

The CPI-Maoist called a 24-hour general strike in five Districts of Bihar to protest the recent arrest of their five hardcore cadres in Lakhisarai. A pamphlet to this effect was circulated to the media on behalf of the Jamui, Munger, Banka, Bhagalpur and Lakhisarai zonal committee of the outfit.

Maoists blasted two rooms of the Sub-Divisional Officer of the Kharagpur sub-division of Munger District with dynamites destroying property and records. They also looted sacks of food-grain from the Food Corporation of India storeroom located in the vicinity.

CPI-Maoist cadres triggered explosions targeting railway tracks between the Narganjo and Ghorparan stations in Jamui District leading to the derailment of the cargo van of the Poorvanchal Express train, besides bringing to a halt the movement of trains on the Howrah-Delhi route for several hours.

A fast track court sentenced two CPI-Maoist cadres, Surendra Manjhi and Saryu Manjhi, to death in connection with the attack on the Chhabilapur Police station in Bihar's Nalanda District on August 11, 2005. Two persons including a constable and a person lodged in the lock-were killed in that attack. After the Police contingent surrendered, the extremists had looted seven rifles, two carbines and 213 rounds of ammunition from them. They had also set ablaze the newly constructed Police station building nearby before retreating. Of the 13 persons named accused in the case, seven were acquitted for want of evidence, while four others were being tried separately.

Armed CPI-Maoist cadres raided a work site of the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojna (PMGSY) near Barki Murhari village under Pali Police station in the Jehanabad District. The Maoists set ablaze a number of road construction machinery including two JVC tractors and three tractor-trolleys. They also left a note behind saying that the at the work site stating that the attack was carried out to protest the constructor's refusal to pay levy. The manager of the Patna-based M/s Mother India Construction Company Private Limited said that they were working on this three kilometre stretch of rural link road under the PMGSY at an estimated cost of INR 7.8 millions and the Maoists were demanding 10 percent of the total estimated cost by way of levy.

Police recovered the dead body of Bigan Mahto, a hardcore extremist belonging to the Tritiya Prastuti Committee, who was suspected to have been killed by CPI-Maoist cadres near a school at Dumaria under Dumaria Police station of the Gaya District.

A CPI-Maoist leader, Devendra Sahni alias Ratnakar, was arrested from a hideout at Lakhminia village under Shyampur-Bhatta Police station in the Sheohar District. While other Maoist cadres managed to escape, INR 10,500 was recovered from Devendra.

CPI-Moist cadres killed two people, including a village head, at a 'jan adalat' (kangaroo court) in Jamui District after finding them "guilty" of helping the Police. Reports said that a group of armed Maoists killed Babuli village head Ashok Das and his close associate Mohammad Mustafa. "Their throat was slit by Maoists to send a message of harsh punishment to others," informed the Police.

CPI-Maoist cadres blew up house of a suspected Police informer and abducted his brother in the Gaya District. According to the report, nearly 100 Maoists used dynamites to blow up the house of one Shivbachan Yadav and abducted his brother Bindeshwar Yadav as Shivbachan was not present there at the time of attack. The Maoists also looted valuables worth over INR 100,000.

CPI-Maoist cadres blew up rail tracks in the Saran and Muzaffarpur Districts during their 24-hour general strike called across the country. The line between Badagopal and Avtar Nagar stations under Sonepur division of East Central Railway was damaged around 6.30 am (IST), affecting train services on the Delhi-Guwahati route, railway sources said. The Maoists also planted a bomb on the track which did not explode and was later defused. Railway sources said the engine of the Muzaffarpur-Narkatiaganj passenger train was derailed after the Maoists blew up a two-metre portion of the tracks between Mehsi and Mahwal stations in the Muzaffarpur District. No casualty was reported in these incidents.

Suspected CPI-Maoist cadres blew up a government office in Bihar's East Champaran District. No casualties were reported in the incident that took place at Chitriya block office near District headquarter Motihari. An unidentified Police official said, "The Maoist rebels first attacked the office and later blew it up to create panic among local administrative officials and villagers."

Suspected CPI-Maoist cadres blew up railway tracks and a portion of the Government complex housing the office of the Block Development Officer (BDO) in Bihar's Jamui District. Maoists triggered explosions destroying the track between Narganjo and Ghorparan stations under the Eastern Railway disrupting movement of trains on the Patna-Howrah route. They also exploded a bomb on the track near Ghoghi-Bariarpur village in the Munger District damaging the line and disrupting railway traffic. Another explosive planted on the track did not explode and was defused. Separately, Maoists attacked a Government complex at Lakshmipur in the Jamui District housing the offices of the BDO, Circle Officer and the local Police station around the same time. However, resistance put up by the Police made the Maoists retreat after blasting a portion of the BDO's office. The Maoists had called for a 24-hour bandh in five East Bihar Districts - Jamui, Munger, Bhagalpur, Lakhisarai and Banka - to protest the arrest and alleged custodial torture of an 'area commander' of the outfit, Kamlesh alias Deepak, on July 6.

Six Policemen, two CPI-Maoist cadres and a civilian were killed in an exchange of fire after Maoists carried out an attack on the Policemen who had come for a routine inspection of a branch of the Punjab National Bank at the Raniganj village in the Gaya District. The Maoists, numbering nearly 12, also looted five self-loading rifles of the Policemen. Five of the slain Policemen belonged to the Special Auxiliary Police, a special force comprising ex-Army personnel created by the Bihar Government to combat the left-wing extremists.. Magadh range Deputy Inspector General of Police Praveen Bashist said the extremists had positioned themselves at strategic points near the bank and opened fire on the Policemen the moment they got down from the jeep, giving them little time to react. The Maoists left behind one of the motorcycles used in the operation. They also left behind a handwritten leaflet, saying the operation was aimed at Police to avenge atrocities by them.

CPI-Maoist cadres shot dead two persons at Enma village in the Jehanabad District. A dozen Maoist rebels came to the village and killed Lala Yadav and his uncle-in-law Lallu Yadav. The exact reason behind the killing was not known.

Police arrested three cadres of the Democratic Revolutionary Front (DRF) following a raid in the Kadam Kuan area of capital Patna. Senior Superintendent of Police Amit Kumar, during a press conference, identified the arrested as R. C. Prasad of Samastipur, Ashok Yadav of Gaya, and Dharmendra Kumar of Khagaria.

A doctor R. S. Gupta and his three assistants were arrested in the Aurangabad District after they were found treating a Maoist leader Binay Kumar Prajapati. Superintendent of Police of Aurangabad, Ganesh Kumar, said Gupta was arrested following a raid on his nursing home in Aurangabad town. Another Maoist, Lav Kumar, was also arrested during the raid.

A CRPF personnel was killed and three others were injured in an encounter with the CPI-Maoist cadres at Patthar Lautia village in the Gaya District. The report said that CRPF Havildar B P Singh was abducted and later shot dead during an encounter close to the Jharkhand border. Another CRPF sub-inspector is reported to be missing. The Maoists managed to decamp with the rifle of an injured Police personnel belonging to the Special Task Force of the Bihar Police.

Armed CPI-Maoist cadres killed a villager and abducted another at Itwachapachrukhi village in the Munger District. According to Police sources, more than 40 Maoists wearing Police uniform carried out a raid on the village, killed Fantoosh Yadav and abducted Kamleshwari Yadav. Both Fantoosh and Kameshwari had close links with a criminal gang headed by Vinodi Yadav operating in the District. The Vinodi Yadav gang was responsible for the killing of Kabir Koda, the village headman of Bangalwa panchayat, who was a Maoist sympathiser.

Two CPI-Maoist cadres were injured in an encounter with the Police on Kaimur hills at Soli village under the Nauhatta Police station of Rohtas District. The encounter occurred after Police came to know of a medical camp being organised by the Maoists in a residential Adivasi high school at Soli. A suspected Maoist, identified as Mandey Urawn, of nearby Nagatoli village was arrested from the area following the encounter. The Police also recovered two rifles looted earlier from the Police personnel, 60 live cartridges, walkie talkie sets and medicine in huge quantity from the area.

Suspected CPI-Maoist cadres killed two persons and seriously injured two others in Ghoswar village of Vaishali District of Bihar. Police sources said that a group of Maoists killed Subodh Kumar Singh and his brother Sudhanshu Kumar Singh and their relatives Pinki Devi and Anil Kumar.

A Special Auxiliary Police (SAP) trooper was killed and three others were injured in an ambush by suspected CPI-Maoist cadres in the Rohtas District. The Maoists exploded a landmine near Koriarighat in Kaimur Hills when the SAP contingent comprising ex-servicemen was returning after an encounter with the Maoists. The blast badly damaged the vehicle carrying the personnel. Before the security personnel could take position, the Maoists opened fire on the security forces killing constable Kanhaiya Singh on the spot.

Police recovered a huge quantity of explosives, including a powerful landmine and several detonators, following after an encounter with the Maoists in the Budhua village of Rohtas District. Acting on an intelligence tip-off that hundreds of Maoists had assembled at Budhua village on the occasion of the foundation day of the outfit, a patrol party raided the village, leading to the exchange of fire between the two sides. After a five-hour-long battle, the Maoists managed to escape and the Police recovered a 75-kilogram powerful landmine and several detonators from the spot.

Suspected CPI-Maoist cadres blasted two towers of Reliance Communications at Bishunpur and Manjhaulia villages in the Gaya District. Another communication tower belonging to Airtel was also blasted at Chaugain village under Roshanganj Police station limits in the same District.

Separately, armed Maoists set on fire a generator set at a Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) tower at Maigra village under Dumaria Police station in the Gaya District. Deputy Inspector General (Magadh range) Pravin Vashisht told "The mobile phone network is proving to be a great headache for the naxalites as these give away vital information about their location and movements. Their action is apparently aimed at destructing this network to facilitate smooth conduct of their nefarious operations."

A self-styled zonal commander of the Revolutionary Communist Centre (RCC), a breakaway faction of the CPI-Maoist was arrested in Gaya District. Superintendent of Police R Malar Viji said that the naxalite, Rajendra Mahto was arrested following tip off of his presence at Bhusanda village under Gaya Mufassil Police station. No firearm was found in his possession. Mahto was wanted in connection with eight cases related to extremist violence, including one of a bomb attack on a bus on GT Road near Gaya in 2006.

CPI-Maoist cadres detonated explosions targeting two towers of Cellular Phone Service Operators at Erauri and Ketki areas of in Aurangabad District. Superintendent of Police Ganesh Kumar told over 75 armed Maoists detonated cane and petrol bombs to blow up one tower each of Reliance and Airtel at both the places. Fifteen villagers were injured in clash with the Maoists when they resisted their attempt to blow up the towers.

A Policeman was killed and six others were injured by the CPI-Maoist cadres during an encounter at Karma village under Sahibganj Police station area in the Muazaffarpur District.

Police foiled a plan by the CPI-Maoist to hold a training camp on the border of Rohtas and Kaimur Districts. A special operation, Operation 'Vidhwansha', in which six CRPF companies, three STF units and Police personnel of the two Districts were engaged in resulted in the destruction of the training camp. No encounter took place as the Maoists escaped into nearby forest areas. Three landmines were recovered from encounter site. The raiding team destroyed bunker-like structures and some other temporary structures, constructed for imparting training in gun battle. Police sources said that around 400 CPI-Maoist cadres had gathered in villages falling under Nauhatta and Sasaram blocks of Rohtas District and Adhaura block of Kaimur District to take part in the training programme. Subsequently, Police arrested two Maoists.

A former Army officer who had been recruited into the SAP, created to tackle left-wing extremists was killed in an encounter with the extremists near Jhatpahri village under the Dumaria Police station area in Gaya District. SP Mallar Vizhi said that the encounter took place after a combined team of SAP, STF, CRPF, the District Police and the BMP raided a hideout of the CPI-Maoist on information of a meeting of the sub-zonal committee of the outfit. Three country-made revolvers were recovered from the encounter site.

Police recovered a huge cache of arms hidden by the suspected cadres of the CPI-Maoist in the Bhalua forest area of Gaya District. The arms cache which included 200 detonators, 126 tiffin bombs, timers and few wires was hidden inside a 250-litres tank.

CPI-Maoist cadres blew up the mobile tower of a private telecom company at Mungia village in the Aurangabad District. Police sources said that a group of 100 Maoists used a landmine to blow up the tower and also assaulted the security guard manning the tower.

Police arrested three naxalites, identified as Chhotu Oraon, Vipesh Yadav and Madhusudan Kumar, from the Nawada bus stand of Bihar's Nawada District. One of the arrested, Oraon was wanted in a land mine blast case in 2002 in which nine Policemen were killed. A foreign make pistol and half-a-dozen live cartridges were recovered from the arrested extremists.

A CPI-Maoist leader, identified as Dayanand Malakar, carrying INR 50,000 on his head, was arrested from Lakhanpatti village under Khodawanpur Police station in the Begusarai District. Police sources said that the arrested extremist functioned as the zonal committee secretary of the CPI-Maoist. Four mobile phones and INR 8000 in cash were recovered from his possession. Police sources further said that the extremist used four pseudo names, Chhotu, Kulbir, Akash and Suman. He was wanted by the Begusarai District Police in seven murder cases.

Over 100 armed cadres of the CPI-Maoist attacked a bridge construction site at Mallipokharbhinda in the Sheohar District and destroyed machinery worth over INR one million. The bridge is being constructed over the Bagmati river. Police sources did not rule out the possibility of the contractor's refusal to pay extortion money as the reason behind the attack.

Jehanabad District Police arrested a CPI-Maoist cadre from Lakhisarai village under Ghosi Police station. The arrested Maoist Rajan Ravidas was wanted by the District Police since 1999 in several cases of murder, arson, Maoist activities and cases under Arms Act.

Media reports indicate that the CPI-Maoist last week issued a diktat asking several villages under Deo block of Aurangabad District to refrain from switching on lights outside their houses after nightfall. Even the solar lamps installed by the State government to keep those villages illuminated where power supply is low have been destroyed and their batteries looted by the Maoists. "Don't switch on light outside your houses or be ready to face dire consequences", the local villagers of Pachaukhar and Bedani villages quoted the Maoists as having told them. Villagers said the Maoists even pasted hand-written posters in their areas to convey their message to every villager in the areas. The report said that the Maoists complained of the lights disturbing their movements and affecting their operations. Local Police sources have confirmed the development.

The Police in Hazaribagh have mooted a plan to prevent the CPI-Maoist from expanding its network by targeting young men from the Manjhi, Munda, Ganju and Turi communities. Superintendent of Police, Praveen Kumar Singh, said "The Police have decided to engage young boys and girls belonging to these communities to prevent them from joining any banned extremist organisation in the extremist-dominated areas under Lehak, Keredari and Bishnugarh Police stations of Hazaribagh District." As part of the community policing, a total of 75 young men have been selected to make up three groups of 25 each from each of the villages. According to the report, those young men with educational background will be put in the first category and be given employment in private security agencies.

