India Timeline - Year 2016

January 2

Police arrested five more persons in connection with FICN racket with suspected links with gangs from Bangladesh in Thetu in Prakasam District of Andhra Pradesh. Those arrested were identified as Shankar Naik, G. Ravi, G.Nagaraju, P.Sridhar and B.Srinath. Five FICN with face value of INR 1,000 and 40 FICN with face value of INR 500 were recovered from them, Prakasam Central Crime Station DSP K. Venkateswara Rao said. According to Police, they had allegedly put into circulation FICN of INR 1,000 and INR 500 denomination for INR 47 lakh in Krishna, Anantapur and Prakasam Districts. Police are on the lookout for three more persons, including one from Jharkhand, who had exchanged the FICN for currency notes in the ratio of 100: 40 with their counterparts in Andhra Pradesh.

The US ''strongly'' condemned the terrorist attack in Pathankot, stringing together a bunch of weasel words that did not zero in on the perpetrators and the country of origin of the terrorists. For all the talk of intelligence cooperation between the Washington and New Delhi, the best that the US State Department could come up with was to urge ''all countries in the region to work together to disrupt and dismantle terrorist networks and to bring to justice the perpetrators of this heinous act.''

Police arrested a HM militant, identified as Towheed Ahmad Mir, who was wanted by Police for killing of a former militant, Bashir Ahmad and his three year old son Burhan Ahmad in September 2015, from Sopore area in Baramulla District of Jammu and Kashmir.

Three youths from Pune, identified as Adarsh Patil, Vilas Valake and Shrikrushna Shewale who were on a peace cycle rally from Pune to Malkangiri in Odisha were allegedly abducted by Maoists in Bijapur District of Chhattisgarh. Bastar Range IGP SRP Kalluri said, "Though there were inputs about abduction of four youths, later it was confirmed they were three. Hailing from Pune they went missing from thick forested region on Basaguda area in Bijapur district and were last traced on December 28."

CRPF and District Armed Force personnel conducted a raid in Beyand village under Manika Police Station limits in Latehar District of Jharkhand and arrested an ‘area commander’ of CPI-Maoist, identified as Kunwar Yadav alias Baleshwar Yadav. According to SP Anup Birtheray, Kunwar worked under Sub-Zonal commander Shravan Yadav before becoming area commander.

The CPI-Maoist cadres set ablaze eight pieces of machinery used in road construction work at Sirigidi in Nuapada District of Odisha. The contracting company that has undertaken the project had parked the machinery at the construction site. Around 15 armed cadres came to the site and asked the labourers to leave the camp. They also snatched their mobile phones.

Security was stepped up at Army and air force installations located in the northeastern region in the wake of the terrorist attack at an Air Force Base at Pathankot in Punjab. The northeast, which is surrounded by Bangladesh, Myanmar, Bhutan and China, on all sides, barring a chicken-neck corridor towards north Bengal, is a strategic defence area. The seven states in the northeast house many Army cantonments and air force bases. The Eastern Air Command of the IAF is located in Shillong in Meghalaya.

Army sources in the region said that forces guarding defence installations in the northeast are already on a high alert as the region is an insurgency-affected area and shares borders with four countries. Security was also beefed up at LGBI airport in Guwahati as it is located adjacent to the Borjhar air base. Defence spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Suneet Newton said that along with other SFs in Assam and the entire region, are deployed on a counter-insurgency/terrorism grid and are always on a high alert. "We are always prepared to effectively contain any such untoward incident," he said.

The Mizoram and Manipur governments will implement the NFSA from February, 2016. “Arrangements for making available rice to those excluded from the scheme will be made through the PDS,” Mizoram’s Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Minister John Rotluangliana said in Aizawl. He said 706,296 people out of around 11 lakh population will be provided rice at subsidised rate under NFSA while the remaining households can buy eight kg rice per month at INR 15 per kilogram. Similarly, in Imphal, an official of Manipur’s food and civil supplies department said, “Work on computerization of data and digitization of ration cards are in advanced stage for the implementation of the food security act.”

NIA has taken over the probe into the CPI-Maoist attack on a Civil Police officer at Vellamunda in Wayanad District of Kerala in April 2015.

Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi appealed to insurgents to join the mainstream and take part in dialogue to solve their issues. “I appeal to those who are outside the mainstream to give up the path of confrontation and adopt conciliatory posture by joining the peace process to usher in durable peace and faster economic development in the state,” Gogoi said in a statement. He said the gusto with which the people celebrated New Year points that peace and stability have returned to the state despite attempts by certain forces to disturb peace. “Assam is on the path of peace, development and social harmony. Though the state has surged ahead on various fronts, it has still miles to go,” Gogoi said.

One person, identified as Dudubor Rahaman (28) hailing from Jordonga village of Mancachar in Assam, was injured during an attempt by the militants to abduct a group of traders heading to a weekly market in South Garo Hills in Meghalaya. “We strongly suspect the involvement of dacoits and ASAK militants in the incident,” District Police chief Lakador Syiem said.

January 1-3

14 persons, including seven SF personnel and six suspected JeM militants and a civilian were killed in a coordinated terror attack in Punjab's Pathankot District. After infiltrating into Indian side from across the border, Pakistani militants had hired a taxi and later killed the taxi driver. The body of the driver was recovered on January 1. Subsequently, they hijacked a vehicle carrying Gurdaspur SP, Salwinder Singh, his friend and his cook. They released the SP and his cook and took his friend along with them towards Indian Air Force base in Pathankot. They released the friend too. In the morning of January 2, they entered the Air Force base. In the ensuing day long gun battle, four militants were killed. Five DSC personnel were also killed. On January 3, one NSG commando was killed while removing an IED attached to the body of one of the slain militants. One Garuda commando was also killed during the operation. Remaining two militants were also killed.

January 3

Militants attempted to storm the Indian diplomatic mission in Mazar-i-Sharif in Afghanistan. Three terrorists were killed and one has been captured alive after retaliatory operations by Afghan Forces. Official sources said special combat units of the Afghan National Police have recovered three bodies from outside the Indian consulate.

UHM Rajnath Singh did not rule out the possibility of involvement of JeM in Pathankot attack and said India would hit back hard if there is any terror strike on its soil. "Pakistan is our neighbouring country. We want good relations with not just Pakistan but with all our neighbours. We also want peace but if there is any terror attack on India, we will give a befitting reply. We will hit hard," he said. Asked about the possibility of JeM's involvement in the attack, Singh said such a possibility cannot be ruled out. "The case will be probed by the NIA but the possibility of JeM being behind the attack cannot be ruled out," he said.

Singh said there were intelligence inputs about possible terror attacks in Punjab and steps were taken which helped avert higher casualties. "There were some inputs and hence there was caution. We have exercised caution. If we had not taken steps, there could have been bigger damage," he said. "Operation is still on. Unless it is completed, we can't say what are the total casualties. But I think our forces are achieving success," he said.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a meeting with top officials to discuss the Pathankot terror attack. Modi chaired a meeting of top officials including NSA Ajit Doval and Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar. Earlier during the day, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar briefed Modi on the latest situation at the Pathankot air base.

The terror strike at Pathankot (Punjab) puts in perspective the intense focus of Pakistan's ISI operations on gathering information about defence bases, as revealed by the recent arrest of Indian "moles" and three Pakistani nationals. A joint probe by Kolkata Police's STF, the Delhi Police Crime Branch and special cell, UP STF, and Rajasthan Police, under the guidance of the IB, arrested 14 ISI operatives across the country since November 14, 2015.

The details given by the arrested people also reveal how ISI is keen to access confidential information about India's military. Though the moles had limited access to sensitive information, they could provide a lot of names, and details of procedures and logistics. The penetration of IAF TAC-DE at Gwalior, the IAF's version of Topgun that develops air combat strategies — was a serious security breach. Elements of Army battle plan 'ORBAT' (order of battle) were compromised as well, said investigators. Spies are increasing with an alarming frequency. From Army to BSF to IAF, ISI seems omnipresent.

After four days in CPI-Maoist captivity, three students from Pune were released in Chhattisgarh. The students were on a cycle rally from Pune to Malkangiri District in Odisha to promote peace when they went missing from Bijapur District. Bastar Range IGP S.R.P. Kalluri said the students were in the custody of Maoist Papa Rao, ‘secretary’ of the Jagargunda area committee of CPI-Maoist in Sukma District. The three students were identified as Adarsh Patil, Vikas Walke and Shrikrishna Shewale.

Eleven CPI-Maoist cadres “impressed” by the surrender policy of Chhattisgarh government, surrendered in Kondagaon District, while citing disappointment with the “ill-treatment” by senior cadres, Police said. Two of the cadres, Ganesh Korram (23) and Lalit Kashyap (22), were carrying a reward of INR 300,000 each on their head and were acting as key Maoist couriers in Bastar region. Besides, Kolsai alias Panku (30), a military platoon member, was carrying INR 200,000 reward, while INR 100,000 each was announced for the arrest of Dhaniram (23) and Folsingh Salaam, who were local operation squad member and head of Maoists’ cultural outfit Chetna Natya Mandli, respectively. The others who surrendered were lower rung members.

UHM Rajnath Singh visited Karimganj sector of the India-Bangladesh border in Assam and said the porous border will be sealed this year. The Minister, who reviewed the fencing project at Steamerghat, expressed his satisfaction at the progress of the work. He said, two major issues that were stalling the project - protests by locals whose properties would be affected by the fencing and objection by BGB in certain patches - have been resolved. Along with the fencing, the installation of flood lights will also be completed this year. "Security measures have been tightened and this has resulted in drastic reduction in cross border crimes and also infiltration from that side of the border," Singh added.

Mizoram Government would not hold negotiations with Manipur-based HPC-D militants despite the outfit having expressed its willingness, Home Minister R. Lalzirliana said. Lalzirliana told PTI that the HPC-D faction led by its ‘Chairman’ H Zosangbera approached the State Government with peace overtures which were turned down last year. “We do not have any intention to hold negotiations during 2016 unless the militants fulfil our conditions,” he said. Lalzirliana reiterated that parleys with the Hmar outfit would not take place until the militants returned all the arms taken by them.

SFs arrested the ‘finance secretary’ of the NSCN-K, identified as Max Asukomi and two other NSCN-K cadres, identified as Asheto Rochelle and Isato Aye from Dimapur (Nagaland) in separate operations. AR PRO stated that all the three cadres, residents of Zunheboto District, were presently residing at Dimapur for carrying out extortion activities. PRO also noted that the arrest of the cadres, particularly Max would be a major setback to the financial operations of NSCN-K in Dimapur and adjoining areas.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon condemned the terror attack on the Indian Consulate in Mazar-e-Sharif in Afghanistan and said that diplomatic posts need to be protected. The attack on the Indian Consulate in Mazar-e-Sharif "obviously is an attack which we condenm...especially an attack on a diplomatic outpost that needs to be protected," Ban's spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said.

The terrorists who raided Pathankot air base may have entered India assisted by a drugs racket along both sides of the Indo-Pakistan border and the heavy arms and ammunition used by them could have been dispatched from the neighbouring country before they crossed the border. Security agencies suspect that the terrorists crossed the International Border in Punjab through a "controlled operation" by a gang involved in the smuggling of narcotics, FICN and arms.

The possibility of the involvement of some security personnel with the smuggling gang cannot be ruled out as there have been inputs in the past about some elements being linked to the establishment of the drugs racket, the sources said. A detailed probe and questioning of some people involved in the racket could unearth the conspiracy, they added.

Speculation is rife that the heavy arms and ammunition used by the terrorists in the attack were sent over from Pakistan much before the terrorists crossed the International Border. There is a high probability that the arms were sent through the drugs racket and dumped at a designated spot from where the terrorists collected these after crossing the border through a route used by the smugglers, sources said.

TPC cadres assaulted two persons identified as Ramvilas Ram and Ramdeep Ram in Aurangabad District of Bihar. The fear of TPC backlash is such that it forced the panchayat mukhiya Ramji Ram not to lodge a police complaint with Tandawa Police Station after his 70-year-old father and brother were assaulted. The mukhiya said TPC cadres demanded 20 per cent of the grant sanctioned by the government for welfare schemes in his panchayat.

AR, AR Field Intelligence Unit and State Police conducted a joint search operation at Kheti village and arrested two cadres of NSCN-R, identified as ‘self-styled lieutenant’ Wingan Agan (26) and ‘sergeant’ Damwang Bangsia, both from Tirap District of Arunachal Pradesh. An assault rifle, an automatic pistol with ammunition, extortion notes and receipt/letter head of the NSCN-R were recovered from them. Local residents said that these cadres and their leaders had been threatening local people and carrying out rampant extortion and forced recruitment in Tirap, Changlang and Longding Districts, report said.

Since April 2015, the NSCN-R is attempting to establish its base in the Districts of Longding, Tirap and Changlang in Arunachal Pradesh. The ‘Reformation’ group is now extensively involved in extortion in the form of tax collection and they are not sparing any section of the society be it poor villagers, government employees, business community, unemployed and school administration, the report said.

January 4

The US expects Pakistan will take actions against the perpetrators of the terror attack on IAF base in Pathankot, State Department Spokesman John Kirby said. "The government of Pakistan has spoken very powerfully to this and it's certainly our expectation that they'll treat this exactly the way they've said they would," Kirby stated.

The Indian security establishment dismissed the United Jihad Council's (UJC) statement claiming responsibility for the Pathankot attack as a "ploy to divert attention from role of Jaish-e-Mohammad or Pakistan's ISI". "This is a predictable modus operandi of the ISI and its protege terror outfits. By owning up to the attack, UJC, an umbrella organization of outfits claiming to be fighting for 'freedom' of Kashmir, is clearly trying to pass off the Pathankot attack as an indigenously-driven operation. The stress is to take the pressure off Pakistan at a time when India is getting set to confront it with evidence of the fidayeen being directed by their Pakistan-based Jaish handlers," said an intelligence officer.

There have been 136 terror attacks in India in last 27 years, according to UMHA. The state of Punjab has witnessed 34 terror attacks over the, the highest. The majority of the attacks occurred during the 1990s, with the latest attacks reinforcing a view that India’s security forces cannot cope with small bands of terrorists. J&K and Delhi have witnessed 27 and 18 attacks, respectively, during the same period. A majority of the 34 attacks in Punjab over 27 years were between 1990-1992, a time when Sikh militancy was at its peak; 31 of 34 attacks took place in the 1990s, while the 16 years between 2000 and 2015 saw three attacks in Punjab. Maharashtra (primarily Mumbai) and Jammu and Kashmir have seen more attacks over this period.

More than 2,000 people died in these attacks, and more than 6,000 were injured, of the 135 attacks, 121 attacks were on civilians and 14 attacks on VIPs. There were more attacks in 2004 than any other year. In 17 attacks that year, more than 170 people were killed and more than 350 injured.

Punjab Police were aware about the possibility of a terror attack around New Year's eve following an intelligence alert from the UMHA, raising questions on their preparedness and reaction to disclosures by Gurdaspur SP Salwinder Singh who was briefiy kidnapped by the terrorists. The intelligence note stated, "Please refer to this office mail dated December 27 about the alert issued by the intelligence wing of Punjab that LeT is planning to carry out a spectacular attack in India possibly around New Year celebrations”. "The attack may be carried out by nearly 15 well trained terrorists, who may have already entered India. Targets include National level political personalities, government establishments, Parliament, Army headquarters, and key installations. In view of above, personal attention be paid towards bus stands, hotels, railway stations," it added.

Defence establishments in Rajasthan have been advised not to share their contact details with any caller without proper verification. Jaisalmer Police have alerted the defence officials to take measures and ask officials to be cautious in the wake of the recent attempts made by Pakistan Intelligence agencies to extract contact details of the defence establishments through internet calls.

Mohali Police arrested three persons, identified as Harjinder Singh, Gurjant Singh and Sandeep Singh, along with Pakistani SIM card, mobiles, weapons and ammunition. The three criminals were involved in an interstate narcotics smuggling gang, Mohali SSP Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said. The seized weapons include one stengun of .9 mm, two pistols (.9mm), two pistols .30 bore, one airgun, 190 live cartridges, 31 mobile phones, one Pakistani mobile sim card and one car from them.

Former terrorist Baaj Singh, a native of Bhullar village, was released prematurely from the Amritsar Central Jail in Punjab.

Protesters pelted stones on SFs, which left seven of them, injured in Srinagar District, during clashes that triggered when the Shias’ Protested against the execution of top Shia cleric, Sheikh Nimr-al-Nimr by Saudi Government last week. A peaceful protest against the Saudi execution was also held in central Kashmir’s Budgam District.

Shutdown in south Kashmir’s Pulwama town in Pulwama District and its adjoining areas continued for the sixth day, as the youth of the area are adamant on installing the insignia of local and foreign militants killed in gunfights with SFs. All the shops and commercial establishments were closed while the public transport was also off the roads.

In South Kashmir’s Pulwama District, after days of violent protests against the militant killings, Police arrested 10 youths accused of being behind the stone-throwing incidents on January 2. The parts of the District continued to shut for the third day amid incidents of stone-pelting. Six youth were arrested from Pulwama Town, while four were arrested from Kakapora hamlet of the District.

Jharkhand Police killed two cadres including 'one top commander' of PLFI in an operation at Mahabuang in Simdega District of Jharkhand. The Police claimed possession of the extremists' bodies. "They are yet to be identified. An AK-47 and one .315 rifle were recovered from them," DIG South Chhotanagpur zone Arun Kumar Singh said.

Five powerful IEDs allegedly planted by CPI-Maoist, were recovered from an under-construction route in Dantewada District of Chhattisgarh. Out of the five IEDs seized, two weighed about 10 kilograms each, while the others were around 5-7 kilograms each.

Two powerful cane bombs were recovered by SFs from a forest in Chando village in Gaya District of Bihar. During a combing operation against CPI-Maoist, the CoBRA unit and the District Police recovered two powerful cane bombs, weighing five kilograms each, from the forest area.

Odisha State Committee of the CPI-Maoist called for an Odisha and Chhattisgarh bandh on January 8. One Budhuram, the spokesperson of the Sunabeda and Menpur division of the CPI-Maoist, in the video tape appealed to the denizens of Nuapada, Kalahandi, Nabarangpur, Gariabandh, Mahasamund, Dhamtari and Kanker to support the bandh.

Maoists had posted several posters on the walls and doors of houses in Sarajanga village in Nuapada District of Odisha. 

Two persons having suspected links with PLFI were abducted and killed by PLFI cadres in Khunti District of Jharkhand. They abducted the two from Sondari village under Torpa Police Station limits on the intervening night of January 4 and 5 and shot them dead. According to the villagers the victims had links with PLFI and were suspected to have been killed for snapping ties with it.

One Maoist was arrested by Sukma District Police of Chhattisgarh from Kerlapal area of the District.

Five additional SPs will likely be deployed in CPI-Maoist-hit districts to tackle the threat posed by the extremist activities, said sources. The officers may enjoy the status of ASP (operations) in Districts and lead the anti-Maoist operations planned to target the rebels. Jharkhand Police Spokesperson S.N. Pradhan said the officers would help in prompt and smooth conduct of operations against Maoists. "I have interviewed five of them and found them suitable for deployment in anti-Maoist operations. They have also expressed willingness to join," said Pradhan.

UHM Rajnath Singh admitted that there are "gaps" in the Indo-Bangladesh border in Assam and that managing a riverine border is a tough challenge. The Minister visited the Dhubri sector of the border with AASU leaders and assured that two pilot projects on how to stop infiltration in riverine areas are going on and depending on the success of these two projects, steps will be taken. "It is a 263 km long border. But gaps are there and these need to be filled up. Covering the riverine stretch is a problem. We hope measures can be worked out depending on the findings of these two pilot projects, which are likely to be completed soon," the Minister said addressing a press conference. Rajnath Singh, however, added that he was not "entirely satisfied" with the sealing work, though he did not specify any details.

After the joint border visit with UHM Rajnath Singh, the AASU submitted a memorandum clarifying its stand of not accepting any illegal foreigner entering the State after 1971. AASU leaders Dr Samujjal Kumar Bhattacharyya, Dipanka Kumar Nath and Lurin Jyoti Gogoi discussed several lingering issues with the Minister that included implementation of the Assam Accord, border security, constitutional safeguard, economic development, and the status of illegal migration post 1971. Two memorandums were submitted to the Home Minister in this regard.

A team of Army personnel, along with Police representative from Khoirabari Police Station in Udalguri District launched a joint operation and arrested two hardcore cadres and one linkman of NDFB-IKS. The arrested cadres were identified as Raju Daimary and Rikhang Daimary. Raju Daimary was also involved in numerous extortion cases and heinous crimes in Udalguri and Chirang Districts. Both the cadres were in the lookout list of Udalguri and Chirang Police. On questioning Raju Daimary and Rikhang Daimary, NDFB-IKS linkman, identified as Shankar Dutta was arrested from Misahatkhola village in Darrang District. A grenade and five money receipts of extortion and three mobile phones were also recovered from their possession.

The GNC, GWC and Garo youth Council asked All Rabha Students’ Union and All Rabha Women Council not to interfere in the internal matter of the Garo people of Assam, stated a press release. They said that Garo leader AG Momin in no way involved in the 2011 Garo-Rabha ethnic conflict as alleged by Rabha organizations.

A lethod shell was found at the main entrance gate of Elite Senior Secondary School in Imphal in Manipur, which is also the entry gate of JNIMS director Laishram Deben and his wife L Sumitra Devi, who is the chairperson of the school. A Police team retrieved the shell safely.  MCP-M reportedly claimed responsibility of depositing the shell. They claimed that the bomb threat was a warning to the JNIMS director Laishram Deben over his failure to run the hospital.

A team of District Police commando arrested one active cadre of PREPAK while conducting search operation in some suspected houses at Kshetri Leikai in Imphal East District of Manipur. The arrested cadre has been identified as Kshetrimayum Dhanajit Singh alias Imoro alias Herojit (49) of Singjamei Wangma Kshetri Leikai. One HE hand grenade (No 36) along with a detonator was seized from his possession.

Two GNLA militants, identified as Jimbo T. Sangma alias Rabon and Krailing K Sangma surrendered at Resubelpara in North Garo Hills District of Meghalaya. Sangma is one of the accused in the abduction and killing of Police constable Khomraj Bhattarai on November 6, 2015.

A notification received through the DIPR has notified the NSCN-K to show cause, within 30 days from the date of service of this notice, as to why the NSCN-K be not adjudicated as an unlawful association and why an order confirming such declaration be not made under the UAPA. The Government of India had declared the NSCN-K as an unlawful association on September 16, 2015. The Centre had constituted a tribunal comprising Justice Najmi Waziri, Judge of the High Court of Delhi, for adjudicating whether or not there is sufficient cause for declaring NSCN-K as an Unlawful Association.

Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Tribunal will hear the case of declaring NSCN-K as “unlawful association” in its sitting on January 14, 2016, 3 p.m. in Court No. 19, ‘A’ Block, Delhi High Court in New Delhi for further proceedings. According to DIPR report, the Registrar of Tribunal asked NSCN-K to appear before it through a duly authorized person on the mentioned date.

Militants from Northeast India, including Tripura, have their camps in Bangladesh despite the Bangladesh Government being pro-active against them, Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar said in Agartala. Praising Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina-led Bangladesh Government for taking action against terrorism, Sarkar said: “Security forces in Bangladesh with the instructions from their government are always pro-active to flush-out militants belonging to Tripura and other Northeastern States and their camps in that country.” “However, there were terrorist camps in Bangladesh territory. There are 16 to 19 camps of Tripura militants in that country. The present government in Bangladesh is always trying to flush out the Indian militants in their territory.”

The Chief Minister said Indian militants, taking advantage of the absence of Bangladeshi SFs in some of the mountainous and bordering areas, have been using remote areas, particularly in the hilly Chittagong Hill Tracts. They continue their activities, including arms training of their cadres. He added that, “We cannot claim that we are successful in curbing militancy entirely in our State because there are still a few hideouts within our State too.”

“Occasionally due to pressure of the Bangladesh security forces the militants temporarily shift from their camps but return to their original place once the security forces have moved away. Such hide-and-seek activities are going on and we are aware of them.” He further said, “Even today in our State there are youths who are being misled to join into terrorism and we have to be vigilant on these acts. We have to ensure that the terrorist outfits do not disrupt peace, development and unity in our State and for that the security forces have to increase their vigil.”

DGP K. Nagraj, during the annual Police Week, said that insurgency in Tripura at the moment was non-existent. He said, "The Disturbed Areas Act and the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act were withdrawn last year as a result of declining insurgency. This was also reflected in the absence of any insurgency-related incident last year." He said till recently there were 16 terrorist camps and a safe house in Dhaka run by anti-Indian militants on Bangladesh soil but the Bangladesh Army and BGB had launched a fresh crackdown.

As a result, there are now three major camps in Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh, besides the safe house in Dhaka. "We can now say the banned militants of Tripura now do not have any support base or infrastructure within the state but 20 per cent of Indian border with Bangladesh lies in Tripura; so we do not have any sense of complacency and we are prepared to deal with any situation," Nagraj said. He added that two top-level NLFT commanders, Atharbabu Halam and Sunil Tripura, had surrendered last year and this was a major gain for the State.

Assam Rifles arrested two cadres of NSCN-IM, identified as ‘sergeant major’ Victor Ningshen and Kuhovi Achumi, a civil wing cadre of NSCN-IM from near near City Tower in Dimapur. In a press release, PRO IGAR-N stated that the two were held after an operation was launched based on information regarding extortion activities by NSCN-IM cadres from truck operators on NH-29. Extortion slips and INR 53,700 in cash were recovered from them. One vehicle (Maruti Alto Lxi, Regn No NL 01H 2566), and mobile phones (with SMS messages of truck numbers) were also recovered, stated PRO.

January 5

The NIA said that it expects cooperation from Pakistan for tracing the perpetrators of the Pathankot attack, saying it was clear that the terrorists were from Pakistan on the basis of the calls they made. According to reports, the NIA team is also questioning Gurdaspur SP Salwinder Singh, whose vehicle was hijacked by the terrorists.

Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had called up Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and assured that their government was working on the leads and information provided by the Indian government on the Pathankot attack, adding that they would investigate the matter. He also appreciated New Delhi for showing maturity in its statements post the terror attack while asserting that terrorists were trying to disrupt the efforts to bring peace between the two countries.

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar confirmed that all the six terrorists who had attacked the Pathankot IAF base have been neutralized by the SFs. Parrikar complimented the SFs for ensuring that there was no loss to any vital asset at the base. Stating that there were no suspected terrorists inside the Air Force base, the defence minister said combing operations will continue for a day or two. "NIA investigations will reveal who were behind the terror attack," he said, refusing to point responsibility on any one.

Around 1,000 Army men and Punjab Police personnel have converted Pandher village, around 2 kilometer from the Tibri cantonment in Punjab, following reports that two armed men in Army uniform were seen moving around in a suspicious manner in the area. Two SWAT teams of the Punjab Police have also reached the area. “The threat is real. It is not a hoax call. We have sounded an alert throughout the state,” said an official. “The Army has got vacated 500 houses in Pandher and adjoining Bhulechak and Babbehali villages,” sources said. The terrorists who attacked the Pathankot air base and the Dinanagar Police Station were also in Army uniform. “The fact that the cantonment area is just 2 km away has added to our worries. We cannot take chances. More forces are being requisitioned,” the official said.

A huge blast was reported near the Indian consulate in Jalalabad city in Nangarhar Province of Afghanistan. No casualty has been reported.

Two CPI-Maoist cadres were killed and one was arrested during an exchange of fire with the Police in Kondagaon District of Chhattisgarh. “The Maoists’ Kudhur LOS ‘commander’ and one LOS members were killed in a fierce encounter between Kondagaon District Reserve Guard (DRG) and the Maoists today morning,” said S.R.P. Kalluri, the IGP, Bastar Range.

A huge cache of explosives including 28 petrol bombs was recovered during a search operation by security personnel in Gariyaband District of Chhattisgarh in restive forests of Karlajhar village.

A group of SFs personnel had a close save as Maoists detonated a powerful pipe bomb blast in Bijapur District of Chhattisgarh. No one was injured in the blast. The Maoists exploded the pipe bomb near Tarrem village under Basaguda Police Station limits when a team of CoBRA personnel was patrolling in the region.

A woman CPI-Maoist cadre, identified as Kalamdei Majhi (24), surrendered before the Kalahandi District SP, as she was "disgusted" with the Maoists’ activities.

A group of CPI-Maoist cadres have allegedly beaten to death a Girijan, identified as Pangi Sivayya of Boosiputtu village in Munchingput mandal of Visakhapatnam District, Andhra Pradesh.  According to reports reaching the victim’s home, he was taken away and beaten to death near Sariapalli, a nearby village. He was branded as a ‘Police informer’.

A TDP leader and former Sarpanch of Jerrela Gram Panchayat in Visakha Agency of Vishakhapatnam District in Andhra Pradesh, Sagina Venkataramana (32) was allegedly hacked to death by CPI-Maoist cadres. Venkataramana was actively involved in anti-bauxite mining agitation. A poster hung near the place and a pamphlet left behind alleged that Venkataramana got the resolution in favour of bauxite mining passed with forged signatures and also usurped patta lands with forged signatures

The two Ministers representing Adilabad District in Telangana State Cabinet are finding themselves embroiled in a controversy surrounding alleged irregularities in allocation of work under the centrally funded IAP in LWE affected districts, Adilabad being one of the 88 districts in the country where the scheme is operational.

A team of STF and Saran District Police of Bihar arrested nine cadres of the CPI-Maoist, including a woman ‘area commander’ from Doriganj in Saran District. All of the arrested cadres were accused in the case for planting of explosives at the Ara-Chhapra Bridge on January 1. They had blasted the generator set used by the construction company engaged in the bridge construction work. Police have recovered three pamphlets of the Maoists from the construction site and three cane bombs were found fixed to three pillars of the under construction bridge.

ULFA-PTF opened an office in the Hatigaon area in Kamrup District of Assam. The office was inaugurated by the outfit's ‘chairman’, Arabinda Rajkhowa.

Police arrested two persons identified as Ramen Barman and Rameswar Saikia, the masterminds behind the abduction of a small-time businessman Hazrat Ali, who was abducted on December 29, from Tulsibari under Rangia Police Station in Kamrup District of Assam. According to Police, Ramen Barman of Shahpur and Rameswar Saikia of Suwapur, both under Tamulpur Police Station in Baksa District, abducted Ali at gunpoint in a Tata Sumo, identifying themselves as NDFB-IKS cadres and wearing SSB uniform on the evening of December 29 when Ali was returning home from his shop at Tulsibari under Rangia Police Station in Kamrup District.  Police said the abductors along with another associate took Ali to Lotibari under Tamulpur Police Station in Baksa where he was kept in the house of Saikia elder sister.

AR troops launched an operation in Grihang and Kamjong in Ukhrul District of Manipur and killed two underground cadres of an unknown group. One AK-56 rifle along with magazine, twelve live rounds of 7.62 mm and five fired cases of 7.62 mm have been recovered from the spot. The bodies of the two slain militants along with the recovered weapons have been handed over to Chassad Police Station in the District.

Garo Hills Police seized a large amount of explosives, including electronic detonators, from a Tura-registered vehicle abandoned by its occupants after Police set up a road block in the Bajengdoba region of North Garo Hills District of Meghalaya. The banned ULFA of Assam is believed to be the owner of the explosives and was reportedly sending it across to the banned GNLA in Garo Hills when Police set up a surprise road check point in Bajengdoba, after receiving intelligence inputs about the shipment of the explosives. Police searched the vehicle and recovered as many as 1200 gelatine explosive sticks which are used by militants to prepare IEDs to target SFs. Police also recovered as many as 1000 electronic detonators and 100 non-electronic detonators. Both detonators are required for triggering IED explosions. 

There was not a single insurgency related incident in Tripura last year (2015), DGP K Nagraj said while noting that international terrorism was an area which needed a sharp vigil to be maintained. “There was not a single incident related to insurgency last year (in Tripura). The insurgency, which devastated the State for the past three decades, has largely been contained. We are not complacent and keeping a close vigil on the situation,” DGP said. He said many of the State’s insurgents were still using Bangladeshi soil and they are currently running 16 camps there.

“Last November, security forces in Bangladesh had dismantled many camps of State insurgents, mainly in the Chittagong Hill Tracts of the country, but the ultras again managed to erect some makeshift camps there,” said Nagraj. “International terrorism is another area which needs a sharp watch and the State police are gearing up to meet the new challenge,” he said. Nagraj said that 1,761 Bangladeshi nationals had illegally sneaked into the State last year and Police had deported them. The DGP said that the overall law-and-order situation in the State has improved and the crime graph is down.

January 6

A NIA team arrived in Pathankot to begin the probe on the terrorist attack on the Pathankot airbase. The NIA officials were seen examining the bodies of the slain terrorists along with a team of forensic experts.

NIA so far has found seven suspicious footprints along the IB. The investigating team was looking at two key aspects, how the attackers entered India and the role of Salwinder Singh who was briefly kidnapped by the terrorists. Singh's role is apparently under scrutiny due to the conflicting versions he provided about his abduction and release. The NIA team found seven suspicious footprints at three different locations near Bamiyal village along the Pakistan border.

A man suspected to be a terrorist was taken into custody by SFs near the Pathankot Indian IAF base. The Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir) Airport has also been put on high alert after five suspicious terrorists were spotted around the area. The BSF is providing peripheral security cover and an alert has been sounded. Initial reports said that the men seem to be from Afghanistan.

NIA arrested a suspected al Qaeda terrorist, identified as Maulana Anzar Shah from Bengaluru in Karnataka. According to sources, Anzar Shah was a Muslim cleric in Banshankari for the last four years. Report has quoted sources as saying that the man was planning to carry out a series of terror strikes in the country. "The aim of the group was to attack some prominent leaders along with the crowded and tourist places," it added.

The BSF submitted a detailed report to the UMHA, saying there is no evidence of infiltration along the IB, though the six terrorists killed in the Pathankot operation are believed to have entered through the Punjab border. Officials said the BSF submitted the report after Director-General D.K. Pathak undertook a forward area tour along the International Border on January 5, including at Bamiyal, a border village in Pathankot, which is believed to have been used by terrorists to infiltrate into the country and attack the airbase. They said the force has put forth the details of its night “morchas” and movement of its patrol teams in these areas on December 30 and 31, when it is suspected that the terrorists crossed over from the other side and attacked the airbase. The BSF will deploy 2,000 additional personnel along the Punjab and Jammu borders to plug unfenced riverine and forest gaps.

Local villagers claim to have seen two more terrorists in Gurdaspur. Villagers, Satnam Singh and his relative Rajinder Singh, who claim to have spotted the suspected militants near Tibri Cantonment. They immediately informed the Police. The Army and Punjab Police have cordoned off the whole area and strengthened the security of highly-sensitive defence establishment. Satnam said that he and Rajinder had gone to fields to get fodder for their cattle. "As we were about to return, I saw two men standing near us in a sugarcane field. They were wearing Army outfit, dark glasses, long gum boots and were carrying some bags. Before we could react, they disappeared into the fields," he said, adding that everything happened within seconds.

Militants hurled a grenade at CRPF camp at Momin Abad in Anantnag District. The grenade missed the intended target and exploded outside without causing any harm.

The BSF will deploy around 2,000 additional personnel along the Punjab and Jammu borders in order to plug unfenced riverine and forest gaps even as it submitted a fresh report to the Government, stating there was no evidence of infiltration along the IB in the wake of the terrorist attack on the IAF base in Pathankot in Punjab. Officials said BSF submitted a report to the UHM after force Director General D K Pathak undertook a forward area tour along the IB on January 5, including at Bamiyal, a border village in Pathankot, which is believed to have been used by terrorists to infiltrate into the country and attack the air base.

A grant of INR 10 billion was approved by the UMHA for 35 worst Naxal affected districts spread across seven States to carry out development work and augmenting facilities to fight the CPI-Maoist. The affected areas include 16 districts in Jharkhand, eight in Chhattisgarh, six in Bihar, two in Odisha and one each in Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. The Ministry allocated fund at the rate of INR 280.57 million per district.

Aurangabad District Police of Bihar launched a combing operation against the Maoists in different parts of the District to instill confidence among the people.

Two CPI-Maoist cadres, Renga Shankraiyya (30) and Sukman Kursam (27) were arrested from Awapalli Police Station area in Bijapur District of Chhattisgarh.

The Araku Valley Police arrested Y. Gowri (45), an employee with Lakcon Construction Company, for trying to supply 10 walkie-talkie sets and about one kilogram of gold to CPI-Maoist, near Araku junction in Visakhapatnam District of Andhra Pradesh.

NSCN-R has reportedly been recruiting drug addicts across the opium belt of Arunachal Pradesh to broaden its extortion empire. Officials in southern Arunachal Pradesh said NSCN-R has been recruiting drug addicts to control the state’s Longding, Tirap and Changlang Districts. Rebels of NSCN-K and NSCN-IM were hitherto known to operate in these Districts that are strategic for movement to and from bases in Myanmar. “We had last month raided Kheti village in Tirap district on tip off that some rebels were carrying out recruitment and extortion drives there. They managed to escape but we recovered extortion notes and a list of the group’s cadres in the area,” a unnamed senior Police officer, said. Some names in the list were those of drug addicts and offenders, the SFs found.

Apart from Longding, Tirap and Changlang, Lohit and Anjaw Districts of southern Arunachal Pradesh are notorious for opium cultivation besides the availability of heroin and methamphetamine from the ‘Golden Triangle of Myanmar, Laos and Thailand. According to NCB, Arunachal Pradesh topped the list of states in illegal poppy production for opium during 2014-15. Of the 2,530 acres of poppy crop that NCB destroyed during that fiscal, the state accounted for nearly 40%. NCB officials say the illegal poppy farms are guarded by armed militia who are known to work in coordination with rebels. Chief Minister Nabam Tuki admitted that checking opium cultivation was a major challenge.

A ginger merchant from Krishnai in Assam, was abducted by unidentified assailants in East Garo Hills District of Meghalaya. According to a source, trader, Kali Saha was returning home to Krishnai from Songsak area in the District when he was abducted by unidentified assailants.

A hardcore GNLA militant, identified as Pensing A Sangma alias Belbong alias Cherakpa, who took part in an ambush on a CRPF patrol party leading to two SF personnel sustaining bullet injuries in 2014, surrendered to Police without any weapon in Resubelpara in North Garo Hills District. The surrendered cadre was part of GNLA ‘area commander’ Rakban D Shira alias Philiport’s team and the outfit’s cadres reportedly used his house to take shelter.

A militant, identified as Rakwil R Sangma alias Dikrong of the AMEF outfit also surrendered in North Garo Hills District of Meghalaya and handed over a demand letter pad of the group.

NSCN-IM condemned the killing of one NSCN-K member by AR on December 30 at Zhutovi village in Dimapur District of Nagaland and claimed the incident was a “well planned” executed by AR troops.

January 7

The UAE condemned the terrorist attack on the IAF base in Pathankot and said that it stands with India in the fight against terrorism. The Foreign Ministry in a statement said, "The UAE condemns the heinous terrorist attack on the Indian Air Force Base in Pathankot. We stand with India in its ongoing fight against terrorism…Terrorism and extremism knows no borders and no limits and pose a threat to innocent people everywhere around the world. In order to contain the dangerous threat that terrorism poses to our countries and peoples, international cooperation is indispensable”.

Sikh political prisoner Hardeep Singh, who was associated with Khalistan Commando Force (KCF), was released from the Amritsar Central Jail in Punjab following clearance from the State Government. Jail Superintendent RK Sharma said Hardeep was released owing to his good conduct. Hardeep was arrested under various sections of TADA, besides Section 302 (murder charges) of the IPC in 1993.

HM ‘chief’ Syed Salahuddin warned India of more attacks if it did not give up “genocide” in Kashmir. He also claimed that a special unit of the UJC carried out the Pathankot airbase attack (Punjab). “Whether or not Pakistan and India go ahead with their planned talks, Kashmiri Mujahideen will continue to strike until New Delhi stops killing innocent Kashmiris who are struggling for their basic human right of self-determination, as promised by the UNSC resolutions,” Salahuddin said in an interview with a Pakistani newspaper. “Special guerrilla units of the United Jihad Council will raid more strategic military assets of New Delhi whenever they find an opportunity to destroy the enemy’s military structure which is being used for Kashmiris genocide,” said Salahuddin. The UJC ‘chief’ said, “The Pathankot attack has nothing to do with the dialogue process between Pakistan and India as we have been waging this war against occupying forces for the last 38 years.”

The operation to fully sanitise the Pathankot airbase in Punjab, which was attacked by six terrorists last week, is “close to completion” with personnel of the NSG, the Army and the Garud Commando Force of the Air Force undertaking the task on the sprawling complex. “For the last two days, the Army, the NSG and the Garuds have been sanitising the whole station and the process is close to completion,” Air Officer Commanding, Pathankot IAF Station, Air commodore J.S. Damoon said.

The NIA has recorded the statements of SP Salwinder Singh, whose role is under the scanner, and his friend Rajesh Verma, officials said adding investigations were under progress. The 20-member NIA team is being assisted by a team of the Central Forensic Science Laboratory which is camping here.

India has identified the four handlers of Pakistan-based terror outfit JeM, who were in touch with the six terrorists who stormed the Pathankot airbase early on January 1. India has shared the telephone numbers and the identity of the handlers with Pakistan and has asked it to act on these individuals, a senior Government official said. Those identified by the Indian agencies are JeM founder Maulana Masood Azhar, his brother Abdul Rauf Asghar, Ashfaq Ahmed and Kashim Jaan, the official said. While Azhar oversaw the operations, his brother Asghar and two others were in touch with the terrorists. India has also given the details of two types of Pakistan-made drugs — Neuro Bedoxine and Dicloran — found on the bodies as evidence.

The Army issued fresh guidelines for the public by asking civilians to avoid wearing Army pattern dresses and shopkeepers to refrain from selling combat clothes in order to prevent terror attacks. The guidelines, to be followed across the country, come nearly a week after six terrorists infiltrated through the border and launched attack at the Air Force station in Pathankot (Punjab).

Also private security agencies, Police and other central forces not to wear "Combat-Pattern" dresses as "it is not authorised and leads to false alarms", the official said. "All traders and shopkeepers interested in selling Army uniforms may approach the local military authority and request for shops in units/cantonments approved areas/shops," the official added. "It is illegal to sell army uniforms to unauthorised persons," the official said, adding, "The guidelines have been issued in public interest and to prevent terror attacks." Also, the relatives of armed forces personnel and ex servicemen were requested not to use items of uniform which they may be having as they could create false reports, the official said and added that it was illegal to do so. Police and Civil administration have also been asked to check and crackdown on defaulters.

The CRPF will soon deploy about 300 women commandos for undertaking operations in some of the states affected by Naxalism. DG of CRPF Prakash Mishra said few chosen companies drawn from its four 'mahila' battalions will be soon sent for pre-induction training and after about six weeks of regimen in various types of combats and special tasks, the women contingents will be sent for final deployment. "We are going to give more operational duties to our women personnel. We are sending our women personnel to some of the most difficult areas," Mishra said while announcing the hosting of the 7th National Conference of Women in Police beginning January 7.

Suspected CPI-Maoist cadres killed a businessman, identified as Bapi Samanta, at Dandabadi village under Boipariguda Police Limits in Koraput District of Odisha.

Five Maoists, including three carrying cash rewards on their heads, surrendered before Police in Bijapur District of Chhattisgarh. Surrendered Maoists were identified as Hemla Paklu (28), Budhram Kowasi (24), Hemla Pandu (25), Motu Parsa (19) and Hemla Budhram (35). Of them, Paklu, a member of military platoon no. 12 was carrying a reward of INR 200, 000, while INR 100, 000 each was announced for the arrest of militia company commander Budhram and Awapalli militia commander Pandu.

CPI-Maoist ‘area commander’ Uday Ganjhu was arrested from Niri forests of Keredari block in Hazaribagh District of Jharkhand. Ganjhu, who had a reward of INR 300, 000 on head, was wanted in many cases in Keredari and Barkagaon in Hazaribagh District, and also in Chatra District.

Cadres of the CPI-Maoist set ablaze construction equipment at Nuadihi village near Dublabahal under Melchamunda Police Station limits in Bargarh District of Odisha. According to reports, 25 armed cadres arrived at the office of a contractor, who is laying road under Biju Expressway on Sohela-Nuapada stretch in Nuadihi village, woke up the labourers who were sleeping in the camp and sought petrol after identifying themselves as Maoists.

The SSB and Police, in a joint operation, arrested a militant of NDFB-IKS, identified as Nirmal Basumatary (27) from Rangjihoura village in Chirang District of Assam. A 9 mm pistol, three rounds of ammunition and a mobile phone were recovered from him. “He is a trained militant of the outfit and was trained in Myanmar,” SSB sources said.

ULFA ‘General Secretary’ Anup Chetia said that he is not going to put pressure on Independent faction of ULFA (ULFA-I) ‘Commander in Chief (C-in-C)’ Paresh Baruah to come for dialogue with the Central Government. Anup Chetia said in Darrang that it is up to the ‘C-in-C’ to decide himself whether to take part in the dialogue process, and in this regard Chetia will never put pressure on him. (Assam)

Top leaders of NDFB-IKS, including ‘army chief’ G. Bidai and his deputy K. Batha, are hiding in the dense jungles along the Indo-Bhutan border, BTAD IGP L. R. Bishnoi said. Bishnoi said operations as a part of the army's "final push" against the militant group were on. Bishnoi claimed that the NDFB-IKS was becoming weak with many of its top leaders having been killed or arrested since the operation against the outfit was intensified last year (2015). A joint force of the Army, Police, SSB and CRPF had started a massive operation against the outfit on September 18 last year to apprehend the "last remaining 20-25 cadres of the NDFB (S)", including Bishnu Goyari alias Bidai, the mastermind of the Adivasi carnage on December 23, 2014, and his deputy Binod Mushahary alias Batha. Bidai carries a cash reward of INR 5 lakh on his head.

He added that altogether 21 militants of the outfit have been killed, 256 arrested and 185 of its linkmen apprehended since the operation began. A total of 15 AK-56 rifles, 10 AK-47s, two M-16, two HKs, seven Insas rifles, 495 rounds of ammunition, 21 grenades, 81kg of explosives 14 lakh in cash and 12 motorcycles have also been recovered from the outfit's militants, Bishnoi said. The top leaders of the outfit arrested so far include its ‘self-styled deputy commander in chief’ Dwiswrang Daimary alias Dhananjay, ‘self-styled army chief’ Rabi Basumutary alias Rongja Baja, his ‘personal security officer’ Jwnglaw Narzary alias Jekhai and the former ‘personal security officer’ of Bidai, Biron Narzary alias N. Bapeibai. Bishnoi said the SFs were continuing their operation against the group and expressed confidence that Bidai and his 20-25 associates would be arrested soon.

Bishnoi said other than NDFB-IKS militants, 86 militants belonging to various groups like the KLO, RVA, NSLA and the MPTFA were also arrested by SFs last year (2015). Besides, fundamentalists trying to gain a foothold in lower Assam Districts had been neutralised, he said, adding that 30 fundamentalists were arrested and 22 country-made arms recovered in 2015.

Police arrested a ULFA cadre, identified as Ajit Bora alias Dhaniram in Dibrugarh District of Assam.

A joint team of AR and Bihar Regiment launched a joint operation in Bunghal Khullen area of Thoubal District in Manipur and recovered arms and ammunition. During the search operation, the team recovered one AK-56 rifle and two magazines along with 60 live rounds of 7.62mm ammunition. Further search along with Thoubal Commandos led to recovery of 54 live rounds of 7.62mm, 47 live rounds of 7.62mm sniper rifle, one magazine of 7.62mm AK-56 Rifle, one magazine of 5.56mm of M 16 rifle and five live rounds of 5.56mm of M 16 rifle. Search of the living room of one Lelen Kipgen, who was missing, resulted in recovery of one seal of KNF-N, demand letter and documents pertaining to KNF-N.

A team of District Police commando conducted frisking and checking in front of City Hospital in Dewlahland in Imphal West District of Manipur and arrested an active member of PLA/RPF identified as Laishram Lakpati alias Johnson (44) of Khongman Zone III in Mayai Leikai. On his disclosure, another cadre of the same organisation identified as Wangkheimayum Bobby Singh alias Imobi alias Lamjing alias Boy alias Sarat (38) of Wangkhei Hijam Leirak Ayangpali Road was also arrested from Khoyathong Senapati bus parking on the same day. Investigation revealed that they were involved in extortion from different Government departments. Investigation also revealed that W Bobby Singh had also made monetary demands in the name of CorCom in some Government offices. Incriminating articles were seized from their possession.

JNIMS Professor Dr Chanam Manglem was attacked by some unidentified assailants by hurling a hand grenade at his Khongman Zone-II (East) residence in Imphal East District of Manipur. The grenade exploded inside the residential gate of Dr Manglem and the explosion damaged some portions of the gate and the house. Taking strong exception to the grenade attack, local people staged a protest demonstration.

The GNLA cadres, Tenrak and Kalmod were involved in the abduction of the State Police head constable Khomraj Bhattarai in North Garo Hills District, revealed a Police source. “We have got enough evidences of the involvement GNLA rebels in the abduction and subsequent killing of the head constable”, stated the source. The two GNLA cadres Tenrak and Kalmod are directly functioning under the ‘area commander’ Philliport Sangma, sources added.

January 8

DRI officials arrested a person, identified as Rajesh Shekh along with FICNs of INR 2,00,000 from Ratanpura locality in Motipur Police Station in Muzaffarpur District. DRI sources said the carrier, Shekh, a resident of Malda District in West Bengal, was arrested when he was travelling in a Motihari bound bus. The suspect is said to be a member of an inter-state gang of fake currency note smugglers.

The Cyberabad Police arrested an alleged drug offender, U Mahesh, from Thondupally village in the city's outskirts and also seized FICN amounting to INR 83,000 from him. Based on a tip-off, a Police team arrested Mahesh and seized about 50 grams of heroin and fake currency.

Punjab Police arrested a BSF Constable, identified as Anil, who was allegedly involved in helping a cartel of drugs and arms smugglers infiltrate heroin and weapons into India. The arrest followed January 4 incident, when three persons were arrested for smuggling narcotics. Their interrogation then led the investigators to Anil who was deployed with the 52nd Battalion of the Border Security Force.

Anil admitted that he had been receiving money from his handler in Pakistan, a well known Lahore-based drug smuggler by the name of Imtiaz. Anil told, "I was attending a wedding in Taran Taran when I was approached by a group of people, who asked me why I was so poor in comparison with others in the force who had been able to build big houses. These people told me that they would help me get rich. They gave me two SIMs and told me that a person named Imtiaz would call me from Lahore." He started contacting Anil through the Pakistani SIM card. In the first installment INR 50,000 were sent in cash to Anil. Later INR 39,000 were deposited in the bank account of Anil's wife.

Punjab Deputy Chief Minister and Home Minister Sukhbir Badal met Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh in Delhi and demanded extra deployment of BSF personnel in Punjab. Sukhbir stated, "In Jammu and Kashmir the number of Border Security Force personnel deployed is more than twice the deployment in Punjab. The recent terror attacks show that Punjab is now increasingly being targeted by the Pakistani terrorists. We want that deployment in Punjab be increased so that infiltration can be plugged effectively.

Germany has condemned terror attacks on the IAF base in Pathankot town of Punjab and an attack on the Indian consulate in Afghanistan, MEA spokesman Vikas Swarup tweeted. "We condemn the terrorist attacks on the Indian Air Force base in Pathankot and on the Indian consulate in Mazar-e-sharif," the German statement said. "The perpetrators must be hunted and those responsible must be held accountable," the statement added.

As investigators probe deeper into the fake passport racket of Baguiati (Kolkata), there is emerging evidence of a possible JMB link. Sources say Bangladeshi national Hafeez Sheikh alias Nur Mohammad, will play a pivotal role in understanding the modus operandi of the gang. "It is only his questioning that can lead us to the rest of the gang based in Noida," said an investigating officer. "We plan to send teams to Noida, Pathankot and Ludhiana to verify certain addresses. It is clear that several Bangladeshi and Pakistani nationals have used fake passports prepared by him. In turn, someone must have collected used and expired passports from north Indian passport offices. We need to ascertain if there is a HuJI link to it because we have found certain numbers from Europe and the middle-east," informed a source.

Sheikh hails from Chittagong District in Bangladesh and seems to have used a real passport but fake visa to cross over to India through Nadia District in West Bengal. Hafeez came to Kolkata about two years ago and started a tour and travel business at Netaji Nagar in south Suburban Kolkata.

US alerted India through intelligence channels on JeM terrorists sneaking into Pathankot. And that was possible because foreign agencies had Qasim Jaan, one of the three Pakistan based handlers of JeM, under its surveillance. In the instant case, "chatter" was picked at Qasim's end on a possible terror attack in India.

This information was immediately passed on to India, prompting the government to issue an alert just after the Prime Minister's December 25, 2015 visit to Lahore. Though Qasim was known to be from JeM, there was still doubt on whether reference was being made on some other group planning an attack or was it a JeM module being sent on the job.

An explosives-laden vehicle was found near the Indian consulate in Heart in Afghanistan and one person was arrested in this regard.

Army and JKP personnel busted a hideout in Samote area and recovered a cache of arms and ammunition from a natural cave hideout in Kuliwala Forest in Chasana in Reasi District. Based on specific information, RR Battalion at Samote under the aegis of RR Force Headquarter based at Reasi and JKP personnel from Police Station Chasana recovered a cache of arms and ammunition. The cache included one AK-56 rifle, one 7.63 mm pistol, one 303 rifle, one sniper rifle Dragunov, five magazines of AK 56, one magazine of pistol, 75 rounds of AK 56 rifle, 55 rounds of Pikka, two rounds of pistol, six rounds of sniper, rifle, one grenade UBGL, one rotating bolt of AK 56 rifle, 11 fired cases of AK 56 and two fired cases of sniper rifles.

Maoists have called a two-day bandh starting today, in Nuapada, Kalahandi and Malkangiri Districts of Odisha to protest against ‘Operation Green Hunt.’ The protesting Maoists belong to the Mainpur-Nuapada divisional committee and have put up posters and banners announcing the bandh at some places in these Districts.

Maoist posters were found in Lanjigarh and Muniguda area in Kalahandi and Rayagada Districts of Odisha respectively. In the posters the Maoists said the Police had killed some tribals in Kalahandi, Nuapada and Rayagada Districts recently in fake encounters.

Four CPI-Maoist cadres were killed while one trooper of the CoBRA received bullet injury in an encounter between SFs and Maoists at village Bandh Gorya under Dhibra Police Station area in Aurangabad District of Bihar. SFs also recovered four weapons including one AK-47, one carbine and two pistols from possession of the Maoist.

Armed Maoists set ablaze two tractors of a contractor in a village in Lakhisarai District of Bihar. 

Two BSF personnel were killed and another sustained injuries in landmine blast triggered by the CPI-Maoist in an area near Kaliajhula forests under Boipariguda Police limits in Koraput District of Odisha. Sources said the Maoists, who had killed a local trader, Bapi Samant (37), late on January 7, had planted landmines anticipating movement of the SFs. When the news of the killing was reported, the BSF sent in a team to comb the area. A 30-member team was combing the forests when the Maoists triggered the landmines.

CM Naveen Patnaik expressed concern over inroads made by the LWE in four central Odisha Districts and asked senior Police officers to pay special attention to curb their influence. Addressing the valedictory function of senior Police officers’ conference in Bhubaneswar, CM Patnaik said, “The Left wing extremism continues to be a major concern for the State. Though we have been able to contain the menace to the areas bordering our neighbouring States, the recent movement and activities of the Maoist cadre in the districts of Bolangir, Kalahandi, Kandhamal and Boudh is worrisome.” “We should handle this new development effectively. We have already created adequate resources in terms of manpower, equipment and other logistics supplemented by the deployment of central armed police forces. There is no reason why the police leadership cannot counter the inroads made by the Maoist into the central Odisha,” the Chief Minister pointed out.

Four CPI-Maoist cadres, including a ‘commander’, were arrested from two different locations in the Bastar region of Chhattisgarh. Three rebels, who were involved in setting vehicles on fire at Hahaladdi iron ore mine, were arrested from Karremarka village in Kanker District, a senior Police official said. Those arrested were identified as Budheshwar Netam (25), Dharmuram (28) and Somji Nareti (20).

In the second incident, Veko Budhru (25), active as LGS ‘deputy commander’ in Bhairamgarh area committee was arrested in Dantewada District of Chhattisgarh.

SFs exchanged fire with cadres of the CPI-Maoist at Kurunga forests under Arki Police Station area in Khunti District of Jharkhand. After the encounter, the SFs recovered 36 IEDs from the encounter site. "Four 14kg gas cylinders, four 5kg gas cylinders, two pressure cookers and 24 milk cans of 250ml capacity were used to prepare the IEDs. Apart from the IEDs, 20kg of cordex wire, which is used to connect the IEDs with exploders, were also recovered. There were 600 rounds of live cartridges besides one INSAS (Indian Small Arms System) rifles, one .303 rifle and one .315 rifle," SP Anish Kumar Gupta said.

The CPI-Maoist cadres allegedly set on fire four vehicles of a private firm engaged in a road construction work in Dantewada District of Chhattisgarh. The incident occurred at a remote Muskel village under Dantewada Police Station limits where work on construction of a road was underway, Dantewada SP Kamlochan Kashyap said

A CPI-Maoist training camp was busted by a joint team of CRPF and Khunti District Police in Arki block of the District following a brief encounter with the Maoists in the afternoon. "The team had busted the camp on Friday evening, but by the time we collected all the recovered items it was late night," Khunti SP Anish Gupta said. ASP (Operations) PR Mishra said "Targeting the advancing party, Maoists opened fire. None of the bullets, however, hit our men." After the Maoists left, Police searched the area and found a 1,000m codex wire, many electric wires, 25 can bombs, one tiffin bomb, two pressure cooker bombs and four LGP cylinders. Two of the LPG cylinders were wrapped in codex wire. "The Maoists use LPG cylinders to make powerful bombs. One bomb is enough to blow up a police vehicle," said Police.

Three NSLA militants were arrested from Barabil under Gossaigaon Police station in Kokrajhar District. The arrested NSLA militants were involved in extortion of money and other illegal activities, Defence officials said. Two pistols and a revolver with 3 live rounds were recovered from them, they said.

Haluwating Police, in an operation, arrested one person, identified as Konwer Singh Tanti (28) along with a hand grenade and four bullets of a 9mm pistol from the Tifuk Tea Estate in Sivasagar District of Assam. Police suspected him to be linkman of NSCN.

Garo Hills Police with the help of Goalpara Police in Assam successfully rescued a child who was abducted by a gang from Mendipather area of North Garo Hills District on January 6. The joint SFs team raided a hideout of the abductors gang and rescued 11- year-old Mustaqfizul Rahman. The kingpin of the abduction Biswajit Adhikary was also arrested in the raid and operations on both sides of the inter-state border are continuing to arrest the rest of the gang who fled after seeing the Police arrive at their hideout.

A meeting convened by the UHM on the issue of repatriation of Brus in six relief camps in Tripura remained inconclusive, Mizoram Chief Secretary Lalmalsawma said in New Delhi. The meeting was chaired by Union Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi while the Tripura Chief Secretary was not present, Lalmalsawma said. The last attempt to repatriate the Brus during June 2 to September 4 last year was a complete failure as not a single Bru appeared before the Mizoram officials in the six relief camps to be identified as bonafide residents of the State. The arrangement was made to repatriate over 20,700 Brus belonging to 3,455 families who have fled from Mizoram due to ethnic clashes in the 1990s.

January 9

According to data provided by BSF Punjab Frontier headquarters, seven narcotics smugglers and intruders, including three Pakistani nationals, have been shot dead in separate encounters by BSF personnel guarding the International Border along Pakistan in Punjab in 2015 and 344 kilogram heroin worth INR 1,720 crore were seized during the period. It also stated that in 2015, 91 persons were arrested for narcotics smuggling and illegally crossing the border, while FICN with face value of more that INR 11,00,000 was seized. Of the 91 persons arrested five were Indian smugglers while the others included 58 Indians, 20 Pakistanis, four Bangladeshis, two Nigerians, one Chinese and one Nepali, who were held for crossing the border illegally, the BSF data stated. The other items seized in 2015 include 17 weapons, 24 magazines and 286 cartridges. 19 Mobile phones (15 Pakistani, 2 Indian, 2 Bangladeshi) and 41 SIM cards (28 Pakistani, 11 Indian, 2 Bangladeshi) were also seized through 2015.

