Union Home Minister Amit Shah has set March 2026 as the target to finish Maoist activities in India and said “A strong and ruthless strategy is required for launching the last assault against such groups.”

The Home Minister is in Chhattisgarh and addressed a press briefing in Raipur. Mr Shah said he reviewed the situation of Left Wing Extremism in the state along with Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai and senior central and state police officers. He urged the Maoists to surrender and announced that the Centre would start a “new look” surrender policy in the next two months.

“A strong and ruthless strategy is required for launching the last assault against Maoists,” he said. The home minister said Maoist violence is a challenge to democracy and the menace has claimed about 17,000 lives in the country.

In December last year, the Home Minister asserted that we are almost on the verge of wiping out Maoist extremism from the country. At the 59th Raising Day of Border Security Force, Mr Shah said, “In the last 10 years, incidents of Maoist violence have gone down by 52 per cent, deaths in these incidents declined by 70 per cent and the number of affected districts have come down from 96 to 45.” The number of “LWE-hit police stations has come down from 495 to 176”, he added.

In the press briefing today, the Home Minister reiterated the facts and said, there was a 53 per cent drop in Naxal incidents during 2014-24 as compared to 2004-14. It is time to deal the final blow to the problem of Left Wing Extremism with a strong strategy. “We believe we will be able to free the country from Left Wing Extremism by March 2026,” Mr Shah said.

The minister added that the government has been working to fill the security vacuum in LWE-hit areas and the security personnel have undertaken operations along with development works.

Mr Shah said apart from state and Central Armed Police Forces, the National Investigation Agency, the country’s premier anti-terror probe agency and the Enforcement Directorate have been working together to wipe out Maoist extremism.

The Home Ministry’s Left Wing Extremism (LWE) Division, which was established in 2006, addresses the issue holistically. It monitors the LWE situation and countermeasures being taken by the affected states. 

The Division is responsible for capacity building of states to combat LWE through schemes of the Home Ministry like the Security Related Expenditure (SRE) scheme, Special Infrastructure Scheme, and Special Central Assistance. Deployment of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) in the affected States, assisting State Governments with initiatives to combat extremism, etc.

– With Inputs from PTI

Raipur:

A video of the Independence Day celebration in Chhattisgarh’s Mungeli district, showing a pigeon released by a police officer failing to fly off, has gone viral, prompting the officer to demand action against those responsible.

Some social media users promptly noticed that a similar situation unfolds in season 3 of the web series ‘Panchayat’.

During the function, BJP MLA and former minister Punnulal Mohle who was the chief guest, Mungeli Collector Rahul Deo, and Superintendent of Police Girija Shankar Jaiswal were handed pigeons to release, signifying peace and freedom.

छत्तीसगढ़ में पंचायत–3 रिपीट हो गई। स्वतंत्रता दिवस पर SP साहब कबूतर उड़ा रहे थे। उनका कबूतर उड़ने की बजाय नीचे गिर गया। Video देखिए… pic.twitter.com/R9Vui9BC3p

— Sachin Gupta (@SachinGuptaUP) August 19, 2024

The birds released by the MLA and the collector successfully flew off. However, when the SP released the pigeon, it fell to the ground. Social media user Sachin Gupta shared the video on his ‘X’ handle and wrote, “Panchayat-3 was repeated in Chhattisgarh. SP sahab released pigeons on Independence Day. His pigeon fell down instead of flying. Watch the video.” Official sources on Tuesday said the SP wrote a letter to the Collector, seeking disciplinary action.

“During a major national festival like Independence Day, the incident of a pigeon falling to the ground was prominently broadcast on social media and other media. This situation was created as a result of presenting a sick pigeon for flying in the main district-level programme. Had it happened at the hands of the chief guest of the function and honourable MLA, then the situation would have been more unpleasant,” the SP wrote in the letter.

“Certainly, the officer responsible for this work has not discharged his responsibility properly,” it said.

