HM Amit Shah’s 2026 deadline in sight as Sukma panchayat declared Maoist-free

Posted on by Vividh Bharathi

Raipur, April 18 (IANS) In a major move towards Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s mission to make India free of Maoist insurgency by March 2026, Badesetti Panchayat in Sukma district has officially been declared the first Maoist-free Panchayat in Chhattisgarh. The development followed the surrender by 22 Maoists, including 11 from Badesetti alone, before the security forces on Friday.

This signalled a breakthrough in the government’s counter-insurgency and rehabilitation strategy. The mass surrender not only reflects a weakening of Maoist influence but also reaffirms HM Shah’s ambitious deadline as increasingly within reach.

Also, in Bijapur on Friday, security forces captured a Maoists’ camp in an operation.

The Badesetti Panchayat, according to the new policy, will get Rs 1 crore as reward for development work.

With a collective bounty of Rs 8.5 lakh on their heads, their surrender has led to Badesetti Panchayat will also get other assistances from the government in employment generation.

“A total of 22 Maoists, including 11 with a reward of Rs 40 lakh, have surrendered before the security forces in Sukma district. It is a matter of satisfaction that the Maoists now want to join the mainstream of society. Every possible effort will be made as per rules for the rehabilitation of surrendered Naxalites. As per the resolution of Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah ji, complete eradication of red terror from the country and state is certain by March 2026,” Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai wrote on his X handle.

This surrender is part of a broader wave of Maoists laying down arms under the government’s rehabilitation policy.

A total of 22 Maoists in Sukma district have abandoned violence. Among them is a couple, further highlighting the personal and societal impact of the initiative.

This move aims to foster growth and stability in the region, ensuring that the Panchayat remains free from the Maoists’ influence.

The surrendered Maoists were previously active in the Maad and Nuapada Divisions.

Rewards of Rs 2 lakh each were declared for three male and one female Maoist, while another carried a bounty of Rs 50,000, an official said.

Their decision to leave violence behind is seen as a major success for the ongoing efforts to curb Maoist activities.

Meanwhile, security forces achieved another breakthrough in Bijapur district, where they dismantled a Maoist camp during an encounter.

The operation, part of the ‘Maad Bachao Abhiyan’ led by Narayanpur Police, resulted in the recovery of explosives, Rs 6 lakh in cash, and 11 laptops.

The encounter in the Kasod-Kumuradi forest of Kohkameta area forced senior Maoist cadres to flee, leaving behind essential supplies. Reports suggest significant casualties and injuries among the Maoist ranks.

–IANS

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Two held in Gurugram for forcing Sub-Inspector’s son to commit suicide

Gurugram, Jan 24 (IANS) The Gurugram police have arrested two accused persons for allegedly forcing a Sub-Inspector’s son to commit suicide here, police said.

The accused have been identified as Rajkumar, the deceased’s father-in-law, and Rohit, brother-in-law, both residents of Hisar, who were arrested from Gurugram on Thursday.

According to the police, 35-year-old Navdeep Singh, the son of a Sub-Inspector, was found dead under mysterious circumstances in the Ashok Vihar Phase-2 area in Gurugram on Tuesday.

Navdeep’s father, Krishna Kumar, is posted at the Barwala police station.

Navdeep resided in his house in the area and his body was recovered inside his room around 9 p.m. on Tuesday, police said.

During police questioning, it was found that the accused had come to Navdeep’s house in Ashok Vihar on Tuesday.

“The accused assaulted the victim at his house and after a scuffle with him, they locked him in the room and left the spot. Later, Navdeep committed suicide by hanging himself with a bedsheet,” Sandeep Kumar, Gurugram police spokesperson, said.

Meanwhile, the police said on Tuesday that they received information regarding the murder of a man by his in-laws in Ashok Vihar Phase-II, Gurugram.

Upon receiving information, the police team reached the spot and found Navdeep’s body and a bedsheet tied around his neck.

Blood was coming out of Navdeep’s mouth and nose, and there were injury marks on both hands.

The police team immediately called the crime scene, forensic science laboratory, and fingerprint teams to the spot and got the spot inspected.

The father of the deceased told the police that his son Navdeep built his own house at house number E-22 Ashok Vihar Phase-II, Gurugram, and lived with his wife Seema and daughter.

He worked in a private company in Gurugram.

Navdeep was married to Seema in 2015 but had a dispute with each other, due to which Seema used to call her parents and brothers and family members who would come and quarrel with Navdeep and take Seema with them, the victim’s father told the police.