NSCN-R strongly refuted allegations that it was recruiting drug addicts across the opium belt of Arunachal Pradesh to broaden its extortion empire. An ‘MIP’ statement strongly refuted the allegation made and asserted that it was neither engaging nor recruiting drug addicts for any purpose.  “We are for peaceful settlement of the Indo-Naga issue but it seems some people are against peace and against development of our people. They want that people should remain to be in trance so that they keep working as per their willful desire,” the ‘MIP’ statement read.

The NSCN-R, while appreciating the AR for arresting anti-social elements involved in extortion in and around Tirap District and particularly in HQ Khonsa, said it had no link whatsoever with Wingan Agan and Damwang Bangsia, arrested by the SFs. “Many youths taken to drugs, opium are involved in carrying out extortion in the name of various organizations including the NSCN-R to fulfill their day to day needs as they find it easy way of making money unmindful of the consequences,” it contended.

ULFA ‘general secretary’ Anup Chetia was given the responsibility of leading the peace-talks with the GoI in place of its ‘chairman’ Arbinda Rajkhowa. The decision to lead ULFA talks was taken formally in a central committee meeting which was attended by ULFA ‘chairman’ Arabinda Rajkhowa, ‘vice-chairman’ Pradeep Gogoi, ‘deputy commander-in-chief’ Raju Barua, ‘foreign secretary’ Sasha Choudhury, ‘finance secretary’ Chitraban Hazarika, and several other leaders of the outfit, including Mrinal Hazarika, Jiten Dutta and Pranjit Saikia.

Though, the outfit has ruled out that decision in this effect would marginalize the ULFA ‘chairman’ who was leading the peace-talks so far, security sources claimed that Chetia’s elevation to lead the peace-talks might subside the simmering dissension in the ULFA-PTF to a large extent. Pointing out that some hard-core ULFA cadres were not happy over the way day-to-day affairs were being handled by the ULFA leadership, security sources said that the situation had come to stage that some cadres were contemplating to join back to anti-talk faction of ULFA lead by its ‘commander-in-chief’ Paresh Baruah.

Nine persons were injured, three of them critically, in an IED blast at a wine store in a crowded market at Williamnagar town in East Garo Hills District. Police suspect the hand of the GNLA and its ‘area commander’ Ajan Momin alias Jimmy. However, the AMA claimed responsibility for the blast. In a post on social media site Facebook, the AMA Ampati ‘area commander’ John Lesly Sangma stated that the blast was against sale of liquor and cigarettes to minors. “We had given time to stop the sale of alcohol to children until the end of last year. The Warimong Wine Store is not the only one and there are others that will be targeted”, said the online post.

Condemning the IED attack, the Meghalaya government stated, “Such acts of cowardice expose the ugly inhuman face of the terrorist outfit. This also reflects that the proscribed outfit has no commitment towards the well-being and welfare of the local community. They only spread fear, distress, distrust and disharmony.” “The security forces shall take all steps possible to track down the criminals involved in the incident. The Government also reiterates that it would further intensify the operations against the terrorist outfits and would completely neutralize them in order to restore sustainable peace in the region,” the government added.

A suspected Naxal identified as Baleshwar Soren, was arrested from an abandoned airport at Chakulia in Ghatsila Sub-division of East Singhbhum District, Jharkhand. The OIC of Chakulia Police Station Dilip Paswan said a country-made pistol and LWE literature were recovered from his possession. Soren was having links with Kanu Munda-led squad of the CPI-Maoist, said the Police official.

January 10

Seven persons arrested and FICN worth INR 950,000 was seized in two separate raids in West Champaran and Gaya Districts. Acting on an input from the NIA, a joint operation by the West and East Champaran Police succeeded in arresting one fake currency note peddler from near Bakharia Chowk under Majhaulia Police Station area on NH-28B in West Champaran District.

Separately, in Gaya, a special team of the Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) on seized FICN of the face value of INR 5, 50,000. The currency, according to sources, was printed in Pakistan and pumped into Indian market through Bangladesh via Malda District of West Bengal. Altogether six persons engaged in the racket have been arrested. The fake currency, as per sources, is pumped by ISI with the twin purpose of funding terror and destabilizing the Indian economy.  The arrested men have been identified as Zahir Abbas, a resident of Malda, Udai Kumar, Kedar Paswan, Sant Kumar, Ajay Kumar and Arvind Paswan. Udai is said to head the local gang involved in the fake currency business. The arrests were made when the courier from Malda was transferring the bag containing fake currencies to his local contacts. The transfer took place at an isolated point by the side of a canal under Dobhi Police Station in Gaya District. The point is close to Jharkhand border.

Five persons, including a suspected Bangladeshi national, have been arrested by the STF of Kolkata Police along with FICN having face value of INR 35,00,000. Acting on a tip off, the STF team conducted a raid at a businessman's house in Posta Police Station area limits and nabbed the five Trinath Mandal, Sanjay Mandal, Prabas Mandal, Pradip Mandal and Sanjay Singh along with FICN.

Two persons, identified as Kishan Naik and Lalitha were arrested along with FICN with a face value of INR 1,30,000 at Ramchandrapur in Medak District of Telangana. Police raided their rented house and find them in possession of the fake currency notes in denominations of INR 100 and INR 500. However, four other members of their gang managed to flee. Police said the accused were handed over the counterfeit currency for circulation by a man in Kolkata (West Bengal).

An Indian-origin Islamic State (IS) terrorist, identified as Siddhartha Dhar alias Abu Rumaysah alias Saif al-Islam believed to be the masked man in latest IS video dubbed "new Jihadi John", is ready to die for the terror group, his sister has revealed. London-based Konika Dhar had received a message from her brother in 2015 after he had skipped bail and fled the UK with his pregnant wife and four children saying, "I'm prepared for death". In a phone-call in October 2015, he said, "Focus on the hereafter and don't worry". Konika said, "I told him from the very beginning when he arrived in Syria and made contact that I would love him to return home and live in our house with his family." But he said he cannot return because he believed that he would be arrested.

Three persons including an Army trooper were injured in mine blasts on LoC in Guntrain area of Poonch District of Jammu and Kashmir. As per Police sources, a trooper identified as Shiv Ram Lingam of Field Regiment got injured in an accidental mine blast, while on patrolling duty near the LoC.

Two civilians, working with Army, were injured when a landmine exploded near LoC in Keran sector in the frontier District of Kupwara. The landmine exploded accidentally when repair work on fencing was going on near LoC resulting in injuries to Parvez Ahmad Mir and Abdul Majid Mir, resident of Keran.

Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Nabam Tuki strongly refuted and rubbished the allegations leveled by MLAs Thangwang Wangham, Honchun Ngandam and Gabriel D Wangsu of using the NSCN-K to coerce representatives from Tirap, Changlang and Longding Districts to support his leadership. While terming the allegation as baseless, unfounded, wild and made out of utter frustration, Tuki said that such false and fabricated allegations have been intended to tarnish his political and social image.

SFs arrested two persons, identified as Buddha Narzary and Nripen Boro along with four gelatin sticks weighing 200 gm and fuse wire from Guwahati Railway Station in Assam. The duo was bringing the consignment from Manipur to Tamulpur.

Former AGP president Brindaban Goswami, at an AJYCP meet at Jelkajhar in Bongaigaon District, said Assam cannot accommodate any more illegal migrants.

The demand for a separate Bodoland got a boost with former Mizoram chief minister Zoramthanga and chairman of the all-party Telangana Political Joint Action Committee M. Kodandaram offering to help. Addressing the 48th annual conference of(ABS) at Turibari Noudari Pwthar in Bijni subdivision of Chirang District, Zoramthanga said, "If my humble service is needed, I am ready to help you." "The ball does not lies in the court of Delhi or in Guwahati (Dispur). It lies only in the hands of the Bodo people. With all effort, I believe an amicable solution, which is welcome and accepted by Delhi, Dispur and the Bodo people will be achieved soon," he said. Kodandaram, who attended the conference as chief guest, said the demand needed to be discussed.

Security has been tightened around IAF station at Chabua in Dibrugarh District following intelligence inputs about threats to the air base, a Police official said. Following the Pathankot terror attack (Punjab), Police has received certain inputs which need to be corroborated and confirmed in consultation with various agencies and SFs but security has been tightened around the airbase, Dibrugarh SP Bir Bikram Gogoi said.

In spite of the denial by GNLA that it had no hand in the lED blast at Williamnagar town in East Garo Hills District of Meghalaya on January 9, Meghalaya Police has confirmed that it was the handiwork of the outfit with the assistance from ULFA. A senior Police official said that Police has enough evidence to show the blast was an outcome of the ongoing negotiations and a co-operation between GNLA and anti-talks faction of ULFA based in Bangladesh. Police said that the evidence indicated that there have been talks between GNLA supremo Sohan D. Shira and ‘Deputy Commander in Chief’ of ULFA Drishti Rajkhowa alias Manoj Rabha.

According to Police, the links between GNLA and ULFA seem to have been renewed last year during ‘Operation Hill storm’ when Sohan D. Shira fled Meghalaya and camped in Bangladesh for many months. ”In the renewed talks held three months ago, GNLA had asked for the services of an ULFA cadre named Aprai who is claimed to be an IED making expert. Some of the GNLA cadres were also sent for training in IED making in the ULFA camps in Bangladesh. Aprai is said to have strong connections in North Garo Hills district”, a Police source said.

The central security agencies have raised an alarm against multiple placement agencies that have grown across Kolkata and border Districts. It was found that such agencies were involved in the Baguiati fake passport case and the FICN racket neutralised in Posta by the Kolkata Police STF. According to sources, these placement agencies were offering jobs to labourers using fake documents and then forcing them to become fake currency couriers. Several youths from Malda and Murshidabad Districts are employed as unskilled labourers in Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Tamil Nadu. The FICN racketeers target these youths and use them as carriers.

Bihar DGP PK Thakur said, the Police headquarters has initiated security audit at all important installations. Security has been increased at the Barh thermal plant of NTPC, Barani Oil Refinery and other important installations, religious and archaeological sites following a security alert in the wake of the Pathankot terror attack. This has happened following a letter from the Police headquarters regarding the need for security audit. Bihar Police have started the exercise of security audit at all important installations. “Terror outfits such as LeT, JeM, IM and other such outfits have planned to target important installations of the country and they can use explosives-laden vehicles. This requires round-the-clock surveillance,” reads the letter.

A powerful IED, suspected to be planted by the CPI-Maoist, was recovered from Adava Police Station limits in Gajapati District of Odisha. The bomb in a tiffin box was located near Paniganda forest beat house when the security personnel involved in combing operation in the region came across a suspicious-looking wire protruding from below the ground. Gajapati SP Satyajit Nayak said this IED contained around 10 kg explosive materials. However, initial evidences hint that the IED may have been planted by the Maoists in 2009.

January 11

A week into the Malda violence, NCB officials admitted that the West Bengal District remains a ‘difficult area’ for the agency to work in. “It is true that Malda has been a difficult area in terms of its communal aspect and the territorial reason. It is a sensitive belt…There is a lot of work to be done,” NCB Deputy Director General (eastern zone) SK Sahu stated. Sahu said that since the money flow is high, the crime rate is also alarming in that region. “We do carry out sensitisation drives involving the state government and central agencies and constantly coordinate with them. We involve local panchayats (village councils) and include the local population into the economic process so that they don’t indulge in such illegal drug business,” he said.

Narcotics money is at the heart of lawlessness in Malda District bordering Bangladesh. The Police say a large portion of this drug money goes into buying sophisticated weapons smuggled through the porous Bangladesh border, and running hundreds of unrecognised madrasas (Islamic Seminary) in the District. Border areas like Golapganj, Baliadanga, Kaliachak, Mohabbatpur, Mothabari and Danga are now the epicentre of anti-national activities, because of flourishing drug trade. Be it peddling of FICN involving the local youth, illegal migration, drug and arms supply or smuggling, Malda is a bustling hub.

The SFs have recovered one more mobile phone, one AK-47 magazine and binocular from the encounter site during search operations, a UMHA spokesperson said. "NIA teams are examining witnesses in Punjab, both inside the Pathankot Indian Air Force (IAF) station and outside," said UMHA spokesperson.

NIA has registered three cases in connection with the terror strike at Pathankot IAF base. The first case pertains to Salwinder Singh's abduction and the second for the killing of the taxi driver. Both the cases were registered at Narot Jaimal Singh Police Station in Pathankot District. The third and the main case, registered at Police Station Division No. 2 Pathankot, relates to the terrorist attack on the Air Force Station.

India will move Interpol to secure a Black Corner Notice to identify the four terrorists who were killed during Pathankot operations, the UMHA said. It will be circulated by Interpol among all its member-states, including Pakistan from where the fidayeen (suicide attackers) infiltrated to strike at the airbase. The black corner notice will oblige the Interpol members to share any leads or information that can establish the identity of the bodies.

Incidentally, the Interpol notice seeks to identify only four bodies despite agencies putting the total number of attackers at five or six. This is because no more than pieces of flesh and bones were found of terrorists other than the four bodies recovered in an identifiable condition.

This came even as the NIA started questioning Punjab Police SP Salwinder Singh at its headquarters in Delhi. This comes even as a 10-member NIA team is in Punjab, examining witnesses both inside the Pathankot airbase and outside. The probe will look at the possibility of an "insider" role, as it appears almost impossible for five-six terrorists to have carried so much explosives and ammunition that set off 45 explosions even after the last one of them fell. Salwinder's cook Madan Gopal, who was with him in the car when it was waylaid by the terrorists, will also be summoned by the NIA to Delhi. The probe agency also plans to call Salwinder Singh's friend Rajesh Verma, whose throat was slit by the terrorists, for questioning "as and when his medical condition permits".

The conspiracy behind the attack on the Pathankot airbase was part of a larger plot to target defence installations in India. Even as Pakistan claims to have begun cracking down on those who are responsible for the attack, intelligence inputs indicate that military installations in border areas are still vulnerable targets. Sources said terror outfits like the JeM and LeT have are still preparing to carry out more such strikes. "Defence installations continue to be put on a high alert with intelligence inputs pouring in that they are still on terror radar," said a senior intelligence official.

In a video recording, 'general secretary' of Pakistan-based UJC, Jameel-ur-Rehman, threatened more assaults on key military installations in other northern states of India as well until "Indian forces from Kashmir are withdrawn". Jameel-ur-Rehman, exonerates ISI, stating that the attack was carried out by Kashmiri militants and were not sponsored by Pakistan's top spy agency. The video message, comes after an audio clip was released on a JeM website in which the speaker paid tributes to the "six mujahideen(s)" who carried out the January 2 attack. "We targeted Pathankot because the same base is used by Indian troops to carry out attacks on Kashmir, to target Kashmiri population and to attack women," said Sheikh Jameel-ur-Rehman, who is also the 'chief' of Tehreek-ul-Mujahideen.

Air India (AI) requested all its passengers to report three hours before the scheduled departure time of flights because of enhanced security at airports following the Pathankot terror attack.

A top LeT ‘commander’ was killed during an encounter with the SFs in the outskirts of Srinagar. Police and SFs received information about presence of Sajjad Ahmad Bhat alias Peer in Gossu village of Zakura in the outskirts of Srinagar. They cordoned off the Gossu village and during searches Sajjad fired at them and tried to escape from the security cordon but SF personnel fired at and killed him on the spot, while his associate managed to escape from the encounter site under the cover of darkness. Sajjad Ahmad was one of the main architects of setting up of LeT bases in South Kashmir since 2007. Police had announced a reward of INR one million to the informants leading to his arrest or killing.

Two CPI-Maoist cadres, including a woman ‘commander’, were killed in a joint operation of Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra Police in Bijapur District of Chhattisgarh. One of the dead Maoists has been identified as Mangi, the LOS ‘commander’ of national park area committee of the Maoists in West Bastar and she carried a reward of INR 500,000 on her head. One more dead body of a uniformed Maoist was recovered when the forces were returning to the base camps in Maharashtra.

CPI-Maoist cadres have set ablaze four road construction equipments machines engaged in the construction of State Highway 69 linking the State capital Patna with Dumaria, Araria District, in Gaya District of Bihar. 

Two hardcore CPI-Maoist cadres identified as Amresh Kumar Sinha alias Kavi Ji alias K.V. and Sanjay Tiwari surrendered before Patna SSP Manu Maharaj in Patna District of Bihar.

CPI-Maoist central zonal spokesman Pramjeet threatened to take revenge of the killing of the Maoists in Bihar in the encounter on January 8. He alleged that their four colleagues were arrested by security personnel, who killed them in fake encounter. Pramjeet said dedication of the comrades will never go in vain and they would take revenge from the cops.

A CPI-Maoist camp was busted by the SFs following an exchange of fire in Kholibhitar inside Sunabeda Wildlife Sanctuary in Nuapada District of Odisha. There was no casualty on either side. Nuapada Superintendent of Police (SP) Pinak Mishra said there was a group of 20 to 25 Maoists in the camp and it managed to escape under the cover of darkness.

Jharkhand Police seized around INR 15 million cash from four Naxals in Chatra District of Jharkhand. The four LWEs have been arrested.

Two cadres of the GNLA, identified as Jackob Ch Marak (22) and Matthews M Sangma surrendered at Williamnagar in East Garo Hills District of Meghalaya. The duo is from the Baichung group, Police informed. Baichung Ch Momin alias Nikkam (‘area commander’, West Garo Hills) is in the list of Meghalaya Police’s ten most wanted militants.

In the wake of the IED blast at Williamnagar on January 9, Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma held a high level meeting in Shillong to review the law and order situation in the Districts of Garo Hills. During the meeting, the Chief Minister was briefed about the current situation and also informed of the operations launched by Police in Garo Hills. Calling for preventive measures to be put in place, Sangma stressed on the need to involve the common people in policing. Meanwhile, Police officers briefed the Chief Minister about specific measures being resorted to by the forces after the IED blast. They also briefed the Chief Minister about the existing nexus between the GNLA and the ULFA.

One person, identified as Ram Tudu (27) was arrested with arms from Sukhanjuli in Baska District.

An unidentified cadre of NDFB-IKS was arrested from Islampur in Tinsukia District.

A NSLA cadre was arrested from Gossaigaon in Kokrajhar District.

A suspected linkman of ULFA-I, identified as Babul Dihingia was detained by Assam Police in Kakopathar of Tinsukia District along with INR 25 Lakh. Dihingia has not been produced in court by Police even after 24 hours have been passed, report said.

Arguing all the workers of all NPGs settling down in Dimapur enjoys “free atmosphere,” the NSCN-R questioned the NSCN-KK for selective targeting and implied that such tactics might become a “liability” for peace. In a press statement, the ‘secretary’ ‘MIP’ NSCN-R cited the “attacking” of its office in Padumphukhuri on December 1 and 2 as well as the arrest of its cadres allegedly by NSCN-KK on January 10. “Dimapur is not the kitchen or garden of some faction,” it said further noting that shooting and firing at fellow Nagas was ‘undesirable and unacceptable’ at this juncture and every Naga should raise up against such anti- Naga activities of NSCN-KK.

January 12

At least six persons including two Policemen were injured during clashes in the outskirts of Srinagar in Pantha Chowk area, as Police fired scores of tear smoke shells to disperse the protesters who had blocked the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway over the killing of top LeT ‘commander’ Sajjad Ahmad Bhat on January 11 in Zakura area of Srinagar. The mourners attempted to hold the funeral along Srinagar-Jammu National Highway but a large contingent of Police intercepted the procession holding body of the militant commander and resorted to heavy teargas shelling. Police fired tear gas on youth who retaliated by pelting stones, triggering clashes. A Police official said two persons received injuries in the clashes while at least 4 protesters were also injured. A complete shutdown was observed in Pantha Chowk, Pampore, Zewan and adjoining areas against the Sajjad’s killing. 

A Police Constable was injured in an encounter with the CPI-Maoist cadres under Tongpal Police Station limits in Sukma District of Chhattisgarh. The exchange of fire took place when a joint team of State DRG and STF was carrying out an anti-Maoist operation in the region, Sukma ASP Santosh Singh said. While the SFs were cordoning off a forest axis at Kunna, a group of Maoists opened fire on them following which an encounter broke out between the two sides.

Maoist posters were found at several places in Rayagada District of Odisha. In the posters, the Maoists have warned of stringent punishment to people who are buying lands from the poor local people for various companies and other business purposes. The posters were found at Sikarpai, Kumbharguda, Krushapatraguda and Kalisundar Mandir Chhak under Sadar block.

In order to strengthen security apparatus in the Maoist-hit areas, the Chhattisgarh Police have sent a proposal to set up 50 more Fortified Police Stations in areas affected by Left Wing Extremism, particularly Bastar. "The Centre has already approved to establish 75 FPS for Chhattisgarh of which construction on 40 have been completed while 35 are under-construction," ADGP (anti-Naxal operations), RK Vij said.

An encounter took place between SFs personnel and the CPI-Maoist cadres in Danglapahar forest area of Ghatshila Sub-division in East Singhbhum District of Jharkhand. The SFs on receiving information about the presence of Maoist Kanu Munda in the jungle area raided the Danglapahar spot but failed to arrest any suspected Maoist. The team comprising District Police and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel found towel, torch and clothes among other things from the site.

A CPI-Maoist ‘area committee member’ identified as Vikas Parahiya who had actively worked for the Maoists for the past six years or so and was involved in several ambushes, was arrested from Chhipadohar area of Latehar District, Jharkhand.  A rifle and cartridges were recovered from Vikas.

AR troops and District Police commandos launched a joint operation in Tumukhong in Imphal East District of Manipur and arrested three cadres of KYKL.

Based on reliable information about the presence of some KCP cadres in and around Soibam Leikai area, a team of Imphal East District Police commando conducted search operation, and arrested two active cadres of KCP-N, identified as Yengkokpam Ranjan Singh alias Amuba (46) of Top Mayai Leikai and Kshetrimayum Romesh Singh alias Inaocha (39) of Kongpal Naoroibam Leikai. Investigation revealed that Romesh was also working for KYKL and involved in extortion of money from SK Oil nominees of Imphal East and West Districts.

One Kali Biswas (50), who was abducted from near Songsak a few days ago, was found killed, allegedly by the GNLA cadres. The body of Biswas was later recovered a little further away from the spot where an exchange of fire between the Police and the militants had taken place on the same day. Police believe the abduction was carried out by GNLA ‘second-in-command’ (East Garo Hills in Meghalaya) Pangkam, who reports to Jimmy (Ajan Ch Momin), prime suspect in the Williamnagar blast on January 9. Family sources said that the militants had been demanding INR 500,000 as ransom for the release of Biswas. The family was, however, able to garner only INR 150,000, which the outfit was not willing to accept and had threatened to kill Biswas if their demand was not met soon.

The Songsak Police arrested two GNLA cadres, who had come out of the jungle to take food for others in their jungle camp. Following the lead provided by them, a Police team reached the GNLA camp and an exchange of fire followed. Police source added that a GNLA cadre was hit on his leg during the encounter, while others managed to escape from the spot.

The GNLA has now around 80-odd cadres who are making desperate attempt to regroup themselves even as they have suffered massive setbacks following operations launched by SFs, a top Police official revealed. The official said that five close aides of the self-styled c-in-c Sohan D Shira are trying to carry out subversive activities as per his instructions.  “Besides these odd cadres, a section of civilians have been working as conduits in certain pockets of the five districts. The police have already tracked many of them through mobile phone interceptions,” he added. Sources said that quite a handful of GNLA cadres have expressed their desire to surrender in view of the blast on January 9 that has severely hurt the sentiments of the civilians. “Some of them are even in touch with the administration expressing their desire to surrender,” sources added. Sources further added that the police have received intelligence inputs about the GNLA modus operandi to carry out serial blasts.

The PPA demanded the removal of Food & Civil Supplies Minister Tirong Aboh from the ministry for his alleged link with the NSCN-R. The PPA threatened to launch a ‘movement’ against Aboh, if he is not removed. The party also demanded Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Nabam Tuki’s resignation stating that “fingers have also been pointed towards him” of taking help of the underground outfit to coerce MLAs in his favour.

A team of Army personnel from Borrengajuli Army camp along with Assam Police launched a joint operation and arrested a cadre of NDFB-IKS, identified as Rituraj Basumatary (18) from Bainara village under Khairabari Police Station in Udalguri District. A country-made hand grenade was recovered from his possession.

SFs arrested linkman of NDFB-IKS, identified as Khonsai Gaorao Mashahary from an undisclosed place in Assam. Khonsai was planning to kidnap three persons and he had already collected INR 1 lakh from VCDC chairmen in the locality in Kachugaon area in Baksa District, BTC IGP, LR Bishnoi said, adding that the Police could recover INR 82,000 and a mobile handset from his possession.

SFs arrested a KLO linkman, identified as Atul Barman alias Dabla from an undisclosed place in Assam.

Sivasagar District Police arrested a ULFA hardliner's linkman from Changmaibari area in Sibsagar District.

NSCN-K is reportedly attending the five-day UPC, which got underway on January 12 in Nay Pyi Taw in Myanmar.  The five-day gathering would end on January 16 after the presentation of reports and conclusions from each thematic group. The newly elected Myanmar Government of NLD invited non-ceasefire signatory groups to first UPC including NSCN-K to serve as observers to audit the event.

January 13

Three Afghan Policemen were killed and two others were injured when a suicide bomber blew himself up 200 meters away from the Indian consulate in Jalalabad. Afghan SFs later exchanged fire with gunmen barricaded in a house near the Pakistan consulate nearby. All Indians are reported to be safe.

AK-47 assault rifles, a grenade launcher, a dagger, cough tablets and some perfume are among things the Pathankot airbase attackers were carrying, recoveries made by the Air Force and the NSG have revealed. On the Air Force’s list of arms, ammunition and equipment, are four AK-47 assault rifles, three pistols, one UBGL, 29 AK-47 magazines, seven pistol magazines, 559 live rounds of 7.62 ammunition, 47 pistol rounds, a dagger, a multi-tool, a black-coloured wire tape, a first-aid box and a knife pad. Moreover, Bomb Disposal Squads of the NSG and the Army have also destroyed 21 grenades.

The terrorists were also carrying several items of medication — four painkiller injections, one syringe, an eye drop, seven painkiller tablets, 21 cough tablets, two bandages (1×10 cm and 1×4 cm), two Betadine ointments, a burn set and three vials of itar (perfume). Also recovered were two INR 500 notes, a motivational note hailing the JeM and two combat rucksacks.

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said that ammunition and equipment recovered from the terrorists indicate they came from across the border. Army Chief Dalbir Singh also said “the markings of the medicines indicate they came from there”.

Syria has taken four Indian youth in its custody, who were planning to join Islamic State (IS), and asked the Indian authorities to verify their details. Syrian Deputy Prime Minister Walid al-Muallem, who is on a three-day visit to India, said the four youth had entered Syria and were taken into custody in Damascus. He, however, did not specify when they were apprehended. "Four Indians were taken into Syrian custody in Damascus. The four young Indians were planning to join the IS and had entered Syria from Jordan," Moaulem stated. He, however, did not give details like the name, from where the youth come from and when were they taken into custody.

Syria said that it was looking for intelligence sharing with India. Muallem stated, "We have had productive discussion with the external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj and the NSA. We discussed a range of issues including sharing of intelligence. We have also asked for economic aid from India," he said.

The NIA released video footage of a person suspected to have planted a bomb on December 28, 2014 at Church Street in Bengaluru. In an effort to gather clues regarding the suspect, the NIA studied cameras located all around Church Street and MG Road in Bengaluru and mapped the suspect’s movement in the run-up to the blast. The NIA has now sought help from the public in identifying the suspect and has announced a reward of INR 5,00,000 for information leading to the suspect’s arrest.

The NIA has now come to the conclusion that the suspect walked around Church Street thrice before planting the device at Coconut Groove. The suspect is captured walking up to the metro station across M G Road, before returning to Church Street to plant the device. Investigators believe that the device was initially carried in the shoulder bag before being removed and placed on the street.

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said there was "no reason to distrust Pakistan so early". "The Pakistani government has said it will take effective action. I think we should wait," Singh stated. Singh cited press reports which said Pakistan had arrested some persons in connection with the attack and had also set up a high-level team to look into the evidence provided by India.

Singh said Pakistan should be given more time having assured New Delhi of action against JeM, the terror group responsible for the attack. "Through media, we have come to know that some steps have been taken. Since they have given an assurance to the Indian government, we don't have any reason to doubt them. We all should wait for some time," he said.

The investigations being carried out by Indian intelligence establishment to establish the identity of the terrorists neutralized during Pathankot attack and their handlers reveal how the Pakistan's ISI attempted to conceal the identity of the operatives involved in the strike. From fictitious identities to fake social network presence, the ISI ensured that Indian investigators were misled, according to sources. At least four Pak-registered numbers like +923017775253 and +923000597212 were activated just a few days ago before the terror strike. The handsets were kept switched off to conceal the locations of the users, sources said. The handsets having these sims were only switched on before the attack and were in operation during the strike at airbase. Only one number, allegedly belonging to one of the operative's mother has been found to have been in use.

The NIA feels the recovery of a Chinese wireless set belonging to the terrorists from the car of Gurdaspur SP Salwinder Singh could add a new twist to the investigations. In another development, the anti-terror agency has also ascertained the route taken by terrorists from the point of abduction of SP Punjab to their entry into the airbase on December 31st - January 1. Sources say that the wireless set, which the terrorists had brought along from Pakistan, had some data which was deleted later by them. The wireless set was stuck under the seat of SP's Mahindra XUV 500 car and was recovered on January 1 by Punjab Police.

Government officials claimed that the wireless set, which has been sent to CFSL and NTRO for analysis, is similar to the one recovered from the site of attack in Samba, Jammu and Kashmir in 2015. Source said that the wireless set recovered from SP's car has a batch number which will establish its manufacturing date and place where it was sold.

Sources clarified that they have not found anything as of now to connect Pathankot to any conspiracy. The NIA has also summoned Somraj, caretaker of Panj Peer Dargah in Punjab, which Singh had claimed to have visited before he was kidnapped by terrorists, who attacked the airbase hours later.

Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju said the action taken by Pakistan on the evidence submitted about the terror attacks was not satisfactory. Rijiju said, "We have handed over the evidence about terror attacks to Pakistan but the action on these evidences has not been satisfactory. We have handed over evidences against Hafeez Saeed and others, but it is the duty of the investigation authority there to properly put it before the Pakistan court." The minister added that this was the first time that Pakistan had stated that they will act against the terrorists, saying "it is an achievement". The minister also defended the government's response to the Pathankot terror attacks and said, "Pathankot is not the first terror attack on Indian soil. There is an extensive investigation going on and our jawans have successfully foiled the terror group's intention."

Speaking about Islamic State, he said, "ISIS has a presence in India and everything is strictly under watch, but the terror organisation has less impact in our country, for which the credit goes to the clerics and elders of Muslim community, who did not allow youths to fall prey to the ISIS trap. The family and value system is quite strong in our society." Rijiju also said that agencies are working at different levels to keep a check on all these incidents and the government has started counter-radicalisation and de-radicalisation programmes across the country and places have been identified for the same.

The Malda (West Bengal) District administration has begun a drive to destroy the extensive poppy cultivation in the District, as stated by senior officials of Excise Department. Senior officials said that poppy cultivated on nearly 500 acres had been destroyed in Kaliachak and adjoining areas over the past one week. “The drive started on January 5 and till today evening (January 13), 1,500 bighas (495 acres) of poppy cultivation has been destroyed in a joint operation where the police, BSF and excise department are involved,” the official said.

Other than poppy cultivation, smuggling of FICN is also a major concern for law enforcement authorities in the District which shares a border with Bangladesh. FICN amounting approximately INR 30 million were seized in the District in 2015 and 105 cases were registered. Also, 187 cases of possessing illegal arms were registered in Malda in 2015.

One person, identified as Pappu Patel, a resident of Bihar, has been arrested in Friends colony market area of Faridabad (Haryana) along with FICN worth INR 17,000. A case has been registered against the man and further probe was underway, Police said.

Delhi Police has charge sheeted three suspected operatives of IM for allegedly supplying explosives used for carrying out a blast near Jama Masjid in September 19, 2010, allegedly at the behest of IM co-founder Riyaz Bhatkal. Police filed the charge sheet against Syed Ismail Affaque, Abdus Saboor and Riyaz Ahmad Sayeedi for various alleged offences under IPC, UAPA, Explosive Substances Act, Information Technology Act and Arms Act.

The charge sheet was filed before Additional Sessions Judge Reetesh Singh who took cognisance on it and fixed the matter for February 9, 2016. In its charge sheet, the Special Cell of Delhi Police has alleged that Affaque, an Ayurvedic doctor by profession, had met IM co-founders Riyaz and Iqbal Bhatkal and gone to Pakistan where he was trained in making IEDs.

"Investigation has also revealed that explosive was also provided by A-1 (Affaque) on the instructions of Riyaz Bhatkal and Afeef (another IM operative) in 2011 which was used in 2011 Mumbai blast, 2012 Pune blast and 2013 Hyderabad blast," the charge sheet said.

In its charge sheet filed against the three accused, the police said they had conspired with other IM members to carry out a terror strike in Delhi. "From the investigation conducted so far against the arrested accused persons, it has been established that accused number 1 (Affaque), being a member of IM, had entered into a conspiracy along with other co-conspirators for commission of terrorist act in Delhi at Jama Masjid with intent to threaten the unity, integrity and sovereignty of India....," it said.

The Indian Army is ready and competent to carry out any task it is entrusted with, Army Chief Dalbir Singh Suhag asserted, two days after Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar underlined the need to give back the pain inflicted on India by terror organisations and individuals. “The Indian Army is ready and competent to carry out any task given to it,” Suhag said when asked if the Army is capable of carrying out a covert or surgical strike against terror camps in PoK. He added that the Army was fully prepared to meet any challenge facing the country.

The Army chief said that the security environment facing the nation is becoming more “complex and dynamic” and said that at least 17 terror training camps continue to be active in PoK compared to 42 earlier. He said some of the camps were shut down few years ago due to international pressure. About infiltration, Suhag said that the reason why terrorists were using the Punjab border to enter the country was because anti-infiltration grid along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir has been strengthened and is difficult to breach. The Army chief was addressing his annual press conference ahead of the Army Day in New Delhi. He also expressed his “concern” at the infiltration along the borders with Pakistan in Punjab but made it clear that the responsibility lies with the BSF which is manning the area.

Constable Shakoor Ahmed Parrey fled away with four AK-47 rifles from SDPO in Bijbehara in Anantnag District and is said to have joined LeT militant outfit. Shakoor, a resident of Kundalan in Shopian District, was posted as a PSO to SDPO Bijbehara, Irshad Ahmad Bhat, in Bijbehara area of Anantnag District. Shakoor fled along with the rifles with two more youth – Gazi Fayaz Dar (20) and Aqib Bashir, both the residents of Kundalan in Shopian. Reports said that Shakoor didn’t report to duty since January 13 and when the room in SDPO office where he was living with his colleagues was checked, four AK-47 rifles were found missing. Reports said that all the three have joined LeT. Shakoor had links with the militancy in the past and was appointed as SPO and later promoted as constable.

Two school students, identified as Rameshwar Oyam (18) and Vishal (16), were injured in a landmine blast suspected to be planted by the CPI-Maoist cadres in Bijapur District of Chhattisgarh. The explosion took place while the students were travelling on a motorcycle towards Tarrem village from Sarkeguda under Basaguda Police Station limits, Bijapur ASP Indira Kalyan Elesela said.

The CPI-Maoist have reportedly set up another division in the Andhra Odisha Border to regain their hold in the Srikakulam region in Andhra Pradesh, and Gunupur and Gudari forest areas and Rayagada in Odisha. The new division has been christened the Odisha-Srikakulam division, sources claimed.

The Odisha State Government has decided to chalk out a ‘new strategy’ to check LWE in the State, particularly Balangir, Kalahandi, Kandhamal and Boudh Districts at the unified command meeting. Earlier, CM Naveen Patnaik said LWE continues to be a major concern for the State at the senior police officers' conference. "To tackle the Maoist menace in the State, the meeting focused on two crucial issues - strengthening intelligence gathering network and proper coordination between local Police and central paramilitary force," a senior police officer, who attended the meeting, said requesting anonymity.

A hardcore cadre of the NSLA, identified as Ram Kishku alias Ram Hembrom was killed in an encounter with Assam Police near Grahampur under Srirampur Police outpost in Gossaigaon subdivision of Kokrajhar District. The BTC IGP, LR Bishnoi said the Police team recovered one 7.65 mm pistol, four rounds of ammunition and two hand grenades from his possession. He also said the slain cadre was involved in several criminal activities, murder and extortion in the area.

Bishnoi said after eliminating Hembrom, the area would be peaceful to a great extent as most of the criminal activities were carried out under his command. He said the total strength of the NSLA was around 40 of which 22 have been arrested in 2015, four were killed in different encounters and the remaining cadres are involved in criminal activities.

The ULFA-I opposed the construction of a war memorial on the bank of Dighalipukhuri in Guwahati. In a statement, ULFA-I ‘assistant information and publicity secretary’ Arunodoy Asom also extended support to a group of citizens opposing construction of the memorial. "We have immense respect for soldiers who sacrificed their lives for their country. But the Indian government is forcefully invading Assam and its action to destruct a heritage site and ecology for construction of the war memorial is in no way is acceptable," the statement said. The outfit is against peace talks with the Government without discussion on its key demand for a "sovereign Assam".

George Kuki, claiming to be the ‘self styled in-charge of publicity and information’ of KLF based somewhere in eastern Karbi Anglong District claimed that the outfit, which was formed in 2008 and remained active until 2010, has been revived. KLF remained silent when a faction of the organization formed the UKDA and laid down arms along with the KRA in 2012 at Guwahati, stated George.

He also alleged that the leaders of both KRA-A and UKDA have seized the bank pass books and ATM cards of the surrendered cadres thereby denying them of all Government sponsored benefits. The same leaders have also misused the Government fund given to the cadres for establishing camps, he added. George has also alleged that the over ground Kuki militant leaders instead of protecting the interest of its own community are exploiting the ginger farmers mostly concentrated in Singhason hills. The KLF also claimed that three sophisticated arms have been recovered from the possession of UKDA and KRA-A cadres (one SLR, one M-16 rifle and one AK rifle) recently.

January 14

The ED has slapped a INR 1,200-crore show cause notice against alleged Hawala (illegal money transaction) operator Naresh Jain, who routed money for Dawood Ibrahim and funded contraband cells in a case of forex law violations.

The JeM 'chief' Maulana Masood Azhar, who is widely believed to be behind the attack on the IAF base in Pathankot, has used the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru to motivate his fighters to carry out more attacks against India. A report quoting intelligence sources, said that Masood, who is a good orator, has apparently using Afzal Guru's case as a potent tool to motivate acts of terror against India.

The intelligence agencies believe that Afzal Guru's hanging in Delhi's Tihar Jail in February, 2013 had breathed a fresh lease of life into Pakistan terror outfit JeM after which it had expedited its anti-India operations. After Afzal Guru's execution, Masood formed "the Afzal Guru Squad" - a crack fidayeen (suicide attacker) team with the sole objective of avenging his death, say intelligence sources.

The terrorists who carried out the Pathankot attack are also suspected to be from the Afzal Guru Squad, as per intelligence sources. Intelligence agencies believe that calls that were made to Pakistan by the Pathankot attackers were later traced to have been made to top JeM leaders.

Intelligence reports say that not just the Pathankot attack, several other attacks on SFs over the last two years can be attributed to the Afzal Guru Squad. In all these attacks, the method was similar - terrorists in army fatigues crossed the border and targeted SFs. Intelligence inputs also indicate that JeM is planning more Pathankot-like attacks in India.

The NIA has found similarities in the Pathankot terror attack and July 27, 2014 Dinanagar attack in which militants had attacked a Police Station. To probe it further, the agency has asked the Punjab Police to provide details of the Dinanagar case.

Gurdaspur SP Salwinder Singh is reportedly giving conflicting statements about his abduction after which it has been decided that he will be confronted with his cook Madan Gopal and Somraj, the caretaker of the Panj Peer Dargah which Salwinder said he had visited on the day of his kidnapping. The sources said that the confrontation was necessitated after conflicting statements were emerging from all the three and added that a final decision on whether to conduct a polygraph (lie detector) test on Salwinder or the others will be done after Friday's questioning. While Salwinder has been questioned for the last four days, Gopal and Somraj recorded statements for the first time.

Describing Pakistan’s crackdown against JeM operatives linked to the Pathankot attack as an “important and positive first step”, India and Pakistan agreed to reschedule Foreign Secretary-level talks, planned for January 15, and hold them in the “very near future”. In a first, India also agreed to host Pakistan’s SIT, which has been formed by Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Indian intelligence agencies will cooperate with their Pakistan counterparts.

Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar spoke to Pakistan counterpart Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhary on January 14 and they decided to defer the talks with “mutual consent”, Vikas Swarup, Spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs, said. The decision was taken after NSA Ajit Doval met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his return from Paris.

Swarup said, “We are looking for credible and comprehensive action to bring all the perpetrators of the Pathankot terror attack to justice.”  He added, “We will go by what objective evidence we see on the ground, not empty statements. So far, what Pakistan has done, we welcome". The spokesperson said that the action by Pakistan on the Pathankot terror strike was “in line” with their own commitment to get rid of terrorism.

A powerful IED planted by the CPI-Maoist in the past was recovered from the Adava Police Station limits of Gajapati District in Odisha.

A CPI-Maoist 'sub-zonal commander', carrying a reward of INR 500,000 on his head, identified as Jagnarayan Yadav alias Vishal ji, was arrested during a special operation from Thekhi village in Palamau District of Jharkhand. SP Mayur Patel said a self-loaded pistol and three rounds of ammunition were recovered from the possession of Yadav.

Suspected CPI-Maoist cadres of Koraput-Srikakulam Division hacked a trader to death in Bargi village under Narayanpatna Police Station limits in Koraput District of Odisha. The deceased has been identified as Rohini Nachika (40). According to Police reports, at least 20 armed Maoists entered the village late in the night and asked Nachika to come out of his house. Accusing him of being a ‘police informer’, they killed him. They left behind a poster at his house in which they claimed that Nachika was punished as he helped Police with information about the cadres. Police denied the Maoist claim.

January 15

The High Court in Bengaluru rejected the bail application of Shabeer Bhatkal, an aide of IM co-founder, Riyaz Bhatkal. Shabeer has been in judicial custody since 2009 after he was arrested by the Ullal Police in Dakshina Kannada District for his association with Riyaz in some of the terror-related activities. Shabeer has been booked under Sections 120(B), 121, 122, 123, 153A, 212, 420, 468, 471 of the IPC and Sections 10, 11, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 of UAPA and Sections 9(B) of Explosive Act and Section 5 and 6 of Indian Explosive Substance Act and Sections 3 and 4 of the Arms Act.

Two persons, identified as Janardhan Divekar and Nilesh Dhabhade involved in printing of FICN were arrested from Bhiwandi in Maharashtra along with Over 200 fake notes of INR 1,000 and INR 100 denominations. The duo used a colour photocopier and other materials to make the fake notes, but the duo were not able to circulate them easily.

One Bangladesh national, identified as Abdul Mannan was arrested near a passport office under Rajivnagar Police Station in Patna. Police recovered images of important landmarks of Patna from his mobile phone. One ADHAR card and a bank passbook have been recovered from his possession.

The US said that it should come as a shock to no one that terrorist groups would try to undermine the Indo-Pak peace process by carrying out attacks, as it encouraged the two countries to continue the dialogue. “It should come as a shock to no one that terrorist groups will try to undermine those sorts of efforts by conducting spectacular attacks, to sow fear and to hopefully sow doubt in the minds of national leaders towards a level of cooperation that can have a practical effect,” State Department spokesman John Kirby stated.

A Police officer was injured during stone-throwing clashes between protesters and SFs in Old City area in Srinagar after Friday prayers. Dozens of masked youth, waving flags of IS, assembled at Nowhatta outside Jama Masjid post-Friday congregational prayers and started sloganeering. The youths resorted to heavy stone-pelting on SFs deployed additionally in the area, triggering violent stand-off between the two sides. The Police fired scores of teargas shells, pepper grenades and also used pellet gunfire against the protesters. During the clashes, a Police officer identified as Suhail Ahmad was injured after a stone hit his head. Several protesters were also injured due to pellet gunfire during the ensuing clashes.

A tragedy was averted as SFs found and defused an IED planted by suspected militants in Shopian District of south Kashmir. Jawans of the 44 RR detected the IED fitted in a five-kilogram gas cylinder lying by the roadside at Gulab Taing in the Keller area of Shopian, a Police official said. A bomb disposal squad was rushed to the spot and the explosive was destroyed in nearby fields, they added.

Four CPI-Maoist cadres were killed in an encounter with the DRG of Bijapur District in Chhattisgarh. “A small team of the DRG Bijapur District, numbering about 50 men, had a successful encounter with the Maoists at village Pedda Jojer under Gangaloor Police Station limits of Bijapur today morning. The DRG team managed to recover dead bodies of four Maoists along with four Bharmars (locally made guns), local grenades and Maoist dump,” informed Bastar IGP S.R.P. Kalluri.

A Police Constable was injured in an exchange of fire with Maoists in Sukma District of Chhattisgarh. The encounter took place in the forests under Tongpal Police Station limits when a joint team of DRG and STF was carrying out an anti-Maoist operation in the region, said Sukma ASP Santosh Singh. While the security team was cordoning off a forest axis at Kunna when a group of armed Maoists opened fire on them following which a gun battle broke out between the two sides, he added.

As many as 30 Maoists, including a woman, surrendered before Police in Bastar District of Chhattisgarh. Bastar SP R.N. Das said that these Maoists decided to return to the mainstream as they were impressed by the rehabilitation policy of the State Government. 19 cadres of Darbha division committee and 11 cadres of East Bastar division surrendered before senior Police officials.

The anti-CPI-Maoist operations in Bihar are set to be augmented with the State Police planning to purchase a chopper for the use of security personnel. ADGP, (law and order), Alok Raj said that modalities for purchase of the chopper were being finalised. He further said that "Technical issues like recruitment of pilot, hangar, maintenance and budget are being discussed before the purchase of the chopper. It will be stationed at Gaya hangar. The helicopter will also be helpful for Police personnel on law and order duty."

CPI-Maoist cadres have killed a former Naib Sarpanch - Krishna Miniaka - in Kandho Tikarapada village under Bandhugaon Police Station limits in Koraput District of Odisha. He was killed on the suspicion of being a ‘police informer’. In a letter written in Telugu, Srikakulam Koraput Divisional Committee of the CPI-Maoist claimed responsibility for the killing. Sources said about 20 armed Maoists entered the village and called Miniaka out of his house.

Two hardcore militants of the NSCN-K were arrested in Senapati District of Manipur. The militants - identified as self-styled ‘Lieutenant’ Lamang Kipgen (36) of Lilen village in Paren District of Nagaland and Seminlal Kipgen (23) of Langjol village of Senapati District - were arrested along with one 9 mm pistol and 5 rounds of ammunition from Daili village, a defence press release said. On questioning, Kipgen confessed that he was a top leader of NSCN-K and had joined the outfit in 1996, the release said. He was trained by the outfit and involved in recruiting cadres, it added.

The AHRC stated that the enforcement of the AFSPA has only been used so far to intimidate the local population, which has lost confidence in their government. “Only corrupt state officers, politicians and the omnipresent and armed militant groups of Manipur will benefit from the impunity provided by the AFSPA,” said a statement from the AHRC. The AFSPA, it said, “should not be enforced in Manipur to support organized lawlessness benefitting illegal drug and weapon smuggling cartels.” “Uncontrollable insurgent activity in Manipur,” the AHRC opined, is the direct result of “failed state administration.” Militancy also benefits from the poor management of the international border between India and Burma, it added. The AHRC, it stated, has documented cases of police officers, government officers, and politicians sharing illegal profits obtained from the black-marketing of essential commodities in the state.  

Police raided a house in Sunny Hills in Tura town in West Garo Hills District of Meghalaya, and arrested two suspected militants, identified as Changki A Sangma and Briting A Sangma, both residents of Tebronggre village. Bothe the arrestees were wanted for their involvement in the July 26, 2014 IED blast at Tebronggre near Rongram, targeting a Police vehicle in which three Policemen had lost their lives. Changki is believed to be the prime accused in the planting of the IED device and Police had been on his lookout for over a year and a half. He is also said to be the main suspect behind a string of abduction and robbery cases along the Tebronggre-Dadenggre route.

Arunachal Pradesh Governor J.P. Rajkhowa said in a four-page report to President Pranab Mukherjee that three dissident MLAs had accused the former Chief Minister, Nabam Tuki, of “engaging with the terrorist outfit, NSCN-K”. The reports also said that the law and order situation in the state has been deteriorating every day.

One cadre of the NSCN-R, identified as ‘Sergeant Major’ Atoka Achumi was arrested from the Blue Hill Area in Dimapur District for extorting money in the vicinity. One .32 pistol with 5 live rounds was recovered from his possession, the Police said.

SFs arrested suspected cadre of NSCN-KK, identified as ‘major’ Temsuliba Jamir along with a .22 pistol with one live round from Rail Bazaar in Dimapur.

January 16

Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said the country has run out of its capacity to tolerate acts of terror and that he, too, as the Defence Minister, can’t tolerate it anymore. “The nation has run out of its capacity to tolerate [acts of terror] and as a Defence Minister, I, too, have run out of it. So we will do something about it, you’ll see,” said Parrikar.

On the influence of Islamic State (IS) in India, Parrikar said, “You get the records. Hundreds and thousands of people in western countries have left for IS but not much influence of IS is seen here.”

Union Home Minister, Rajnath Singh held a daylong review meeting with national intelligence and investigative agencies and law enforcement officers of 12 states and Delhi to discuss issues related to Islamic State (IS). Officials from Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Jammu and Kashmir, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Bihar, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Assam, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi and Maharashtra attended the meeting, along with officials of the UMHA.

Among issues discussed were misuse of social media, sources of impetus that attract people, specially youth, to the IS and growth of the outfit’s influence in India’s neighbourhood. The best possible law enforcement response to tackle the threat, the need for appropriate welfare schemes for minorities, social media strategies required, and capacity building of state police organisations, especially in the area of information technology were also discussed.

According to a UMHA release, “In his concluding remarks, the Union Home Minister stated that India’s traditions and family values will triumph over even this evil, and that while the traction that Daesh has got in India is extremely limited, and almost insignificant relative to other countries, yet there is a need to keep up vigil on all fronts, and not let down our guard in any manner. He noted that a large number of and, in fact, most Muslim organisations in India had come out against both Daesh and other forms of terrorism.”

As per recent assessments, around 150 Indians are under surveillance of security agencies for engaging with IS supporters on the internet. At last count, at least 23 Indians are believed to have travelled to Iraq and Syria and joined the IS, some of them from the Indian diaspora in countries like Australia, Singapore and UAE.

The BSF in association with West Bengal Excise Department, Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) have begun destruction of poppy being cultivated close to the Indo-Bangladesh border in Kaliachak area of Malda District. Kaliachak is considered a major production centre for opium and a hub of cross-border smuggling. While narcotics are trafficked across the border to Bangladesh, FICN is received in return. This FICN is circulated from Kaliachak to the rest of the country.

Indian Army lost 85 men who made the supreme sacrifice during various counterinsurgency operations and offensive tactical missions in 2015. Apart from other ranks, five officers were also killed. "Last year, we lost 85 men during various military operations of counterinsurgency, offensive tactical missions, search and hunt operations," said Gargi Malik, Spokesperson of Army's Central Command. These included two colonels and one each officers of the rank of lieutenant colonel, major and captain along with two subedars, six naib subedars, 15 havildars, one lance havildar, six naiks, 14 lance naiks and 36 other lower rank soldiers.

The UMHA approved one more battalion for deployment along the IB exclusively in Jammu sector comprising three districts of Jammu, Samba and Kathua to thwart possibility of any infiltration attempt by the militants from Pakistan even as the BSF has deployed its entire fleet of reserves on the borders. The battalion comprised about 1000 troopers, who would be deployed at sensitive points along the IB to further enhance the security surveillance system in Jammu region, which was already on high alert.

Police arrested a Maoist ‘zonal commander’ along with huge cache of arms and ammunition during a combing operation in Gaya District of Bihar. Acting on the tip-off, Police and CRPF personnel conducted a combing operation in Gaya District. Police had recovered an AK-56 rifle, 102 live cartridges and other items from the arrested ‘zonal commander’.

An exchange of fire between the Police and the Maoists was reported in Tapdole forest under Takaurgarh Police Station limits in Angul District of Odisha.

A combined team of BSF and Lamlai Police arrested one cadre of the KNF-N from Itham village in Imphal East District. BSF sources said that a joint team of 49th battalion BSF and Lamlai Police rushed to Itham village after getting information of KNF-N cadres extorting money from the owners of sand quarries. On seeing the SF personnel, one of the cadres suddenly opened one round of fire in the air and tried to flee the area. However, some villagers overpowered a cadre and caught him while four other cadres managed to escape. The arrested cadre was later identified as Kamminlun of Singsit Veng Kangpokpi in Senapati District. He revealed that he came to the village from Kangpokpi with four other cadres two days back. They also brought two AK-47 rifles and one 9 mm pistol. Soon after his arrest, the combined team conducted a search operation to arrest other cadres at the area. During the course of the operation, the SFs recovered an AK-47 rifle along with a magazine loaded with 11 live rounds from near a river at around 8 pm.

A GNLA cadre identified as Balmepa, who was allegedly aiding armed GNLA militants in abduction and extortion, was arrested from South Garo Hills District of Meghalaya. Balmepa was a crucial link man for the GNLA and was being used to identify wine shop owners and members of the business community and pass on information to GNLA ‘commander’ Jimmy for extortion and other threats, a Police official said. Balmepa would also collect gelatine sticks from mine owners using threat and pass these explosives on to the GNLA top ‘commanders’, the official said.

Assam Police and Army, in a joint operation, arrested three militants of NDFB-IKS along with a huge cache of arms in Baksa District. Acting on a tip off, Police launched operation at Dolabari area under Barama Police Station in Baksa District and arrested a cadre of the outfit, identified as Ranjit Muchahary.

Based on the confession of the detained militant, a joint Police and Army team arrested NDFB-IKS militants, Jimi Boro alias Dharmendra Boro from Panbari in Kumarikata and Sansuma Boro from Bagajuli area of the District. “A 7.65 pistol, one magazine, two live ammunition of 7.65 pistol, ten bullets of 9mm pistol, three live grenades, a handmade gun and ten extortion notes were found on them, “ said SDPO Tamulpur, Asif Ahmed. Police sources also said the detained rebels were involved in various subversive activities in BTAD.

A top Police official said with 30 to 35 cadres, the NDFB-IKS is still strong and active in lower Assam. He said apart from the NDFB-IKS, various outfits like the KLO, RVA, NSLA and the MPTFA are trying to gain a foothold and strengthen their base in the area. He said SFs are continuing counter operations against the groups.

ULFA is planning to include a few additional points in its charter of demands already submitted to the GoI, disclosed by the ‘general secretary’ of the outfit, Anup Chetia. Chetia, who was brought back to Assam recently from the protective custody of Bangladesh, said that he would participate in the next round of talks between the outfit and the GoI. However, the dates for the next round of talks are yet to be announced. He said a meeting of the ULFA was held in Jagiroad on January 9 where the progress of the peace process was discussed.

He said that as the people of the State have raised a few questions on the charter of demands submitted to the Government by the ULFA, a few additional points may be added. However, he said that as a charter of demands has already been submitted to the Government, “we will have to request the Government to allow us to add the new points in the charter of demands.” The issue will soon be discussed with the Centre’s interlocutor for talks, PC Haldar.

The three Bodo groups, ABSU, PJACBM and NDFB-P demanded a "solution" to the Bodoland issue and not false promises. Leaders of these groups said they would convey this message to Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his maiden visit to Kokrajhar on January 19. The three Bodo groups, which have been jointly working for the community since 2013, appealed to Modi to "announce a clear-cut policy on creation of Bodoland" as promised in the manifesto of 2014 Lok Sabha polls by the BJP. "People in (proposed) Bodoland are eagerly awaiting a prudent decision," said ABSU president Pramod Boro.

Cachar Police arrested nine persons, including a woman from different places midnight for being allegedly involved in abductions and extortion in Barak valley in Assam. The nine arrested persons were identified as Bapan Mazumder (31), Akhtar Hussain Laskar (35), Imran Hussain Raj Barbhuiya (27), Shammim Choudhury (22), Santo Roy alias Shaymal Sarkar (22), and his wife Mahi Deb (20), Moinul Haque Barbhuiya (30), and Abdur Rahman Tapadar (22), including Tiklu (28). Cachar Superintendent of Police (SP) Rajveer Singh said that the gang used Mahi to lure men and then abduct them. The racket was busted after the Police started an investigation into the abduction of college student Sohail Ahmed Laskar of Saidpur village of Cachar District.

January 17

A self-styled ‘zonal Commander’ of the PLFI identified as Baidhyanath Yadav alias Sudhirji was arrested by the Police from Kasmar village under Panki area in Palamau District of Jharkhand. DySP Prabhat Ranjan Burward said that six country-made rifles of .315 bore, 62 rounds live cartridges, 18 letter pads of the organisation, 20 receipts, a diary containing name and number of prominent persons, three mobile phones and a sim, among others were seized from his possession.

A CPI-Maoist ‘commander’ carrying reward of INR 1.2 million on his head, surrendered before the Gadchiroli District Police in Maharashtra along with his wife and another woman cadre. Each of the women Maoists, wanted for their alleged role in various encounters with the police, carried reward of INR 200,000 on their heads. “Baburao Pesu Devu Wachami, the platoon commander of ’Chamorshi Dalam’ (armed squad), was allegedly involved in four serious offences including three encounters with police and a bomb blast,” the Police stated in a press release. Wachami’s wife Payki Girija Madika Barse, working for ‘Sitapur Dalam’, also laid down arms.

A combined team of Police and AR personnel recovered a huge cache of ammunition from a forest at Sagolmang Pukhao area in Imphal East District. Police said 300 rounds of M-16 rifles, 44 rounds of AK-47 rifles, two detonators and two local-made magazines were found wrapped in a big polythene bag. It was yet to be known which individual, group or militant outfit kept the ammunition there and for what purpose.

UNC called a 48-hour general strike in tribal areas of Manipur from January 24 seeking intervention of the GoI with regard to certain issues while Churachandpur-based JAC constituted against the ‘anti-tribal’ Bills has also called for boycotting the upcoming Republic Day celebration in tribal areas in the State.

In a press release, the UNC has decried the indifferent attitude shown by GoI towards the bodies of the nine tribal martyrs still lying at the morgue of Churachandpur civil hospital after they were killed in Police action while defending the inalienable rights of the tribal people in the aftermath of the passage of the three alleged anti-tribal Bills on August 31, 2015. Alleging that the State Government has grabbed tribal lands by carving out hundreds of hill tribal villages and placing them into four valley Districts of Imphal in the name of re-organisation of Police District boundaries, UNC demanded that such orders should be immediately revoked and hill tribal villages placed back in hill Districts. UNC shall abstain from Republic Day celebration this year in protest against the role of fence-sitter taken by Government of India inspite of chaos, disorder, political suppression, etc., in the hill Districts of Manipur, said the UNC statement.

One unidentified militant was shot dead by Shallang Police during an encounter with a group of ANLA militants in Shallang area in West Khasi Hills District of Meghalaya. Shallang Police raided a hideout of ANLA militants who were taking shelter with their leader identified as Marbaniang at Nongaldro village under Shallang Police Station. The raid was launched to arrest the militants who opened fire as soon as they spotted the approaching Police party. After the exchange of fire the militants led by Marbaniang fled taking advantage of the surrounding thick jungles. After the encounter, Police recovered the body of a suspected militant with a shotgun from the hideout of the militants.

The whereabouts of the seven traders from Assam who were abducted by suspected militants from North Garo Hills District of Meghalaya remained unknown even as SFs have launched an operation to rescue them. It may be mentioned that the seven traders (Tustu Paul, Manoranjan Sarkar, Putul Mukherjee, Piyush Biswas, Pradip Das, Bijoy Sarkar and Ganesh Basu) were abducted on January 15, afternoon after returning from Dokhongsi weekly market in Kharkutta region of North Garo Hills.

SFs arrested a NSLA militant, identified as Robvan Hembram (22) from Serfanguri in Kokrajhar District.

The NIA, which is probing terror attack on Pathankot airbase, arrested a Kerala man Dineshan alias Riyaz Rasheed from Punjab after it found that he had made calls to Pakistan. The agency had pinned him down after verifying the call list. Dineshan failed to give a reasonable answer as to why he had settled in a remote village called Musafar near Pathankot. He told investigators that he called one of his old colleagues from Saudi Arabia now settled in Pakistan.

