29 Maoists killed in encounter with security personnel in Chhattisgarh; 3 jawans hurt
Kanker, Apr 16: At least 29 Maoists were killed in an encounter with security personnel in Chhattisgarh's Kanker district on Tuesday, police officials said.
Three security personnel suffered injuries in the fierce gun-battle and a large quantity of weapons was also recovered from the spot, they said.
The gunfight took place at around 2 pm in Hapatola forest between Binagunda and Koronar villages under Chhotebethiya police station limits, when a joint team of the Border Security Force (BSF) and the state police's District Reserve Guard (DRG) was out on an anti-Naxal operation, Inspector General of Police (Bastar Range) Sundarraj P said.
The operation was launched based on inputs about the presence of senior cadres of north Bastar division of the outlawed CPI (Maoist) Shankar, Lalita, Raju and others, he said.
During patrolling in the area, a fierce gun-battle broke out between the two sides, the senior IPS officer said.
"Bodies of 29 Maoists along with a huge cache of weapons, including AK-47, SLR, Insas and .303 rifles, were recovered from the spot," the IG said.
Polling in the Naxalite-hit Bastar Lok Sabha seat will take place on April 19 in the first phase, while the Kanker constituency, part of the Bastar region, will vote in the second round of general elections on April 26.
The search operation was still underway in the area amid intermittent firing between security personnel and Naxalites, said Sundarraj.
"Three security personnel sustained injuries in the gunfight and their condition was stated to be out of danger," he said, adding they were referred to hospital for treatment.
After the latest encounter, 79 Naxalites have been killed in separate gun-battles with security forces in the Bastar region, comprising seven districts, including Kanker, so far this year.
On April 2, as many as 13 Naxalites were killed in an encounter with security forces in Bijapur district.
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BJP responsible for escape of Deve Gowda kin Prajwal Revanna accused of sexual harassment: Congress
Bhubaneswar, Apr 29: The Congress on Monday alleged that the BJP was responsible for the "escape" of former prime minister H D Deve Gowda's grandson Prajwal Revanna against whom a "sexual harassment" case has been registered.
Revanna is the BJP-JD(S) alliance candidate from the Hassan Lok Sabha constituency in Karnataka, where voting was held in the second phase of elections on April 26.
Senior Congress leader Ajoy Kumar claimed, "Revanna left India shortly after several sex scandal videos recorded by him surfaced".
“He has recorded obscene videos. Such an accused has been allowed to leave the country freely. The BJP is responsible for it. The prime minister is also responsible for the escape of Revanna,” the Congress leader in charge of Odisha alleged.
He mocked the BJP, stating that "it should be called 'Balatkari Janata Party' as the saffron camp was supporting a rapist".
The JD(S) has decided to suspend Revanna over sexual abuse allegations, party chief H D Kumaraswamy said on Monday as the Congress and others tore into the BJP over the issue and its alliance with the southern party.
Police on Sunday booked Prajwal and his father -- JD(S) MLA and former minister H D Revanna -- for sexual harassment and criminal intimidation based on a complaint from a woman, who worked in their household.
As per official data, crimes against women have increased by 50 per cent during the NDA regime, Kumar claimed, adding that the number of such cases has "risen from 3 lakh to 4.45 lakh".
“For the first time, the country has been witnessing a prime minister, who is looking at all crimes from the party angle. The PM has a soft corner towards BJP leaders, irrespective of the accusation of heinous crimes against them,” the Congress leader claimed.
Odisha is in "fourth place in terms of crimes against women and the state is moving fast to be at the top position", said another Congress leader Bobbeeta Sharma, who was present at the press conference.
She alleged that "BJD leaders and MLAs, who are allegedly involved in atrocities on women are roaming freely because no action has been taken against them at the behest of the state government".
“Time has come to change the governments at the Centre and in Odisha," she added.