The bird is stated to be alive.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Janjgir-Champa:

A man was arrested for allegedly beating to death his 6-year-old daughter after she and her sibling were fighting over toys in Chhattisgarh’s Janjgir-Champa district, a police official said on Sunday.

The victim and her 8-year-old sister were fighting and arguing over toys on Saturday when an irate Dishan alias Salman started hitting them with a wooden stick, the official said.

“When he went to wake up his daughters for dinner, the elder sibling was groaning in pain while the younger one was lying motionless. He rushed both of them to a nearby hospital where doctors declared the younger child dead on arrival. The elder daughter is undergoing treatment,” the official said.

The accused’s wife is living separately due to a fight between the couple, he added.

Salman, who was arrested this morning, was charged under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections for murder and other offences, the official informed.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Raipur:

Three men, who were transporting cattle last month in Chhattisgarh’s Raipur district, died when they jumped off a river bridge after being chased for more than 50km in cars by a group of people and there was no assault on them, police have said in a chargesheet filed in the case.

The chargesheet submitted in a Raipur court on July 8 claimed the trio, who was in a truck, was chased by five accused in cars for about 53km before they jumped off the bridge, police sources said on Wednesday.

In the early monring on June 7, two cattle transporters, Guddu Khan (35) and Chand Miya Khan (23), died under suspicious circumstances after being allegedly chased by a mob in the Arnag police station area of the district, police had earlier said.

Their associate, Saddam Qureshi, suffered injuries in the incident and succumbed in a Raipur hospital on June 18.

The three men, hailing from Uttar Pradesh, were spotted below the bridge on the Mahanadi river in the Arang area, while their truck with buffaloes was found parked on the bridge.

The Arang police had then lodged an FIR in connection with the case under sections 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 307 (attempt to murder), and 34 (common intention) of the IPC against unidentified persons.

After the death of Qureshi, the police said his post-mortem report did not mention homicidal injuries and dropped the murder attempt charge.

The police then constituted a 14-member special team headed by Raipur Additional Superintendent of Police (Rural) Kirtan Rathore to probe the case. The police later arrested five persons from different places and filed a chargesheet against them under section 304 of the IPC.

The chargesheet stated, “All five accused got information about a vehicle possibly engaged in transportation of cattle. The accused in three cars chased the truck and tried to stop it by throwing iron spikes-embedded wooden strip and pieces of glass on vehicle. The truck driver also drove on the wrong side for about 14 km in a bid to escape but the accused continued chasing them. The truck finally stopped over the bridge on the Mahanadi river after one of its tyres got damaged due to iron spikes and stones pelted by the accused.” Out of fear, the trio got down from the vehicle and jumped off the bridge into the river in a bid to save their lives, it said.

In the entire incident, the accused chased the truck at high speed for about 53km and tried to stop it illegally, which shows the accused knew that by their act, the persons in the truck were likely to die or suffer such bodily injury which would lead to death, said the police document.

Ultimately, frightened by the act of the accused, the trio got down from the truck and jumped into the river from the bridge, due to which one of the three, Chand Khan, died on the spot. Another cattle transporter, Guddu Khan, died while being taken to hospital, it said.

Their associate Qureshi succumbed after being treated for about two weeks. He died as a result of serious injuries he sustained after jumping from the bridge, according to the chargesheet.

The act of the accused falls under the criminal act mentioned in section 304 of the IPC (IPC). After investigation, a chargesheet was submitted under sections 304 and 34 of the IPC, it added.

After the incident, complainant Shoheb Khan, a cousin of Chand Khan and Qureshi, had claimed a mob had chased and attacked the three persons when they, in a truck loaded with cattle (buffaloes), were heading from Mahasamund (neighbouring district) to Arang.

The complainant had claimed he had got a call from Chand Khan, adding that his friend Mohsin was called by Qureshi when they were being attacked.