Police arrested a RPC member Nupa Lakka during a vehicle checking drive at Edire Colony in Venkatapuram mandal in Bhadrachalam sub-division Khammam District of Telangana. Lakka was allegedly involved in six cases, including one murder case and one incident of exchange of fire with Police under the Venkatapuram circle limits.

Police arrested one more person belonging to the gang allegedly involved in abductions and extortion in Barak valley in Assam, identified as Tiklu Mazumder. "Around 14 to 15 people are involved in the racket. We have arrested 10. We have continued our hunt for those who have been running abduction rackets here for the past four to five years," SP Rajveer Singh added.

January 18

Two men, suspected to have links with al Qaeda have been arrested from Haryana's Mewat District in a joint operation by Delhi Police and a central intelligence agency, Mewat Police said. The suspected terrorists have been identified as Mohamad Qasim and Abdul Sami, residents of Jamshedpur District in Jharkhand, the latter believed to be a key operative of the banned terror outfit, who allegedly received arms training in Pakistan. Qasim and Sami had reached Punhana sub-town in Mewat District two days ago and were residing in a mosque situated on Punhana Hodal Road, Punhan Police said.

The arrest of two took the total number of suspected AQIS militants arrested in India in the last one month to six. The other four suspected AQIS operatives included the terror outfit’s India chief Mohammad Asif, madrassa teacher Abdur Rehman, fund raiser-cum-recruiter Zafar Masood and former imam of Bengaluru’s Masjid-e-Noorani, Maulana Syed Anzar Shah. The four arrests have been made from Delhi, Cuttack in Odisha, Bengaluru in Karnataka, and Sambhal in Uttar Pradesh, the Police said.

The BSF arrested two persons and seized a pistol and bullets near Petrapole in North 24-Parganas District. Two have been arrested by the on charges of carrying the illegal weapon with the intention to smuggle it to Bangladesh. Their vehicle was stopped and a search revealed a plastic bag with a country-made 9 mm pistol, a magazine and eight rounds of ammunition. The two men were also were also carrying three mobile phones.

Intelligence officers of the BSF and Malda Police arrested a man, Enarul Islam, considered to be one of the key figures in the FICN smuggling ring that thrives across the India-Bangladesh border, along with FICN amounting to INR 8,00,000. Police cornered the accused, a Bangladeshi citizen, in the Baburhat area in the Malda District of West Bengal. The arrest took place under the Kaliachak Police Station jurisdiction.

IB intercepted of a Bangladeshi mobile number with coded phrase, — "doctor medicine lekar jayega" —on a telecom gateway. Gateway alerts Indian authorities of all incoming calls from Pakistan and Bangladesh based on a specific area or series of numbers. The alert, sent to all state Police chiefs on January 18, says that Bangladesh-based Islamist group HuT is planning to carry out terror strikes at 23 locations across India, including Gurdaspur and Pathankot. "The group is planning bomb and suicide attacks on January 23," it reads. "In view of this, the field staff must be sensitized to take all necessary preventive and precautionary measures including review and strengthening of security of Army, Air Force, BSF and other vital installations."

It adds that this time malls, markets and educational institutes could be on the group's radar. According to the alert, HuT, which has a significant presence in Pakistan and Bangladesh, is planning these strikes with assistance from JeM and LeT. The alert hints at growing strength of HuT's armed wing called Harakat ul-Muhojirinfi Britaniya that trains its cadres in chemical, bacteriological, and biological warfare.

Punjab Police officers are taking this alert seriously for multiple reasons. For starters, it gives specific details. Also officials had recently found a GPS device outside the barracks of the RPF office in Ferozepur — another district of Punjab that shares a border with Pakistan — which had Bangladesh time pre-fed in it. Bangladesh time is half an hour ahead of India. The device has sent to Forensic Science Laboratory, Chandigarh.

Police arrested an OGW of Al-Badar militant outfit in Handwara area in Kupwara District. A Police spokesman said acting on tip off about the movement of ANEs in the area, Police along with 27 RR of Army laid a Naka at Sagipora Crossing. During checking one suspect who tried to hide himself and give slip to the Naka party was arrested and later identified as Bashir Ahmad Dar resident of Pohru Peth:  One Chinese pistol along with ammunition was recovered from his possession.

A CPI-Maoist ‘commander’ carrying a reward of INR 100,000 on his head was killed in an encounter with Police in Sukma District of Chhattisgarh. The 'black uniform-clad' Maoist ‘commander’, identified as Kartam Deva, was killed in the encounter that took place in the forest near Burumapad village, SP D Shravan said. Later, during a search of the spot, Police recovered the body of the Maoist ‘commander’. Four loaded guns, detonator and other material were recovered from the spot. The horns and skin of a deer were also seized from the place, the SP said.         

Two Maoist cadres identified as Mangel (48) and Mura (21) were arrested from Kanker and Sukma Districts of Chhattisgarh, respectively. During interrogation, Mangel said that he was a former member of Barda and Kiskodo Dalam.

SF personnel exchanged heavy gunfire with the 'dasta' (firing squad) of CPI-Maoist ‘commander’ Arvind at Budha Pahad under Garu Police Station in Latehar District of Jharkhand. After the firing stopped, Police carried out a search operation and found a Maoist camp. Four landmines, 500 metres of wire, nine detonators, one small Honda generator, 19 blankets, Maoist literature, kitchen utensils, medicines and also tent materials were recovered from the encounter site.

A joint team of District Police and CRPF personnel arrested the CPI-Maoist’s Wajedu LOS ‘commander’ Kanithi Papa Rao alias Vijay, carrying a reward of INR 400,000 on his head, during a search operation in the forests surrounding Alubaka area in Venkatapuram mandal in Khammam District of Telangana. “Papa Rao was involved in as many as 58 cases, including 12 murder cases and eight incidents of exchange of fire with the police under Venkatapuram circle limits in the district,” Bhadrachalam ASP R. Bhaskaran said. He had gone underground in 2004. Since then, he worked as a squad member in Sabari Area Committee, Chintoor LOS, Venkatapuram Area Committee and Charla LOS before being elevated to the position of commander of Wajedu LOS.

Ten days after the killing of four CPI-Maoist cadres on January 8 during an encounter with Police at Bandh Goryea forest under Dhibra Police Station limits in Aurangabad District of Bihar, Maoists pasted pamphlets in Deo and Dhibra localities threatening to take revenge of the killings of their colleagues in the encounter. Some of the pamphlets were pasted at small culverts in aforesaid localities. The pamphlets carried the message, "Char ka badla chalis se lenge, Operation Green Hunt band karo, comrade Bihari Yadav, Ratan Yadav, Devki Bhuiyan and Birendra Singh ko sat sat salaam."

Representatives of six ethnic communities of Assam met Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport in Guwahati to discuss the issue of granting ST status. Leaders of the communities said the meeting, which lasted for about 15 minutes, failed to get a timeframe on granting ST status. “The Prime Minister only told us that his office is seriously considering the issue. We do not know when the status will be granted,” said AKRSU president Hitesh Barman. The six communities demanding ST status are Tai Ahoms, Koch Rajbongshis, Morans, Motocks, adivasis and Soteas.

A GNLA cadre, identified as Chibok Ch Marak, who was reportedly part of the group behind the Williamnagar market blast on January 9, was shot dead by Police during a raid on a hideout at Bangongre village in East Garo Hills District of Meghalaya. East Garo Hills Police raided the hideout of GNLA ‘action commander’ Jimmy (Ajan) Momin leading to a ten-minute-long gun battle during which Chibok Ch Marak was shot dead while four to five of his accomplices escaped. “We recovered a GNLA identity card from the body of the deceased. He belonged to the 6th batch of recruits of the outfit as per his identity card,” said the District Police chief Davis Nestell R Marak. Police also recovered a pistol with four live ammo, gelatine sticks, other explosive materials and GNLA letter pads from the site.

Blaming Assam militant groups like the ULFA and NDFB for the recent spurt in militant activities in Garo Hills, Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma sought the immediate redeployment of six companies of paramilitary forces in the region to quell the disturbance. Sangma, who called on UHM Rajnath Singh in New Delhi, pointed out that the six companies of central forces were withdrawn from Garo Hills during the unrest in Assam last year. He added that the State has been constantly demanding the deployment of additional 18 companies of central paramilitary forces to deal with the sensitive region. The UHM, meanwhile, assured Meghalaya that the Centre will provide all assistance to it to tackle terrorism, official sources said. The Centre is considering Meghalaya’s appeal for more central paramilitary forces, Singh told the Meghalaya Chief Minister.

Acting on a tipoff about extortion by armed cadres in New Market Dimapur area, 32 AR personnel arrested two cadres of the NSCN-R along with extortion slips, arms and ammunition. According to a press release by AR, the arrested cadres have been identified as ‘captain’ Mughaito Chopi and ‘captain’ Kimiyeto Sumi, who AR said on December 29, 2015 defected from NSCN-K to NSCN-R. Both the cadres are resident of Satakha village under Zunheboto District of Nagaland and were arrested with one 9 mm pistol and one .32 country made pistol along with 14 live rounds of 9 mm and 42 live rounds of .32. The cadres were also in possession of 44 extortion slips which were used to “place demands for extortion money” and approximate INR 60,000 in cash. The arrested cadres were handed over to Dimapur West Police Station along with the recovered arms and ammunition, informed AR.

January 19

Acting on a tip off that terrorists are planning to target the ongoing Ardh Kumbh Mela in Haridwar, the Special Cell of Delhi Police in a joint operation with a central intelligence agency arrested four suspected terrorists for their suspected links with Islamic State (IS) from different areas in Uttarakhand. While one person, identified as Akhlaq ur-Rehman, who is said to be associated with an international terror group, was arrested from Roorkee, the remaining three, Mohammed Osama, Mohammed Azim Shah and Mehroz were arrested from Mangalaur area near Dehradun. Akhlaq will be brought to Delhi on January 20 where Police will produce him before a court. He is said to be associated with an international terror group.

Police said that they are interrogating the three friends of Akhlaq to establish further links and are also conducting search operations throughout Uttarakhand. The suspects are believed to have been planning an attack at the ongoing Ardh Kumbh Mela in Haridwar, a police source said.

Police claimed to have arrested a person, identified as Akashdeep, along with FICNs worth INR 32,800 from Rampura village of Bhatinda District in Punjab. SSP Swapan Sharma said during the interrogation, the accused said he had got these fake currency notes a few months ago from his relative Anil Kumar, a resident of Zirakpur, who is lodged in a Patiala jail.

Kerala Police started a special drive to collect information about all missing persons following the arrest of a man Dineshan alias Riyaz Rasheed from the Punjab, who went missing from north Kerala’s Wayanad, in connection with the terror attack on Pathankot airbase. “An NIA team had visited the district two days ago and questioned some of his relatives,” Wayanad superintendent of police MK Pushkaran said. Dineshan’s relatives told the NIA that he had left home 16 years ago and was incommunicado all these years. The state police had booked him in 2000 after he was involved in a hooch smuggling case. He jumped bail, slipped to Saudi Arabia and later converted to Islam and changed his named, police said. The arrest of Dineshan has forced Kerala Police to start looking at the list of the missing persons in detail.

Two of the six terrorists killed by SFs at the Pathankot airbase could have been "insiders", top officials of the NIA said. The forensic report due next week, examination of call logs of phones recovered from the attack sites in the airbase and a close scrutiny of personnel at the air force station will help determine the identity of the "insiders", NIA officials said. NIA officials said the possibility that two of those killed could be insiders is strengthened by the recovery of only four AK-47 guns. These were used by four JeM terrorists. The black corner notice to be issued by Interpol is also against only four suspects killed by Indian forces. NIA officials added that to establish the identity of the two insiders they were looking at all personnel present at the airbase, as well as locals. There were around 3,500 people, including family members of those employed, at the Pathankot airbase during the attack.

NIA has collected these samples from the debris of the airbase building that was blasted to kill two suspected terrorists. The agency also established that the four militants entered the airbase on the morning of January 1 by scaling the 11 feet wall and cutting the concertina wire. Investigators say the JeM terrorists had booby-trapped the part of the airbase they were hiding in. The call by one of the terrorists to his mother in Pakistan was made from inside the airbase.

NIA officials also said the four terrorists inside the airbase may have panicked after the Indian Air Force conducted an aerial survey following an alert from Punjab Superintendent of Police Salwinder Singh.

NIA has approached Interpol to trace Dawood Ibrahim's close aide Javed Patel alias Javed Chikna in Pakistan, arrest him and hand him over to India. It got Interpol to issue a Red Corner Notice against Chikna, with his latest photograph, and another D Company member based in South Africa - Zahid Miyan Sheikh alias 'Jao', in its probe into the conspiracy to attack political leaders last year, said a source. Chikna is among the list of 48 most wanted criminals including Hafiz Saeed, Dawood Ibrahim etc shared with Pakistan and whose arrest India has sought several times in the past.

Around 2-3 militants of HM were trapped in a village in Pulwama District, after they were surrounded by SFs leading to an exchange of fire. Acting on specific information about the presence of 2-3 militants including HM ‘commander’ at Naina village, Army’s 55 RR, 183 CRPF and SOG cordoned off the village. As the SFs intensified the searches and fired few shots, militants hiding in the area fired indiscriminately at the SFs and tried to break the cordon and run away. Reports said that two HM militants Latif Ahmad Dar and Shakir are trapped inside.

SFs recovered a pressure cooker IED from village Salhutri in Poonch District.

A Maoist cadre was killed in an encounter with the SFs in Bijapur District of Chhattisgarh. When the 204 battalion of CRPF reached Hirma para village of the District during a patrol, the Maoists opened indiscriminate fire at them. The SFs opened retaliatory fire in which one Maoist cadre was killed, Police said.

A woman CPI-Maoist ‘commander’ identified as Zareena was killed in an encounter with SFs personnel at Bayanar village under Bedre Police Station limits in Bijapur District of Chhattisgarh. “An encounter took place between the Police and the Maoists between 12 to 12.45 pm today near Bayanar forest of Bijapur District. A woman Maoist commander was killed during the encounter and one 12-bore rifle, one locally made gun and heavy Maoist dump was recovered from the spot of the encounter,” said a statement issued by the Police.

Eight Maoists surrendered before the Police in Narayanpur District of Chhattisgarh. The surrendered Maoists include two women.

The Bastar Police sent an IAF chopper to Bijapur District of Chhattisgarh, to bring an injured Maoist to Jagadalpur District headquarters for treatment. “A chopper was sent to Bijapur today to bring Linga Sori, a Maoist who was injured and arrested during Pedia encounter on January 18, for better medical treatment. He will be admitted to Mecoz hospital in Jagadalpur. This gesture from the Police will shut the mouths of those so-called Human Rights activists who term the Police-Maoist encounters as fake and at times call the Maoists as innocents,” said Bastar District SP R.N. Das in a statement.

Three CPI-Maoist cadres were arrested with arms and ammunitions in a joint operation by CRPF troopers and District Police in Aurangabad District of Bihar. Aurangabad SP Babu Ram said, "The Maoists, identified as Awadhesh Yadav, Sanjay Yadav and Dukhi Singh Bhokta, were involved in several cases of Naxal violence and extortion. Two country-made pistols and six live cartridges were recovered from their possession," and added raids were being carried out at several places to arrest other Maoists in the District.

Based on specific intelligence inputs, AR launched a cordon search operation in General area of Ngoiting in Arunachal Pradesh and arrested a dreaded ‘area commander’ of NSCN-IM, identified as ‘self style lieutenant’ Tenyang Kungkho alias Saka Tutsa. Tenyang Kungkho has been involved in extensive extortion and was arrested from his residence along with a Chinese made 9mm loaded pistol with 3 round of ammunition, one .2 Bore Barrel gun including 6 cartridges and other incriminating articles like Village Tax collection slips. According to report, his arrest is a big blow to NSCN-IM operation in upper Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.

One woman, identified as Asma Kahtun of South Salmara-Mancachar in Dhubri District in Assam lodged a FIR after she was allegedly threatened by a GNLA militant over phone, demanding INR 10 lakh.

The ABSU, NDFB-P and the PJACBM demanded early permanent solution to the Bodoland issue and constitutional safeguard and political rights to the Bodo people. (Assam)

Karbi Anglong Police arrested five militants, including ‘commander-in-chief’ of UKPLA, identified as Roben Phangcho, from the Dolamara area of Diphu in Karbi Anglong District in Assam.

One of the seven abducted Assam traders who were taken hostage by armed Garo militants from a weekly market in Kharkutta region of North Garo Hills managed to escape from his abductors after Police from neighbouring East Garo Hills District raided the hideout of the gang in Gabil Ading village. Trader, Tustu Mohan Paul (50) of Daranggre Darapara village in Goalpara in Assam took the opportunity to make a run after a SWAT team from East Garo Hills raided the village where the gang was keeping their seven victims.

Police identified the group behind the abduction as a group of criminals headed by a former UALA militant, identified as Rex Miller R Sangma. Based on the inputs provided by the escaped trader, Police are aware that the group comprises of five persons having in their possession one AK rifle, a SBBL shot gun and a pistol.

AR arrested a militant of NSCN-IM, identified as ‘second lieutenant’ Isak Khiamniungan along with one .22 Rifle with magazine and one mobile phone (Nokia) from 7th Mile, Chumukedima in Dimapur District. Claiming that the arrested cadre is likely to be involved in “arms peddling activities” in the area, the AR maintained that his action was in contravention to the Ceasefire Ground Rules.

January 20

The BSF shot dead one infiltrator in Indo-Pakistan border in Sehjra bulge area in Pathankot, while two others escaped, they the trio attempted to cross the border from Pakistani side. The body of the person shot dead is on the Pakistan side of the border. The report says that the three infiltrators had tried to enter into India by taking advantage of the fog. There are constant efforts by being made to sent infiltrators into India during foggy weather conditions. The BSF has increased the security at the border. In Punjab, road blocks have been kept to prevent infiltration attempts.

A Special NIA Court jailed 21 people who were found guilty in a case of seizure of weapons from an arms training centre of PFI at Narath in Kannur District of Kerala in April 2013. While convict Abdul Aziz was awarded seven years jail term, the rest 20 were sentenced to five years imprisonment each by NIA Special Judge S Santhosh Kumar. The court, which found them guilty under various sections of IPC, UAPA, Arms Act and Explosives Act, also imposed a fine of INR 5000 each on the convicts. In default, they will have to undergo jail term for six months more. The court acquitted Kamaruddin as the charges against him could not be proved.

Suspected IM operative Afzal Usmani was convicted in Mazgaon Court of Mumbai (Maharashtra) and sent to five years in prison, two-and-a-half years after he ran away from the City Civil and Sessions Court, escaping a heavy police cordon. Judge S L Bangar of the Mazgaon court awarded Usmani two years’ sentence for obstructing arrest, forgery, and using a forged document as genuine, three years’ term for cheating for impersonation, and cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property, and five years in jail for forgery for the purpose of cheating. In addition, the court slapped fines of INR 31,000 on him.

Usmani, who was arrested by the Maharashtra ATS for his role in the 2008 serial bomb blasts in Ahmedabad, escaped from the high-security MCOCA Court on September 20, 2013, from a cordon of Navi Mumbai Police officers.

HM ‘chief’ Syed Salahuddin has taken responsibility for the Pathankot attack (January 2), calling it “a continuation of their activity, targeting Indian military installations”. He has also criticised Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s “Kashmir policy”. These comments are part of an interview to an Urdu news portal, Wajood, based in Pakistan. The militant commander is also the head of the UJC, an amalgam of militant outfits operating in Kashmir, a spokesman for which had called a news agency in Srinagar to claim responsibility for the Pathankot attack.

IB officials have found banter on the internet suggesting that AuT, IM breakaway faction is attempting to carry out strikes in India. Earlier, in the month of August 2014, AuT pledged support to the Islamic State (IS) and promised to recruit at least 300 Indians. IB officials have been on the trail of the Sultan Armar’s (dead AuT ‘chief’) brothers since the past year in Nawayat Colony of Bhatkal (Karnataka). Sultan and his brother Shafi operated handles on Twitter such as @Sult, @Mulla, @Moulana, @Nakhwa, @Pandit, @Shekhu, @Sheikh-Ul-Hadees and @Pujari. The brothers, who are residents of Haji Manzil, Nawayat Colony, Bhatkal, had ventured into the Indian Mujahideen at first at the behest of Yasin Bhatkal.

However, they broke away from the IM on the pretext that they did not want to be stooges of the ISI. In the IS they found a radical school of thought that felt that it was only this outfit which could set up an Islamic Caliphate while the rest were only playing into the hands of the Intelligence agencies in Pakistan.

It is reported that like his brother, Shafi operates several accounts online especially on Facebook. There is material that is posted online and under different ids, he scrutinizes the kind of messages that come in. In his recent recruitment of a bunch of youth from Rajasthan, he was said to have interviewed them online and only after being very sure did he go about the recruitment.

Aiming to turn nondescript match-sticks lethal, the four persons, arrested in Uttarakhand for their suspected links with Islamic State (IS), were allegedly collecting match boxes to make bombs with the explosives attached with the head of the sticks. The suspects - Akhlaq ur-Rehman, Mohammed Osama, Mohammed Azim Shah and Mehroz - were under the radar of security agencies after their suspicious online activities were detected about a few months ago.

The youths used to regularly visit IS-supported websites, Facebook group and were in regular touch with some supporters of the terror group through WhatsApp, government officials said. The suspects were in touch with motivators supposedly located in IS territory in Iraq-Syria, resulting in their coming under the surveillance of security agencies."The youths were arrested only when they were about to launch terror strike," an official said.. They were allegedly in contact with a former IM operative who later went for training in Syria and is believed to be a key member of AuT which has pledged allegiance to IS.

A high alert has been sounded in Madhya Pradesh after a suspected terrorist, Syed Ahmed in custody escaped by jumping off a moving train near Itarsi railway station in Hoshangabad District. "Syed Ahmed had been arrested in Vellore in Tamil Nadu from where he was being taken on Raptisagar Express on a court warrant to Lucknow [Uttar Pradesh]. He managed to jump off the train when it was running slow near the Itarsi station," Hoshangabad Superintendent of Police Ashutosh Pratap Singh said. Ahmad had threatened to blow up a number of places, including a 'dargah' (Sufi shrine) in Lucknow, and had a number of cases registered against him in Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh, he said.

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar spoke out about the recent terror attack on the Pathankot air base in Punjab, and said the Ministry of Defence has formed a committee to look into security preparedness of important defence installations. "Security measures that we take are not to be discussed in the open. We are doing what is needed. Special team is being formed to visit various posts and interact with the officers," Parrikar said.

Security agencies have intensified their search for the absconding accused in various terror-related cases registered in Kerala. The move assumes significance in the backdrop of the recent terror attack on the Pathankot Air Force base and the arrest of Mananthavady native Dinesh alias Riyas in connection with the incident. Dinesh had been on the run after a court in Wayanad declared him wanted. The search for at least six accused in major cases is being carried out by the NIA. "We had arrested six accused in various cases in 2015, while two surrendered before court. We are now on the lookout for the other absconding accused," said an NIA source.

SFs shot dead a HM militant, identified as Shariq Ahmad Bhat, in an encounter at Naina village in Pulwama District. Bhat was a resident of Brow Bandana village of Awantipora in Awantipora District. One AK 47 rifle and “some other war like stores” were recovered from the encounter site. Reports said that two other militants managed to escape from the security cordon.

Following the encounter on January 19, protesters pelted stones on SFs and they fired dozens of teargas shells. As the clashes turned intense, the SFs allegedly opened fire on protesters, leaving three injured. One of the inured, identified as Parvaiz Ahmed Guroo resident of Naina, succumbed to his injuries. Soon after the news about the death of a civilian reached Naina and its adjoining areas, hundreds of people took to streets and held protests. Protesters clashed with SFs at multiple places and also set ablaze an armoured vehicle of police – Rakshak – on fire at Naina. During clashes four civilians sustained injuries while a police official said 17 SF personnel were also injured.

Police arrested 20-year old Gazi Fayaz Dar from Kundlan village in Shopian District.  An AK47 rifles as well as 90 bullets were recovered from him. This was one of the four AK47 rifles that Constable Shakoor had fled with from SDPO office in Bijbehara in Anantnag District. Constable Shakoor Ahmad and another youth Aqib Bashir are absconding since January 13.

The State Government will have either to carry out further amendment in J&K Panchayati Raj Act or constitute State Election Commission well before February 2016 ending to ensure timely elections to Panchayats otherwise these grass root level democratic institutions in rural parts of the State will meet the fate as that of Urban Local Bodies whose elections have not been held during the past several years. This has become imperative in view of the legal complications, which restrict the CEO of J&K from starting any sort of exercise for Panchayat elections, which will become due in May-June 2016. CEO of the J&K, Shantmanu said, “We are ready with the Master Electoral Roll after completion of Summary Revision exercise but we cannot go ahead with segregation of rural voters for Panchayat elections because at present we don’t have the mandate for the same as per the provisions of the Panchayati Raj (Amendment) Act, 2011”.

Four persons, identified as Ghanshyam Mehta, Mukesh Kumar, Pankaj Mehta and Neeraj Thakur, were arrested with explosives by the SFs from Ichak area in Hazaribagh District of Jharkhand.

The CPI-Maoist in Maharashtra has issued a ‘hit list’ of 37 persons who they vow to eliminate in 2016. The Maoists have roped in units of ‘Company-10’, trained to kill with precision, from Chhattisgarh to execute the plan. Contrary to the Maharashtra government’s recent claim that LWE is on the wane, the State faces a renewed red cadre that has vowed to eliminate 37 senior Police officers and informants in 2016. “This [the latest hit list] is a matter of serious concern for the State, even as inputs show new strategies are being adopted to attract youth with fresh vigour,” an intelligence note in possession of The Hindu reads.

Diliip Uikey alias Guha, a top CPI-Maoist leader who was active in three states for nearly two decades and named in more than 200 cases, including 19 murders in Balaghat District of MP, will be questioned by the Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh Police, officials said on January 20. Guha, who hails from Matte village in Balaghat District, was arrested from the jungles in Songudda in Balaghat by the MP Police in May, 2015. He carried a total of INR 3.5 million cash reward on his head. According to Police, Guha was a member of the Malajkhand dalam in the mid-1990s and later became the ‘deputy commander’ of a special guerilla squad before becoming the ‘divisional commander’ of Gadchiroli-Balaghat-Gondia committee of CPI-Maoist in 2008.

Based on a specific intelligence regarding the movement of militants, the troops of the 45 AR established a vehicle check post in Yurabung area in Imphal East District of Manipur and arrested one UNLF cadre. The arrestee has been identified as No 1810, Self-Styled Private, Raghu alias Thomas, resident of Khajiri in Nambol in Bishnupur District and he has been handed over to Lamlai Police Station.

Troops of 16 AR on frisking and checking duty along the Imphal-Ukhrul road, arrested a woman with explosive materials, who was travelling in an Ukhrul-bound passenger vehicles originating from Imphal in Manipur. The items seized from the women include nine detonators, three packets of highly explosive weighing 125 grams each and three fuses. The items were found in a bag carried by the woman identified as Puprangla Hungyo (53) wife of (L) Ajoy Hungyo of Sorde Village of Ukhrul District. The woman along with the devices has been handed over to Lamlai Police Station of Imphal East, an official report said.

Tension gripped Itham village in Imphal East District in Manipur after KNF-N allegedly threatened the villagers to kill them if any of them enter the neighbouring Kuki village. The threat came after the arrest of a KNF-N cadre by BSF on January 16. Itham is an interior village of Imphal East District surrounded by Naga and Kuki villages. Speaking to reporters at the village, Itham Naharol Yaipha Thourang Lup secretary T Somorjit said that Kuki militants have been constantly harassing the transporters and workers engaged in quarry works in the village.

A joint team of Barpathar Police and SFs arrested three KPLT cadres at Bokajan in East Karbi Anglong District in Assam. Acting on a tip-off, the joint team conducted a search operation at Majung Teron Gaon under Barpathar Police Station and arrested one cadre, identified as Winson Teron (26) along with a muzzle loaded rifle, a .22 pistol with three live ammunition and three live ammunition of AK-47 rifle in his possession.

The arrested cadre was later interrogated and based on his information, the joint team conducted another raid in the Bonarea locality and successfully arrested two other cadres, identified as Biren Engti (26) and Amus Ingti (45), thereby  recovering a .22 pistol with two live ammunition from their possession.

Two persons, identified as Naren Chouhan and Mohan Turi were arrested for allegedly trying to extort money from a business-man in Jorhat District of Assam.

Police arrested a wanted NDFB-IKS militant, identified as the ‘self-styled platoon commander’ Lwithwi Brahma alias Lafa from his hideout in Dolaigaon under Dhaligaon Police Station in Bongaigaon District of Assam.

The remaining six traders, who were under the custody of suspected UALA militants, were released by the abductors, under pressure from the SFs and the public. The six traders, Manoranjan Sarkar, Putul Mukherji, Piyush Biswas, Pradip Das, Bijoy Sarkar and Ganesh Basu were released without paying any ransom, Police sources said. Earlier on January 19, one of the of the seven abducted Assam traders, identified as Tustu Mohan Paul of Daranggre Darapara village in Goalpara in Assam, who was taken hostage by the militants while returning from a weekly market in Kharkutta region of North Garo Hills, escaped from their captivity following a raid by the Police.

In the aftermath of the spate of surrenders by militants belonging to various outfits, the North Garo Hills District Police provided counselling to 10 surrendered cadres at Mendipathar Police Station recently. The cadres belong to GNLA, AMEF, ANLA and UGSF. “We wanted to infuse in them that they should abide by law and cooperate with police in minimizing insurgent activities in Garo Hills”, said Ramesh Singh, SP of North Garo Hills District.

NSCN-IM and Government of India decided to speed up the peace process by holding ‘formal talks’ twice a week. This decision was taken in the talk held in New Delhi between the two parties. According to sources, Thuingaleng Muivah and 10 other members represented the NSCN-IM while RN Ravi led the Government of India team. The sources said that the talk ended on a “highly positive note”. There was exchange of views as usual between the two groups. “We are working very hard to wrap up the peace process at the earliest and by holding formal talks twice a week we are hopeful of sealing the issue soon,” said the sources. The sources also said it is likely that there will be ‘informal talks almost every day from now onwards’.

The format of talks between the Government of India and the NSCN-IM was changed last year (2015) with both sides agreeing to expedite the talks to find an amicable solution as soon as possible. A decision was taken to do away with the practice of holding one or two rounds of formal talks in a year. Such a practice was going on for years without much progress in finding a solution, report added.

January 21

Two people lost their lives in an explosion while they were allegedly making crude bombs at Dubrajpur in Birbhum District of West Bengal. The Police have recovered a huge quantity of explosives from the site. Over the past one year, West Bengal has been under the scanner of security agencies as a "secure hideout" for agents of Pakistan's ISI. It is feared that that banned organisations like the JMB has spread its network in Howrah, and both North and South 24-Parganas Districts and set up organisational bases in Districts like Murshidabad, Nadia, Bardhaman and Birbhum.

A person who was in constant touch with the four suspects who were arrested for planning a terror attack in Haridwar and Delhi, has been arrested by the Special Cell of Delhi Police. According to sources, the four were planning to carry out terror strikes in the ongoing Ardh Kumbh mela in Haridawar. Also, the arrested suspects' links with the Pathankot terror attack (January 2) is being probed. The suspects were also planning to strike Delhi as they had carried out reconnaissance of malls in the national capital.

The NIA conducted searches at the residences of Gurdaspur SP Salwinder Singh, his friend, Rajesh Verma and his cook, Madan Gopal in connection with its probe into the Pathankot terror attack. Searches were conducted at Singh’s office and residences in Amritsar and Gurdaspur.

Sources said the NIA conducted the searches to unearth fresh information, as Salwinder, during the interrogation, has maintained that he was innocent but has been evasive about his suspicious conduct on December 31. The NIA has been interrogating Salwinder for many days now and has even subjected him to a lie-detector test without any clear indication to his involvement with drug cartels or his role in the infiltration of terrorists. Salwinder is now expected to be subjected to behavioural tests. Sources said he might soon be produced before a team of scientists, comprising a behavioural analyst and psychoanalysts. Singh is currently posted as Assistant Commandant of 75th Punjab Armed Police.

Delhi Police Special Cell officials are looking for two suspected militants, belonging to the IM earlier but now associated with the Islamic State (IS), who allegedly radicalised the four students from Haridwar, who were earlier arrested on January 19. Investigators found that the four men, Akhlaq-ur-Rehman, Mohammad Azim Ushan, Mohammad Osama alias Adil and Mohammad Mehraj had more information on a module based in Pakistan than any in Syria or Iraq. Their alleged IS handler Shafi Armar was found to have been an IM man all his life who recently shifted loyalties to the Iraqi and Syrian outfit.

Intelligence officials are trying to determine if various alleged IS modules being discovered in India have origins in Syria and Iraq or are being floated by the ISI in the name of the West Asian group to mislead Indian agencies. The two suspects searched by Delhi Police, were local handlers of the arrested students, Police confirmed. One belongs to south India, most probably Bhatkal in Karnataka. A special cell officer said a Police team had already been sent to Bhatkal to apprehend the man who could be part of the IM’s south India module that could not be fully neutralised in operations after a series of terror strikes between 2005 and 2009.

The BSF increased boat-related patrolling and check posts along the riverine border that separates India and Pakistan, to prevent infiltration and smuggling operations. The BSF has identified around 140 porous gaps along the border in Punjab, Rajasthan and Gujarat. For instance, in the 553 kilometer-long riverine belt through which the rivers Ravi, Sutlej and Beas flow and keep changing their courses, the BSF has introduced improvised systems to augment the security apparatus.

The riverine border has been a challenge for border guards to stop smugglers and other unwanted activities. In the past, the BSF has not only seized contraband drugs and fake currency but also gunned down many smugglers and recovered arms and ammunition from them.

According to available data, between 2010 and 2014, the BSF seized 367 kilograms of heroin and 119 arms.

According to Intelligence agencies terror groups are planning to target Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Republic Day parade, which will be attended by French President Francois Hollande. There are intercepts to suggest that there are different modules of two different terror groups which are working to strike against Republic Day. Security agencies also fear attack by a lone wolf.

Indians based out of Syria have formed a module of the deadly terror group Islamic State (IS) to carry out attacks back home, sources in intelligence agencies have said. Sources told that these terrorists have been recruiting in India since 2004 and that at least 60 could be active in the country now. This is a big jump from a previous estimate of 23 active IS local operatives. Intelligence agencies suspect operatives were being trained to make terror strikes in religious centres like Haridwar or tourist hotspots like Goa.

The recruiters in Syria are allegedly terrorists who belonged to the home-grown IM who fled the country because of the crackdown by security agencies after the 2008 Mumbai attack. These recruiters were found to be targeting Muslim youth in the southern states and Uttar Pradesh and were trying to radicalise them through cyber propaganda, sources said. The recruitments were mostly being carried out in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi.

Army busted a militant hideout near the LoC in Kupwara District, and recovered five IEDs. Reports said that troops of 12 Maratha Regiment of the Army unearthed a hideout during search operations in Amrohi forests of North Kashmir’s Kupwara District. The items recovered from the hideout during the operation include five IEDs weighing 500 grams each, 35 metres of electric wire and three detonators.

Four Naxalites were arrested with a cache of firearms from Gaya District in Bihar and adjoining Chatra District in Jharkhand. SP (City) Raviranjan Kumar told webindia123.com in Gaya that two dreaded Naxalites of PLFI, a breakaway group of the CPI-Maoist were arrested at Raniganj village under Imamganj Police Station area in the District. On their interrogation, Police conducted raids at Jori village in Chatra District of Jharkhand and arrested two Maoist cadres. A pistol, three mobile phones and other incriminating objects were recovered from their possession. The arrested cadres were identified as Upendra Vishwakarma, Sanjeet Yadav, Dilip Singh and Pravin Kumar.

The Madras HC in Tamil Nadu granted interim bail to five CPI-Maoist cadres, top Maoist leader Roopesh, head of WGZC of CPI-Maoist, and four others, including his wife Shyna, who were arrested near Karumathampatti in Coimbatore in May 4, 2015, by the Q branch Police with a condition to appear before the Investigating Officer every day for a month.

An inter-State meeting of senior forest personnel in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala held at Bandipura in Karnataka, held after an interval of three years, decided to intensify joint operations to tackle the CPI-Maoist activities in the forest areas of the region, Pramod G. Krishnan, Chief Conservator of Forest, (Wildlife, Palakkad), said. The meet offered all assistance to Police Forces in combing operations to tackle Maoist menace. As part of this, anti-poaching activities information would be exchanged each other.

A top Maoist surrendered before the Police in Dantewada District of Chhattisgarh. According to SP, Dantewada, Kamlochan Kashyap, the Maoist was carrying a cash reward of INR 300,000 on his head. The insurgent identified as Somdu Markam alias Somlu (35) resident of Madkamiras Police Station, Dantewada has decided to lay down arms, he said. Somdu was ‘Deputy Commander’ of Maoist Area Committee active in Malangir region of Darbha division. Somdu in 2006 was involved in setting afire 55 vehicles of Essar Company at Kirandul.

Police arrested two persons from Satra Kanora in Barpeta District of Assam for carrying illegal arms and ammunition.

Seven leaders of the ULFA-PTF, including Anup Chetia and ‘chairman’ Arabinda Rajkhowa, met interlocutor P.C. Haldar at the BSF camp in Patgaon in Guwahati in Assam and discussed issues concerning the ongoing talks with the Centre. The outfit's leaders did not disclose the issues discussed in the meeting but sources said they spoke of new demands they want to include in their charter of demands already submitted to the Centre in 2011. After the meeting, Rajkhowa said that Chetia's inclusion would give a fresh impetus to the talks and a solution would soon be worked out with the Government.

According to sources, the Central Government has turned down the offers of the NDFB-IKS for a ceasefire to start the process of talks. Meanwhile, the Centre has also decided not to talk with any insurgent group involved in killing of innocent persons. Highly placed sources UMHA revealed that after receiving major setbacks in sustained operations by the SFs, NDFB-IKS has sent feelers on several occasions to go for a ceasefire agreement followed by talks with the Government. But such proposals from the outfit were emphatically turned down by the Government.

UMHA sources revealed that immediately after coming to power, the present Government at the Centre took a tough stand against outfits involved in killings of innocents and the same formula would be adopted in case of all other militant groups. Sources further said that the Government has decided not to go for ad-hoc measures for solution of the problem of militancy. From now on, the Government would try to go for comprehensive solution of the problems and there would be no discussion with any outfit involved in senseless killing of innocent people, sources added.

Kokrajhar District has the highest number of children who have lost their parents in terrorist attacks, said ADGP of Railway Police, Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta. "As many as 267 children were affected by militancy in Kokrajhar district, which is the highest in Assam. The number is quite high in Bodoland Territorial Areas District (BTAD)," said Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta while addressing a gathering at Srimanta Sankaradeva Kalakshetra in Guwahati.

KPLT has called for a 48-hour Karbi Anglong bandh (strike) beginning from 5 a.m. January 25 to 5 a.m. of January 27. Claiming to be KPLT source, a text message to local media at Diphu stated that the organization has called for boycotting the Republic Day celebration in protest against “reprisal measure of the government” against it. (Assam)

January 22

Delhi Police issued an alert after the driver of a taxi allegedly hijacked by three unidentified men from Pathankot (Punjab) was found murdered. Police released photographs of suspects and details of the vehicle through its official Twitter handle saying the Maruti Alto was hired by three unidentified men on January 20. The driver of the vehicle, identified as Vijay Kumar, was later found dead at the Kalta bridge in Kangra, Police said. Police in Himachal Pradesh, where the vehicle was registered, said the Alto was not registered with any travel agency. The alert came amidst heightened security in the Capital ahead of the Republic Day celebrations to be attended by French President Francois Hollande as the chief guest.

In a major crackdown by the NIA and state Police forces ahead of Republic Day, 14 men who were allegedly “radicalised online” were detained for interrogation, in Mumbai (Maharashtra), Hyderabad (Telangana), Bangalore, Tumkur and Mangalore (Karnataka), and Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh). They had formed Janood-ul-Khalifa-e-Hind, a terror group with similar ideology that of Islamic State (IS).

Of the 14, five persons, MudabbirMushtaq Shaikh alias Abu Musab (33) resident of Mumbai, Mohammed Nafees Khan alias Fatima Khan alias Abu Zarrar alias Akram (24) resident of Hyderabad, Mohammed Shareef Moinuddin Khan (54) resident of Hyderabad, Najmul Huda alias Majnu (25) resident of Mangalore, Karnataka, and Mohammed Afzal alias Abu Mariyam alias Yasir, (35) resident of Bengaluru were arrested on January 22.

Stone-throwing clashes erupted in parts of Old City in Srinagar and in Sopore town in Baramulla District, after Friday congregation prayers. Scores of youth assembled outside historic Jama Masjid in Nowhatta area of Old City and staged a protest. The protesters later marched towards Nowhatta Police Station and pelted stones on SFs including Police and CRPF, ensuing clashes between the two sides. The Police fired dozens of teargas shells and pepper gas canisters towards stone-throwing youths. However, the youth, continued pelting stones on the SFs. The clashes later spread to Gojwara and Hawal localities of the Old City. The rock-throwing clashes meanwhile also erupted in Sopore town in north Kashmir. Witnesses said groups of youth in Sopore Main Chowk pelted stones on 179 Battalion CRPF bunker after Friday prayers after which clashes ensued.

A rusted anti-personnel mine was recovered near forward BOP along IB in Samba District. Official sources said one old rusted anti-personnel mine was recovered from Basantar Nullah near Band Tip BOP by a patrolling party of the BSF.

Five militants of HuM who were planning attacks on VIPs and SFs were arrested by the SFs in Sopore area in Baramulla District. The SFs also busted the network of HuM in Sopore area of North Kashmir. Sources said that Police in Sopore and Army’s 52 RR conducted searches in Sangrama area of North Kashmir’s Baramulla District and arrested a wanted militant of HuM outfit, Ishfaq Ahmad Sofi of Sopore and his accomplice and recovered arms and ammunition from their possession. Sources said that the HuM was in the process of reviving its network in Kashmir valley and were planning attacks ahead of Republic Day in Kashmir by targeting SFs and VIPs.

A huge cache of arms mostly barrels used in manufacturing guns was recovered from forests in Rajnandgaon District of Chhattisgarh. Acting-on a tip off, as many as 39 barrels of 12 bore guns were recovered from Mangikholi forests under Bortalav Police Station area by a joint team of SFs, Rajnandgaon SP Sundarraj P said. During interrogation, a recently arrested CPI-Maoist woman cadre, Manisha had revealed about the location of a dump of materials for making guns hidden in the forests of Kandhurra based on which search operations were on in the jungles of Kandhurra for the past few days, the SP said.

Seven Maoists, three of them carrying reward of varying amounts on their heads, were arrested from Sukma District of Chhattisgarh. “The cadres were apprehended by a joint team of security forces near Chingavaram village under Gadiras police station limits,” Sukma ASP Santosh Singh said. The Maoists have been identified as Madvi Bapu (30), Madvi Linga (30), Madvi Hidma (35), Podiyami Kosa, Madvi Handa (40), Madvi Muda (35) and Madvi Hadma (23). While Hidma was carrying a reward of INR 1,000, Handa and Kosa carried INR 2,000 each. According to Police, the Maoists were allegedly involved in activities like damaging roads, set vehicles on fire, and dropping Maoist pamphlets in the region.

UMHA adviser K. Vijay Kumar stressed on better interstate cooperation to combat LWE effectively along the borders of Jharkhand and its neighbouring Naxalite-hit states. During a four-hour meeting at the Jharkhand Police headquarters in Ranchi of Jharkhand, Kumar is understood to have directed state Police and paramilitary forces to "reactivate" the "Operational Area" (OA) strategy and set up "Interstate Joint Task Force" to crack down on CPI-Maoist and other rebel groups, who have been using porous borders to give security personnel the slip. "I am happy with outcomes of anti-Naxalite operations in Jharkhand. The meeting mainly discussed plans for better interstate coordination and better intelligence network. For example, we have faced problems in tri-junction bordering areas (where borders of three states merged). Thus, cooperation among state police is the need of the hour," Kumar said after the meeting without divulging further details.

Maoists killed one villager, identified as Nanhu Singh Bhokta in Gulab Bigha village under Madanpur Police station in Aurangabad District of Bihar suspecting him to be a Police informer. The Maoists also left a pamphlet at the spot threatening to eliminate SFs engaged in anti-Maoist operations. However, Police claimed that the victim never worked as their informer. "Police are probing the incident from different angles. Four special police teams have been formed to carry out raids and arrest those involved in the killing," the SDPO P N Sahu said.

North Garo Hills Police narrowly missed wanted GNLA ‘commander’ Pilliport D Shira alias Rakban, during a raid on a temporary camp of the armed group at Tapa Chiring in North Garo Hills District. Police had reportedly spotted the ‘commander’ but could not take him out since he was sitting next to a child outside a house. A militant sentry also spotted the Police team leading to a brief exchange of fire following which the militants slipped away into the forests. From the makeshift camp Police seized as many as 72 mobile SIM cards of various cellular companies. Demand notes of GNLA, mobile phones, identity cards and rubber seals of the group were also recovered from the camp.

As many as ten militants from the AMEF, who had been operating in the North Garo Hills region surrendered to authorities at Sambrak near Wageasi in East Garo Hills District, handing over an assortment of weapons. The ten militants had failed to join the rest of the group and its leadership, who went on to give themselves up to East Garo Hills Police at Rongjeng in December, 2015. The surrender came about following the active intervention of the NGHVF whose members comprise of church and village elders as well as NGOs. The families of the ten militants and their respective village elders had approached the forum to facilitate the surrender of the ten men who had been operating in the Kharkutta-Mendipather-Wageasi-Dainadubi region. The ten cadres of the outfit who surrendered are - Saljatchi Marak, Bulthul Marak, Banjrang Sangma, Jhony Marak, Premanear Marak, Aron Marak, Nibirth Marak, Tawan Marak, Jagol Sangma and Sengjan Sangma. They handed over a powerful LMG, two AK rifles, two pistols and a SBBL shot gun along with a large number of ammunition.

January 23

On the basis of information received in the interrogation of five accused persons arrested by the NIA another nine accused persons with IS links were arrested from various locations in different cities. The arrested persons are;  Syed Mujahid (33) resident of Tumkur, Karnataka, Asif Ali alias Arman Saani (21) resident of Bengaluru, Suhail Ahmed alias Sohail alias Hafes Saab (23) resident of Bengaluru, Muhammad Abdul Ahad alias Bade Amir alias Sulaiman (46) resident of Bengaluru, Mohammed Obedullah Khan alias Obaid alias Talha (33) resident of Hyderabad, Abu Anas (24) resident of Hyderabad, Mohammad Aleem (20) resident of Lucknow, UP, Mohammad Hussain Khan alias Jamil (36) resident of Mazgaon, Mumbai, and the 14th person Imran khan of Aurangabad was arrested from Aurangabad (Maharashtra).

According to UMHA, while those detained were being monitored for around six months, some communication and attempts to get firearms and IED material had “precipitated the matter.”

Online monitoring of the group also revealed that some of them had plans of organising a terror training camp. Most of those held were allegedly in direct contact with former IM operative Shafi Armar, and there were “cross linkages” between members of the group.

The UMHA, however, said there was no evidence so far to link the group directly to the Islamic State (IS). “This group was handled by someone going by the name Yousuf on the internet, who is suspected to be former Indian Mujahideen member Shafi Armar. We are not sure whether he is directly linked to the Islamic State or where he is located, as this is subject to investigation,” said UMHA spokesperson.

A CRPF trooper, identified as Janaradan Sonawane was injured in an IED blast near Sameli village in Dantewada District of Chhattisgarh.

Four Naxalites, including two women, who were carrying cash reward on their heads, identified as Malangir LOS ‘commander’ Anita alias Mitki (22), Nelnar LOS member Rajo Vekko (25) and two Jan Militia members, Sannu (30) and Raju Mandavi (25) were arrested from Kirandul Police Station area in Dantewada District of Chhattisgarh. The arrested cadres were allegedly involved in an attack on a Police anti-landmine vehicle in Dantewada on April 13, 2015 killing five Policemen and injuring eight others.

Seven persons have been detained during different search operations conducted by Imphal West and Imphal East District of Manipur. The first operation was conducted under the supervision of Imphal West ASP (Operations) Th Vikramjit and Imphal West Commando OIC P Sanjoy at Wahengbam Leikai Lairembi community hall, where all the residents were called for verification. Five persons who could not produce proper identity proof documents were taken to Imphal Police Station for further investigation. On the other hand, a team of Imphal East District Police also carried out a search operation at Bamon Leikai Nahabam area under supervision of Imphal East ASP (Operations) Singhajit and Commando OIC P Achouba, in which two persons were detained at Porompat Police Station.

SFs, in an operation, arrested two militants of the NSCN-IM from Kashipur and Lodi villages in Dima Hasao District of Assam while they were carrying out extortion activities in the area. A pistol, along with seven rounds of live ammunition was also recovered from their possession.

Three people, identified as Mohammed Nazir, Kabir Sheikh and Haq Shahib, were arrested for trafficking FICN of face value INR 3,80,000, from Ashram Chowk in Delhi. All are residents of Malda District in West Bengal. Police said the three used to smuggle fake Indian notes from Bangladesh for circulation in India and destabilise the Indian economy.

Central Government sanctioned funds to create infrastructure for ‘Beating Retreat’ ceremony at Agartala-Akhaura border with Bangladesh, similar to that at Wagah in Punjab. “Of the INR 99 crore sanctioned by the Centre to develop tourist spots in Tripura, INR 18 crore was earmarked to create infrastructure at the Agartala-Akhaura border for Wagah-like Beating Retreat Ceremony,” State Tourism Minister Ratan Bhowmik said.

January 24

Pakistan Government dismissed India's proposal to jointly interrogate JeM ‘chief’ Maulana Masood Azhar and other terror suspects. While Pakistan is expected to send a Special Investigating Team to India in consultation with the government for further investigations in the Pathankot (January 2) attack, but it refused to accept India’s request to jointly grill Maulana Masood Azhar.

India’s External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj made a strong pitch to delink terrorism from religion as India and the Arab League member states condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. “As the spectre of terrorism and religious hatred raises its ugly head across the world, particularly in those cherished cities of history, it is time once again to reach back in time and redeem the essence of our civilisational spirit,” Sushma Swaraj said as she addressed the first-ever ministerial-level meeting of the India-Arab Partnership Conference at Manama, Bahrain that was attended by the foreign ministers of the 22 Arab League countries.

The arrest of Muddabir Mushtaq Sheikh from Mumbra, a suburban Thane District of Maharashtra, as part of the countrywide crackdown against the Islamic State (IS) that led to the arrest of 14 people, has brought to the fore the systematic recruitment process of IS and the hierarchical structure of the terror outfit in India.

The structure of the outfit was decided by Shafi Arman, the handler of recruitments in India operating from Syria, in 2013, and Sheikh, was made the amir (‘chief’) of Ansar-ut Tawhid fi Bilal al-Hind, IS’s wing in India. Khalid Ahmed Ali Khalid alias Rizwan, a 20-year-old arrested during the raids in Mumbai, was the second-in-command of IS in India, under whom four other chiefs were nominated, said police sources interrogating the suspects. According to the Police, Khalid played a key role in the indoctrination of Ayaz Sultan, Malwani resident who has gone missing, who was then made a recruiter. Khalid, according to sources, had visited Malwani and stayed with Sultan, and had also met other members, who were indoctrinated by Ayaz

SFs foiled an attempt by LeT militant outfit to carry out attacks on the occasion of Republic Day (January 26) by arresting a LeT militant along with arms and ammunition in the orchards of Qasermulla Chadoora village in Budgam District. “This suspect person was apprehended by the security forces and on searching his bag one AK-47 with two magazines, 60 rounds and one grenade were recovered”, a senior security official said. The official identified the militant as Basharat Ahmad Shah alias Furkan of LeT resident of Nillora, Litter in South Kashmir District of Pulwama. “He was a close accomplice of Wasim Hef alias Osama and Majid Zargar alias Talha of LeT.

Army recovered a consignment of explosive material and ammunition from Seri Hatti forests in Gambhir Mugalan area of Keri sector in Rajouri District. Official reports said a joint team of 38 RR and Police conducted search operation in Seri Hatti forest area of Gambhir Mugalan and recovered the consignment, which comprised three Chinese grenades and 691 rounds of Pika ammunition. The grenades and Pika rounds had been wrapped in polythene bags and hidden in a small natural hideout, reports said. However, no arrests were made from the spot.

The Odisha Police killed two senior CPI-Maoist cadres — the secretary of Kalinga Nagar Divisional Committee, P. Kumarswami alias Sushil, and his wife Sundari Lingo alias Suni, in an encounter at Pacharipani in Deogarh District of Odisha. Sushil, a resident of Warangal in Andhra Pradesh, was allegedly involved in 78 cases, including 30 murders, in Angul, Deogarh, Keonjhar, Jajpur, Rayagada and Gajapati Districts of the Odisha. “When the SOG jawans approached the rebels’ hideouts, Sushil and his aides fired at them prompting the jawans to retaliate. Sushil and his wife were neutralised on the spot while other cadres managed to escape. Efforts are on to nab them,” said DGP K. B. Singh. Sushil was carrying reward of INR two million on his head while Suni carried INR 500,000 on her head. The DGP said Sushil was actively involved in the murder of ASI Umesh Marandi of Daitary Police Station in Keonjhar District in July 2010 and executed several mine blasts. The DGP said Sushil was trying to establish a red-corridor.

An exchange of fire took place between the Police and Naxals, affiliated to CPI-ML New Democracy and arrested one squad member, identified as Sarangam, in the forest abutting Kothaguda mandal near Doragari Vempalli village in Warangal District of Telangana. Rural SP Ambar Kishore Jha confirming the incident said that there was a cross fire when the combing party of the Police personnel spotted a group of Naxals in the forest area. The Police arrested squad member, Sarangam, while the rest of the members escaped from the spot.

Two cadres of the PLFI-a splinter group of the CPI-Maoist, identified as Amit alias Birsa and Julius Lugun alias Julu, were arrested during a search operation at Rania in Khunti District of Jharkhand. Khunti SP Anish Gupta was tipped off that PLFI ‘zonal commander’ Jeedan Gudia and his associates had assembled in a forest on the outskirts of Khudbir village in Rania to work out future course of actions. "When our boys reached the forest around 3.30pm and asked them to surrender, they abused them and started fleeing towards northern end of the woods. Amit and Julius were caught after a hot chase. However, Jeedan and his fourteen other associates managed to escape. We have launched an intensive search operation in that area," SP Gupta said. Police recovered a rifle, many cartridges, 10 cell phones, a backpack and military fatigues from them.

In a search operation, Maoist literature, items of daily use, ammonium nitrate and battery connectors, used for explosions, were recovered by Police in Kathikund in Dumka District of Jharkhand. SP Vipul Shukla said they were carrying out search operations in different parts of the District for the last four days.

The CPI-Maoist has given a call for 24-hour Bihar-Jharkhand bandh on Republic Day (from January 25 midnight) to protest killing of their colleagues in an encounter with SF personnel at Band Goreya village under Dhibra Police Station in Aurangabad District of Bihar on January 8. CPI-Maoist spokesperson Mannas said the bandh will start from January 25 midnight and will continue for the next 24 hours. He said emergency services have been exempted from the bandh. Mannas said Chief Minister Nitish Kumar led-Grand Alliance government in Bihar has extended full support to ‘Operation Greenhunt’.

Six CPI-Maoist cadres, one of them carrying cash reward on his head, surrendered before Police in Sukma District of Chhattisgarh. "The cadres surrendered before senior police and CRPF officials citing disappointment with the ideology of Maoists and ill treatment meted out to them by senior leaders," Sukma ASP, Santosh Singh, said. Those surrendered were identified as Kunjam Lakhma, a medical team member of Jagargunda area committee of Maoists, Dubi Lakhma, head of DAKMS - a frontal wing of Maoists, and four lower rung members - Kawasi Lachhu, Dubi Hunga, Kawasi Kosa and Kawasi Budhra, he added. Dubi Lakhma was carrying a reward of INR 100,000 on his head, he added. 

Two janmilitia members of the CPI-Maoist, identified as Madvi Sukka (38) and Madvi Linga (32), were arrested from Lakhapal village under Kukanar Police Station limits in Sukma District of Chhattisgarh. The duos were rounded up during patrolling by a joint team of CRPF and District Force in the Kukanar region, located around 450 kilometres away from Raipur, ASP, Santosh Singh, said.

Four militant outfits operating in north-east India called for their boycott of Republic Day celebrations on January 26. In a joint statement the four organisations, the United National Liberation Front of Western South East Asia (UNLFWSEA), CorCom of Manipur, GNLA and the HNLC called for the shutdown in the region on January 26. “We call upon the citizens to put out a strong, clear message and protest against the imposed celebration of the Republic day in our West Eastern South East Asia (WESEA). We call for a total shutdown of our region from 00.01 hrs to 18 hrs of January 26,” the statement mailed to the media said.

A Special Guerrilla Squad member and a militia ‘commander’ besides, four militia members of the CPI-Maoist were arrested by joint squads of the District Police and CRPF personnel during separate combing operations in Charla mandal of Khammam District, Telangana. SGS member Dirda Bandi alias Deelip (24) was arrested by the Police and CRPF personnel during a search operation in Chintagupha forest area. Maoist militia ‘commander’ Madakam Nandaiah alias Andaiah (22), two militia members, Adamaiah (20), and Ithaiah (25), and two Revolutionary People’s Committee members Sannaiah (30), and Gangaiah (35), were arrested by the Police and CRPF personnel near Taliperu reservoir.

The State Government decided to turn the non functional Baljek Airport near Tual into a hub of activity by planning to house surrendered militants there. Sources informed that preparations were on in full swing to provide shelter to surrendered UALA militants at the Baljek Airport that was built at a cost of INR 12.52 crore. The State Government is also working out details of the surrender ceremony which would be organised after the list of cadres is submitted by UALA and subsequently verified.

January 25

French President Francois Hollande said his visit to India was aimed at strengthening and reinforcing “the cooperation against terrorism between our two countries”. “Today, there are all kind of terrorist threats that are hovering around countries such as India and France and one of the main aims of my visit here is to reinforce and strengthen the cooperation against terrorism between our two countries,” Hollande said.

Four foreigners have gone missing from a hotel near the Bhubaneswar railway station since January 25. The four of them have gone missing since then, and Police is now suspecting them to be from an international terrorist organisation. Odisha Police is now screening the CCTV camera images available with the hotel.

Two al Qaeda operatives, Masood Akram Sheikh alias Masood alias Monu and Nasim Akhtar alias Raju believed to be members of its sleeper cell and motivating youths to join the terror group, were arrested from Jamshedpur.The two are members of al Qaeda's sleeper cell and motivate youths of the steel city as well as other parts of Jharkhand to join and expand the organisation, Police said. Masood confessed that he had been linked with the terrorist group since 2003 after he was motivated to join it by Abdul Rehman Katki, who had been arrested by Delhi Police from Cuttack in December, 2015.

Three foreign nationals have been detained, one of them a Syrian in connection with a letter threatening to harm Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as security was stepped up at vital establishments and crowded places in Goa. The Syrian, whose identity was not disclosed, was detained and was being questioned, IGP Sunil Garg said. The letter, received at the State Secretariat on January 13, 2016 had “IS” written on it and threatened to harm Modi and also Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar.

High alert has been sounded in Uttarakhand after security agencies received credible inputs about the presence of terror suspects in the state. Uttarakhand DGP B S Sidhu said one of the suspects was caught on CCTV cameras in Dehradun. “We had inputs of movement of some suspects in the state, and issued an alert. We have also circulated an image of a suspect,” Sidhu said. The source of image, circulated by the state Police, remains in the domain of speculation. It is learnt that a CCTV camera installed outside a shop had captured the footage. Sources said the state police and intelligence agencies are on the trail of at least eight terror suspects.

According to a report, the Islamic State (IS) is willing to shell out as much as USD 60,000 for every government information which is passed on to them and are looking for Indians who can hack governments data and pass on crucial information to the terror group.

The report said there are various underground communities online where hackers interact regularly. The handlers make lucrative offers for stealing government data. Stealing government data is part of Islamic State's exercise to formulate their strategy against India. IS has contacted over 30,000 young techies from India so far and some may have already grabbed the opportunity. There are several profiles of handlers on Twitter and Facebook which are being used to spew venom against India and attract prospective recruits.

Two cadres of Jharkhand Jan Mukti Parishad were killed by a rival group in Palamau District of Jharkhand. Police recovered the bodies of the two JJMP cadres from Chando-Basriya village under Chainpur Police Station area of the District. The bodies have been identified as that of JJMP ‘area commander’ Chanchal Paswan and his associate Kamlesh Paswan.

