| 11
CRPF personnel killed in Naxal attack in Chhattisgarh Dantewada
(Chattishgarh): At least 11 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel
were killed and eight were injured when the truck in which they were travelling
hit a landmine planted by Maoist guerrillas in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada district.
The blast took place on Saturday evening at Kokanara village, nearly 375 kilometres
from Raipur, when an over 40-member search squad of CRPF men and District Force
(DF) was on its way back to its base camp. According to sources, a 53-member joint
police-CRPF team had gone on patrol after getting information that the militants
had burnt down a truck near Kokanara village. They were coming back from patrol
and had boarded two trucks and a jeep when the naxals ambushed them. Chidambaram
asks politicians not to visit 'sensitive and tense' Lalgarh Top New
Delhi: Union Home Minister P Chidambaram has cautioned all the politicians
from visiting West Bengal's Lalgarh area, where security forces are fighting to
clear a Maoist siege, as it is “sensitive” and “tense”. “The situation in Lalgarh
is sensitive and continues to be tense. I appeal to all citizens especially political
leaders, NGOs and others not to go to the conflict areas,” he said while referring
to a Maoist call for a two-day shutdown from Monday in five Naxal-affected states
of Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Orissa and West Bengal. Chidambaram said the
security forces must carry out their work without "distraction". On Sunday, personnel
of the CRPF, BSF and West Bengal police started moving from Lalgarh to Ramgarh
in an operation aimed at sanitising the main road and other connecting routes
and wresting control of the 17 villages. According to sources, the 19-km journey
from Lalgarh, which the troops reclaimed on Saturday, is likely to be one of the
toughest as the road has been mined. The strategy of the forces will focus on
wresting control of Barapelia, Chotopelia and Dalilpurchak in West Midnapore district
where top Maoist leaders were reportedly holed up. Meanwhile, in view of the two-day
bandh call given by the CPI-Maoist, the Centre has asked five Naxal-hit states
to remain alert against possible "demonstrative acts of violence" by left-wing
extremists. Troops
advance from Lalgarh toward Maoist-held villages Top Lalgarh
(WB): Personnel of the CRPF, BSF and West Bengal police on Sunday started
moving from Lalgarh to Ramgarh in an operation aimed at sanitising the main road
and other connecting routes and wresting control of the 17 villages. According
to sources, the 19-km journey from Lalgarh, which the troops reclaimed on Saturday,
is likely to be one of the toughest as the road has been mined. The strategy of
the forces will focus on wresting control of Barapelia, Chotopelia and Dalilpurchak
in West Midnapore district where top Maoist leaders were reportedly holed up.
Barapelia is the home of Maoist-backed People's Committee against Police Atrocity
(PCPA) convener Chatradhar Mahato and the PCPA headquarters. Security forces had
yesterday moved into Lalgarh and taken control of the police station even as ambushed
a convoy en route to the area injuring six policemen. According to DIG, Midnapore
range, Praveen Kumar, they have regained control of Lalgarh, which was captured
by Maoist rebels in one of the most brazen attacks in recent years. Earlier, hundreds
of Maoists, who were expanding their influence across the country, had chased
away police and killed government supporters from around Lalgarh, which they declared
a "liberated zone". Varun
Gandhi's hate speech CD not doctored: Forensic experts Top New
Delhi: Forensic experts have said hate speech CD of the Bharatiya Janata Party
(BJP) leader and MP from Pilibhit, Varun Gandhi, is not doctored. According to
sources, the Forensic Science Laboratory in Hyderabad has submitted its report
to the District Magistrate of Pilibhit. Varun had alleged that the CDs were doctored.
