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Naxals kill police constable in Chhattisgarh
Raipur: A police jawan was on Wednesday stabbed to death by Naxals in Chhattisgarh’s Maoist-hit Bijapur district, police said. Constable Budhram Mudma (29), posted at Timed police camp, was stabbed to death by a group of Naxals with sharp edged weapons under Toynar police station limits in the wee hours, Bijapur Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Sukhnandan Rathore told PTI.
http://zeenews.india.com/news/chhattisgarh/naxals-kill-police-constable-in-chhattisgarh_935627.html
Three Maoists Arrested in Visakhapatnam
Three Maoists, who were part of a team tasked with disrupting just-held election here, were arrested today, while two other Naxals surrendered before the district police. Acting on a tip-off, police nabbed Chikkudu Praveen (24), Chikkudu Usha (20) and Killu Srinu from Kamayyapeta Road near Hukumpeta village, officials said. The trio was part of an “action team” formed by banned CPI (Maoist) to disrupt the just-concluded election and hit specific targets, including political leaders, in Vizag agency region, District Superintendent of Police (Rural) Vikramjeet Duggal told the media here. The police also seized a firearm from Praveen. The three were involved in various offences, including killing of a police constable and some locals, setting afire to road-laying equipment, causing damage to public and private property and looting of ballot boxes during the local body elections in 2014, among others, police said.
http://www.outlookindia.com/news/article/Three-Maoists-Arrested-in-Visakhapatnam/842330
Maoists set ablaze vehicles, construction equipment in Odisha
In the latest incident of Maoist violence in Odisha, armed Maoists set afire several equipment and vehicles at a road construction site in Rayagada district, police said today. Police said there has been no casualty in the incident. A group of armed rebels set fire to three tractors, an excavator and a motorbike belonging to a contractor engaged in construction of a road between Guma and Khambesu village around midnight on Wednesday, police said. The rebels managed to escape into the nearby forested area immediately after the attack leaving behind a poster warning the contractor to stop construction of the road, police added.
http://odishasuntimes.com/58210/maoists-set-ablaze-road-construction-equipment/
Intelligence department to recruit youths to keep watch on Maoists
KOLKATA/ WEST MIDNAPORE: In an effort to keep a close watch on Maoist movement in West Midnapore, the IB has decided to recruit young persons from the bordering villages. They will be recruited in different central government departments and projects but their main work will be to keep a watch on the Maoist movement. This is a pilot project where initially 40 youths will be recruited. If the project becomes successful then it will be replicated in other districts also.
According to sources in the intelligence department, Maoist activities have increased not only in the districts like Purulia, Bankura and West Mindapore but also in the districts like Nadia, Birbum and Murshidabad. “Considering the increase of Maoists activities in the state, the intelligence department has decided to increase the information network and for that new people will be recruited mainly from the bordering villages of Gopillabvpur, Nayagram Jhargram and Binpur,” an officer in the intelligence department said. Sources in the district administrative department confirmed that they have received a letter from the intelligence department where they have been asked to train some youths so that they can work as a part of the concerned department. The intelligence department has mainly asked the civil defence, public health engineering, water resources department and public works department to train the youths.
“We have been asked by a central government agency to train some youths and engage them in different kinds of works,” an official in the public health engineering department said. “This is a pilot project where nearly 40 odd youths will be recruited from 18 bordering villages like Amjhuri, Adharkali, Atnasol, Sagarmoni, Adharia, Baghaberia, Bajuri under Gopiballvpur block, Amjam, Andharisol, Arra, Babuidanga, Malam under Nayagram block and Aguboni, Asnaboni, Asnapara Chotodigiha under Jhargram block. Apart from that, some recruitment will also be done from Binpur, Lagrah and Kantaphari. If the project becomes successful then the model will be replicated in other districts,” the officer of the intelligence department said.
According to senior police officers, the activities of the Maoists have increased in recent past and they are active in the bordering areas. “Two teams, one led by Madan and the other led by Shyamal are active in Belpahari area and one team led by Jayanta has been traced in Chakulia area in Jharkhand. Not only that, teams from Jharkhand and Odisha often cross the border and enter into Bengal. They don’t stay here but hold meeting and go back,” a senior district police officer said. When asked about it, IG (western range), Siddhinath Gupta said, “Maoists activities have increased in these areas and we are spreading our information network in different ways so that we have a first hand knowledge about their movement and for that we are making different plans which we cannot divulge.”
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Intelligence-department-to-recruit-youths-to-keep-watch-on-Maoists/articleshow/35685788.cms
Wanted Maoist leader arrested in Bihar
Muzaffarpur: A Maoist leader, wanted in connection with the killing of a police officer in 2009, was arrested from a riverine area near Ghelpur Chaturpatti village of Bihar’s Muzaffarpur district Thursday. “We had intelligence inputs about Maoists assembling at a spot in the area. Accordingly we moved our forces to surround them and caught Santosh Ram, while two other Maoists managed to flee the place,” ASP (Operations) Rana Brajesh said. Ram was an accused in several cases of violence including the blowing up of a government school during 2009 Lok Sabha elections in which a police official was killed, he said. Ram was considered to be an expert in planting Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs).
http://zeenews.india.com/news/bihar/wanted-maoist-leader-arrested-in-bihar_935780.html
In Bastar, the valley of death
A 40-km stretch has become the new hunting ground of Maoists
With Maoists inching closer to the key town of Jagdalpur, the new government at the Centre is confronted with a mounting challenge in Bastar. “A simple law and order approach to the Naxalite problem will not work. I only hope the new government is briefed properly on these issues,” E.N. Rammohan, former Border Security Force Director-General, said on what former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh termed the “biggest internal security threat”.