A group of suspected Maoists set ablaze a portion of an under construction mobile tower at Chhatarpur area in Palamu District of Jharkhand. Palamu DIG Saket Kumar Singh said that three suspected Maoists on a two-wheeler also damaged a solar panel used for powering the mobile tower.

Two can bombs, weighing one kilogram each, planted by the Maoists was found near a school at Kurum village under Bhandariya Police Station limits in Garhwa District of Jharkhand.

CPI-Maoist cadres killed a junior Police, identified as Girija Paswan, in Aurangabad District of Bihar. The Maoists claimed that the 35-year-old was killed as he was suspected to have told his superiors about the whereabouts of Rajiv alias Bihari, a Maoist leader. Rajiv and his accomplices were killed by the Aurangabad Police earlier this month (January 2016).

CPI-Maoist cadres set ablaze a JCB machine and a tractor engaged in road construction work at Dalianuji village under Muniguda Police Station limits in Rayagada District of Odisha.

A joint team of District Police and CRPF arrested a CPI-Maoist cadre, identified as Mahadev Korram, from his house under Mardapal Police Station limits in Kondagaon District of Chhattisgarh. Based on a confirmed intelligence input that he was present in his house, SF personnel raided the place and rounded him up.

A ‘section commander’ of TPC identified as Narendra Singh alias Dara Singh was arrested by Pipra Tarn Police team in Palamu District of Jharkhand. 

Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi claimed that Islamic militant group, Islamic State (IS/ ISIS) has not been able to make significant inroads into the State that has a sizeable Muslim population. Gogoi said that though the threat from ISIS exists everywhere, the group so far had failed to strike roots in the State which, of course, can’t be a reason for the SFs to become complacent. Pointing out that ISIS was using social media in its attempt to radicalize youth with its doctrines, Gogoi said close watch was being kept at all levels to ensure that the group was not able to penetrate the state. He also underlined that youth of the country, who have been radicalized by the ISIS, had to be made to see reason and return to the mainstream.

Assam DGP, Mukesh Sahay sounded an alarm over the growing threat of ISIS in different fronts and use of social media to recruit vulnerable youth to its ranks. Assam stands vulnerable to threat from radical groups like the ISIS because of presence of a large pool of unemployed youth from the backward Muslim community. The State has witnessed rising activities of jihadi elements in the recent years. Several training dens of jihadis were busted in western Assam in the last couple of years following dismantling of JMB modules in neighbouring West Bengal by Indian security agencies including the NIA. A number of leaders and cadres of various Islamic fundamentalist groups were arrested in the State in the last couple of years.

The GNLA announced it had joined hands with other major militant groups operating in the north east so as to be part of the ULFA and NSCN-K-led UNLFWSEA coordination committee. The GNLA move to be part of a larger consortium of armed rebel groups fighting against the state is expected to create ripples across the security agencies at both the Centre and the state given that the dreaded ULFA-Independent is one of the main  architects of the coming together of militant outfits. The GNLA publicity ‘secretary’ Gantong Marak issued a statement to the media, to announce that the GNLA had recently joined the new consortium after the highest ranking leaders of the group, presumably Sohan D Shira, held an emergent meeting at its headquarters in Asim. The armed group further went on to mention that it was now a part of the new joint organization which also includes the Khasi Hills based HNLC as a member. GNLA recently became a member nation in the organization UNLFWSEA. The consortium of the rebel groups is believed to have its headquarters in the jungles of neighbouring Myanmar (Burma).

Three cadres of the NSCN-K surrendered to State Government authorities in the presence of the AR. The cadres, whose identities were not disclosed for their safety, laid down weapons in a public function held at the Deputy Commissioner Office complex in Peren in Peren District. According to the AR, it was an unconditional surrender facilitated after the cadres through their families expressed their wish to eschew violence and “join the mainstream.”

The cadres, two in their 20s and one in his late teens, laid down three pistols along with ammunition and a grenade in front of the Peren Deputy Commissioner and SP and the Commandant of the 18 AR. It was witnessed by a host of civil society representatives. Two of the cadres had joined the NSCN-K in 2009 and the third in 2011. The AR stated that the surrendered cadres got disillusioned after realising the futility of violence. “Life was hard in the jungle and at times we regretted for our acts against our own people,” the AR quoted the cadres as stating.

January 26

Two people with suspected links Islamic State (IS) India terror module have been detained in two separate incidents from Hyderabad and Maharashtra are likely to be handed over to the NIA on January 27. The two, whose names have been withheld, were being questioned by a joint team of intelligence agencies. NIA claimed that the accused were regularly in touch with active members of IS in Syria through Internet chatting via ‘Skype’, ‘Signal’ and ‘Trillion’ and were also using the social networking sites to motivate young men to join the feared terror outfit which has captured vast swathes in Syria and Iraq.

A well-funded network of Islamic State (IS)-inspired group Janood-ul-Khalifae-Hind or the Army of Caliph in India, that had recruits across the country, has emerged as a new threat as investigations by NIA reveal that there was a larger financial nexus involved in the recruitment process.

After neutralising the 14-member module following a nationwide crackdown, the investigators have launched another manhunt as the probe has revealed that those arrested had recruited several others and also arranged finances for some to travel to Syria and join Islamic State. Investigations have revealed the group was making efforts to establish a channel to procure explosives and weapons, identify locations to organise terror training camps and motivate new recruits to target police officers, foreigners in India and to carry out terrorist activities in various parts of India.

The number of Indians who are believed to have joined Islamic State (IS) outfit now stands at 25, up from 17 in August, 2015. According to official sources, “Their preliminary interrogation shows that they wanted to increase the numbers of their followers here and organise attacks to establish a caliphate here". According to officials, the group being led by Mumbai resident Mudabbir Sheikh had at least one common handler, former member of the IM Shafi Armar alias Yousuf, who now heads the AuT which has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State.

Two men from Telangana, who recently left the country to fight alongside IS in Syria, were in close contact with at least four of the 14 terror suspects arrested by the NIA, a senior government official said. They were also part of the Hyderabad module and are said to be absconding and had acquired visa for Japan, the probe has revealed. "It is true that the Islamic State is trying to recruit at multiple levels in India. The present module was not under the radar of the State police but the Central intelligence agencies had been keeping a watch on them,” said an official.

An unidentified militant was killed in an encounter with SF personnel in Kokernag town in Anantnag District. A militant was killed and his identity is yet to be ascertained, Police said. One AK 47 and three magazines were also recovered from the slain militant.

On the occasion of India's 67^th Republic Day, a complete shutdown was observed in Jammu and Kashmir as the valley was swathed in a blanket of heavy security. The shut down call was given by Hardline APHC Chief Syed Ali Shah Geelani as he had asked the people of the valley to observe 26th January as a 'black day' and observe a complete shutdown.

Army officials of India and Pakistan met at Chakan-Da-Bagh along Poonch-Rawlakote route and Mendhar-Hot Spring crossing points in Krishna Ghati of Poonch District to celebrate the Republic Day. The Army officers of two sides expressed commitment to keep peace on the LoC and IB and exchanged sweets and gifts at both the places. The BSF and Rangers also met at Octroi Post in Suchetgarh sector of RS Pura and various other points along the IB in Jammu sector to exchange greetings on the occasion.

CPI-Maoist cadres threatening people to boycott Republic Day celebrations, hoisted black flags in several places in Bolangir District of Odisha. The Maoists unfurled black flags on school premises in Chaulabngi in Khaparakhol block in the District leaving Mao posters and pamphlets appealing public to boycott the Republic Day, said sources.

CPI-Maoist cadres thrashed to death a villager of Kuaghar in Kandhamal District of Odisha after branding him as a ‘Police informer’. The victim, Biswambhar Kanhar was dragged out of his house in the late night and beaten to death. The Maoists accused Biswambhar of passing on information to Kandhamal SP Kanwar Vishal Singh about their movements. The Maoists accused Biswambhar of taking INR 50,000 from the Police for providing such information.

A ‘sub-zonal commander’ of TPC identified as Munna Singh alias Munna Ganjhu alias Ganjhu was arrested in Manatu block of Palamu District of Jharkhand.

Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi, while hoisting the national flag at the Republic Day celebrations in Guwahati, made an appeal to elusive ULFA ‘chief’ Paresh Baruah and other separatist leaders to shun the path of violence and join the mainstream. Gogoi also warned that his Government would continue to take stern measures to crush the armed rebel groups in the State.

State Transport, Excise and Sports Minister Ajit Singh while welcoming the militant groups that have come over ground and joined the peace process repeated his call to those outfits which are still in wilderness. He described their move as a positive signal which will contribute towards the strengthening of unity and solidarity. Ajit Singh said, “No solution is possible through gun-culture.” It is in their overall interest that they should return to the mainstream life. He at the same time cautioned if any group makes any attempt to challenge law and order and create disorder, his Government will not hesitate to deal with them firmly.

A low-intensity bomb blast occurred in Lad Rymbai in East Jaintia Hills District. However, no casualties were reported. District Police chief Spill Thamar said, “It is too early to comment. We are looking into all possible angles behind the explosion.”

Meghalaya Governor V Shanmuganathan said that the Government has adopted a multi-pronged approach to address the root cause of the militancy in the State. “The government has kept its door open for talks with the militant outfits provided they eschew the path of violence,” he said while addressing the Republic Day celebrations at Polo grounds in Shillong.

PRO of the AR, Kohima alleged that through “various intelligence inputs” NSCN-K, ULFA-I and KLO are “carrying out opium cultivation and trade in Kachin Province of Myanmar”. An AR press release alleged that NSCN-K cadres are “into cultivation and transportation of opium, but the same has been consistently denied by Khaplang.” Based on a recent picture “uploaded” on social media by a senior leader of NSCN-K group and Finance in-charge of Nagaland “with poppy cultivation in the background,” the PRO said that this “substantiates the claim made by various intelligence agencies that NSCN (K) is thriving on drug trafficking and opium trade.”

“On social media Self Styled Col Isak Sumi claims that it is poppy crop in the background close to Kachin–China border,” noted the PRO, thereby drawing the conclusion that NSCN-K is “using the illicit money earned through narcotics to procure war like stores, training of their cadres and running camps for training other militant outfits on a purely mercenary basis.” The PRO AR went on to note in the press release that the “involvement of NSCN (K) in drug trafficking is posing serious problems for the Naga society in particular and North Eastern region as a whole.”

Nagaland Governor P B Acharya urged NSCN-K and other militant groups to leave the path of violence and return to the negotiating table. He stressed that peace is pre-requisite for economic growth and social well-being of the citizens. The Governor said the framework agreement signed between GoI and NSCN-IM on August 3, 2015, was a momentous development which deserves to be welcomed by all. “This gives us a great opportunity to put the troubled past behind us and is the time for all of us to support the peace process for a permanent solution,” he stated.

Citizens of Tripura defied a militant boycott call to participate in India’s 67th Republic Day celebrations. The main programme was organized at the AR parade ground in Agartala where Governor Tathagata Roy unfurled the National flag. He also inspected the parade and took the guard of honour. The boycott call was reportedly given by at least four militant organizations in the region.

January 27

Mudabbir Mushtaq Shaikh, the ‘emir’ or chief of Janood-ul-Khalifa-e-Hind, an Islamic State (IS)-inspired outfit, a module of which was busted by the NIA during raids conducted between January 22-23, has confessed to having received INR 600,000 money from Mohammad Shafi Armar, a former IM militant who is now an IS recruiter based in Syria. While INR 237,000 of the terror fund transferred to Shaikh was recovered during the raid at his Mumbra home, a part of it was earlier distributed to at least two IS-inspired youth, of whom one received INR 50,000 in Lucknow.

Interrogation of the 14 IS-influenced men arrested by the NIA has revealed that Janood-ul-Khalifa-e-Hind, active since April 2015, was modelling itself on the lines of organised terror groups, complete with a central unit, and state and city units. Even its leadership structure was well-defined, with Mudabbir as its emir, Rizwan Ali of Kushinagar, Uttar Pradesh, as naib emir; Najmul Huda as ‘military commander’, and Mohd Nafees Khan of Hyderabad as ‘finance chief’.

Former IM operative Shafi Armar, suspected to be the chief recruiter of the 14 men recently arrested for planning terror strikes across the country, wanted a unit of Junud al Khalifa-e-Hind (Soldiers of the Indian Caliphate) to be raised in every state and major city. Armar, who allegedly chatted with those arrested over social media and encrypted messengers such as Trillion, Surespot and Skype, had asked Mumbai-resident Mudabbir Sheikh and Kushinagar-resident Rizwan Khalid to ensure that these units are set up, said sources, adding that the units were to be activated as and when required to launch an attack.

Investigators probing the arrest of 14 operatives have found that they were in touch with each other and their foreign handler through chat applications like Signal, Trillian and Skype. While chatting, the handler had sent four videos instigating UP youth, Rizwan Nizamuddin alias Khalid, to join the Islamic State (IS). One video, 'Kandahar to Delhi', contained information about training, fighting and countering security agencies. "The videos sent to Khalid by his handler contained the print line of Ishaba Media. He had received links to these videos towards the end of 2013, when he was only 18. These videos are not available on the Internet now," said a security officer.

Maharashtra ATS’s investigations have revealed that the Indian recruits were being given online training to make bombs by IS’s foreign handlers. Apart from training, those recruited in Ansar-ut Tawhid fi Bilad al- Hind, the Indian wing of IS, were handed over a four-point programme in a bid to radicalise them.

According to sources, over 30,000 people in India are in contact with Islamic State (IS) and are ready to wage war against their own country- India. IS is using these people to hack secret data of Indian government; the terror outfit will use the data to forge strategy to harm India. IS contacted these people online. According to Maharashtra ATS officials, they have blocked 94 websites so far. These websites had content related to IS.

The Union Cabinet that met under the chairmanship of PM Narendra Modi in New Delhi, approved five new battalions of IRP for J&K, which would be raised over a period of one and half years to two years with preferential treatment to the youths of border areas. The Cabinet cleared a proposal to raise a total of 17 new IRP battalions including five for J&K. The PM, in his Special Package announced for J&K on November 7, 2015, had kept a provision of INR three billion for raising of five IRP battalions for the State.

Seven Policemen were killed while eight others were injured in a landmine blast by the CPI-Maoist at Chattarpur Block in Palamu District of Jharkhand. The SF personnel were going towards the Kalapahari area in a convoy when their vehicle came under attack. The Jharkhand Police had corned a group of Maoists around Kalapahari area in Chattarpur Block of the District two days ago. The Police and Maoists have since been engaged in encounter. "This afternoon, at around 2 pm, there was heavy exchange of fire between the forces and Maoists and we were rushing in reinforcements, when they were attacked," said an unnamed Jharkhand Police officer.

Three CPI-Maoist cadres, who were allegedly involved in the Jiram valley attack on Congress leaders in Bastar District on May 25, 2013, were killed in an encounter led by SF personnel at Metapal village in Dantewada District in Chhattisgarh. SP Kamlochan Kashyap said that based on an intelligence tip off provided by the SIB about the presence and movement of the Maoists led to the encounter.

Suspected Maoists set ablaze three vehicles, including two tipper trucks engaged in sand mining, in Bijapur District of Chhattisgarh.

Two IEDs, weighing around 10-12 kilograms, planted by the Maoists to target SF personnel or civilians during the Republic Day celebrations were defused within the Muniguda Police Station limit near Pusuguda square at Hatamuniguda in Rayagada District of Odisha. 

Centre approved the raising of three IRBs in Odisha. At present, there are eight IRBs in Odisha. While Odisha got three along with neighbouring Jharkhand, five in Jammu and Kashmir, four in Chhattisgarh and two in Maharashtra were approved by Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Union Cabinet also approved seventy five percent of the vacancies of constables to be filled up from 27 core Districts in the four LWE affected states of Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Maharashtra under SRE scheme.

After taking over the State’s reigns following imposition of President’s Rule in Arunachal Pradesh, Governor J P Rajkhowa has instructed his newly appointed Advisor YS Dadwal to take immediate steps to ensure rule of law and maintenance of peace and tranquility in the State. “Utmost care be taken to safeguard the interest of the common people. In the same line, freedom of the common citizens and government officers must not be infringed. No person should be allowed to take law into his hands and no nuisance should be tolerated. Law breakers should be dealt with firm hands,” ordered the Governor.

Unidentified assailants abducted three persons, identified as Lala Nampui (75), Josepha Nampui (25) and Luapui Thiaite, from New Sangbar village under Umrangsu Police Station in Dima Hasao District.

Unidentified militants exploded a bomb at the residence of a contractor of Government’s PMGSY scheme, Sinam Dijen in Yaiskul Sougaijam Leirak Nambul Mapal under Imphal Police Station in Imphal west District. However, no casualties were reported. According to the available information, the bomb is suspected to be an IED.

A head constable, identified as Thounaojam Herojit Singh, who had claimed to have killed Chungkham Sanjit, a former militant, in a controversial case on July 23, 2009 on the orders given by the then ASP, Imphal West, Akoijam Jhalajit Singh, disappeared after he boarded an Imphal-bound flight at Delhi Airport. His family members fear that he could have been abducted by unidentified suspects after landing at Imphal airport on the same day.

January 28

A Sessions Court convicted two persons for hatching a conspiracy to launch terror strikes at the ONGC headquarters and other public places here in 2010. "The court has convicted Abdul Latif and Riyaz Ali under different sections of IPC and the UAPA. The court is expected to pronounce quantum of sentence tomorrow," special public prosecutor Rohini Salian.

With the Islamabad High Court dismissing the prosecution's petition seeking voice samples of 26/11 (November 26, 2008) Mumbai Terror attack mastermind Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi and six other suspects, the MEA said that the ongoing trial is a test of Pakistan's sincerity in combating terrorism directed towards India. "We see the Mumbai terror attack trial in Islamabad as a test of Pakistan's sincerity in combating terrorism directed towards India. The planning, training and financing of the Mumbai terrorist attack was done on Pakistan, where 99 percent of the evidence is. It is Pakistan's responsibility to unearth and present requisite evidences in the ongoing trial so that the perpetrators are brought to justice," MEA Spokesperson Vikas Swarup said.

Hyderabad Police arrested the absconding alleged IM operative, Mohamed Rafeeq, alias Alam Jeb Afridi, a native of Ahmedabad, from Bengaluru. He was handed over to the NIA for further interrogation. Sources in Ahmedabad crime branch said Afridi had confessed to NIA about his role in the serial blasts that rocked the city on July 26, 2008. Around 56 people were killed and more than 200 were injured in the blasts, which took place at 18 places in Ahmedabad. "Afridi reportedly told NIA officials that he held a series of meetings with hardcore SIMI terrorists. He was also at the terror training camps at Waghamon and Halol," said a crime branch official.

Rafeeq was being interrogated by the Telangana Police in connection with a blast in Ahmedabad when his alleged role in the Church Street blast on December 28, 2014 came to light. A statement from the NIA said Rafeeq had planted an IED outside Coconut Grove restaurant in Church Street on December 28, 2014. “During interrogation, Rafeeq confessed he wanted to plant a bomb inside the restaurant, but was deterred by the presence of staff, and so he planted it near the wall,” the statement said. Rafeeq was acting at the behest of a handler who had told him about the probable visit of an Israeli delegation to the restaurant for dinner that night. The explosion claimed the life of a woman from Chennai visiting Bengaluru.

Pakistan's ISI has joined hands with Islamic State (IS) to carry out terror attacks in India. Pakistan’s intelligence agency is now trying to infiltrate into the India via Syria and Iraq. Because of growing international pressure, Pakistan has been forced to act on the home-grown terror groups. So, in order to tackle this problem, the ISI has now joined hands with IS to continue to sponsor terrorism into India. The IS is desperately looking for Indian youths who can hack the government's data and pass on crucial information to them. IS handlers are contacting such distracted youths through social networking websites.

Troops of RR, TA and Reasi Police recovered a consignment of arms and ammunition from village Bajali in Dandihalya area of Reasi District. Official reports said a joint team of the SF personnel carried out search operation in Bajali and destroyed natural hideout of the militants. Recoveries made from the hideouts included one AK-47 rifle with one magazine and 249 rounds, one UBGL, one 9mm pistol with magazine, five rounds of 9mm pistol ammunition, 23 Pika rounds, one radio set and war like stores. Army and Police conducted searches in the area after effecting the recoveries but no arrests were made from the spot.

The Police arrested a militant in Shopian District. According to the Police, he was among the four youth who joined militants along with a cop recently.

Terrorist outfit LeT is recruiting “vulnerable young men in Pakistan,” as part of a larger conspiracy to wage war against India, especially in the State of J&K, a chargesheet filed by the NIA in the Udhampur terrorist attack case has said. The NIA said the LeT “recruited these impressionable young men and put them through various training regimes with the twin objectives of radicalising their worldview and providing them with ‘military’ skills and they were then illegally pushed into India to join their colleagues and commit terrorist acts.” The outfit recruited “guides” to help “trained terrorists” infiltrate into India through Helen Det, a launch pad being operated by the outfit in PoK near the LoC, says the chargesheet pertaining to the attack on a BSF bus in Udhampur on August 5, 2015, in J&K.

Nine LeT cadres were named in a charge sheet filed by NIA in terror attack case in Udhampur, 2015. The charge sheet has been filed against the accused Mohammed Naveed alias Usman, Khursheed Ahmed Bhat alias Khursheed Alam Bhat, Showkat Ahmed Bhat, Shabzar Ahmed Bhat, Fayaz Ahmed Ittoo alias Fayaz Khar, Khursheed Ahmed Ittu, Fayaz Ahmed Ashwar alias Setha, Ashiq Hussain Bhat alias Ubaida and Abu Noman.

GOC of Army’s 15 Corps, Lieutenant General Satish Kumar Dua while speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a function at the inauguration of Nawjawan Club for Youth at High Ground Anantnag in South Kashmir said that over 200 militants are active in Kashmir Valley, but SFs are maintaining pressure on them to ensure peaceful conduct of various functions in the Valley. “There are around 220 militants, over 200 militants in Kashmir”, he said. The GOC also said that the counter-infiltration grid along 400 kilometer long LoC in Kashmir is robust and in multi tiers to foil any infiltration attempt.

Admitting that critical Police lapses during the combing operation caused a 13-member contingent driving through dense Kalapahari forests to fall in the CPI-Maoist trap, State DGP D.K. Pandey, who flew to Palamau headquarters in Daltonganj, to pay his tributes to slain troopers at Chhatarpur Block in Palamu District, said, "While carrying out operations in a remote area, the police should have used an anti-landmine vehicle instead of moving around in a Tata 407 mini truck. Adequate backup for unprecedented eventualities was also not taken care of."

Chhattisgarh has constituted a post of Special DGP Anti-Naxal Operations to effectively combat LWEs in the State and has given the charge to senior IPS officer D. M. Awasthi as part of a minor reshuffle on the top.

Two days after the landmine blast at Hussainabad in Palamu District of Jharkhand, Maoists, claimed the incident took place to avenge the Bandh Gorya encounter under the Dhibra Police Station area in Aurangabad District of Bihar, in which four Maoists were killed. A statement released on behalf of CPI-Maoist central zone spokesman Pramjeet claimed that the organization would launch 'Operation Break' against SF personnel and engage them in encounters to give them a befitting reply. He added the Police were cheating the people in the name of ‘Operation Vishwas’ launched to generate a sense of security among them.

Former Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Nabam Tuki on January 28 filed a fresh plea in the SC against promulgation of President’s Rule in the North Eastern State. The move comes days after the Supreme Court agreed to hear Congress’ plea against Centre’s recommendation of President’s Rule in Arunachal Pradesh on January 27.

Three Policemen, identified as Dharmendra Das, Tilak Nath and R K Rajesh Singh, were injured when unidentified assailants hurled a grenade at them during patrol duty in Ram Nagar under Haflong Police Station in Dima Hasao District. Investigations are on and a search has been launched to nab the culprits, the Police officer said.

Unidentified assailants fired at the residence of District BJP General Secretary Deben Thaosen in Haflong in Dima Hasao District. However, no casualties were reported.

Assailants abducted one Bijon Kemprai, brother of Dima Hasao DCC president Mahendra Kemprai, from Thaijuari in Dima Hasao District.

Police and Army, in a joint operation, arrested one NDFB-IKS militant, identified as Gangaraj Wary alias Dableu Gold (35), and a linkman, identified as Kalicharan Brahma (25) from Chirang District. Spot interrogation and search led to recovery of one 7.62 mm pistol with two rounds of ammunition, one .305 Rifle with 25 rounds of ammunition, 14 rounds of .315 rifle, one Chinese hand grenade and other war like stores, an Army official said in a statement.

Army and Tengakhat Police in a joint operation arrested a leader of the ULFA-I and his wife from Ulton area under Tengakhat Police Station in Dibrugarh District. The arrested militants have been identified as Abhinash Gogoi alias Dudu (18), a resident of Tengakhat Lohali Village under Duliajan Police Station and Puja Marak (20), resident of Sherpur District in Bangladesh. According to Police sources, Dudu was joined banned outfit ULFA-I in 2011 and subsequently he was sheltered at Bangladesh and had involved in various activities of ULFA.

AR personnel and Thoubal Police Commandos during a search in Bongbal Khullen village in Senapati District arrested one KNF-N cadre, identified as the ‘assistant finance secretary’ Satkithang Kipgen alias Ranjit (29). One 9mm Pistol (Country made) along with a magazine and nine live rounds were also recovered from his possession.

Police raided Nogapara village in West Garo Hills District and arrested two militants of ASAK, identified as Chiang Ch Sangma and Walnen A Sangma along with two crude bombs. Ongoing counter insurgency operations against ASAK militants had been taking place for the last few days in the areas of Dombagre, Wadagre, Mellim, Bolchugre and Rangsakona, report said. The arrested militants revealed that they were part of ASAK’s western area command under the leadership of senior ASAK commander Harara.

NSCN-K rejected the allegation of IGAR-N that it was involved in “narco-terrorism” and sought to clarify the allegation for public consumption. NSCN-K PRO ‘colonel’ Isak Sumi said the inhabitants of Chindwin Valley, both Nagas and non-Nagas, had for ages been tending poppy garden more or less as a tradition using the produced as a medicine to fight tropical malaria that claimed hundreds of life each year.

The PRO of the AR while highlighting the seizures made by the Para-military unit in the State informed that AR has recovered 263 firearms and 19,157 rounds of ammunition in operations conducted during 2015. The PRO said that a total of 516 persons were arrested during the same period for involvement in anti-social activities. Of the people arrested, 230 were cadres of the various Naga Political Groups and 286 were civilians. The recovered firearms included 142 pistols of various calibres, 10 AK and M16 series rifles, one lathode rifle and 24 types of “local made weapons.”

January 29

An Afghanistan National was detained at the Pathankot Railway Station in Punjab over visa validity issues. The 25-year-old was on his way from Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir) when he had an altercation with a passenger over travelling without a ticket. The Police was called after the scuffle broke out and the man was handed over to the police, where after questioning he revealed that he was from Kabul. The man came to India in 2013 and doubts remain over the validity of his Visa. Meanwhile, two mobile phones and a laptop have been recovered from him and an investigation is underway.

The NIA arrested three suspected Islamic State (IS/ISIS) propagandists and recruiters, who were deported from the UAE on January 28, in New Delhi. The arrested men have been identified as Sheikh Azhar al Islam Abdul Sattar Sheikh (hails from Jammu and Kashmir), Mohd Farhan Rafiq Shaikh (hails from Maharashtra) and Adnan Hussain (hails from Karnataka). The three are wanted for conspiracy to identify, motivate, recruit and train Indians, both in India and abroad, for terror attacks. They were arrested by NIA after questioning. They were working with Islamic State's Abu Dhabi module.

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said that the security agencies were capable of dealing with any threat posed by the terror group (Islamic State). The Minister’s comments came amidst concern over the growing attempts by ISIS to lure youths into its fold. "We have the capacity to meet any threat. We will face it," the Home Minister said.

An Indian terror module pledging allegiance to the Islamic State (IS/ISIS) is a reorganized group of the virtually defunct IM and SIMI elements, recruiting new members to carry out a string of terror strikes across the country, highly placed intelligence sources said. This fact came out during the questioning of 14 suspected Islamic State (IS) sympathisers who were arrested last week from 12 places in six cities in a synchronized raid conducted by the NIA, the sources added. Those inspired by the IS ideology were hooked by Yusuf-al-Hind who, the Indian security agencies believe, is former IM member Shafi Armar, a resident of Bhatkal in Karnataka. Armar, now believed to be in the Islamic State-held area along the border of Iraq and Syria, formed ‘Janood-ul-Khalifa-e-Hind’ and recruited Mumbai-based 33-year-old Mudabbir Mushtaq Shaikh as ‘Amir’ (chief) of the group.

Official sources privy to the investigation said that Armar also recruited his brother Sultan and others who had worked for IM and the now-banned SIMI. “Apart from former IM and SIMI members, Armar chose those who are basically inspired by the IS ideology. He first recruited his close aides and then inspired them to recruit more supporters,” said an unnamed official. They used social networking sites and made calls through the internet (using VoIP) to activate the sleeper cells of IM and SIMI,” the official added.

Another intelligence source declining to be identified said that the outfit members were directed to carry out strikes across multiple cities, including Hyderabad in Telangana, Bengaluru, Mangalore and Tumkur in Karnataka, Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh, and Aurangabad and Mumbai in Maharashtra. “They were asked to organise training camps – like how to use fire arms – before the attack. They were also trying to establish channels for procuring explosives and weapons,” the official source said. The leadership of Janood-ul-Khalifa-e-Hind, active since April 2015, was following the IM and SIMI set-ups by choosing their organised central, state and city level core groups, the official said. The 14 men, allegedly influenced by IS and arrested by the NIA, are also said to have revealed that the 20-year-old Uttar Pradesh-based Mohammed Aleem was chosen as Naib Amir, the second-in-command of the group after Mudabbir. The sources said Karnataka resident Najmul Huda was the military commander and 24-year-old Hyderabadi Mohammed Nafees Khan was the finance chief of the outfit.

Two men were awarded varying jail terms by a sessions court for hatching a conspiracy to launch terror strikes at the ONGC headquarters and other public places in Mumbai in 2010. "The court sentenced Abdul Latif to 12 years in jail and Riyaz Ali to 10 years' imprisonment," said special public prosecutor Rohini Salian. Sessions court Judge Sanjay Patil also imposed a fine of INR 10,000 and INR 5,000 on Latif and Ali, respectively. The duo were in touch with a person, believed to be their handler, based in Pakistan and used to address him as 'uncle'. Latif and Ali were directed by the 'uncle' to recruit young boys and to send them to Pakistan for training and carrying out terror activities in India.

A militant was killed in an encounter that broke out between militants and SFs in Lolab area in Kupwara District, after SFs launched an operation. Police said that acting on specific information about presence of at least two-three militants of LeT in Lohar Mohalla, Dardpora in the frontier district, 28 RR of Army and SOG Kupwara launched the joint operation. Reports said that during the cordon, militants fired on the SFs leading to a gun battle in which one militant was killed and one AK-47 rifle was recovered from the dead militant.

Seven hardcore CPI-Maoist cadres were arrested from various places in the Bastar division of Chhattisgarh. Three Maoists, carrying a reward of INR 100,000 each on their heads, were arrested from Dantewada District. Two Maoists were arrested near Metapal village of Sukma District, while two others were arrested from Kanker and Narayanpur Districts.

One Maoist cadre has surrendered before Rajnandgaon District SP. The Maoist was carrying a reward of INR 200,000 on his head.

Two CPI-Maoist cadres, who had apparently come to intimidate workers and contractors engaged in the widening of NH-23, were arrested from Beltand in Bokaro District of Jharkhand. A gun, a pistol and seven cartridges were found from them.

A top CPI-Maoist leader, identified as Ram Chandra Mahto aka Pramod aka Chirag Da, was killed in an exchange of fire during a joint operation conducted by Bihar Police, CRPF, CoBRA and SSB at Charkapaththar area in the Jamui District. Mahto was a ‘member’ of the East Bihar North-West Jharkhand ‘special area committee’ and was wanted in 20 cases in Bihar and over three dozen cases in Jharkhand. He carried a head money of INR 2.5 million in Jharkhand and INR 500,000 in Bihar. Mahto’s body was recovered along with one Police rifle, one 303 regular weapon, one 8mm pistol and one country made pistol.

One person, identified as Dip Neog, who was arrested on charges of making an extortion demand to a local resident in Rajahowli in Jorhat District, was sent to judicial custody by a local court in Jorhat.

One automatic pistol with ammunition and AK 47 live ammunition were recovered from ‘self-styled captain’ of NSCN-U, Jenlang Moinyak (40), who was arrested by the personnel of AR based in Khonsa from Longbu village in Tirap District of Arunachal Pradesh. On specific input from the locals about presence of some cadres for extortion at the village, the troops of 1st AR conducted a search operation named in the adjoining forest area of Longbu, last which led to arrest of the militant.

January 30

The SIT formed to probe the Dinanagar terror attack believes that the attack was undertaken by LeT, while the attack on the Pathankot Air Force Station was the handiwork of JeM. The SIT officials said the three terrorists who attacked Dinanagar had hidden their identity and organisation like the way LeT worked. However, in Pathankot, the JeM terrorists made no effort to hide that they were from that organisation and left a trail of evidence tracking them to Pakistan.

Two LeT militants were killed during an encounter in North Kashmir’s Lolab area in Kupwara District. The militants have been identified as Abu Mushtaq Hyder and Abu Rashid Suliaman Qadri. Bodies of both the militants were retrieved and two AK-47 rifles, 15 magazines,  hundreds of bullets, 4 wireless sets, three grenades, one pistol, two GPS devices, one Thuraya, one matrix sheet, clothes, medicine and ration were recovered from them.

Three cadres of the CPI-Maoist were killed in two different encounters in Bastar region of Chhattisgarh. In the first encounter, two woman Maoist cadres were killed and their dead bodies were recovered after an encounter near Palamadagu village of Sukma District. The woman Maoists, identified as Vanjam Shanti and Vanjam Pojje, were militia members of Palamadagu range committee of the Maoists, IG of Police, S.R.P. Kalluri said. Three locally made guns, detonators, uniforms and some bullets were recovered from them.

A Maoist cadre identified as Ramasu, who was the trainer of the Maoists LOS in Awapalli area was killed in an encounter which took place at Pannur village of Bijapur District, Chhattisgarh. One 8 mm locally made gun was recovered from him.

One civilian was killed in a cross firing between CPI-Maoist and PLFI cadres, at Pondegar under Bandgaon Police Station area in West Singhbhum District of Jharkhand.

The body of a villager who was abducted by the CPI-Maoist cadres two days ago for refusing to join their ranks was found in Sukma District of Chhattisgarh. The body of the victim, identified as Hidma, was found lying in a pool of blood on the outskirts of his native village Madiyaras Korra, said Santosh Singh, ASP, Sukma. The villager was abducted by armed men from a local market on January 28.

A Police official was killed in an encounter with CPI-Maoist sympathisers in Munger District. Police said that on a tip-off a Police team led by ASP Navin Kumar went to Lathiakoresi village to arrest a suspected Maoist Lallan Koda but in the exchange of fire an ASI Bhavesh Singh posted at Dharhara Police Station of Munger District, suffered bullet injuries. “The injured was brought to the Sadar Hospital where doctors declared him dead”, said Varun Sinha, Munger SP. A Maoist sympathiser was also injured in the firing.

SFs arrested a cadre of NSCN-U, identified as Jenlang Moinyak, from Longbu village in Tirap District of Arunachal Pradesh.

SWAT commandos of Meghalaya Police killed a ‘commander’ of GNLA, wanted in the bombing in Williamnagar market on January 9, in an encounter at Nengjringgttim village in East Garo Hills District. The commandos shot dead Pangkam Sangma, the second ‘area commander’ of the GNLA, while another terrorist, who ran away along with two others from the gunfight, is believed to have sustained bullet injuries. "He (Pangkam) was wanted in several cases of murder, kidnapping and extortion besides in the January 9 Williamnagar blast in East Garo Hills where nine people were critically injured," East Garo Hills District SP, Davies R. Marak said. A pistol, four mobile handsets, high-frequency wireless sets and incriminating documents were recovered from the site of the encounter.

A jihadi identified as Jahidul Islam (28) was arrested from Gossaigaon in Kokrajhar District of Assam.

January 31

The Islamic State of Syria and Iraq (ISIS) module that was busted recently by the NIA had attempted to procure arms from West Bengal. Investigators have learnt that while these youth who were arrested had planned on increasing the recruitments, they were also in touch with some operatives to procure arms from West Bengal. The job of procuring arms was assigned to one of the arrested operatives, Nafees Khan. He was told by his handlers to visit West Bengal and make contact with arms dealers. He was to visit the border areas of the state to get in touch with persons who supply illegal arms and ammunition, the investigators have learnt. The NIA during its probe had learnt that this communication relating to procurement of arms was found while deciphering the transcripts of these alleged ISIS operatives. There have also been financial transactions which suggest that money was being collected to procure arms and ammunition.

The suspected Islamic State of Syria and Iraq (ISIS) terrorists arrested by the NIA were collecting chemicals used in matchsticks and explosive of firecrackers for the past seven months with an aim to launch attacks in different parts of the country. The preliminary reports of the explosive seized from the arrested suspects indicate that the chemicals are potassium chlorate and potassium nitrate, said one of the officials. "Due to the recent restrictions by the government on purchase of ammonium nitrate, the modus operandi of the group here appears to be to collect the other easily available explosives," said a senior official. The final laboratory report is still awaited, he said.

With no headway made in the probe into the Pathankot terror attack, Pakistan plans to seek more evidence from India, a media report said, days after PM Nawaz Sharif said the outcome of the investigation into the assault would be made public soon. A Pakistani Government team investigating the Pathankot airbase attack will ask the Foreign Ministry to seek more evidence from India. "The team has almost completed its investigation into five cellphone numbers (allegedly used for making calls from Pakistan to India) provided by the Indian Government. No further leads were found from these numbers because they were unregistered and had fake identities," Dawn Newspaper quoted a source as saying. "The probe is not heading further. The team needs more evidence. Therefore, it has written to the government to speak to India and apprise it of the situation and demand more evidence to move forward in investigation here," he said.

Two persons were injured in Lolab area in Kupwara District, after violent stone-throwing clashes erupted between locals and SFs over the killing of three LeT militants. The clashes erupted soon after the funeral-in-absentia for two militants as locals resorted to massive stone-pelting on Lalpora Police Station. The residents of Dardpora and Lalpora areas offered the absentia funeral at Jindyal village as Police didn’t handover bodies of two militants to them.

Three teenagers were arrested by Police from Sazgaripora locality of Hawal in Kupwara District, on the charges of stone-pelting. The youths were detained for taking part in frequent stone-throwing protests in Old City localities, said an official.

Two CPI-Maoist cadres were killed in an encounter with SF personnel in Sukma District of Bastar region, said S.R.P. Kalluri, IGP, Bastar Range. “A small contingent of the DRG (District Reserve Guard) and the STF (Special Task Force) was dispatched by Sukma District Superintendent of Police D. Srawan to Kistaram area of Sukma on the basis of some specific inputs provided by intelligence agencies. A fierce gunbattle took place between the Police team and the Maoists near Vanjalvala village. Two bodies of uniformed Maoists were recovered from the spot of the encounter by our boys,” added IGP Kalluri. The two Maoists have been identified as Dusra Dharma, the ‘president’ of Revolutionary People’s Committee of the Maoists in the area and Vetti Raju, the ‘president’ of Dandkaranya Kisan Majdoor Sangh of the Maoists. Police also recovered two locally-made guns, backpacks and some Maoist literature from the encounter spot.

Police arrested two GNLA rebels in South Garo Hills District. According to the Police the arrested militants have been identified as-Tobiash Ch Marak alias Changdul, (20) and Rakran Ch Marak (18), both of Rongpakgre village under Chokpot Police Station. The duo was arrested from Ganggugre village near Deku in an early morning operation by Baghmara SWAT team. One 7.65 pistol with magazine, three live rounds and GNLA ID card were recovered from their possession. Police said that Changdul was earlier part of West Garo Hills command under GNLA.

Three persons were arrested by Aradonga Police from Mawram Noonmati, West Khasi Hills District, in connection with the abduction case of Darius Marngar of Nongthymai village under Aradonga outpost in West Khasi Hills District. The three arrested persons have been identified as- Jholsh G Momin (25) of Resu Radi, North Garo Hills District, Walmen G Momin alias Katrangbat Momin (25) of Dingoapal, Bajengdoba, North Garo Hills and Sengman R Marak (25) of Nongrisan of West Khasi Hills District.

Suspected Naxals set ablaze eight vehicles engaged in road construction work at Ghatkuri and adjacent Pipri Sai Village under Gua Police Station area in West Singhbhum District of Jharkhand.

Four PLFI supporters were arrested following a fierce encounter with the Police at Selundi village under Anandpur Police Station limits in West Singhbhum District of Jharkhand. The Police also claimed to have injured at least one cadre during the encounter.

CPI-Maoist cadres set ablaze three camps and eight construction vehicles in Pottangi area of Koraput District, Odisha.  Reports said more than 100 Maoists arrived at three contractors’ camps at Taupadar, Barabandha and Kasuguda under the Pottangi Police Station limits and attacked the labourers while they were asleep. Later, they set fire to the three camps and eight road construction vehicles including a tractor, a JCB machine and five Poclain machines.

Chirang Police arrested one jihadi, from Hatigaon in Guwahati in Kamrup District of Assam. The jihadi identified as Tota Miya (40) was residing as a tenant at Mina Begum’s residence situated at Masjid Road in Notboma. Police have recovered one 7.65 pistol and two rounds of live ammunition, one magazine and two mobile phones from his possession.

February 1

Three employees of Postal department were arrested and one detained in Barmer and Jaisalmer Districts for allegedly sharing information related with Indian Army with a Pakistani spy, a top Police officer said. "State intelligence unit with the help of local police picked up the employees for interrogation. They allegedly shared Army related information to a Pakistani spy," ADGP (Intelligence) UR Sahoo stated. Two men, Islamuddin and CR Dahiya were arrested and one woman, identified as Pramila detained in Balotara area of Barmer while one man, Narendra Sharma was arrested in Jaisalmer. They all are posted with local post offices in Balotara (Barmer) and Pokaran (Jaisalmer) and had shared information through emails. 

The NIA arrested a 24-year-old terror suspect, identified as Azhar Iqbal from Putli Ghar area of Bhopal as part of the agency’s crackdown on alleged sympathisers of Islamic State (IS). A resident of Barkheda in Madhya Pradesh’s Raisen District, Iqbal was said to be hiding in the residence of one Laik Ahmed before NIA sleuths apprehended him, sources said.

According to the sources, he used to move around with some members of the group and even attended some of its meetings. Conspiracy to carry out terror attacks was purportedly discussed at these meetings. NIA is investigating a large scale conspiracy in which young men from across the country were allegedly planning to carry out terror attacks in the name of the IS.

The NIA and the ATS are probing the overall role of alleged Afghanistan module of Islamic State (IS) to see if there is any link to their ongoing investigation against radicalisation by IS and whether this module is linked to the four youths from Kalyan who had fled to join IS in May 2014 and to last year’s incident where a person was arrested for trying to recruit men in Pusad town of Yavatmal District, and send them to Afghanistan for arms training.

“The fact that Afghanistan is known for being infested by terrorists is known to all. But the NIA and us are investigating to see if there is an overall link to ISIS related incidents. As of now we are unable to establish a link,” said an ATS source. It is also learnt that the NIA and ATS are probing the role of Shafi Armar, who was formerly a member of the Indian Mujahideen (IM). Armar is said to be one of the foreign handlers of Mudabbir Shaikh, the 'chief recruiter' for IS in India caught from Mumbra. Armar was operating from Afghanistan in the past.

Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju said “some gaps in security” led to Dina Nagar and Pathankot terror attacks in Punjab. “There were some gaps in security that led to terror attacks in Punjab,” Rijiju told. He, however, said Punjab government and the Centre were working jointly on security aspects following the twin terror attacks.

On infiltration of terrorists, Rijiju, said that there were many gaps as somewhere barbed fencing was broken and at some places fencing was missing. “Similarly there were some problems with the riverine area that also need immediate attention,” he said. Union Government will give special attention to all security measures in Punjab to maintain peace and harmony, Rijiju said. He said some elements are attempting to create disturbance in Punjab like 1980 period but peace will be maintained at any cost and there would be no compromise with the security even at international borders and BS) will also equipped with more infrastructure as per requirement. Talking about Indo-Pak talks, he said if the dialogue with Pakistan is scheduled, the terror issue will be part of it. The Centre will provide all possible help to Punjab as far as security issues are concerned, he said.

Mohammed Rafeeq, alias Jaweed alias Alam Jeb Afridi, prime suspect arrested in the December 28, 2014 Church Street blast case, told officials that he assembled the explosive in his house in Vinayakanagar, Parappana Agrahara, southeast Bengaluru, sources privy to the probe said. "The parts reached Afridi in different consignments from Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh. We aren't sure whether Afridi himself fixed the timer on to the explosive or someone else helped him," sources said. After assembling the device, Afridi rode to MG Road on his motorcycle, parked it on Residency Road and walked to MG Road via Brigade Road, sources said.

Before entering Church Street, Afridi walked to Anil Kumble Circle on MG Road and entered Church Street from St Mark's Road. "Afridi stood near a commercial game shop, a few metres away from Coconut Grove. But the presence of security guards and drivers forced him to walk away. Otherwise, his original plan was to plant the explosive beneath a vehicle or inside a busy shopping mall," the sources said. "He carried the bomb in a backpack and reached Church Street around 6pm. He walked thrice in front of Coconut Grove and finally, acting like he was waiting for an autorickshaw, he placed the bag next to the restaurant compound wall and walked away silently," sources added.

The Maharashtra ATS, during its ongoing probe, has found that Shafi Armar alias Yusuf, who defected from IM to join Islamic State (IS) has been pivotal in indoctrinating youths in India, had made detailed plans through Mudabbir Sheikh, 'chief' of the IS' Indian wing, his deputy Khalid Ahmed Ali Nawazuddin alias Rizwan and men under their command. According to the Maharashtra ATS, Khalid was asked to hunt for safe houses in the state and he even got in touch with a realty broker in Goa and hired a house for INR 10,000 at Madgaon. Mumbai, Pune and Goa were the primary targets for the attack on crucial Army, Navy and Air Force installations, sources said. According to sources, IS also had plans to target foreigners in Goa and Maharashtra.

One person, identified as Sameer Sardana was arrested from Vasco in Goa on suspicion of being linked to jihadi groups.

A former mukhiya of Murumguttu village in West Singhbhum District of Jharkhand was killed by unidentified assailants near his house. SP Michael S. Raj said that PLFI cadres were suspected to have killed Rajendra Hapathgara (45) who was associated with the outfit.

A Maoist ‘area commander’ and a sympathiser of the outfit were arrested from different parts of Latehar District in Jharkhand.  Ravi Mochi, ‘area commander’ was arrested with a rifle, cartridges and Maoist literature from Palhaiya village in Manika block of the District while sympathiser Rahmatullah was arrested from Mahudanad village of the same District.

Two SSB personnel were injured in an IED explosion triggered by the CPI-Maoist cadres in Kanker District of Chhattisgarh. The blast occurred when the SF personnel were patrolling to ensure security to the under-construction railway track between Kacche and Bhaismudi villages in Bhanupratappur region, Kanker SP Jitendra Singh Meena said. “Constables Ayon Mandal and Parmanand Maurya have sustained superficial injuries in the blast,” the SP added. Preliminary probe revealed that the IED, placed in a pressure cooker, was planted under a heap of murrum, around 30 metres away from the under-construction railway track, the SP said.

19 Maoists including five carrying cash rewards on their heads were arrested during separate operations carried out by SF personnel in Sukma District, Chhattisgarh.

A CPI-Maoist’s Charla LOS ‘commander’ S. Bojji alias Anjanna, was reportedly detained by the Police in Khammam District of Telangana. Sources said that Bojji was arrested while he was taking shelter in a chilli field on the outskirts of Battinapalli village in Charla mandal in the early hours of the day. Bojji, who is also member of the Venkatapuram Area Committee of the CPI-Maoist, carries a cash reward of INR 400,000 on his head.

A suspected CPI-Maoist, Ranjith, was produced before the Judicial Magistrate Court in Dindigul District of Tamil Nadu. Judicial Magistrate C.B. Vedagiri adjourned the case till February 15. Police claimed that the accused was in Kodaikanal with Naveen Prasad, who was gunned down in an encounter with the Police, and was engaged in weapon training. The Police had brought Ranjith from Tiruchi prison.

Nearly 1,450 cadres of different militant groups were arrested across the state (Assam) last year (2015) and a huge cache of arms and ammunition seized, Governor Padmanabha Balakrishna Acharya informed the State Assembly. "During 2015, the security forces apprehended 1,449 cadres of different militant groups," Acharya said in his address to the House on the first day of the February Session. "The security forces also recovered 577 assorted arms, 15,515 rounds of live ammunition, 58 IEDs, 307 grenades, 144 kg of explosives, 2,979 detonators and cash amounting to Rs 29,85,510 from different extremist elements," he added. Acharya also said 58 militants and 10 civilians were killed last year in encounters, while 49 other people were kidnapped in extremist-related incidents.

"Identification of one module of JMB in the state in the wake of the blast in Khagragarh, Burdwan district, West Bengal, led to the arrest of 30 members of the module from Barpeta, Nalbari and Chirang districts of Assam as well as recovery of 10 bombs," he added. Acharya said efforts are going on to apprehend the remaining members of the module. Currently 13 militant groups are on the path of joining the mainstream after laying down their arms, he said. "My government would also like to appeal to Shri Paresh Baruah and his faction of the ULFA and other insurgent groups to give up the path of violence and come back to the national mainstream in the interest of the people of Assam and the country at large," he added.

BSF troops of Dhubri sector seized FICN worth INR 100,000 from three Indian FICN racketeers. Based on a specific input provided by BSF intelligence wing, a joint operation was launched by troops of BSF Dhubri sector along with Police and arrested three FICN couriers, identified as Golam Hussain (50), Jahar Ali (28) and Jamaluddin Sheikh (25) with the FICN worth INR 100,000 from Jogmaya Ghat, adjacent to Dhubri town, BSF official said.

Representatives of NSCN-IM and the GoI would be holding a formal talk on February 2. Both the parties have been holding two-three meetings a week. According to sources, the NSCN-IM delegation would be led by its general secretary Th. Muivah while interlocutor R.N. Ravi would represent GoI. Sources also said that a delegation of NSF met Ravi, and appealed for expediting the peace process. Ravi reportedly told the NSF delegation to help bring all the Nagas together. NSF team, which also met Th. Muivah, would be calling on UHM on February 2. Sources said NSF has also sought an appointment with the Prime Minister. (Nagaland)

The Dimapur Peace Declaration 2016, formulated during the course of the 2nd National Peace Convention, has called for the abolition of the AFSPA, among other resolutions. The Convention also appealed to the Central Government and various ethnic groups in north-east region to ‘enter into dialogue’ and avoid usage of force and violence. The 2nd NPC concluded in Dimapur, recognising the road to peace to be arduous but affirming solemn commitment to become promoters and builders of peace.

February 2

Uttar Pradesh ATS and Telangana Police arrested Saudi Arabia based LeT 'commander' Abdul Aziz from Lucknow airport. Aziz was detained in a jail last night and was deported. Telangana Police is interrogating the terrorist. Aziz had been serving jail term in Saudi Arabia and was deported to India on February 2, following which after ATS and Telangana Police took him into their custody. Telangana Police will apply for his transit remand in court.

Karnataka’s coastal town of Bhatkal, once known as recruiting ground for IM, is now being seen in the security establishment to be emerging as a possible incubator of the Islamic State’s (IS) Indian terror module after a string of arrests from the town and nearby areas in Karnataka. Shafi Armar, who, intelligence agencies say is the main recruiter of Indian men lured to the IS ideology, also belongs to Bhatkal where he was born and lived with his two brothers, before leaving India in 2009. 

“All the arrested suspected terrorists having links with Bhatkal are being quizzed to ascertain their role in the module. Interrogators are also trying to find out the exact number of people recruited from the town,” the sources said. The sources privy to the investigation, however, said that the arrested IS suspects were not only asked to target Bhatkal to recruit members but to seek sympathisers across India for which they had organised several meetings in Lucknow, Mumbai, Mangalore, Tumkur (in Karnataka), Haridwar and Hyderabad. Another official, said that the main India-module recruiter of IS has been targeting his former IM aides who belong to Bhatkal and nearby towns in Karnataka.

Dawood Ibrahim is the only "Indian national" on an updated list of financial sanctions by the UK that also includes Sikh terror groups. Dawood, against whom an international arrest warrant has been issued, appears on the UK Treasury department’s ‘Consolidated List of Financial Sanctions Targets in the UK’, with four recorded addresses in Pakistan, all in Karachi.

Azhar Iqbal, a suspected member of the India wing of the Islamic State (IS), studied at the famous Islamic seminary Darul Uloom, Deoband, for seven years before being suspended for indiscipline in December, 2015. Iqbal, 23, was arrested from Bhopal on February 1 by the NIA.

“Iqbal allegedly was in the higher category of members of the group — Junoon al Khilafa-e-Hind — as he was tasked with finding new recruits. It is learnt that he was in touch with Yusuf al-Hindi alias Shafi Armar, who originally was an Indian Mujahideen member but later shifted to the IS-held areas in Syria and Iraq,” said UMHA official. “Iqbal knew at least two of the four suspects arrested by the Delhi police from Uttarakhand a few weeks back. He studied in the Deoband seminary", Ashraf Usmani, spokesperson of Darul Uloom, Deoband, said Iqbal hadn’t displayed signs of extremist views while at the seminary.

Two CRPF personnel including an officer were injured after a militant hurled a grenade on CRPF during search and cordon operations at Arwani village of Bijbehara area in Anantnag District. As the SF personnel had zeroed in on a residential house, suddenly a militant came out and hurled a grenade on SF personnel resulting in injuries to two CRPF personnel. The militant managed to escape.

Three persons were arrested by Police over the extortion charges in Ajas area in Bandipora District. Police said three extortionists were arrested after they received information about the three persons threatening the local residents in the area. The three extortionists have been identified as Adil Iqbal of Kensu Bandipora, Javid Naseer Khan of Handwara and Nisar Khan of Rafiabad and all of them are in Police custody. A pistol, one magazine and 8 rounds were recovered from the extortionists.

A tribal organisation called Naxal Hinsa Prapidita Manch has raised its voice against the Maoist killing of innocent civilians in Koraput District. They lodged their protest in a huge rally against the Maoists in Narayanpatna block of the District. The forum consisting of more than 2,000 tribals took out the rally and appealed to the Maoists to refrain from violence.

A CPI-Maoist cadre was killed in a fierce encounter with SF personnel in Kanker District of Chhattisgarh. The encounter took place in the forests of Kesekodi under Koyalibeda Police Station limits between a joint team of security personnel and the Maoists, Kanker SP Jitendra Singh Meena said.

A composite team of BSF, STF and District Force was carrying out an anti-Maoist operation in the south of Koyalibeda. When they were cordoning off a forested patch in Kesekodi, a group of armed cadres opened indiscriminate fire on them following which an exchange of fire broke out between the two sides. During a search, body of a Maoist, one SLR rifle and its magazines were recovered.

CPI-Maoist cadres orchestrated a landmine blast near Lakhpadar village under Kalyansinghpur Police Station limits in Rayagada District of Odisha. An exchange of fire for over 45 minutes ensued between the Maoists and the security personnel at the spot. No Policeman was injured in the encounter.

During the search operation in the region, one IED, five rounds of live ammunition, two Maoist kitbags containing articles of their day-to-day use, medicines, Maoist uniform and literature were also recovered. Books on how to learn Odia were also recovered hinting that the Maoists were from outside Odisha and trying to learn the local language.

The Red Horns Division operating in the parts of Darrang and Udalguri Districts of Assam arrested six hardcore militants of the NLFB. The arrest was made after a combined operation by Army Camp based at Chapai in Borrengajuli and Deomornai assisted by the joint teams SDPO Bhergaon and Police representatives from Khoirabari and Dimakuchi Police Stations. Intelligence inputs received from sources about the presence of a new insurgent outfit, NLFB, being actively involved in killing and several extortion activities across Darrang and Udalguri Districts. Intelligence inputs also revealed about their connection with several militant outfits based at Dimapur like NSCN-IM, NSCN-K and NDFB-S.

The Assam State Government said that the killing of civilians and SF personnel has declined significantly during recent years. Replying to a call attention motion by AIUDF MLA Abdur Rahim Khan in the Legislative Assembly, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Rakibul Hussain said that only four SF personnel died in counter-insurgency operations in 2014, and none in 2015. Similarly, 10 civilians were killed by militants in 2015, and none so far in 2016. “The situation has improved significantly since our Government took charge. The fear psychosis that existed earlier is now absent. A total of 89 security personnel had died in 1997, 77 in 1998 and 87 in 1999. No doubt, in some areas problems do exist, but the situation now is much better,” Hussain said. Earlier, citing a media report, AIUDF’s Khan said that 272 Police personnel lost their lives in Assam during the last 15 years.

A large group of militants from the GNLA, including senior commanders such as action group chief Ajan Ch Momin alias Jimmy, have reportedly shifted base to North Garo Hills region to evade the ongoing Police operation in the eastern region. The revelation came following the surrender of a cadre from the group at Rongjeng. The GNLA militant from the 4th batch of recruits, Webstar G Momin alias Kamosha (23) surrendered to Rongjeng Police after fleeing from his sentry post somewhere in North Garo Hills on January 31. He revealed that he first arrived in Tura on a public transport and left a concealed pistol behind before heading to Rongjeng to give himself up. The surrendered cadre was part of a large group of heavily armed militants led by GNLA action commander Jimmy who moved out of East Garo Hills to escape the Police heat from ongoing counter-insurgency operations. Close to forty armed GNLA militants are said to have migrated to the neighboring northern District of Garo Hills as part of the armed group’s strategy.

One civilian was killed by unidentified assailants at a place in Burma Camp in Dimapur District of Nagaland. Police identified the victim as Charlie Hangsing reportedly the son of Paolal Hangsing IAS (Retd) and former commissioner excise. The Police quoting initial report stated that the victim was at a shop along with some friends when three unidentified assailants came and shot him. He sustained two bullet wounds on the head and stomach, and later succumbed to the injury in hospital. While motive could not be ascertained, the Police added that the shooters disappeared from the scene after the shooting.

With the Village Committee polls drawing close, political violence has been growing in Tripura. Two IPFT workers, Amal Debbarma and Padma Debbarma kidnapped local CPI-M worker Arjun Garh from Rabichandra para area of Barkathal under Sidhai Police station. According to reports, Police is trying to rescue Arjun Garh from IPFT's custody.

Sources in the CPI -M expressed concern over the activities of IPFT in different parts of the state, saying in the year 2000 this party had reduced the ADC election to a farce with the active help of banned NLFT militants who had kidnapped CPIM leaders and poll candidates. ‘This will not be possible now, but IPFT is indulging in violence after realizing their imminent defeat in the upcoming polls' said sources.

February 3

Amidst increasing attempts by Islamic State (IS) to lure Indians into its fold, UHM Rajnath Singh held a meeting with top Muslim clerics and sought their cooperation to check the growing tentacles of the dreaded group among Muslim youth. The hour-long meeting, apprised the Muslim clerics about activities of the Middle-East terrorist group and its efforts to attract Indian youth to its fold. The Home Minister sought the cooperation of the clerics, who offered all help to the government in this regard, official sources said. The issues that were discussed included misuse of social media, sources of impetus that attract persons, specially youth, to Islamic State (IS), the growth of IS influence in India's neighbourhood and the best possible law enforcement response.

Those who attended the meeting include Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind's Maulana Arshad Madani, Maulana Abdul Wahid Hussain Chisti of Ajmer Sharif, Asghar Ali Imam Mehdi of Jamiat Ahle Hadees, Tauqeer Raza Khan, Rafiq Warshiq, Shia leader Maulana Syed Kalbe Jawad Qalbe Jawaid, Kamal Farooqi, Mushafa Faruqi besides others.

A Bangladesh national, Salim Reza was arrested by the BSF personnel of 20th battalion from the zero-point area of India-Bangladesh border near Mahadipur in English Bazaar Police Station in Malda District. BSF troopers confiscated two SIM cards, few Bangladesh currencies and a chit containing an address in Kaliachak from Reza, later he was handed over to English Bazaar Police. Police sources informed that the arrested Bangladesh national, who is a inhabitant of shialbari village of Shibganj Police station under ChapaiNababganj District in Bangladesh, tried to mislead the police by offering several different reasons for intruding to India.