Police recovered 60 kilograms of ammonium nitrate, 90 detonators and arrested two persons during a raid at Akbarpur village under Makhdumpur Police station in the Jehanabad District in connection with the recovery. Manu Maharaja, Jahanabad's Superintendent of Police told ANI, "The investigation is going on to find out for what reasons these explosives were to be used."

Railway construction camp was attacked and machines were set afire in a location between Jharna and Saren village in Bihar's Gaya District. According to the Superintendent of Police R Malar Vizzi, "Around 100 Maoists attacked the camp of Rajgir-Kodarma rail section of Eastern Central Railway. They chased away the labourers, staff and burnt one Pokelin machine, four dumpers, two tractors and one motorbike."

70 kilograms of ammonium nitrate, 52 detonators and 15 pieces of power gel sticks were recovered by the Police during a raid at Bodhchak village in Gaya. According to the sources, the Police team led by Deputy Superintendent of Police of Wazirganj Saurabh Kumar had raided the house of Ashok Singh and seized the explosives meant for supply to the Naxalites.

Three villagers, identified as Madan Singh, Chhote Lal Singh and Mahesh Singh, were abducted and subsequently killed by Naxalites for refusing to pay levy at Kharik Maheshwari village under the Sono Police station of Jamui District. 50-odd armed Naxalites had entered the houses of those villagers, woke them up and took them away towards the forest area. The bodies of the three villagers, with their throats slit, were later found from Charka Patthal Bazar, some 300-metres from Kharik Maheshwari on November 16-morning. The extremists had demanded rangdari (levy) from them three months ago, but the trio had refused to oblige them. Handwritten leaflets found at the spot said others who do not comply with the demand of Reds would meet the same fate. The report also added that the Naxalites had threatened the family members with dire consequences if they reported the matter to Police before sunrise.

Four members of a family were shot dead by a group of armed cadres of the CPI-Maoist at Kohbarba Rasulpur village in the East Champaran District. According to Bihar Police sources, "armed Maoists first surrounded the village, attacked the house of an affluent farmer, and exploded it with dynamites. Later, they set ablaze a tractor and motorcycles. They killed four people." As reported earlier, the CPI-Maoist had killed three farmers at Maheshwari village in the Jamui District.

The Police and Special Task Force in a joint search operation neutralised a gang of inter-state arms dealers following the arrest of 10 suspects, including two potential buyers, from near Gandhi Maidan Police station in capital Patna. According to sources, these suspects purchased arms from Punjab and the India-Pakistan border and sold them to Maoists in Bihar and Jharkhand. INR 520000 in cash, two .315 and one semi-automatic rifle was recovered from possession of the suspects

The Deputy Chief Minister and Bharatiya Janta Party leader Sushil Kumar Modi told The Indian Express in an interview that the State hadn't seen a major incident of Naxalite violence in their tenure despite 19 of the State's 38 Districts falling in the high-risk zone. According to Modi, "Their Government holds that Naxals are not criminals and, hence, must not be treated like ones... Naxalism has political content. Now, Naxals are not seen in fetters in jails."

A construction site was attacked and one machine was set ablaze by a group of armed cadres of the CPI-Maoists in an unspecified place between Imamganj and Baluara of Gaya District. According to sources, the Maoists set ablaze the machine of the contractor as he failed to pay the extortion money to them.

The house of a former CPI-Maoist cadre, identified as Vikas Yadav, was attacked by an unspecified number of Maoists in the Gaya District. The house was subsequently demolished by the Maoists. According to sources, Vikas, who is currently imprisoned in the divisional jail in Gaya, had parted ways with the Maoists and had fled with their weapons before founding a little known left-wing extremist outfit, Sashatra People's Morcha, along with a few other disgruntled elements from the CPI-Maoist.

Apart from the allotment of INR Five billion to each of the States affected by activities of the CPI-Maoist, the Union Government has allotted INR 13 billion for the creation of Combat Battalion for Resolute Action (COBRA) units of the para-military CRPF to man the international border with Nepal and Bihar's border with Jharkhand. The Union Minister of State for Home, Shakeel Ahmed, reportedly said that two bases for the COBRA units would be set up at Muzaffarpur and Gaya in Bihar.

The Patna Police seized a big cache of ammunition of various calibre and arrested five persons engaged in clandestine supply of these to Naxalites. Senior Superintendent of Police Amit Kumar said that the Police intercepted three vehicles at the Zero Mile near Mahatma Gandhi bridge over the Ganga and seized 500 cartridges of .315 calibre rifles, 400 of .32 pistols and 11 rounds of 12 bore shotgun, besides one 9 mm pistol with an additional magazine. The inter-State gang was involved in supplying weapons and ammunition to various Naxalite outfits, including CPI-Maoist, and Tritiya Prastuti Committee (TPC).

Media reports indicated that Rajiv Kumar, the Block Development Officer (BDO) of Dumaria in Gaya District, has not been able to attend office for more than three months due to the fear of an attack by the CPI-Maoist. Kumar, who had survived an ambush on August 9, has been functioning from the divisional headquarters.

Around 50 to 60 armed cadres of the CPI-Maoist raided Sewai village in the Gaya District and abducted two cadres of the rival Sashashtra People's Morcha.

Two CPI-Maoist cadres, identified as Jailal Manjhi and Rudal Manjhi, residents of Rampur village in the East Champaran District, surrendered before the the Superintendent of Police, N. H. Khan.

A group of CPI-Maoist cadres abducted two brothers, identified as Rajesh and Sunil Yadav, at gun point from their house in the Sevai village under Barachatti Police station of Gaya District. Some villagers told Police officials both brothers were abducted on suspicion of belonging to a rival Maoist outfit.

A suspected CPI-Maoist cadre, identified as Suresh Paswan, was arrested by the Police during a search operation at Raghunath village in the Gaya District. A cache of arms, including five detonators, two carbines and a locally-made rifle was recovered from his possession. Other members of the Maoist squad led by sub-zonal commander Surindra Ravidas had managed to escape before the Police arrived.

A cadre of the CPI-Maoist, identified as Ramashish Yadav, was arrested by the Police during a search operation at Kumarubigha village of Jehanabad District. Yadav was wanted for his involvement in several cases of murder and kidnapping, including the killing of four dalits (backward caste) at Barmachak village under Kalpa Police station in 2000.

One Government Railway Police (GRP) personnel, identified as Ganesh Singh, was shot dead while a woman passenger and other GRP personnel were injured when at least 30 suspected cadres of the CPI-Maoist attacked a coach of the Bhagalpur-Muzaffarpur Inter-City Express between Abhoypur and Kajra stations in the Munger District. The assailants also snatched away four assault rifles, a carbine and several rounds of ammunition by overpowering the GRP personnel.

The Bihar Director General of Police, D. N. Gautam, said that in 75 cases of CPI-Maoist attacks, 42 civilians were killed during 2008. 14 Maoists and 20 Policemen were also killed in encounters between Police and Maoists. The Bihar Police have also arrested 442 Maoists, including 43 area/zonal commanders. The Police also recovered 132 firearms, of which 18 were looted earlier, and 17,098 cartridges from the extremists.

The GRP launched a massive manhunt for cadres of the CPI-Maoist in the forest areas of Munger District in the wake of the attack on the Bhagalpur-Muzaffarpur Jansewa Express near Abhaipur station on December 25 in which two GRP constables were killed (one Security personnel succumbed to his injury). As reported earlier, one GRP personnel was killed in the incident.

A senior 'commander' of the CPI-Maoist, identified as Chimat Rai alias Kishan Rai, who was wanted in over 24 cases of murder, dacoity, loot and extremist violence in Bihar and Jharkhand, was arrested by the Police during a search operation at Gauradih village under Ishipur Police Station of Bhagalpur District. A resident of Dighi village in Mehrama Police Station limits of Godda District of Jharkhand, Chimat is also a member of the Shantipal group and in-charge of the underground outfit for Godda and Sahebganj Districts. Rai''s wife has also been detained by the Police.

Date

Incidents

January 3

Police neutralized a CPI-Maoist camp following an encounter with the Maoists near Kotrapal village under Bhairamgarh Police station limits in the Bijapur District. No causality was reported. Police recovered explosives, detonators, radio, Maoist literature and daily use material from the camp.

The Chhattisgarh government has sought nine more battalions of central para-military forces (CPMFs) immediately to deal with the increasing Maoist activity in the State. Chief Secretary Shivraj Singh and the Director General of Police (DGP), Vishwa Ranjan, made this demand during a meeting with the Union Cabinet Secretary, K.M. Chandrasekhar, in New Delhi. Vishwa Ranjan said the State would require 15 battalions of CPMFs to check Maoist violence and an equal number to ensure the safe return of the displaced people to their villages. At present, the State had 12 CRPF battalions and one Mizo battalion.

According to Chhattisgarh Police records, Police fatalities in the Maoist-related violence increased in 2007 compared to the previous year. Girdhari Nayak, the Inspector General of Police (Maoist Operations), told, "Chhattisgarh recorded 436 deaths in Maoist-related violence in 2007, as against 458 casualties reported in 2006. But the deaths of Policemen and special Police officers (SPOs) shot up to 200 last year, while that number was 74 in 2006." He, however, said the State has witnessed a substantial drop in civilian casualties in 2007 with 165 deaths, as against 306 deaths in 2006 and 126 the previous year. According to official data, 67 Maoists were killed in the State in 2007, while the figure was 73 in 2006 and 27 in 2005. Nayak said that the Police have recovered large caches of arms and ammunition from the Maoists in 2007, including 96 weapons, 175 landmines, 208 detonators, 49 gelatine sticks, five wireless sets, five magazines and seven claymore mines.

The CPI-Maoist cadres attacked Police personnel engaged in a combing operation near Cherpal in the Bijapur District. Another group of Maoists attacked Police personnel near Kotrapal. No casualty was reported in either of these incidents.

Police in the Kanker District claimed to have killed seven hardcore CPI-Maoist cadres following a raid on a camp of the outfit in a forested area under Koyalibera Police station. Pawan Deo, Deputy Iinspector General of Police (Kanker range) told, "We found heavy blood stains at the encounter site and enough evidence that rebels' bodies have been carried deep inside the forest during the 90-minute fierce gun battle." The Police recovered three rifles, 36 detonators, four bundles of wires used for landmine blasts, pipe bombs, tiffin bombs, Maoist uniform and literature.

The CPI-Maoist cadres attacked two vehicles of Police personnel near Narsampuram in the Dantewada District. However, no causality was reported.

Police arrest a CPI-Maoist cadre, identified as Kumada, near Hadeli village under Mardapal Police station limits of Bastar District. The Maoist, carrying head money of INR 3000, was involved in several incidents in the Bastar region.

One CPI-Maoist cadre, identified as Bako Maso, was killed during an exchange of fire between Police personnel and the extremists in the forest near Dalmer village under Bhairamgarh Police station limits of Bijapur District. The Maoists attacked the Police personnel who were combing the area and fled as Police opened fire. Police subsequently recovered the dead body of the Maoist along with a 12.bore rifle, one tiffin bomb and explosives from the encounter site.

A CPI-Maoist cadre of the Dhoudai dalam, identified as Mahettar alias Murali, was arrested by Police from Kondagaon town in the Bastar District. The Maoist who was involved in several cases of violence in the District was in the town to buy some daily use materials for Maoists. Police recovered some Maoists banner and other daily use materials from a bag carried by the arrested Maoist.

Mahendra Karma, leader of the Opposition in State Assembly and a Congress legislator of Dantewada, led a rally of about 5,000 Salwa Judum members at Bijapur District headquarter. Karma said that the Salwa Judum movement, launched in June 2005 by tribals of Bastar region, had demolished the Maoists' terror network and their intelligence gathering set-up as well.

Five CRPF personnel were wounded in an ambush by armed Maoists in a forest in the Narayanpur District of Chhattisgarh. About 150 Maoists attacked a joint Police party of the CRPF and District forces when the security force personnel were on a de-mining and area dominance operation in the Jharghati jungle, about 350 kilometers from State capital Raipur, the District Superintendent of Police Ajay Yadav said.

Two CPI-Maoist cadres, identified as Bhagat and Kosa, were killed during an encounter between Police personnel and the Maoists in the forest area in the Konta village of Dantewada District along the Chhattisgarh-Andhra Pradesh border. Police recovered one rifle, one 12 bore rifle and a cartridge from the encounter site.

The STF and the CRPF personnel raided a Maoist hideout in Dantewada's Kirandul area and subsequent to an encounter recovered a huge cache of explosives. The Inspector General of Police Girdhari Nayak said, "STF and CRPF fought a fierce battle with the Leftist insurgents for at least 30 minutes in a forest bastion of the ultras. The rebels fled, leaving a stock of explosives, literature and uniforms."

Police recovered eight bags containing 91 locally-made pistols and 26 wireless sets from a busy square in the State capital Raipur. Inspector General of Police Girdhari Nayak said, "Two car-borne people, including a woman, dropped eight weapons laden bags at a busy square in Dangania area of Raipur Monday night. We have seized the weapons and the state's border has been sealed off." "These are travelling bags and it seems like the arms were dropped for a certain person for the purpose of terrorism, but Police recovered the arms before they were taken away", he added.

Malti, a top 'commander' of the CPI-Maoist and wife of the spokesman of the outfit Gudsa Usendi, was arrested from Farid Nagar locality in the Supela area of Durg District along with two of her associates. Nine pistols, five locally made firearms, one wireless set, INR 600,000 in currency notes and 11 mobile phones were recovered from the house, in which she was reportedly staying for the past two years. Police have also detained a freelance journalist from the Bhilai area for his alleged connection with the arrested Maoists.

A Kolkata-based publisher Asit Sengupta was arrested in Raipur, capital of Chhattisgarh, for his alleged links with the CPI-Maoist. A senior Police official told, "A publisher from Kolkata, Asit Sen Gupta was arrested after huge amount of literature related to the banned Naxal organisation CPI-Maoist and other things were recovered from his house from Tikrapara area of Raipur."

Indian Express reported that Bastar in Chhattisgarh is emerging as the new training ground for CPI-Maoist cadres from across the country. The People's Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) is running four camps in the forests of the region where cadres from several states are being given "on the job" training in carrying out attacks and planting explosives. Intelligence reports and documents seized by the Chhattisgarh Police indicate that Bastar is the new epicentre for Maoist extremism and officials suspect that 1,500-2,000 cadres are present in these camps at any given time.

Chhattisgarh Director General of Police Vishwaranjan stated that while three of the camps were located in the jungles of Bijapur and Dantewara Districts, one camp is believed to be located in the Abujhmarh forests. "According to intelligence inputs received by us, apart from locally recruited cadres, Maoist extremists from other states, including Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal, are also being given training," he said. Apart from 8,000-10,000 armed PLGA and Jan militia in the region, there are also 25,000-35,000 Maoist sympathisers or Sangham members.