He had also refused to give his voice samples for examination. Varun Gandhi, who
was arrested in Pilibhit on March 28, on the charges of making inflammatory communal
remarks at election meetings in his constituency on March 6, was released from
the Etah district Jail in Uttar Pradesh on April 16, after he gave a fresh undertaking
that he would not make any inflammatory speeches. He had been recorded as saying,
"If anyone raises a finger towards Hindus or if someone thinks that Hindus are
weak and leaderless, if someone thinks that these leaders lick our boots for votes,
if anyone raises a finger towards Hindus, then I swear on Gita that I will cut
that hand." Full-fledged
COBRA operation to start soon in Naxal-hit states Top New
Delhi: The full-fledged operation of the special anti-Naxal force, the Commando
Battalion for Resolute Action (COBRA) battalion, in Naxalite-affected states is
set to start soon to combat the growing Left-wing extremism in the country. According
to sources, about 2,000 personnel of COBRA have already been deployed in Chhattisgarh
and Orissa. Nearly 2,000 commandos of the force, who completed their training
at the Jungle Warfare Training School from Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu and Silchar
in Assam, and equipped with 19 different modern assault weapons, are waiting for
a final decision to start their operations. According to the deployment plan,
two battalions of the elite force would be stationed in Jharkhand and three in
Chhattisgarh. One each battalion would be posted in Orissa, Bihar and Maharashtra
besides two in Uttar Pradesh. Over 70 districts in the country are affected by
Left wing extremism, which has been described by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
as a "virus" and the biggest internal security threat. The Government recently
approved formation of a 10,000-strong special anti-Naxal force ''COBRA'' -- to
tackle the menace. Satyam
renamed Mahindra Satyam Top Hyderabad:
Satyam Computer Services has been renamed as Mahindra Satyam, while the logo will
be adopted from the Mahindra Group. Tech Mahindra had bought Satyam in April.
The decision was taken at a closed-door meeting attended by top executives of
Tech Mahindra in Hyderabad . “Customer centricity, high standards of corporate
governance, unimpeachable ethics form the cornerstones of the Mahindra Group.
This rebranding exercise symbolizes an amalgamation of the Mahindra Group’s values
with Satyam’s fabled expertise, even as it retains that part of Satyam’s identity
which signifies commitment, purpose and proficiency of the organization and its
people,” said Anand Mahindra, Vice Chairman & Managing Director of Mahindra Group.
Senior officials at Satyam, Tech Mahindra and Mahindra & Mahindra had been working
on the re-branding exercise with certain external advisors ever since Tech Mahindra
acquired the company. “This is a significant milestone towards the recovery of
the company. We are optimistic that this new brand will re-energize the organization
and will be well received by all our stakeholders,” said Vineet Nayyar, Executive
Vice Chairman of Satyam Board. “With this initiative, we will witness steps by
the Management to adopt and inculcate the values of performance and customer first,
good corporate governance and citizenship, which are drawn from the Mahindra Group,”
Vineer Nayyar added. A
ray of hope for the Sarabjit Singh from Pakistan 's apex court Top Bhikhiwind
( Punjab): A ray of hope has emerged here for Sarabjit Singh alias Manjeet
Singh's family, as his lawyer will file a review petition against his hanging
at the Pakistani Supreme Court on Monday. Sarbjit's wife Sukhpreet Kaur, daughters,
Swapandeep and Poonam and sister Dalbir Kaur of Sarbjit Singh on Sunday performed
prayers (Ardas) at the local Gurdwara. The family on this occasion said that it
wants the Pakistani authorities to look at the case with sympathy, as it's a case
of mistaken identity and claims he is innocent. The family also has urged the
Indian leadership to include Sarbjit's case on its top agenda while talking to
Pakistan . "It was good to know that the Pakistan Supreme Court would hear his
review petition against the death sentence awarded to him for his alleged involvement
in three bomb blasts on Monday. Though lot of efforts are being done by the Indian
government but we are worried as now Sarbjit is still languishing in Pakistani
jail for the last 19 years", said Dalbir Kaur, sister of Sarbjit Singh. According
to the family of Sarbjit Singh, who has been sentenced to death for alleged involvement
in bomb blasts in Lahore , he is a victim of mistaken identity. He has been convicted
of espionage and terrorism and sentenced to death for being a spy for the Indian
RAW. He has been accused of masterminding the 1990 bomb blasts in serial bomb
blasts in Lahore , Faislabad, and Kasur. "My father is innocent. I hope that after
hearing the review petition of my father, the Pakistan 's Supreme court would
release Papa," said Swapandeep, elder daughter of Sarbjit. Sarabjit Singh is a
resident of Amritsar in Punjab . He was arrested near the Kasur border in Pakistan
in August 1990. As per his family, he had actually strayed into Pakistan 's territory
in an inebriated state. Singh was awarded death sentence by a Lahore anti-terrorism
court in October 1991 for carrying out serial bomb blasts in Pakistan . He challenged
the verdict in the Supreme Court, however, the apex court quashed his appeal in
September 2005, saying that the review petition was not filed within the time
period as mentioned in the law. |