A Delhi court framed charges against a Pakistani national, a suspected LeT operative, Arshad Khan who was arrested along with others for allegedly conspiring to kidnap businessmen from various places to raise funds to carry out terror strikes in the capital. Additional Sessions Judge Reetesh Singh formally framed charges against Arshad Khan after he was produced before the court in Delhi through video conferencing from Kolkata Jail. Khan, who is lodged in Kolkata Jail in connection with shoe baron Partha Roy Burman kidnapping case of 2001, was not produced before the court here on January 19 when the judge had framed charges against four other co-accused in the case.

In the aftermath of the Pathankot airbase terror attack (January 2), the IAF has issued “shoot-at-sight” orders at all its airbases under the Western Air Command (WAC). A senior IAF official said the IAF had also urged the government to clear a comprehensive security proposal with an estimated cost of nearly INR 8,000 crore for its 54 airbases across in the country. “In light of the intelligence inputs received post and during Pathankot attacks, all the air force stations within WAC have been on high alert. Thus, there are shoot-at-sight orders in place for trespassers,” the official said.

India blamed Pakistan for most of the terror attacks in the country but said it would stand by the neighbour if it takes action against terrorists operating from there. UHM Rajnath Singh also said if Pakistan takes concrete action against terrorists on its territory it will not only improve bilateral relations but also bring peace and stability in the South Asian region.

"Most of the terror attacks in India emanate from Pakistan and it will have to show some sincerity and take concrete steps to rein in the various terror groups operating against India from its soil...The government of India will stand by Pakistan if it takes decisive action against terrorists and their organisations," he said.

Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar said India was in touch with Pakistan after the Pathankot attack and dialogue between the two countries on the terror assault would continue. "Since Pathankot attack happened, we have been in touch with Pakistan. We have been in touch at my level and the NSA level because only by remaining in touch, we can expect them to progress on the basis of information which we have provided to them," Mr Jaishankar added.

The al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) had made plans to set up base in Gujarat and even asked its sleeper cells in India to recruit people who could provide shelter to its operatives in the state, claimed sources in Gujarat Police. Sources in Gujarat ATS said a top terror operative of the AQIS, now based in Pakistan was to sneak into India to execute their plans. AQIS had planned several killings to disturb communal harmony in the country, said the sources.

This was uncovered by a joint team of Gujarat ATS and Ahmedabad city Crime Branch which cracked two email ids used by the terror operatives to communicate among themselves. One is cha******@safemail.net — the complete mail id has not been revealed as security agencies are still analysing coded messages kept in its draft folder. This mail ID was operational till January 2015 while the other one, which reportedly contains 'deadly plans' of the AQIS, is still being analysed, said a senior official of the crime branch.

The Uttarakhand Police will soon contact their Goa counterparts to get details on Sameer Sardana, who was arrested from Vasco (Goa) on February 1 on suspicion of being linked to jihadi groups, IG (Garhwal range) Sanjay Gunjyal said. "Local Police and intelligence teams have contacted his family members to collect the maximum possible details in the matter. Though Sardana does not have any criminal records in Dehradun and comes from a prominent family, his father is a retired Major-General and his brother is a doctor in New Delhi, there are indications that he had gone through a fair bit of online radicalization. Our teams are looking into that aspect."

Three persons arrested along with FICN of face value INR 3,00,000 from Kaliachak in West Bengal's Malda District.

Three JeM militants were arrested as Police busted a module of JMB in Handwara town of Kupwara District. The arrestees are identified as Ghulam Nabi Lone alias Prince, Umar Mushtaq Mir and Ishfaq Ahmad Parray. SP Handwara, Ghulam Jeelani Wani, told that the module was providing logistic support to the top commander of JeM in the area. He said that they were planning attacks on security installations, Police and political workers of different political parties in the area.

Eight persons have been arrested in Pulwama District over their alleged involvement in setting ablaze an armoured vehicle of Police during protests last month. A Police officer said that the eight persons were arrested during separate raids and they belong to different villages in the District. He identified the arrested persons as Zubair Mir, Rayees Mir, Irfan Bhat, Hanan Najar, Adil Iqbal, Misbah Farooq, Asif Bhat and Nazir Mir.

A PLFI cadre was killed in an encounter with Police in Topra block of Khunti District, Jharkhand.  Police said that following a tip-off a raid was carried out at an unspecified village of the block. A rifle, live cartridges and other things were seized from the encounter spot.

Upbeat at the success of its surrender policy for LWE, Maharashtra has extended the same up to August 28, 2017. The Policy had lapsed in August last year (2015) but wasn’t renewed as the State Home Department was awaiting approval from the Finance Department. The State Government has been claiming that LWE-violence had ebbed in 2015 as a result of its lucrative surrender policy. The latest surrender policy, which carries a cash reward of INR 500,000 resulted in 51 LWEs giving up arms last year, Maharashtra claims. Violence also came down substantially, even as before the new policy came into effect, 40 extremists had surrendered in 2014, and 48 in 2013.

SFs in an operation arrested three cadres of NSCN-K from adjoining jungles of Laju and Noglo area in Tirap District of Arunachal Pradesh. Initially only one militant was arrested in the jungle area of Kollam and later, acting on his tip off, two of his accomplices were arrested subsequently from Kollam and Noglo area. The NSCN-K cadres were identified as Alon Wangsa (28), Major Kommen Kanglon (30), and Napong Kangnong (19), the sources said.

Unidentified assailants fired at the gate of former Doomdooma MLA and secretary of APCC, Durga Bhumij’s residence at Milantirtha in Rupai Siding in Tinsukia District of Assam. According to Bhumij, a Tata Indica vehicle came at a breakneck speed and fired indiscriminately at his gate and fled towards Daimukhia Tea Estate. He was inside his residence and no casualty was reported. Police recovered six empty shells of 7.65 mm pistol from the site of the incident. Various organisations have condemned the incident and demanded an inquiry into the incident.

Another firing incident took place at Ultapul near Digboi town in Tinsukia District of Assam at 6.45 pm. Three persons riding a car stopped in front of a paan shop owned by one Rameswar Majhi. Alighting from the car, they first asked for cigarettes. Suddenly, one of them whipped out a pistol and fired at the shopkeeper, missing him narrowly. The trio boarded the vehicle and sped off but not before firing again. No one was injured in the incident.

Members of a newly-floated militant outfit of the Moran community, Moran Tiger Force (MTF) are said to be behind the two incidents of firings happened in Tinsukia District of Assam. ADGP (special branch) Pallab Bhattacharya said "We have reports about a new outfit, Moran Tiger Force, floated a week ago. We also have clues about Paresh Baruah's involvement. The situation in Tinsukia district is tense and we have issued orders to bring the situation under control so that it does not spill over to Dibrugarh."

The UNC in a statement has confirmed that it will go ahead with the proposed 48 hrs ‘Total’ bandh and has warned against any violation of the said agitation. Endorsing the UNC’s 48-hour bandh starting February 4 midnight, the CNPO has announced a total shut down in Chandel District of Manipur, including educational institutions during the bandh. Publicity wing of the apex body has informed that any elements or anti-social forces attempting to undermine the decision of the tribals in Manipur and Nagas will not be tolerated, it warned.

Two suspected rival militant outfits exchanged fire near Molnom village under Tengnoupal Police Station in Chandel District of Manipur. According to sources, the incident happened when suspected militants believed to be cadres of NSCN-IM attacked another militant group suspected to be from a Kuki Underground outfit, who retaliated using automatic weapons. After a brief encounter the attackers fled and escaped from the spot, added the source. During the encounter, one militant received a gun-shot; however, his identity is still unknown, informed the source. However, another source said that the incident happened after suspected NSCN-IM ambushed and fired the other militants near the village.

A militant of the UGSF outfit has surrendered before Police in North Garo Hills District of Meghalaya. Bablu N Sangma alias Ind and Breni, hailing from Samanda area of East Garo Hills, gave himself up to Police and deposited a 7.65 pistol with five live ammunitions. The UGSF, a little known outfit, has been operating in the Jengjal, Anogre, Gabil, Samanda and parts of West Khasi Hills bordering East Garo Hills for the last three years.  The outfit, said to be headed by a man identified as Jrong from Dalu, had tried to remain off the Police radar by keeping a low key, Police sources reveal that the group was instrumental in the abduction of a road construction engineer in the last week of September, 2015.

GNC in Kamrup District, and Garo Women Council condemned the recent abduction of two persons - Dhansingh Rabha (JCB driver) and Heman Rabha from Gindopara in North Garo Hills District of Meghalaya. The abduction has raised tension among the local residents where villagers have been engaged in efforts to bring back peace among the two communities in the region. A public meeting was held at Santipur where GNC condemned the abduction by suspected GNLA militants led by its northern ‘area commander’, Philiport.

The UNC in a statement has confirmed that it will go ahead with the proposed 48 hrs ‘Total’ bandh (general shutdown strike) and has warned against any violation of the said agitation. Endorsing the UNC’s 48-hour bandh starting February 4 midnight, the CNPO has announced a total shut down in Chandel District of Manipur, including educational institutions during the bandh. Publicity wing of the apex body has informed that any elements or anti-social forces attempting to undermine the decision of the tribals in Manipur and Nagas will not be tolerated, it warned.

Nagaland CM, T.R. Zeliang said the state government was willing and prepared to play a role in bringing NSCN-K back to cease-fire (CF) with GoI to restart the process of dialogue. He said this at the celebration programme to recognize Aboi Town Council at Aboi in Dimapur District. While lauding the NSCN-K participation at the CF agreement programme in Myanmar, Zeliang expressed the hope that it would also re-enter a cease-fire with the GoI so that peace could prevail in Nagaland.

Lamenting upon the resurgence of bloodshed, after abrogation of cease-fire, the CM urged upon the NSCN-K to shun violence and join the negotiating table in order to solve problem through peaceful means. He reminded that there has been no record in the history, where killings had solved problems. Once NSCN-K decides to restore the CF, Zeliang assured that he would play his role in lifting the banned imposed on them.

Police arrested three members of an extortion gang, identified as Murshed Mian alias Kalu, Badal Das alias Nandu and Milan Mian from road no 5 of Ramnagar in West Tripura District along with a Maruti van used by them for threatening the manager of a courier service demanding INR 1.5 lakh.

February 4

Expressing concern over the “spreading tide of extremism and terrorism”, Vice-President Mohammad Hamid Ansari said such threats required strong cooperation among like-minded nations. He said the need for maintaining safety of sea lanes, which was critical for maritime trade and commerce, maritime security and access to marine resources, continued to assume greater significance as countries in the ASEAN region strived for greater economic integration.

Praising the role of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed in fighting terrorism, India said it will "whole heartedly" support her government on all fronts and will jointly terrorism and violent extremism. Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj conveyed this during her meeting with Bangladesh State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam in Delhi. Swaraj expressed strong resolve to work jointly with Bangladesh in fighting the menace of terrorism and violent extremism.

The Delhi Police Special Cell arrested a 28-year-old man from Mumbai, identified as Mohsin Ibrahim Sayyed alias Mohsin Shaikh with suspected Islamic State (IS) links from ISBT at Kashmere Gate in Delhi. Some cash, purportedly channelised through Hawala route, was recovered from his possession. Mohsin had received money from Muttabir Mustaq Sheikh who belongs to Thane (Maharashtra) and is the self-proclaimed Indian ‘Amir’ (Chief) of Ansar-ul-Tawhid (AuT) that has pledged allegiance to the IS group in India, said an unnamed senior Police officer. He is accused of providing financial help to the four Roorkee youths arrested by the Cell in January 2016, the Police said. The youths, also accused of having links with IS, were allegedly planning to carry out a terror attack during Ardh Kumbh in Haridwar.

Shaikh, along with two others from Malwani - Noor Mohammad and Wajid Shaikh, had gone missing on December 15, 2015. The three had decided to join IS after another Malwani man, 23-year-old Ayaz Sultan, went missing on October 30. The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) said that Sultan had escaped to Afghanistan, and on to Syria.

In a surgical operation in Hajan area in Bandipora District, SFs eliminated three LeT militants including their ‘commander’ in a fierce gun battle. DIG North Kashmir, Garib Dass, said, they had information about their movement for last several days and SFs were tracking them. He said that these militants were on their way to South Kashmir to carry out subversive activities there. SFs recovered three bodies of the militants, three AK-47 rifles, one UBGL and large number of IEDs and ammunition from the encounter site. The DIG said that all these three militants are Pakistani nationals and were hiding in North Kashmir forests for several months and were on their way to South Kashmir. One of them is said to be LeT commander. However, they have not been identified yet.

Two CPI-Maoist cadres were killed and another injured in two separate encounters in Bastar Division. Both the bodies have been recovered. Kunjam Linga (22), a People’s Militia ‘commander’ under Jagargunda ‘area committee’ of the CPI-Maoist and carrying a reward money of INR 100,000, was killed in an encounter with a joint team of SF personnel in the forests of Chintagufa Police Station area in Sukma District, Sukma ASP Santosh Singh said. An injured Maoist, identified as Sodhi Mang, was also arrested from the encounter spot. A Maoist was killed in an exchange of fire between a team of DRG and Maoist cadres in the forested hill of Korli under Mardum Police Station limits in Bastar District.

The CPI-Maoist cadres killed a Dangoria Kondh youth identified as Shyamo Kadraka (22) of Nirgundi village under Kalyansinghpur Police limits in Rayagada District of Odisha after trial in a kangaroo court. Maoists killed Shyamo suspecting him to be a ‘police informer’. His body was found hanging from a tree, on the outskirts of the village. Villagers retrieved the body and cremated it. Shyamo had been warned of dire consequence by Maoists in December, 2015.

Tamulpur Police arrested two militants of NDFB-IKS, identified as Sudem Muchahary alias Manual (24) and Khassar Muchahary (36) along with arms and ammunition from Naokata under Tamulpur subdivision in Baksa District of Assam. Police sources said that the militants were involved in various cases of extortion. Acting on a tip off a team of Tamulpur police arrested the rebels when they came to collect extorted money from a trader at Naokata. Tamulpur SDPO Asif Ahmed said that the detained militants threatened MP Biswajit Daimary and BTC EM Ganesh Kachari several times.

A NDFB-IKS militant, identified as ‘self-styled section commander’ Lothen Basumatary alias Birai (42) was arrested in a joint operation by the Army and the Assam Police in Gorebil village in Kokrajhar District of Assam. A 7.65mm pistol and some ammunition was recovered from him.

Assam Police have launched an operation to arrest at least 10 jihadi militants, who are now on the run. The operation will be centred around the BTAD, but various minority-dominated Districts of the State have also been alerted, report said. Besides, three BTC Districts of Kokrajhar, Chirang and Baksa and neighbouring western Assam Districts of Barpeta and Nalbari have been marked sensitive on the suspicion that the Jihadi elements might have settled to spread tentacles in these areas.

The Police have been conducting a major search operation against the jihadis for the past six months in the area and have arrested 18 people who are directly or indirectly involved in the recruitment, gun running and extortion rackets of various Muslim fundamentalist outfits. The biggest success was the busting of a training module at Daukhanagar in Dhaligaon in September 2015. The Police teams recovered eight handmade AK-47 lookalike rifles that were hidden in a pit. A Police official said, "During the combing operation, we found 28 uniforms meant for the cadres. So far we have arrested 18. We suspect that 10 more jihadi cadres are at large. Already, six among them have been identified."

The CBI, while probing the 2012 BTAD riots, has disclosed the involvement of Islamic elements in the violence. Post Burdwan blast (October 2, 2014), the arrest of JMB cadre, Sahanur Alom, and his wife by an NIA team in Burdwan District of West Bengal had clearly proved the presence of jihadi elements in the State. Recently, Chirang Police arrested Tota Miya from the city's Hatigaon area with a pistol. He has been taken into three-day police custody. "We hope to get vital infofrom him," said IGP BTAD, L R Bishnoi. One of the biggest catches in the operation, Bura Bhai, who was engaged in arms training and gun running for jihadi groups in the state, has revealed, during interrogation, how the char areas in the state have been used by such modules.

Hundreds of Adivasis (tribals), armed with bows and arrows, marched on the National Highway in Tinsukia District of Assam in protest against two incidents of firing in the District on February 3.

According to written replies to a series of short notice questions in the State Assembly, eight bloody ethnic clashes in different parts of the State, which ended in the deaths of 535 people, including 45 children and 80 women, form the biggest blot on the unbroken but chequered 15-year Congress rule under Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi. On the positive side, as many as four militant outfits signed peace deals with the Government and 13 other outfits, including ULFA, declared ceasefire and began peace talks. Since Gogoi's first term from May 2001, militancy claimed at least 2,275 civilians and 309 security personnel. A total of 2,103 militants were killed and 8,930 others laid down arms. Another 213 people were killed in Police firing.

On the crime chart, a total of 19,821 murder cases, 21,556 rape cases, 43,879 cases of kidnapping, 91,419 cases of crime against women, 158 cases of witch-hunts, 4,816 cases of dacoity and 43,328 cases of suicide were registered between May 2001 and December 2015.

According to the replies, ethnic clashes during Gogoi's terms include the Hmar-Dimasa clash in Dima Hasao District of Assam and the Kuki-Karbi clash in Karbi Anglong District in 2003, Karbi-Dimasa clash in Karbi Anglong District in 2005, Muslim-Bodo clash in Darrang and Udalguri Districts in 2005, Zemi Naga-Dimasa clash in Dima Hasao District in 2009, Rabha-Garo clash in Goalpara District in 2011, Bodo-Muslim clash in BTAD areas in 2012 and Karbi-Rengma Naga clash in Karbi Anglong District in 2013-14.

The State Government informed that 6,658 cases of ethnic clashes were registered. Of these, chargesheets were filed in 159 cases, final reports were submitted in 3,594 cases, 5,353 cases are under investigation, 12 cases were transferred to the CBI and 2,358 cases were amalgamated

Apart from ethnic clashes within the State, another 36 clashes with neighbouring States also took place in which 87 people were killed and 78 injured. Interstate clashes include fights with Mizoram in Hailakandi District in 2003 and 2008 and in Cachar District in 2013, with Meghalaya in Kamrup (Metro) District in 2010 and in Dhubri District in 2013, with Nagaland in Golaghat District in 2002, 2004, 2009, 2014 and 2015, in Sivasagar District in 2005, 2007 and 2015, in Jorhat District in 2013, in Karbi Anglong District in 2014, with Arunachal Pradesh in Dhemaji District in 2001, 2006, 2008, in Lakhimpur District in 2004, 2007, 2008 and 2011, in Sonitpur District in 2013, 2014 and 2015 and in Biswanath Chariali Police District in 2015.

A civilian sustained injury when unidentified armed assailants opened fire at Molnom village under Tengnoupal Police Station in Chandel District of Manipur. Three youngsters of Molnom village were taking bath in a nearby river after playing volleyball when around 15 armed assailants with both sophisticated weapons and double barrel shotguns came to the river thrashed them. On hearing the shouts made by one of three youngsters, local womenfolk who were keeping a vigil against abuse of intoxicating substances rushed to the river. On seeing the womenfolk, the assailants opened fire and fled. One Lunkhogin Haokip (25) sustained injury in the firing.

A former militant, identified as Salam Sanajaoba (28), was shot dead by three unidentified armed assailants at Sadhu Yenkhuman village under Sagolmang Police Station in Imphal East District of Manipur. He was a cadre of the KCP-MC, who had surrendered one and a half year ago.

A wanted GNLA militant was shot dead while many others were suspected to have sustained injuries in an encounter in a remote village in South West Garo Hills District of Meghalaya. Acting on a tip off, special Police teams raided Santogre village in the District during which an encounter took place between the SF personnel and the GNLA militants numbering around six-seven of them who were holed up at the camp, IGP (Operations) G H P Raju said. The militant who received fatal bullet wounds was identified as Reading M Sangma. A 7.65 mm pistol with one magazine and two live rounds, two 7.65 shells and seven empty cases of 7.62 and ammunition for AK rifles was recovered from the site of the encounter. A GNLA ID card belonging to Reading M Sangma, a black bag containing a small diary containing phone numbers and other items were also recovered, Raju said.

A LeT operative, Abdul Aziz alias Ashrafi alias Giddah, wanted for allegedly plotting explosions in twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad, was arrested by Telangana Police after his deportation from Saudi Arabia, Police said on February 4. Giddah, a resident of Babanagar in Jalpally in Hyderabad, was allegedly involved in two cases pertaining to conspiracy to cause blasts in Hyderabad in 2001 and another one on conspiracy to cause explosion at Ganesh temple in Secunderabad in 2004.

A release issued by Telangana Police stated, "Abdul Aziz went to Saudi Arabia in the 90s, where he came into contact with LeT operatives. Aziz was expert in the fabrication of IEDs and was planning to cause explosions in Hyderabad and near the Ganesh temple in Secunderabad in 2004." He had been arrested in August 2001 and was released on bail in December that year. However, he jumped the bail in August 2003 and has been absconding since then. "He was in jail in Saudi Arabia for several years and after undergoing imprisonment he was deported," Police said, adding the accused was being brought to the city. Aziz was arrested at Lucknow airport on February 2 by the Uttar Pradesh ATS and Telangana Police after he landed by a flight from Jeddah.

February 5

Eleven suspected Islamic State (IS) operatives, who were arrested from across the country for allegedly recruiting and financing people to join the terror group, were remanded in seven days NIA custody by a Delhi court. The NIA said in its remand application that the accused have disclosed during their interrogation "their involvement in this case about recruiting and financing persons willing to join the Caliphate of ISIS at Syria"."They were also found to be in communication with some active members through chatting applications 'Signal', 'Trillion' and 'Skype' in order to motivate them to join ISIS in furtherance of activities of its ideologies, thereby luring youths to join this proscribed terrorist organisation. "The identity and role of such associates is being ascertained," NIA said.

The eleven accused who were remanded in seven days NIA custody are Mohd Aleem, Mohd Obaidullah Khan, Nafees Khan, Mohd Shareef Moinuddin Khan, Asif Ali, Najmul Huda, Mudabbir Mushtaq Shaikh, Mohd Abdul Ahad, Suhail Ahmed, Syed Mujahid and Mohd Hussain Khan. Besides these 11 accused, four other co-accused -- Mohd Afzal, Imran, Abu Anas and Nasser Packeer -- were also produced before the court which remanded them in judicial custody. Except Nasser, who was in judicial custody, all the other 14 accused were produced before the court after expiry of their NIA custody.

Micro blogging website, Twitter has suspended over 125,000 accounts, most of them linked to the Islamic State (IS) militant group, “for threatening or promoting terrorist acts” even as handles of India-centric terrorist organizations and individuals on the micro-blogging site remain untouched. In a blog, the US-based firm said, “As the nature of the terrorist threat has changed, so has our ongoing work in this area. Since the middle of 2015 alone, we’ve suspended over 125,000 accounts for threatening or promoting terrorist acts, primarily related to ISIS”.

Twitter, however, did not respond to questions about the accounts of terrorist organizations operating from Pakistan and Afghanistan. Notably, Hafeez Muhamad Saeed, the mastermind of 26/11 Mumbai attack, has been openly calling for carrying out brazen attack against India in his latest tweet on February 3. Twitter condemned the use of its platform to promote terrorism and said the ‘Twitter Rules’ make it clear that this type of behavior, or any violent threat, is not permitted on its service. The Company said it has increased its report reviewing teams to react faster.

The UHM Rajnath Singh reviewed the security along the coast in Daman and Diu and asked the authorities to ensure further enhancement of protection of seas off the union territory. The Home Minister reviewed the coastal security apparatus, a coastal Police station and an operational detachment in Daman and Diu, a UMHA official said. He asked all concerned to ensure further enhancement of coastal security, the official added. The Home Minister inaugurated

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in a report that, thirty-four militant groups from around the world had reportedly pledged allegiance to the Islamic State (IS) extremist group as of mid-December (2015) and that number will only grow in 2016. Ban Ki-moon said UN member states should also prepare for an increase attacks by IS associated groups from countries such as the Philippines, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, Libya and Nigeria, traveling to nations. "The recent expansion of the ISIL sphere of influence across west and north Africa, the Middle East and south and southeast Asia demonstrates the speed and scale at which the gravity of the threat has evolved in just 18 months," Ban said, using another abbreviation for the group.

Adding to the threat, IS is "the world's wealthiest terrorist organization," Ban said, citing estimates the group generated $400-500 million from oil and oil products in 2015, despite an embargo. According to the UN mission in Iraq, cash taken from bank branches located in provinces under IS control totaled $1 billion. The mission also estimates that a tax on trucks entering IS controlled-territory generates nearly $1 billion a year, he said.

The NIA arrested one person, identified as Abdus Sami Qasmi, a resident of Seelampur in Delhi, from Hardoi in Hardoi District of Uttar Pradesh (UP), for allegedly instigating and motivating youth across the country to form a terror outfit inspired by Islamic State (IS) for carrying out jihadi attacks across the country. The arrest was made with the active support of UP's ATS and has taken the number of total arrests made by NIA in the case relating to the pan-Indian, IS-inspired module, to 20.

Abdus Sami, who hails from Rampur District in UP, was wanted for his involvement in the conspiracy to form an IS-inspired terror wing to launch jihadi attacks in the country. He has been delivering provocative and inflammatory speeches in the support of 'Caliphate'. He is also accused of launching a few websites where in his speeches have been uploaded.

Police arrested five persons, all natives of Kerala, on the charge of involvement in the circulation of FICN and printing of fake educational certificates in Hassan District of Karnataka. The Police suspect that the arrested must be part of a larger group operating in Karnataka and Kerala. Police gave the names of the arrested as Gopalakrishnan, Babu Chand Pasha, alias Babu Jan, Joman, Rajakumar and Usha Rani. Police had seized about 100 items, including two fake currency notes of INR 500 denomination, a car, printing equipment and fake certificates.

A group of CPI-Maoist cadres exchanged fire with SF personnel near Dongarjoda village under Gochhapada Police Station limits of Kandhamal District, Odisha. Kandhamal SP Kunwar Vishal Singh said when the SOG, DVF and CRPF personnel involved in a joint anti-Maoist operation in the area asked the Maoists hiding in the forest to surrender they opened fire at the security personnel.

At least 43 CPI-Maoist cadres, including five women, surrendered in Sukma District of Chhattisgarh citing disappointment with the ideology of the outfit. "The 43 rebels and their supporters, including five women, turned themselves in before senior Police and CRPF officials at Chintagufa Police Station premises," Sukma ASP Santosh Singh said. An encouragement amount of INR 10,000 was given to each of the surrendered cadres.

Two incidents of firing in Tinsukia District of Assam, both by the hitherto-unknown MTF, has sent local Police in a tizzy. Police arrested Surajit Moran, president of the Tinsukia unit of AJYCP from Doomdooma in Tinsukia District for his alleged involvement with the outfit.

The UNC called a 48-hour Bandh to fulfill its demands. Traffic movement was obstructed along Imphal-Moreh road (National Highway 2) by a large number of volunteers from CNPO which has endorsed the UNC strike. The UNC said any attempt to sabotage the final Naga political settlement based on ‘unique history of the Nagas’ will never be compromised under any circumstances. (Manipur)

Two Policemen were injured in an IED blast by the GNLA militants at Jadagitim under Nangalbibra Police Station in South Garo Hills District of Meghalaya. The two injured constable belong to the West Khasi Hills based 4th Battalion of the State Police. SP of South Garo Hills District Anand Mishra said that the blast was the handiwork of a hardcore militant Timtam who functions under the direct command of the GNLA ‘Finance Secretary’ and ‘area commander’ identified as Rakkam.

Shallang Police arrested five GNLA underground workers from Nongchram in West Khasi Hills District of Meghalaya. During the operation, the Police team recovered an Alto car, a motorbike, 2 mobile phones, a bank passbook and cash INR 18,000. The underground GNLA workers were identified as Charles D Shira (25), a former ANCLA cadre who had surrendered at Shillong in 2014 along with an AK rifle, Daniel M Sangma (26), Juningbirth M Sangma (22), Rajesh Sangma (24) and Apseng G Momin (19), all residents of West Khasi Hills.

Meghalaya CM Mukul Sangma said the Centre should continue with its assistance and special funds to North East States to sustain growth momentum in the region. “The budget that has been articulated, incorporated and aggressively supported by the (erstwhile) UPA Government should continue. They are good enough and I have always been insisting that what the present regime has withdrawn must be restored in the best interest of the people of this region,” Sangma said reacting to a query on his expectation from the Union Budget. “We are trying to make the leadership at the Centre understand this reality and I hope they do. Otherwise, the momentum of growth that we have been able to generate will have a setback and that does not augur well for the Nation,” the CM said.

The BSF and Police arrested four over ground workers of GNLA at Betasing-Ampati road in South West Garo Hills District of Meghalaya. The troops first arrested three GNLA workers – Nikson Marak (29), Keni Ch Marak (24) and Wenstar M Marak (29) and recovered two motorcycles, three mobile phones and one demand letter of INR one million addressed to one Momin Chos, a resident of Betasing. Following leads provided by the arrested over ground workers, Police later arrested another GNLA worker Senred Ch Marak (22) from his village Multagre and recovered one mobile phone with one Indian SIM from his possession.

BSF troops deployed at Bagli in South West Khasi Hills District of Meghalaya, after an ambush arrested one Bangladeshi national identified as Habib Miya (60), resident of Kolagoun in Sunamganj District of Bangladesh, while he was entering Bangladesh from India. During the search, BSF recovered ten bottles of liquor, INR 2,100, 6 packets of milk powder and other items from his possession. Besides, BSF troops also arrested one more Bangladeshi national while infiltrating into Indian Territory near Mahendraganj area in West Garo Hills District on the same day.

One person, identified as Babul Hussain, resident of New Lahorijan in Karbi Anglong was arrested at Niu colony near Nagaland gate in Dimapur District along with .32 pistol (country made) and two magazines.

February 6

The Islamic State (IS) module neutralised ahead of the Republic Day celebrations as part of the nationwide terror sweep, was active in West Bengal, said the NIA. The agency is currently trying to figure out whether the network was linked to JMB. "While interrogating the arrested persons, we found references to West Bengal. It seems that they had planned to procure weapons from the state," an NIA official said.

According to sources, NIA investigators initially did not get any lead on the JMB movements in West Bengal. But with time, more leads started coming in after the sleuths went through the mobile phone conversations of the arrested persons. While going through the conversations, investigators found that the arrested persons, allegedly IS operatives, wanted to procure weapons from West Bengal. The operatives also reportedly found a safe route to procure the weapons from the state.

A SPO turned militant, identified as Raqib Bashir was killed in a gun battle at Godipora area in Pulwama District of Jammu and Kashmir. A joint team of SFs cordoned off Veerbagh village of Godipora after receiving input about presence of three militants of the LeT in the area. As the SFs conducted searches in the area, militants fired upon the search parties, triggering a gunfight in which the troops gunned down a militant. Raqib was an SPO and had deserted the Police last year (2015) to join LeT. He was believed to be responsible for attack on CRPF in Arwani village of Bijbehara in Anantnag District last week in which two CRPF men were injured.

Police recovered three handmade bombs from the house of Bipul Basumatary at Sahoriagaon under Dhing Police Station in Nagaon District. Later, several weapons and ammunition were also recovered at the house of Basumatary's father-in-law Khuken Hazowari at Boragaon in Kamrup District.

Tinsukia ASP-headquarters, Lamhao Doungel said that Police were trying to gather more information about MTF, a new kid on the block as far as rebel groups are concerned. "Our team has found vital clues (about the outfit) after going through the call details of the phone number used to send text messages after the firings. We have found evidence of Moran's involvement with the perpetrators of the two incidents. Unlike militant outfits like ULFA and NDFB-Songbijit, MTF doesn't seem to have any particular leader," he explained.

A suspected Islamic State (IS) operative, identified as Suman Aziz Laskar was arrested at SMC in Cachar District. Police have launched an operation to arrest three others based on information revealed by him during interrogation. A senior Police officer said the 20-year-old man was taking the fourth semester examination of MBBS at SMC on February 6 morning. The students said that the man, in question, was not a student of the medical college. ASP-Cachar, Subhashini Shankaran said the investigation was conducted on the basis of the information revealed by the man adding that some incriminating documents have been recovered from him including a file that contains certain codes of Mumbai and other cities.

However, reports also said that during interrogation, the arrested person said he was involved with a Bangladesh-based terror group and that he hails from Bangladesh.

A young couple, identified as T. Alemba Sangtam and Naro was killed in a shooting incident at Shamator in Tuensang District of Nagaland. The couple was en route to Kiphire when the vehicle they were travelling in came under a barrage of gunfire about 20 kilometers away from Shamator towards Kiphire, Police sources from Shamator informed. While motive behind the shooting remained unclear, the Police sources said that it appeared to be an ambush as the road was found partially blocked by wooden posts at the site of the shooting.

10 Maoists impressed by the surrender policy of Chhattisgarh State Government surrendered in Kondagaon District of Chhattisgarh.

February 7

The BSF killed four persons, including two Pakistani intruders, and recovered 10 kilogram of heroin, two pistols and a motorcycle from their possession on the Indo-Pak border in Punjab. DIG of BSF RK Thapa said that besides the Pakistani intruders, two Indian nationals were also gunned down. The BSF personnel belonging to 191 battalion spotted some movement near the Mehndipur border outpost in Ferozepur sector at about 4.40am and opened fire, Thapa said. One of the intruders is believed to have fled back to the Pakistan side, the DIG added.

Syria's Ambassador to India Riad Kamel Abbas has warned that terror outfits such as Islamic State (IS) are luring Indian Muslim migrant workers with phony job offers in Gulf countries. Abbas told that migrant workers from India and other countries are lured "under the false pretext of getting them jobs as drivers or pharmacists." However, when they get there, "the workers are gathered and put in (terror training) camps. This is not specific to India, this happens to people from several countries."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged the threat of sea-borne terror and piracy as two key challenges to maritime security even as he pitched for respecting freedom of navigation against the backdrop of South China sea dispute. Modi said, the threat of sea-borne terror, of which India has been a direct victim, continues to endanger regional and global peace and stability.

Muslim cleric Abdus Sami Qasmi, a Delhi resident arrested on February 5 from Hardoi in Uttar Pradesh (UP) was beneath watch for nearly an year, and is seen as an necessary hyperlink in Islamic State’s (IS) presence in India as he was allegedly instigating youth to plan jihadi assaults within the nation. It might point out that IS propaganda has moved past on-line radicalisation, with clerics like Sami preaching the outfit’s violent strategies, making it harder for businesses to trace rising terror footprints on the bottom.

Sami, in response to NIA sources, was motivating youth to organise beneath the IS banner. He travelled in UP, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Punjab, delivering ‘taqreer’ and ‘bayaan’ in help of violent extremism and recruiting youth for anti-national actions. In a few of his speeches, Sami made a direct reference to IS. He would increase, in the middle of his speeches, emotive national and worldwide points reminiscent of Muzaffarnagar riots, Muslims’ opposition to author Salman Rushdie’s Jaipur go to, the Prophet’s cartoons revealed by a Danish newspaper and French journal Charlie Hebdo, and killing of ‘harmless’ Muslims in Afghanistan and Iraq, to incite members of the group to rise towards “anti-Islamic” forces. These speeches have been later uploaded on his web site.

Three persons were injured in an explosion at Hajin area of North Kashmir’s Bandipora District. The explosive was lying under the debris of the house that was razed to rubble by SFs three days ago (February 4).

Clashes broke out between protesters and SFs amid shutdown at Newa area of south Kashmir’s Pulwama District, soon after the funeral of a militant killed on February 6, was over. Thousands of people attended the funeral of Raqib Bashir, a deserter-turned militant, at Zadoora in the District. The mourners also staged a massive protest and after the funeral was over they clashed with SFs at Newa. Following clashes, Police imposed restrictions in Newa and its adjoining areas to prevent escalation of violence. Elsewhere in Pulwama, a spontaneous shutdown was observed by people but the traffic plied normally and situation remained peaceful.

Police in Budgam District, arrested the SPO who deserted Police and fled with an AK-47 rifle from Srinagar’s Rainawari Police Station on February 6. The SPO Riyaz Ahmad (belt no 175F) of Khan Sahib area in the District was arrested by Police from Beerwah area of Budgam and the rifle which he had taken from the Police Station was recovered from him. He was posted in Rainawari Police Station where from he had deserted two days ago. He had fled with AK-47 rifle and a magazine of a Police constable Shoukat Ahmad. Shoukat was also posted in the same Police Station.

Tilka Manjhi Bhagalpur University proctor Prof. Bilakshan Ravidas and two others were detained by the Bhagalpur District Police for their suspected CPI-Maoist links. The other two detained were part-time teacher at Murarka College (a constituent unit of TMBU) in Sultanganj block, Kapildev Mandal, and a Grade IV employee of Welfare Hostel number-II of the TMBU, Arjun Paswan. However, after their interrogation for over three hours, they were released with the rider that they would cooperate with the Police in further interrogation. Police raided Ravidas's residence at Sarai in Bhagalpur after a youth from Belhar in Banka District, Ghanshyam alias Ghoghan Da, was arrested for alleged Maoist links on February 7 morning. A pistol, mobile phone and Maoist literature were allegedly seized from Ghanshyam's possession.

More than 200 Dongria Kondhs under the banner of Niyamgiri Suraksha Samiti locked Munikhol gram panchayat office in Muniguda block protesting Police action against them. They submitted a memorandum to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik through Muniguda BDO Rajib Behera.

CPI-Maoist has claimed the Police was trying to revive a "Salwa Judum" like movement in Bastar region of Chhattisgarh by backing few people to organise rallies and protests against the Maoists in the region. The Maoists have warned retaliatory peoples' action against what they described as "Salwa Judum-II". In pamphlets circulated in different parts of Bastar region, the State and the Police had floated different outfits in the name of Bastar Vikas Sangharsh Samiti and Samajik Ekta Manch to organise rallies and protests against the revolutionary movement. It said the Police unleashed propaganda that it would observe this year as "Mission 2016" to eliminate the Maoists. The Maoists maintained that those were now in the forefront of such rallies and protests were also part of controversial Salwa Judum, an anti-naxalite movement that took place in Bastar between 2005 and 2008.

ULFA-PTF leader Anup Chetia made a sudden visit to ex-MLA Durga Bhumij’s house at Rupaisiding in Tinsukia District of Assam along with Prabal Neog. The visit has carried much significance in view of the fact that on the evening of February 3, some miscreants claiming to be member of the MTF indiscriminately fired at the house of Durga Bhumij from an Indica car and immediately escaped from the spot.

The State Government has written to the UMHA asking the latter to facilitate formal deportation of suspected Myanmarese nationals, currently lodged in the detention camps of Assam, through diplomatic channels. The letter, written by the Home Department at Dispur, has also requested the UMHA to pursue the matter with the MEA so that the nationality of the Myanmarese nationals, caught in Assam from time to time, can be cross-checked after which the process could be started.

Sources stated that the MEA had already taken up the matter with its counterpart in the neighbouring country. In the letter to the UMHA, the Home Department had sent a list of 28 Myanmarese nationals, which also comprises Rohingya Muslims who had fled the neighbouring country fearing their lives. These also include women and children, official sources said. The 28 Myanmar nationals, who were lodged in the detention camps situated in Goalpara, Kokrajhar and Silchar after their arrest, are now being shifted to the new detention camp in Tezpur. The State has six detention camps, including one each in Dibrugarh and Jorhat.

The formal surrender ceremony of the UALA militants, who had entered into official agreement with the government in December 18, 2015, may take place within a week. A senior government official said that while the construction of housing units to rehabilitate the UALA cadres, numbering less than 70, is going on in full swing on the premises of Baljek Airport in Tura in West Garo Hills District of Meghalaya, the formal surrender ceremony is expected within a week. As per the “Agreed Text of Settlement” signed between the State government and UALA, the cadres will abide by the ground rules framed for the conduct while staying in the designated camp. As per the agreement, UALA will bring genuine cadres of the outfit at the designated camps along with weapons in their possessions and disband the organization.

The news of the killing reverberated in Kiphire District of Nagaland as irate mobs went on the rampage in the District headquarter. According to the Police in Kiphire, violence erupted around noon after the bodies of the two victims reached the town. Mobs set fire to several vehicles on the road while destroying houses, the Police said. When the situation went out of hand, the District administration subsequently promulgated Cr PC 144. There was however no report of any casualty as a result of the violence at the time of filing this report.

A CPI-Maoist cadre was killed and many others injured by Bokaro Police during an encounter at Dandra village forest area under Chatrochati Police Station limits in Bokaro District of Jharkhand. The Police have recovered the body. Commenting on the encounter Bokaro DIG, Shambhu Thakur said one woman Maoist was also arrested. The SF personnel also recovered arms and ammunition including two 315 bore riffle, 7 live cartridges, large quantity of Maoist literature and others domestic use materials from the encounter spot.

Manipur Police beefed up security measures as Kuki organisations condemned the “unprovoked” gun attack on February 3 on Kukis in Molnom villagers near Pallel town along National Highway 2. Several shots were fired at the terrified villagers in Molnom. One youth, Lunkhogin Haokip, sustained serious injuries, Kukis of the village said. In a joint statement condemning the incident, the Kuki Chiefs’ Association in Chandel District, the Kuki People’s Forum, the Thadou Students’ Association, and the Kuki Students’ Organisation said that some cadres of the NSCN-IM had opened fire at the villagers. The Kuki Reformation Forum also condemned what it described as the unprovoked firing. In a statement it said the incident reminded the people of the “ethnic cleansing” started by the NSCN-IM.

Two Policemen were among four persons were arrested while allegedly trying to extort money at gunpoint, in Chumukedima area in Dimapur District. According to a report, some youths of Chumukedima, had overpowered the four extortionists when they went to extort money from a sand dealer on Sunday (February 7) morning. The four were physically overpowered and later handed over to Police. A .38 revolver and .22 pistol were also recovered along with around 12 live rounds from the gang members besides various Identity Cards and mobile phones. The sources disclosed that one Police man belonged to DEF and the other to Kohima DEF. The identities of the other two were also being ascertained. Extortion has become rampant in Dimapur and along the NH 29 by all shades and hues of armed outfits and gangsters, report added.

Though the friendship bond between Tripura and Bangladesh is strong, attempts are on to 'poison' the relationship, said Chief Minister Manik Sarkar.  While speaking at book launching programme at Sukanta Academy Agartala, Sarkar criticized veteran leader and working president of VHP Pravin Togadia for trying to inject 'poison' through communal statements."Togadia can be a great leader, but he cannot make comments on rising illegal immigration from Bangladesh and conducting DNA test of the Muslim community who are living in the country illegally. His statements may create unrest in the state. However, the people here would not make it happen," Sarkar said.

February 8

David Coleman Headley, who was convicted of the 26/11 (November 26, 2008) Mumbai (Maharashtra) terror attacks, began his deposition before a Mumbai court through video conference. Headley turned approver in the case in December 2015.

Headley said in his video conference deposition before the Mumbai Court: "I was a true follower of LeT. My 7 visits to India were directly from Pakistan and 1 from UAE. Sajid Mir (LeT) asked me to take general video of Mumbai city. After receiving new passport I visited India 8 times, out of 8 times I visited Mumbai 7 times. Sajid Mir (LeT) specified object of his intention before my first visit to India. Sajid Mir (LeT) wanted me to set up some business or office in India. I changed my name from Dawood Gilani to David Headley in 2006 so that I could enter India. I wanted to enter India with an American name. After I changed my name, within few weeks I visited Pakistan. I disclosed this information to my colleague Sajid Mir of LeT. After 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks I visited India on 7th March 2009 from Lahore to Delhi. All details except place of birth, date of birth, mother's nationality and passport number, were incorrect in my visa application."

A day before his deposition, Headley reportedly confessed that the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks were masterminded by LeT and also had the approval of Pakistan's ISI. He further confessed he was provided financial support by ISI for recce of Mumbai. Besides, he also recced Vice-President's residence, India Gate and CBI office in New Delhi before the 2008 terror attacks were executed.

The UAE which has been fighting against the Islamic State (IS/ISIS) warned that India is not immune to the threat from the Sunni radical group. This has been stated by the UAE's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Anwar Gargash in a TV interview ahead of Abu Dhabi's Crown Prince Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan's visit to India. "This is a long-term threat we need to cooperate, need to have zero tolerance. There are no grey areas, we need to tackle this threat and nobody is immune. If you think you are immune, you are going to be negligent and you are going to be hit. Everybody... whether India or the UAE," said Gargash.

Dozens of Indians with links to the ISIS have been deported from the UAE in recent time.

A body representing Sufi-Sunni Muslims, AITUI claimed that dreaded terror outfit Islamic State (IS/ISIS) is “active” in the country under “different names” and sought a ban on fronts representing such groups to prevent threats to national security. The comments by the AITUI came against the backdrop of remarks by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on December 27 that ISIS has not been able to “establish its roots” in the country due to the family values of Indian culture. The AITUI also made a strong pitch for the “critical examination” of Islamic studies imparted across varsities in the country and sought to promote Sufi content to remove “extremist influence” on youth.

The anti-extortion cell team arrested a woman, in Navi Mumbai for possessing INR 2,96,000, which was allegedly meant for circulation,. She has been remanded in Police custody till February 15. Senior Inspector Rajan Jagtap said that the accused woman, Usha Anil Rathod (32), is tight-lipped about the names of others involved.

The Police detained JKLF chairman Mohammad Yasin Malik and other senior leaders in Srinagar, to deal with the shutdown called by the separatists to mark the death anniversaries of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru and JKLF founder Maqbool Bhat on February 9 and 11. The detained leaders were presented before a magistrate, who remanded them in judicial custody for seven days. The JLKF planned to take out a protest march on the two days. Sources said banners and posters depicting Bhat, who was hanged in 1984, and Guru, executed in 2013, has been printed in large numbers by the separatist groups.

A powerful landmine was recovered by the security personnel during a search operation on Pratappur-Gajwa main road under Pratappur Police Station area in Chatra District of Jharkhand.

Two CPI-Maoist cadres, including a woman, were arrested in Dantewada District of Chhattisgarh. Of them, Shyam Lal, who was a Central Regional Command ‘company’ III member of CPI-Maoist was rounded up from the forests in Faraspal Police Station area by a joint team of DRG and a squad of local Police. The woman Maoist, identified as Shanti, a member of military company no. 1, was arrested from her native place Masapara under Bhansi Police Station limits, when she had come there to meet her family members. Both, Lal and Shanti, carried head money of INR 800,000 each on their heads.

Three Maoists were arrested by a joint team of CRPF from Bhusaras village under Gadiras Police Station limits of Sukma District of Chhattisgarh. The arrested trio was identified as Sodhi Joga (28), Madkami Joga (30) and Madvi Deva (25).

A Maoist cadre identified as Kishore (27) was arrested from Katgaon village under Partapur Police Station limits of Sukma District, Chhattisgarh.

34 CPI-Maoist cadres, including a few of their supporters, surrendered in Narayanpur District of Chhattisgarh. They were active in Benur and Kiskod area of the District as Local Operating Squad members, ASP, Narayanpur, O.P. Sharma said.

SF personnel and CPI-Maoist cadres exchanged fire in Gundia Reserve Forest area of Kalahandi District, Odisha, leading to the recovery of Maoist literature and some other items from their camp. However, Odisha State Committee ‘secretary’ of the CPI-Maoist Balakrishna alias Modem alias Manoj, who was leading nearly 25 cadres and operating a camp in the area, managed to escape. He carries a reward of INR 2.5 million on his head, said Kalahandi SP Brijesh Ray. The SP further said after getting intelligence input about armed Maoists moving in Manaska, Panchkul, Kankaruan and Baghnakhi villages in the reserve forest under Bhawanipatna Sadar blocks, three groups of SOG were engaged in combing operation in the area from February 6. When the Maoists opened fire, the SOG troopers retaliated following which the Maoists escaped into the forest.

A ‘platoon commander’ of the  NDFB-IKS, identified as Uday Narzary alias N. Khilikhang (30), wanted for the Adivasi massacre of December 23, 2014, was killed in an encounter with SFs in Chirang District of lower Assam. An AK-56 rifle with a magazine and INR 31,000 were recovered from the slain militant. Chirang SP Ranjan Bhuyan said Narzary, who hails from Bengtol in Chirang District, was also involved in extortions and abductions. "He had joined NDFB (S) in 2010 and was a member of the outfit's 35th batch. He had undergone training in use of arms and explosives in Myanmar," the Police officer added.

Narzary's killing is being seen as a major success for the SFs, who have been carrying out relentless operations against the NDFB-IKS since the outfit killed more than 65 Adivasi villagers in Kokrajhar and Sonitpur Districts in December 2014. A source said 25 cadres of the outfit have been killed and about 600 of its members and linkmen arrested in the operation. However, about 25 to 30 militants, including top leaders G. Bidai and K. Batha, are still at large.

The state government has sent feelers to initiate talks with the GNLA militants, an official source said. The source said that during the last meeting of the Meghalaya Home Minister Roshan Warjri with the UHM Rajnath Singh in 2015, the issue of talks with GNLA and other militant groups was raised. The source added that the stand of the UHM was clear that the state can go ahead inviting the militant outfits for talks. Following this, the state government has sent feelers to GNLA, but the reply from the outfit is awaited, the source added. Earlier, the state government had sent feelers to HNLC, but the militant outfit is yet to respond to the talks offer.

Office of the CSD, NSCN-IM informed that it will begin to observe and conduct raids on all forms of “criminal activities” in Dimapur. A press release from CSD Secretary, Khekuto Jakhalu said that the main objective of the mission is to drive out all forms of illegal businesses in Dimapur. “The business system has been running under the influence of heavy weight backgrounds and also so called respective markets union,” it stated.

In a joint operation, troops of AR and Police arrested a cadre of NNC-NA, identified as ‘deputy kilonser’ Kivika Awomi along with .22 pistol magazine and eleven live rounds and a large number of incrementing documents from Dimapur District.

February 9

Testifying before a Mumbai court for the second day today (February 9), Pakistani-American terrorist David Coleman Headley said LeT had planned to attack Indian defence scientists at the Taj Mahal Hotel in Mumbai and that he was asked by Pakistan’s ISI to recruit Indian Army men to spy for them. He also said that the LeT group as a whole was responsible for the terror attacks in India, and it can be speculated that all orders came from its top commander Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi. Continuing to spill the beans, Headley said, “I met Major Iqbal of ISI in Lahore in early 2006. He asked me to gather military intelligence from India and also try to recruit someone from the Indian military to spy. I told Major Iqbal that I would do as he asked.”

He also revealed that, “In November, December 2007, the LeT held a meeting in Muzaffarabad which was attended by (Headley’s handler in the outfit) Sajid Mir and one Abu Kahsa. In this meeting it was decided that terror attacks would be conducted in Mumbai.” “The task of conducting recce of Taj Hotel in Mumbai was assigned to me. They (Sajid and Kahsa) had some information that there was going to be a meeting of Indian defence scientists at the conference hall in Taj Hotel. They wanted to plan an attack at that time,” Headley revealed. “They also made a mock (dummy) of the Taj Hotel. However, the meeting of the scientists was cancelled,” he said, adding that prior to November 2007, the place was not decided where terror attacks would be conducted in India.

Crime Branch officials unearthed a FICN printing and distribution racket in Surat District. Six persons, identified as, Pradeep Thakkar, Lalji Puraniya, Hitesh Mer, Vishal Puraniya, Chetan Moradiya and Ghanshyam Sakariya, were arrested for running the racket. Police recovered total 540 FICN each of INR 100 denomination from their possession.

A Delhi Court extended the Police remand of three alleged Islamic State (IS) sympathisers for 10 more days. They were deported from the UAE last month. Earlier, on January 30, 2016, the court had sent them to the NIA custody for 10 days. The investigating agency alleged that the accused, Adnan Hussain, Mohammad Farhan and Sheikh Azhar Al Islam, hailing from Karnataka, Maharashtra and Jammu and Kashmir respectively were allegedly on a mission to carry out terror attacks in India and some other countries.

At the closure of his deposition on day two, LeT operative David Coleman Headley denied being paid either by Pakistan's ISI or the LeT for his activity in India, but the NIA in its chargesheet stated that he had not just received money from ISI but also high quality FICN.

According to the NIA, in or around July 2006, ISI officer Major Iqbal provided USD 25,000 to Headley in Pakistan for the purpose of establishing an immigration office in Mumbai and for travel expenses. Headley was also provided with high quality fake Indian currency for use in India. Headley said he visited Mumbai seven times on recce before the November 26, 2008, Mumbai terror (also known as 26/11) attack. He said that he came to Mumbai for the first time on September 14, 2006 and later on February 21, 2007.

SF personnel found two country-made guns and CPI-Maoist literature after an exchange of fire with Maoists in the forest of Serengdag in Lohardaga District of Jharkhand.

The CPI-Maoist cadres have set ablaze a tractor in Gaya District of Bihar. At least five Maoists barged into a brick kiln and torched a tractor after its owner failed to pay INR 100,000 as “levy”. The kiln owner said that INR 25, 000 was paid monthly to the Maoists until last two months when they started demanding INR 100,000.

Five CPI-Maoist cadres, identified as Madvi Deva (22), Kavasi Somu (23), Madvi Soma (25), Madvi Handa (27) and Madkam Hunga (32), were arrested during an operation carried out by a joint contingent of 195th, 230th battalion CRPF and District Police near Chhotemurki village under Gadiras Police Station limits of Sukma District, Chhattisgarh.

A team of DRG, CoBRA and CRPF personnel arrested a suspected Maoist, identified as Hemla Jaggu (22), from the jungles of Minpa under Chintagufa Police Station limits of Sukma District of Chhattisgarh.

Four Maoist "sympathisers" were arrested for their alleged involvement in torching of vehicles and digging of roads in Dantewada District of Chhattisgarh. The alleged Maoist sympathisers were identified as Histaram Bhogami, Budhram Bhogami, Malla Midiyami and Gagru Bhaskar.

Two STF personnel posing as suppliers of AK-47 assault rifles have succeeded in arresting a CPI-Maoist self-styled ‘sub-zonal commander’, identified as Jitendra alias Tiger, in Simdega District of Jharkhand.  He belonged to the Aurangabad-Bhojpur sub-zone of the CPI-Maoist. Giving details, STF SP Shivdeep Lande said "A team of special intelligence group (SIG) of STF went to Simdega posing as suppliers of AK-47 and managed to trap Jitendra alias Tiger. The STF has handed him over to the local Police Station and Bihar Police will take him on transit remand."

Two militants of the PLF-M, identified as Babul Momin and (Energy) Momin, were beaten to death by a mob at Rowmari Garopara area under Rongjuli Police Station in Goalpara District. The militant-brother duo were beaten to death by a mob on charge of terrorizing them by demanding extortion money, District SP Nitul Gogoi said. One of the slain militants Babul Momin was wanted by Police for indulging in anti-social activities and extortion demands, the SP said. Extortion demand letters and the Meghalaya-based PLFM letter pads were recovered from the slain militants.

SFs arrested one person, identified as Hitesh Roy, along with FICN worth of INR 17,000 from Amguri in Sivasagar District.

MPA, the military wing of UNLF, said a final settlement with the NSCN-IM should be confined to Nagaland only and any attempt to harm Manipur's territorial interests would be opposed. "A settlement with the NSCN (I-M) should be within the confines of Nagaland only," Kh. Pambei, chairman of military affairs committee of the MPA, said in a statement issued in connection with the outfit's 29th raising day on February 9. Stating that Manipur should be kept out of the settlement, Pambei said any attempt by the Centre against the wishes of the people of Manipur would be opposed.

The BSF troops deployed at Bagli in South West Khasi Hills District of Meghalaya in a special operation, arrested four Bangladeshi nationals, identified as Pollas Sangma (25), Sajol Sangma (22) Roma Sangma (30) and Krishon Sangma while they were infiltrating from Bangladesh into Indian Territory. All Bangladeshi nationals are residents of Ramnathpur in Netrakona District of Bangladesh.

GSU and North Garo Hills Vigilance Forum expressed confidence in the Government's intention to hold parleys with rebel outfits of Garo hills. In a statement, the General Secretary of GSU, North Garo Hills unit, Wilness Marak, said, "The effort of the government is in the interest of the people of Garo hills. The fact that the government has sent feelers through various agencies to the outfits is an indication that the government is taking the matter seriously. We urge the GNLA to take the matter very seriously and come forward."

A school teacher, abducted from his home at a remote village in West Khasi Hills District.

The two Policemen, who were arrested along with two other accomplices for allegedly extorting money at gunpoint in Chumukedima in Dimapur District on February 7, were suspended. The two Policemen were identified as Constable Vesazo Chuzho, DEF Kohima and Constable Meyiwapang, DEF Dimapur. The other two accomplices were identified as Kamei Gangmei, and Yangkhumse Sangtam. All four have been arrested and are now under Police custody. Police further informed that the two others arrested are cadres of NPG.

Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar brushed aside infiltration charges and reiterated that Tripura was free of such problems. He alleged that a vested interest group was raising the issue of infiltration from the neighbouring country, without foolproof evidence, only to harm the relationship with Bangladesh. Referring to the working president of VHP, Pravin Togadia, Sarkar said, "This was an attempt to disturb the communal harmony and religious integrity in the bordering state." Tripura does not have any instance or record of migration from Bangladesh, which is evident from the census report, Sarkar said and added that there was no scope of illegal settlement by any foreigner in Tripura as the administration was vigilant over such issues.

February 10

One person, identified as Pooja was arrested along with FICN worth INR 12,000 in Jharsuguda. As many as 24 FICNs in the denomination of INR 500 were Pooja. During interrogation, she admitted that one Sushant Singh has been supplying her fake notes for the last six months.

Many negotiations later, it was the attack on the Pathankot airbase (January 2) that finally made authorities in the United States agree to a deposition by 26/11 (November 26, 2008) scout David Coleman Headley before a Mumbai court via video-conference, a senior source in the government claimed.

The Navi Mumbai and Panvel rural Police have started a drive in every village to sensitize both locals and informants to report any suspicious persons or activities. The drive has been initiated after Islamic State (IS) suspects were reported to have carried out a recce of the Karnala Bird Sanctuary in Raigad District of Maharashtra a few months ago.

Police stopped the JKLF from taking out a rally in Srinagar, as the Valley braced for another shutdown on February 11, on the death anniversary of Maqbool Bhat, the co-founder of the separatist group. Scores of JKLF activists were rounded up as they tried to march towards the city centre Lal Chowk, demanding the mortal remains of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru, who was hanged in 2013, and Maqbool Bhat, who was hanged in 1984.

CPI-Maoist posters criticizing the Mamata Banerjee Government were recovered by the patrolling CRPF personnel from Salboni area of Jangalmahal region of West Bengal State, pointing to the increased activity of the Maoists in the area. The Maoists have sent a warning to TMC workers as well, asking them to give an undertaking that they will resign from all party posts. This is the third time in two weeks that such posters - 12 of them - were recovered from the area.

The CPI-Maoist cadres detonated five serial IED blasts and fired indiscriminately at a team of CAF in Bijapur District of Chhattisgarh. No one was injured in the incident. The Maoists exploded landmines between Bodli and Bhairamgarh under Bhairamgarh Police Station limits while a CAF's squad was patrolling in the region to ensure security to the Geedam-Bhopalpatnam road, Bijapur SP K.L. Dhruv said. Later, during searching, three explosives, one IED weighing 10 kg, were recovered from the spot.

SFs arrested a ULFA-I cadre, identified as Deepak Das (27), along with a 7.62 mm pistol and some ammunition from Kachiabari Borogopha in Kokrajhar District. The militant was involved in money collection, extortion and providing administrative support to ULFA-I.

The attempt on the part of the suspected GNLA-ULFA combine to attack the Police personnel in Resubelpara in North Garo Hills District was foiled, following the recovery of IEDs and arrest of a person by a joint team of both Assam and Meghalaya Police from Goalpara District of Assam. Based on the revelation of one of the GNLA cadre, one Malsing R Marak was arrested on the outskirts of Resubelpara and three remote controlled IEDs and gelatins sticks were recovered from a house at Kalaring village adjacent to the forest area of Dorenkitip in Assam. Later, all the IEDs were defused by a bomb disposal team of Meghalaya Police.

A KRA militant, identified as Yamkholen Touthang (40) of T Tuinom village, was killed by unidentified assailants near KT College under Kangpokpi Police Station in Senapati District. According to a Police source, the body bored a suspected bullet injury mark near the left ear which exited through left eye. KRA is under SoO pact with the Government.

The attempt on the part of the suspected GNLA-ULFA combine to attack the Police personnel in Resubelpara in North Garo Hills District was foiled, following the recovery of IEDs and arrest of a person by a joint team of both Assam and Meghalaya Police from Goalpara District of Assam. Based on the revelation of one of the GNLA cadre, one Malsing R Marak was arrested on the outskirts of Resubelpara and three remote controlled IEDs and gelatins sticks were recovered from a house at Kalaring village adjacent to the forest area of Dorenkitip in Assam. Later, all the IEDs were defused by a bomb disposal team of Meghalaya Police.