A 40-km stretch from the villages of Kamanar to Tahakwada on National Highway-221 has become the new hunting ground for the Maoists. In one year alone, over 60 people — including senior political leaders, security personnel and civilians — have been killed. The most recent Maoist attack, in which nine persons were killed, came two days after polling in the Bastar Lok Sabha constituency on April 12, just 35 km from Jagdalpur. “The attack was unexpected and shocking. We were manning all the sensitive points of the area and this blast took place on the main road,” said a Central Reserve Police Force official in the area. A month before the elections, the Maoists targeted a joint team of the CRPF and Police from the Tongpal station near Tahakwada, killing 15 personnel and one civilian. This area includes the dense valley of Jiram, where 28 people were killed last year, including former Union Minister Vidya Charan Shukla and Congress leader Mahendra Karma.
New front
“The area hardly witnessed any activities until two years ago. So police presence was less here. This is a thinly populated area with hard terrain and the inter-State boundary only makes the situation complicated,” Bastar range Inspector-General Arun Dev Goutam told The Hindu. According to Kichhai Nanda, a former group leader of the Special Police Officers, the Maoists often target new areas where their presence is hardly expected by the police. “For over a year, Jiram Ghati has become their new target, so the security forces will also focus on this area. But it gives time to the Maoists to regroup in their strongholds deep inside forests,” Mr. Nanda told The Hindu.
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/in-bastar-the-valley-of-death/article6058936.ece
Outlawed party leader killed in Meherpur
A leader of outlawed party, Purba Bangla Communist Party (Lal Pataka), has been slaughtered by some unidentified miscreants in Gangni upazila of Meherpur. Police recovered the throat-slit body of Ashraful Islam, 35, the regional commander of Purba Bangla Communist Party (Lal Pataka) and son of Mujibur Rahman of Shimultala village in the upazila, from a field at the village of Gopalnagar on Thursday afternoon.
Locals spotted the body of Ashraful in an abandoned land at Bholardar field in the morning and informed police. Later, the law enforcers sent the body to hospital morgue for autopsy. Gangni police officer in-charge Riazul Islam confirmed the incident, saying internal dispute might have been the reason behind the murder. Ashraful had long been involved in various crimes in the locality, the OC said, adding that he was wanted in 4-5 cases.
http://en.prothom-alo.com/bangladesh/article/48313/Outlawed_party_leader_killed_in_Meherpur
Mexico: Policemen Beaten to Death by Angry Mob after Popocatepetl Volcano Logger is Shot
Two Mexican policemen were lynched by an angry mob after they shot dead a suspect illegal logger in a community near the Popocatepetl volcano outside Mexico City. Another three officers were rescued by a force of 150 policemen dispatched to the village of San Andrés Tlalamac to restore order. The five officers were taking part in a joint operation with forest rangers to inspect woods affected by illegal loggers in the area. During the search they caught a man chopping wood. Local media reported police fatally shot him as he tried to escape.
The man, identified as Israel Balderas Rosales, 42, was rushed to a hospital where he later died. State officials said an investigation was underway to determine who fired the shot. As word of the incident spread, a mob gathered in the small village. The policemen were grabbed by residents, dragged to a community building and severely beaten. Anti-riot security forces intervened, firing teargas to disperse the crowd. However, for two of the officers, named as Edwin Ulises Gordillo and Hugo Martínez Pablo, it was too late.
http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/mexico-policemen-beaten-death-by-angry-mob-after-popocatepetl-volcano-logger-shot-1450327
Jhapa’s tea industry paralyzed as workers, farmers continue strike
JHAPA, May 28 : Tea industry of Jhapa district is reeling under workers´ strike since last one month with the workers demanding higher wages. The indefinite strike, launched at the peak tea-plucking season, has badly affected the tea industry of the district. The talks between agitating workers and tea factory owners that took place on Wednesday ended inconclusively after both sides held on to their stances. The agitating workers and factory owners have agreed to resume the discussions after both parties have done adequate homework on their demands.
Meanwhile, small farmers in the district have been pressing for the implementation of the three-fold agreement reached between farmers, factory owners and local administration around four years ago. Among other things, the agreement calls for revising the prices of tea leaves. The farmers have alleged that the tea factory owners honored the deal only for a few months. They complain that a total of 27 tea factories operating in Jhapa have been cheating them through syndicate system.
