Uttar Pradesh Timeline 2018

Date

Incidents

January 6

The UMHA flagged the operational efficiency of SFs in the Naxal-affected areas as one of its biggest achievements during a presentation before PM Narendra Modi. The Ministry informed Modi that since the NDA Government came to power in May 2014, there had been a 45 per cent increase in the efficiency of Central Forces (CFs) in operations against the Naxals. In a presentation made by Home Secretary, Rajiv Mehrishi, Modi and other officials were informed that the number of Naxal cadres killed in 2016 had been the highest ever in six years. Eighty-Four cadres of the CPI-Maoist were killed in 2015 and in 2016, the number swelled to 218, which was an increase of 160 per cent. There was also an increase in the number of Police encounter from 237 in 2015 to 316 in 2016. UHM Rajnath Singh told in a press conference earlier this week that demonetization had increased the problems of CPI-Maoist and that they had weakened. The EFC has already given the go-ahead for an ambitious road project in the 44 worst Naxal-affected Districts. Under this project, the Government proposes to construct 5,412 km of roads and 126 bridges and it would cost INR 117.25 million. The Government is redrawing the 'Red Corridor' - the area affected by LWE - and may soon take off 20 Districts from the list of Naxal-affected areas. The 106 Districts which span 10 States - Bihar, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Telangana, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh - constitute the Red Corridor. Of these, 44 Districts are said to be the worst affected. India has a total of 683 Districts.

To counter social evils and to aware the public in Naxal-affected Mirzapur District of the State, Uttar Pradesh Police is promoting women gang like Bundelkhand's Gulabi (Pink) gang. SP in Mirzapur, Ashish Tewari told reporters that they have started a unique experiment in Naxal-affected areas. Police is promoting women's Gulabi gang like it was active in Bundelkhand. Members of Gulabi gang will lead awareness programme against social evils and blind faiths of society. There are Naxal affected 107 village in Mirzapur and Police is promoting Gulabi gang in these villages. The Gulabi gang will have at least 10 women member initially. Also, the members of Gulabi gang will get training and gears from local Police. He said these members of the gang will also work as informer for Police. Government can provide some funds for these gangs which will help them to be self-reliant.

ATS arrested a Naxal, identified as Krishna Murari Panika alias Mahadev (23), from Chandauli Railway Station in Chandauli District. Member of erstwhile MCC, now merged with PWG in September 2004 to form CPI-Maoist, Krishna, a native of Mirzapur District of the State, was instrumental in blowing up power plant in Gaya District of Bihar, Jharkhand in September 2017. Krishna was given the task to extort money from road contractors, brick kiln owners and other businessmen operating in Naxal belt to support their cause. Besides attacking power plant in Gaya, Krishna was also responsible for attack on Aurangabad (Bihar) solar power plant and setting 14 vehicles afire.

Noida Police has arrested a CPI-Maoist 'commander' during a raid in Harola village in Sector 5 under Sector 20 Police Station in Gautam Buddh Nagar. During interrogation he revealed his identity as Sudhir Bhagat, who is perusing B Tech from a Modi Nagar-based college, a CPI-Maoist 'commander', and Bihar Police had announced a reward of INR 50,000 for his arrest. Police recovered a pistol and some papers from his possession. He further confessed that he committed 14 murders, over a dozen mass murders in attacks in Naxal-affected areas of Bihar and Jharkhand. Sudhir is a native of Dewaria Kothi at Muzaffarpur in Bihar.