At least nine villagers were abducted by a group of CPI-Maoist cadres in the Bijapur District, Police sources said. About 70 Maoists, including armed rebels, stopped a jeep carrying the villagers near Bhogamguda village and asked for each one's identity. Subsequently, nine villagers were taken away to a forest area.

CPI-Maoist cadres abducted four Special Police Officers (SPOs) and five villagers while they were travelling in a jeep from Bijapur to Gangaloor in Bastar region of Chhattisgarh. Inspector General of Police (Bastar) R K Vij told, "The Maoists stopped the jeep by felling a tree on the road. The SPOs and villagers were taken into nearby jungles."

Police recovered 23 high-frequency wireless sets, four bundles of fuse wires and five wireless chargers near Chingri nullah at Bhatagaon village in Raipur.

Chhattisgarh Police arrested 15 CPI-Maoist cadres from Kanker District and recovered explosive material and firearms from them. The Maoists were holding a meeting with villagers at Jamdi when Police raided the place. Further details on the recovery were not available.

Four CRPF personnel, including a Sub-Inspector, were killed by the cadres of the CPI-Maoist in an ambush in the Narayanpur District.

The Inter-Ministerial Group (IMG) of the MHA has identified two Districts in Chhattisgarh - Dantewada and Bijapur - for fast-track implementation of the centrally sponsored development schemes to deal with the left-wing insurgency. The IMG, which was established by the MHA to deal with various aspects of the Maoist problem, met in New Delhi last week to review the pace of development in the affected Districts of various States. It decided to pick these two Districts for speedier implementation of the developmental schemes. The Central schemes to be implemented at a faster pace include Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, Indira Awas Yojana, National Rural Employment Guarantee Act Scheme, Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan and the Integrated Child Development Scheme. The meeting also decided to expedite the clearance process for the developmental schemes.

Security force personnel averted an attempt by the CPI-Maoist cadres to ambush the Leader of Opposition in the State Legislative Assembly, Mahendra Karma, in the Dantewada District. Karma, who tops the hit-list of the CPI-Maoist, was reportedly returning to Dantewada from Aranpur when his convoy came under attack near Potali. Retaliation by the SFs forced the Maoists to flee. Subsequently, SF personnel recovered and later defused a landmine, packed with about three kilograms of explosive, planted on the road.

A combined team of the Bijapur District Police and CRPF Force personnel raided a CPI-Maoist camp in the forest area of Bansaguda Police station and killed two Maoists, identified as Modyami and Awalam Dalla. Police also recovered some bombs, detonators, medicines and daily use material from the incident site.

A Unified Command Structure comprising officials of the Centre and the State governments would be in charge of tacking the problem of left-wing extremism in Chhattisgarh. An announcement to this effect was made by Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil who visited the State. The Chief Minister will head the Unified Command Structure which would co-ordinate the activities of the State and Central forces.

13 cadres of the CPI-Maoist and six CRPF personnel were killed in two separate encounters in the Bijapur District. In the first encounter, the STF personnel shot dead 10 Maoists inside Adesmetta forest under Gangalur Police station in the District after they came were attacked by the Maoists who used landmines and automatic gunfire. Three CRPF head constables and an equal number of constables were killed in an encounter with the Maoists in Tadkel hill of Mirtur Police station area, Inspector General of Police (Bastar range), Rajinder Kumar Vij, said. Three Maoists were also killed during the encounter, which began when a group of 60 CRPF personnel on a search mission were attacked by the Maoists with landmine blasts and machinegun fire in the area. "There were about 300 ultras," Vij said. Maoists escaped with the guns of the slain CRPF soldiers, he added.

The Centre sanctioned four more India Reserve Battalions (IRBs) to be raised by the State in 2008 to boost Chhattisgarh's fight against the Maoists. The State is already raising four IRBs. Within days of announcing the setting up of a Unified Command Structure, headed by Chief Minister Raman Singh, the Union Home Ministry placed five more battalions of CPMFs at the disposal of the State. Currently, 13 battalions of Central forces are engaged in anti-Maoist operations in Chhattisgarh.

One CPI-Maoist cadre, identified as Lakhmu alias Surjuram, was arrested by Police along with a rifle at Banskot village under Badhgaon Police station limits of the Kanker District. He was wanted in four incidents in the Pakhanjur and Badhgaon Police station area. Another Maoist, identified as Mangruram, was arrested along with a rifle during a raid conducted by Aamaguda Police at Matla village in the same District.

Seven CPI-Maoist cadres were arrested by the a combined team of Police and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel in the Dantewada District. The arrested cadres were accused of destroying school buildings in the Sameli, Burgum and Potali villages. They are also accused in an attack on the Leader of Opposition in the State Legislative Assembly, Mahendra Karma, on February 12.

The Narayanpur District Police arrested three Maoists from the forest area of Uchacoat. They were reportedly involved in the setting ablaze of a Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) vehicle in Bharanda road in between Narayanpur and Antagarh.

Police recovered a 10 kilogram pipe bomb from the encounter site after an exchange of fire with the Maoists near Kristaram Police station in the Dantewada District.

The CPI-Maoist cadres attacked the convoy of the Collector and Superintendent of Police (SP) of Narayanpur District near Rainar village. "One of the bullets hit the third vehicle from the car of the SP and the Collector and broke its window pane," a Police official said, adding that no one was injured in the incident. Both the officials were returning to the District headquarter Narayanpur after attending a grievance redressal meeting in Rainar village when the incident occurred.

Around 10-12 armed cadres of the CPI-Maoist killed a civilian, identified as Samsai, in the Sode village of Kanker District. The Maoists have alleged that the victim was a Police informer.

Police arrested three Maoists, identified as Isha alias Yusuf Ansari, Amjad alias Aazad and Anmol Tirkey, from a forest area near Nagara village in the Balrampur Police District during a search operation. The Police also recovered one .9-mm automatic machinegun, one country made firearm and two cartridges from their possession. They were reportedly involved in setting ablaze six tractors and abducting three workers of a contractor in Nagara village on February 1-night.

Police arrested three CPI-Maoist cadres in separate incidents in the Koriya District. In the first incident one Maoist, identified as Chhotu alias Laxaman, was arrested in the Sonhat Police station area along with one .315 rifle and five cartridges. Separately, two more Maoists, identified as Shiva Pratap Singh alias Chhotkan (carrying head money of INR 2000) and Rajpati Singh alias Lalla alias Rashtrapati (carrying head money of INR 3000), were arrested from the Kotadol Police station area. Both the Maoists are wanted in several criminal activities in the Koriya and Surajpur Police Districts.

Around 50-60 armed cadres of the CPI-Maoist attacked the Bande Police station in the Kanker District. However, the attack was foiled by the security force personnel and no causality was reported.

Police arrested two Maoists, identified as Mangal and Mansaram, from Patkalbeda village under Antagarh Police station in the Kanker District along with two rifles.

Police during a search operation arrested five CPI-Maoist cadres, including a woman, identified as Mehattar Ram, Baisakhuram Daro, Ganguram, Anand Sore and Nirgo Bai alias Hirgobai alias Kavita, from Petargudam forest area under Badgaon Police station of Kanker District.

Four Sangham (a group of hardcore over-ground cadres) member of the CPI-Maoist were arrested by a combined team of forest guards and the Special Police Officers near Chinka village under Bhairamgarh Police station in the Bijapur District .

The CPI-Maoist cadres killed a civilian, identified as Sodhi Darra, in the Chintalnar Police station area of Dantewada District. A pamphlet recovered from the incident site allegedly branded the victim as a Police informer.

Maoists set ablaze two tractors engaged in road construction work near Kakerbeda under Chhote Dongar Police station in the Narayanpur District and warned workers to stop the ongoing road construction work.

An attack by a group of heavily armed CPI-Maoist cadres on a Special Police Officer (SPO) camp in the Dantewada District was repulsed by alert SPOs. Superintendent of Police Rahul Sharma said a group of around 24 Maoists opened indiscriminate fire on the Chitalanka camp, but had to retreat when the SPOs retaliated. The camp housing about 20-25 SPOs is located two kilometres from District headquarters Dantewada town and is very close to the official residence of the District Collector and Superintendent of Police.

Joint security forces of Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh killed 17 CPI-Maoist cadres, including seven women inside the Darelli forest under Pamedu Police station in the Bijapur District. The encounter followed an aerial survey that revealed an ongoing plenum of the Maoists attended by 60 cadres. Khammam Superintendent of Police D.S. Chauhan confirmed that those killed in the encounter were mostly from Khammam District. Weapons including an AK-47, three Self Loading Rifles (SLRs), landmines and many single shot weapons were recovered following two spells of the ambushes by the SFs. Police sources said more than 500 shots were fired by both sides in two spells - one at 9 AM and another four hours later. While 13 Maoists were killed in the first spell of encounter, four others were killed during the second assault.

Three Salwa Judum activists were killed by the CPI-Maoist cadres in a forested stretch in southern Chhattisgarh. Maoists reportedly abducted the deceased from a relief camp at Mathwara village in the Bijapur District and three days later killed them by slitting their throats.

The District Collector (DC) and Superintendent of Police (SP) of Kanker in the Bastar District escaped unhurt even as two Policemen were wounded when Maoists triggered landmine blast targeting their vehicle. The incident occurred when the DC, K. R. Pisda, and SP, Ratan Lal Dangi, were returning to the District headquarters Kanker. Although both the senior officials escaped, the tail vehicle, carrying Policemen to provide security to them, were hit by the explosion.

A day-long general strike called by the CPI-Maoist to protest against killings of 17 of their colleagues last week in southern Chhattisgarh affected normal life. The transport operators kept passenger vehicles off the road. Shops and business establishment in the forested areas of Bastar remained closed and passenger buses did not ply on the National Highway 221 in Dantewada District and on National Highway 16 in Bijapur District.

A group of 55 armed CPI-Maoist cadres raided the Mahamaya iron ore plant of the Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) in Gajurao village of Durg District. They fled with 200 bags of pottassium nitrate explosive after loading them onto six trucks parked at the plant. The Maoists also abducted the manager of the unit and seven other staff members.

A Policeman and five personnel of the bomb disposal squad of Chhattisgarh Police were injured in a land mine blast triggered by CPI-Maoist near Sendhawadi village in Rajnandgaon District.

CPI-Maoist cadres on March 28 released all the eight officials and employees they had abducted from Durg District on March 27. Durg District Superintendent of Police Dinapshu Kabra said that all the released persons were unharmed.

CPI-Maoist cadres damaged five electricity polls in the Bastar District disrupting power supply to over 150 villages. "The entire Usur block and some areas of Bhopalpatnam block are facing a blackout since Friday night. We fear the rebels may use the opportunity to attack either Police or civilians installations," said Ankit Garg, the Bastar District Superintendent of Police. The supply of electricity remained disrupted till April 1.

CPI-Maoist called for a bandh in the Dandakaranya region to protest killing of 17 of their cadres in Bastar area on March 18 by the Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh Police in a joint operation.

The bandh halted iron ore mining and transport services in the state. The transport of iron ore from the National Mineral Development Corp's (NMDC) mines at Bailadila in the Dantewada District was severely affected as no trains plied on the Jagdalpur-Kirandul route during the strike. In Kirandul areas, mining workers did not turn up for work fearing the Maoists.

The Supreme Court examining two petitions alleging that the Chattisgarh government was allegedly arming civilians involved in Salwa Judum movement to fight the naxalites remarked, "It is a question of law and order. You (state government) cannot give arms to somebody (a civilian) and allow him to kill. You will be an abettor of the offence under section 302 of the Indian Penal Code". The Bench comprising Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan and Justice Aftab Alam said a neutral agency should inquire and assess whether people had joined Salwa Judum camps on their own. The state government had earlier denied that Salwa Judum was a state-sponsored movement and said that action shall be taken if any Salwa Judum activist transgresses the confines of the law.

The Union Government defended the Salwa Judum campaign. Additional Solicitor-General Gopal Subramanian, appearing for the Union Government, supported the Chhattisgarh Government and said the petitioners' claims of excesses during Salwa Judum were exaggerated. "The perception put forth by the petitioners is subject to much moderation," he said. He further argued, "When hundreds of people are killed by Naxalites [Maoists], the state has to do something to protect them." Separately, the Chhattisgarh Government counsel Manish Singhvi said that many of the allegations of excesses by Salwa Judum activists were found to be false upon inquiry.

IANS reports that the paramilitary Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) has begun taking over from the CRPF the security of 23 Government-run relief camps for villagers of the Maoist-affected areas in Chhattisgarh. Girdhari Nayak, the Inspector General of Police heading the anti-Maoist operations, said that a SSB battalion which reached capital Raipur on April 8 is en route to the southern Bastar region to join another SSB battalion that has taken over from the CRPF. "About 2,000 SSB personnel have begun taking over security of 23 Government-run makeshift relief camps from the CRPF in extreme southern Districts of Bijapur and Dantewada to protect about 48,000 camp settlers", Nayak said.

Economic Times reported that the Chhattisgarh Government has told the Supreme Court that the left-wing extremist problem has reached alarming proportions in the State and it is not possible to end the Salwa Judum, a people's resistance movement to counter the Maoists. An affidavit filed by the State Government in the apex court said, "They (Naxals) destroyed 55 primary school buildings, eight panchayat bhawans (buildings of village level self-government institutions), nine ashram bhawans (buildings of religious institutions), nine hostels, eight anganwadi centres, 18 other buildings in the last three years. There were also cases of destruction of electric towers resulting in blackouts in many parts of the Naxal-affected regions". The affidavit said that the people of Chhattisgarh, due to the fear of the Maoists, were living in the camps. "The state cannot stifle any people's initiative to resist a patently illegal organisation and its activities", the affidavit said.

The Union Government in a statement in the Supreme Court strongly opposed the disbanding of the Salwa Judum movement in Chhattisgarh. The Additional Solicitor-General Gopal Subramanium told the apex court, "To assume that the Salwa Judum was an army of people with weapons and asking for it to be disbanded will be no more than asking for these people to be pushed out to be killed (by the Naxalites)." "Salwa Judum, activists of which are designated as special Police officers, is consciously funded by the Centre to save the tribals, who were displaced from the jungles by Naxalites, and protect people from being killed by Naxalites", Subramaniam added. He further said, "Situation is of considerable concern both to the Centre and state. Policemen are not ready to step into the forests. Though 17,000 posts are sanctioned for anti-naxal force, the state government is finding it very difficult to fill them. That is why the self-defence force was organised to save people from becoming sitting ducks for the Naxals." He, however, said that the Government has no objection to the National Human Rights Commission examining individual human rights violation cases by the Salwa Judum activists.

CPI-Maoist cadres killed two Salwa Judum members in the Gayatapara village of Bijapur District. Ankit Garg, District Superintendent of Police (Bijapur), said that both the victims, settlers of the Gangloor relief camp, had gone back to their village for personal work when they were attacked by a group of 20 armed Maoists.

