Bhubaneswar, May 14 : At least seven Maoists were gunned down in separate encounters with security personnel in Odisha's Kandhamal and Balangir districts in last two days, said an official on Monday.

"Five Maoists were killed during a combing operation at Sudukumpa forest in Kandhamal's Golanki village.

"While two were killed in Dudkamal village of Balangir district," said Additional Director General of Police (Operations) R.P. Koche.

Acting on a tip-off, a combing operation was launched by the police and Special Operation Group (SOG) personnel in Sudukumpa forest, said Koche.

The police have recovered nine rifles, including AK-47 and INSAS and other ammunition from the area. The combing operation was on in the forest area, he added.

Director General of Police R.P. Sharma described it as a red letter day in the history of Odisha Police.

"This is a great team effort. The district Superintendents of Police have led from the front with exemplary courage and confidence," said Sharma.



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New Delhi (PTI): Delhi woke up to a cloudy Thursday morning, with parts of the city receiving up to 12.5 mm of rainfall, while the minimum temperature stood at 17.6 degrees Celsius, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

The IMD stated that Safdarjung and Lodhi Road recorded 8.2 mm of rainfall each, while the Ridge station received 8.6 mm and Palam recorded 6.2 mm.

Ayanagar recorded 7.2 mm of rainfall, and Pitampura recorded 5.5 mm.

Additionally, Mayur Vihar recorded 3 mm of rainfall, while Janakpuri received 12.5 mm from 8.30 am on Wednesday till 8.30 am on Thursday.

The weather office noted that the minimum temperature was recorded at 17.6 degrees Celsius, which is 1.1 notches above the seasonal average, while the maximum temperature is expected to settle around 29 degrees Celsius.

According to the IMD, Delhi is under a yellow alert for very light to light rainfall, thunderstorms accompanied by lightning, and gusty winds with speeds of 30 to 40 kilometres per hour.

The AQI stood in the 'moderate' category at 9 am, with an Air Quality Index (AQI) reading of 153, Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data showed.

According to the CPCB, an AQI between zero and 50 is considered 'good', 51 to 100 'satisfactory', 101 to 200 'moderate', 201 to 300 'poor', 301 to 400 'very poor', and 401 to 500 'severe'.