A school teacher, abducted from his home at a remote village in West Khasi Hills District on February 9, was rescued from Nonghawei area and three of his captors were arrested. A search operation was launched and three abductors were picked up from Malangkona village, Police said.

The BSF troops deployed at Rongra in South Garo Hills District arrested one Bangladeshi National Mohtaj Miya (35) of Phulbari in Netrakona District of Bangladesh, while he was infiltrating from Bangladesh into India. The BSF recovered INR 20,000 FICNs, Bangladeshi Taka 70 and one mobile with two Bangladeshi SIM from his possession. He revealed that the consignment of FICN was brought from Durgapur in Netrakona for handing over to one Indian FICN racketeer namely Greengton Marak of South Garo Hills.

The newly-created Naga outfit, which calls itself Eastern Naga National Government (ENNG) and intends to have an armed wing, came forward to challenge NSCN-K as a ‘self-styled champion’ of Naga cause and accused the present Naga leadership of being beset with internal factionalism, egoism and personal quarrels. Founded on January 14, 2016, the ENNG proclaimed R Stephan Naga as its ‘president’, Khongwon Mossang as ‘home minister’, M Saiman as ‘defence minister’ and Kim Juv Ng as ‘foreign minister’. Its armed wing is to be known as the Eastern Naga Independent Army (ENIA). ENNG has declared the areas under its influence - apparently in the Districts of Tirap, Changlang and Longding in Arunachal Pradesh - as 'Peace Zone', with its vision statement saying that no activities, including military and social, that are inimical to the Naga cause would be tolerated there. This peace zone would be defended by ENIA, it said.

Agencies believe once the ENNG is able to establish control in Tirap, Changlang and Longding, it will have a direct impact on NSCN-K activities in the area and create difficulties for other Indian insurgent Groups (IIGs) who use this area for infiltration/exfiltration. "This is bound to attract retribution from NSCN (K) and its IIG allies," intelligence agencies have warned.

ENNG, in its manifesto and vision statement released to the local media on January 17 and 22, accused the Naga national representatives of destroying Naga solidarity and leading Nagas down the road of bloodshed. "This has deprived the Naga people of economic development and seen imposition of unwarranted extortion and collection of taxes, directly impacting the fabric of Naga society," it said. The newly-formed outfit's manifesto spoke of Naga leadership's failure to come up with a viable solution to the Naga issue despite the revolution spanning 50 years, report added.

The NSCN-IM accused Chairman of Cease Fire Monitoring Group (CFMG), Lieutenant General (retired) NK Singh of making a “last ditch” attempt to derail the peace process between the NSCN-IM and GoI and abrogate the ceasefire. “The CFMG chairman is trying his level best and making a last ditch effort to sabotage the peace talks and abrogate the ceasefire for his own vested motives”, alleged Kraibo Chawang, the Convenor of Cease Fire Monitoring Cell (CFMC) of the NSCN-IM at a press briefing at the CFMC office. Chawang said that while GoI representatives and NSCN-IM leaders are in hectic parleys in Delhi and are putting all efforts to hammer a solution to the protracted Naga political issue, at the ground level there are “anti-forces” at work.

The Governor of Nagaland and Assam, P.B. Acharya strongly condemned the killing of a couple in Kiphire on February 6 by some unidentified gunmen. The Governor, who is in Delhi to attend the Governors conference convened by the President of India, expressed deep shock and dismay at the heinous killing. Acharya asserted that violence had no place in a democracy and added that the Government would take strong measures to prevent further escalation of violence.

According to reports, at least 1200 people, including a number of students preparing for the HSLC and HSSLC examination, have been displaced from Kiphire, Pungro and Shamator in the aftermath of the February 6 murder of a young couple at Shamator area in Tuensang District. In the outrageous shooting incident, a husband-wife couple identified as Alemba and Naro, travelling in a Bolero from Shamator towards Kiphire were gunned down by unidentified assailants. The incident triggered a chain reaction of violence in Kiphire and Shamator towns as mobs went on rampage. An official source said at least 1200 people who fled Kiphire following the shooting incident have taken shelter in Pungro sub-Division. The people were escorted by the Kiphire District administration, Police and SFs till Pungro jurisdiction. Those who fled to the jungle as violence erupted had to be tracked down by the Police and escorted to safety.

February 10-11

Based on intelligence input about NDFB-IKS militants holed up deep in the jungles of Rowta Reserve Forest North of Mazbat town (Udalguri District) bordering Arunachal Pradesh, a 48 hour long search and destroy mission was conducted by the Army and Udalguri Police and arrested two persons from the camp location. The operation was launched on February 10 by Army and Assam Police, was a major success and resulted in successful busting of NDFB-IKS militant camp, report said. The camp was being used to train and provide logistic support to the active cadres of the NDFB-IKS. The destruction of the NDFB-IKS camp goes a long way in reducing the menace of this unlawful organization from the Udalguri District and will help in bringing peace and normalcy in the region, Army said in a statement.

February 11

David Coleman Headley exposed how ISI and LeT majorly funded terror operations in India and financed him from time to time and that Pakistan native Tahawwur Rana visited Mumbai before the terror strikes. Resuming his deposition before a court the LeT operative also said that RBI has turned down a request to open a bank account for their office in India.

Giving details of his funding, he said, “Before coming to India in September 2006, he received USD 25,000 from ISI’s Major Iqbal.”He added, “I also got 40,000 in Pakistani currency from LeT operative Sajid Mir between April and June 2008". Also, Major Iqbal gave me counterfeit Indian currency once or twice in 2008, he said. Besides Abdul Rehman Pasha, also from ISI, gave me Rs 80,000, Headley said.

“Tahawur Rana (Headley’s associate and a Pakistani native who operated a Chicago-based immigration business) used to send me money from the US in September 2006 when I came to India to do intelligence work on instructions of LeT,” he told the court.

Describing “terrorism as a common threat” to India and the UAE, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the visiting Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, agreed to step up counter-terrorism cooperation, government sources said. UAE’s Minister of State (Foreign Affairs) Anwar Gargash said, “We have zero tolerance towards extremism and terrorism. It is a generational fight… it is going to be a marathon, and not a sprint. We have to fight it through cooperation on many fronts — security, military, and also fight the perverted thoughts.”

A woman CPI-Maoist cadre was killed during an exchange of fire between the SF personnel and the Maoists in a forest in Kalahandi District of Odisha. The combing team comprising SOG and DVF also recovered arms from the spot. Kalahandi SP Brijesh Rai said on receiving intelligence information about movement of Maoists in Kanamanjur Reserve Forest, an intense combing operation was launched. The encounter, that took place near Supel on the bank of river Sagada between 3.30 pm and 4 pm, lasted for about 25 minutes. The Maoists fled into the forest leaving behind the body of the woman cadre, who is yet to be identified, the SP added.

The NSCN-R decided to exempt house taxes and ration taxes from the people of Tirap, Changlang and Longding Districts of Arunachal Pradesh with immediate effect, informed a press note from the MIP of the NSCN-R. It directed all NSCN-R commanders to strictly adhere by this order and asked them to be “vigilant against any member or cadres who will indulge in any kind of such collection from the villagers.” It cautioned that “prompt and stringent action” will be initiated against any member/s found acting against the order.

The NSCN-R stated that various groups and organisation for the past several years have mercilessly exploited the Nagas living here. “The successive state and the central government had also failed miserably to give adequate support to uplift the life and economy of the people,” it added. The people in these three districts, it lamented, “hardly live for themselves or in other words hardly find time to think, work or do for themselves or their children.” “On and above their pathetic and battered economic situation arising out of the lackadaisical and step motherly attitude of the state government, they would witness a patrol team from one or the other NSCN group every other day,” the NSCN-R said.

SFs arrested a senior cadre of the NSLA, identified as Everest Tudu alias Jambua from Siyalmari village in Kokrajhar District. A pistol along with some ammunition and a mobile phone were recovered from his possession.

BJP’s Chief Ministerial candidate in Assam Sarbananda Sonowal said that illegal immigrants were the enemies of the people of the State. In an interview, Sonowal, said, ‘’Congress is trying to bring illegal migrants to the state. The local people have been reduced to ‘microscopic minority’. These people (immigrants) are the enemies of the people of Assam. Claiming that unabated infiltration from Bangladesh is still on, Sonowal said if voted to power, his party will find a lasting solution to the burning issue which is threatening the basis of Assamese society.

A senior ANLA militant was killed during an encounter with Police at Mangsang under Rongjeng Police Station in East Garo Hills District. Police after getting the information about the presence of the militants launched an operation. In the exchange of fire between Police and the militants one Mickin Arengh was killed on the spot while   others managed to escape.

Suspected militants allegedly assaulted the driver and the helper of a loaded truck, which was on its way from West Bengal to Mizoram, making them unconscious before hijacking the truck from National Highway 40 near Jorabat at 13th Mile in Ri-Bhoi Distric. Locals rescued the driver and the helper from the spot and handed them over to the Police. Both the driver Rakesh Prasad (31) and the helper Biswajit Giri (25) hail from Siwan District in Bihar and were resting in their vehicle when the suspected militants struck.

Police arrested three hardcore GNLA militants, identified as Kancha, Hinen and Limbu, working under Rakkam, the ‘finance secretary’ of the outfit, from Siju Wathre under Nongalbibra Police Station in South Garo Hills District. The trio was involved in providing vital information about Police movements to GNLA besides collecting phone numbers of businessmen for extortion purpose, Police said. During interrogation, they revealed that GNLA used to pay them INR 3,000 for every successful abduction and extortion.

“No one can just start talking to a banned organisation unless they abandon all unlawful activities. The GNLA and other armed groups have to demonstrate their sincerity and seriousness to join the mainstream and not to engage in unlawful activities before any peace initiative is proposed,” Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma said dismissing media speculations on Government sending feelers to the GNLA.

Sangma said that the media cannot rely on unofficial or unconfirmed sources for such reports as they are dangerous when viewed from the legal perspective. “In the case of banned outfits, the State Government is in a continuous process of consultation with the MHA and unless there is a designated interlocutor jointly approved by the MHA and the State Government, talks cannot just happen at the whims and fancies of any group or their representative who might be posing as a self styled interlocutor,” Sangma added. The Chief Minister said that his Government is exploring all possibilities of bringing the armed outfits to the mainstream so that they can engage in productive activities but only after following due process.

The GNLA expressed its willingness to come forward for talks. The outfit has asked the government to appoint an interlocutor for holding negotiations. "If the Meghalaya government is really sincere for talks, let them (the government) appoint an interlocutor and hold talks with Champion R. Sangma," said a release issued by the GNLA's ‘publicity secretary’ Gantong Ch. Marak. GNLA ‘chairman’ Champion is a former Deputy Superintendent of Police-turned-rebel who is at present lodged in Shillong jail. "He (Champion) is available 24 hours," Marak added. The release said according to the constitution of the outfit, the ‘chairman’ is the right person on behalf of the outfit to hold talks. "The GNLA will abide by the decision arrived at a meeting between Champion R. Sangma and a government-appointed interlocutor," the release stated. The outfit also stated clearly that to create conducive atmosphere for talks, it is willing to declare a unilateral ceasefire.

In Shillong, the state government announced that it was "keen" and "open" for dialogues with proscribed outfits like the GNLA and the HNLC provided they abjured violence. A statement from the state government in Shillong stated the GNLA and the HNLC would also have to desist from "anti-national" activities such as calling strikes on important national days and stop criminal activities, including extortion, abductions and killing of civilians. The statement was issued following media reports, which appeared in a section of the print media, stating that interlocutors had been appointed to facilitate talks with the HNLC and that feelers had been sent to the GNLA for initiation of the peace process. "These pre-conditions are necessary to ensure positive participation in any peace process by the state and central governments and create an atmosphere which would be conducive to appointment of interlocutor(s)," the statement added.

February 12

David Coleman Headley said the terror group LeT was unhappy that the Mumbai airport (Maharashtra) was not one of the targets in the 26/11 (November 26, 2008) attack on Mumbai. Continuing his revelations in a Mumbai court while deposing via video link from the US, Headley also said he had discouraged LeT from attacking the Naval Air Station and the Siddhivinayak Temple as both were heavily guarded.

The BSF arrested a man near the Bangladesh border in West Bengal's Malda District along with FICNs of the face value of over INR 13,00,000. The man was seized by the troopers in the early hours in the Daulatpur border outpost area. The BSF so far in the year has seized over INR 27,00,000 FICN and apprehended six smugglers from across the South Bengal frontier.

India and the UAE in a joint statement called upon states to rein in "non-state actors" involved in perpetrating terrorist activities, saying terrorism could not be used as an instrument of state policy. Taking off from where they had left in August, 2015 when Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the UAE, the joint statement, issued on the visit of Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, said any link between extremism or terrorism and religion should be strongly rejected by the international community.

India talked tough, as the testimony of 26/11 (November 26, 2008) terror plotter David Coleman Headley before a court in Mumbai (Maharashtra) and revelations by Pakistan’s former President, Pervez Musharraf, in an interview exposed role of “state actors” of the neighbouring country in supporting cross-border terrorism. New Delhi said that Musharraf’s admission on involvement of ISI of Pakistan in training the terrorists of LeT and JeM spoke for itself and reinforced once again “the need for stopping support from state actors to terrorism” in the region.

New Delhi also frowned upon the meeting between Pakistan’s High Commissioner to India, Abdul Basit, and Kashmiri separatist leaders, Mirwaiz Umer Farooq and Syed Ali Shah Geelani, here. Official spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, Vikas Swarup, reiterated that Jammu and Kashmir was an integral part of India and the issue could be only discussed between the two countries bilaterally, without role of any “third party”.

Clashes erupted between stone-throwing youth and SFs in Nowhatta area of Old City in Srinagar post-Friday congregation prayers. A group of youth assembled outside Jamia Masjid in Nowhatta and staged a protest. The protesters later resorted to stone-pelting on SFs including Police and CRPF additionally deployed in the area. Police used teargas canisters against the stone-throwing protesters and also chased them away. However, the youths regrouped themselves and continued pelting stones. The standoff between the two sides continued for several hours, resulting in disruption of the commercial and transport activities in Nowhatta, Gojwara and its adjoining neighborhoods.

A trooper - Neeraj Kumar - belonging to the 170 battalion of CRPF was severely injured in a CPI-Maoist orchestrated blast near Kongpalli in Bijapur District of Chhattisgarh.

12 CPI-Maoist cadres were arrested from separate places in Sukma District of Chhattisgarh.

Five CPI-Maoist cadres involved in several offensives surrendered in Malkangiri District of Odisha. "We joined the CPI (Maoist) being motivated by the Red revolution. When we realised that the Maoists did nothing for the poor and tribals, we decided to return to the mainstream," said a surrendered Maoist. Police said the surrendered Maoists were working for the Kalimela ‘area committee’ of the Malkangiri division. The surrendered Maoist cadres have been identified as Bhima Kunjami, Malla Kunjami, Mukra Madhi, Sukra Sodi and Muka Madkami.

Two non-local masons were reportedly injured in a powerful blast that occurred near a bridge which is currently under construction at Sawombung in Imphal East District. According to sources, the bomb is suspected to be an IED and it exploded on the bank of Iril River near an under construction bridge. The injured persons have been identified as Jabikal Islam (25) and Jahrudin (30), both of them are from Kamrup Jabakali in Assam.

Unknown armed assailants abducted a project manager of Coastal Projects Ltd, currently engaged in construction of tunnels for Jiribam-Tupul railway line in Tamenglong District. According to sources, the project manager identified as Mohammad Manir Raja from Bihar was abducted by around 10 armed assailants from near tunnel number 10 located between Kambiron and Khongshang under Nungba Police Station in the District.

A team of District Police commando arrested one self-styled ‘Sergeant’ of UNLF while conducting operation in and around Wapokpi bazar in Thoubal District. The arrested individual has been identified as Thounaojam Manglemba Singh alias Kanbiba (32) of Thounaojam Mamang Leikai, according to a statement issued by the PRO of Police Department.

The AMUCO warned of launching mass agitation if a white paper on the points incorporated in the accord signed between the GoI and NSCN-IM are not made public without any further delay. This was stated by AMUCO president Dr Y Mani Khuman while addressing the 23rd foundation day of AMUCO at its office located at Kwakeithel.

Three Assam based traders were abducted by militants reportedly belonging to a splinter group of the AMEF, when they went to sell their wares at the weekly market of Emangre village, not far from Radigre in Meghalaya.

February 13

Terrorist David Coleman Headley revealed in court the codes he used to communicate with his handlers in terror group LeT. "Old Uncle," he said was the code name for Hafiz Saeed, LeT founder and mastermind of the 26/11 (November 26, 2008) Mumbai terror attacks. LeT 'commander' Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, Headley said, was "young uncle."

His main handler and his link with the Lashkar in Pakistan, Sajid Mir, had once sent Headley an email that said, "Uncle is flying high." The terrorist and his handlers used the code "H1 virus" to safely talk about investigations because the H1N1 flu had affected people in several parts of India at that time, Headley revealed in his deposition. 

Five militants of LeT including their 'commander' and two Army personnel, identified as Naik Shinde Shankar Chandrabhan (34) and Gunner Sahdev Maruti More (26), were killed and two Army personnel including an officer were injured during a fierce encounter in Chowkibal forest area of North Kashmir's Kupwara District. The encounter that started last evening (February 12) continued throughout the night and in the morning, troops killed five militants who were holed up in the house of Ghulam Mohammad Wani. Sources said that seven militants infiltrated during the intervening night of February 8 and 9 into Zonreshi forests of Chowkibal from Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK). As the troops started cordon-and-search operation, militants hiding in a house fired on troops leading to an encounter. SFs recovered 5 AK-47 rifles, two UBGL throwers, seven UBGL grenades, 13 hand grenades, 25 magazines and large quantity of AK ammunition, pouches, dry fruits, sleeping bags, snow axe and dry fruits besides other war like stores.

Army troops of Delta Force along with Jammu and Kashmir Police busted a terrorist hideout in dense forests of Bajpathri area of Banihal tehsil (revenue unit) in Ramban District and seized huge quantity of arms and ammunition. The arms and ammunition seized from the hideout include three pistols with magazines, 2042 rounds of AK 47, 25 rounds of sniper rifle, five hand grenades, five magazines of AK-47, two radio sets, one weapon sight and other sustenance stores, sources said.

A BSF trooper, identified as Harikesh Prasad, died after being hit by the bullet fired by the CPI-Maoist cadres in Sangam village under Kanker District of Chhattisgarh. The trooper died due to excess blood loss.

Three Maoists were killed in an encounter with SF personnel at Sendra village in Bijapur District of Chhattisgarh. “Three dead bodies of the Maoists were recovered after an encounter at Sendra village in Bijapur District on Maharashtra- Chhattisgarh border today. The number of Maoists killed is likely to increase. Our parties are still inside the operational area and more encounters are expected,” Bastar range IGP S.R.P. Kalluri said in a statement. Five weapons, including one 303 rifle, were recovered from the spot of the encounter.

Three CRPF troopers were hurt in a landmine blast in Kondapara area of Dantewada District, Chhattisgarh “They (CRPF men) sustained minor injuries and all are out of danger. First aid has been given to them. They shall be airlifted to Raipur for further treatment,” IGP Kalluri said.

A BSF trooper was attacked by the Maoists in Pankhanjur town of Kanker District in Chhattisgarh.

A militia ‘commander’ of the CPI-Maoist was arrested by Charla Police in coordination with the CRPF personnel from Korkatpadu forest area in Charla mandal of Khammam District of Telangana. A directional mine was recovered from his possession, Police sources said. Sodi Muka alias Mukkaiah, the militia ‘commander’ of Kondavai Revolutionary People’s Committee of CPI-Maoist Venkatapuram ‘area committee’, was arrested by a joint team of Police and CRPF personnel after a brief chase during a combing operation near a forest stream surrounding Korkatpadu.

Security personnel have recovered a huge cache of arms, ammunition and materials, used in making explosives, from a CPI-Maoist dump at Nagrar village under Mainpur Police Station limits in Gariyaband District of Chhattisgarh. The seizure includes two 303 bore rifles, as many muzzle loading guns, one country-made pistol, a country-made gun, 16 detonators, a walkie-talkie, gelatin stick, two remotes, live cartridges of 12 bore gun, a mobile phone, four tiffin bombs and other materials used in making explosives, besides daily use items.

A linkman of the NDFB-IKS, identified as Ila Narzary, was arrested from Mainaguri under Serfanguri Police Station in Kokrajhar District. He was involved in extortion and information gathering for the outfit. A country-made pistol, along with live bullets were recovered from him.

Normal life was thrown out of gear in Churachandpur District on February 12 following a bandh (total shutdown) imposed by public in protest against the burial of nine victims of anti-tribal bills protestors. Almost all the shops, business establishments, government, semi-government and private offices remained closed during the bandh. Vehicles were off the road.  

A man, identified as Mohammad Salim Pathan belonging to Rajasthan's Tonk District was arrested by the Gujarat ATS in Jaipur in a terrorism related case. Pathan, was taken to Ahmedabad on February 13 night. Interrogation with him is going on. ATS claimed that Pathan had provided fake documents to Samir Khan to procure a passport from Bhopal. On the same passport, Khan had fled to Pakistan where he was allegedly given training by various terror outfits. Khan was killed in an encounter by Gujarat Police in Ahmedabad on October 22, 2002.

The Coimbatore Rural Police registered three cases against CPI-Maoist cadres identified as Roopesh, his wife Shyna and Anoop Mathew George for using copies of voter Identity Cards of three people to obtain SIM cards from multiple shops in Pollachi and surrounding areas.

February 14

Two civilians including a woman and one LeT militant were killed and over three dozen others were injured during an encounter and clashes that broke out in Kakpora village in Pulwama District of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K). Police, CRPF and Army 50 RR cordoned off Khanday Mohalla in Kakpora area after they received information about presence of three LeT militants in the village. One militant Adil Ahmad Wagay of Bandipora, Pulwama, was killed in the encounter with SFs while two other militants managed to escape. Protests erupted during the gun battle in which two persons Danish Farooq Mir son of Farooq Ahmad Mir of Ratnipora, Pulwama, and the woman as Shaista Hameed daughter of Abdul Hameed of Lelhar village were killed. Danish, 19, was studying Electrical Engineering at Islamic University of Science and Technology in Awantipora, while the 22-year-old Shaista was pursuing MA Urdu. The youth protested near the encounter site in Lelhar village and security forces fired at the protesters as it turned violent.

The Army said infiltration from across the LoC into Jammu and Kashmir was down to a "trickle" when compared to earlier years, as the state is seeing a decrease in the number of terrorists with less than 100 terrorists in launch pads across the LoC. "There has been no increase in the presence of terrorists. Their numbers are decreasing," GOC of the Srinagar-based Chinar Corps, Lieutenant General Satish Dua. The GOC said the terrain on the LoC is such that infiltration does take place but the army has been able to limit the numbers. "I will not deny that (infiltration is taking place). In 2015, there were more than 600 inputs of infiltration. However, because of the counter-infiltration grid and our alertness on the LoC, we have been able to limit their numbers. You all know, 10-15 years ago, the kind of infiltration that used to take place. Today, that is down to a trickle," he said.

Three suspected CPI-Maoist cadres were arrested during a joint operation by SFs personnel in Sukma District of Chhattisgarh. "They were apprehend by a squad of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and district force from separate places under Gadiras Police Station area," ASP Santosh Singh. On reaching Padwaras village, the squad rounded up two Maoists, identified as Vijay Sodhi (35) and Dewa Sodhi (32), while Kunjami Dewa (26) was arrested from Bhusaras village, the ASP added.

In a joint operation, the Indian Army and Kokrajhar Police killed two militants of the NDFB-IKS, identified as Sanjib Basumatary alias Khardes and Jangswrang Basumatary alias Ladai at Auzarguri in Kokrajhar District. “An ambush was laid following a tip-off regarding the movement of some NDFB-IKS militants in the area. When the militants were challenged, they opened indiscriminate fire, prompting the security forces to retaliate. Two militants were killed in the exchange of fire”, defence spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Suneet Newton said. One of the slain militant, Ladai is wanted by the NIA in connection with the Adivasi massacre of December 2014 and for kidnapping Hindi-speaking people in January 2014. Khardes is also a wanted terrorist involved in subversive acts. Two 7.65mm pistols with five rounds of ammunition, six empty cases of 7.65mm pistol, a 7.62mm AK magazine, six 7.62mm empty cases, eight 7.62mm live rounds, two grenades, some explosives and two mobiles were recovered from the duo.

One IED exploded at Leinganching in Chandel District, along Imphal-Ukhrul road. No injury was reported. According to a source, the IED exploded at a roadside which was just a Kilometer away from Litan Police Station. The IED was planted 1 foot below the earth. Iron balls were also recovered from the spot.

An IED exploded near KBS oil pump in Hungdung in Ukhrul District at around 2.53 pm. Though no injury was reported, a vehicle of AR suffered major damage.

Unidentified militants planted an IED at the residence of an Assistant Professor of Lilong Haoreibi College, Md Islamuddin (60) at Lilong Heinoumakhong under Lilong Police Station in Thoubal District. According to sources, the bomb weighing around 500 grams was found fitted with a mobile phone. Later, a team of State bomb experts retrieved the IED. It is suspected that the bomb was planted in connection with a monetary demand from an Under Ground group, the source said.

An ASAK militant, identified as ‘area commander’ Sengbat D Shira was killed in a Police operation in Kemdang village under Baghmara Police Station of Souh Garo Hills District. South Garo Hills Police received a tip-off on the presence of a group of militants near Kemdang following which the operation was carried out. The cadre was part of a group of about five-six cadres led by the ASAK’s ‘commander-in-chief’, Reding T Sangma. According to Police, a SWAT team of Police launched an operation last night (February 13). A chance encounter took place near Kemdang village on February 14 after which the militants fled. During a search of the area after the encounter, one unidentified cadre along with one pistol, some live ammunition and SIM cards were recovered, said IGP - Law and Order, GHP Raju. ASAK is suspected to be behind several kidnappings in the region, with most of those kidnapped still untraced.

A team of STF arrested one self-styled ‘zonal commander’ of the CPI-Maoist from Samastipur District of Bihar and two women cadres from a place on Muzaffarpur-Sheohar border. Sushil M Khopde, IG, Operations and STF, said the ‘zonal commander’, Lalbabu Sahni alias Bhaskarji, was arrested from his hideout in Samastipur District and on the basis of his tip-off, woman cadres - Soni Kumari and Chitra Lekha - were arrested. Bhaskarji was a Maoist ‘zonal commander’.

Nine CPI-Maoist cadres including a ‘divisional committee member’ and two ‘section commanders’ surrendered in the last one week, the Gadchiroli Police of Maharashtra said in a statement. The top catch was Ramji Mattami alias Sunil (32) recently promoted as member of Kasansur divisional committee. He carried a reward of INR 1.6 million. Sources told that Mattami, active for over 15 years, was removed from the committee for alleged sexual misconduct with a woman cadre and had been staying at his native village. When the Police arrested him, Mattami was found to be working for the Maoists from home. “It was due to his promise to help the Police in sharing vital information about Naxal activities that the Police got him surrendered,” said a source.

Among others who surrendered are Sattu Narote alias Shiva (26) and his wife Rekha Timma (27) were ‘section commanders’ of company 4 and each of them carried a reward of INR 800,000.

The other six cadres are Mira Narote (24), Kamla Hidko (35), Somji Atlami (28), Lakshman Narote (28), Dogde Atram (34), and Mangu Mattami (30) — had been active Maoists for years ranging between five and 14 years. While Mira had INR 400,000 reward on account of being a member of company dalam, others carried a reward of INR 200,000 each on their heads. Kamla Hidko is the wife of top Maoist leader Saoji Tulami, who spearheaded the Jantana Sarkar activity in the Tipagad area of Gadchiroli district.

CPI-Maoist cadres killed a civilian, identified as Sobu Gota (23), at Gaderi village under Etapalli taluka in Gadchiroli District of Maharashtra, a press release issued by the Gadchiroli district Police said on February 17. Gota was forcibly taken away from his house and then killed, the Press release added.

There is division within the Meghalaya Government on initiating peace talks with both GNLA and HNLC, sources said. While there was an offer from a section of the Government to the militant outfits to come forward for talks, the militant groups were prompt to respond and expressed their willingness to hold talks, report said. However, Chief Minister Mukul Sangma recently denied the media reports of appointing interlocutors and inviting the militant groups for talks. A minister in the Cabinet said that while two interlocutors were making efforts to reach out to HNLC, the State Government had sent feelers to GNLA to come forward for talks. In response, the HNLC had reminded the Government that it had already declared unilateral ceasefire, while GNLA said that it was willing to declare ceasefire.

The network that actively worked on expanding the al Qaeda in Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) was not simply limited to the Deepa Sarai neighbourhood of Sambhal District in Uttar Pradesh from where six men allegedly came together to form the outfit. Its reach was far and wide, according to alleged revelations by Mohammad Abdul Rehman Ali Khan. He is now in judicial custody. Khan came under surveillance after a phone call to him by Deepa Sarai resident and alleged AQIS-India 'chief' Mohammad Asif was intercepted by Indian agencies in August-September 2015. Official records quote him as saying that Asif met him in Bengaluru and told him about the new outfit.

Planning to approach the UNSC for the listing of JeM 'chief' Masood Azhar, India has lashed out at the UN’s action plan on the “lack of single contact point” in preventing violent extremism. India’s Permanent Representative at the UN in New York, Syed Akbaruddin, who was speaking on the Secretary General’s report on ‘Preventing Violent Extremism’, at the UN General Assembly, said, “Our view (is) that the current architecture at the UN is not sufficient to tackle this virus that threatens us collectively. The action plan provides no solution to this shortcoming. For example, where is the single contact point that will assist member-states seeking United Nations assistance in preventing violent extremism? Having gone through the entire action plan, unfortunately, we did not find an answer to this simple and basic question.”

Interrogation of Sadanala Ramkrishna, the former head of the technology wing of the CPI-Maoist, have revealed five more names who were actively involved in procuring technology for advanced explosives and arms for the extremist group. The five, all of them at large, are likely to be named in the charge sheet to be filed soon. According to a NIA officer, Ramakrishna alias Dokra alias Santosh, was the key member of the technology wing of the Maoists-Technical Research Arms Manufacturing Unit.

The first day of the 48-hour CPI-Maoist bandh had no impact in Ranchi District of Jharkhand. However, it had a partial impact on rural areas of the State. However, the bandh called by the CPI-Maoist Bihar State Committee resulted in the postponement of the matriculation and intermediate examinations, conducted by Jharkhand Academic Council, scheduled for February 16. Most business establishments in Gomia, Nawadih, Bermo and other areas remained close throughout. Commercial vehicles also remained off the roads, including long-distance buses. The bandh also disrupted transportation of coal, said sources.

The Maoists abducted two railway staff in during the bandh Jamui District of Bihar.

A 40-year-old civilian, identified as Chanti Gorgunda of Patagudam village in Sironcha taluka of Gadchiroli District, Maharashtra was killed by Maoists. The Maoists called Chanti out from his residence when he was taking his meals in the night. After some time, he was shot dead, Police said, adding they killed him as they suspected him to be a ‘police informer’. One of his cousins is working with the Gadchiroli Police.

Maoists partially damaged the building of Barhat block office in Jamui District of Bihar by exploding a cane bomb. The main door, gate and a pillar of the block office building were damaged while cracks appeared on some of the walls.

A group of CoBRA troopers had a miraculous escape when a bomb, planted by the Maoists exploded at Dhabi village under Dhibra Police Station limits in Aurangabad District of Bihar.

The Centre will come up with 100 AIR Stations in Naxal affected States in the country and the first Radio Station will be constructed in Gadchiroli District of Maharashtra.

Eight suspected Maoists were arrested in Sukma District of Chhattisgarh. "The cadres were nabbed from their native Tokanpalli village under Chintagufa Police Station limits," said ASP Santosh Singh.

The NDFB-IKS claimed that Sanjib Basumatary alias Kharde who was killed by the joint team of Army and Police on February 14 morning at Auzarguri in Kokrajhar District of Assam, was not their cadre but a student. The outfit also alleged that a hand of Kharde was cut off brutally by the Army.

Suspected Garo militants abducted an owner of a grocery shop, identified as Laldev Shah (Basu), from Bakharapara village in Bongaigaon District of Assam. Laldev Shah was returning home at Dhupdhara in Goalpara District at around 5 pm when armed militants allegedly kidnapped him from Bakharapara village at gunpoint.

According to sources, a substantial portion of the funds generated from illegal activities like timber smuggling, poaching etc are going to the coffers of the North East militant groups. Highly placed official sources said that timber smuggling and other such illegal activities are matters of serious concern, more so, because some of the militant groups are surviving on the money generated from such activities. Sources said that the Central Government had alerted the States of the region that such activities helped the militant groups to survive and the concerned State governments should take all possible steps to stop such illegal activities.

Sources further revealed that for years the NDFB survived from the money that they received from those involved in illegal activities like timber smuggling and poaching. The other income source of the NDFB was abduction and extortion. But of late, after the Central Government decided to launch a massive combing operation against the militants belonging to the NDFB-IKS after the involvement of members of the outfit in the gruesome killing of more than 70 persons on December 23, 2014, the fund flow to the outfit came down as its members, including senior leaders are on the run. The outfit has not been able to indulge in any kidnapping since the operation was launched and the extortion amounts are also coming down. However, sources admitted that according to reports, the remaining militants are surviving because of the money that they are receiving from the persons involved in timber smuggling.

Two different militant outfit in Manipur claimed the responsibility of two separate IED blasts that occurred on February 14. Whereas the proscribed RPF claimed its hand in the bomb blast which targeted troops of 41 AR at Hundung junction near KBS oil pump in Ukhrul District of Manipur, the militant outfit MNPF claimed responsibility for the bomb blast which targeted another team of 41 AR on the way from Litan to Hungphung.

According to a press release issued by RPF ‘department of publicity chief’ Bangkim, the bomb attack at Hundung junction was carried out by a special warfare team of the PLA. A press release issued by MNPF ‘assistant publicity secretary’ said that they would continue their struggle for the Naga people until the sovereignty of Manipur is restored.

Police identified the body of the ASAK cadre, who was killed in a Police operation in Kemdang village in Souh Garo Hills District of Meghalaya on February 14, as ‘area commander’ of the ASAK Sengbat D Shira. According to reports, Sengbat D Shira was responsible for the kidnapping of IB officer Vikash Kumar Singh in 2015 as well as his eventual murder, allegedly on the order of ASAK ‘commander-in-chief’ Reding T Sangma.

Welcoming the move of the GNLA to sit for talks with the Government, the peace committee including Church bodies along with NGOs and residents of the region asked the outfit to be serious about their dialogue offer. The peace committee further asked the State Government to speed up the process of selecting interlocutors for the process so that peace could return to Garo Hills. The peace committee also decided to meet the Meghalaya Chief Minister at the earliest and request him to take up the matter seriously.

The Chief Minister, while denying any fresh move to send feelers to militant outfits in the state had said, “In the case of banned outfits, the State Government is in a continuous process of consultation with the UMHA and unless there is a designated interlocutor jointly approved by the UMHA and the State Government, talks cannot just happen at the whims and fancies of any group or their representative who might be posing as a self styled interlocutors”.

According to the Chief Minister, no one can just start talking to a banned organisation unless they abandon all unlawful activities. Some senior Home Department officials are also in the dark about sending fresh feelers to both GNLA and HNLC for talks. However, the sudden response from GNLA and HNLC to hold talks has surprised them. Police are also skeptical in holding talks with HNLC as the Police personnel consider that the outfit has been neutralized to a large extent.

A mobile phone tower of a private telecom operator was set ablaze by the Maoists at village Marwaro under Khaira Police Station area in Jamui District of Bihar.

In a joint operation, the Odisha Police, Telangana Police, Central Intelligence Bureau and Tactical Wing of Odisha SoG arrested five suspected SIMI cadres, including a woman member, from Quereshi Mohalla area in Rourkela in Sundergarh District. The arrested cadres were identified as Mehboob alias Guddu (27), Amzad Khan alias Dowd (27), Zakir Khan alias Sadik (32), Mahammed Salik alias Sallu (32) and Nazma, mother of Maheboob, all hailing from Khandawa District in Madhya Pradesh. According Odisha IB Director General Arun Sarangi, the arrested cadres belonged to the banned SIMI. A huge cache of arms and ammunitions, including three pistols, seven guns and 11 rounds of live cartridges, were also recovered from the arrested persons. An intense exchange of fire between the SFs and the accused went on for three hours before the cadres were captured, sources said. The Police have also taken into custody the landlady of the house where the accused were staying for four months.

According to Arun Sarangi, the arrested SIMI rebels were involved in at least 17 explosions in Odisha, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu. Besides, they were also carrying out anti-social activities in Bihar and Jharkhand. In 2013, all the terrorists had escaped from Khandwa Jail in Madhya Pradesh and were hiding in Rourkela since then. After the jailbreak, the terrorists killed two Police personnel during a bank loot incident in Telangana. They decamped with INR 48 lakh from the bank. The extremists also killed a Policeman in Madhya Pradesh. They were also involved in several train robbery cases and a bank loot incident in Sundargarh District of Odisha.

The two-day Bihar bandh called by the CPI-Maoist passed off peacefully in Bihar. The bandh was called in protest against the killing of Maoist ‘commander’ Chirag Da.

At Dighi Bazar area under Lakshmipur Police Station in Jamui District of Bihar the Maoists left posters and pasted a few of them on the walls of a Durga temple and some abandoned shops in the market area.

The family of an alleged CPI-Maoist cadre killed in an encounter with the Bastar Police earlier in February has said he was a farmer with no Maoist links and he was killed in a “fake encounter.” “Around 25 policemen surrounded our house. Six of them entered it and asked my husband to show them a way out of the village. When my husband refused, they gagged him and took him along with them,” said Galo Kashyap, wife of Hadma.

Ravindra Kadam, the IGP, ANO, Nagpur Range, while speaking to a Marathi News channel has said in Gadchiroli District of Maharashtra that the probe conducted so far into arrested DU Assistant Professor G. N. Saibaba's alleged Maoist links has found that both DU and JNU have a large number of Left-Wing radical students, who are in touch with Kashmiri extremists groups.

CPI-Maoist cadres set ablaze a mobile tower in Jamui District of Bihar, the second day of a two-day state-wide bandh. Nearly 40 armed cadres attacked the BSNL mobile tower at Mudwaro village and set it ablaze. The shutdown affected normal life in rural areas in Jamui, Banka, Munger, Lakhisarai and other neighbouring Districts.

CPI-Maoist pamphlets opposing a proposed International School have been found at Nainisar in Almora District of Uttarakhand. The school is being built by Jindal Group. A locally made revolver and two bullets were also found at the site.

Following an intelligence report, the Army launched a combat operation near Assam and Arunachal Pradesh border and killed four militants in Na Kathalguri village under Bordumsa Police Station in Tinsukia District of Assam. According to sources, three of them were from NSCN-K and the fourth one was from the ULFA-I. Police recovered 2 pistols, 2 magazines with 25 rounds of ammunition, one AK-56 rifle with 3 magazines, 82 rounds of ammunition of AK series, 13,500 Kyat (Myanmarese currency), 6 mobile phone sets, 2 sets of Army fatigue, 1 pouch, 2 solar plates and 2 solar lights.

South Garo Hills Police successfully rescued three Assam based traders, who were abducted by militants reportedly belonging to a splinter group of the AMEF on February 12, following a brief gun battle near a remote village called Radigre in South Garo Hills District of Meghalaya. The three Assam traders hailing from Mankachar town in Dhubri district were abducted by militants when they went to sell their wares at the weekly market of Emangre village, not far from Radigre.

The NSCN-K alleged that the ENNG is an “initiative of India’s age old trademark divisive craft to sabotage Nagas sovereign struggle under SS Khaplang led NSCN/GPRN. In a statement from its MIP, ‘colonel’ Isak Sumi of the NSCN-K stated that the “sly nature of furnishing bogus and non-existent identities of leaders of this newly flouted gang itself indicate insidious intent.”

Stating that their leader, R. Stephen is “none other than Mr. Toshan Mossang of Nampong under Changlang District, Arunachal Pradesh and the rest of the leaders provided are all but fictitious,” the NSCN-K MIP informed that it shall “not allow this India indoctrinated pariah gang to exist or function in Eastern Nagaland under any circumstance nor shall NSCN allow Eastern Nagaland to be used as breeding ground for anti-nationals, any individual or group associating with this gang shall be treated as collaborator and same yardstick shall be applied as with any anti-national element.”

Responding to allegations levelled against him by NSCN-IM, the CFMG chairman Lieutenant General (Retired) N.K.Singh termed it as “amazing and ironical” that the NSCN-IM was accusing him of trying to sabotage and derail the peace process between NSCN-IM and GoI when he was in no way involved in the talks at the highest levels in New Delhi. On the allegation that he has some vested motives, the CMFG chairman, in a press release, said his only motives and desire were to see genuine peace and good law and order in Nagaland, common people free from the fear of the gun, and a security environment conducive to encouraging increased economic activities and local employment.

AR recovered arms and ammunition includes, one 9mm Pistol with magazine, one magazine of Point 22 Pistol and live ammunition from the house of a suspected NSCN-IM cadre, Atovi Achumi in Thilixu village in Dimapur District of Nagaland. Stating that the NSCN-IM cadre was absconding from his house, AR said his family confirmed that the recovered items belonged to Atovi Achumi. The weapon was seized and handed over to Police since the same was being kept at the residence in contravention to the Ceasefire Ground Rules, the AR release said.

AR arrested an active cadre of NSCN-R, identified as Maithi Sema (38) and his accomplices, identified as Kiyeho (32) and Tokihe Sema (31) along with one illegal weapon with magazine from Sukhovi Road in Dimapur District of Nagaland.

AR launched a search operation and arrested two OGWs of NSCN-K along with one AK 47 magazine, three 7.62mm SLR magazines and 94 rounds of assorted live ammunition from a house at Rengma Colony in Walford in Dimapur District of Nagaland.

On the directions of Governor N. N. Vohra, the State Government has approved enhancement in rate of Militia Relief in favour of ex- J&K Militia personnel and their widows. The relief rate has been enhanced from INR 1500 to INR 2500 per month in case of 168 J&K Militia personnel who had served for 15 yrs and more. Similarly, the relief rate has been enhanced from INR 1000 to INR 2000 per month for J&K Militia Personnel who had served for periods less than 15 years.

In the 77^th J&K Rajya Sainik Board meeting held in April 2015, under the chairmanship of the Governor, who is also its President, the Board had approved that the relief being provided by the State Government to the Militia Veterans and their widows should be enhanced.

Security agencies will approach Twitter India to block all accounts having links with LeT founder and JuD ‘chief’ Hafiz Saeed and which are often found to be spreading venom against India. There are several accounts which have links with Saeed and it has become necessary to shut these down as quickly as possible, officials said. "We are approaching Twitter India which in turn will tell its US-based parent company to deactivate the accounts. Hopefully, it will be done soon," an unnamed official said. Earlier, Twitter had blocked several accounts operated by Saeed, following requests from security agencies in different countries, including India and the US. However, such accounts again cropped up after a gap of several months.

A man was killed by the CPI-Maoist cadres on the suspicion of being a ‘Police informer’ in Kanker District of Chhattisgarh. The victim's blood-soaked body was found on the outskirts of Markanar village under Koyalibeda Police Station limits.

Two Policemen, identified as Suman Yadav and Shankar Mandavi, were injured after they were shot at by the Maoists in Rajnandgaon District of Chhattisgarh. The incident took place when the duo was marching around Gatapar Police Station in Khairagarh region. A small action team of Maoists fired upon them resulting in minor injuries on their legs.

SF personnel recovered a powerful IED, grenades and ammunition from a Maoist hideout in Rajnandgaon District of Chhattisgarh. Officials said the recovery included an 8-kilogram IED, two grenades and some bullets.

Security personnel seized several CPI-Maoist articles during a two-day joint combing operation at Udul under Handapa Police limits in Angul District of Odisha.

A Maoist, who was carrying a reward of INR 100,000 on his head, was killed in an encounter with SF personnel in Sukma District of Chhattisgarh.

CRPF DG Prakash Mishra has said Maoist menace is coming back again in Odisha and Telangana after lying low for some time with the overall situation in LWE-affected States remaining "fluid". The DG said while LWE activity in Odisha had by-and-large cleared up, it is now "coming back" in Narayanpatna area of Koraput District. He added "There could be many reasons (for this) -- non-application of Standard Operating Procedures or lax Policing. The inherent danger is always there...even in Telangana and some places in Andhra Pradesh." "As of now, I would say the situation is fluid but if the drive (operations and development together) continues as it is at the present, then I think it (Naxal violence) is going to take a turn for the better only. There shouldn't be any let down (in operations and development works) in affected areas," he said when asked to give his assessment of the Left Wing Extremism situation in the country.

UMH Rajnath Singh reviewed Naxal situation of AP in Visakhapatnam where he credited security agencies, developmental programmes and policies of the State Government for the improved scenario. He said the LWE activities across States were restricted to 141 districts in 2015 from 162 districts in 2014.

One person, identified as Amir Hussain was arrested for allegedly demanding INR 2 lakh at gunpoint from Dhubri District Congress vice-president Rezaul Islam on February 16. (Assam)

ULFA leader Anup Chetia, while urging for peace and harmony among all the ethnic tribes of the State, cautioned the divisive forces which tried to destroy the age-long communal harmony in the State. Chetia was addressing a meeting at the Doomdooma Bangiya Durgabari Hall which was convened by the ULFA-PTF in the wake of firing to the residence of former Doomdooma MLA Durga Bhumij by an organisation named MTF. The meeting was also addressed by ULFA ‘chairman’ Arabinda Rajkhowa, former MLA Durga Bhumij and several leaders of various ethnic student and youth organisations. In his address Rajkhowa alleged that an unknown force is trying to disturb the communal harmony among the ethnic tribes of Tinsukia District.

The Manipuri film industry shut down indefinitely to protest against extortion threats by NRFM to the Film Forum Manipur. "We have decided to suspend all Manipuri film-related activities after the National Revolutionary Front Manipur issued threats to us for not meeting its monetary demand. We will not resume our activities until the threat is withdrawn," the chairman of the Forum, L. Surjakanta, said. 

Two persons from Assam working in Meghalaya, identified as Kuttu Rai, a JCB (excavator) operator from Bongaigaon, and Faruk Sheikh, a truck driver from Hatsingimari, were abducted by four unidentified armed militants from Ganol Apal village near Rongram in West Garo Hills District. Tura-based contractor Adamkid Sangma, who had engaged them in a Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana project, has filed an FIR at Rongram Police outpost, report said.

Nagaland Chief Minister TR Zeliang and members of the PWC of the Nagaland Joint Legislator’s Forum on Naga political issue met the NSCN-IM ‘general secretary’ Th. Muivah and senior members of the group in New Delhi. A statement issued by CMO media cell said that the PWC led by Nagaland speaker Chotisuh Sazo and Chief mMinister T.R Zeliang and NSCN-IM leaders held a marathon deliberation on the peace initiatives between GoI and NSCN-IM. Both the sides discussed at length the status and progress of the on-going Naga political dialogue, where PWC also extended its support to facilitate the peace process, media cell stated. At the meeting, Muivah shared his views on various issues confronting the Naga people at this critical juncture and also made several observations on the peace dialogues.

The NIA, which is investigating the January 1-3 Pathankot (Punjab) attack, has not only traced the infiltration route of the attackers from Pakistan but also found that they crossed over in broad daylight, at around 2pm on December 30, 2015. The infiltrators hid in a forested area close to the border for almost six hours, before starting for their target at 8pm. The terrorists, after crossing over from Bamiyal, waited for it to be dark before they proceeded. The NIA, upon searching the area near the infiltration point, recovered discarded food packets carefully buried by the terrorists. All the packets had Pakistani markings and manufacturing dates of November and December 2015. According to sources, the terrorists were escorted by their JeM handler Kashif Jaan, who belongs to Pakistan's Bahawalpur, to the infiltration point. Only two of the four attackers whose bodies were recovered have been identified, by the names Nasir and Salim. Nasir had made a call to his mother in Pakistan from one of the cellphones snatched from Superintendent of Police Salwinder Singh's car, while Salim's name came up during one of the conversations with the handlers.

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said lashed out at Pakistan for failing to act against the perpetrators of the Pathankot terror strike and the 26/11 Mumbai attacks despite India sharing substantive evidence with the neighbouring country. "If someone pretends to fall asleep, it is very difficult to find out (what they are up to). The government has continuously given evidence to Pakistan...if they are serious, they can act," the defence minister said. The minister also asserted there was no question of allowing Pakistani investigators access to the Pathankot airbase. "They (Pakistan) have to investigate the role of the people in their country," he said. On Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative David Coleman Headley's recent testimony to a court in Mumbai, Parrikar said he didn't need the approver's evidence to prove that Pakistani handlers were behind the 26/11 Mumbai terror strike.

MEA spokesperson Vikas Swarup, asked about Pakistan's offer of sending a SIT to India to probe the Pathankot attack, he said India was waiting for a firm proposal from Islamabad on the issue. "We have said that we welcomed the decision of Pakistan government to form an SIT. As and when a firm proposal is received, then the modalities will be worked out," he said.

A militant, identified as Abid Ahmad Bhat, surrendered before the Police in Shopian area of Shopian District along with an AK-47 rifle and a magazine in the night. The AK-47 was given to Bhat, a local militant, by Police deserter Constable Shakoor Ahmed Parrey. In January 2016, Constable Parrey ran away with four AK-47 rifles of fellow constables from the SDPO office at Bijbehara in Anantnag District where he was posted as a PSO to SDPO Bijbehara, Irshad Ahmad Bhat. Police have already arrested a militant, Gazi Fayaz on January 20 from Kundalan village along with one AK 47 rifle and three magazines; while another militant Aqib was arrested on January 22 along with one AK 47 rifle, one magazine and 30 bullet rounds. These two militants were also armed by Shakoor. However, Shakoor is still at large.

A link man of NDFB-IKS, identified as Rana Narzary was arrested by SFs from Saraibil under Gossaigaon police station in Kokrajhar District of Assam. He was involved with money collection, extortion, providing administrative support and information about movement of security forces to militant outfit organization.

Two youths were arrested from Hingoritoli in newly formed Charaideo District of Assam on charges of demanding money from some businessmen in the name of ULFA-I.

The NIA arrested a cadre of NDFB-IKS, identified as Sibiary alias Sansuma alias Daoka Basumatary when he was produced before the special NIA court in Guwahati in Assam. According to an official source, the accused, who was wanted by the NIA in the Adivasi massacre case (December 23, 2014), had surrendered before the special NIA court a few days ago. The court remanded him in NIA custody for 12 days.

Basumatary, who hails from Dhalkata village at Nalkhamara in Udalguri District, was allegedly involved in killing of five Adivasi villagers, besides injuring others, at Pakhriguri under Serfanguri police station in Kokrajhar District of Assam on December 23, 2014. The source said after carrying out the massacre he was hiding in Nepal and Chennai (Tamil Nadu) disguised as a worker before he surrendered in the court.

One Chinese-made hand grenade was found at the residential gate of one Okram Pishak of Singjamei Okram Leikai under Singjamei Police Station in Imphal West District of Manipur. The hand grenade, which was kept by unidentified assailants, was later safely defused by the Police bomb squad. It is suspected that the hand grenade was planted at his residential gate in connection with monetary demand.

The BSF busted a money laundering racket in Meghalaya by arresting three hawala agents from Balat and Dangar areas in East Khasi Hills District near the border with Bangladesh, and also recovered BDT 10.38 lakh Bangladesh taka from them. The arrested persons were identified as Manu Roy, Jyotish Pal and Ram Dev.

A cadre of NSCN-K, identified as ‘lieutenant’ Inato Ayee, was killed in an encounter with the AR near Chumukedima village in Dimapur District of Nagaland. According to the AR sources, the 37 AR launched an operation “in the area of Paglapahar and Razephema” following receipt of information about “presence of NSCN-K cadres attempting to re-establish extortion network in Dimapur, Chumukedima and along NH- 29.” The cadre was killed in retaliatory fire after he shot at the AR troops, who were conducting search at the road leading from Rezephema towards Paglapahar Bridge, the AR stated. A cache of arms and ammunition, which included one 9mm pistol with ammunition, hand grenades and lathod rounds were recovered, the AR added.

According to the AR, the slain cadre was recently appointed as “Tax Collection In charge of Zunheboto” and added that “he was probably dispatched to Chumukedima for re-establishment of extortion network in the area.” The AR further said that the deceased cadre had served as body guard of ‘brigadier’ Akaho Sema, who is now the finance secretary of NSCN-K.

The ENNG condemned the statement of ‘Colonel’ Isak Sumi of NSCN-K criticising the formation of ENNG. It stated that President of NSCN-K, SS Khaplang, was “manipulated by Indian NES, NPGs and other ethnic groups by their wrong political philosophy.” The ENNG stated in a press that when Manipur was attacked on June 4, 2015, Khaplang was in Rangoon (Myanmar) on medical treatment and “nobody knows how he was appointed as a President of UNLFWESEA and his Organization forced into bandh for the period of 5 years.” This, the ENNG stated, has resulted in the “failure of entire Naga National politics and loss of many of the Naga youth without any authentic reason and price.”

Two persons, identified as hongthong and Amongba arrested along with 49 rounds of 5.56mm ammunition arrested near Laskiur village in Tuensang in Nagaland. According to the SP, Tuensang, a third individual escaped during the incident.

February 19

Pakur SP Amarjit Balihar, who was among the six Police personnel killed in the 2013 CPI-Maoist blast, was not the real target of the Maoists but was in the wrong place at the wrong time, showed documents seized by Police from the possession of the slain Maoists after the Taimar Ghati encounter. "Maoists were keeping a watch on the movement of Security Forces on the Dumka-Pakur border. They had intelligence inputs that forces were likely to travel by the road in the afternoon following which an ambush was laid. The rebels sent a man in the area who would signal them if the patrol van was spotted," the document said.

Four cadres of the CPI-Maoist were killed following a nine-hour encounter with SFs in Taimara valley on NH-33 in Ranchi District of Jharkhand and four firearms were seized, CRPF IG Rakesh Kumar Mishra confirmed. The Police have recovered four dead bodies and a process to identify them is on. All the four dead Maoists were in Maoist fatigue. Two CRPF troopers were injured in the initial hours of encounter.

Jharkhand Police identified the four Maoists who were killed in an encounter with SF personnel in Ranchi District. The male cadres were identified as Boida Pahan, a ‘sub-zonal commander,’ Hemant, a ‘cadre’ and Roshan. The woman cadre was identified as Alisha alias Sunita.

A CPI-Maoist cadre, identified as Baldev Janesh, a member of company number 6, platoon 1 and former ‘commander’ of a LOS was killed in an intelligence based operation in the forests of Hiramandla in Kondagaon District of Chhattisgarh. Security personnel have recovered the Maoist's body, arms and weapons from the spot along with some Maoist material, and two bharmar rifles.

Chhattisgarh Police said at least 31 bodies of Maoists have been recovered since the start of the year (2016) with nine alleged Maoists being killed in six big operations in the past three weeks alone. Senior Police officers said the number was achieved after a shift in strategy that has seen an increased use of DRG, a unit of the State Police, that has among its recruits several surrendered Maoists. Bastar IGP S.R.P. Kalluri said, “The turning point in Bastar has been the use of the DRG. I have no hesitation in saying that much of the credit goes to lower rung surrendered Maoist cadres, who have specific information. They never lose their abilities in a jungle, and they are motivated to see that Naxalism ends so that they can go back to their villages.”

The Police have also arrested 141 Maoists with 90 arrested from Sukma District alone so far this year.

CPI-Maoist cadres blew up the Newadi Panchayat building at Dihi village in Latehar District of Jharkhand and later on set ablaze a tower of a private telecom company at Chope village in the same District. The Maoists also pasted posters at the two villages.

Two CPI-Maoist militias, who reportedly triggered the landmine blast on January 8 that killed two BSF personnel, including a Deputy Commandant, were arrested in Koraput District of Odisha. They were identified as Basudev Pradhani (37) and Bhagaban Minarbalia (28). According to Police sources, both were part of Boipariguda ‘area committee’ under Malkangiri-Koraput border division of the CPI-Maoist.

The Centre is ready to talk to Maoists if they lay down arms without any conditions, UMH Rajnath Singh said in Bhubaneswar. Expressing satisfaction over the success in anti-Maoist operations in the region, the Minister said “I have reviewed the security scenario in Andhra Pradesh and Odisha. There has been improvement in curbing Maoist violence.” Asked about the status of the IAP, a special development scheme for Maoist-affected areas, the Minister said “Implementation of the IAP has been discussed in detail. We will revive the programme.” In Bhubaneswar, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik appealed to the Home Minister to sanction two companies of Central Forces for combating Maoists.

A village headman, identified as Penta Madkami, was killed by suspected CPI-Maoist cadres under Podia Police Station limits in Malkangiri District of Odisha. Three Maoists arrived at Madkami’s house and introduced themselves as Police officers. They entered his house and then killed him with an axe. Later, they asked some villagers to accompany them to an area nearby. However, suspecting foul play, the villagers caught hold of the three and handed them over to the Police.

A suspected NLFB militant, identified as Ajoy Roy (20) was arrested along with one handmade pistol, six hand grenades and two blank cartridges from Darrangamela in Baksa District of Assam along Indo-Bhutan border.

Suspected militants shot at and wounded three people, including a school girl, in a restaurant located at Khurai Angom Leikai Laiching Chingkhong in Imphal East District of Manipur. The injured victims were identified as Yumnam Suraj (25), his 17 years old companion and Laishram Romita (37). Suraj received bullet injury on his face while the girl received bullet injury at the left arm.

An IED exploded at thickly populated Namthilok in North AOC in Imphal West District of Manipur. However, there is no report of any casualty.

Two labourers who were reportedly abducted by armed men last week allegedly for ransom returned safely, nine days after they were picked up amongst a group of eight labourers camped on a worksite near Buongbal village in Singngat sub-division of Churachandpur District of Manipur. The labourers, identified as Muanlianthang (40) and Ginsuanmang (40) reached home safely after they were abducted on February 10 midnight by five unidentified armed men. Sources said the family had withheld the kidnapping episode from the public as their captors had threatened to eliminate them if the abduction ever comes out in the press.

Manipur Police arrested five persons including three women along with two machine guns and loaded magazines from Moirang in Bishnupur District of Manipur. The five were travelling in an auto when they were halted by the Police for random frisking.  Details on the identity of the arrested were not divulged for investigation, the sources said.

A cadre of LAEF, identified as Rosthon N Marak alias Kimjim, who orchestrated several kidnappings in East Garo Hills was arrested after Police raided his house in Samanda Kalsanang Adinggittim village in West Garo Hills District of Meghalaya. The arrested cadre belonged to the LAEF faction headed by one Augustine and at one point of time was behind several kidnappings of traders and businessmen including a coal dealer. Police had been on the trail of the fugitive Rosthon for quite a while but he had managed to slip away in previous instances.

BSF troops arrested a Bangladeshi national, identified as Shamin Noor Islam (28), while he was trespassing into Indian territory at Dalu in the South West Garo Hills District of Meghalaya.

The BSF arrested an OGW of GNLA, identified as Job D Shira in Rajapara in South West Khasi Hills District of Meghalaya. Two mobile phones with one SIM card were recovered from his possession. He was involved in serving GNLA demand notes to the various persons. He had escaped from the clutches of Chokpot Police few days back. He had been working for GNLA since 2010, sources said.

February 20

A team of Narcotic Cell arrested two persons, identified as L. Thangchungnung alias Chuchung Khongsai (18) and Sotinthang Touthang (18) along with 13 FICNs of INR 500 denomination from Gambhir Shopping Complex in Imphal West District of Manipur.

GOC-in-C, Western Command, Lieutenant General K J Singh stated that there was need for AFSPA to stay in Jammu and Kashmir saying that though the situation has been under control and level of infiltration was down, it (the level) has to be maintained by the troops for which the AFSPA was a must. He observed that gains achieved by Security Forces in bringing down the levels of militancy and infiltration can reverse rapidly if the AFSPA and DAA were removed. 

A hardcore Maoist, carrying INR 100,000 reward on his head, and two ‘militia members, surrendered before the SF personnel during an anti-Maoist operation in Kalahandi District of Odisha. The surrendered Maoist was identified as Suka Majhi (20) of Chhattisgarh. Along with him, two other local militia members also surrendered. Their identity was not disclosed on security grounds.

A CPI-Maoist cadre was killed during an exchange of fire with SF personnel in the forests of Tarlaguda village under Golapalli Police Station limits in Sukma District of Chhattisgarh.