“Chand told me they were being attacked by a mob. But before he could provide any detail, the call got disconnected,” Shoheb Khan had claimed.

In the second call to Mohsin, which lasted for 47 minutes, Qureshi could be heard saying that his limbs were broken, Shoheb Khan said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

A recent audit has brought to light significant irregularities in the procurement practices of the Chhattisgarh State Medical Services Corporation Limited. The audit, covering the financial years 2022-23 and 2023-24, reveals that medical equipment and reagents worth ₹660 crores were acquired without any corresponding budget allocation. This revelation comes from a letter by the Accountant General to the Health Department, exclusively obtained by NDTV.

Key Findings of the Audit

The audit found that the corporation purchased medical equipment and reagents, distributing them to 776 primary health care (PHC) facilities. Shockingly, more than 350 of these PHCs lacked the necessary technical manpower and storage facilities to effectively utilize the equipment.

Furthermore, the audit highlighted that the Director of Health Services placed orders for these items without conducting essential baseline surveys or gap analyses to assess the specific needs of each facility. The distribution was uniform across all PHCs, ignoring variations in patient load and specific requirements. This indiscriminate procurement has resulted in high-value equipment sitting idle, with the risk of deterioration in the quality of reagents.

Ground Report

At Bhatgaon Primary Health Center in Raipur, sophisticated equipment like sonography and X-ray machines were procured but remain non-operational due to the absence of specialist doctors. Dr. Harshita Tekam from the PHC noted that while basic services such as first aid and blood pressure monitoring are available, advanced machines cannot be used until specialists are appointed.
At Urla Primary Health Center, numerous chairs are unused due to space constraints. Naresh Sahu, President of the Paramedical Association, criticized the procurement strategy, emphasizing that patient admission should have been prioritized over purchasing expensive equipment. He cited the example of an ₹18 crore PET SCAN Gamma machine purchased in 2018 for the capital’s largest hospital, which remains non-functional.

Official Response

The Principal Accountant General has called for a comprehensive audit involving the Chhattisgarh State Medical Services Corporation, the Director of Health Services, the National Health Mission, and field-level healthcare facilities. The audit aims to uncover the extent of mismanagement and ensure accountability.
This revelation raises serious questions about the efficiency and transparency of the procurement processes in the state’s healthcare system. As the investigation proceeds, the cooperation of all relevant facilities has been requested to facilitate a thorough audit.

New Delhi:

One person was killed and six were injured in a blast at an explosives manufacturing factory in Chhattisgarh’s Bemetara district today, officials said.

The explosion occurred in the unit located near Pirda village in Berla development block, a district administration official said.

Soon after being alerted, police and rescue teams were rushed to the site, he said.

“While six persons injured in the blast were taken to Dr BR Ambedkar Memorial Hospital Raipur for treatment, one person was brought dead,” Public Relations Officer of the hospital Shubhra Singh told PTI.

The injured people are undergoing treatment, she added.

Bemetara collector Ranbir Sharma told reporters fire department teams and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) personnel have been deployed.

Some eyewitnesses told local news channels that 100 people were working in the explosives manufacturing factory when the blast happened. They said several were missing and feared trapped under the debris.

Chhatisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai said orders have been given for a magisterial inquiry into the explosion at the gunpowder factory.

“… And to provide financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh to the family of the dead and Rs 50,000 to the injured. The injured are being brought to Raipur for proper treatment. High-level monitoring of relief and rescue operations is being done at the spot,” Mr Sai said.

Chhatisgarh CM Vishnu Deo Sai tweets “Orders have been given for a magisterial inquiry into the explosion at the gunpowder factory in Borsi village of Bemetara district and to provide financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh to the family of the deceased and Rs 50,000 to the injured…. pic.twitter.com/ryLuoMMz9P

— ANI (@ANI) May 25, 2024

The incident comes days after a blast in a chemical factory in Maharashtra’s Thane district killed nine and injured over 60.

