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Raipur, June 7 (IANS) Five Maoists were killed in two encounters with security forces in an ongoing operation in the Indravati National Park area of Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district, police officials said on Saturday.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah has hailed the success and expressed his wish to meet the brave soldiers who are engaged in anti-Maoist mission.

With the latest casualties, seven Maoists, including top leaders Sudhakar and Bhaskar, were neutralised in the operation in the last three days, they said.

“Security forces have recovered the bodies of seven Maoists during the ongoing anti-Naxal operations in the Indravati National Park area of the district,” a police officer said.

Security forces have intensified their anti-Maoist operations in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district, leading to the elimination of seven Maoist cadres over the past three days.

Among those killed are Central Committee Member Gautam, also known as Sudhakar, and Telangana State Committee Member Bhaskar.

The encounters, which unfolded between June 5 and June 7, resulted in multiple casualties among insurgents.

The first confrontation on June 5 led to the death of Sudhakar, a senior Maoist leader who had established Maoist education centres in the Dandakaranya region.

His body was recovered following an intense exchange of fire.

The following day, security forces neutralised Bhaskar, a commander associated with the Telangana State Committee.

His elimination marked another significant blow to the insurgent network.

As operations continued into the intervening night of June 6 and 7, three more Maoist’s bodies were found, including two women and one man.

Later, on June 7 (Saturday), two additional male Maoist cadres were killed in another encounter.

The identities of these five insurgents remain unknown, and efforts are underway to confirm their details.

Security personnel recovered a substantial cache of arms and ammunition from the encounter sites, including two AK-47 rifles and various Maoist documents.

The operation has been physically demanding, with several soldiers sustaining injuries due to snake bites, honeybee stings, dehydration, and other operational hazards.

Medical teams have ensured their treatment, and all injured personnel are reported to be in stable condition.

Search and area domination efforts continue in the dense forest terrain to track any remaining Maoist operatives and secure the region.

Officials have stated that a comprehensive report on the recovered weapons and materials will be released once all field inputs have been consolidated.

The ongoing crackdown against Maoist insurgents in Bijapur underscores the government’s commitment to dismantling their presence and restoring stability to the region.

Chhattisgarh Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma acknowledged the success of the operation, confirming that the bodies of seven insurgents, including top leaders Sudhakar and Bhaskar, have been recovered.

–IANS

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Chamarajanagar, July 2 (IANS) Close on the heels of the shocking incident involving the poisoning of five tigers, authorities have recovered the carcasses of 20 monkeys in Chamarajanagar district of Karnataka on Wednesday.

Forest and police officials suspect that the monkeys were poisoned. They further stated that the accused had killed the monkeys by poisoning them at one location and dumping the bodies at another spot.

The carcasses of monkeys were recovered within the Gundlupet police station limits, along the Kandegala-Kodasoge road.

More details about the incident are yet to emerge.

Earlier, the carcasses of the tigress and the cubs were discovered in the Meenyam forest area, within the Hoogyam range of the sanctuary, last week. The authorities had cracked the case and arrested three persons in connection with the incident.

The arrested individuals have been identified as Konappa, Madaraju and Nagaraju, all residents of Koppa village.

The probe revealed that the tigress had killed the cow owned by one of the accused and dragged it into the forest. She and four of her cubs had partially consumed the meat. Later, the tigress and her cubs returned to the remains of the cow, which had been poisoned by the accused.

The accused had confessed to shocking details about the poisoning of the big cats.

The arrested individuals, Madaraju, Nagaraj, and Konappa, have been remanded to three days of custody with forest officials, as ordered by Judge M. Kavyashree.

Following backlash for not initiating action against senior officials of the Forest Department in connection with the sensational case involving the death of a tigress and her four cubs in the Male Mahadeshwara Hills forest region, the Karnataka government had sent three senior officials on compulsory leave.

The order noted that the five tigers were found dead just 100 metres from the road. Despite the carcasses lying there for several days, the officers remained unaware. The location was merely 800 metres from the anti-poaching camp.

It was also mentioned that the staffers at the anti-poaching camp had not been paid for the past three months.

–IANS

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New Delhi, March 2 (IANS) A Hindutva outfit, based in Uttar Pradesh’s Vrindavan, has urged Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to impose restrictions on participation of the Muslims during the Holi celebrations, saying that they must be kept away from the festival.

The outfit — Dharam Raksha Sangh — said that Holi is a festival of love and harmony for the Sanatan community and also opposed involvement of Muslims in selling colours or entering the festivities.

“The recent incidents in Bareilly showed people belonging to the Muslim community threatening the Hindus. We have decided to prohibit the entry of Muslims in Holi celebrations at major pilgrimage sites like Mathura, Vrindavan, Nandgaon, Barsana, Gokul and Dauji,” said Dharam Raksha Sangh’s national president Saurabh Gaur.

“We still perceive a threat from their intentions. They could cause disturbances,” Gaur alleged.

Dharam Raksha Sangh’s National Coordinator Acharya Badrish termed Muslims as “separatists and jihadists”.

“The UP government must enforce a ban similar to restrictions placed on Muslim participation in Garba festivities in Gujarat, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. Since they object to colours and ‘gulal, they have no place in our Holi celebrations. They should be kept away and the government must ensure it,” said. Acharya Badrish.

Meanwhile, a petitioner in the Sri Krishna Janmabhoomi-Shahi Idgah dispute, Dinesh Sharma, also wrote a letter to the Chief Minister with his blood and demanded a ban on the entry of Muslims into Braj’s Holi celebrations.

He alleged that Muslims could “spit” on sweets during the festivities. However, Shahi Idgah Intazamia Committee secretary Tanveer Ahmed, who is the legal representative of the Muslim side in the temple-mosque dispute, said that Holi has always been celebrated with peace.

“Holi in Braj has always been celebrated with love and peace. There has never been any complaint from any community. Even great Krishna devotees like Ras Khan and Taj Bibi, who were Muslims, are revered,” he said.

He said that Muslims provided shelter and food to the Hindu pilgrims during the recently concluded Maha Kumbh.

–IANS

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