Four Maoists arrested for planting landmine

August 21st, 2009 LALGARH - A landmine blast and road blockades marked third day of shutdown call by Maoists in West Bengal. Maoists gave an indefinite shutdown call on Tuesday in West Medinipur, Bankura and Purulia districts of the state, demanding withdrawal of security forces from Lalgarh and protesting alleged police excesses on villagers in tribal dominated areas.

July 2nd, 2009 KOLKATA - More than 100 Maoist rebels were still hiding in Lalgarh forests and many of them are well-equipped with advanced fire arms and ammunitions, West Bengal Home Secretary Ardhendu Sen said here Thursday. "According our information, more than 100 Maoists are hiding in West Midnapore's Lalgarh and many of them are well-equipped with fire weapons," Sen told reporters.

June 30th, 2009 KOLKATA - Conceding that none of the 22 villagers arrested by security forces during the Lalgarh operation were "outright Maoists", the West Bengal government Tuesday said all of them will be prosecuted under the Indian Penal Code and not according to the provisions of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). Declaring that charges framed under the UAPA on two of those arrested from Bankura will be withdrawn, state Home Secretary Ardhendu Sen said they would also be tried under the IPC provisions.

June 28th, 2009 LALGARH - Security forces on Sunday arrested two suspected Maoists and defused seven landmines from Lalgarh, while flushing out the Maoists hiding around the troubled area of West Bengal's West Midnapore. Five landmines were recovered from Binpur, while two more were found near Kargil junction at Bankura district, said Raj Kanojia, Inspector General of Police.

June 26th, 2009 LALGARH - Security forces on Friday reclaimed control over Kadasole village from Maoists, located north of Lalgarh in West Midinapore district, during phase II of ongoing operations against the naxals who set off two landmine blasts. Led by the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), the troops including jungle warfare expert and personnel of the Indian Reserve Battalion and State Armed Police, who were helped by a helicopter, exchanged fire for 45 minutes with the Maoists who later fled the village, said a senior CRPF official.

June 22nd, 2009 LALGARH - After reclaiming Lalgarh town in West Bengal, security forces continued their operation for the fifth day Monday marching into nearby villages to clear the area of Maoists, a police official said. A rebel leader was also arrested for his alleged role in the murder of a Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) activist.

June 17th, 2009 KOLKATA - Three activists of West Bengal's ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) were shot dead Wednesday by suspected Maoists in the Jhargram area, close to the troubled town of Lalgarh, in what is seen as a sign of the rebels expanding their activities. Motorcycle-borne Maoists gunned down the three activists, including a zonal committee member of CPI-M's student wing, Student's Federation of India, in Jhargram subdivision of West Midnapore, police said.

May 1st, 2009 JAMBONI - A landmine blast triggered by the Maoists claimed the lives of three persons, including two polling officials in West Bengal on Thursday. The blast, which took place at around 6:00 p.m.

April 30th, 2009 PURULIA - Two Central paramilitary force personnel were injured when Maoists exploded a landmine near a polling booth in Biramdih in West Bengal's Purulia District on Thursday. The incident took place at around 7:50 a.m.

April 30th, 2009 KOLKATA - One paramilitary trooper was injured in a landmine explosion in West Bengal's Maoist-hit Purulia district while the Lok Sabha polls were underway Thursday, the police said. 'One central paramilitary force jawan was injured in a low-intensity landmine blast in Balarampur area.

April 23rd, 2009 BHOPAL - A landmine planted by Maoist rebels was detected near a polling station in Madhya Pradesh's Balaghat district, police said Thursday. The landmine was found in Lanji sub-district, about 450 km from here, by a police patrol party late Wednesday.

April 22nd, 2009 KOLKATA - Suspected Maoists triggered four landmine blasts Wednesday targeting the police in Salboni area of West Midnapore district, police said, adding that no one was injured. Superintendent of Police (West Midnapore) Manoj Verma told IANS on phone that the blasts occurred in the Salboni police station area when a police party had gone to fetch the bodies of the two Communist Party of India - Marxist (CPI-M) activists who were killed by the Maoists Monday.

April 16th, 2009 RANCHI - Maoists abducted four polling officials and killed nine people in a landmine blast Thursday in Latehar district of Jharkhand as the rebels went on a spree of violence to disrupt the first phase of elections, police said. According to police, four officials who were overseeing the elections at Hata polling booth, around 140 km from here, were abducted by the Maoists.

April 16th, 2009 RANCHI - Seven Border Security Force (BSF) personnel going for polling duty were killed in a landmine blast triggered by Maoist rebels in Latehar district of Jharkhand early Thursday, police said. The driver and assistant of the bus in which they were travelling were also killed.

April 16th, 2009 RAIPUR - Five polling officials were killed in a landmine blast in Chhattisgarh's Rajnandgaon district while a security personnel was shot dead in the Maoist stronghold of Dantewada as the state went to polls for its 11 parliamentary seats Thursday. Police said five members of a zonal reserve polling team members were killed in a landmine blast detonated by Maoists in Rajnandgaon district, 125 km from here.