Raipur:

Two passengers and a sanitation staffer were injured after the head of a big drilling machine crashed into a moving train on the outskirts of Chhattisgarh’s capital Raipur on Sunday, officials said.

The incident took place around 10 am when the Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (Mumbai)-bound Shalimar-LTT Express was passing through Urkura railway station ahead of the Raipur station, a railway public relations official (PRO) here said.

The railway has ordered a senior administrative grade (SAG) level inquiry into the incident.

Earlier, officials had said that a pole located near the tracks fell on the train. The piece of metal was later found to be a “drill machine reamer” which looks like a pole, the official said.

As the train reached Raipur station, rail personnel, including doctors rushed to the affected coach and administered first aid to the injured passengers, the official said.

Injured passenger Devari Dhivar (30) and sanitation staffer (from on-board housekeeping service) Narayan Chandra Bag (30) were then admitted to a private hospital here. The second injured passenger, Somil Mandal (12), was administered first-aid at the station, he said.

Mandal, who was travelling from Kharagpur to Mumbai, was later sent to his destination along with his family on another train, he said.

After learning about the incident, Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) of Raipur division Sanjeev Kumar and other senior officials reached Raipur station to assess the incident, he said.

The DRM also visited the hospital, spoke to the family of the injured and instructed railway personnel to ensure the best possible medical assistance to the victims.

Assistant Commercial Manager Avinash Kumar Anand handed over a cheque of Rs 50,000 as ex gratia to Dhivar, he said.

The Railway Protection Force (RPF) has registered a case in connection with the incident, he said.

As initially thought, the metal was not a pole, the PRO said, citing the investigation.

“Rather, it was a reamer of a horizontal directional drilling (HDD) machine engaged in drilling work by the state-run Chhattisgarh State Power Distribution Company Limited (CSPDCL),” he said.

The electricity company’s contractor was conducting drilling operations beneath the tracks without informing the railways. The machine’s reamer was being pulled out when the train was passing through Urkura. But it unexpectedly came out of the ground and hit the train, he said.

The reamer scraped three AC coaches (B4, B5 and B6) damaging window pans, and injuring three persons besides causing scratches on the bogies.

CSPDCL officials were called to the accident site where they admitted that the contractor had ignored safety standards while doing the work, the PRO said.

The railways has ordered a senior administrative grade level probe into the incident and action will be taken against those found guilty, he said, adding that the train left for its destination around noon

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Raipur:

A District Reserve Guard (DRG) constable was killed and another policeman injured due to an accidental discharge of a firearm in Chhattisgarh’s Dantewada district, officials said on Thursday.

The incident took place at around 11 pm on Wednesday when a joint team of the DRG and Bastar Fighter, both units of state police, was out on an anti-Maoist operation in Barsoor police station limits, a statement issued by the police said.

Acting on input about the presence of armed Maoists in Handawada and Hitawada villages along the Dantewada-Narayanpur districts border, the security personnel had launched the operation, it said.

“During patrolling, two DRG constables – Jograj Karma and Parsuram Alami – suffered bullet injuries in an accidental firing,” the release said.

While being evacuated, Karma succumbed to his injuries due to excessive bleeding. Alami was administered preliminary treatment and then airlifted to Raipur for further medication, the police said.

The statement did not specify whose weapon accidentally went off and said more details will be shared later. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Raipur:

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday promised free education in government schools and colleges in Chhattisgarh and Rs 4,000 a year for ‘tendu’ leaf collectors if his party retains power in the state.

Addressing an election rally in the Bhanupratappur assembly constituency in Kanker district, Mr Gandhi asked that if Prime Minister Narendra Modi brings up ‘OBC’ (other backward classes) in his speeches, why was he scared of a caste census.

A caste census will be conducted in the country if the Congress is voted to power, he added.