CPI-Maoist cadres set fire to 47 vehicles of a private company, Essar Steels at Korandul in the Dantewada District. The vehicles burnt included 33 dumpers, four earth moving equipment, two diesel tankers and one bus. Some 400 Maoists including over 100 women stormed into the company premises at Kadampal locality in the town around 11.30 p.m, doused the vehicles with diesel and set them afire by keeping the guards and drivers away at gun point. Maoists subsequently fled the scene leaving behind a pamphlet issued in the name of the Dandakaranya Special Zonal committee of the outfit. The pamphlet warned the Essar Steels and another private company against continuing their operations in the Bastar region of Chhattisgarh.

IANS reported that the CPI-Maoist extremists are forcibly recruiting minors from the large forested areas of Chhattisgarh. Inspector General of Police Girdhari Nayak said, "Rebels are conducting a massive drive for child soldiers in their forested hideouts in Chhattisgarh's Bastar region, which is close to Andhra Pradesh." "It's a forced recruitment. Rebels are carrying away children without their parents' consent and are training them to handle even sophisticated weapons and use them for attacks on civilians and Police installations," he added. He further said, "We have reports that insurgents have been forcibly taking away tribal boys and girls from schools in poverty-stricken hamlets of the Bastar region." Police officials further said that the recruitment is intended for filling up a child unit - Krantikari Adivasi Balak Sangh - a banned frontal organisation of the CPI-Maoist in Chhattisgarh. The extremists are targeting children in the age group of 12-18 years and are focussing on school dropouts.

CPI-Maoist cadres killed three tribal youths. Four youths were abducted from Yampuram tribal village near Charla under Pamedu Police station in the Bijapur District. While three of them were killed by the Maoists and their bodies abandoned on the village outskirts, the whereabouts of the fourth one is not known. The Maoists reportedly held the youths responsible for the Pamedu encounter in which 17 Maoists had been killed in a joint operation by the Chhattisgarh Police and Greyhounds personnel from Andhra Pradesh in March.

Maoists set ablaze 39 deserted huts belonging to the members of the Salwa Judum at the remote Tetrai village in the Dantewada District.

Three Policemen were killed when the CPI-Maoist cadres triggered a landmine blast and opened fire at a Police party near Chhindpal village in the Kanker District. The slain Police personnel were identified as platoon commander Sangram Singh, Assistant Sub-Inspector Shayamlal Ambali and Constable Mahulal. Police sources said that the attack by an estimated 150 Maoists occurred when a Police party comprising 26 personnel were visiting the site to clear a tree felled by the Maoists to block the road.

CPI-Maoist cadres killed two special Police officers in the Narayanpur District. Pawan Deo, Deputy Inspector General of Police (Kanker range), said, "Two bodies were found at a roadside in a forested stretch in Narayanpur District Wednesday (May 21) morning. Maoists probably killed them overnight and dumped their bodies early morning".

A tribal woman was killed and another injured when a bomb planted by the Maoists exploded in a forested area on Narayanpur-Orchha road in the Narayanpur District.

A truck loaded with about nine tonnes of gelatine explosives was seized by the Police on the outskirts of capital Raipur near the national highway. The truck reportedly was found abandoned at the site. The explosives, Police said, were ordered by a Nagpur-based coal mine company. The vehicle carrying the consignment to Nagpur from Jharkhand, was stolen in Chhattisgarh's Janjgir District. Police is carrying out investigation to ascertain the role of the left-wing extremists in the theft.

The Hindu reports that Maoists have imposed a ban on the use of mobile phones in the tribal habitations of the Bastar region.

CPI-Maoist cadres set ablaze two private buses on the Nerli ghat road and torched four tippers at Bachali area in the Dantewada District. Dantewada Superintendent of Police Rahul Sharma said that 50 armed Maoists stopped the buses travelling on the Raipur- Kirandul route, asked the passengers to alight and then torched the vehicles. Before fleeing under the cover of darkness, the Maoists also fired upon the Police, who had rushed to the area. At Bachali, 25-kilometres from Dantewada, a group of 40 Maoists burnt down the tippers engaged in civil works. Maoists have also pasted posters and distributed pamphlets in the tribal villages asking them to leave their places.

CPI-Maoist cadres pulled down 14 electricity poles in the southern Bastar region affecting supply of the electricity to at least 50 villages of Narayanpur District. Pawan Deo, Deputy Inspector General of Police (Kanker range), said, "The Police presence has been boosted in and around Government installations located in villages where there is a blackout. Patrolling has been intensified with Police and para-military troopers being put on high alert."

CPI-Maoist cadres killed three tribals and set ablaze six vehicles in the Dantewada District as part of their Jana Chaitanyam (Public Awareness) campaign. The killed persons include, businessman N. Ramakrishna and his associates T. Laxmaiah and S. Nagaraju, all residents of Chintakunta village in the Charla mandal, had left for Kondapalli on a two-wheeler on June 2. Their dead bodies were dug out near the Basavagu area.

CPI-Maoist cadres blasted a high tension 220-KV power supply tower in the forested Bastar region. Security forces who scanned the forests from helicopters located the tower. Hundreds of villages in the Jagdalpur, Bijapur, Dantewada and Narayanpur Districts in the southern Districts of the state have plunged into darkness as a result. A senior Police officer said, "It would take at least one week to restore power supply".

The power disruption has brought to a halt mining in Bailadilla, which has India's largest iron ore deposits, thereby affecting the operations of the National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC) and mining facilities of the Essar Steel plant. "The total loss to NMDC could be INR 10-11 crore (100-110 millions) a day," a senior official of the corporation said. "The pumping operations have come to a standstill," an Essar spokesman said.

Three CPI-Maoist cadres, including a woman, were killed during a gunfight with the Police in the Bijapur District. The incident took place near the forests of Bhairamgarh, about 480-km south of Raipur. "A team of District Force backed by Special Police Officers fought a gun battle with armed rebels and the 45-minute fight ended with three ultras, including a female commander, being killed," Girdhari Nayak, Inspector General of Police. Nayak also said that two Maoists surrendered before the Police with 12 bore guns and a claymore mine in the Surguja District on the same day.

Three Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel, including a sub-inspector, were killed and two others injured in an attack by the CPI-Maoist cadres in the Durg District. Police sources said that a group of Maoists blew up a jeep of CISF personnel using an IED near Mahamaya mines area under Dallirajehra Police station of the District, leading to the killings and the injuries. The Maoists were reported to have decamped with the arms of the killed and injured personnel.

CPI-Maoist cadres set 22 tipper trucks of Essar Steel plant and removed a stretch of the Kirandole rail line in the Dantewada District, resulting in the derailment of two engines. A group of 200 armed Maoists stormed the industrial pocket at Bacheli village near Kirandole and burnt the trucks meant for transporting iron-ore. The attack continued till late in the night and the loss was said to be quite extensive. Maoists were observing an anti-oppression week in response to the call given by the Dandakaranya special zonal committee and the Orissa-Chhattisgarh border zonal committee of the outfit to protest against the Salwa Judum. The Maoists reportedly had been holding meetings since a week and distributing pamphlets and publicity material in the forest villages on the Konta-Dantewada highway urging the local people to support their cause.

An attack by the CPI-Maoist cadres on a visiting team of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) was repulsed in the Dantewada District of Chhattisgarh. Officials at state Police headquarters in Raipur said their personnel escorting the NHRC probe team fought an hour-long gun battle with the extremists following which the Maoists fled. The NHRC team was on its way to Konta area from Dantewada town.

Security forces raided a Maoist hideout near Uppelmeta under Errabore Police station in the Dantewada District. A woman Maoist was killed during an encounter that followed the raid.

Maoists abducted three traders when they were on their way to Badgaon from a weekly market in the Kanker District. The Maoists initially held 30 traders captive, but later released 27 of them. The rebels also set ablaze a truck owned by the traders. One of the traders was later killed and other two let off.

The CPI-Maoist cadres stormed a marriage function and killed the bridegroom by slitting his throat before the guests at Koder village in the Bijapur District. The Maoists fled from the scene after killing Laxman Parlipal, who used to assist security forces at the Cherpal relief camp.

A CRPF trooper was killed and three other troopers were seriously injured in a remote forested stretch of Kanker District when the CPI-Maoist cadres attacked a combing team. Pawan Deo, Deputy Inspector General of Police in Kanker said that the 48-member combing team of the CRPF and the District Force came under attack by the Maoists who used grenades and guns. Following an hour-long gun battle, the CRPF troopers found abandoned shoes and blood marks at the site suggesting that the Maoists too had suffered injuries.

The CRPF personnel and the Maoists were engaged in a two-hour long encounter near Kondagaon in the Kanker District. The encounter followed after two CRPF platoons, on their way to a nearby village following information that the Maoists had killed a trader, came under attacks by the extremists. CRPF head constable Devidas was killed in the encounter while another head constable Shatrughan Singh Yadav and constable Grijashankar sustained serious injuries.

A constable was killed and eight SPOs went missing after armed Maoists attacked them at a forested stretch near village Murligura, close to the Andhra Pradesh border, in the Dantewada District. "Armed insurgents, who were waiting for the eight-member SPO team led by a Police constable, opened indiscriminate fire at the team. The constable was killed on the spot," Dantewada District Superintendent of Police Rahul Sharma told.

Maoists set ablaze an earth moving machine engaged in road construction at Lakshmipura under Pakhanjur Police station in the Kanker District.

Three SPOs were killed by CPI-Maoist in Banda Police station limits of Dantewada District. The SPOs were abducted by the Maoists along with five other civilian Police following an encounter in the forests, seven kilometers away from Konta town on June 18. The SPOs were taken to a Maoist camp in the forests blind-folded where they were asked to distance themselves from the Salwa Judum and the Police. Five of them were then let off and three others - Gopal, Bhadru and Lakshmaiah, were shot dead and their bodies abandoned near Banda village.

A constable of the Mizo battalion was critically injured when CPI-Maoist cadres chopped off his hand, injured another security personnel and looted two AK-47 assault rifles from both of them at Gadiras weekly market in the Dantewada District. District Superintendent of Police Rahul Sharma said the incident took place in the morning when two constables got separated from other security personnel during patrol duty at the weekly market. Soon, the Maoists attacked them with an axe, chopping off a hand of constable Piyang. The extremists then fled with their weapons.

Three Policemen were killed in a CPI-Maoist ambush in Narayanpur District on June 25. Those killed included two Chhattisgarh Armed Forces' men and another from the District force of the state Police. "Heavily armed insurgents, who were waiting on a hilly point in Narayanpur District, triggered a blast and then opened indiscriminate firing Wednesday night that killed three cops," Pawan Deo, Deputy Inspector General of Police. The Maoists also took away the weapons of the slain Policemen.

Security force personnel and the Maoists engaged in an encounter near Belgaon village, 12 kilometres from Bairamgarh in the Bijapur District. A Maoist was killed during the encounter. Tiffin bombs weighing 10 kilograms and four hand grenades were recovered from the encounter site.

Suspected CPI-Maoist cadres killed three activists of the Salwa Judum in the Bijapur District. The killed included two elected Panchayat members. The dead bodies were recovered near a village on the Amapalli-Ilmchi road. The three killed men had left for District headquarter Jagdalpur three days ago and but had not reached the destination.

11 wagons of an iron-ore laden goods train were derailed at a stretch between Dantewada and Kamaloor railway stations in the Dantewada District after suspected CPI-Maoist cadres uprooted the rail tracks. The wagons of the train bound for Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh came down from a small bridge. The derailment has totally stooped iron ore transportation from Dantewada's Kirandul base to the Andhra Pradesh port city.

Home Minister Ramvichar Netam announced in the Legislative Assembly that 34 Maoists were killed and 119 arrested in the State in the first six months of 2008.

Two persons who were abducted by the CPI-Maoist cadres one week back for acting as Police informers, were found dead in a forest in the Bastar region. Police said both men were killed two days ago and their bodies were found in separate places in a thick forest while Police teams were conducting a combing operation. While 55-year-year-old Patri Baloji's body was found in a forest in Bijapur, the body of Barsa Buddu, 50, was recovered from Dantewada. Police confirmed that both victims were Police informers.

Chhattisgarh Home Minister Ram Vichar Netam informed the Legislative Assembly that the fatalities toll in left-wing insurgency related activities have been 1,093 in 2,784 incidents between January 1, 2004 and June 20, 2008. In a written reply to a question by Congress legislator and leader of the opposition, Mahendra Karma, Netam said that the fatalities include 726 civilians, 243 Police personnel and 124 special Police officers. More than 90 percent of the incidents and fatalities were reported from the State's southern Bastar region that comprises five Districts - Dantewada, Bijapur, Narayanpur, Kanker and Bastar - spread out in about 40,000 square kilometre area.

CPI-Maoist cadres killed a leader of the ruling BJP, who was also a sarpanch at Bastnar, 40 kilometres from the Bastar District headquarter in Jagdalpur, reports Indian Express. Maoists stormed into the house of Ganguram Kashyap, set ablaze his tractor, looted cash and food grains from the house and walked away with his cattle after shooting him dead. This was the first incident of a Maoist attack in this area. It is believed that the extremists are a part of the newly formed Bastnar division of the CPI-Maoist which is trying to spread their base into this area.

Chhattisgarh Pradesh Congress Committee member Avdesh Kumar Gautam had a narrow escape near Nakulnar weekly market in the Dantewada District when Maoists opened fire on him but missed their target. Gautam, who is on the hit list of Maoists because of his close association with Salwa Judum leaders.

Maoists killed a former village chief in Mainpur on the Chhattisgarh-Orissa border, accusing him of working as a Police informer. "Former sarpanch Niram Singh Dhruv was forcefully taken away from his house by Maoists on Sunday and tied to an electricity pole in village square at Amagaon, about 225 km from the State capital [Raipur], and was shot in the chest," Mainpur Police station sources said. A Maoist commander Gopanna was reportedly arrested from Dhruv's house on May 4, 2007 and the insurgents had subsequently accused Dhruv of informing the Police about the commander's presence. However, the Superintendent of Police in Raipur, Amit Kumar, said "But Dhruv was not our informer and Maoists wrongly killed him."

CPI-Maoist cadres killed four people in two separate attacks in Chhattisgarh. While two persons were killed in the Sitagaon village of Rajnandgaon District, two more were killed in Kotapalli village of Bijapur District. Senior officials at the Police headquarters in capital Raipur said all the four were killed on charges of spying for the Police.

Security forces searching for a missing helicopter came under fire from the naxalites in the Gangalur area of the Bastar forest region. A two hour encounter did not result in any casualty on either side. The private helicopter which took off from Hyderabad in Andhra Pradesh on August 3-afternoon, was to stop at Jagdalpur for refuelling before heading for Raipur, state capital of Chhattisgarh. But it disappeared while flying over the Bastar forest.