An armed gang of the CPI-Maoist blew up a panchayat building at Balu under Balumath Police Station limits in Latehar District of Jharkhand. Palamu DIG Saket K. Singh said the building did not suffer extensive damage. DIG Singh added that the Maoists also set ablaze a generator set of a private telecom company called Reliance on the same day in Latehar District.

A militant belonging to NSCN-K, identified as Tabroi Konyak was arrested near a tea garden on Sonari-Namtola Road in Charaideo District of Assam.

27 illegal immigrants from Bangladesh were handed over to the authority concerned in Bangladesh by a Manipur Police team. According to a source, all the 27 Bangladeshis had entered Manipur via Kolkata, Guwahati and Dimapur in order to earn money.

Two cadres of ANLA, Salpha M Marak alias Korong and Kelier Arengh, who were involved in an encounter with Police in East Garo Hills on February 11, surrendered recently at Mangsang Police outpost bordering West Khasi Hills in East Garo Hills District of Meghalaya. They surrendered two AK rifles, one SBBL gun, five rounds of AK along with documents pertaining to their outfit. The two informed that they were in the group that had an encounter with the Police in which one ANLA cadre was killed.

February 21

ULFA ‘general secretary’, Anup Chetia met the family members of deceased ULFA cadres in Bakaliaghat in Karbi Anglong District of Assam and said that a ‘Martyrs’ Trust’ would be set up by them and soon a museum in the name of deceased ULFA members would also be constructed. The families appealed to him to make them a part of the ongoing talks with the Government of India. The ULFA leader said that the outfit had urged the Government of India to start search operation for ULFA cadres who went missing after the anti-insurgency operation in Bhutan. 

The ULFA leader held a meeting with the ceasefire groups of militant organizations like KLNLF, former DHD, UKDA and KRA. The chairman of the KLNLF, P Dilli said that they also would like to form the ‘Martyrs’ Trust’ with the ULFA. During the meeting, Thong Teron, general secretary, publicity secretary, Rejak Dera of KLNLF, former DHD leader Pranab Nunisa, Alex Kuki, general secretary, UKDA and Bruce Kuki, leader of KRA were present.     

A person, identified as Waldik N Sangma, who was abducted from Shallang area of West Khasi Hills District of Meghalaya was released unharmed by a gang of criminals after Police reportedly launched an operation in the area to rescue him. Police sources revealed that the abductors released their victim without receiving any ransom. Police also identified the group as a bunch of petty criminals who in the guise of militant outfits were spreading terror by indulging in abductions.

Three persons, including two CRPF personnel and the gardener were killed and 13 CRPF personnel, including an officer, were injured in the Pampore area of Pulwama District in a militant attack. The gunfight ensued after the militants attacked a CRPF bus on the Jammu-Srinagar highway and then entered the multi-storey JKEDI building situated close to the highway. 11 CRPF troopers travelling in the bus were injured in the attack. . The encounter is still going on as the terrorists are holed up in the building.

Two CPI-Maoist cadres were killed in an exchange of fire with a combing party comprising the Greyhounds personnel and the Special Party of the Vishakhapatnam District Police near Revulakota village in Koyyuru Mandal under Mampa Police Station limits in Vishakhapatnam District of Andhra Pradesh. There was no casualty on the Police side. As per reports, both the Maoists belonged to the Galikonda ‘area committee’ of the CPI-Maoist. Police recovered two 12 bore single barrel guns, some cartridges and two kit bags containing two mobile phones, uniforms and Maoist literature from the encounter spot.

The Andhra Pradesh State Government is keen on deploying additional forces in strategic areas on the Andhra-Odisha Border to check the presence of the Maoists, said Home Minister N. Chinarajappa.

A CRPF officer and a trooper were injured in an IED blast at Aranpur village in Dantewada District of Chhattisgarh. The injured have been identified as Assistant Commandant Aman Kumar and Constable Rakesh.

Police busted a Maoist camp under Peshrar block of Lohardaga District, Jharkhand during a joint operation with the CRPF. The Maoists were reportedly attending a meeting at Khadujharia village under Bagru Police Station limits. A few Maoists, positioned at a higher altitude, spotted the security personnel from a distance and alerted the others. All of them managed to flee. "We raided the place and found two IEDs, a loaded rifle, utility items, water bottles, and utensils. The Maoists took off with most of the items," said Lohardaga SP Kartik S.

Meanwhile, normal life was affected in Manipur following a state-wide 12-hour general strike called by the Maoist Communist Party of Manipur (MCPM). MCPM called the strike expressing serious concern over the Government’s inaction in the killing of Sanjit and Rabina in July 23, 2009 allegedly fake encounter case. Almost all the shops and business establishments in Imphal and its outskirt remained closed for the day, report said. 

February 22

India has ruled out the possibility of allowing a Pakistani SIT access to the Indian airbase in Pathankot (Punjab), which was targeted by terrorists belonging to the JeM on January 2, 2016. The report cited officials of the MEA and NIA stating that they expected Pakistani investigators to probe the role of suspects in Pakistan first. Government sources said they were ready to share details of investigation conducted by the NIA but Islamabad needed to ensure that a detailed probe was conducted into the role of those who perpetrated the attacks. Pakistan on February 21 announced that a SIT will shortly visit India in connection with the probe and India had agreed to it in principle.

Army killed three militants in the EDI building in the Pampore area of Pulwama District after 48-hour long intense gun fight, raising the death toll to nine. As reported earlier, six persons, including three Army three personnel, including two captains, two CRPF troopers and a gardener were killed and 13 CRPF personnel, including an officer, were injured in the attack which commenced on February 21. While three persons, two CRPF personnel and the gardener were killed on February 21, three Army persons were killed on February 22. SATP had earlier reported that four persons were killed in the attack. Sources claimed that it was a group of LeT militants who carried out the attack and identified them as Abu Saad, Abu Ukasha and Abu Walid. Army recovered three AK-47 rifles, 15 magazines, 200 AK-rounds, five UBGL grenades, one UBGL launcher, three pouches besides war like stores from the slain militants.

Three 'suspected' CPI-Maoist cadres, identified as Dasru Ram Mandavi (40), Kamlu Korram (45) and Budhu Korram (35), were arrested during a search operation by SF personnel at Oyanger village forests under Orchha Police Station limits in Narayanpur District of Chhattisgarh.

A woman CPI-Maoist cadre, identified as Laxmi alias Ratna (20), carrying reward money of INR 200,000 on her head, surrendered before security personnel in Kalahandi District of Odisha. She belonged to Palgurha village of Chhattisgarh. After undergoing training, she was working as an armed cadre for Modem Balakrishna alias Manoj of Odisha State Committee of the CPI-Maoist.

The current security situation in Naxal violence affected States is "good" and may improve further while parts of Odisha and adjoining areas are witnessing an increased activity of these cadres, said CRPF DG Prakash Mishra. Asserting that the violent activities and incidents of LWE attacks have "come down" in the last one year, he further said the situation still remains dynamic and sustained Police action along with development activities have to go in tandem to keep the LWEs under check. "If you go by the overall activities in the Left Wing Extremism (LWE) affected states, I would say the situation is good. Their (Naxals) activity has come down," Mishra, who will be retiring at the end of this month (February), said while interacting with reporters. The DG added while States like Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Bihar have been the focus areas of anti-LWE operations largely led by CRPF, some hinterland areas of Odisha and its border with Andhra Pradesh have recently seen a rise in LWE activities. "While situation on the LWE front has drastically improved, these new developments (along Andhra-Odisha border) need to be checked," DG Mishra added.

Nine personnel of CRPF were killed in 2015 as against 94 terrorists, militants and extremists neutralised by the force over the same period. This has resulted in the highest kill ratio in favour of the CRPF since 1993. In fact, the kill ratio in LWE -hit areas last year was the highest since 2000. Commenting on this CRPF DG Mishra says he is going as a "contented man". Considering that the CRPF lost 50 personnel while fighting the CPI-Maoist in 2014, 20 in 2013 and 37 in 2012, the limited casualties in 2015 are seen as an outcome of his conscious efforts to avoid "unnecessary adventurism" while undertaking operations in Maoist strongholds. "I have always maintained that one should not be too adventurous. The forces should step out in the jungle with some purpose," he stated.

In a late night operation, a team of the Tamil Nadu's `Q' branch Police arrested a CPI-Maoist cadre at Sriperumbudur in Kanchipuram District of Tamil Nadu. The 32-year-old man whom Police identified as Surendra Yadav, confessed that he was involved in a couple of cases of murder and bomb blasts in Bihar, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh. The Chattisgarh Police had alerted their Tamil Nadu counterparts about Yadav, who was wanted in several cases.

Eighty-seven bombs believed to be of World War II were found buried at Moreh in Chandel District of Manipur. Police said the bombs were found while digging the ground for construction of a power substation.

Police commandos arrested a UNLF cadre, identified as Thokchom Brendy Meetei alias Leiren alias Athouba (33) during a search operation conducted at Hatta Minuthing in Imphal East District of Manipur. On his disclosure, one .38 pistol loaded with eight live rounds, one magazine loaded with seven rounds, four Chinese hand grenades, two 36 HE hand grenades and 10 detonators were recovered from the house of one Kshetrimayum Jugindro of Langthabal Kunja.

Abducted trader from Adokgre, identified as Batchu Jain was released unharmed by GNLA militants in an isolated area of North Garo Hills District of  Meghalaya, a week after he was taken away at gunpoint while travelling to his home in neighbouring Assam’s Dhupdhara town in Goalpara District. Police sources revealed that the trader was released by GNLA militants after his family allegedly paid a ransom of INR 250,000 on February 21 following which the outfit let him off at an isolated spot somewhere along the Assam-North Garo Hills border.

NSCN-IM welcomed 22 Naga cadres from various groups for their decision in joining the mainstream. In a press release, NSCN-IM MIP said that they have realized that after the signing of the “Framework Agreement” on August 3, 2015, the road to permanent settlement has been paved and “today they are here to strengthen the on-going peace process”. NSCN-IM has also appreciated the fellow comrades for their right decision.

One of the three AR troops arrested three NSCN-K cadres from Eros line area in Dimapur. arrested cadres includes, Kaghoto Asumi, brother of Max Asumi, 'finance in charge' of NSCN-K Dimapur, who was earlier arrested by SFs. A black colored bolero used by the three along with a weapon and tax collection receipts recovered from their possession. They were planning to extort an amount of INR 1 lakh from a hotel owner on behalf of NSCN-K.

Death toll rises to six as operation continues in Pampore in Jammu and Kashmir. Three Army persons were also killed today as the operation was going on at the time of reporting.

February 23

The BSF seized a Pakistani boat from Kutch in Gujarat. The security personnel recovered a 12 bore gun from the boat. However, the crew managed to escape.

President Pranab Mukherjee said the government would take firm and effective steps to deal with cross-border terrorism. "Firm and effective steps will be taken to deal with any situation arising out of cross-border terrorism. My government is fully committed to firmly deal with all challenges concerning the security of the country," said Mukherjee. The President was addressing the joint sitting of both houses of parliament, marking the traditional beginning of the budget session. Calling terrorism a global threat, he expressed the need for strong counter-terrorism measures worldwide to eradicate the menace completely.

One person, identified as Jakir Hussain alias Master has been arrested along with FICN of face value INR 73,000 in Kama town of Bharatpur District. Acting on a tip-off, SOG officials of Rajasthan Police arrested Jakir Hussain hailing from West Bengal, and seized fake currency notes from him, said Additional Director General of Police SOG and ATS Alok Tripathi. The fake currency reportedly arrived from West Bengal.

NIA arrested one person, identified as 19 year old Asif Ahmad alias Raju Das from Durgapur in Bardhaman District of West Bengal on suspicions of having links with the Islamic State (IS). It is believed the youth was part of a network that helped plan terror strikes across India and ran an online training module. Acknowledging the youth’s detention, NIA’s IG Sanjeev Singh said agency and state CID officials, acting on a tip-off, reached Durgapur on February 23 and detained Asif. “He is presently under questioning. He is suspected of having links with IS. He used to stay in a rented accommodation in Durgapur under an alias,” Singh said. Officials added that Asif’s father Ishaq was also detained and the two are being questioned at the agency’s office in Kolkata.

Army and Police recovered a consignment of arms and ammunition from village Sagrawat under the jurisdiction of Romeo Force in Rajouri District. Recoveries included one disposable rocket launcher, two AK rifle magazines, one Pakistan made pistol and four meters cordex wire.

A shutdown was observed in several parts of South Kashmir against the killing of three LeT militants in Pampore in Pulwama District during which people staged violent protests at multiple places and offered funeral-in-absentia for the slain trio. Barring stray incidents of stone-pelting and clashes in which three protesters were injured, the situation across the South Kashmir remained peaceful.

A team of Police and CRPF personnel killed a ‘zonal commander’ of the CPI-Maoist identified as Sanjay Yadav alias Mantri ji alias Yatin ji in Kodebera village forest under Palkot block in Gumla District of Jharkhand. The Maoist was carrying a bounty of INR One Million on his head. The SF personnel recovered the dead body from the encounter site and also recovered arms reportedly carried by the Maoist ‘zonal commander’.

A 15 kg IED was recovered by SF personnel from Narayanpur District of Chhattisgarh.  Officials said the recovery was made by a squad of paramilitary ITBP force from the Revamand-Kulnar road area of the District.

The NSCN-R stated that any solution to the Indo-Naga political issue “must not leave the Nagas of Tirap-Changlang-Longding (TCL) districts” of Arunachal Pradesh behind. A press note from the MIP of the NSCN-R while affirming that the Nagas are “one people, one nation,” lamented that Nagas in these three Districts presently in Arunachal Pradesh have suffered immensely because of the conflict. “Many families has been affected, many lives had been lost. Many have become widow and many lost their children, some their brother and some their sisters as well. The conflict has not only dwarfed the economy of the people but it has left a long trail of affects on the lives of every household,” it stated.

The NSCN-R therefore said that no attempt to either neglect or overlook the Nagas in these areas should be made. Any solution, it urged should be inclusive “to make it not only lasting but also more comprehensive and the same golden rule must be applied in all the Naga areas including the areas presently under Arunachal Pradesh.” It lamented that the peace talks have dragged on for more than two decades “due to Delhi’s dilly-dally tactics coupled with non-unanimity among the Naga groups.”  This, it stated is “too long a time for the people to be kept waiting and also natural for anybody’s patience to wither out.” The parties involved in the peace process are also certainly and obviously talking for the good of the Nagas yet, to make it more meaningful and sustainable, the Government of India must also rope in other stakeholder’s, the NSCN-R said.  “This will leave a very little or no room for the others to beat the drums later,” it viewed.

A bomb exploded the residential gate of one Bramacharimayum Biramangol alias BB Sharma at Uripok Yambem Leikai in Imphal West District of Manipur. However, there is no report of any casualty. According to sources, BB Sharma who is a former Joint Director of AIR Imphal, Regional News Unit was not at home when the bomb suspected to be of medium intensity exploded.

The CorCom said in a statement that the self-styled ‘president’ of the newly formed MNP B Angousana Sharma is an enemy of Manipuris. A statement of the CorCom signed by its media co-ordinator Ksh Yoiheiba said the people of the land after proper deliberation of Angousana’s statement that no power in the world can separate Manipur from India, should decide as to what kind of a person he actually is. It further said that Angousana’s statement regarding the recent agitations in several Indian university campuses including the JNU and the Jadavpur University that “University professors should not use Manipur to preach anti-India” has only established that he is someone who has forgotten his roots and someone trying to gain some sympathy from his colonial master and sell his own people.

The Police Department noticed that many technologically/computer savvy individuals or criminals have been – committing several of digital crimes through the internet, mobile phone, e-mail etc, said the PRO, Police in a statement. The modus operandi usually followed by these criminals is by conning innocent public by way of sending e-mail messages, SMS or by making mobile phone calls and persuading them to part with information relating to their bank account details, credit card/ATM details, Insurance policy details, Pan card/Aadhaar card/Voter ID details on the pretext of crediting some prize money into their bank accounts or making investments which will bring 100% or more returns in a very short duration or luring with foreign trips etc, it said.

Five NNPGs including NSCN-KK, NNC/FGN-S. Singya/Zhopra Vero, NNC - Z. Royim/V. Nagi, NNC - Kiumukam/Hangping, NNC - Temjen Yanger/Hozheto issued a joint statement affirming exclusion of “Nagaland and its people while creating Nagalim”. Following a joint meeting of representatives of five groups at Hotel Acacia in Dimapur, the joint statement was issued making their stand clear and to uphold and safeguard the sanctity of the Naga political right. The signatories stated that Naga nationalism movement was originally the movement of the Naga people, for the people and by the people with a single vision which was ‘Sovereign Naga Nation’.

The signatories asserted that they upheld the Naga plebiscite conducted on May 16, 1951, which they said was the truth of Naga national movement. “As such, no individual or group has the right to make any political treaty or agreement without the consent of the Naga people,” they said, adding that the error of NPC should not be repeated to further divide the people, their territory and their aspiration to live together as free people.

They said it was in recognition of the above mentioned historical truth and desire of the people that the FNR had come up with slogans and concepts such as, ‘Journey of Common Hope’, ‘Nagas are One’, ‘Naga National Government’, etc. to reconcile and unite different NPGs. As a result, they said important agreements and covenants have been reached amongst the NPGs with the full support and blessings of the people. Therefore, the five NNPGs maintained that any individuals and groups who either failed to uphold or work against those political principles and commitments “ought to be declared as traitors and anti-Nagas”.

February 24

A special court in Bengaluru has issued a NBW against a Saudi Arabia-based Indian doctor, Dr Sabeel Ahmed (33), in connection with a 2012 plot to recruit Indian youths for alleged terrorist activities. The NBW was issued after a request by the NIA. In 2007, Dr Sabeel was deported to India from the UK after his brother Kafeel Ahmed was found to be involved in the Glasgow airport terror attack. On the basis of the NBW, the NIA will now seek an Interpol red corner notice for the arrest of Dr Sabeel, who is said to be working at the King Fahd Hospital in Saudi Arabia.

The third Indo-Bangladesh Joint Task Force meeting to prevent smuggling and circulation of FICN resolved to enhance mutual cooperation. The meeting that was held at New Delhi decided that the two countries would enhanced sharing of intelligence between the two countries and also maintain a thorough data base to combat this menace.

India has submitted to the UN’s Sanction Committee a fresh list of 11 terrorists from Pakistan-based terror groups affiliated to al Qaeda, Taliban and other outfits responsible for terrorism in the country. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj while replying to a query in Lok Sabha said the government was making continued efforts to have terror groups and individuals targeting India designated by United Nations Sanction Committees. “On February 18, 2016, a fresh submission of 11 individuals and one organisation linked to terrorism in India, has been submitted to the 1267/1989/2253 ISIL (Da’esh) and Al-Qaeda Sanctions Committee,” the minister added. Sources were cited by news agencies as saying that the fresh submission includes names of terrorists belonging to Pakistan-based terror outfits affiliated to Al-Qaeda, Taliban and ISIS. However, they did not divulge their names.

The UN Committee covers asset freeze, travel ban, arms embargo and listing criteria for ISIL, Al-Qaida and “associated individuals, groups, undertaking and entities”. It also asks that those responsible for committing, organising or supporting terrorist acts must be held accountable.

According to Enforcement agencies the flow of FICN to Kerala has recorded an increase of 360 per cent in 2015 compared to 2014. Though the total seized value of counterfeit money is INR 34,55,000 in 2015 compared to INR 7,51,000 in 2014, the Police estimate that the seized amount is just below 10 per cent of the actual volume being circulated in the state.

Police officials said counterfeit valued around INR 3 to 4 crore was being pumped into the state by the rackets every year and the bulk of it was used for real estate transactions. As per the latest Police data, Kozhikode accounted for highest seizure of FICN, INR 9,04000 lakh in September 2015, followed by Malappuram - INR 2,09000 in June 2015. Officials with the DRI and NIA confirmed the increase in the inflow of FICNs to Kerala in the last one year and the seized amount was minuscule.

The NIA has already tracked the role of Pakistan’s ISI in production and distribution of FICNs via Dubai, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. “Sri Lankans are the new suppliers of the FICNs. Ports are still the hot destinations for the rackets to smuggle in FICNs. The new strategy is to smuggle in printed sheets of counterfeit and cut them to size in various hideouts in the state,” said an intelligence officer.

Investigators have stumbled upon vital evidence that can prove Pakistan's involvement in the Pathankot terror attack (January 2, 2016). Empty food packets with Pakistan label have been found at the International Border near a BSF outpost in Simbal of Nawanshahr District. The food packets were subsequently handed over to the NIA, which sent it to the CFSL for testing.

The food packets, made in Karachi, include dishes like shahi paneer, chicken nehari, dal fry, lahori chole, and more. Forty milk packets with a manufacture date of November 16, 2015 and expiry date of February 8, 2016 were found during a clean up operation, under thick foliage. Investigators suspect that the terrorists could have sneaked in on December 31, 2015 and observed the BSF for a day or two before infiltrating into Indian territory.

The BSF has been clearing dense vegetation near the international border in Pathankot and Jammu. A massive hunt is on for the GPS device, mobile phones and other equipment, using which terrorists might have tried to eliminate or hide evidence.

Police and Army arrested a Fidayeen of JeM, Mohammad Sadiq Gujjar, who carried out an attack on November 25, 2015, along with his three associates at an Army camp near the LoC in the Tanghdar area of Kupwara District. Mohammad Sadiq Gujjar, 17, son of Walid Mohammad Gujjar resident of Sialkote tehsil in Dehska in Pakistan was arrested by Police and Army from Baramulla. His three associates Hussain, Malik and Rizwan were killed inside Army camp at Tanghdar on November 25. The Guru squad of JeM carried out three Fidayeen attacks so far including January 2, 2016, Pathankot (Punjab) attack on Indian Air Force base.

Police have not been able to recover a SLR that had been snatched by unidentified assailants from the Police personnel at Bari Brahmana in Samba District on February 22 when nine Police personnel, including six from Himachal Pradesh and three from Bari Brahmana Police Station, had been held hostage. Police said the assailants had snatched a SLR along with 30 rounds and a carbine with almost similar number of rounds from the Police personnel, who had been held hostage by the miscreants.

A Police team conducting search operation exchanged fire with a three-member CPI-Maoist group in the forests under Pookkottumpadam Police Station limits in Malappuram District of Kerala. The members of the Thunderbolts were conducting search operation after they came to know that the Maoists had visited a tribal colony in the area on February 23.

A 30-year-old CPI-Maoist cadre was arrested during a joint operation by SFs in Sukma District of Chhattisgarh. Madkam Bhema was apprehended by a composite squad of CRPF and district force from Dondpal village of Gadiras Police Station limits, Sukma ASP Santosh Singh said.

Six Assam villagers were wounded when they were attacked by unidentified Naga militants near Holonguri along the inter-state border in Jorhat District. According to sources, six Assamese villagers, who had gone to collect firewood in the Dessoi Valley forest, were held captive by Naga militants and assaulted brutally. The victims belonged to the tea community. Two of the critically injured, identified as Karma Karmakar and Manoj Mirdha were shifted to Jorhat Medical College & Hospital for better treatment. Senior Police officers from the District headquarters rushed to the spot and are also learnt to have communicated with their counterpart in Nagaland seeking assistance in nabbing the culprits. “We are in touch with Nagaland police.  We have also identified one miscreant and his details have been shared with Nagaland police,” Titabor SDPO Kulen Deka said, adding no arrests have been made so far.  “Security measures have been beefed up to avoid escalation of the situation,” he added.

A constable was injured during an exchange of fire with suspected GNLA militants when an abduction attempt by the outfit was foiled by the Police. The incident occurred when the Police foiled the bid to abduct traders from the Gabil weekly market, at the tri-junction of three Districts of East, West and North Garo Hills of Meghalaya. A Police team was returning from Gabil market, when an unidentified gunman fired at the Police while the latter were in the midst of abducting two traders. Havildar Sengbath Marak sustained injury on his hand.

February 25

Seven Indian companies figure in a list of 51 commercial entities from 20 countries that, according to an EU-mandated study, are involved in the supply chain of over 700 components used by the Islamic State (IS) to construct IEDs. While four of the seven Indian firms denied having exported explosives or accessories to either Lebanon or Turkey, two confirmed that smaller suppliers of components such as fuses or detonating cords do not export these items directly, but through trading intermediaries or merchant exporters, and are mostly unaware of the final destination of the products.

Army foiled a militant bid to target the SFs vehicles in North Kashmir’s Baramulla District by defusing an IED. A Defence official said after a tip off about an IED in Khwajabagh Petrol Pump area was received, a joint team of 46 RR and Police was launched with explosive detection dog team and Bomb Disposal Squads. The Defence official said the IED was reported to be weighing approximately 15 kilograms cylindrical in shape and had an electrical detonation mechanism.

As many as 11 suspected CPI-Maoist cadres were arrested while another surrendered in different places in Bastar Division.

A joint team of Army and Police arrested three NDFB-IKS militants, identified as Bhubneswar Boro (36), Sarjib Basumatary (27) and Lepho Boro (30) from Barimakha village near Mochalpur in Baksa District of Assam. Two AK-47 rifles, one 9mm pistol along with ammunition were also recovered from the militants. The three militants were involved in extortion, arms smuggling and other nefarious and anti-national activities, Army official said.  All three militants were handed over to Barbari Police for further investigation.

Two ADF cadres, identified as Budu Tudu (29) and Mirjan Kisku (23), were arrested from Mandaria under Gossaigaon Police station in Kokrajhar District of Assam.

Condemning the NDFB-IKS for demanding extortion of INR 20, 000 from a journalist of a vernacular daily and member of the central committee of JAFA Babu Rava, the federation urged the militant outfit to stop harassing journalists. In a statement condemning the incident, JAFA said that the NDFB-IKS even took away the bike of the journalist after threatening him with arms in their hands. It also condemned the Police inaction as four days have passed since the incident, but not a single arrest has been made so far.

Meghalaya Police launched the third phase of the ‘Thunderstorm-3’ operations against the GNLA and recovered 47 IEDs from the militant infested area of Durama in East Garo Hills District. The IEDs were planted by the militants of GNLA and the ULFA-I in Doengkhugre area and in a village in Durama hill range, Police said. “Altogether, we seized 40 IEDs and at least 15 Molotov cocktail bombs from two locations and thus averted a major tragedy,” Davies Marak, SP, East Garo Hills, said. He said a suspected overground worker of the GNLA, who is believed to have planted IEDs, has been arrested and yet to be identified for security reasons. Encounters were on two fronts with the GNLA militants. One was with the group under the ‘deputy commander in chief’ Rupanta D Shira group and the other was with the group led by Acheng. “Both the groups manage to flee and we recovered IEDs that are meant to target the police”, informed Marak.

Militant outfit UALA, which signed a peace pact with Meghalaya Government, will formally lay down arms at a ceremony at Tura in West Garo Hills District on February 29, as a step for lasting peace in the Garo Hills region. Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma and his Cabinet colleagues will be present at the disbanding ceremony which would also be witnessed by church leaders, NGOs and senior citizens. The outfit, which has cadre strength of 71, was formed with the demand for a separate Garoland to be carved out of the State. The government will facilitate rehabilitation of the UALA cadres and give INR 250,000 to each of them as seed money for income generation initiatives.

February 26

A Delhi court discharged two suspected operatives of IM, Tahseen Akhtar and Zia-ur-Rehman alias Waqas (Pakistani national) in a case relating to the terror group’s conspiracy to carry out strikes in the national capital, due to lack of evidence. The court, however, framed charges against five accused under the provisions of UAPA, the Explosive Substances Act and under section 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC. The five accused -- Syed Maqbool, Imran Khan, Asad Khan, Syed Feroz and Irfan Mustafa -- were put on trial after they pleaded not guilty to the charges framed against them and the court has now fixed the matter for recording of evidence on March 28, 2016.

The NIA is questioning a youth, identified as Asif Ahmed, pursuing a polytechnic course from a Bardhaman college of West Bengal in connection with its “open FIR” against Islamic State (IS). Ahmed, is suspected to be a member of Junud-al-Khilafa-e-Hind (JKH), a self-appointed franchise of IS. NIA sources said that Ahmed had been found to have interacted with other members of the group through social media and material related to IS propaganda had been found on his laptop.

The Southern Command of the Indian Army has sounded an alert against Pakistani intelligence agents targeting its officers and troopers as well as civilians, including children of services personnel, for defence related information through dubious calls, claiming to be senior Indian Army officers or civilian authorities. Southern Army Commander Lieutenant General Bipin Rawat said, "We are getting a lot of calls from Pakistani agents. They call up anybody to ask information. Earlier, such calls were restricted to the Indian Army officers but, of late, the scope is expanding to our jawans and anybody who can give defence related information...For instance, railway station masters in forward areas like Jaisalmer and Jodhpur in Rajasthan that witness troop movements, people associated with defence equipment procurement, food and essential supplies and even children of services personnel".

India has submitted a formal request to the United Nations Committee 1267, seeking inclusion of the name of JeM 'chief' Masood Azhar, suspected mastermind of Pathankot terror attack (January 2, 2016) on the sanctions' list. India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Syed Akbaruddin wrote to New Zealand Ambassador Gerard Jacoubus van Bohemen, the Chair of the 1267 al-Qaeda Sanctions Committee, submitting India's request that the JeM chief's name be included in the committee's sanctions list.

As part of the NIA probe against Areeb Majeed, a Letter Rogatory (LR) is being sent to China, seeking electronic evidence in the case. Majeed, a civil engineering student from Maharashtra’s Thane District, joined the Islamic State (IS) in Syria and Iraq and returned to India in November 2014. Investigations revealed that Majeed communicated with his recruiters and IS associates through various electronic and social media platforms, and the server of one such platform is located in China, sources said.

Sources revealed that Australian authorities are yet to share with the NIA details regarding subscriber information, login history, IP details, search history and contents of messages and attachments of the email id majeedareeb@yahoo.com that Majeed is reported to have used for a substantial part of his communication in Syria, Iraq and India.

The BSF seized FICN with face value exceeding INR 6,00,000 in an operations under the Churianantpur border post in Malda District of West Bengal. "Challenged by a BSF team, the miscreants coming from the Bangladesh side of the border managed to escape but we have seized the FICNs," said a BSF officer. The BSF so far in the year has seized over INR 57,00,000 in FICNs from across the South Bengal frontier and apprehended seven smugglers.

Investigation into past activities of the SIMI operatives revealed that the Khandwa module tried to mobilise support from terror outfits from outside India. One member had visited Bangladesh while the group head had sent close to INR 3,00,000 to TTP, an outfit based in Pakistan. Sources said, interrogation by RAW and NIA have found that the SIMI operatives used certain members of the Singhi community from Raipur to send the money to TTP.

Sheikh Aijzuddin, one of the operatives who died in an encounter with Telangana Police in April, 2015, had visited Bangladesh to seek assistance from groups operating from there. The STF has sought mobile call details of the SIMI operatives which are under verification. Meanwhile, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra Police have submitted petitions before a court in Rourkela (Odisha) seeking custody of the five whose remand with STF ends on February 29, 2016.

Two children, identified as Wasim Akram (10) and Tahir Rashid (8), were injured in a suspected mine or shell explosion at Azmabad village, close to the LoC in Mandi area in Poonch District. Reports said that the children were playing near their house in the village when they stepped over either a mine or shell, leading to an explosion in which both of them were injured.

SFs arrested two suspects from Sopore town and recovered German made high grade explosives packet from them. Police and 46 RR recovered 1.5 kilogram of RDX from two persons when they stopped a car after receiving specific information about their movement in the outskirts of Baramulla town in Baramulla District.

A CPI-Maoist cadre was killed and two others were injured in an encounter with SF personnel in a forest near Dangamati village under Kalyansinghpur Police Station limits around Niyamgiri hills of Rayagada District, Odisha. The identity of the deceased is yet to be ascertained. A huge cache of arms, ammunition and Maoist literature were recovered.

Two CPI-Maoist cadres, identified as Jaisingh Dugga (32) and Ramuram Darro (39), were arrested in Kanker District of Chhattisgarh.

A PLFI cadre, identified as Bhokha, surrendered before Balrampur District Police of Chhattisgarh. He surrendered along with five guns of 315 bore and 20 bullets. Earlier, he was arrested but had managed to escape.

Police arrested three suspects, belonging to NDFB-IKS, identified as Sanjay Brahma, Nerswn Brahma, and Ramen Basumatary, from Tipkai Harjhora village in Kokrajhar District of Assam and recovered INR 36,500, two cellphones and a wallet from their possession.

SF personnel arrested a cadre of the MTFA, identified as Samsul Haq, from Kadamguri in Kokrajhar District of Assam.

Police recovered of a large number of IEDs from a stronghold of the banned GNLA in East Garo Hills of Meghalaya. Assam Police believes that the presence of such a large number of IEDs at this juncture in Garo Hills area of Meghalaya definitely looks ominous for the poll-bound State.  DGP Assam, Mukesh Sahay said that any threat to the upcoming Assam Assembly elections will be seriously dealt by the Police, which is also geared up to tackle communal forces ruthlessly. “Threat, either from militants or any other source, will be seriously dealt with,” Sahay said. “In the past, there have been instances of candidates having financial dealings with militants. This time such instances will be treated as terror offence under the UAPA,” the DGP said.

Reacting to the press release issued by IGAR-N and published in the local, regional and section of the national dailies on January 26, 2016, with regard to the some northeast insurgents involved in narco-terrorism, Independent faction of ULFA-I expressed dismay that their organization was named as being involved in the “cultivation and trade of opium in Kachin province of Myanmar”. In a statement, ULFA-I ‘Assistant Information and Publicity Secretary’ ‘Captain’ Arunudoy Asom objected and refuted the statement.

Five days after he was abducted, a trader of the Lamajuar area in Karimganj District, identified as Abdul Kalam (52), was rescued by the Police. Kalam was abducted by a gang of armed assailants on the midnight of February 21, from a place near Janakibazar in Hailakandi District of Assam, when he was returning home in a car. Six persons, including two women, were also arrested for their alleged involvement in the abduction. They were identified as Afsalur Haque, Safrul Islam, both drivers, Faruq Ahmed, his wife Saleha Begam Talukdar, Bahar Uddin Laskar and Hafiza Khanam Laskar. Karimganj SP PR Kar said that more persons might have been involved in the incident. A hunt is on to nab the rest.

Around 16 IEDs were recovered by the SFs during an operation on the hideout of GNLA at Pathalgre village in East Garo Hills District of Meghalaya. Sohan D' Shira, ‘commander-in-chief’ of the GNLA managed to escape along with his accomplices.

Meghalaya Police arrested two arms dealers, Rajiv Sangma and Malstone Sangma, from the Baija locality of Williamnagar in East Garo Hills District. Nearly 180 rounds of 7.62 sniper rifle ammunition were recovered from their possession which was meant for the GNLA militants.

February 27

Paramilitary forces belonging to the ITBP recovered five kilogrammes of IED from Chheribera-Chapai area in Narayanpur District of Chhattisgarh.

CPI-Maoist cadres killed a tribal identified as Biswanath Khila (25) of Handikhal village in Chitrakonda area in Malkangiri District of Odisha. Khila, who had gone to attend a marriage function, was taken away by a group of Maoists late night and his body with throat slit was found at Khajuribahal village this morning, Inspector In-Charge of Chitrakonda Police Station, Pitabas Dharua said adding the Maoists apparently suspected that Khila operated as a ‘Police informer’.

Three suspected CPI-Maoist cadres were arrested after a brief exchange of fire between the SFs and the Maoists in Khunti District of Jharkhand.

Four powerful landmines were recovered in Latehar District of Jharkhand.  The explosives, each weighing 30 kilograms, were planted near the Tubed River under Sadar Police Station, SP Anup Birtheray said. They were planted with an aim to target the SFs during anti-Naxal operations, he said.

An IED was recovered by the SFs near Satbahini River under Pratappur Police Station in Chatra District of Jharkhand.

In a first, a group of 32 surrendered CPI-Maoist cadres in Jagdalpur city in Bastar District of Chhattisgarh underwent 45-day training for skilled mason, cleared the examination and earned themselves a certificate presented by Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh at an event in Bastanar town in the District.

A villager, identified as Sukhram Poyam, was killed by the CPI-Maoist cadres at his village Kundla under Kurusnar Police Station limits of Narayanpur District of Chhattisgarh, Narayanpur ASP O.P. Sharma said. A group of around 20 armed cadres stormed the village and dragged out Poyam from his house. They shot rounds of fire at him and fled from the spot. As per preliminary investigation, Maoists had branded him as 'supporter and informer' of Police prior to his murder.

A villager, identified as Amrit Hurra (25), was killed with sharp-edged weapons by the Maoists in Bhanupratappur area of Kanker District of Chhattisgarh. Hurra was abducted by some Maoists from his house at Ghotha village and his blood-stained body was found this morning outside the village, following which Police was informed, a police official said. The Maoists had dropped some pamphlets and put up banners at the spot in which they claimed Hurra to be a Police informer.

Two labourers, identified as Abdul Sukur and Ainul Haq were shot at and sustained gunshot wounds on the leg in their residence by an unidentified gunman at the Mile Khuova Road junction in Dimapur District. It is learned that a demand/taxation letter was received on February 1 demanding INR 1,00,000 to be paid in one week time, and the refusal to pay the demand led to this incident. The demand letter was reportedly received by a bamboo enterprise where one of the victims worked.

Four CPI-Maoist cadres were arrested during a search operation carried out by Police and para-military forces in Kondagaon District of Chhattisgarh. They were identified as Bhagchand (23), Kulram (28), Siden alias Sindhu (25) and Lal Singh (30).

CPI-Maoist cadres abducted two Dongria Kondh youths in Rayagada District of Odisha suspecting them to be 'Police informers.' The abducted persons were identified as Syama Sikaka (24) and Ludu Wadeka (25).

DVF personnel and Police teams, led by the Rayagada SP, recovered huge cache of arms and ammunition from a camp near Dangamati village in Niyamgiri hills during a combing operation. This is being considered the first successful operation in the region in the last three years and a major success for Odisha Police as Maoists are trying to create a corridor through Rayagada-Kandhamal-Kalahandi districts to connect Chhattisgarh. About 40 members were present in the camp and in the exchange of fire, a middle-aged cadre was killed. Sources said the group was being commanded by Bauri Bandhu Sethi alias Sukhdev alias Bunty who was present at the camp. Bunty heads Bansdhara-Ghumsar Division of CPI-Maoist and operates a group of about 46 cadres.

Four CPI-Maoist cadres were arrested along with weapons from Jehanabad District of Bihar. Acting on a tip off, the Police raided Timbalpur village and arrested the four Maoists and seized two country-made carbines, a country-made pistol, six live ammunition, two mobile phones and a haul of Maoist literature, SDPO Ashfaq Ansari said.

February 28

Army and Police defused five live bombs at Azmabad village, close to the LoC in Mandi area in Poonch District. Two children were injured in a blast at the same forward village a day before after they stepped over one of the bombs. Reports said Army and Police had been conducting searches in the village and surrounding areas after the blast and recovered five live bombs this morning. A bomb Disposal Squad took the bombs to safer area, away from the civilian population, and defused them.

As many as 23 Maoists, including two women, surrendered in Bastar District of the State citing “ill-treatment” by senior cadres. The Maoists turned themselves in before senior police officials, saying they were “frustrated” with the ill-treatment meted out to them, Bastar SP R.N. Dash said. Of them, three cadres — Katku (Kudur Janatana Sarkar head), Lali Mandavi and Raju Mandavi (area committee members)- were carrying a reward of INR 300,000 lakh each on their heads. Similarly, Kawasi Gore (35) who was the head of Chetna Natya Mandli (CNM) - a cultural outfit of Maoists - was carrying a reward of INR 100,000 on his head, the SP added.

Five powerful IEDs, one of them weighing 20 kilograms, were recovered from a school in Williamnagar in East Garo Hills District, where SF personnel retreat after the day’s operations. Police said that the IEDs were planted by GNLA in the school primarily to target the SF personnel who take shelter whenever they come for operations in the village and surrounding areas. A Police official said that the matter came to light after the arrest of the GNLA hardcore civilian cadre, Enison Ch Momin alias Vodafone (34), from Adugre village. Enison has been working for GNLA for the last five years.

The disbanding ceremony of the UALA, which was scheduled for February 29, has been postponed as the outfit failed to mobilise its cadres. The chairman of the outfit, Chiindik Marak, submitted the request to deputy commissioner Pravin Bakshi, who is also the chairman for the committee for UALA disbanding. "The outfit has conveyed its commitment to the peace process," said Bakshi in a release.

Signals emitting from Bangladeshi cellular companies is a major threat to national security but despite the threat, the mobile signal is available all along the Indo-Bangla border in Meghalaya, the BSF said. BSF DIG (Shillong Sector) Risal Singh while speaking to media in Ranikor admitted that miscreants do use Bangladeshi mobile signals along the Indian side for abduction purposes. Stating that Grameen phone, a Bangladeshi mobile company’s signal, is easily available on the Indian side of the border, the BSF official said anti-national activities of miscreants become much more easy due to availability of Bangladeshi mobile networks.

The peace committee which had welcomed the move of both the Meghalaya Government and the GNLA to hold discussions, met CM Mukul Sangma recently seeking speeding up of talks with the militant outfit. The peace committee comprising the GHSMC, GSU -interim, AAYF, ASWA, PGSU, TGCSU, Mothers Union, Church leaders and senior citizens of Garo Hills, called on the Chief Minister with an appeal to take a serious note on the GNLA peace talk offer. They also submitted a memorandum to the CM.

SF personnel exchanged fire with PLFI squad at Bansjore in Simdega District of Jharkhand. Security personnel launched a combing operation inside a forest in Bansjore area around 10 am following a tip-off on the movement of a group of PLFI cadres. "The encounter continued for a couple of hours. But our boys are still combing deep inside the forest. So far we have recovered five motorcycles, a rifle, some cartridges and items of daily use. Detailed reports are awaited," said Simdega SP Rajeev Ranjan Singh.

Maoist 'sub-zonal commander' Munnu Yadav alias Mutur Yadav and 'area commander' Sanjay Paswan alias Chhotu surrendered along with arms before STF Inspector-General Pravin Kumar Singh at the Police line in Chatra District of Jharkhand. Yadav was carrying a 9mm pistol and Paswan came with a rifle. Yadav carried a reward of INR 500,000 on his head while Paswan carried head money of INR 200,000 reward.

A team of Army personnel from Deumornai Army camp along with Assam Police launched a joint operation and arrested five cadres of NDFB-IKS, identified as Ringchar alias Mukang (20), Ranchai Baro alias Birkhang (20), Shaumangcha Baro (23), Jugchar Baro and Ajoy Haloi from Gurihati village under Khairabari Police station in Udalguri District. One 2.22 pistol and four live ammunition were also recovered from the militants.

Army carried out operations in the Goalpara District and arrested an ULFA-I militant, identified as Bhukan Nath. A 7.65 mm pistol, live rounds and a magazine were recovered from him.

A delegation of ULFA leaders, led by its 'chairman' Arabinda Rajkhowa, met Union Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi in his office in New Delhi and reviewed the progress of their ongoing talks. It was decided that the formal tripartite meeting of ULFA leaders with the Home Secretary and representatives of Government of Assam will be held in the middle of March, a Home Ministry spokesperson said.

The Meghalaya Police recovered huge quantity of arms and ammunitions during 'Operation Hillstorm 3' from the jungles near Adogre village under Williamnagar Police Station limits in East Garo Hills District. According to Police, on the leading of GNLA civilian cadre Enison Ch Momin alias Vodafone, East Garo Hills Police recovered a huge cache of detonators, WT sets, GNLA documents, ammunitions, HE mortar shells. The recoveries made belonged to the GNLA 'Q' store. In addition there were GNLA uniforms and ammunition pouches. The recoveries includes, four HE mortars, 89 US carbine ammunition, two empty SBBL shells, 70 non electric detonators, 290 electric detonators, eight round seals of GNLA, 32 GNLA seals of different commanders, 25 blank GNLA demand notes, 14 WT sets, 17 WT batteries, 18 WT chargers, 11 mobile chargers, half a kilogram Gelatin and other incriminating documents.

NSCN-R informed that all financial affairs including "yearly subscribe tax" and all forms of donations and contributions towards "Naga National Cause" would be looked after by 'Chaplee Kilonser' Langkhuh, who was inducted during its joint council meeting held February 15- 20. In a press release, MIP, NSCN-R stated that the Council of Kilonsers thoroughly discussed about anomaly and mismanagement in financial affairs "mainly by certain vested interest outside and within." The council has therefore urged all the "national workers" under NSCN-R to maintain "discipline and cleanliness in financial issue."

SFs recovered large quantities of explosives including 280 gelatine sticks, 400 detonators and 20 rolls (35 ft) of fuse wire from Dimapur Railway station. In this connection, one person identified as Soloman Hmar of Karbi Anglong in Assam was arrested.

The NSCN-K held the Centre accountable for the abrogation of ceasefire since March last year (2015) and has questioned the commitment of "Indian" policymakers though efforts are on to bring the outfit on board the peace process. Several Naga organisations, led by the Naga Hoho and the State Government, have asked the NSCN-K to come back to the peace process but, so far, there has not been any positive response from S.S. Khaplang, who is the 'chairman' of the outfit based in Myanmar. Sources said the ranks in the NSCN-K are yet undecided to return to the peace process but it would depend on the commitment of the Centre. The veteran Naga rebel leader himself thought that Delhi had double standards in dealing with his group and wanted to marginalize the presence of his cadres. Naga Hoho and Sumi Hoho met the leaders of NSCN-K, including Khaplang, recently and conveyed the State Government's and the people's aspiration for peace vis-à-vis the political negotiation with the Centre. But sources said the leaders of the outfit have differences of opinion on the possibility of resuming truce again.

CPI-Maoist has said that "goons and anti-social elements" are creating havoc in Bastar region of Chhattisgarh in the name of anti-Maoist operations. A recent press statement issued by Mohan, the new 'secretary' of south Bastar divisional committee of the CPI-Maoist, also claimed that the recent attacks on Human Rights activists and journalists in Bastar were orchestrated at the behest of right-wing groups.

CPI-Maoist cadres have allegedly killed four villagers in Narayanpur District of Chhattisgarh. SP, Narayanpur District, Abhishek Meena informed that Police have begun investigation after they received information about the incident. "We have yet to get the exact number of villagers being killed by Naxals since the area from where killings were reported is deep inside Abujmarh forests, more than 50 kms away from any of police camps and the area is highly Naxal infested," added the SP.

CPI-Maoist cadres have allegedly killed four villagers in Narayanpur District of Chhattisgarh. SP, Narayanpur District, Abhishek Meena informed that Police have begun investigation after they received information about the incident. "We have yet to get the exact number of villagers being killed by Naxals since the area from where killings were reported is deep inside Abujmarh forests, more than 50 kms away from any of police camps and the area is highly Naxal infested," added the SP.

Police arrested two CPI-Maoist cadres, identified as Sanju Oraon and Sandeep Sahu in Lohardaga District of Jharkhand.

The CRPF has "destroyed" the Naxals' efforts to create a "red corridor" in the country and was able to restrict them to a few states like Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Bihar, said the outgoing Chief of CRPF Prakash Mishra in Gurgaon. "CRPF has destroyed the dream of Maoists to establish a red corridor from Pashupati (in Nepal) to Tirupati (in south India) and mainly restricted them to some areas of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Bihar," Mishra was quoted as saying by a CRPF spokesperson. Mishra said this while addressing the troops during his farewell parade at the forces' camp in Kadarpur area here, the spokesman said.

The BSF and Rangers held casual contact along the IB at BOP Mangu Chak in Samba sector in Samba District, for about 45 minutes and discussed cleaning of grown up grass to ensure visibility on the borders. The meeting decided that both sides will cut and clean wild grass, thick bushes and other grown up material close to the IB to ensure visibility in the area during the night to ensure that the border guards didn't face any problems in checking movement of anti-national elements.

A teacher died after allegedly being physically assault by suspected cadres of the NSCN-IM at Aimol Satu Village in Tengnoupal Tehsil in Chandel District. T S Hegin Haokip (48) of Molnam village was taken away by suspected NSCN-IM militants and was severely assaulted, a senior Police officer said. He succumbed to his injuries triggering tension among ethnic Kuki population of the area. While the body of the deceased was taken by a crowd from his village towards the residence of a suspected killer at Aimol Satu village, they were stopped due to random firing by suspected NSCN-IM militants. Later, the crowd regrouped and blocked Imphal-Moreh route and prevented vehicular traffic. It also set ablaze a few shops, he said.

KIM, an apex body of the Kukis and KSO-GHQ give 24 hour ultimatum to the state Government to arrest the culprits in the killing of T S Hegin Haokip before cautioning that if the Government fails to response positively within the stipulated time, the Kuki community could engage in anything that could fetch us justice over the incident.

A loud explosion at the residence of the Kangpokpi ADC DK Thangboi shook the neighbourhood of K Salbung located along the major Tiddim Road in Senapati District. However, there was no human casualty. The KIO/ KIA, a non-SoO signatory, has owned the responsibility for the bomb explosion inside the campus of the officer. The outfit's 'secretary' information and publicity Thomas Anal had informed the press on the phone, claiming that the act was the result or repercussion of the MCS officer's insulting and defying words against the outfit. He added that in case the MCS officer fails to clarify on the issues before the outfit by March 10, the group will act.

The NSCN-IM denounced the allegation made against it for the death of an assistant teacher in Chandel District on February 29. The caretaker, Khurmi Region of the NSCN-IM in a statement has denounced the allegations made against the outfit and said it is neither involved not have anything to do with the incident. The statement said the caretaker Khurmi region has also advised UKLF not to indulge in tribalism amongst indigenous people in the region. Peace will prevail only when one's identity is respected, it said. It said the civil organisations should not resort to cheap politics by alleging the outfit as the cause of the death without proper verification. The statement further said it is a baseless allegation with a view to tarnish the image of the outfit.

At least eight members of the Venkatapuram 'area committee' of the CPI-Maoist, which operates in the Bhadrachalam area of Khammam District in Telangana, were killed in an encounter with SF personnel along the Telangana-Chhattisgarh border. The Telangana Greyhounds had launched the operation after receiving information about the presence of Maoist leaders in the region, resulting in the encounter which took place in the Sakler area of Sukma District of Chhattisgarh. Along with the dead bodies of the eight slain militants, SF personnel also recovered an AK-47 rifle, three SLRs, several .303 rifles, and ammunition from the encounter spot.

The Maoists have called 24-hour bandh to protest the killing of their 'zonal commander' Sanjay Yadav alias Mantriji alias Atinji during an encounter with the Police in Palkot area in Gumla District of Jharkhand.

A pilot project for installing radars, sensors and cameras has been launched along the border with Pakistan and Bangladesh to check incidents of infiltration, Minister of State for Home, Kiren Rijiju informed the Lok Sabha. The Minister said the Government has decided to deploy technological solutions in the form of integration of radars, sensors, cameras and communication, besides networks and command/control solutions in various difficult terrains where fencing could not be installed. "Initially, it has been decided to launch a pilot study in Punjab, Gujarat (Sir Creek), North Bengal, Tripura and Jammu regions. An amount of Rs 10 crore has been sanctioned for Jammu region along the Indo-Pak border," he said in a written reply.

The terror attack on Pathankot (Punjab) Airbase on January 2, 2106, was carried out by Pakistan's "non-state actors" who operate with support of the Pakistani establishment, government suggested in the Rajya Sabha. "The complete details will come out in the NIA investigation. But in this, non-state actors from Pakistan are surely involved. This is for sure. Any non-state actors there, they cannot function smoothly without full state support," Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said.

Three HM militants were killed in an overnight encounter in Tral area in Pulwama District of South Kashmir. The official said the SFs launched a cordon and search operation in Dadsara area of Tral, following information about the presence of militants in the area. The slain militants have been identified as Ashiq Hussain Bhat, Mohammad Isaq Parray and Asif Ahmed Mir. The official also added that Bhat was involved in providing shelter to militants involved in the Udhampur attack. Three AK rifles have been recovered from the scene of the gun battle.

Chirang Police arrested an NDFB-IKS militant from Rangijhora Kherdanda area under Amguri Police Station in Chirang District. The arrested militant has been identified as Charchil Islary (32). Police official said Charchil was involved in various cases of extortion and abduction and was a close associate of NDFB-IKS 'finance secretary' B Doimalu and other top leaders of the outfit based in Myanmar.

The JAC against the murder of Thongkhogin Haokip, a teacher of Molnom Junior High School in Chandel District, has decided to resume the indefinite bandh on Imphal-Moreh section of National Highway 102 from midnight. The committee is compelled to resume the indefinite bandh, according to a press statement issued by JAC Convenor. The decision was taken after the authorities failed to book the culprits involved in the murder, the statement added.

The KSO, in a memorandum urged the UHM to ensure that the killers of the teacher are arrested and brought to justice. It urged both the Central and State Governments "to rein in the NSCN-IM militants holing up in Chandel District and place them in their designated camps. Prior to any final agreement between the government and NSCN-IM, the government must settle the issue of NSCN-IM atrocities against Kukis in which 905 innocent Kukis were murdered; 360 Kuki villages were uprooted and its lands seized," said the memorandum. "More than 100,000 were rendered homeless and landless. The rights of the Kukis with respect to their land and identity in Manipur cannot be violated by the NSCN-IM peace accord", it added.

One unidentified GNLA militant was killed in an encounter with the Police special operation team during 'Operation Hill storm-3' launched by the police against the GNLA at Rongtok gate areas in West Khasi Hills District. According to the source, the encounter took place after the Police team acted on the tip off by the villagers about the presence of the militants who were on an extortion spree. There were eight militants under the leadership of Megam, an 'area commander'. On sighting the Police operation team, the militants numbering eight fired upon them and during the encounter one unidentified militant was killed. One AK 47 rifle, two magazines, 12 live rounds of ammo, one .32 pistol and several ID cards were recovered from the site of occurrence.

Two persons were arrested on charges of demanding money from the traders in the name of NSCN-K in Kohima town. In a press statement, SDPO & PRO, Kohima, Atu Zumvü said acting on a tipoff, a joint team comprising of DEF Kohima mobile unit, District intelligence branch and North Police Station arrested one person identified as Shikuto Assumi (31) from Southern Gate local ground, Kohima. On being interrogated, the arrested revealed that he along with one Kahoto Assumi (51) was demanding money from the traders in the name of NSCN-K, PRO said. Accordingly, a manhunt was launched and Kahoto was arrested from Razhü Point, Kohima within two hours. The two in their confessional statement said that they were carrying out instruction of Khetoshe, a 'Deputy Secretary' in NSCN-K to collect money from traders operating in and around Kohima Town area, PRO said. The vehicle Maruti car used by the two was also seized. "One demand note dated 25/02/16 signed by S.K Assumi, finance in charge Kohima District and issued in the name of GPRN, Office of the Military Finance GPRN/NSCN-K was also recovered", PRO said.

A villager was killed by CPI-Maoist cadres on the suspicion of being a 'Police informer' in Kanker District of Chhattisgarh. The victim, Satru Ram, was allegedly shot dead by the Maoists at his native place Tiralgarh village under Bande Police Station limits, Kanker DSP Jayant Vaishnav said.

Five Maoists, one of them carrying a cash reward on his head, were arrested in Sukma District of Chhattisgarh. "Based on intelligence inputs, the cadres were rounded up by a joint team of Security Forces from a weekly market at Korra village under Gadiras Police Station limits," Sukma ASP Santosh Singh said. Those arrested were identified as Sodhi Joga (30), Sodhi Kosa (28), Madkam Ranga (22), Madvi Budhra (25) and Sodhi Deva alias Malir (28), he said.

23 Maoists surrendered in Bastar District of Chhattisgarh citing "disappointment" with the violent activities of the CPI-Maoist. The Maoist turned themselves in before Senior Police and administration officials, saying they were frustrated with the violent and anti-development activities of its leaders, Bastar SP R N Dash said. Of them, three cadres - Kamlesh Naag and Tulsi Ram Naag - who were janmilitia 'commander' and Naresh Kumar Kashyap - a janmilitia 'platoon commander', were carrying a reward of INR 100,000 each on their heads. A janmilitia 'deputy commander', Pramod Thakur, was also among the surrendered cadres, Dash said. Rest of the surrendered Maoists belonged to lower rung of the banned outfit, he added.

The Buttayigudem Police arrested three members of a CPI-Maoist militia in the forest area near Upparella in West Godavari District of Andhra Pradesh, and recovered from them a country-made gun and bullets. The trio - Sagar Babu, Dharmanna and Somaraju - confessed to their membership in the Chandranna dalam of the CPI-Maoist.

Jharkhand Police held two minors, who allegedly belonged to the CPI-Maoist bal dasta, following an encounter at Luggu Hill under Lalpania Police Station limits in Bokaro District of Jharkhand.

Six days after Police claimed to have killed a CPI-Maoist cadre during an exchange of fire in Rayagada District the brother of the deceased charged security personnel of killing his sibling in a fake encounter and said the latter had no links with the extremists. "Police have killed my 20 year-old brother Mondo Kadraka and are falsely implicating him as a Maoist," Drika Kadraka, brother of the deceased said in Rayagada. On February 27, a team of security personnel claimed to have killed a Maoist during an exchange of fire in a forested area near Dangamati village under Kalyansinghpur police limits.

Few suspected terrorists were reportedly sighted close to the India-Pakistan border in the Bamiyal sector of Gurdaspur District in Punjab. A search operation was carried out to look for possible intruders in the area. BSF Deputy Inspector General RPS Kataria informed that the alert was sounded following spotting of some movement close to border, adding, "We had immediately alerted sister security agencies and carried out search of the area." However, he informed that the BSF didn't find any footprints of the intruders.

Eight ex-servicemen have been arrested by Police for their alleged involvement in spying activities at the behest of PIOs in last three years, Rajya Sabha was informed. "These ex-servicemen have been contacted by PIOs under various assumed identities on the pretext of providing jobs, scholarship, monetary consideration," Union Minister of State for Home Haribhai Parathibhai Chaudhary said in reply to a written question. Chaudhary said PIOs are adopting the modus operandi of tasking ex-servicemen to gather information through their casual contact with serving personnel.

Action on terror trumps any desire for diplomatic dialogue with Pakistan, foreign secretary S. Jaishankar said. He said that India would not agree to foreign secretary talks until Pakistan took clear action against the perpetrators of the Pathankot (Punjab) terror attack. "In the aftermath of a terror attack, if you ask me what is the priority, dealing with terror or diplomatic dialogue then the answer is obvious," he said.

The NIA sent Letters Rogatory to Islamabad seeking investigation by a competent agency there into the evidence collected by it on the Pathankot (in Indian State of Punjab) attack, pointing to its origins in Pakistan. Among the evidence cited in the letters Rogatory are Pakistani phone numbers contacted by the terrorists, intercepts of their conversations with Pakistan-based JeM handlers like Kashif Jaan who escorted them to the infiltration point, the photographs of the four terrorists whose bodies were recovered, details of their belongings including shoes that belong to Pakistani brand 'Sardar', and their weapons/ammunition along with markings. Only two of the four slain terrorists have been identified so far, as Nasir and Salim.

One militant was killed and two Army personnel were injured as Army foiled a major infiltration bid on the LoC in North Kashmir's Keran sector in Kupwara District of Jammu and Kashmir. A defence spokesman said that Army foiled an infiltration bid in Keran sector of the LoC and killed one militant early this morning. "One weapon was also recovered", the spokesman said. The spokesman said that two soldiers were also injured during operation. The Army men belong to 11-Kumaon regiment and were injured at Rawtha Naad Domari. Sources said that Army noticed movement of six-seven militants on LoC in Keran sector. The infiltrators were challenged by the troops deployed in the counter-infiltration grid. The militants fled back to PoK; however, two of them were killed as Army saw the retreating militants dragging two bodies.

Police and Army arrested Police deserter turned HM militant from South Kashmir's Kulgam District. Police and Army received information about presence of Shakoor Ahmed Parray of Shopian in Avhotu village of Bihibagh, in South Kashmir's Kulgam. The operation was launched by 62-RR of Army and the Kulgam Police. Parray had deserted the Police early this year and took away 4 AK-47 rifles.

Day after three militants were killed by SFs during a gunfight, a spontaneous shutdown was observed by people in Tral and Awantipora towns of South Kashmir's in Pulwama District amid stone-throwing clashes. All the shops and business establishments were closed in Tral, Awantipora and its adjoining localities. Following Friday congregation prayers, hundreds of people staged a protest in Tral and clashed with SFs for over an hour. In the interim, dozens of masked youths appeared outside Jama Masjid here in Old City's Nowhatta area after Friday prayers and staged a protest. The protesters waved flags of IS, and hurled stones towards SFs personnel who were additionally deployed there. The clashes later spread to Gojwara and Rajouri Kadal neighbourhoods and resulted in disruption of commercial activities in these areas.