As per the farmers´ estimate, they have suffered losses worth Rs 400 million since the factories started violating the agreement. “We are compelled to protest against this injustice,” Purna Karki, a local ltea producer, said. Likewise, tea garden workers had joined the protest launched by the farmers after tea producers refused to provide them with minimum wage fixed by the government last year. Meanwhile, Ramesh Poudel, president of the Nepal Tea Producers´ Association, said, “We have decided to let the free and competitive market determine the price, a practice that is prevalent all around the world.” The dialogue between tea garden workers and factory owners that was initiated on Wednesday is expected to come to a conclusion by Friday, said a member involved in the talks, adding that it has been halted due to their stance only. Agitating farmers, after they had intensified their protest, were arrested by the police. However, around 3000 farmers have again started staging peaceful sit-ins.
http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=75812
Violent Protest at Devil’s Curve in 2009 Sees 53 Facing Trials
Five years after a violent confrontation that left 33 people dead and scores injured in northern Peru, 53 people face charges that include murder, personal injury, forcibly taking firearms and ammunition from people, and sedition.The trial began on May 14, but was suspended almost immediately because there were no translators for the 23 Awajún, Wampis and Shawi people involved. Proceedings resumed May 26 in the northern town of Bagua with the reading of charges against the defendants, who include seven indigenous leaders who were not present when the violence occurred, but who are accused of having incited it.
The leaders include Alberto Pizango, president of the Inter-Ethnic Association for the Development of the Peruvian Amazon (Asociación Interétnica para el Desarrollo de la Selva Peruana, AIDESEP), Peru’s largest Amazonian indigenous umbrella organization. If convicted, the leaders could face sentences of life in prison. “We hope for the acquittal of all the defendants, because the prosecutors do not have sufficient evidence to support their case,” AIDSEP lawyer Marco Barreto told Indian Country Today Media Network.
Over the next several weeks, each defendant will be questioned individually. Barreto said he expects the trial to last four or five months. The charges stem from events that occurred at a place known as the Curva del Diablo, or Devil’s Curve, on the main highway through Peru’s Amazonas region, near Bagua. More than 20 non-indigenous people were killed after security forces moved in early in the morning of June 5, 2009, to break up demonstrators who had been blocking the road for more than a month to protest a series of legislative decrees that they feared would open up their lands to timber, oil and mining companies.
http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2014/05/28/violent-protest-devils-curve-2009-sees-53-facing-trials-155053
Kachin farmers protest over Yuzana land grabbing
Farmers from Hukong Valley in Kachin State have held a press briefing on May 28 to denounce the grabbing of their land by the influential Yuzana Company owned by MP Htay Myint. They claim the company grabbed more than 300,000 acres of ancestral land in the Hukong Valley without proper compensation, and have threatened legal action and protests. “When the Yuzana Company entered Kachin State saying it was working for regional development, we suffered all kinds of hardships,” said Khun Naw, a local of Bankouk village.
“It was like they were killing us when they grabbed our lands. Company officials destroyed our villages and we were beaten. When we made complaints to the superiors, what they replied was it was done under orders from above. They said they couldn’t help anything. And we were neglected. As we had no way to earn, our children became illiterate. Some of us died as we had nothing to pay for our medical expenses,” he added. On August 30, 2012, the farmers threatened to protest in front of Yuzana Company’s headquarters at Shwewgontaing junction in Yangon.
http://www.elevenmyanmar.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6294:kachin-farmers-protest-over-yuzana-land-grabbing&catid=44:national&Itemid=384
Strike: 100 Students Brutalised, Arrested By Police During Protest, says JAF
The Joint Action Front has lamented that Police brutalised and arrested no fewer than 100 comprising of students, activists and journalists during a protest against the ongoing strike embarked upon by the polytechnic and colleges of education lecturers. It said the protest had thousands of students from Yaba College of Technology; Federal Polytechnics’ students from Ede, Ilaro, Offa, and Federal Colleges of Education from Akoka-Lagos and other states across the country when the incident happened on Wednesday. It said the protest was to lobby the government to implement agreements reached with ASUP and COEASU in order to ensure the return to academic normalcy for the Polytechnics and Colleges of Education students.
The statement read: “JAF whose members were part of the MASS PROTEST organized today May 28 by the Concerned Students against Education Commercialisation (COSATEC) wishes to strongly condemn the trigger happy armed police REPRESSION of the peaceful protest, culminating in the arrest and brutality of over 100 students, activists, and journalists. “The peaceful procession of students and activists under the leadership of the National Coordinator and National Secretary of COSATEC.
The peaceful protest started with a procession from the gate of YABATECH at about 10am and marched peacefully through the Murtala Mohammed Way Ebute Metta, enroute to erect Barricade at the entrance of the Third Mainland Bridge by Adekunle junction. “It was at this point that the Police descended heavily on the peaceful protest with sporadic shooting of teargas, live ammunition and beating of harmless students, activists and journalists with gun butts. Some of the buses that carried students during the procession were not spared as their windscreen were shattered.