The Chhattisgarh Police raided a training camp of the CPI-Maoist at Awapalli forest area in the Dantewada District and killed three insurgents. Girdhari Nayak, the Additional Director General of Police, claimed that the Maoists suffered more casualties but only three bodies were recovered. Awapalli, some 500 kilometres south of capital Raipur near the Andhra Pradesh border, is considered a Maoist stronghold.

The Chhattisgarh Police killed a CPI-Maoist cadre during an encounter near Jagargunda area of Dantewada District.

A Member of the Parliament (MP) from the Bastar region belonging to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Baliram Kashyap, escaped a landmine attack triggered by the CPI-Maoist, Police sources told. Giridhari Nayak, the Additional Director General of Police, said, "Insurgents exploded a landmine to hit Kashyap's vehicle in a forested stretch of Narayanpur District but he escaped unhurt while the blast hit a jeep following his convoy." A Policeman and an assistant sub-inspector were injured in the attack while the rear portion of the jeep was severely damaged.

Asian Age quoting Police sources in Chhattisgarh reported that serious difference of opinion has arisen among the central and state committees of the CPI-Maoist over forming suicide squads for use in future attacks. A senior Chhattisgarh Police official said that during interrogations of arrested Maoists it was found that a section of both the central and state committees felt since they were not a 'fundamentalist' outfit and forming suicide squads would not be "ideologically correct". At the same time, another section felt that the outfit could not ignore the "lethal success of suicide squads and (their) fearsome impact on the psyche of the Indian State and security forces".

Economic Times reports the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), which had been mandated by the Supreme Court to probe the alleged excesses committed by the Salwa Judum activists in Chhattisgarh's Bastar region, has reportedly favoured the continuation of the movement. The Commission, which held detailed and on-the-spot investigation of the activities of the Salwa Judum members found that, barring a few stray cases of violence, there was nothing to suggest their direct involvement in atrocities on the civilian population. The NHRC further observed that the Chhattisgarh state government's role is limited to providing security cover for the processions and meetings of the Salwa Judum and also to inhabitants of the temporary relief camps dotting the area. The Commission further said that many of the allegations against the Salwa Judum members are based on rumours and hearsay, and devoid of facts.

Six CRPF personnel, including an inspector identified as R S Kang, were killed in a landmine explosion triggered by suspected CPI-Maoist cadres in the Narayanpur District. The incident occurred on a state highway when the CRPF team was proceeding on an anti-Maoist operation from Konda to Narayanpur at around 11 AM, CRPF spokesman Ajay Chaturvedi said. The vehicle carrying the team was blown up in the explosion.

A CPI-Maoist cadre managed to decamp with one assault rifle and two grenades from the Durgkondal Police station in the Kanker District. The 27-year old Maoist Guddu alias Gadwa had come to the Police station two weeks ago and claimed that he had broken ranks with the outfit and hence, faced a threat to his life from his former colleagues. The Police officers kept him in 'protective custody' on the condition that he would disclose information about the outfit. Abhisek Pathak, Kanker District superintendent of Police, said, "We will probe the matter and action will surely be taken against the Police officers of the Durgkondal Police station because now it looks like the rebel had a staged drama of having broken ranks with the terror outfit to fool the Police."

Five security force personnel, including three CRPF soldiers, were killed and five others injured in an attack by suspected CPI-Maoist cadres in the forests near village Chunchuna Pundagh of Sarguja District. The area is close to the inter-state border with Jharkhand. Director General of Police Vishwaranjan said the extremists ambushed the SF personnel, who were patrolling the area and started firing indiscriminately at them.

CPI-Maoist cadres killed two of the eight villagers whom they had abducted on September 4 from Palamargu village in the Dantewada District. Dornapal sub-divisional Police officer O P Sharma said, "Police had killed three rebels in an encounter last month. The Maoists killed the two villagers suspecting that they were Police informers." He said a group of about 50-60 armed Maoists had abducted eight persons from the village and had released six of them. Mutilated bodies of two villagers, Panjam Podia and Hemla Nanda were subsequently recovered by the Police.

At least two CRPF personnel were injured in an ambush by the suspected CPI-Maoist cadres in a forested area of Bijapur District. Pawan Deo, Deputy Inspector General said that Maoists opened fire on a road opening party consisting of the CRPF personnel.

The Supreme Court asked the Chhattisgarh government to implement some of the recommendations of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), which went into the activities of the Salwa Judum. The NHRC had been asked by the Supreme Court to probe the allegations that the Salwa Judum was committing atrocities on innocent people. A Bench comprising Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan and Justices P. Sathasivam and J.M. Panchal told senior counsel K.K. Venugopal, appearing for Chhattisgarh, that the commission "has done a meticulous work. It has given a series of recommendations. It is very painful to read the report. It says there is arson and looting, people are armed and they [Salwa Judum] are committing serious offences. It says people who are subjected to serious problems are still afraid of coming out." The Chief Justice observed, "When somebody [Salwa Judum] is given arms, he claims to be a pseudo Police. Once he is given arms, he will commit an offence though he has no right to do any such act. Some remedial measures have been suggested in the report and the State may consider implementing them. Whatever is urgently required to be done, do it." Mr. Venugopal assured the court that the government would implement the recommendations "which are of immediate concern."

Four CRPF personnel including a deputy commandant were killed in a landmine explosion on a road leading to Chitrakoot in the Bastar region. The blast is suspected to have been triggered by the CPI-Maoist. Official sources said that the blast took place when two jeeps of a road opening party carrying 12 CRPF personnel were heading towards Chitrakoot. While Diwakar Mahapatra, a deputy commandant of the CRPF, and the driver of the vehicle died on the spot, two of the injured personnel succumbed to injuries in the government hospital in Bastar. The condition of the three others was reported to be critical. President Pratibha Patil was visiting the Bastar region at the time of the incident.

The Supreme Court-appointed NHRC investigation into Salwa Judum in Chhattisgarh has justified the movement as a "spontaneous revolt of the tribals against years of atrocities and harassment suffered by them at the hands of Naxalites. The NHRC report, submitted to the apex court also dismisses most of the allegations of human rights abuses made by the petitioners in the apex court, including widely reported use of minors by Salwa Judum. The report blames the Naxalites for human rights abuses and sees action by Salwa Judum activists from the prism of necessary retaliation. The report further says that 15 years after Jan Jagran Abhiyan, an earlier attempt to deal with Naxalites, "local tribals once again mustered courage to stand up to the Naxalites, which only goes to show their sense of desperation."

A CPI-Maoist commander was killed by a joint team of the Chhattisgarh Police and the paramilitary CRPF in a forest area in the Bijapur District. District Superintendent of Police Ankit Garg informed that the encounter took place after a security force combing team was fired upon by the Maoists. A dozen of the Maoists managed to escape after security forces retaliated. The security forces later recovered the body of the slain Maoist along with four 12-bore guns and a tiffin bomb.

CPI-Maoist cadres fired a few rounds at the Maraiguda Police station in the Dantewada District. Superintendent of Police Rahul Sharma said that the Maoists fled after Police opened retaliatory fire. This Police station located on the interstate border with Andhra Pradesh had previously been attacked by the Maoists in April 2007.

Chhattisgarh government suspended 13 Policemen, including six inspectors and seven sub-inspectors, for refusing to accept transfers to the left-wing insurgency affected Bastar region. R K Vij, inspector-general (administration), said, "We had no option left but to crack the whip on 13 Policemen who defied the government transfer order and refused to join duty in Bastar region, despite repeated reminders." The officers were transferred in July-August to the interior areas of Bastar.

Four Deputy Superintendents of Police (DSPs) were suspended by the Chhattisgarh government after they refused to serve in the Maoist infested areas of the state. "Four DSPs have been suspended with immediate effect for refusing to accept postings in state's Maoist insurgency hit areas," R.K. Vij, Inspector General (Administration). The suspended officers were identified as Rajesh Kukreja, D.S. Negi, R.D. Mourya and S.L. Marawi. They were issued transfer orders in August along with other Police officials.

12 Para-military personnel belonging to the CRPF were killed and six others injured in an ambush by the CPI-Maoist extremists near a forest village between Modupal and Kompalli in the Bijapur District. Bijapur SP Ankit Garg said the incident took place around 1.30 pm when CRPF men patrolling the area were moving towards the Modupal base camp. They were attacked by large number of Maoists who first set off an explosion and then opened fire. Police sources said three security personnel were killed in the blast while nine others were killed in the firing that followed. A Maoist was killed when the CRPF personnel returned fire. Maoists also escaped with weapons of the dead and injured personnel, including an Ak-47 assault rifle, two SLRs, a light machine gun and INSAS rifles.

The Election Commission sought a detailed report from the Chhattisgarh government regarding security arrangement in Maoist-hit pockets for conducting free and fair election. The action came against the backdrop of the CPI-Maoist attack on the para-military CRPF personnel in the Bijapur District on October 20 that killed 12 personnel. A senior Police officer said, "The EC has taken a serious note on the incident as it happened on the day when the first phase of election process started with the filing of nomination papers yesterday."

The CRPF said conducting Assembly elections in Chhattisgarh would be a "big challenge" for the force which has suffered numerous casualties in the recent times. CRPF Director General V K Joshi told reporters, "Conducting elections in the state would be a big challenge for the force. We will do whatever is needed." Out of the 90 Assembly constituencies in Chhattisgarh, the elections on 39 seats would be held on November 14. The rest 51 constituencies will go to polls on November 20.

17 SF personnel of the Chhattisgarh Armed Force and District Police were injured in a powerful landmine blast triggered by the CPI-Maoist cadres near Gudumkodo village in the Narayanpur District of the southern Bastar region. Police sources said that the nature of the injury was minor. Inspector General of Police (Bastar range) A N Upadhyaya said the SF personnel were returning from Benur after night patrolling to the District headquarters at Narayanpur when the Maoists made an attempt to blow up their vehicle. The blast missed the target, as the explosion took place 10 feet away from the vehicle. He added that the SF personnel have been admitted to the District hospital.

Suspected CPI-Maoist cadres fired three shots targeting a chopper in which a parliamentarian of the ruling BJP was travelling for an election campaign, the Chhattisgarh Police said. However, the extremists missed the intended target. The incident took place in Kanker District's thick forested Koilibera area in Antagarh assembly constituency, some 250 kilometres south of the capital Raipur. Maoists fired three shots when the chopper took off from a stadium at Kolibera. The chopper was carrying three persons - all BJP leaders, including party MP Sohan Potai.

Two leaders of the ruling BJP were killed by suspected cadres of the CPI-Maoist when they were attending an election meeting at Badre Gudra village in Dantewada District. The killed leaders have been identified as Dantewada BJP District Vice-President Ramesh Rathore and BJP Kuakunda Block Divisional President Surya Prakash. The vehicles in which the BJP leaders had travelled to the meeting was also torched by the Maoists.

Suspected cadres of the CPI-Maoist opened fire on the car carrying Sarguja IG of Police B.S. Maravi under Balrampur Police District near Chhattisgarh-Jharkhand border. Deputy Inspector-General of Police (Intelligence) Pawan Deo said, "Two bullets passed through abrading the back portion of IG's head". The IG had visited the Tijla area on the Jharkhand border, where the security force personnel had an encounter with the Maoists earlier in the morning and was returning to Balrampur when the ambush occurred. A group of Maoists crossing over from Jharkhand targeted the Police patrolling party this morning. The IG was rushed to a hospital in the District headquarters Ambikapur hospital and he is reported to be out of danger

Police killed three suspected CPI-Maoist cadres during an encounter at the thickly forested hamlet of Kharka in the Narayanpur District of the Bastar region. Pawan Deo, DIG- Police Headquarters, told IANS, "The gun battle began when a combing squad of the District force was challenged by armed Maoists. Three rebels were killed on the spot."

Police claimed to have killed two CPI-Maoist cadres at Uchsava village under Ramachandrapur Police station in the Sarguja District. Sources said that the dead were part of a group of Maoists had entered the region crossing the inter-state border between Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand. Their dead bodies could not be recovered as these have been taken away by the colleagues.

Congress leader, identified as Trinath Singh Thakur, was killed by cadres of the CPI-Maoist at Kadapal village in the Dantewada District. According to the sources, Thakur, the Congress President of Kuakonda block had to the village for party work and was killed by the Maoists who slit his throat.

One CRPF personnel was killed after being hit by a sniper bullet at Antagarh in Kanker District. The bullet is suspected to have been fired by the CPI-Maoist cadres. The CRPF trooper was accompanying poll officials at the end of voting at Antagarh in the Kanker District.

A non-commissioned officer of the IAF, identified as Sergeant Mustafa Ali, was killed and a Squadron Leader identified as, T.K. Chaudhury, was injured in the CPI-Maoist's attack on their helicopter. According to the sources, the helicopter was airlifting EVMs and polling staff when it was attacked with light machine gun fire. A volley of bullets had hit the wings and some had hit those inside. Showing presence of mind, the crew had flown the helicopter to Jagdalpur, District headquarters of the Bastar. The casualties had come to light only after the helicopter landed at Jagdalpur.

Two SPO and District Police personnel were injured in a landmine blast near Gorkha in the Dantewada District. One CRPF personnel was also wounded in another blast near Chintalnar in the same District.

As many as 25 encounters took place between the security personnel and the CPI-Maoist and all of which were repulsed. The report added that six polling booths were attacked and 21 EVMs were looted.

55 per cent of the 63,90,000 voters exercised their franchise during the voting for 39 constituencies in the first phase of polls in Chhattisgarh.

In the backdrop of the attack on the Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopter by the CPI-Maoists, the IAF asked the State Government to provide security for unhindered flying to all the helipads in the State.

Two unidentified cadres of the CPI-Maoist were killed in the counter attack after a Police convoy was blown up at Ramchandrapur in the Sarguja District.

The former Chief Minister, Ajit Jogi, escaped unhurt when his vehicle was attacked by unidentified persons in the Bilaspur District during the second and final phase of voting of Chhattisgarh Assembly elections. According to the sources, 68 per cent of polling was recorded in the 2nd phase of the election.

A Policeman, Tikeshwar Sandilya, was killed and another injured in a landmine blast triggered by cadres of the CPI-Maoist during the re-polling near Bintaghati in the Bastar District.

Maoists fired at a polling booth at Pordem under Konta Assembly constituency of the same District, but had to retreat as SFs retaliated. According to the Police, Maoists also tried to disrupt the polling process at several other places but their attempts were foiled by the SF personnel.

Moderate to high voting was recorded at most of the 33 booths spread over five Districts. Three polling booths in the Dantewada District registered more than 70 percent voting. The average polling for 13 booths in the District were little above 50 percent.

Seven Policemen were killed when suspected cadres of the CPI-Maoist blew up a bridge near Mardapal, about 100 kilometres from the District headquarter Jagdalpur in Bastar. A contingent of over 150 Policemen carrying Electronic Voting Machines were trekking their way back to Jagdalpur when the Maoists blew up the 30 metre-long bridge. The Policemen were walking in a single file maintaining safe distance from each other, said Additional Deputy General of Police Giridhari Nayak, adding, "that was the reason why there were fewer casualties." Two more SF personnel were injured. The SF personnel were reportedly returning from election duty at polling booths in Tumdibala, Kudhur and Nahakanar in Narayanpur assembly constituency where re-polling was held on November 24.

