Jharkhand tightens security in areas near Lalgarh

October 12th, 2009 RANCHI/PATNA - Maoists blew up a stretch of a railway track and set ablaze three trucks in Jharkhand as they began a two-day shutdown in Bihar and Jharkhand in protest against the Centre's alleged effort to put down the CPI (Maoists) movement by force. According to sources, the incident took place at around 2:30 a.m.

October 3rd, 2009 RANCHI - Maoist rebels active in Jharkhand on Saturday threatened to carry out more attacks on Government establishments, politicians and security forces if their top leaders, presently under detention were not released. The Maoists have also given a call for a 24-hour shutdown condemning the arrest of their leader Chhatradhar Mahato of People's Committee Against Police Atrocities (PCAPA).

September 30th, 2009 KOLKATA - Chhatradhar Mahato, the arrested chief of a Maoist-backed body in West Bengal's Lalgarh, has an insurance policy worth Rs.1 crore (Rs.10 million) and he recently bought a house in Orissa, a top police officer said here Wednesday. "Mahato has confessed during interrogation that he has an insurance policy worth Rs.1 crore and he has also given two premiums for it.

August 9th, 2009 RANCHI - With security personnel carrying out an anti-Maoist drive for a month, a decline in the number of Maoist attacks in Jharkhand has been observed in comparison to the same period at this time last year. "Maoist infested State of Jharkhand has seen a fall in number of attacks as compared to the last year.

July 16th, 2009 NEW DELHI/RANCHI - Delhi Police Commissioner YS Dadwal has said that police nabbed a trader in New Delhi following a seizure of mobile phones and communication equipment in Jharkhand. Praveen Kumar Sharma, who was arrested on Tuesday, was produced before a local court on Wednesday.

June 30th, 2009 LALGARH - Denying that he has fled from Lalgarh, agitating tribal leader Chattradhar Mahato Tuesday said he was still in this troubled area of West Bengal "with my people". "I am still staying in Lalgarh and there is no question of fleeing this region as I have committed no crime," said Mahato, chief of People's Committee against Police Atrocities (PCAPA), which spearheaded the establishment of a virtual "free zone" in the area seven months back.

June 29th, 2009 RANCHI - Eleven Maoist guerrillas were arrested Monday from a Jharkhand village for distriibuting pamphlets. The Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) guerrillas were arrested from Cheliyama village in Seraikela and Kharsawa district, about 170 km from the state capital Ranchi.

June 28th, 2009 RANCHI - Twenty Central Government secretaries, including Cabinet Secretary K M Chandrashekhar and Home Secretary designate G K Pillai have arrived here on a two day visit to monitor anti-Naxal operations in Jharkhand. Chandrashekhar and secretaries of Agriculture, Power, Water Resources, Mining will assess development-related activities in their respective fields, while Pillai will review security details for developmental projects with state government officials.

June 28th, 2009 RANCHI - Twenty Central Government secretaries, including Cabinet Secretary K M Chandrashekhar and Home Secretary designate G K Pillai have arriving here on a two day visit to monitor the anti Naxal operations in Jharkhand. Chandrashekhar and secretaries of Agriculture, Power, Water Resources, Mining will asses development related activities in their respective fields while Pillai will review security details for developmental projects with the state government officials.

June 23rd, 2009 RANCHI - Maoists blew up a village council building in Jharkhand's Palamau district Tuesday, police said. The building was empty at the time.

June 22nd, 2009 RANCHI - Security forces searching for landmines in Jharkhand were trapped in their vehicle Monday when they came under attack by Maoist guerrillas, who have called for a 48-hour strike in five states to protest the operations against them in West Bengal's Lalgarh area. Maoist rebels blew up the anti-landmine vehicle near Boramora jungle of East Singbhum district, police said as the strike came into effect.

June 22nd, 2009 BHUBANESWAR - A two-day shutdown called by the Maoists evoked partial response in Orissa till Monday afternoon even as two rebels were killed in a gun battle with security forces, police said. There are certain areas where they (Maoists) have presence.

June 21st, 2009 RANCHI - Security has been beefed up in Jharkhand in view of the two-day strike called by the Maoist rebels in five states to protest "Lalgarh operation" being undertaken by security forces in West Bengal. "Security has been beefed up in the state, particularly in Maoist infested districts and in areas bordering West Bengal," a police official told IANS, adding security personnel are on high alert in bordering areas.

June 20th, 2009 LALGARH - A paramilitary trooper, participating in the security operation launched to flush out Maoist rebels from this trouble-torn zone, died of heat stroke Saturday, a police official said here. "The (Central Reserve Police Force) CRPF jawan died due to heat stroke apparently after falling sick in the Jhitka jungles," Inspector General of state police (Law and Order) Raj Kanojia told IANS in Kolkata.

June 15th, 2009 KOLKATA - An office of the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) was torched Monday and 2,000 of its cadres were forced to flee West Bengal's troubled Lalgarh in West Mindapore district after clashes with a tribal body. The tribals, led by the People's Committee Against Police Atrocities (PCAPA), also allegedly set afire the house of Anuj Pandey - a top CPI-M leader in Lalgarh - and also forced the police to wind up three camps set up in the area.