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): A thick blanket of dense fog enveloped Delhi on Friday morning, reducing visibility to zero which impacted air and train operations, according to officials.
They said over 100 flights were delayed at the Indira Gandhi International Airport and 26 trains were running late.
According to the India Meteorological Department, "Zero visibility has prevailed over Palam since 4.30 IST with southeasterly winds blowing at 6-8 kmph."
At Safdarjung, visibility remains limited to a minimum of 50 meters in dense fog since 5.30 IST with calm winds, the IMD added.
Meanwhile, Delhi recorded a minimum temperature of 6 degrees Celsius, 0.9 notches below normal, while the air quality was recorded in the severe category.
According to the CPCB air quality bulletin, the AQI at 9 am was recorded in the "severe" category with a reading of 408.
The weatherman has forecast very dense fog for the day , with the maximum temperature expected to settle around 16 degrees Celsius.
An AQI between zero and 50 is considered "good", 51 and 100 "satisfactory", 101 and 200 "moderate", 201 and 300 "poor", 301 and 400 "very poor", and 401 and 500 "severe".