15 people, including a company commander of the CRPF, were booked for faking polls fearing violence by the CPI-Maoist cadres in Dantewada District. According to sources, the polling party was supposed to go to Gogunda polling booth under the Konta Assembly constituency for re-polling on November 24. Instead of going to the polling booth, the personnel faked voting on the mid-way due to fear of Maoist violence at the polling booth, sources added.

Eight vehicles were set on fire in two separate incidents by suspected cadres of the CPI-Maoist in Dantewada and Bijapur Districts. Maoists stopped the road construction work between Kamalur and Kundeli in Dantewada District and set three tippers, two dozers, a Porcelain machine and a trailer on fire. In another incident, a group of about 35 Maoists led by Ursa Bodhra set a vehicle on fire for allegedly carrying supplies meant for Security Forces at Gangalur region of Bijapur on the same night.

Media reports indicated that more than 1200 SPOs, part of the Salwa Judum (the anti-Maoist vigilante movement) have been removed from their services in the CPI-Maoist affected south Bastar region in the last six months. The SPOs were reportedly involved in intelligence collection, guarding Government-maintained relief camps and assist Security Forces during operations in remote forested hilly regions. "While some of the SPOs were removed on the charges of indiscipline, many left their jobs as they got employment as shiksha karmis (educational volunteers)," said Rahul Sharma, Superintendent of Police in Dantewada.

About 68 percent polling was reported in the eight polling booths across the four assembly constituencies, including the Maoist affected Keshkal and Antagarh constituencies that went for re-polling. As reported earlier, re-polling in these eight booths had been ordered after they had recorded "excess voting".

Bail pleas of the People's Union for Civil Liberties' (PUCL) national Vice-President, Vinayak Sen, and another member of the organisation, Piyush Guha, who were arrested on charges of aiding the CPI-Maoist cadres, were rejected by the Chhattisgarh High Court. As reported earlier, Sen and Guha were arrested under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the Chhattisgarh Special Public Security Act, 2006, for their alleged links with Maoists.

Two CPI-Maoist cadres were killed in an encounter with the Police near Pamalvaia village in the Bijapur area of Dantewada District. The encounter took place when the Maoists were trying to attack the Chhattisgarh Armed Police Force camp.

Two unidentified cadres of the CPI-Maoist were killed in an encounter during a search operation by the Police in the Kandulnar-Adhed forest areas of Bijapur District. A cache of arms and ammunition, including two loaded pistols, two hand grenades was recovered from the slain Maoists.

The MHA says that the CPI-Maoist have forcibly recruited children into their ranks and created a special squad of minors in Chhattisgarh. "As per the information available, in Chhattisgarh, Maoists have constituted special squad of minors," Minister of State for Home Sriprakash Jaiswal said in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha. "The State Government has banned 'Krantikari Adivasi Balak Sang', an organisation of minor child soldiers created by the Maoists," he added. Separately, he also said the Maoists are trying to expand their activities to northern States like Haryana, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Punjab.

The Hindu reported that the CPI-Maoists have formed specialised small fighting units comprising children in the age group of eight to 13 years and many of whom have been "kidnapped or forcibly recruited", said Chhattisgarh Police. "Maoists adopted this strategy after the tribal population started resisting them since they were attacking their way of life and culture," told Vishwaranjan, the Director General of Police. He said the recruitment of children by Maoists has been proved from the pictures distributed by the outfit apart from intelligence inputs.

A telecom exchange of the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) and a communication tower belonging to the Reliance Communications were destroyed by armed cadres of the CPI-Maoist at Kapsi in the Kanker District. More than 100 heavily-armed Maoists kept the villagers at Kapsi hostage at gun-point for three hours and later set the telecom exchange and the communication tower on fire. The fire severely damaged the BSNL exchange and heavy equipments of Reliance Communications. Before leaving the village, Maoists felled two trees which disconnected the 33 KV main power supply line plunging 300 villages into darkness.

There was a mixed response to the general shut-down call given by the Maoists at Pakhanjoor in the Kanker District. The call was given in protest against the killing of two CPI-Maoist cadres in an encounter by the Police in the hills of Hulmeta of the same District on December 11. Maoists have described the slain cadres as civilians.

Two cadres of the CPI-Maoist were shot dead in a forested stretch of Narayanpur District in the Bastar region after a brief gun battle with Security Forces. Police sources also said several other injured Maoists managed to escape into the nearby forested area. A hand grenade and a loaded gun were recovered from the slain Maoists.

Three pamphlets, containing a threat to kill senior management officials if wages of the employees are not revised, were put up by the CPI-Maoist cadres at the Bhillai Steel Plant premises of the Steel Authority of India Limited in Durg District. The pamphlets read, "Do justice with the employees this time or two-four senior officials would be killed."

12 bombs, two each in six containers, were recovered from an iron ore laden goods train in the premises of a steel plant in capital Raipur. According to the I G, Y. K. S. Thakur, the ore was brought from Orissa. "We are also looking into the possible Maoist and terrorist angle and are working on all leads available so far," he added. According to the Additional Director General of Police, Girdhari Nayak, "These bombs are 105-mm in size and experts from the ordnance factory in Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh have been called to examine and defuse them."

Two constables of the CRPF were injured when unidentified CPI-Maoist cadres opened fire on a combined force of the CRPF and the Narayanpur District Police engaged in a joint search operation near Chameli hills under Chotedonger Police Station.

A school teacher, a villager and one Special Police Officer were killed and five persons injured when about 50 armed cadres, including some women, of the CPI-Maoist opened indiscriminate fire at a weekly market in Kokrapara of Bijapur District.

Two unidentified cadres of the CPI-Maoist were killed during an encounter with the Police in a thickly forested area of Santoshpur in the Bijapur District. Later, the Police recovered a hand grenade and two bombs from the encounter site.

A head constable of the Bijapur District Police was killed when Maoists attacked a Police team in the Gangloor area.

With the CPI-Maoist making their presence felt in more than half of the 18 Districts in Chhattisgarh, year 2008 saw large scale CPI-Maoist related violence. Out of a total of 212 people killed, 131 were civilians. 63 Police Personnel, 14 SPOs and one secret Policeman were also killed by the CPI-Maoist. The Maoists also lost 52 of their cadres.

The DGP, Vishawa Ranjan said that about 15,000 armed women Maoists operate in Chhattisgarh and they form a significant chunk of the insurgents engaged in a bitter battle with the State machinery. According to the DGP, "Some 30 percent of the total 50,000 armed rebels, or 15,000, are female insurgents, who actively participate in carrying out major strikes against civilians and Police forces," adding, "Roughly 10,000 highly militarised insurgents are present in Chhattisgarh, backed by another at least armed 35,000-40,000 cadre who carry multiple weapons." The group of women rebels also known as Krantikari Adivasi Mahila Sangh is a frontal unit of the outlawed CPI-Maoist and plays a key role in all major strikes, he said, adding, Police officials and experts say hundreds of thousands of minor girls have been forcibly recruited to Maoist ranks as combatants. "Earlier, the militants were taking away one boy or girl from each family when they had total command in the interiors but now their recruitment efforts are facing resistance as people are not rallying behind them," said the Police chief, claiming, "… Maoists had just stepped in and were trying to win over local tribal population by taking up their issues and beating up forest guards but at that time, there were not many killings. Police made serious attempts after 2004 to counter Maoists and have now pushed them on the back foot."

Date

Incidents

January 2

A Policeman was injured when the CPI-Maoist cadres attacked a Police outpost at Baunsajhar in the Biramitrapur Police station area of Sundergarh District.

January 4

A group of 20 Maoists, including two women, attacked a forest range office at Badrama in the Sambalpur District, assaulted six forest guards and locked them up in a room before ransacking the premises and setting it ablaze. Seven jeeps and four motorbikes parked in the premises were also set ablaze. Files and documents of the range office were destroyed in the fire. The Maoists also attacked the residence of a forest official, K C Nath, and took away cash, ornaments and mobile handsets.

Two CPI-Maoist cadres, identified as Raj and Kalia Mirdha, were killed during an encounter between Police personnel and the extremists in the forests near Badibahal village under Jamankira Police Station of Sambalpur District. Police recovered their dead bodies on January 6-morning from the encounter site. However, several other Maoists injured in the encounter managed to escape. The Police claimed to recovered three SLRs that the Maoists had looted from the Police in the past and one .315 rifle that the Maoists had taken away when they attacked the Forest Range Office at the nearby Badrama Ghat on January 4-night.

Two CPI-Maoist cadres, identified as Madi Soma and Madkami Simha, were arrested by Police during a raid near Mangipalli village in the Malkangiri District. Malkangiri Superintendent of Police, S.K. Gajbhiye, said that the SOG commandoes raided the forest adjacent to Mangipalli near MV 79 village on the information that a group of Maoists were camping in the area. The SOG team arrested the two, while the rest of the cadres escaped. The duo were members of the Motu dalam and were involved in several cases of murder, landmine explosion, extortion and looting in the District. Explosives including gelatine sticks, detonators, wires, switching devices and grenades, and Maoist posters were recovered from their possession.

One local trader, Bijay Kumar Degul, was stabbed to death by a group of armed CPI-Maoist cadres in front of his father, Dinabandhu, at Sanpalmanda village in the Bandhugaon block of Koraput District.

Five Maoist sympathisers were arrested from different places in the Sambalpur District. The sympathisers, Prashant Rout of Kusupur village under Balikuda Police limits in Jagatsinghpur, Ramesh Bag of Pathargarh village, Phuljain Soren of Gadpati village, Buthi Mirdha and Tarani Mirdha of Basupali village under Sambalpur Police limits had helped in shifting a Maoist who was injured in the January 5 encounter in Gadpati forest range under Jamankira Police limits.

Three CPI-Maoist cadres were arrested from a forest area in Motu in the Malkangiri District. Police sources said that the arrested extremists were planning a major attack in the District ahead of the Republic Day celebrations on January 26. The Maoists were identified as Salbam Mukta of Konta Naxal dalam in Chhattisgarh and Kotam Malla and Modumu Rama of Motu Naxal dalam in Malkangiri. Superintendent of Police, S. K. Gajbhiye, said that Mukta, a hardcore extremist wanted in many cases including several killings, was mobilising the cadres in the area. A locally-made gun, landmines, explosive materials, 50 gelatin sticks and two detonators, publicity material including CDs were recovered from the arrested Maoists.

Maoists used landmines to blast newly built houses for Police officials in the Malkangiri District. CPI-Maoist cadres exploded landmines at the empty houses which are part of a jail complex being built in MV 79 village. A District Police official said the Maoists ran into a nearby forest after destroying the houses.

Maoists triggered a bomb blast at a new jail building which was under construction at MV-79 village in the Malkangiri District, causing substantial damage to it. There was no injury due to the explosion as the building was still under construction, Superintendent of Police S. K. Gajbhiye said. There was nobody inside the structure when the blast occurred in the early hours.

Ashok, 'commander' of the Motu People's Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA), was injured in an exchange of fire with the Police near Kondapali forests under Motu Police station in the Malkangiri District. Police stated that 20 other Maoists sustained injuries during the two-hour encounter. All of the injured, however, managed to escape.

The CPI-Maoist cadres belonging to Koraput area committee killed Nalla Markanda Choudhury, a former sarpanch (village head), with an axe at Nangalbeda in the Koraput District, reports Statesman. A 40-member Maoist squad had rounded up the village and assaulted five businessmen before killing the former Sarpanch. The Maoists also asked the businessmen not to sell liquor to the tribals in the region and to hand over the land which they had acquired from them. Before leaving the village, the Maoists pasted posters and also cut down trees to delay the movement of Police.

The Jajpur District Police arrested three suspected Maoists in capital Bhubaneswar while they were attending on a 21-year-old girl at a private hospital. The girl has been identified as Nanika Jamda, said to be a companion of Anna Reddy, the suspected Orissa chief of the Janashakthi faction of the Communist Party of India-Marxist-Leninist (CPI-ML). Police is yet to reveal the identity of the arrested Maoists although one of the arrested is suspected to be Anna Reddy.

Five CPI-Maoist cadres including Dhanu Dehuri and Bimba Kuanr were arrested from Dhama in the Sambalpur District. Dhanu is reportedly one of the founder members of the outfit in Sundargarh, Sambalpur and Deogarh Districts. Sambalpur Superintendent of Police Sanjay Kumar, however, confirmed the arrest of only one Maoist and said that his identity is yet to be established.

Orissa Police has confirmed the arrest of Bommai Narasimha Goud alias Anna Reddy, chief of the Janasakthi faction of the Communist Party of India-Marxist-Leninist (CPI-ML) in Orissa. A native of Ankireddygudam village of Andhra Pradesh's Nalagonda District, Reddy was arrested on January 30 from a private hospital in Orissa'a capital Bhubaneswar. He had joined CPI-ML-Janashakti in 1992 and in 2004 headed the outfit's Orissa unit.

Eight Special Operation Group (SOG) personnel escaped unhurt when landmines planted by the cadres of the CPI-Maoist exploded just after their vehicles passed the spot at Jamapani in the Mayurbhanj District. The explosion took place soon after the SOG personnel on four motor-cycles travelled along the place where the Maoists had planted the landmines on the hilly road at Gorumahisani, Superintendent of Police Dayal Gangwar said. The insurgents present in the surrounding areas opened fire at the SOG personnel, after which the security men retaliated, triggering a gun battle which continued for over half-an-hour, he added. However, no casualties were reported.

The District voluntary force, a wing of the Malkangiri District Police, arrested six cadres of the CPI-Maoist from Kondapalli forest area under the Motu Police station limits. The arrested include a Maoist doctor and an expert in writing Maoist literature. The arrested have been identified as Marian Mukta Madiam, Sariam Rama, Rama Prasad Sana, Dr Sujay Dafatar, Ranjit Sarkar and Karam Sita. Police recovered six detonators, 26 gelatin sticks, 100 meter wire, gun powder and some life-saving drugs from the arrested Maoists. Superintendent of Police Satish Kumar Gajbhiye said that the arrested Maoists were acting as couriers for Maoist leaders like Ashok and Jaga, attended Maoist meetings and extended logistics support to the movement.

An encounter was reported between cadres of the CPI-Maoist and SOG personnel inside the Khichilingi forest in the Gajapati District. Superintendent of Police Satyabrata Bhoi told that a group of ten to 15 Maoists attacked about 20 SOG members who were returning home from duty. The SOG personnel retaliated and following a half-an-hour long encounter, the Maoists fled to the forest. No injuries were reported in the incident. Subsequently, Police seized a locally made gun from the spot.

