Myanmar currency, tobacco products, foreign cigarettes seized in Mizoram; Myanmar national held

Visakhapatnam, Nov 18 (IANS) Top Maoist commander Madvi Hidma is among six Maoists killed in exchange of fire with security forces in Andhra Pradesh’s Alluri Sitharamaraju district in the Andhra-Odisha border area on Tuesday.

The encounter took place in the Maredumilli forest area when the police from Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha and personnel of the central paramilitary forces were engaged in a combing operation after receiving information about the presence of Maoists.

Top Maoist commander and CPI (Maoist) Central Committee member Madvi Hidma is reported to be among the Maoists killed in the encounter.

His killing is seen as a major victory of the security forces in the anti-Maoist operations.

The security forces are yet to confirm the death of Hidma, who was behind 26 armed attacks on police and paramilitary forces.

According to police sources, the exchange of fire took place when security forces surrounded a group of Maoists and ordered them to surrender. The Maoists allegedly opened fire, forcing the security personnel to retaliate.

The security forces were continuing the combing for some Maoists suspected to have escaped deep into the forests.

The encounter took place near the tri-junction point of Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Chhattisgarh.

Hidma was considered the most wanted Maoist commander in India. The 43-year-old is chief of battalion number one of the People’s Liberation Guerilla Army (PLGA) battalion, which is said to be the most lethal Maoist strike unit.

Hidma, who carries a reward of Rs 50 lakh, was the only tribal from the Bastar region of Chhattisgarh in the CPI(Maoist) Central Committee.

He was said to be the mastermind behind the massacre of 76 members of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in Dantewada in 2010. This was the deadliest attack by Maoists on security forces in India.

He was also suspected of being involved in the killings of 27 people, including top Congress leaders at Jhiram Ghati in Chhattisgarh in 2013.

Hidma is also considered the mastermind behind the killing of 22 personnel of the central paramilitary forces in Chhattisgarh’s Sukma in 2021.

The top Maoist commander’s killing comes close on the heels of a series of successes by the security forces in Chhattisgarh.

Tuesday’s encounter also came as a major blow to the banned CPI (Maoist) to regroup in the Andhra-Odisha border area, which was once considered a hotbed of Maoist activities.

–IANS

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Amaravati, Dec 31 (IANS) A man, who allegedly vandalised the century-old Shiva Lingam at the historic Draksharamam Bhimeswara Temple in Andhra Pradesh’s Ambedkar Konaseema district has been arrested, police said on Wednesday.

The Shiva Lingam near the Kapileswar Ghat, close to the North Gopuram of the temple, was found vandalised in the early hours of Tuesday.

Bhimeswara Temple, also known as Draksharamam, is one of the most revered shrines in the state.

The accused, who was caught on the CCTV camera near the Kapileswar Ghat around the time of the vandalism, was identified as Srilam Srinivas.

According to police, Srinivas resorted to vandalism following a dispute with the temple priest over the conduct of some rituals.

Endowments Minister Anam Ramnarayan Reddy said he has ordered an investigation into the incident. The minister said the accused was identified with the help of CCTV camera footage.

The accused, who came on a bike, was masked and was seen moving with a bag. He used a hammer-like object to vandalise the Shiva Lingam.

The minister said the accused had a rift with a person in the temple administration, but he vented his anger by resorting to the desecration of the ‘Lingam’ located at the Sapta Godavari canal bank.

The incident, which occurred on Vaikunta Ekadasi, had initially triggered widespread protests.

A new ‘Shiva Lingam’ was ceremoniously reinstalled shortly after the incident to pacify devotees and restore the sanctity of the ghat.

District SP Rahul Meena, who has rushed to the area, inspected the damaged Shiva Lingam. Clues team, dog squad and forensic experts were pressed into service to gather the clues.

As there were no CCTV cameras around the temple, police retrieved the footage from cameras in nearby areas and identified the suspect.

Following a swift manhunt by four special police teams, the suspect was taken into custody.

The accused’s interrogation revealed a personal motive rather than an organised communal act, the police said.

He was identified as Srinivas, a resident of Thotapeta village in Draksharamam.

Following the incident, authorities installed high-definition CCTV cameras and deployed police personnel at the temple.

Earlier, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu spoke to the Endowments Minister and directed him to ensure the immediate arrest of those involved.

The Chief Minister directed officials to enhance the security of temples across the state to prevent similar incidents.

–IANS

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Bengaluru, Oct 9 (IANS) A division bench of the Karnataka High Court, on Thursday, heard the appeal petition filed by Prajwal Revanna, the former JD-S MP and grandson of former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda, and directed his counsel to submit a summary of the sex CD and rape case.

Revanna, a convict in the sex CD and rape case, has filed an appeal challenging the life sentence by the trial court on September 29.

In his petition, Revanna has claimed that the police has forced the victim to file a complaint against him.

Revenna is facing conviction of life imprisonment for offences of repeatedly raping the maid and recording videos of the sexual assault.

The appeal was filed through counsel Basavaraj Sappannanavar.

The division bench led by Justice K.S. Mudgal and Justice T. Venkatesh Naik has also asked the Karnataka government to provide clarity on the matter of appointment of the Special Public Prosecutor (SPP) in the case.

The bench had adjourned the matter to October 28.

Revanna has said in his petition that there are contradictions between the complaint by the victim and testimony and questioned the decision to consider stains found on bed as evidence years after the incident.

The former JD-S MP has sought quashing of the trial court’s order and said that the charges made against him are of full of inconsistencies and procedural lapses.

The Special MPs/MLAs court in Bengaluru sentenced Prajwal Revanna to life imprisonment till death in the rape case.

The case involved an obscene video and the rape of a 47-year-old woman.

Announcing the punishment in the case, the special court Judge Santhosh Gajanan Bhat also imposed a fine of Rs 10 lakh on the convict on August 1.

Revanna was convicted for repeated rape and abusing his position of power.

The court also ordered a fine of Rs 7 lakh to be paid to the victim.

Revanna is also facing three additional cases of a similar nature.

The case pertains to the sexual assault of a woman, who worked as a maid at the guest house owned by the Revanna family.

In her testament, the victim had said before the court that she was raped twice.

Prajwal Revanna has been in prison since May 31 last year when he was arrested on his return from Germany where he had fled after the videos of his sexual assaults became viral ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha election in Hassan.

Judge Santosh Gajanana Bhat announced the judgment in the case.

The court has convicted Revanna of life imprisonment till death under IPC Section 376 (2) (N) for repeated rape and a Rs 5 lakh fine.

The court has awarded life imprisonment and Rs 5 lakh fine under the IPC Section 376 (2) (k) for being in a position of control or dominance over a woman, and committing rape on such woman.

The court has directed that the Rs 7 lakh fine amount be collected from Prajwal Revanna for the victim.

Revanna stood before the court by joining both his hands when the quantum of punishment was pronounced.

Revanna is convicted under the IPC Sections 376 (2) (N) for offence of committing rape repeatedly on the same woman and being a public servant committing rape on a woman in custody, 376 (2) (K) for being in a position of control or dominance over a woman and committing rape of a woman, 354 (B) for use of criminal force to a woman with the intent to disrobe her, 354 (C) for offence of voyeurism, watching, capturing images of woman and IT Act 66 (E) for violation of privacy.

–IANS

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