Some unidentified assailants attacked a temporary designated camp of URF (Soviet) at Napet Mamang Leikai in Imphal East District. Sources said that the miscreants hurled a grenade and fired some rounds at the camp. However, the grenade did not explode and nobody was injured due to the firing as well. Some portions of the wall of the camp were damaged due to the firing. One Chinese hand grenade along with safety pin was recovered from the complex of the camp.

One vehicle was vandalized by bandh supporters along Imphal-Moreh road in Chandel District on the first day of an indefinite bandh called by the JAC against the murder of Ts Thongkhogin Haokip. A large number of bandh supporters including womenfolk blocked the Imphal-Moreh road at H Kotlenphai, Pallel, Senam and Chahmol by burning tyres and piling woods. One white colour Alto car was vandalized on Saivom-Tengnoupal road for defying the bandh called by the JAC. Convenor Mangboi Haokip of the JAC said that the indefinite bandh was imposed as the State Government has failed to arrest and book the culprits involved in the killing of Haokip. He further maintained that the JAC would intensify the agitation including indefinite State wide bandh if the State Government fails to fulfill their demands at the earliest.

Eighteen cadres of three militant groups, NSCN-K, KYKL and KCP who were listed as accused in June 4 ambush in Chandel District, were summoned to appear in the court of special judge, NIA, Manipur on April 4 next. NIA court issued proclamation orders against the accused persons including top leaders of NSCN-K 'chairman' SS Khaplang Pangmei alias Khaplang, KYKL 'chairman' Namoijam Okendro and KCP 'president' Kshetrimayum Noyon alias Hemanta. The proclamation orders, it was stated that the warrant of arrest issued against them were returned as they were not found and the judge was satisfied that they have absconded or concealing themselves to avoid the service of the said warrants. They were asked to appear before the court in Imphal's Uripok Cheirap Court Complex to answer the charges levelled against them on April 4, 2016.

Twenty-four Bangladeshi citizens were arrested from Gandachera in Dhali District, when they were boarding a car on their way back to their own country. Acting on secret information Police and the Tripura State Rifles conducted a joint operation and arrested them. During interrogation it was revealed that they crossed over to India three days back through the forest path near Rajbari border out post under Raisyabari Police Station and went to Mog Para. The arrested persons admitted that they are residents of Kharam Karbari Para under Panchari Police Station in the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh. The deeply wooded border terrains in the Raisyabari is yet to be fenced and considered to be very sensitive as the insurgents frequently use this for their movement to Tripura from their Bangladeshi hideouts.

A woman Maoist cadre was killed in an exchange of fire with Police in Abhujmad area of Narayanpur District, Chhattisgarh. "The skirmish took place in Kasturmeta forests," said IGP, Bastar range, S.R. P. Kalluri. "Her identity is being ascertained. Preliminary investigation showed that she was not a local. She could be from Peoples Party Member of Maoists," he added.

Odisha Human Rights Commission sought report from DIG (South-Western range) and RDC (Southern range) on the death of a Dongria Kandha (tribal) identified as Mondo Kadraka in an encounter on February 27.

Three troopers of CoBRA were killed and at least 15 others were injured in an encounter with CPI-Maoist cadres in Sukma District of Chhattisgarh. Officials said while two Commandos, identified as Constables Linju N and Fateh Singh, had succumbed to bullet injuries on March 3, their colleague Lakshman Singh died on March 4. At least 15 others, including CoBRA Commander P.S. Yadav and the chief of the State Polices' DRG, have been injured in the encounter which ended on March 4.

Police and Army arrested a HM militant from Pattan area of North Kashmir's in Baramulla District and recovered a SLR and 21 rounds from him. The SOG of Jammu and Kashmir Police, Pattan, and Army's 29 RR launched a joint operation on specific information and arrested a person Bashir Ahmed Dar alias Bitta son of Mohammad Maqbool Dar resident of Bungam Kunzer in Baramulla District.

The 'deputy commander-in-chief' of the KLO identified as Dibankar Barman alias Anupal alias Jabarjung alias Raghav, was killed by SFs at Siljan Kakrikola area in Kokrajhar District. BTAD Inspector-General of Police L.R. Bishnoi said that depending on inputs about the presence of some KLO rebels in the area, a joint operation was carried out by the Army and Assam Police where the rebel leader received serious bullet injuries in the gun battle. Later, he succumbed to his injuries. Two other militants managed to escape, Bishnoi said. A 7.65mm pistol, two fired cases of 7.65mm pistol, three live rounds of 7.65mm, eight fired cases of 7.62mm pistol and a grenade were recovered from the slain militant, who was wanted in many cases of abduction and extortion.

District Police arrested an ULFA-I militant, Hiren Gogoi, and his accomplice, Hemkanta Changmai, from Tinuskia District, and recovered a number of incriminating documents from them.

AR troops arrested four arms smugglers from Torbung in Churachandpur District. Based on information regarding the movement of four suspected persons from Moirang to Churachandpur with weapons, the AR troops launched an operation on February 28 and arrested four of them along with weapons, said PRO Defence Wing in a release. The troops also seized one 9 mm country made pistol along with magazine, two live rounds of 9 mm, one Honda Activa scooter, and cash of INR 1660.

Following an understanding with the State Government, the indefinite bandh along the Imphal - Moreh Highway imposed by the JAC against the murder of Ts Thongkhogin Haokip, Assistant Hindi Teacher at Molnom Junior High School has been called off with immediate effect. Informing media persons, JAC convenor Mangboi Haokip said that the decision to call off the indefinite bandh was taken in a joint meeting held at H Kotlenphai village community hall between the JAC and representatives of the State Government.

AR troops, based on specific information regarding movement of an underground cadre, launched an operation in T Jangnum village in Chandel District and arrested an active cadre of PREPAK-Pro. The arrested cadre revealed that he had joined the outfit in April 2015 and received military training at PREPAK-Pro camp in Tamu (Myanmar) in April-May 2015. Incriminating articles were recovered from his possession, according to a press release.

Shillong Police arrested two persons for circulating HNLC demand notes in the city. East Khasi Hills SP MH Kharkrang informed that on getting information about demand notes being circulated in Shillong and its suburbs by HNLC, the District Police swung into action and arrested one Vincent Khyriem. According to Kharkrang, on interrogation, Khyriem admitted to have circulated the demand notes sent to him from Bangladesh. Later in the evening his accomplice, one Wankarlang Rynjah (22) of Demseiniong was also arrested. "Police investigation will reveal if any of the people served with the demand notes have actually paid and if there are more people involved (with the proscribed outfit)," he said. Two mobile phones and 10 SIM cards of different service providers were seized from their possession.

The CPI-Maoist has given a bandh call on March 7, 2016, in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Dandakaranya regions, condemning the encounter on Telangana-Chhattisgarh border in which it lost eight armed cadres. Jagan, the party official representative from Telangana State, has issued a statement that was circulated to all the local media offices in which he has said that the Police caught hold of the unarmed women and tortured them before killing them. He further said "The Chief Minister said that there will be no encounters in separate Telangana. But he is trying to eliminate naxals through the same means. Both the KCR and Modi governments have started Operation Red Hunt."

The District Police arrested two CPI-Maoist cadres from Belaganj Police Station area in Gaya District of Bihar and recovered two country made weapons and live cartridges from their possession. "The arrested men, identified as Munarik Yadav and Chandradip Yadav, hail from the Makhdumpur Police Station area of the neighbouring Jehanabad District. The duo has been charged with extorting money from local brick kiln owners," said Gaya SSP Garima Malik.

The BSF shot down one Pakistani intruder while sneaking into the Indian Territory in the Ferozepur sector of Ferozepur District of Punjab. There were exchange of fire between BSF jawans and two Pakistani intruders, in which one was killed, but the other one escaped and ran back to Pakistan," Anil Paliwal, BSF Border Range IG said.

Police are looking for four labourers reportedly abducted by suspected militants from Zalembung village area under Lungchong Meiphai in Ukhrul District. The four local labourers were being engaged in the construction of Sanakeithel-Leisan road taken up under PMGSY. Cadres from a militant outfit are alleged to have abducted them for ransom. Whereabouts of the four is still unknown since their abduction from the work site. Sources informed that the particular outfit wants a large amount of money from the contractor.

Based on specific information, Army and Nalbari Police launched a joint operation and arrested a linkman of NDFB-IKS from Barajol village in Nalbari District. The arrested linkman has been identified as Gajen Boro (27) Narayangaon village under Ghagrapar Police Station in Nalbari District. Gajen was involved in extortion, arms smuggling and other nefarious and anti-national activities. One 7.65mm Pistol along with four live rounds and one magazine of 7.65mm Pistol were recovered from him.

Militants of the MCP in Manipur, claimed responsibility for the Wednesday (March 2) night attack on a "designated camp" of surrendered militants of the URF-Chingkheinganba in Imphal East District. Though the "designated camp" was attacked with automatic rifles, hand grenades and other lethal weapons for over 20 minutes, no inmate was injured. A "designated camp" is a place inhabited by insurgent groups that sign SoO - or ceasefire - with the state and central governments. Under SoO, the government forces and insurgents stop attacking each other and try to create conditions for a peace process and political settlement.

An unidentified assailant exploded a grenade at a private residence at Elangbam Leikai in the Imphal West District. However, no one was injured in the blast. The motive and identity of the attacker are not known.

Based on specific source information, Police arrested two ASAK cadres from Williamnagar in East Garo Hills District. An associate of the militants was also arrested by the Police. Police said that the arrested cadres have been identified as Ronjit Marak and Bhaiti Marak while the associate was Aamir Hussain.

Police arrested a woman linked with the HNLC in Shillong in East Khasi Hills District. According to Police, the female overground worker, identified as Wandalin Diengdoh (40) of Lower Mawprem, is the sister of senior HNLC cadre Phrangkupar Diengdoh alias Hep Metal who has been in hiding in Bangladesh for a long time.

NSCN-R welcomed different NPGs member from NSCN-IM, GPRN/ NSCN, NSCN-K and FGN who have recently joined its fold under the collective leadership of NSCN-R 'president' Y. Wangtin Naga and 'ato kilonser' P. Tikhak. In a press release, NSCN-R 'MIP' identified the "home comers" as, 'major' Nowang Konyak, 'captain.' Joshua Angami, '2nd Lieutenant' Akholie Angami, '2nd Lieutenant' Tieso Angami, '2nd Lieutenant' Awang Konyak, 'Sergeant Major' Mankho Konyak, 'Sergeant Major' Achi Konyak, 'Sergeant Major' Anyem Konyak and 'Sergeant' Aton Konyak all from NSCN-IM.

NSCN-R MIP claimed that the "home comers" have stated that, they have "lost their confidence with their respective leaders and reposed their faith and confidence under the "visionary and dynamic leadership" of Y. Wangtin Naga and P. Tikhak who always strife and lead the Nagas and its future with a positive attitude toward the cause of the Naga Nation". Further, NSCN-R has expressed gratitude to the "home comers" for their "bold and wise decision" in the right time in order to determine the future of the Naga people and Nation as well.

As many as 35 Bangladeshi nationals, including 24 women and three children, were arrested by BSF in Tripura for illegally entering India. The arrest took place after Police arrested 23 Bangladeshi citizens for illegally entering in India on March 2. "BSF troopers on Friday evening arrested 35 Bangladeshis, all tribals, as they came to market in Raisyabari (in northern Tripura) to sell their products and buy other items," Police spokesman Uttam Kumar Bhowmik said. The Bangladeshi residents came to Tripura from tribal dominated Chittagong Hill tracts.

A CPI-Maoist cadre was killed by members of his rival group in Lohardaga District of Jharkhand. According to Police, the body of Maoist 'commander' Muslim Ansari was found at Sgahighat area of the District. A pistol and other incriminating documents were seized from him, the Police said, adding he might have been killed by the rival Maoist group.

The Bansadhara-Ghumusar-Nagavalli 'divisional committee' of the CPI-Maoist called for a bandh on March 15 protesting the Police encounter on February 27 that claimed the life of a Dongria Kondh.

In an official release, the Central Government has said that eight of the 10 districts in Telangana are LWE affected. The Districts named are Adilabad, Karimnagar, Khammam, Medak, Mahbubnagar, Nalgonda, Warangal and Nizamabad. Only the two urban districts of Hyderabad and Ranga Reddy have been excluded from the list. Incidentally, among the 106 Districts declared as LWE-affected, eight districts of Andhra Pradesh also figure - Anantapur, East Godavari, Guntur, Kurnool, Prakasam, Srikakulam, Visakhapatnam and Vizianagaram. "By this reckoning, 16 of the 23 districts of erstwhile united Andhra Pradesh are hit by Naxalite violence. How could this be possible?" wondered a senior police official. Commenting on the report Telangana DGP Anurag Sharma said "I can react to the development only after I see the central communication. As far as the state is concerned, only Adilabad, Karimnagar, Warangal and Khammam are left-wing extremism affected districts."

A Sessions Court at Delhi discharged suspected LeT bomb expert Abdul Karim Tunda and three others due to lack of evidence, who were accused of helping terrorists from Pakistan and Bangladesh infiltrate India in 1997 to carry out terror attacks. The verdict was announced for the fourth and final case filed by the Special Cell of the Delhi Police against Tunda. He was one of the 20 terrorists India had asked Pakistan to hand over after the 26/11 (November 26, 2008) attacks in Mumbai.

Two of the 14 teenagers who had gone missing after the 2002 communal riots in Ahmedabad (Gujarat) have been traced to Pakistan. This has been revealed by Gujarat Police which with the help of central agencies located the teenagers. Sources from the Gujarat Police said the duo that has been traced to Bawahalpur, the place where LeT headquarters is located in Pakistan, is from eastern Ahmedabad which witnessed major riots in 2002.

Intelligence provided by Pakistan's NSA Lieutenant-General Naseer Janjua of a possible 26/11-style suicide assault on religious sites and processions in Gujarat during Maha Shivratri celebrations on March 7 and 8 led authorities to order a massive mobilisation of state Police personnel and NSG units. The unprecedented intelligence warning did not contain specific details on the jihadist group involved, or information that could lead police to perpetrators, the source said. However, he said "there was enough credible sourcing for the matter to be taken very seriously". Naseer Janjua conveyed the warning to his Indian counterpart, Ajit Doval, following which NSG special forces were deployed to Gujarat to back up state Police.

HM top 'commander', Dawood Sheikh alias Chotu, was killed and an Army trooper was injured in an encounter at Bichru village in Kulgam District. The SOG of Jammu and Kashmir Police, Kulgam and Army's 1 and 9 RR received information about presence of two militants of HM in Bichru village of Kulgam. As the SFs cordoned off the village, militants opened fire on them injuring one soldier. SFs trapped Dawood in a house after he was injured while trying to flee with his associate, Shabir Ahmad. DIG South Kashmir, Nitish Kumar said Dawood of Rishipora Qaimoh was killed by SFs in the encounter while his associate managed to escape. Dawood was one of the most wanted militants in the District and was involved in several militancy related incidents. He was A+ category militant and was active for several years in South Kashmir. One AK-47 rifle was recovered from the encounter site.

Army and Police in a joint operation arrested a militant of the NDFB-IKS in Nalbari District. The arrested militant has been identified as Khomin Boro (30), a resident of village Dalbari under Barama Police Station in the District. The arrested militant was involved in extortion, arms smuggling and other nefarious and anti-national activities, Army official said. One 7.65mm pistol along with one magazine and three live rounds were recovered from him.

Police arrested another NDFB- IKS militant along Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border in Biswanath District. The militant has been identified as Chatu Narzary. A carbine and six rounds of live ammunition were found on him.

Based on specific information, Army Camp Boko and Police launched a joint operation, and arrested one arms supplier from Bholkmari (South Kamrup) who was reported to be supplying weapons and ammunition to NDFB- IKS and MULTA militants. The arms supplier has been identified as Mokshed Ali (42) of Bholkamari village under Chhayagaon Police Station in South Kamrup District. The arrested arms supplier was also reported to be involved in arms smuggling and other nefarious and anti-national activities and had been working with extremists for many years, Army official said. One .22mm pistol and one magazine along with four pistol ammunition were recovered from him.

Following the arrest of the sister of a senior HNLC cadre, the militant outfit slammed the East Khasi Hills Police and threatened to unleash terror in Shillong. In a statement issued to a section of the media, HNLC publicity 'secretary' Sainkupar Nongtraw said that every family member of the HNLC cadres has a right to communicate with them, either through phone or other means of communication and this does not make then an overground worker of the outfit. The HNLC threatened that the tactic of the Police will compel the cadres to use explosives.

Two mining workers were killed and one Policeman was injured in a CPI-Maoist attack in Narayanpur District of Chhattisgarh. "Two villagers belonging to Balod and Kanker District of Chhattisgarh were killed in a blast and firing by the Maoists in Amdai Ghati of Narayanpur. Both were working for Neko Jaiswal Company in Amdai Ghati mining project," said Abhishekh Meena, SP.

CPI-Maoist cadres of Galikonda 'area committee' killed a tiles trader, identified as Gundu Rao, near Kumkumpudi of G.K. Veedhi mandal in the Vishakhapatnam Agency area of Vishakhapatnam District of Andhra Pradesh. Rao is the husband of former Mandal Parishad Territorial Constituency (MPTC) member Chandrakala of G.K. Veedhi. Reports said that the Maoists, after killing the trader by slitting his throat, left a note stating that Rao associated himself with the anti-Maoist wing of the District Police and was passing on information about the party.

Acting on a tip off, a joint team of CRPF and Jharkhand Police under 'Operation Finish' arrested a hardcore CPI-Maoist cadre, identified as Binod Yadav, at Kulhi village under Bhandariya Police Station limit in Garwah District of Jharkhand.

The Indian Coast Guard has enhanced surveillance along the West coast, more specifically in the seas off Gujarat, following inputs that 10 suspected LeT and JeM terrorists could have entered India from Pakistan to launch an attack.

Security has been tightened across Delhi and in several states amid fears of an impending terror attack. Temples, key buildings, shopping malls, popular markets and military installations all are under security radar of the Delhi Police and other security agencies amid an intelligence input that terrorists could carry out a strike in the city and NCR region on March 7, on the occasion of Mahashivaratri. As per the IB alert, 10 terrorists belonging to the LeT or JeM terror groups are believed to have sneaked into the Indian territory through the Gujarat border. It is suspected that the terror operatives are planning to target Delhi, especially because the Parliament is in session.

Delhi High Court refused to grant bail to one of the five accused arrested for allegedly supplying sensitive documents to ISI operatives of Pakistan, saying allegations against him were "very serious in nature". Justice P S Teji denied relief at this stage to accused Fareed Khan, an Army Constable who allegedly shared secret information with other co-accused who used to forward them to Pakistan based intelligence operatives for monetary gains.

UHM Rajnath Singh reviewed the internal security situation in the country in the wake of inputs that 10 suspected LeT and JeM terrorists have entered India from Pakistan through Gujarat. At a high-level meeting, attended by top security officials including Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi and Director of IB Dineshwar Sharma, Singh took stock of the situation and the steps taken to prevent any possible terror attacks.

Stone-throwing clashes erupted amid shutdown in Kulgam town of South Kashmir in Kulgam District, against the killing of a local HM militant commander, Sheikh Dawood, in an encounter with SFs in the District on March 6. Besides clashes, a spontaneous shutdown was observed in Kulgam and in parts of neighbouring Anantnag District.

Two ULFA linkmen, identified as Hiren Gogoi alias Rabin (24) and Hemakanat Changmai alias Jatin alias Pinku, both belonging to Deoghoriya village of Lakhipather under Digboi Police Station in Tinsukia District were arrested by joint forces of District Special Team and Digboi Police. According to sources, the arrest was made after the demand for fifty hunting boots were made by the rebels from a local businessman in Digboi which was meant for the banned ULFA faction.

Police recovered an automatic pistol with two live cartridges at Khaksi under Haluwating Police Station in Sivasagar District. According to reports, local residents of Khaksi area of Amguri TE saw a man roaming here and there and they informed the nearby CRPF camp immediately. When CRPF personnel reached the suspected man fled from the spot leaving a packet wrapped with polythene. An automatic pistol, two live cartridges, one torch light, one water bottle and one cigarette packed from the polythene bag.

The CPI-Maoist cadres killed a manager of a private iron ore mine, identified as Sree Kumar Nair (55), in Rajnandgaon District of Chhattisgarh. "The ultras attacked Sarda Iron Ore Mine in Pallemadi village under Khadgaon Police Station limits and shot dead its manager Sree Kumar Nair (55). They also set ablaze six vehicles at the spot before fleeing," Rajnandgaon SP Sundarraj P said.

A self-styled 'zonal commander' of the PLFI, identified as Amrit Yadav, was killed in an encounter with the district armed Police force in Palamau District of Jharkhand. The encounter took place when the PLFI cadres, who were preparing meals, opened fire at the Police force approaching them in course of its special drive in the Naxal affected areas, ASP, Kanhaiya Singh, said. The Police said three rifles, some live cartridges and Maoist literature were recovered from the spot.

40 CPI-Maoist sympathisers of Kirmiti village under Mathili Police Station limits in Malkangiri District of Odisha withdrew their support to the Maoists and announced to support the administration in development activities. This came two days after 225 Maoist supporters surrendered before Police in the District. "After they realized that they got nothing by supporting the ultras they are now approaching the administration to speed up development works at their village," said Malkangiri SP Mitrabhanu Mohapatra.

The Niyamgiri 'area committee' of the CPI-Maoist has called for a bandh in Rayagada District of Odisha on March 15 in protest against death of a Dongria Kondh, identified as Mondo Kadraka, in an alleged fake encounter on February 27. Secretary of the NAC identifying himself as Sukdev through messages sent to a few media persons in Rayagada alleged that Mondo was not a Maoist and the security personnel killed him in a fake encounter to create panic among the tribals. He said the extremists will observe bandh at Rayagada, Kalyansinghpur, Bissamkatak and Muniguda blocks of Rayagada District and Lanjigarh block of Kalahandi District.

The bandh call given by the CPI-Maoist in protest against the March 1, 2016 encounter in which eight Maoists including five women cadres were killed, evoked poor response in Bhadrachalam town of Khammam District of Telangana. Condemning the incident, Maoist spokesperson Jagan had called for a bandh. But response from traders and people was poor.

The investigations that are being conducted into the various IS related cases in India have one conclusion and that this threat emanates more from Bangladesh than Pakistan. India IB officials reveal that if the threat has to be countered, then the outfits based in Bangladesh are more worrisome in nature when compared to Pakistan. The NSA Ajit Doval has appraised the PM about the situation. It was following this input that the government had decided to undertake a major deradicalisation programme. India says that the IS threat will not emerge directly in India. It will come in through groups such as the JMB. The JMB had openly pledged support to the IS and its leader Abu Bakr al-Bhagdadi. In the recent days the JMB has been carrying out attacks in Bangladesh in the name of the IS or the Caliphate. India has taken this development very seriously.

A team of the NIA is in Karnataka to get further details regarding a case relating to a blast at Bijnor, Uttar Pradesh. A gang of five operatives of the SIMI had broken out of the Khandwa jail in Madhya Pradesh in 2013. While two were killed in an encounter at Telangana recently, three others were nabbed in Odisha last month. The NIA has been questioning the trio since the past week and had found that they had stayed in Karnataka for a considerable amount of time. It was found that they had taken up accommodation in towns such as Yadgir, Dharwad and Hospet. Further it was also found that these persons were staying in Karnataka when they planned the robbery at Karimnagar in Telangana.

Two youth were injured in firing by SFs in Aishmuqam area in Anantnag District. SFs cordoned off the area and conducted searches following information about presence of militants in the village. The residents clashed with SFs at Iram Colony, Aishmuqam by pelting stones at them which forced Army personnel to open fire on protesters resulting in the injuries of two youth, identified as Javaid Ahmad Wani (22), a resident of Magray Mohalla and Amir Ahmad Sheikh (20).

Based on specific information, Army and Baksa Police launched a joint operation and arrested a cadre of the NDFB- IKS identified as Namal Boro (28), from Alagjhar village under Barama Police Station in Baksa District. The arrested linkman has been involved in extortion, arms smuggling and other nefarious and anti-national activities. One 7.65mm pistol along with one magazine and two live rounds were recovered from him. Namal has been handed over to Barama Police Station.

A powerful hand grenade exploded near a kerosene godown at Toupokpi area in Bishnupur District. The blast took place near the godown of a kerosene dealer after unidentified assailants lobbed the grenade, the Police said. Though there were no casualties, considerable property worth lakhs of rupees have been damaged by the explosion, the Police said.

The Meghalaya government has decided to continue with the 'Operation Hillstorm-3' for the next three months. Meghalaya Police have sent additional force to Garo Hills to strengthen the ongoing 'Operation Hillstorm-3'. Police has also sent additional commandos into Garo Hills to comb the jungles of Durama and to neutralize the militant groups who are on the run during the last two weeks. 'Operation Hillstrom-3' was launched by Meghalaya Police on February 24 in Garo Hills Districts and in the West Khasi Hills District of Meghalaya.

As many as four GNLA camps were busted; 70 IEDs, 1475 electrical / non-electrical detonators and half a kilogram gelatine explosive materials have been recovered so far during this operation.

BSF personnel arrested one Khusil Hajong (30), a suspected FICN racketeer and recovered 18,000 FICN and Indian currency INR 1,920 from his possession, from Balat border haat at Barmanbari in South West Khasi Hills District. During interrogation, he revealed that he was involved in smuggling of liquor and ganja. He had collected the FICN from his Bangladeshi associate whom he used to supply liquor and ganja from India. He also disclosed that he used to circulate the FICN in the local market at Balat, Dangar and Shillong for purchasing consignment of liquor etc.

BSF personnel deployed at Dalu in West Garo Hills District, arrested Dilasson A. Sangma, an Indian liquor smuggler while he was trying to cross into Bangladesh. During frisking, BSF troops recovered 24 bottles of liquor from his possession. One motorcycle was also seized from him.

10 CPI-Maoist cadres, including two women, surrendered in Bijapur District of Chhattisgarh. The surrendered cadres include Munna Hemla (26) who carried reward money of INR 800,000. He was active in 'military company' number 2 of the Maoists. Hemla had been instrumental in executing several major Maoist incidents, including the ghastly Tadmetla attack, in which 76 security personnel were killed in Dantewada District in 2010. Another equally hardcore cadre, Vijay Madvi (18), a 'military company's platoon' member, and Ramlal Atami (27), a 'section commander' of 'military platoon number 1', were carrying a reward of INR 200,000 each on their heads. Besides, INR 100,000 was announced each for the arrest of Kumari Payaki (22), Sumit Kumar Hemla (20) and Kursam Tokka (30). Rest of the surrendered cadres was lower-rung members.

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik urged the Centre to sanction critical road projects in the LWE-affected districts and unconnected habitations in the State. The State Government proposal to construct 24 projects under the Road Requirement Plan Phase-II, covering a length of 375 km at a cost of INR 6.57 billion, may be sanctioned at the earliest, the Chief Minister said during a meeting with Union Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Minister Birender Singh in New Delhi.

Indian Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar has met with US NSA Susan Rice and discussed bilateral ties and cooperation against terror groups like LeT and JeM the White House has said. "Rice and Jaishankar affirmed their commitment to deepening bilateral cooperation on climate change, trade and defence, and noted preparations for the upcoming Nuclear Security Summit," Ned Price, Spokesman of NSC, White House said. "They also discussed US-India collaboration against Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed and other terrorist threats...Building on their leaders' commitment to make the US- India partnership a defining relationship for the 21st Century, they agreed to deepen their already close collaboration on these issues," Price added.

Gujarat Government allotted money to home department for technology and weapons upgrade keeping the ever-looming terror threat in mind. Gujarat Police would get new weapons, vehicles and technology for conventional and unconventional crime-fighting. As per the state budget allocations, under the head Police modernization, Gujarat Police would get INR 41 crore in 60:40 centre-state allocation ratio, out of which INR 10.25 crore would go towards procuring AK rifles and Excalibur, the upgraded variant of INSAS rifles made in India. Officials said that the state armed Police have conducted trials for Excalibur and have suggested a few design changes, after which the procurement would be made.

SFs killed Abu Ukasha, a top 'commander' of the LeT, and his associate, Abu Hafiz, in an encounter at Wadhakpora in Awantipora area in Pulwama District. After a specific input received by the SOG of Jammu and Kashmir Police, Srinagar, about presence of 11 militants including top leadership of LeT, SFs launched searches at Chandipora, Goripora and Wadhakpora villages in the District. SFs cordoned off vast area and had a fierce gun battle with the LeT militants at Wadhakpora in Awantipora area in which two militants were killed. After the encounter SFs recovered two AK-47 rifles, four magazines and two pouches from the encounter site.

SFs killed Abu Ukasha, a top 'commander' of the LeT, and his associate, Abu Hafiz, in an encounter at Wadhakpora in Awantipora area in Pulwama District. After a specific input received by the SOG of Jammu and Kashmir Police, Srinagar, about presence of 11 militants including top leadership of LeT, SFs launched searches at Chandipora, Goripora and Wadhakpora villages in the District. SFs cordoned off vast area and had a fierce gun battle with the LeT militants at Wadhakpora in Awantipora area in which two militants were killed. After the encounter SFs recovered two AK-47 rifles, four magazines and two pouches from the encounter site.

Atleast one person was injured when a powerful IED was exploded by suspected militants in front of Punya Hyundai showroom of one Thounaojam Premjit at Thangmeiband road in Imphal West District. The injured has been identified as Thounaojam Ibomcha (42), son of Tomba of Chingmeirong. He received minor cut on his face by the shattered showroom glass.

Two Chinese made hand grenades were reportedly recovered from near the gate of RIMS Library at Lamphelpat in Imphal. A team of Police bomb expert later retrieved the grenade safely.

One cadre of RPF, identified as Thongam Gyanendro Singh (53), was arrested by Manipur Police commandos frisking operations in Khoyathong area in Imphal West District. Singh was involved in extortion activities and allegedly collected a large sum of money from different organisations in Bishnupur District, Police said.

Stepping up the drive against CPI-Maoist, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh announced raising four new DRG battalions in Bastar region by recruiting local youth. Presenting the budget in the State Assembly, he said 3,000 local youths would be recruited for these battalions while a provision has been made to create 1,000 more posts in State Police. As of now there are nearly 1,600 security personnel in the District Reserve Guard Force which comprises of local boys recruited from seven districts of Bastar region.

Bihar and Jharkhand Police have decided in Patna to launch joint anti-Naxal operations in Kaimur, Rohtas, Aurangabad, Gaya, Nawada and Jamui in Bihar and Palamu, Chatra, Hazaribagh, Koderma, Giridih and Deoghar in Jharkhand. This was decided during a meeting of top brass of Bihar and Jharkhand Police. The meeting was attended by Jharkhand DGP D.K. Pandey, ADGP (Operations) S.N. Pradhan, Bihar DGP P.K. Thakur, ADG (Law and Order) Alok Raj, ADG (Headquarters) Sunil Kumar, IGP CRPF Shailendra Kumar along with officers from Special Branch, CID and SPs of bordering Districts. Commenting on the activities of PLFI in Bihar ADG Headquarters said "Looking at the increasing activities of the PLFI, a splinter group of CPI (Maoist) in Bihar, the officials of both the states have decided to share information. Earlier, PLFI was more active in Jharkhand. So, their input will be valuable for us." PLFI is a splinter group of the CPI-Maoist.

Three CPI-Maoist cadres, carrying reward money of NR 300, 000 each on their heads, were arrested during an anti-Maoist operation carried out by SF personnel in Dantewada District of Chhattisgarh. They were identified as Baman Podiyami (30), Mani Poyam (27) and Budhu Barsa (25). A joint squad of DRG and a team of local Police from Barsoor Police Station arrested the Maoists based on intelligence inputs, Dantewada SP Kamlochan Kashyap said. They were active as 'military platoon members' in Indravati 'area committee' of Abhujmad region.

17 Maoists, including a woman, surrendered before Police in Kondagaon District of Chhattisgarh. "The 17 cadres, all lower-rung members of the outlawed CPI (Maoist), turned themselves in before senior police officials in Kondagaon District," Kondagaon SP JS Watti said.

The NSA of India and Pakistan continue to remain in touch with each other following the terror attack on the Pathankot airbase in January this year, Indian government said. "The two NSAs have been in touch with each other following the Pathankot attack in January 2016 regarding the follow-up by Pakistan on actionable information provided by India concerning the attack," MSEA V.K. Singh said in reply to a question in the Lok Sabha. V.K. Singh said that infiltrators from Pakistan or Pakistan-administered Kashmir perpetrated several terrorist attacks in India and Jammu and Kashmir, "benefiting from the terrorist infrastructure existing there".

SFs have intercepted a phone call which indicated that LeT, based in South Kashmir is planning fidayeen attack along the National Highway on SFs in Jammu and Kashmir. They said that LeT has already conducted recce of an Army camp near Jawahar Tunnel, CRPF 24th battalion at Jawahar Tunnel and one more security installation in South Kashmir along the highway. After 'divisional commander' of the LeT, Abu Dujana, and his associates fled from cordon in South Kashmir's Pulwama District, SFs have intensified operations in the area as they have inputs that they are planning a fidayeen attack in Kashmir along the Srinagar Jammu National Highway.

SFs seized a huge cache of weapons in separate raids in Assam. One 7.5 pistol, two magazines, 190 live rounds, three mobile sets, cash, ATM cards and other documents were seized from a mini truck at a check post near Azara Police Station in Guwahati city. The truck was plying from Dimapur to Goalpara. Two persons - Rafiqul Islam of Boko and Irakdau Sargyari of Tamulpur - were arrested from the vehicle.

Lumding GRP recovered a large quantity of ammunition from the Tinsukia Avadh-Assam Express at Lumding railway station in Nagaon District. The cache included 497 cartridges of various calibres.

26 AR arrested four persons for carrying an M-16 rifle during a frisking drive conducted at Behiang check post under Singhat Police Station in Churachandpur District. The arrested persons have been identified as S Khupkhansiam (52) of Pahmul village, Liannou Same (25) of Pahmul village, Suanlianthang (30) of Suangphu village and Kapkhantub (28) of Suangphu village.

The PREPAK-Pro claimed responsibility for bomb blast on March 9, in front of an automobile showroom in Imphal city. In a statement, the outfit said the bomb was exploded as the automobile company "challenged" the outfit. It did not elaborate. "Henceforth, Punya Motors Private Ltd will not be allowed to continue its business in Manipur," the statement said. The outfit also banned business by all the showrooms owned by Punya Motors Private Ltd under the name Punya Hyundai Showroom, Dingku road, Punya Honda, Airport road, Punya Honda Showroom, Khuyathong, M.I. Ford showroom, Airport road, all located in and around Imphal city and all the sub-dealers of Punya Company in Manipur.

Newly floated militant outfit ADF has claimed responsibility for the shooting of a civilian at Pallel market in Chandel District. The ADF statement termed the shooting of the civilian as a "warning" to those who support the steps to convert the ethnic group into Aimol Nagas. The Manipur Police is yet to make any arrests in connection with the shooting.

Formed in 2015, after two factions developed within the small Aimol ethnic group, the new outfit in the press release said it was forced to form the outfit to protect the small Aimol community of less than 10,000 people. The ethnic group had been facing continuous threats and intimidation from suspected NSCN-IM militants, which wanted the tribe to be called Aimol Nagas, the Police said.

GNLA threatened to carry out serial blasts in all five Districts of the Garo Hills region if SFs were not withdrawn. The outfit further threatened the NGOs and Church elders blaming them for the offensive launched by the Police. The statement comes in the wake of the Police announcing the continuance of 'Operation Hillstorm - 3' for three months to flush out militants from Garo Hills region. In a statement, GNLA publicity 'secretary', Garo Mandei Marak, threatened, "If Government of Meghalaya doesn't withdraw or stop the ongoing Operation Hillstorm 3 against GNLA, then we will push the buttons for serial blasts in all the five districts of Garo Hills." The outfit also threatened the IGP leading the 'Operation Hillstorm', GHP Raju, Chief Minister Mukul Sangma, along with NGOs and Church elders stating that the leaders would have to bear responsibility for the loss of life and property that will take place. "They are the ones who called upon GNLA to gather together at Durama Hills to come forward for peace talks. This gave the opportunity for the government for the Operation Hillstorm 3 to be launched," said Marak.

Accusing the GPRN/ NSCN, of apprehending its workers and "continuously punishing them in inhuman way", the NSCN-R said it "strongly warns perpetrators in Khehoi Camp" as government approved designated camp was being used as 'concentration camp' for NSCN-R workers. In a press release, MIP NSCN-R stated that since its inception in May 2015 almost 37 cadres of the group have been apprehended by GPRN/NSCN in Dimapur and Kohima and kept in their custody. It alleged that some workers of NSCN-R released after severe punishment have displayed multiple bruises on their bodies. Stating that such act of cadres belonging to the GPRN/NSCN in Khehoi camp totally violated the human rights and deserved strong condemnation, the MIP said "some of the perpetrators have been identified and the NSCN/GPRN-Reformation will take it as individual issue who will be paid with same coin what so ever." NSCN-R MIP said it would continue to stand for Naga unity and reconciliation as committed by its collective leaders, but cautioned that it "cannot just leave perpetrators unpunished."

Questioning Bastar IGP S.R.P. Kalluri's claim of "eliminating" more than 40 Maoists in the first two months of 2016, Maoist leader Ganesh Uike said only eight of those killed belonged to his outfit. In a press statement, Uike, who is the 'secretary' of the South Regional Committee of CPI-Maoist, claimed the Bastar Police killed 40 people including seven women, in the name of anti-Maoist operations. He said, "Seventeen people were killed in Bijapur district, 12 in Sukma district, three in Dantewada, five in Kondagaon, and three in Bastar. Out of these 40, only eight were members of our People's Liberation Guerrilla Army. Rest of them were innocent villagers."

The 'chief' of Jharkhand Jan Mukti Morcha, identified as Mustaq alias Langra (35), was arrested from Bariyatu locality in Ranchi District of Jharkhand. Mustaq was travelling in an SUV so that his movement did not invite suspicion. Police seized the SUV, five mobile phones and papers with extortion list from his possession.

A Maoist, identified as Beerbal Parhaiya (45), hurt in an accidental IED blast was arrested and jailed in Palamu District of Jharkhand. Sources said Parhaiya was handling the Maoists' IEDs and was injured in an accidental blast.

Maoists triggered a landmine blast killing a CRPF head Constable and leaving 11 personnel injured in Morli forest area near Kunta town of Sukma District, Chhattisgarh. The incident took place as CRPF personnel, deputed to ensure security to road works from Kunta to Gollapalli, were patrolling the area. Talking about the incident, Bastar IGP S.R.P. Kalluri said though they were taking all precautions, Maoists were able to strike back.

Maoists set ablaze a private bus after asking its passengers to get down near Bandepara village under Kutru Police Station limits in Bijapur District of Chhattisgarh. The bus was on its way to Bedre from Bijapur. A group of 15-20 Maoists, some of them armed stopped the bus and set it on fire.

A major tragedy was averted when SF personnel recovered powerful explosives, including a 10-kg pipe bomb, from a dense forest pocket in Kondagaon District of Chhattisgarh while returning from patrolling operations. "The explosives were kept in a big empty plastic water tank which was hidden beneath earth near Totar village under Mardapal Police Station limits," a senior Police official said. They found two IEDs of 5kg each, a pipe bomb of 10 kg, five bundles of wire kept in a 500 litres plastic water tank placed beneath the earth.

The CPI-Maoist cadres have killed a Constable of Hedri Police Post in Etapalli Division of Gadchiroli District in Maharashtra. The victim, Deepak Sadmake, was shot by the Maoists from close quarters when he was patrolling a village market with his colleagues.

A 30-year-old woman CPI-Maoist cadre who was considered as an explosive expert surrendered before the Police at Bonai in Sundergarh District of Odisha. Muli Munda alias Susanti had left the Maoist outfit months ago but was hiding from both Maoists and Police fearing threat to her life. She was part of the Anmol alias Samarjee group operating in Saranda Division of Jharkhand. "She was involved in several activities in Saranda jungle area between2010-15, particularly the Kolan area," ASP R. Panigrahi said.

Disillusioned with the CPI-Maoist ideology and ill-health, a woman Maoist cadre, identified as Kunjum Edumen alias Kavitha, from Karimnagar-Khammam dalam surrendered before Telangana Police in Warrangal District of Telangana. Kavitha joined the Maoist outfit in 2011-12 and worked for the Venkatapuram 'area committee'.

19 supporters, who announced their willingness to give up arms, officially surrendered before the Police in Malkangiri District of Odisha. The Maoist supporters reached District Police office en masse and surrendered their arms before SDPO M Sandeep Sampad, 202 CoBRA Battalion commandants Sudhendra Singh and Babu Singh. They were active members of Darbha Division of Maoists and were operating in areas under Mathili and Boipariguda Police limits in Malkangiri and Koraput Districts respectively. Among those who laid down arms, five were militia, three Village Committee members and two were members of Jana Natya Mandali.

AR troops arrested one arms smuggler from Tuibong Market in Churachandpur District.

A contractor was abducted by militants a week ago from Shallang area in West Khasi Hills District, the NPP legislator from Songsak Nihim D Shira informed the House. Shira, while taking part in the debate on Governor's address said that the victim identified as Chares Momin was the contractor with PMGSY road scheme.

Meghalaya CM Mukul Sangma asserted in the State Assembly that the Centre must take care of the international borders and stop illegal smuggling of arms and ammunition by militants. Summing up the debate on the Governor's address, the CM said that it is only with the active involvement of the Centre and the support of various governments in the Northeast that the problem of infiltration of arms and ammunition to Meghalaya and the rest of the region can be stopped. Sangma said that many splinter groups sprang up in Garo Hills due to easy availability of sophisticated arms. "There are too many guns available at throw away prices. The recent recovery of spares of anti-aircraft gun in Garo Hills, explosives and IEDs procured from too many sources is alarming," the CM said.

The NIA says FICN racket has spread into states of Gujarat and Maharashtra. In its chargesheet filed against five persons, the NIA says that these persons would source fake currency from Bangladesh. Further the NIA also stated that after completion of investigation against the arrested accused persons, it has been found that all of them are part of an interstate gang involved in the procurement and smuggling of fake currency from their associates in Bangladesh. After procuring and smuggling the same into India, the FICN was then circulated in various part of country especially in Maharashtra and Gujarat, by the members of the gang. Sushanta Sahu of Dhenkanal, Odisha, Uttam Kumar Sinha, Dhanbad, Jharkhand, Purushottam Kumar Keshri, Jharia, Jharkhand, Nishfal Mondal, Malda, West Bengal and Rameshwar Sahu, Giridih, Jharkhand have been named as accused in the chargesheet. The case is based on the seizure of FICN having face value of INR 10,01,000 effected by the official of DRI.

Justice Sharad Arvind Bobde of the Supreme Court has suggested setting up of a common court for SAARC member countries to deal with cross-border terror attacks and crimes like smuggling of FICN, drugs and weapons. To bring to justice perpetrators of trans-border terror attacks and crimes, a sitting judge of the Supreme Court has proposed the setting up of a common court for South Asia.

The NCRB launched a web portal to easily compile the precise data of FICN circulated across the country. 'Fake Indian Currency Note compilation system' portal will help the NCRB in acquiring data from all states and other agencies to have a complete picture about the circulation of counterfeit notes in the country. The NCRB mandated to empower the Indian Police with IT and is responsible for collecting, analysing the crime data of the country, facilitates Investigating Officers with updated IT tools and information in investigation of crimes. The UMHA has entrusted the NCRB with the responsibility of implementing its flagship plan programme CCTNS by March 31, 2017. The scheme envisages connecting all the Police Stations through their computerisation. At present, of the 16,000 Police Stations and offices in the country, 10,000 Police Stations and offices have already been connected through this system.

Two BSF troopers, identified as Vijay Kumar and Rakesh, were killed and four others were critically wounded in an encounter with CPI-Maoist cadres in Becha forests of Kanker District, Chhattisgarh. A special operation was launched from Chotibetia BSF camp at 1.45 pm on March 11 by the parties of 170, 122 and 165 battalions of the BSF. The BSF parties had an exchange of fire with the Maoists at around 2.25 am on March 12 near Becha village.

The Khatkhati Police in an encounter killed a UPLA militant at Bokajan in East Karbi Anglong District. SFs conducted a raid in the Lalmati area along Assam-Nagaland border on being tipped off about the movement of some unidentified militants in the area and while the Police team was on move, the militant group opened fire and the column retaliated. After a thorough search, a bullet ridden body was found while others managed to escape under cover of darkness. A 9 mm pistol and a 7.65 pistol along with other incriminating documents were recovered from possession of the slain militant. The killed militant is yet to be identified.

The 'chief' of Jharkhand Sangharsh Jan Mukti Morcha, Diwalee Ganjhu, was killed in an encounter between Chandwa Police team and JSJMM cadres at Keeta village under Chandwa Police Station in Latehar District of Jharkhand. Latehar SP Anoop Birtharey said Chandwa Police got a tip-off about the presence of three extremists of JSJMM at Keeta and carried out this operation which yielded the body of Ganjhu in the retaliatory shots.

South Garo Hills Police had two close encounters with Garo rebel outfits, GNLA and ASAK, in two separate incidents, leading to the recovery of a pistol, a communication set and other items. The first encounter took place at Dilnegre village of Gasuapara that leads towards Chokpot interior in the District. Sources said a ten-member armed GNLA team was taking shelter when the raid took place. They reportedly had three AK rifles and two INSAS rifles, besides small arms. One of the militants who fled has been identified as Chandra who is in the wanted list of the Police. From the encounter site a pistol with six live rounds along with a country-made gun and two mobile phones were recovered.

South Garo Hills Police had two close encounters with Garo rebel outfits, GNLA and ASAK, in two separate incidents, leading to the recovery of a pistol, a communication set and other items. The first encounter took place at Dilnegre village of Gasuapara that leads towards Chokpot interior in the District. Sources said a ten-member armed GNLA team was taking shelter when the raid took place. They reportedly had three AK rifles and two INSAS rifles, besides small arms. One of the militants who fled has been identified as Chandra who is in the wanted list of the Police. From the encounter site a pistol with six live rounds along with a country-made gun and two mobile phones were recovered.

The BSF has confirmed that the GNLA is recruiting people in Bangladesh even as it refuted the reports about HNLC carrying out similar drives. Speaking to media persons, PK Dubey, IG, BSF's Meghalaya Frontier, said that there was no permanent camp of insurgent groups in Bangladesh, even though the most of the makeshift camps were in Chittagong area.

Fifty-three people were executed by the CPI-Maoist after 'kangaroo courts' found them 'guilty' in the five worst Naxal-hit states of the country in the last three years. According to UMHA statistics, 18 civilians were killed following the directives of 'kangaroo courts' or 'Jan Adalats' in 2015 for being alleged 'Police informers' or "for not believing in Maoist ideology". During 2015, 41 'Jan Adalats' were held by Naxal cadres in five LWE affected states, Andhra Pradesh (1), Bihar (6), Chhattisgarh (14), Jharkhand (14) and Odisha (6). Altogether 15 civilians were executed in 2014 following orders of 54 'Jan Adalats' and 20 civilians were killed in 2013 under the directives of 63 'Jan Adalats'

In 2016, till February 15, two 'Jan Adalats' have been held in Chhattisgarh. While nearly one lakh paramilitary personnel continued to be deployed in LWE-affected areas, the 10 Naxal-hit states; Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Telangana, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh, saw 226 deaths in 1,088 incidents of violence perpetrated by Maoists in 2015. In 2015, of the 226 deaths, 168 were civilians and 58 were SF personnel. As many as 89 Maoists were also killed and 1,668 were arrested and 570 cadres surrendered before authorities during the year.

Delhi Police claimed before a court that suspected AQIS operative Maulana Abdul Rehman Kasmi has set up a training base for terror activities "somewhere in Jharkhand forests" and the investigators are ascertaining it. The Special Cell of Delhi Police informed the court that Kasmi, who was arrested on December 17, 2015 in the case for allegedly radicalising youths and propagating the terror agenda of the outfit, had set up a training base which was yet to be located. "There are specific inputs that Maulana Abdul Rehman Kasmi, in cooperation with others, has set up a training base somewhere in Jharkhand forests which is yet to be located. The investigation in this aspect is at an advanced stage and teams are examining several leads to corroborate the inputs," the Police said in its plea seeking extension of period of probe into the case till June 10. The Police also alleged that there were specific inputs that wanted accused Abu Sufiyan, a resident of Jharkhand, had travelled to Pakistan along with arrested accused Mohammad Sami.

A wanted APDPF operative identified as Babu Chand Chakma was arrested by Police at Chongkham in Namsai District. The SFs arrested Chakma, when he was planning to meeting the outfit’s leader Gyan Ratan Chakma, in order to revive the outfit. A pistol was recovered from his possession. Chakma had gone underground in 2014 and was reportedly undergoing training in Bangladesh along with eight other youths, in order to form APDPF. The operatives were escapees of the Chongkham jail in 2013, who were accused in a rape case. The outfit is led by Gyan Ratan, who was instrumental in drafting the outfit’s bye-laws. The outfit’s operatives were trained by one Sukesh, who is an active member of UPDF, an underground outfit based in Bangladesh.

Militants shot at and injured a person identified as Jehangir Ahmad Bhat, at Kareemabad in Pulwama District of South Kashmir. Police said that Jehangir received bullet wound in both his legs and was shifted to hospital for treatment. The militants fled from the spot after firing at him and leaving him in a pool of blood. Police and Army rushed to the area and launched searches for the militants responsible for the attack. However, no one was arrested.

A linkman of KLO was arrested from Simlubari village under Tamulpur Police Station in Baksa District. Acting on intelligence input, a team of Police led by Tamulpur SDPO Ashif Ahmed launched an operation in Simlubari village and arrested one Indrajit Barman (24). Police sources said that a group of KLO militants along with a top leader of the outfit were taking shelter in the house of Barman in Tamulpur area.

Two militants of the ULFA-I surrendered before SFs in Tinsukia District after SFs launched operation against them. A group of UNLFWSEA and some other extremist organizations entered Upper Dihing Reserve Forest in Tinsukia on March 8. Police official said the group was a conglomerate of ULFA-I, PLA, KYKL, and NSCN-K and was led by self-styled 'Lieutenant' Prodip Gogoi alias Akon and their intention was to carry out subversive activity in Tinsukia before or after March 16, which is "ARMY DAY" of ULFA-I. On getting information Police, Army, CRPF and SSB jointly conducted search operation in probable hide outs, as a result of which two ULFA-I militants namely War Asom and Biman Asom deserted the group along with arms/ammunitions and expressed their willingness to join the mainstream. Two PLA cadres and one KYKL cadre are also suspected to have deserted the group.

The ZEO office located at Babupara in Jiribam Sub-Division in Imphal East District was set ablaze by unidentified assailants. The arson was reportedly discovered by the office chowkidar L Mohan Singh after which the fire was doused to avert major tragedy. Portions of the office verandah have suffered damages.

The JAC Against 'Anti-Tribal Bills' has called a 15-hour Bandh of Lamka in Churachandpur District and its vicinity on March 18 to mark the 200th day of the relentless struggle for the tribal cause and the continued fight against alleged subjugation, marginalization and exclusion policies of the State Government towards tribals. Gun salute would be paid to 'tribal martyrs' and a mass prayer programme would be held at Lamka Public Ground on the same day, according to a press release issued by the JAC.

The banned HNLC slammed CM Mukul Sangma for his statement during the budget session of the Assembly in which he had stated that the HNLC is indulging in unlawful activities by calling shutdowns on Republic day and Independence day. "Our leadership is fed up with the same statements repeatedly issued by the government of Meghalaya and the Chief Minister," Sainkupar Nongtraw, publicity secretary of HNLC said in a statement in Shillong. Pointing out that the government wants them to show their sincerity for peace talks, he said, "Yes we agree, but the government should come out clear on the peace initiative within a month from issuing this statement." "If the outcome is positive (Including appointment of interlocutors) then, this year August 15, we shall not boycott Independence Day celebrations, and prove that we are sincere and committed," he said. Admitting to the unlawful activities, he said, "Yes we call for boycott during Independence Day and Republic Day celebrations, but we have not engaged ourselves in killing and kidnapping like it happens in other parts of the state."

President of NSCN-U, Khole Konyak has formally joined NSCN-IM even as NSCN-U ordered his expulsion from the outfit. Khole, who was instrumental in splitting from NSCN-K in June 2011, in a statement issued from Delhi said, "I have realized and taken the right decision to join the only correct National line under the leadership of Chairman Isak Chishi Swu and General Secretary Th Muivah of the National Socialist Council of Nagalim." "...I accept and acknowledge their leadership and completely support the present Indo-Naga talk as the only acceptable foundation for our Nation's survival," he announced. "No one should doubt about it that I am also one of those who are looking for the future of the Nagas and I am fully convinced that NSCN led by Chairman Isak Chishi Swu and General Secretary Th Muivah is the only future- oriented organization of the Nagas," he said.

57 Maoist sympathisers, including 11 militia and two village committee members, surrendered before the Police in Malkangiri District of Odisha. The supporters of Maoists' Kalimela and Padia Dalam units surrendered before the Police with a pledge to join the mainstream, SDPO, Madkar Sandeep Sampad said. Those who surrendered were members of Andhra Odisha Zonal Committee Division of the CPI-Maoist, he said, adding they were all residents of Tangguda village under Chitrangapalli Panchayat. "We welcome the 57 persons. The government will make arrangements for them under the surrender and rehabilitation policy," the SDPO said.

DGP, Kanwar Brajesh Singh reviewed the law and order situation, particularly the Maoist activities in four Districts of Kalahandi, Nuapada, Bolangir and Nabarangpur, and expressed confidence of having put the Maoists on the defensive. There are hardly 15 to 20 per cent of the Maoists in these areas while the rest often infiltrate from across Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand, he said. Singh lauded the efforts of the SFs and also noted that several Maoists had surrendered in recent months.

A CPI-Maoist cadre was killed in an encounter with SFs in a densely forested patch in Sukma District of Chhattisgarh. "A joint team of District Reserve Group (DRG) and Special Task Force (STF) had an encounter with Naxals [Left Wing Extremists, LWEs] in the forest near Misiguda and Bendre villages coming under Jagargunda police station limits," Sukma ASP Santosh Singh said. According to the Police, a team of SF while patrolling through Misiguda-Bendre forests spotted a group of Maoists following which an encounter broke out between both the sides. The intermittent firing lasted for several hours following which the insurgents fled from the spot, he said. Later during searching, body of a Maoist clad in 'uniform' besides two country made weapons, ammunition, bags, medicines and Naxal literature was recovered from the spot, Singh said.

Nadim Mistry, once associated with Dawood Ibrahim gang was arrested by Crime Branch detectives from Vadodra in Gujarat. Nadim Mistry had allegedly helped slain gangster Mangesh Pawar, and Pilu Khan, also a member of Dawood gang, in murdering a person named Hajji in suburban Bandra (Mumbai) in 1990, Police said.

Expressing concern over the sharp rise in cybercrime in the country, UHM Rajnath Singh alleged that cyberspace was being used to radicalise the young minds. "Cybercrime is the biggest challenge these days with development and access to technology across the globe. Cyberspace is increasingly being used to radicalise young minds," Singh said. Voicing his concern at the exponential growth of cybercrime, Singh added,'' now-a-days, cybercrime is showing exponential growth in its number, which is a matter of serious concern.

Odisha DGP Kanwar Brajesh Singh reviewed the law and order situation, particularly the Maoist activities in four Districts of Kalahandi, Nuapada, Bolangir and Nabarangpur, and expressed confidence of having put the Maoists on the defensive. There are hardly 15 to 20 per cent of the LWE here (in Odisha) while the rest often infiltrate from across Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand, he said. Out of 13 blocks of Kalahandi Maoist movement is reported from 10 blocks. However, it is more acute in tribal pockets of Thuamul Rampur and Lanjigarh blocks, he added.

Hit by intensive combat operations and encounters by the SF personnel, Naxalites are trying to rebuild their base, says an input sent by the UMHA to the Principal Secretaries (Home) of all the States affected by LWEs. "The MHA input was based on the interrogation of Gajrala Ashok alias Prasad by Chhattisgarh Police. Prasad was former member of Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee and in-charge of western regional unified command of CPI (Maoist). Gajrala revealed that the renegade groups have been preventing the Maoists from expanding their base in Bihar and Jharkhand despite major losses in recent encounters," a Police official said. The input maintained that the CPI-Maoist is trying to improve its cadre skills in using arms, develop secondary leadership, induct more women and mass work in villages.

The Police source said after the recent casualty and arrests in Aurangabad, Jamui, Gaya, Jehanabad, Saran and other Districts, the Maoists have been on the defensive. "The outfit is now keen on protecting its senior leaders/central committee members. It has decided to keep only its state, regional and special committee members informed about its cadres' movement. It has also decided to set up camps away from water body in the forests while holding Jan Militia and arms training," said the source quoting the MHA input. The Maoists have decided not to get involved in small or medium encounters with the security forces as they are short of ammunition. Only if there is no way out then Maoists will get engaged in encounters. According to Police, the Naxalites have been holding meetings in deep forest areas since the announcement of 10-phase panchayat election in Bihar. IGP-Operations Sushil M Khopde said "Due to surrender by its cadres with arms and casualty in encounters, they are trying to influence the villagers and panchayat polls will be an opportunity for them. But we are also taking necessary actions to prevent any violence by the Maoists during the panchayat polls." According to Police, the Naxalites have been holding meetings in deep forest areas since the announcement of 10-phase panchayat election in Bihar.

Bomb making literature of al Qaeda is emerging as favourite guidebook for SIMI and IM operatives in India. Ongoing interrogation of the four suspected SIMI operatives arrested on February 17, 2016 from Rourkela city area in Sundergarh District of Odisha revealed that they and other lone wolf attackers had learnt from al-Qaeda literature how to make bombs and trigger blasts in the country. The four SIMI men who had escaped from Tantya Bheel Jail in Khandwa District of Madhya Pradesh on October 1, 2013 have revealed during questioning by intelligence agencies and MP ATS, that they had learnt how to make low intensity pressure bombs out of al-Qaeda’s bomb making literature.

It was revealed that the pipe borne explosives were subsequently triggered with the help of timer device in May 2014 in the Bengaluru-Guwahati Express train at Chennai railway station. Similar explosive was used to trigger blast in the Faraskhana Police Station premises at Pune in July 2014, central intelligence and MP ATS sources stated on March 14.

A similar explosive blasted while being prepared by the SIMI men at their hideout in Uttar Pradesh’s Bijnor, resulting in severe burn injuries to one of them, Sheikh Mehboob alias Guddu in September 2014. The four SIMI operatives, including Sheikh Mehboob alias Guddu, Zaqir, Amjad and Mohammad Saliq, who were arrested from their hideout in Odisha’s Rourkela District on February 17 are presently being grilled by MP ATS and central intelligence agencies.

The trail of FICN has been traced to Telangana and investigators say that it had first landed in Malda District of West Bengal from Bangladesh. The incident on hand has been reported from the Karimnagar District of Telangana. A car laden with FICN worth INR 2,30,000 had been seized and the Police also took into custody four persons. It was found that these persons had visited Malda and sourced the FICN. Investigations also showed that two persons had brought down one consignment by train while the other by bus. A majority of FICNs are pushed directly into Bangladesh from Pakistan from where it is sent to India. Malda has been the landing point due to the proximity to the Bangladesh border.

People in Reknar village in Etapalli taluka were at the receiving end of Police wrath when a Crack-60 team of Hedri Police post in Gadchiroli District of Maharashtra thrashed them in retaliation of killing of Constable Deepak Sedmake two days earlier (March 11) by the CPI-Maoist. A minor, force fed with chilli powder that had also been inserted in his anus, was among several to be tortured on the suspicion of having helped the Maoists team that killed Sedmake. Dasrath Usendi, a local farmer, said four villagers bore the brunt of Police atrocity while others were slapped and kicked. "After having vented their wrath, Police also whisked away four people to their post but released them in the evening," he said. "A day later, villagers lodged protest before Tehsildar and sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) but nothing happened," he said. Earlier, sources from Hedri said Police had rounded up several traders from the weekly market where the Constable was killed. The traders were also thrashed at the camp. According to a source, two traders sustained fractures due to beating. A local source in Etapalli said the injury reports of the traders were later fudged under Police pressure too to show they had suffered a fall from tree. Inspector General of Police, Nagpur and Naxal range, Ravindra Kadam condemned the thrashing stating such incidents only pushed back the initiatives several years behind. "We have already called for explanation from the post in-charge and commander of the force at Hedri holding them responsible for the high-handedness. Actions would follow after the explanations are received," said Kadam.