An encounter was reported between the CRPF personnel and the CPI-Maoist cadres at Kutub under Jamankira Police station limits in the Sambalpur District. The encounter occurred as a small group of Maoists attacked the CRPF camp located in the Badibahal Forest under Badrama Reserve Forest area. The Maoists later fled as the CRPF soldiers opened retaliatory fire. There was no report of any casualty in the incident.

14 Police personnel and a civilian were killed and four Policemen were wounded when around 500 heavily armed cadres of the CPI-Maoist attacked a Police Training School (PTS), the District armoury and District Police station in co-ordinated attacks near Daspalla in the Nayagarh District at around 10.45pm (IST). They also took away a cache of arms and ammunition in a bus they had hijacked in the District, about 100-km from State capital Bhubaneswar. Police sources claimed that three Maoists were also killed in the incident. However, their bodies have not been recovered and it is suspected that the Maoists before fleeing took away the bodies of their slain comrades. Before launching the attack, the Maoists, speaking in Hindi and Telugu, and suspected to be from neighbouring Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh, announced that they would not harm the public as their target was the Police. The Police suspect it to be the handy work of Sabyasachi Panda, the CPI-Maoist Andhra-Orissa 'secretary'. Meanwhile, a red alert has been sounded in the State and the Police have started combing operations in the neighbouring Districts of Phulbani, Gajapati, Rayagada and Malkangiri in Orissa. The attack was the first of its kind in coastal Orissa. The District armoury and PTS were virtually emptied by the Maoists, the Police said.

At least 20 cadres of the CPI-Maoist, including some women cadres, were killed during the ongoing combing operation by security forces in the border area of Nayagarh-Ganjam-Kandhamal Districts. SFs, however, lost three of their personnel in the combing operation launched on a massive scale in different sensitive pockets in Nayagarh, Ganjam, Gajapati, Kandhamal and Rayagada Districts. The combing operations were started on February 16 after hundreds of Maoists raided the Police establishments in Nayagarh District, killing 15 persons, including 13 Policemen, and decamping with huge quantities of arms and ammunition on February 15-night. "We have information about killing of 20 Maoists and three SOG jawans during the combing operation," Home Secretary T. K. Mishra said. Without disclosing the exact location where the Maoists were killed by security forces, he said "reports are received from different places including the Gansar Hills". Mishra said sophisticated equipment like night (vision) binoculars, global positioning system (GPS) and other gadgets were being used to monitor movement of the extremists inside the dense forests. Two choppers were being used for movement of personnel in order to coordinate the operation, Mishra added.

A Central team, including Special Secretary in the Union Home Ministry, M K Kumawat, also chief of the task force against Maoists, visited Nayagarh town to assess the situation there. "All possible assistance will be provided for tackling the Maoist problem," Kumawat told reporters at Nayagarh after inspecting the looted armouries.

Security force personnel with the help of Indian Air Forces choppers searched the hills and dense forests of the Nayagarh and Ganjam Districts and recovered a truckload of arms and ammunition lying abandoned in the Gosama hills of Ganjam District. The abandoned objects included around 400 rifles and more than 60,000 cartridges. However, most of the sophisticated AK-47 assault rifles looted during the Nayagarh attack on February 15-night was not part of the recovered items. The recovery is nearly 40 percent of the weaponry that the Maoists looted in the attack, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik informed the State legislative assembly. "There are three IAF helicopters helping us intercept the ultras on the run. We are pursuing them inside the jungle, along the hills and in the villages in 10 to 12 different operation zones from Kalingaghati to Bhanjanagar and Gallery to Chakapada "said an unnamed Police officer."

Naveen Patnaik announced a series of measures that his government had decided to take up to counter extremism,. Patnaik announced in the State Legislative Assembly that all Police stations and armouries will be fortified and vacancies filled up expeditiously at the earliest. About 1300 posts of Constables and Sepoys and 300 other ranks will be created for the OSAP (Special Security) Battalions for guarding of the newly fortified Police stations. The strength of the Special Operation Group will be increased by sanctioning 1000 additional posts. Five India Reserve Battalions (IRBs) will be created after obtaining sanction from the Government of India. The Special Intelligence Wing for Naxalite (left-wing extremism) activities will be strengthened by suitably augmenting it. One post of Superintendent of Police (Technical) will be created for this Wing. The Director General of Police will be authorised to give appointment to the next of kin of the deceased Police personnel in the anti-Naxalite operations and attacks commensurate with their qualifications and eligibility. And, more Districts will be covered under the scheme of Security Related Expenditure with the approval of the Central government.

A powerful landmine weighing about 20 kilograms was recovered by the CRPF personnel during a combing operation in the Gajapati District. The landmine had been planted by the CPI-Maoist cadres recently with an intention to target the CRPF personnel who regularly patrol the roads on the isolated stretch. CRPF commandant A. K. Das said, "The mine was detected near the Adagan village on the Paniganda to Jhumurigada road about 15 km from Adava village in the Mohona Block". "This road links to the Brahmanigam village of the Kandhamala District, and is now regularly used to transport the security men who are moving towards the Kandhamala District for the anti naxalite operations."

Four companies of the Central Reserve Police Force joined the anti-Maoist operations to track down the Maoists who looted a large cache of arms and ammunition in the Nayagarh District on February 15-night. The operation was continuing in the Districts of Nayagarh, Ganjam and Kandhamal, Police said. Dog squads of the Orissa Police were pressed into service to track down the insurgents and the explosives that they might have been hidden inside the forests in Ganjam District. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik reviewed the progress of the operation at the State Secretariat with the Director-General of Police and other top officials and said the operations would continue.

A red alert has been sounded in the tribal Districts of Malkangiri, Koraput and Rayagada following a general strike called by the CPI-Maoist to protest against the disappearance of a senior CPI-Maoist cadre, identified as Sudhir, from Police custody. Sudhir, who had been deputed as 'area commander' of the newly formed Koraput dalam a few weeks ago, was reported missing and the Maoists alleged that Police had either killed or arrested him. The Maoists alleged that Sudhir was missing ever since he was on his way to Bhubaneswar from Jeypore in the Koraput District a few days back. Police officials, however, denied the charges and said that the strike called is pre-planned and aimed at diverting Police attention from the Nayagarh incident.

One more Orissa Police personnel wounded during the February 15 attack by the CPI-Maoist in Nayagarh, succumbed to his injuries, taking the death toll in the attack to 16.

Security forces arrested two Maoists, identified as Reena alias Manjulata Muduli and Pratap Kambata, during the ongoing combing operations in forest areas along the borders of the Kandhmal and Ganjam Districts. A 9 mm pistol, looted from the Nayagarh District armoury, was recovered from their possession. Police sources said Reena joined the extremist movement six years ago and was an active member of the Sambalpur-Deogarh committee of the CPI-Maoist. She was also involved in at least ten murders and the looting of the Deogarh armoury.

The Special Operating Group (SOG) personnel recovered leaflets, banners and Tother material of the CPI-Maoist in the forest area of Mayurbhanj District. Recently, villagers of Sergoda, Kangkadabadh, Paktia and Chadahipahadi under Gorumohisani Police station jurisdiction had reported to the District Police about the movement of some uniformed people in the surrounding forest area.

While replying to an adjournment motion on the law and order situation moved by the Opposition in the wake of the Maoist attack and arms loot in Nayagarh on February 15-night, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik claimed that the Maoist violence in Orissa was much less when compared to the neighbouring States. "The naxal violence profile in the State remains much less compared to the neighbouring naxal affected States like Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh and Bihar," Patnaik said in the State Legislative Assembly. "Whenever we discuss Nayagarh, are naturally reminded of horrifying incidents of neighbouring States such as the Dantewada incident of July 2007 in Chhattisgarh in which 23 persons were killed, the Ranibodli incident of Chhattisgarh on March 15, 2007 where 54 Police personnel were killed, the incident of Chilkhari in Jharkhand on October 27, 2007 where the son of Babulal Marandi, former Chief Minister of Jharkhand was killed," Patnaik said in his statement. "While 52 incidents involving 15 deaths (13 civilians and two security personnel) took place in our State during the year 2007, 538 incidents involving 350 deaths (180 security personnel and 170 civilians) took place in Chhattisgarh, 421 incidents involving 150 deaths (11 security personnel and 139 civilians) took place in Jharkhand," Patnaik added.

The Orissa Police during the on going anti-Maoist operations, recovered a large quantity of arms and ammunitions looted by Maoists from two armouries in Nayagarh District last week. The arms and ammunition were found in Gosma forest, located on the border of Kandhamal and Ganjam Districts. In a statement in the State Assembly, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said one hundred and fifty .303 rifles, six INSAS rifles, one short machine gun and some quantities of ammunition were recovered. Earlier, security personnel seized a huge dump of arms and ammunitions left behind by the naxalites near Gosma forest on February 18. "Together, the seizure on both occasions' accounts for more than 60 per cent of the weapons and more than 70 per cent of the ammunition looted," Mr. Patnaik said. The anti-naxalites operations were going on in Nayagarh, Ganjam, Gajapati, Rayagada and Kandhamal Districts, he said.

The Orissa Police recovered more arms and ammunition that were looted by the CPI-Maoist cadres from Nayagarh District. The recovery included 30 INSAS rifles, 17 revolvers and pistols, two SLRs and 40 .303 rifles, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik told the Assembly. This is the third round of seizure of the looted arms.

The Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) cadres set ablaze a vehicle at Maijariguda in the Narayanapatna block of Koraput District. Before setting ablaze the vehicle, Maoists who were in civil dress had asked the passengers to alight from the vehicle. They also accused the driver of carrying Central Reserve Police Force personnel to Borgi from Narayanpatna on a regular basis.

Suspected Maoists looted the houses of Narasingh Choudhury of Ullu Badi in Langalabeda panchayat (local self-government body) and Giridhar Sahu of Maijariguda in Borgi panchayat in the Koraput District after causing damage to the buildings.

Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has reiterated that the Government is ready for a dialogue with the CPI-Maoist provided they give up arms and shun the path of violence. After a high level meeting to review the progress in the anti-Maoist operations in the State, Patnaik informed that the Police had been able to recover 80 percent of arms and 70 per cent of ammunition that the Maoists had looted from two armouries in the Nayagarh District on February 15, adding that some of the seized weapons were the ones the Maoists were using before they looted the armouries in Nayagarh.

A group of CPI-Maoist laid siege to a camp of a contractor engaged in road construction activities under the Prime Minister's Gram Sadak Yojna (village road construction project) and demanded an extortion amount of INR 200,000 from him. According to the report, a group of armed Maoists seized the camp for four hours at Bhuka under Harichandanpur Police station in the Keonjhar District and threatened the supervisor and contractor.

A group of eight to ten armed Maoists threatened a group of construction workers within the Ravenshaw College campus in Cuttack and asked them to join the rank of the Maoists. Subsequent search operation by the city Police, however, did not lead to any arrest.

Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik urged the Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil to consider the State government's proposal for long term deployment of two CRPF battalions in the State to deal with the left-wing extremism. Patnaik, who met Patil in New Delhi, also sought the Central Government's assistance in raising an additional five India Reserve Battalions (IRB) in the State. The Home Minister has reportedly agreed to the demand of giving adequate CRPF force and five IR Battalions. Patnaik further asked Patil to provide services of experienced para-military personnel of different categories on deputation basis from Assam Rifles, Indo-Tibetan Border Protection Force, Border security Force (BSF) or CRPF for interim deployment and training of the newly recruited personnel. The Chief Minister urged the Centre to include six more Districts namely, Deogarh, Kandhamal, Jajpur, Sambalpur, Dhenkanal, and Nayagarh under the Security Related Expenditure Scheme and requested the Centre to increase the scale of allocation of funds to at least INR 20 crore per annum. Patil was also requested to increase allocation under the Police Modernisation Scheme for Orissa from INR 27 crore to INR 60 crore and sanction at least INR 10 crore for the Commissionerate of Police set up for the twin cities of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack. The Home Minister agreed to provide necessary support for training of the Police personnel and increase the allocation of funds.

Six villagers, including a Sarpanch (village head), were abducted by suspected CPI-Maoist cadres from Janatapai village in the Malkangiri District suspecting them to be Police informers. A cangaroo court (people's court) was conducted by the extremists and all the six were found guilty, sources said adding that the villagers were assaulted and released on March 3 with a warning that the incident should not be informed to the Police.

The Sambalpur District Police arrested two CPI-Maoist cadres, identified as Bhagaban Jhankar and Govind Jal, who were involved in several incidents of murder and kidnapping besides setting ablaze government properties. Superintendent of Police Sanjay Kumar said that the arrest occurred a few days earlier, adding that the duo had also carried out a surveillance for a possible attack on the Bargarh District armoury.

A Policeman of the Special Operation Group (SOG), identified as Rabindra Patra, sustained injuries during a gunfight with the CPI-Maoist cadres in the Malkangiri District. The Maoists attacked SOG personnel when they were combing the forests near Biliguda, Urbelguda and Kandapali villages of MV 79 area. During a subsequent search operation, the SOG personnel recovered Maoist uniforms and literature as well as food items from the encounter site.

Three cadres of the CPI-Maoist, identified as Madhi Desa alias Rama alias Damodar, Madhi Lachha alias Nagraj and Madhi Dula alias Durga and one sangham (a group of hardcore over-ground cadres) member of the outfit, identified as Madhi Kanta alias Kosa, were arrested by Police at Sankelguda village under Motu Police station in the Malkangiri District,. Superintendent of Police, Satish Kumar Gajbhiye informed that Madhi Desa was involved in the killing of former Motu Police station in-charge, D Mishra. A large number of Maoist posters, literature, and a manual displaying operation of rocket launcher, bomb and landmine, an attendance register with daily routine work of Maoists were seized from their possession. Some primary school text books were also recovered from the incident site.

Pushpita Tirkey, a female naxalite cadre surrendered in the Deogarh District. Pushpita, haling from Mendiakani village under Laimura Police outpost of Deogarh Police Station deposited a rifle. She worked as a daily wager and joined the naxalites after being promised a job and good money. She had been taken to Jharkhand where she underwent training.

Some Naxalite posters appeared on the walls of Utkalmani Sishu Sikhya Mandir, PCL Computer Academy and at some houses in the Nizigarh gram panchayat (local self-government body) in the Baramba-Narasinghpur region of Cuttack District. The posters were hand written in Oriya language with red ink. Locals informed that along with writings such as Jivan Prati Bipada Achhi (danger for life), Khub Sighra Akramana (there will be an attack soon), Satarka Ruhantu (be watchful), Lal Salam (red salute), pictures of guns, arrows and flambeau were drawn on the posters. The Police later seized the posters.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said that 15 of the total 30 Districts of the State have been identified as Maoist-affected Districts so far. In reply to a question raised by the ruling Biju Janata Dal legislator Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak on the issue, Patnaik said 14 revenue Districts such as Koraput, Rayagada, Malkangiri, Nawarangpur, Ganjam, Gajapati, Kandhamal, Sambalpur, Sundargarh, Deogarh, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Dhenkanal and Jajpur had been declared identified as Maoist-affected. The Chief Minister said that the District of Nayagarh had also been included in the category after the Maoist attack and arms loot incident on the night of February 15, 2008. He further said that 63 Maoists have been arrested from different parts of Orissa between September 2007 and February 2008.