Even the symbolic Coffin and Cow inscribed with “Death to Education in Nigeria” were targets of police destruction. “Worst of all was the brutalization of Mr. Segun Akinpelu, a renowned reporter with the Sahara Reporters whose was mercilessly brutalized and his camera and other recording gadgets were completely destroyed into pieces. To cap it all, over 100 students, journalists and activists that included Comrade Akanni Iromini of Awake Nigeria and Mr. Akinpelu were arrested and bundled into a Black Maria.
http://www.dailytimes.com.ng/article/strike-100-students-brutalised-arrested-police-during-protest-says-jaf
Three Naxals Held in Chhattisgarh
RAIPUR: Three Naxals were Wednesday arrested from separate places in the insurgency-hit Dantewada district of Chhattisgarh, police said. The arrested cadres were identified as Sonsai Yadav (23), Mahesh Barte (25) and Lingaram Madkami (30), they said. Acting on a tip-off, a joint party of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and district force was on a combing operation in restive forest of the district, located around 450 kms from the state capital, since late last evening, Dantewada Superintendent of Police Narendra Khare told PTI.
Sonsai was arrested from forest under Kuwakonda police station limits and Mahesh was held from Gadiras police station area. Lingaram was nabbed from Aranpur police station limits, he said. A muzzle loading gun, couple of detonators, wire and Naxal pamphlets were recovered from their possession, he said. The rebels were the jan militia members of the outlawed CPI (Maoist) group who were basically involved in the local operations in the region, he said, adding that the interrogation of the trio was on.
According to police sources, the three were allegedly involved in the killing of five police personnel, including Kuwakonda Station House Officer (SHO) Vivek Shukla, in February this year. They were also involved in several incidents of crime, including murder, attempt to murder, attacks on police personnel, removing fish plates of railway track, sources added.
http://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/Three-Naxals-Held-in-Chhattisgarh/2014/05/28/article2250499.ece
Maoist arms dump found in Nalgonda
An arms dump of the banned CPI(Maoist) was unearthed on a hilly area in Chandampet mandal of Andhra Pradesh’s Nalgonda district, police said. Acting on a tip-off, a police team was sent to the area and during combing operation near Guntala Thanda (hamlet), the dump consisting of seven hand-grenades, 150 electrical detonators, as many as 200 non-electrical detonators, books containing Maoist literature and audio cassettes were recovered, a police official said. “The dump is around two-year-old,” the official said, adding further investigations were on.
http://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/maoist-arms-dump-found-in-nalgonda-114052801089_1.html
INDIGENOUS PEOPLE, BRASÍLIA POLICE CLASH
Indigenous people clashed with police in the capital of Brazil Tuesday, resulting in one officer being shot in the leg with an arrow and the cancellation of a ceremony to open the exhibition of the World Cup trophy. Indigenous activists were upset about legislation before congress that threatens to shrink the size of some reserves for indigenous groups. They were joined by demonstrators rallying against Brazil’s hosting of the World Cup.
Many Brazilians are angered about the billions being spent on the tournament, saying the money should have gone to improving Brazil’s public services. In clashes, broadcast live on television, riot police fired tear gas into small pockets of protesters as they approached Brasilia’s new stadium that will host Cup matches. The cost of building Brasilia’s World Cup stadium has nearly tripled to $900 million in public funds, largely due to allegedly fraudulent billing, government auditors have said. Protesters were seen picking up the gas canisters and tossing them back at officers, along with stones and pieces of wood. Violent protests have marked the run-up to the World Cup which begins June 12.
http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2014/5/27/brazil-indigenousworldcupclash.html
Angry protests hit Spain’s Barcelona
RIOTS and arson attacks throughout the night in protest over a block of flats being cleared of squatters have blighted the Sants area of Barcelona, near the main train station. The house, known as Can Vies, is said to have been occupied by squatters for up to 17 years. Six people have been arrested over the uprising, which led to windows being smashed in high-street banks, shops and political party headquarters, as well as wheelie-bins and park benches overturned and set on fire and barricades set up in the streets being thrown down.
A van carrying reporters from the regional television station TV3 was set alight by masked rioters Police patrolled the city by helicopter so they could home in on the worst-hit districts, which were mainly the Sant Martí and Sant Andreu neighbourhoods. The worst of the damage was to a crane and an excavator near the Can Vies block which were set up ahead of the demolition proceedings – protesters set them on fire at around 21.30hrs. Graffiti and large, heavy objects were thrown at buildings, including the head office of independent regional political party CDC on the C/ Córcega near the Passeig de Gràcia.
http://news.gnom.es/news/riots-violence-arson-and-vandalism-over-barcelona-squatter-eviction
New Caledonia Vale damage tops US$34m
The damage caused by vandalism at the Vale nickel plant in New Caledonia is now estimated to be more than 34 million US dollars. The violence, which began at the weekend, has seen days of confrontations at St Louis near Noumea where about 150 riot police have been battling young Kanaks using firearms. Three security personnel have been shot and injured. The unrest has led to repeated road closures and angered residents unable to travel between Noumea and Mont Dore.
Dozens of people have expressed their frustration outside the French High Commission while hundreds blocked the access to the SLN plant in Noumea in protest at some workers risking losing their pay because they cannot get to work. The protest by the young Kanaks was accompanied by calls for the Vale plant to be closed for good after another acid spill three weeks ago led to operations being suspended.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/245696/new-caledonia-vale-damage-tops-us$34m
Activists close Red Cross office on 35th day of hunger strike
RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — Palestinian activists on Wednesday closed the Red Cross’ al-Bireh office in protest against the organization’s “silence” regarding an ongoing prisoners’ hunger strike, the organizers said. “Today we are shutting down the headquarters of the International Committee of the Red Cross because it has failed to play the role it should to protect Palestinian prisoners, especially hunger strikers,” the organizers said.