Bhanupratappur is among the 20 constituencies that will see polling on November 7 in the first phase of the Chhattisgarh elections. The second phase will be held on November 17.

“We are going to take a major step for you which we call ‘KG to PG’. From KG (kindergarten) to PG (post-graduation), free education will be provided in government institutions to students (if Congress retains power in state). They will not have to pay a single penny,” Mr Gandhi said.

Mr Gandhi promised that if the Congress forms the government in the state after polls, tendu leaf collectors will be given Rs 4,000 per year under the Rajiv Gandhi Protsahan Yojana. This is being seen as a major announcement from the Bhanupratappur seat, which is a part of the tribal-dominated Bastar region.

Pitching for a caste census, he said, “Narendra Modi ji uses the ‘OBC’ word in every speech but why is he scared of the caste census… OBCs have to become aware as they are being ditched.” Mr Gandhi also announced that the Congress would conduct a caste census in the country if it is voted to power in Delhi (at the Centre). “We have already made this promise for Chhattisgarh,” he said.

Key promises made by the Congress ahead of the last assembly polls have been fulfilled in Chhattisgarh, Mr Gandhi claimed. 

Objecting to the use of ‘vanvasi’ in place of ‘Adivasi’ for tribals, he said its use by the BJP is an insult to Adivasis and an attack on their culture, history and language.

During his speech, Mr Gandhi stopped briefly and walked to the other corner of the stage carrying a bottle of water apparently after someone fainted on the ground. He returned to the dais and asked if the person was alright. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Raipur::

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel has said the BJP can seek a National Investigation Agency probe into the killing of its worker in Maoist-affected Mohla-Manpur-Ambagarh Chowki district, in case it is not satisfied with the police investigation.

BJP worker Birju Taram was shot dead by suspected Maoists in village Sarkheda on the night of October 20. The BJP has termed it a “targeted” killing.

Asked about the BJP claim, Mr Baghel said, “The last time when they had levelled allegations of BJP workers being targeted and killed, I had told them to get the incidents investigated by the NIA. NIA does not even need recommendation. When (BJP MLA) Bhima Mandavi was killed (in April 2019 in a Maoist attack), the Chhattisgarh police was probing it but they (BJP-led Centre) sent NIA (to probe the case).”

“If they feel the incident of Mohla-Manpur is a targeted killing, they should get it investigated by the NIA. Who is stopping them? The way ED and IT are roaming here, NIA can also come. Who will stop them (NIA)? Whether the probe is done by the government, state police or NIA, the truth must come out,” he added.

State BJP chief Arun Sao visited Taram’s house in Sarkheda on Monday and alleged the incident was not only a targeted killing but a political murder to secure power.

“Violence has no place in democracy. The murder of Taram is not only a targeted killing but a political murder to grab power. But the state government has been sitting silently when political rivalry is turning into violence. The BJP is committed to ensuring justice for Taram’s family,” Mr Sao told reporters.

Taram had informed the local administration about the threat to his life, but no steps were taken to provide security to him, he claimed.

The Congress government is scared of the public (anticipating defeat in next month’s assembly polls) and, therefore, targeted killing of BJP workers is taking place, he alleged.

“The Congress has a history of political murders for power. Political murders have been taking place continuously in Chhattisgarh. Earlier BJP workers were killed in Bastar, which were also targeted and political murders,” he claimed.

Polling to the 90-member state assembly will be held in two phases on November 7 and 17. The counting of votes will take place on December 3.

Sunil Soni, the BJP Lok Sabha MP from Raipur, on Monday said his party has filed a complaint with the Election Commission of India seeking action on murders of Taram and others.

The BJP has also demanded deployment of Central forces in sensitive and highly sensitive polling stations in Maoist-affected areas, he added.

“The BJP has sought the removal of the Chhattisgarh Director General of Police and transfer of Inspector General of Police of the concerned range and Superintendent of Police of Mohla-Manpur district,” Mr Soni said.