Suspected CPI-Maoist cadres burnt a youth alive after tying him to a tree with an iron chain in Nuasahi village of Angul District. The identity of the youth, apparently in his late 20s, was not known.

CPI-Maoist cadres killed a villager in the Ragadpali village of Malkangiri District accusing him of being a Police informer. The victim was attending a wedding when four Maoists accosted him and shot him dead.

Home Secretary T. K. Mishra said that 50 Police stations in the Maoist-affected areas of Orissa will be fortified within the next six months. He said that the Government has sanctioned INR four million for each of the Police stations which will be fortified and strengthened with the posting of additional Police personnel specially trained to counter the Maoists. He added that specially trained Police personnel will be posted in sensitive and important installations including hydro-electric project dam at Hirakud in view of threats from the CPI-Maoist. The State Government has also decided to recruit ex-army personnel at the Special Operation Group (SOG) training centre, Chandaka and two of its satellite centres at Malkangiri and Rourkela to provide training to the SOG members on anti-Maoist operation.

The CPI-Maoist cadres killed a village head at Peta village under Motu Police station area in the Malkangiri District. The Sub-Divisional Police Officer Sanjiv Arora said Madkami Kanha was dragged out of his house in dense forest by a group of armed Maoists and shot four bullets from behind as he tried to escape. Kanha died on the way to a local hospital. This was the 10th incident in the last two years where Maoists had killed village chiefs.

Two Maoists surrendered along with their locally-made guns in the Dhenkanal District. Superintendent of Police Sanjay Kumar Kaushal said 14-year-old Bajaye Hembram and 12-year-old Babuli Tarai surrendered before the District Collector Jameel Ahmad Khan in the presence of their fathers. The boys had joined the Maoist fold group led by Anna Reddy in January 2006, and had confessed to witnessing the killing of forest guards at Kankadahad forest on January 31, 2007, he said. The boys did menial jobs and were used as informers by the Maoists.

New Indian Express reported that the Orissa Government has decided to launch a pilot project in the Malkangiri and Rayagada Districts to contain the Maoist activity. As per the plan, civic action programme has been taken up in the Maoist-affected areas of the Districts by organising public relations and health camps, sports tournaments and tribal festivals. Publicity material highlighting the futility of extremist activities and its negative impact on the development of the region are being produced and these would be distributed in the tribal dominated areas. The modalities and framework of the inter-State joint task force for Orissa-Andhra Pradesh has been worked out and a number of joint anti-Maoist operations have been conducted. Similarly, modalities for inter-State anti-Maoist operations in the Orissa-Jharkhand border have also been worked out. Official sources said that the scheme will be implemented in other Maoist-affected Districts in phases.

A CPI-Maoist cadre, Kandara Darai, surrendered before the Superintendent of Police Sanjaya Kumar Kausal and District Collector Jamil Ahmed Khan at Kamakhyanagar in the Dhenkanal District.

At least five CPI-Maoist cadres were arrested from Goshma forest located on the border of the Kandhamal and Ganjam Districts.

Pioneer reported that the CPI-Maoist is targeting teenaged tribal youths for recruitment in the Malkangiri, Koraput, Rayagada, Gajapati, Kandhamal, Boudh, Deogarh, Dhenkanal and Sundargarh Districts. The Maoists' over-ground supporters are luring the youths for jobs with a monthly payment of INR 3,000. The job of the preliminary recruits is to carry leaflets and distribute them among the innocent public.

CPI-Maoist cadres killed the village head of Urubali, 30 year old Raba Suba under Motu Police station limits in the Malkangiri District, for his close proximity with the District Police.

Suspected CPI-Maoist cadres killed a civilian accusing him of being a Police informer in the Telrai village of Malkangiri District. Police sources said that the victim is yet to be identified.

Three Maoists were arrested during a combing operation by the Police in the MV-79 area of Malkangiri District. Orissa Police sources said that the arrests followed a brief exchange of fire. A gun, some Maoist posters, banners and an unspecified quantity of explosives were recovered from the arrested extremists.

A civilian, identified as Bhaskar from the Warangal District in Andhra Pradesh, was killed by the Maoists near MV70 village under Kalimela Police station in the Malkangiri District. A letter left near the dead body described the victim as a Police informer. Meanwhile, one Central Reserve Police Force personnel, travelling to the area where the dead body was found, was injured after his motorbike hit a landmine at Badijhata village.

Suspected CPI-Maoist cadres killed a liquor trader by slitting his throat in the Koraput District. Villagers found the body of the trader, Nala Brundaban in his liquor shop at Karli village on May 2. A hand written letter recovered near the body said that the Maoists had killed the trader suspecting him to be a Police informer. Brundaban had been earlier been asked by the Maoists not to carry on with his liquor trade as it was affecting the tribal population. This was the third incident in two months in which a liquor trader was killed by the Maoists in Orissa.

A CPI-Maoist woman cadre was killed during an encounter in the Alamanda forest area on Andhra-Orissa border of Koraput District. Superintendent of Police Vikram Singh Mann said that the killed Maoist is yet to be identified.

Two CPI-Maoist cadres were killed in an encounter between the Maoists and Police at Bompet forests near Motu in the Malkangiri District. Acting on a tip-off, Police raided the Maoist training camp in the forest where about 30 Maoists were present at that time. Police said that "Most of the cadres were speaking in Telegu and probably belonged to Andhra Pradesh," adding that, Motu Dalam Commandant, Ashok, was present in the camp but managed to escape. Police also recovered four SLR bullets, one grenade, one AK-47 bullet cartridge and two double barrel guns from the camp.

Maoists shot dead a contractor, Rajendra Sahu, of Gothalpadar village under Gunupur block in the Rayagada District on May 15-night alleging him to be a Police informer.

The Special Operation Group (SOG) personnel arrested a senior leader of the CPI-Maoist KK Sethi alias Mantu from inside the jungles of Gudari in the Rayagada District. The arrested Maoist, who is believed to be a close associate of the Maoist leader Sabyasachi Panda functioned as the 'deputy commander' of the Meenajhola dalam. Police also arrested a female Maoist cadre, Sujata alias Chandra Kukuruka. She was active in Ganguri dalam under Vamsadhara Division.

Prasant Rout of Erasama, who had joined Maoist ranks in Jharkhand surrendered to the Police in Jagatsinghpur on May 19. This is the first instance of a Maoist surrender in a coastal Orissa District. Police sources said that the Maoist sympathisers in areas such as Balikuda and Erasama have been used as informers, translators and at times for the purpose of distributing leaflets and other such literature by the Maoists. Police has a list of 40 to 50 young girls and boys who are suspected to be Maoist sympathisers in the area.

The CPI-Maoist warned the Orissa Government not to deploy Greyhounds personnel of Andhra Pradesh for anti-Maoist operation in any part of the State. An unofficial communication was sent in this regard by the Malkangiri Divisional Committee of CPI-Maoist to Malkangiri Superintendent of Police (SP) Satish K Gajbhiye. "They have also demanded to stop Police action, withdraw Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and strongly opposed Police encounter of their two comrades", the SP said.

CPI-Maoist cadres triggered a landmine explosion on the last day of their four-day general strike in the Malkangiri District against alleged Police excesses. Police sources said that no injury was reported in the explosion that occurred at Kosalkkonda on the state highway in Kalimela area. The Maoists also resorted to road blockades in several places in the Malkangiri District in a bid to enforce the strike by digging roads, cutting trees and placing boulders, affecting movement of vehicles and public transport on important routes. Banners and posters put up by the Maoists were found at some places.

Jogarao Mandinga, a 28-year-old Naxalite was arrested by the Orissa Police near Laxmipur in the Koraput District. The District Superintendent of Police, Deepak Kumar, said that Jogarao was in the wanted list in the Police records and was involved in supplying articles of daily need to the Naxalites, pasting posters and planting landmines in the region for the last three years.

CPI-Maoist cadres killed a local leader of the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) in the Malkangiri District. The killed politician BJD District president Prabir Kumar Mohanty had been abducted by the Maoists from MV-79 village when he was on his way to the market on May 26 night.

Police arrested a Maoist sympathiser from MV-79 area of the Malkangiri District for his alleged involvement in the May 26 murder of a local lawyer and local BJD leader Prabir Mohanty. Superintendent of Police Satish Kumar Gajbhiye said that the arrested person Raghunath Majhi is a native of Kalahandi District who had been living in Malkangiri District for nearly two decades and has strong links with the extremists.

CPI-Maoist cadres killed a leader of the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) leader in Sorupali village under Bandhugaon block in the Koraput District. The victim, Jana Bidika, was the president of Bandhugaon Block unit of the BJD.

CPI-Maoist cadres set ablaze three road-laying machines engaged in the Union Government's road connectivity programme - Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojna -- in the Malkangiri District. Police sources said that the incident took place at Kongulkunda village under Kalimela Police station area when a road to MPV-22 village was being laid under the scheme.

The CPI-Maoist issued a threat to attack the Bhanjanagar Police station of Berhampur District. In a letter, addressed to the officer-in-charge (OIC) that reached the Police station by post, Maoists said that attack would be carried out within 10 days targeting all important offices and Police stations in the District. The authenticity of the letter could not be ascertained.

The CPI-Maoist cadres attacked the office of Viswagrama Chetana Samaj, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) at Anlapada village under Ghasipura block in the Keonjhar District. More than 10 persons were injured in the attack that occurred at midnight. A group of 20 extremist who participated in the attack set the official records of the organisation on fire and asked those present to wind up their operation and leave the place. The voluntary organisation has been working for protection of environment in the area for nearly two decades. Police sources, however, said the attackers might not be Maoists, but locals masquerading as Maoists in their effort to oppose the NGO's operations.

One trader, Mohan Jaiswal, was killed by suspected Maoist Communist Centre (MCC) cadres at Raibaga near Biramitrapur in the Sundergarh District. Jaiswal was also an activist of the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) Party.

35 security force (SF) personnel belonging to the Greyhounds from Andhra Pradesh were killed in an attack carried out by the CPI-Maoist cadres on a 68-member Andhra Pradesh-Orissa Police party in the Chitrakonda reservoir of Malkangiri District, close to the Andhra Pradesh border. The SF personnel were returning after conducting combing operations, after getting information that the Maoists were holding a conclave there. Maoists opened fire using sophisticated weapons at the motorised boat in which the SF personnel were travelling. The boat capsized drowning most SF personnel. Others who swam ashore were reportedly ambushed by the Maoists.

Life in the southern Districts of Orissa was affected during the 24-hour general strike call given by the CPI-Maoist, on the last day of their 'anti-repression week'. Vehicular traffic was disrupted on the State high way connecting Berhampur, Rayagada and Koraput. Maoists had cut down trees at several places in Rayagada and Gajapati Districts to block the road. Several large trees had been felled near Birikote in the Gajapati District near the Rayagada District border and on the stretch of the road between Rayagada and Gumuda. In the Koraput District the Maoists targeted the mobile tower of a private telecom company and damaged the maintenance room of the mobile tower at remote Jaguguda village of Bandhugaon block. Maoists burnt down files at forest and commercial check gates at Sidibalsa on the Andhra-Orissa border in Koraput District.

In the Malkangiri District the Maoists burnt down an excavator used for digging ponds at MV-70 village under Kalimela Police station. They also disrupted road traffic between Malkangiri and Motu by felling trees at many places. Due to fear of landmines passenger vehicles remained off the road in Malkangiri District.

A CPI-Maoist was killed in an exchange of fire with Police personnel near MV 81 village in the Malkangiri District. The encounter occurred inside dense forests when Police personnel were conducting a routine combing operation. Superintendent of Police S K Gajbhiye said that Maoists might have suffered more casualties and a search was continuing in the area.

Around 100 armed Maoists along with 500 supporters had carried out an attack on the house of a contractor and local BJP leader at the MV-41 village of Malkangiri District. They had also blocked the roads leading to the village by felling trees at MV-126 and MV-96 villages. The contractor's house was ransacked, his relatives assaulted and a jeep, a tractor and two bikes owned by him were set ablaze. The contractor was saved as he was away and could not return back due to the road blockade by Maoists.

CPI-Maoist cadres killed 17 personnel of the Special Operations Group (SOG) of the Orissa Police in a landmine blast in the Malkangiri District. The blast occurred at 4 pm (IST) in the MV-126 area when an anti-landmine van carrying the Police team was returning to the District headquarters town of Malkangiri. The personnel had gone to MPV-41 village, where a contractor's house was attacked by Maoists on July 15-night. A majority of the SOG personnel were in the anti-landmine vehicle and the remaining were on motorcycles. Soon after the blast, the Maoists, hiding in the nearby forest, opened fire on the Policemen.

The Orissa Government decided to recruit 2,000 Special Police Force personnel to combat the Maoist insurgency. A decision in this regard was taken at a high-level meeting chaired by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik in Bhubaneswar, which was attended by Chief Secretary Ajit Kumar Tripathy, Home Secretary T. K. Mishra, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister, Bijoy Kumar Patnaik, and the Director General of Police Gopal Chandra Nanda. The Government has further decided to appoint 1,500 retired defence personnel in the various posts that were lying vacant. Besides, it was also decided that more than 5,000 Constables and other staff would be appointed by way of conducting special recruitment drives.

The Maoists issued death warrants against Police informers and those who try to sell and purchase land cultivated by tribals in the region in general and specifically between Pandratala and Mukundapur under Kolnora block in the Rayagada District. While asking for recognizing the land captured by the tribals in the Praja movement of 2002 in the region, the Srikakulam divisional committee of the CPI- Maoist, through leaflets distributed in Narayanpatna and Bandhugaon blocks of Koraput District, warned non-tribals against trying to take their possession. Further, while justifying the killing of Kondagiri Anant, the village chief of Rekhapadar in April 2008, the Maoists said in the leaflet that he was given warning not to harass common people by joining hands with the Police. The Maoists also asked the Police informers to come out in public and apologise for their links with the Police or else face death sentence. They have also asked the Police to release all the innocent people from their custody.

The Maoists targeted a cellular phone tower of the Reliance Telecom at Narayanpatna in the Koraput District. According to sources, around 25 armed insurgents reached the mobile tower at block headquarter town, Narayanpatna, at around 11 pm and subsequently burnt down the battery room. But they could not cause any damage to the tower. Maoists left some posters and banners which claimed that this action was taken to protest against alleged inhuman action of the Police.

The Orissa Government demanded four additional battalions of paramilitary forces and at least one chopper to be deployed in operations against the left-wing extremists in the State. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, in a letter to the Union Home Minister Shivr