Protesters blocked the doors of the office and denied entry to employees. “Silence is complicity,” the activists said in a statement. The Red Cross and other international organizations “who are responsible for ensuring human dignity and rights of Palestinian prisoners as prescribed by their mandate” have failed to speak out in support of hundreds of hunger striking prisoners, the statement said.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=700419
Angolan police detain, beat protesters: activist
(Reuters) – Angolan police have beaten and detained 20 people protesting against the killing of three activists by security forces, demonstrators said on Wednesday. Neither police and nor Interior Ministry officials responded to several requests for comment about Tuesday’s incident. Security forces have in the past denied using violence on protesters, saying detentions are made to maintain public order. The youth-driven Angolan Revolutionary Movement has staged several protests since 2011, accusing security forces of murder and President Jose Eduardo dos Santos of restricting political freedom during his 34 years at the helm of Africa’s No. 2 oil producer.
“Police detained 20 of us as soon as we arrived at Independence Square for the protest,” activist Manuel Nito Alves told Reuters. “Inside the police van they beat us with sticks, drove us to Catete, 60 km away from Luanda, and released us there several hours later.” The demonstration was organized through social media to demand justice for the killings of three opposition activists by security forces in the last two years. Two activists involved in protests to demand payment of state wage arrears were killed by security forces in May 2012, prosecutors said in November. At least four security officials have been investigated but no trial date has been set.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/05/28/us-angola-protest-idUSKBN0E819720140528
Kayah farmers plough grabbed land in protest
Over 300 Kayah farmers have started ploughing 438 acres of paddy fields May 27, on land which has been seized by the military. The farmers from Solharku village, Pruso, used 11 mini-tractors and say this action has been permitted by the rural Farmers Committee. “We do not need to ask for their permission as the paddy fields are from our forefathers. This is our land and we take the duty to look after our village. So we send notices to the authorities that we are going to hold the ploughing battle. We will hold the battle from sowing to reaping,” said by Tuyal, a villager of Solharku and leader of the battle.
http://www.elevenmyanmar.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6282:kayah-farmers-plough-grabbed-land-in-protest&catid=44:national&Itemid=384
Naxal involved in attack on polling party in Bastar arrested
A Naxal, who was allegedly involved in an attack on a polling party during the Lok Sabha elections in Bastar region, was on Tuesday arrested from Maoist-hit Kondagaon district of Chhattisgarh. Jaeet Ram Korram (28), chief of Padeli Janatana Sarkar group of CPI(Maoist), was nabbed from the forests between Padeli and Nawagaon villages by a team of local police, Kondagaon Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Surjit Atri told PTI. During interrogation, he admitted his involvement in firing on Padeli polling booth during last month’s parliamentary polls following improvised explosive device blasts near the polling station, he said.
http://ibnlive.in.com/news/naxal-involved-in-attack-on-polling-party-in-bastar-arrested/474700-3-235.html
MCP, Manipur alleges gross misappropriation of funds
IMPHAL, May 26: The Maoist Communist Party, Manipur has alleged a high ranking official of the Command Area Development Authority of siphoning off of a huge amount of Rs 25650 lakh meant for the farmers under central sector scheme and another Rs 88 49 lakh for promotion and straightening of agricultural mechanisation through training and demonstration. A press statement of the outfit has said the CADA addl chief engineer has siphone off a large amount of the fund meant for the welfare of the farmers.
The outfit said it cannot remain silent on the issue and further asserted that in the early part of 2013, the outfit had planted a grenade at the engineer’s residential gate as a warning. It continued that the engineer without publishing any advertisement for the distribution of the power tillers, pump sets and other machineries for agriculture and instead handed over the machineries to some of his own selected group. The outfit has further set May 31 as the deadline for the authorities concerned to look into the fund discrepancies. The release also announced the formation of a ‘red guards’ of the outfit.
http://kanglaonline.com/2014/05/mcp-manipur-alleges-gross-misappropriation-of-funds/
Woman Naxal held in Chhattisgarh
Rajnandgaon: A woman Naxal was on Monday arrested following a prolonged exchange of fire between the security forces and the red-ultras in the insurgency-hit Rajnandgaon district of Chhattisgarh, police said. The encounter took place in the hilly area under the limits of Mohla police station along Chhattisgarh-Maharashtra border, a senior police official said. Acting on a tip-off about Maoists gathering in the hills adjoining Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra, around 250 km from the State capital Raipur, three teams of Indo-Tibetan Border Police, Special Task Force and district police force were sent, he said.