The matter came to the fore when Navdeep’s family contacted him, but he did not receive the phone calls.

As Navdeep’s family calls went unanswered, they dialled his cousin’s brother to check on him.

When the victim’s cousin went to his place, he found Navdeep’s body and a bedsheet tied around his neck.

The police were alerted and a case of murder was registered at Gurugram’s Sector-5 police station.

The police team took further action in the above case as per rules and got the post-mortem of the deceased done through the medical board, and on confirmation of forcing the deceased to commit suicide in the case, Section 108 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita was added to the case and sections of murder were removed, police added.

–IANS

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Met dept issues red alert for heatwave in Rajasthan, rain likely on April 11

Jaipur, April 8 (IANS) The heatwave sweeping across Rajasthan has intensified with both daytime and nighttime temperatures soaring to alarming levels. In a rare phenomenon, nights are becoming unusually warm. Phalodi recorded a minimum temperature of 28.8 degree Celsius, while Jodhpur and Udaipur saw night temperatures stay above 26°C.

For the second consecutive day, maximum temperatures in Jaisalmer and Barmer remained at 45.6°C.

According to IMD Jaipur Director R.S. Sharma, “There is a strong possibility of heatwave conditions and unusually warm nights affecting Bikaner, Jodhpur, Udaipur, Kota, and most areas of the Jaipur division between April 7 and April 9. Severe heatwave conditions are likely in parts of the Jodhpur, Bikaner, and Kota divisions.”

However, relief may be on the horizon. “A new western disturbance is expected to become active around April 10–11, which could bring cloud cover, thunderstorms, and light rainfall to parts of western and northern Rajasthan,” Sharma said. This may lead to a 2–3 degree C drop in temperature.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert for Barmer district on Tuesday, along with an orange alert for six districts and a yellow alert for twelve others. The current spell of extreme heat is expected to persist until April 9.

In the last 24 hours, Barmer was the hottest at 45.6 degree Celsius, followed by Jaisalmer (45.4 degree C), Chittorgarh (44.4 degree C), Bikaner (44.3 degree C), Kota (44.1 degree C), Phalodi (43.4 degree C), Sri Ganganagar, Jodhpur, and Churu (43.3 degree C each), Bhilwara (43 degree C), Udaipur (41.9 degree C), Ajmer (42.1 degree C), Dungarpur (42.3 degree C), Jaipur (41.8 degree C), Alwar and Sikar (41.5 degree C each), and Nagaur and Baran (41.4 degree C each).

The IMD’s Jaipur Centre has also issued a ‘warm night’ alert for cities including Phalodi, Jodhpur, Barmer, Bikaner, Udaipur, and Ajmer, where minimum temperatures are not dipping below 25 degree Celsius.

On Monday, Phalodi recorded a minimum of 28.6 degree C, further indicating the unusual nighttime heat.

–IANS

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Maha PWD seeks release of Rs 10,000 cr to pay striking contractors

Mumbai, Feb 12 (IANS) The state public works department (PWD) has appealed to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Minister and Finance Minister Ajit Pawar to soon release Rs 10,000 crore to clear the payment of the striking contractors.

The state PWD Minister Shivendraraje Bhosale said he has talked to the Chief Minister and the Deputy Chief Minister and both are positive regarding the demands raised by contractors.

“The department is positive about our demand of Rs 10,000 crore to be released at the earliest. It will help pay dues of the contractors,” said state’s PWD minister Shivendraraje Bhosle.

Contractors from Maharashtra have gone on strike since February 5, stopping all ongoing infrastructure works alleging that payments worth Rs 89,000 crore from different departments have allegedly not been paid since July 2024.

Among the alleged Rs 89,000 crore dues of the contractors include Rs 46,000 crore from the state’s Public Works Department (PWD), Rs 18,000 crore from the Jal Jeevan Mission under Water Supply and Sanitation Department, Rs 8600 crore from the Rural development department, Rs 19,700 crore from the Irrigation department and Rs 1700 crore from the works done under DPDC, MLA fund and MP fund.

Bhosale accepted that there are certain issues regarding the payment to contractors.

“However, the dues are not from one year only. Some dues are from the previous years as well,” he said, adding that a major chunk of payments is for road and bridge works.

“These are district-level works where small contractors are suffering. We understand their problems and we are working towards solving those,” said the minister.

He pointed out that a total of around Rs 18,000 crore is needed in the current fiscal.

To a question on a large number of work orders issued in the poll year, the minister defended the move saying that the issue of clearing pending bills to the contractors will be sorted out soon.

–IANS

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