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Six policemen killed in Karnataka naxal attack

     Tumkur (Karnataka): Naxalites attacked a police camp early on Friday morning and killed six policemen in Tumkur district on the Karnataka-Andhra Pradesh border. The Naxalites targeted a school building in the area in which the Karnataka State Reserve Police (KSRP) personnel were camping, at Venkammanahalli in Pawagada taluk of Tumkur district, said Karnataka Director General of Police S N Borkar. "It is definitely the handiwork of Naxalites," he said, adding that the police camp was devastated by hand grenades. Karnataka, which has been relatively unaffected by the naxal violence, has seen a significant increase in attacks by ultras in recent weeks.

Karnataka to have special anti-Naxal squads (Go To Top)

     Bangalore: Hours after the naxals killed six policemen in the state, the Karnataka government on Friday announced the formation of two anti-naxal squads to check the activities of ultras in Malnad region and the plains. Chief Minister N Dharam Singh informed that each squad would have 250 personnel and would be headed by a DIG. Earlier, he held senior-level meeting with top police and Home Department officials to review the situation after the morning attacks. According to Singh, the squads would have their territories defined. The operational area of one squad would be the districts of Udupi, Mangalore and Chikmangalur in the Malnad region and the other squad would deal with the menace in Naxal strongholds in Bidar, Gulbarga, Tumkur, Raichur, Bellary and Kolar districts. Earlier, Naxalites attacked a police camp in the wee hours of Friday morning and killed six policemen in Tumkur district on the Karnataka-Andhra Pradesh border. Karnataka, which has been relatively unaffected by the naxal violence, has seen a significant increase in attacks by ultras in recent weeks.

Siwan don Shahabuddin shifted to Beur, Lalu reacts (Go To Top)

    Patna: Mohammed Shahabuddin, the RJD MP from Siwan, was today shifted to Patna's Beur Central jail in accordance with an Election Commission order. However, the action against the RJD MP by the EC has not gone down well with the ruling RJD and the party President, Lalu Yadav has reacted sharply. He said, "It appeared to be an interference in the functioning of the judiciary." The Railway Minister also said, "Shahabuddin is in judicial custody by the order of the court and not the government. I don't know what has happened to EC". On the other hand, the JD (U) president George Fernandes has welcomed the move. The RJD strongman was earlier lodged in the Siwan Jail. His transfer was ordered by the EC following reports that the MP was busy holding public durbars in jail. The commission also felt that his presence could affect the conduct of election in the rest of the phases, specially the election in Siwan and neighbouring areas. Reportedly, EC was apprehensive that the presence of Shahabuddin, who is facing several criminal charges in his home district Siwan, might affect the conduct of elections due on February 15 and 23. The commission's action against Siwan MP comes close on the heels of the Supreme Court taking a strong note of another RJD MP Pappu Yadav holding similar durbars inside Beur jail and using mobile phone from there. Earlier, Bihar's IG (Prisons), Deepak Kumar Singh, said, "The MP will be brought to the Beur jail on Friday in compliance with the EC's directive. Since no such shifting takes place during night, we have decided to bring him tomorrow to be lodged at Beur jail." Shahabuddin has been lodged in Siwan jail for nearly two years now in a case of alleged kidnapping and murder of a CPI (ML) worker.