The skirmish took place when the ultras noticed the presence of security forces between Rajadera-Ramgadh village hills. Chasing the fleeing ultras, the woman Naxal was nabbed and a gun was recovered from her, the official said, adding She was identified as Tara alias Bimla (20). A native of Sahpal village of Manpur region, Tara joined the Naxal movement in 2009 as a member of Chetna Natya Manch, a cultural wing of Naxals, he said. During the interrogation, she admitted to involvement in attacks on security personnel in Katuljhora, Bukmarka, Unchapur and other areas, the official added.
http://zeenews.india.com/news/chhattisgarh/woman-naxal-held-in-chhattisgarh_935106.html
Naxalites kill ex-ZP member who was on hit list
NAGPUR: Maoist rebels killed former zilla parishad member Bapu Talande on Alapalli-Sironcha Road in Aheri tehsil near his native place Nimmalgudam on Sunday in Gadchiroli district. Talande, a senior Congress leader and social worker, was stabbed to death. He had been on the Naxalites’ hit list, sources said. A Naxal action team, intercepting Talande who was on his way to Gadchiroli, started stabbing the victim after he fell down from his bike.
Talande tried to escape but fell down after running for some distance towards his village. The rebels, who were chasing him, stabbed Talande further couple of times before leaving the place. Some villagers tried to rescue Talande but fled after the rebels whipped out firearms and threatened the civilians with them. It was learnt that three Naxals were waiting for Talande. The rebels also left behind some pamphlets stating that they were unhappy with Talande’s work in the region since two decades. The pamphlets were issued in the name of the banned CPI (Maoist) party. Senior police officials stated that Talande seldom stayed at his residence as he was already under threat from Naxals.
He had come a day earlier to stay with his family. Talande had left early morning for Gadchiroli. Police were left surprised by the prompt Naxal movement in the village. A section of the cops believe that some close Naxal link is likely to be staying in the village who informed the rebels about Talande’s presence at his house and plan to leave early. Police are yet to confirm the reason behind Talande’s murder. Police personnel from Rajaram Khandla Armed Outpost rushed to the spot on being intimated about the incident.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/City/Nagpur/Naxalites-kill-ex-ZP-member-who-was-on-hit-list/articleshow/35613245.cms
Gaya bandh call passes off peacefully
GAYA: The Gaya bandh call given by the Maoists to protest against the killing of a Class IX girl under Dumaria police station in Gaya district passed off peacefully. The girl’s body was recovered from a rivulet near village Narainpur under Dumaria police station. No report of any incident was received from any part of the district on Sunday. The bandh evoked limited response. Whereas the bandh was near total in the business areas of Dumaria, Imamganj, Banke Bazar and Raushanganj, it was business as usual elsewhere in the district.
Movement of vehicles on the all important GT road was near normal. According to SSP Nishant Tiwari, one person was arrested and sent to jail in connection with the killing of the girl. The post- mortem report ruled out rape. Forensic science experts have collected evidence from the place of occurrence. The FSL report is awaited. The case investigators believe that FSL report will give them the much-needed clue to identify the culprit.
Forensic science experts earlier did a commendable job in solving a multiple murder mystery in which five girls, all of them siblings/first cousins, were killed by nobody other than their own father/uncle. Though police officers are tightlipped about the progress of the investigation, sources say that teenage love triangle is being considered as the most likely cause of the murder apparently executed by an amateur killer with easily available sharp-edged weapons.
Though there was palpable anger against the local police for its poor response and lack of professionalism, immediate shifting of the Dumaria SHO and improved visibility of the police helped diffuse the tension. Bihar assembly Speaker Udai Narain Chaudhary, who happens to be the local MLA, would be visiting the area on Monday to express sympathy with the bereaved family. According to JD (U) sources, CM Jitan Ram Manjhi, during his Gaya visit scheduled later this week, may also visit the village. The CM has directed the local officials including SSP Nishant Tiwari to take prompt action against the culprits. Meanwhile, anti-Naxalite operation continued in Dumaria-Imamganj area on Sunday.
According to SSP Tiwari, the operation will continue in the days to come to flush out the Maoists. In no case innocent villagers will be harassed, said the SSP. He sought public cooperation in the ongoing action against the Red rebels.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/patna/Gaya-bandh-call-passes-off-peacefully/articleshow/35611869.cms
Two get lifer in Maoist ambush of police in Jharkhand
A local court on Monday awarded life imprisonment to two Maoist supporters in the killing of 14 police personnel about two years ago. District and Sessions Court (II) judge, RB Gupta, pronounced the verdict against former village mukhia Ram Das Minz and Fida Husain while acquitting nine others for want of evidence. In a major Maoist attack in Garhwa district, the rebels ambushed the police personnel at Bhandaria on January 21, 2012, killing them on the spot.
33-party alliance to enforce strike on June 20
KATHMANDU, May 26: The CPN (Maoist)-led alliance of 33 fringe parties that has announced to boycott the June 22 Constituent Assembly (CA) by-elections, on Monday declared to enforce strike in all four constituencies on June 20. A meeting of the alliance that boycotted the CA polls last year, held today also decided to organize protest assemblies and publicity campaigns against the by-elections.
http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=75642
Istanbul: Police detain 38 people in anti-terror raids
ISTANBUL – At least 38 people have been taken into custody after police conducted anti-terror raids in Istanbul’s Okmeydani district. The operation on Monday morning targeted people accused of being members of the leftist militant group Revolutionary People’s Liberation Party-Front and participating in illegal demonstrations in Okmeydani on 22 May, during which two people died and many others were injured.
