50 Maoists arrested in major crackdown in Andhra
Amaravati (PTI): Fifty CPI (Maoist) cadres were arrested across five districts in Andhra Pradesh in a coordinated, intelligence-led operations, poliec said on Wednesday.
Out of the 50 arrested, 45 were produced before the respective local court and remanded to judicial custody for 14 days.
The crackdown comes a day after the encounter in Alluri Seetharam Raju district on November 18, in which top naxal commander M Hidma and five others were killed.
"Following Hidma's killing, we launched a coordinated intelligence-driven operations across five districts and apprehended 50 CPI (Maoist) cadres," said ADGP Intelligence Mahesh Chandra Laddha, addressing a press conference in Vijayawada.
Those arrested include special zonal committee members, divisional committee members, area committee members and regular cadres operating in the south Bastar–Dandakaranya region.
According to Laddha, this is one of the most extensive anti-Maoist operations in recent years
The operation covered Krishna, Eluru, NTR, Kakinada and Konaseema districts, including Vijayawada.
Personnel from the State Intelligence Department, Special Investigation Branch (SIB), district police units and the Vijayawada Commissionerate took part in it following inputs on the Maoists movement.
Many cadres fled from Sukma, Bijapur, Narayanpur and West Bastar districts in Chhattisgarh due to sustained security pressure and they were arrested in Andhra Pradesh, police said.
During searches, police recovered 39 weapons, 302 rounds of ammunition, detonators, cordtex wire, communication devices and Rs 13 lakh in cash.
The ADGP noted that three special zonal committee members and several divisional committee members were among the arrested cadres, marking a significant leadership setback for the Maoist network.
"The entire operation was executed with silent precision, ensuring no cadre escaped and no civilian was harmed," SIB chief PHD Ramakrishna told PTI.
Meanwhile, Eluru district Superintendent of Police (SP) K Prathap Siva Kishore said that 15 Maoists who were arrested included a tech expert from Special Zonal Committee Member who is proficient in arms manufacturing and assembly and is considered a key asset to the Maoist ranks.
He said that the remaining members belong to various area committees.
"The arrested Maoists held responsibilities across specific constituencies and were operating under multiple organisational layers within the outfit," Kishore told PTI.
According to police, investigators are now trying to determine how all 15 cadres came together at the same location in Eluru district.
Their ages, identities and other key details are being verified, a process officials describe as a challenging process given the group's background.
"Indeed, the 28 CPI (Maoist) members taken into custody in Krishna district have been remanded by the court and are now being moved to the Rajamahendravaram central jail," Krishna district SP Vidya Sagar Naidu told PTI.
Kakinada district SP G Bindu Madhav said two Maoists arrested here were sent to remand, with Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and Arms Act charges invoked.
"We seized two weapons from their possession and confirmed both individuals functioned as Area Committee Members (ACM)," Madhav told PTI.
Konaseema district SP Rahul Meena said the individual (Maoist) arrested here was remanded to 14-day judicial custody and booked under the UAPA, Arms Act and the Andhra Pradesh Public Safety Act.
"The arrested person have been sent to judicial custody for 14 days and charged under multiple sections, including UAPA and Public Safety provisions," Meena told PTI.
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Delhi CM Rekha Gupta accuses Mamata Banerjee of stalling SIR; TMC hits back
Kolkata (PTI): Alleging that her West Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee had approached the Supreme Court to stall the SIR exercise to prevent the identification of infiltrators, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Sunday claimed that the people of the state have made up their minds to dislodge the Trinamool Congress from power.
The TMC countered strongly, urging Gupta to "look into her own backyard" and accused her of making absurd allegations against the TMC government without checking facts.
Addressing participants at the 'Nari Sankalp Yatra' organised by the BJP's women's wing at Science City auditorium here, Gupta alleged that the "hands-off" and appeasement policies of the TMC government had allowed thousands of infiltrators to enter the state in recent years.
She claimed that this had put a strain on basic rights such as access to water, electricity, ration, education, livelihood and the right to vote for genuine citizens.
"She wants to perpetuate this and hence is trying to stall the SIR exercise, which aims at identifying and deporting infiltrators. Imagine a chief minister going to the apex court to argue against an exercise meant to ensure free and fair polls," Gupta said.
The BJP leader alleged that appeasement politics had reached an "alarming level" under the TMC regime.
Raising concerns over women's safety, she claimed that women in the state were not secure despite having a woman chief minister.
Referring to the rape-murder of a woman doctor at RG Kar Hospital, Gupta alleged that the state government had failed to respond adequately to such crimes.
She also referred to the alleged rape of a woman medic in Durgapur and another law student on a Kolkata college campus, claiming that criminals had been emboldened to commit brutalities against women.
She alleged that in crimes against women, overall crime incidents and child marriages, West Bengal remained among the top -- "a slur on a state which once led intellectual and social movements and set examples for the rest of the country," she said.
Criticising the state government's welfare initiatives, she said schemes such as Kanyashree were built on "false claims" and asserted that women needed security rather than assurances.
Accusing the state government of blocking central schemes, Gupta alleged that funds worth "lakhs of crores of rupees" had not reached the poor due to non-implementation of programmes such as Ayushman Bharat, PM Awas Yojana and Jal Jeevan Mission by the state.
"You are only interested in renaming projects and taking credit," she said.
Gupta also alleged that the education sector in the state had been adversely affected, saying several state-run schools had closed due to a shortage of teachers and that the government was opposed to the National Education Policy.
Drawing a comparison with BJP-ruled Delhi, Gupta said, "People have already voted out 'Bhaia' (a reference to former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal). Now it is your turn to bid farewell to 'Didi'." Calling upon women to resist what she termed "strong-arm tactics", she urged them to assert their strength, invoking the imagery of Goddess Durga.
"Bengal has the right to live with dignity, and women have the right to live with dignity," she added.
Reacting to Gupta's allegations, West Bengal Women and Child Welfare minister Shashi Panja accused her of making "absurd allegations" against the Trinamool Congress government ahead of elections.
Panja alleged that during Gupta's tenure in Delhi, several incidents had raised serious concerns, including reports of missing young women and a blast near the Red Fort.
She also criticised the air pollution situation in the national capital, claiming that people were struggling to breathe.
The TMC leader said that despite being in power for a year, Gupta was making "tall claims" instead of addressing key issues in Delhi.
Panja further alleged that the Delhi CM visited West Bengal during elections to "peddle false allegations" against the state government.
Rebutting Gupta, the TMC said in a post on X said, "Madam why did you go off-script again? For your edification, here are the cold, hard facts: In total cases of crimes (IPC + SLL), Bengal ranks a respectable 15th, far safer than BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Gujarat, which languish near the bottom."
"In overall crime rate, Bengal sits comfortably at 28th. Who's second? Your own Delhi. Double Engine Gujarat and Haryana grab 4th and 5th as top-tier crime havens," the TMC said.
"In child marriage, Assam again takes the shameful pole position. And yet you dare lecture Bengal? Stop embarrassing yourself, stop the hypocrisy, and maybe fix the rotting mess in your own backyard before pointing fingers at a state that's outperforming your disasters on every key metric," the TMC countered.