Three hunting rifles, three pistols, 46 Molotov cocktails, unidentified explosive materials, gas masks, two blank firing guns and computer files were seized during searches in 18 different areas. A total of 26 people were alleged to be members of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party’s youth structure, the Patriotic Revolutionary Youth Movement, and another 12 of being members of leftist militant group DHKP/C.
-Explosives seized
Five of those taken into custody were reportedly under the age of 18. Several riot police and special operations teams took part in the operations which were coordinated by police helicopters flying overhead. The seized Molotov cocktails and home-made explosives were allegedly prepared to be deployed against police during demonstrations. TOMA vehicles with water canons were kept on standby and security measures were tightened around Okmeydani.
http://www.turkishpress.com/news/408428
Greek police investigate signs of gun attack on co-ruling party HQ
Greece’s anti-terrorism squad was investigating on Sunday an apparent attack at the headquarters of the co-ruling Socialist PASOK party after two bullets pierced its windows, police said. Greeks began voting in a second round of local and European Parliament elections on Sunday, seen as a litmus test for support for Prime Minister Antonis Samaras’s shaky government.
The attack on PASOK’s offices, in a bustling central Athens neighbourhood packed with bars and cafes, was likely carried out overnight, said a police official who declined to be named. Its offices are guarded around the clock by police in riot gear. “Two office windows on the second and third floor have been hit by a firearm. The anti-terrorism unit has taken over the investigation,” Greek police said in text message to journalists, without giving further details. Police cordoned off the area and more than two dozen riot policemen were at the scene on Sunday afternoon.
http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_wsite1_1_25/05/2014_539997
Mandalay miners sentenced to jail
Ten miners from Mandalay’s Yamethin Township have been sentenced to one and a half years in prison following months of protest against privatisation of the Moehti Moemi gold mines. Protests over the Moehti Moemi mines have been relentless since June 2013, shortly after a private company, Myanmar National Prosperity Co Ltd (NPPCL), reneged on a five-year agreement for joint-venture with local operators. When NPPCL won a government tender for a 6,015-acre site, the company vowed to work with small-scale miners who had been working the mines independently for years.
Locals say that the company neglected the agreement and left them severely disadvantaged among incoming large operators. Making matters worse, a nationwide ban on small-scale mining left thousands of miners abruptly jobless. After being evicted from the mines in 2013, they found refuge in a nearby monastery, which also served as a protest site.
http://www.dvb.no/news/mandalay-miners-sentenced-to-jail-burma-myanmar/41033
Wanted Maoist nabbed in Odisha
In a joint combing operation, security personnel arrested a wanted Maoist inside Fukura forest under Chandrapur block in Odisha’s Rayagada district on Saturday night. The arrested Maoist has been identified as Samanta Gudulika (25) of Budubali village. Briefing newsmen this morning, Muniguda SDPO Anant Charan Mallick said security personnel of the District Voluntary Force (DVF), Special Operations Group (SOG) and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), during a joint combing operation arrested Gudulika from Fukura forest on the Rayagada-Kandhamal border.
“He was involved in the murder of Hanumantapur sarpanch Deba Gageranga in 2012, Maoist violence in Gajapati district and torching of a country-liquor manufacturing unit at Dangasorada panchayat of Chandrapur block”, Mallick said. The SDPO said the arrested Maoist, who is being interrogated by the police, would be forwarded to the court on Monday.
http://odishasuntimes.com/56903/wanted-maoist-nabbed-odisha-2/
Sarpanch quits after kidnap drama
KORAPUT: Sarpanch of Tolo Goluru panchayat in Koraput district resigned on Saturday owing of alleged Maoist fear. B B Puti cited family problem and deteriorating health for quitting the post in his letter to the block development officer (BDO). On May 11, Maoists kidnapped four persons, including Puti, from Tolo Goluru village. He was allegedly thrashed and warned against helping police. The rebels killed two abductees, suspecting them to be police informers, and freed Puti on the condition that he would quit his job, sources said. The Maoist attack followed killing of two commanders of the outlawed outfit in an encounter with security forces in the adjoining Munguluvalsa village on March 4.
They suspected the quartet of having passed on information about their leaders to police. BDO (Pottangi) Bhagaban Behera said, “The sarpanch of Tolo Goluru has rendered his resignation and it will be sent to the district administration for necessary action.”
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bhubaneswar/Sarpanch-quits-after-kidnap-drama/articleshow/35591725.cms
Maoist weapons dump found
Adilabad: A Maoist dump was unearthed near Venkatapur forest in Kasipet mandal on Saturday morning. Displaying the material found before mediapersons at Bellampalli, Adilabad district superintendent of police, Dr Gajarao Bhupal, said that based on reliable information, a team of police personnel conducted searches in the forest area near Venkatapur village under the Devapur police station limits and found a plastic bundle hidden in bamboo bushes. The Maoist dump included six grenades, four tiffin boxes with explosives, four guns, a revolver, seven live rounds, four .303 rifle magazines, three magazine type boxes, 23 electric detonators, four springs, five pin type bolts and nine T-type pin bolts. The SP suspected that Maoist leaders Athram Shoban alias Charles, Bandi Prakash alias Prabhakar, Mailarapu Adellu alias Bhaskar and others may have hidden the weapons in the forests.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/Maoist-weapons-dump-found/articleshow/35572319.cms
Year after Jeeram massacre, why we know little about the Maoists’ most spectacular attack
Sifting through the investigation files, inside his air-conditioned office, a source remarked, “The convoy of Congress leaders in Chhattisgarh would have been wiped out, no matter which route they had taken. In both the places, the Maoists were aware, armed and had been lying in wait.” It was as if the Congress leadership had to choose between two routes leading to their bitter end and they chose the shorter one. On this day, a year ago, Maoist insurgents carried out what remains their most high profile attack ever killing 27, including the then Chhattisgarh Congress President Nand Kumar Patel, his son and controversial tribal leader Mahendra Karma as well as looting 22 weapons in the Jeeram Ghati region of the Bastar district. In response, centre tasked the National Investigation Agency (NIA) with investigating the case.
A year later, barring six arrests and two surrenders, of men admittedly at a ‘junior level’, not much has moved. Questions pertaining to conspiracy behind the killings, masterminds involved and the much-talked about political involvement remain unanswered. India Today has learnt that in a move as rare as the event itself, on March 25, Home Secretary sought a detailed review of the NIA investigation. Details of this top-level review, which was attended by representatives of the Ministry of Home Affairs, NIA, Intelligence Bureau (IB) and Chhattisgarh Police, as accessed, paint a damning picture of the systemic failure that first allowed the attack to take place and today prevents it from being solved.
The Known
The NIA investigation, the gathering was informed had revealed an elaborate design drawn up to execute the attack. “We now know that for about ten days prior to the attack, locally unknown men and women were seen in the Darbha area, working in the fields or assisting the locals. In some cases when locals asked them, these men and women shut them up,” said a source. A training camp had been established in the 20km corridor between Darbha in Bastar and Tongpal in Sukma. Even though the road connectivity is good, there is hardly any police presence all along the 20km route. Not even mobile phone towers exist here.
The implication of that would be the presence of a large number of most heavily armed fighters of the Communist Party of India (Maoist). Not surprisingly, this was neither reported by any local to the police nor did the police have the intelligence gathering mechanism to detect such an influx. It was in this situation that Maoists were informed about the movement of the Congress convoy. “It was like a God-sent opportunity for them,” the source said. Apart from involving about 200 men from the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee (DKSZC) of the CPI (Maoist), a mobile command and control post was set up at the ambush site where ‘Vinod’ who heads the Darbha Division Committee, was seen by eyewitnesses, taking orders from an unknown senior on his communication set.
“He kept himself out of the action and let the cadre have a go at the Congressmen as he coordinated with someone very senior,” said a source. Also involved in executing the attack were members of the jan militia, a lightly armed component consisting of locals. Apart from using the local Darbha Division Committee, the Maoists brought on ground its military-equivalent Central Regional Company – 2, said to be consisting of its best and most heavily armed cadre as well as some additional platoons. The NIA claimed it had positively identified over 100 Maoists who were on ground, during the attack and completed physical verification of half of them.
The agency also claimed to have photographs of these accused, a rarity, and got Non Bailable Warrants (NBWs) issued against 26 of the accused from the local court. Defending the agency, a senior officer said, “Right now, the NIA has about 40 names of those jan militia members who were involved in the attack and can be picked up. But they are mere pawns and by arresting them, you will generate noise but achieve nothing.” The effort, it was informed, was to take the harder route, get to the bottom and reach the big fish, many of whom were insurgents belonging to neighbouring states like Odisha and Andhra Pradesh.
http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/chhattisgarh-maoist-attack-sukma-darbha-ghati-massacre/1/363475.html
Revolutionary Writers Association condemns Saibaba’s arrest
Hyderabad: The city-based Revolutionary Writers Association (RWA) on Saturday condemned the arrest of G N Saibaba, a Delhi University professor, for his alleged Naxal links, and his subsequent suspension from the University. Saibaba was arrested by Gadchiroli police of Maharashtra earlier this month on the charge of links with Naxals and for providing them logistical support and helping them in recruitment. In a statement here, RWA demanded his immediate release. His arrest, carried out in “illegal manner”, and branding him as a Maoist exposed the state’s “anti-people” strategy, it added.
http://zeenews.india.com/news/andhra-pradesh/revolutionary-writers-association-condemns-saibaba-s-arrest_934602.html
Naxal held in Kanker in joint operation
Raipur: A naxal, carrying a reward on his head, was arrested during a joint search operation in Maoist-hit Kanker district of Chhattisgarh, police said on Sunday. The cadre identified as Ramesh Ramprasad Boga (35) from Rajnandgaon, was nabbed from the forest of Lohattar police station limits yesterday, a senior police official said. Acting on a tip-off, the joint team of Border Security Force (BSF) and district force launched combing operation in the Lohattar region, around 250 kms from here. On reaching the core forest, they spotted a suspect fleeing from the region, following which they chased and apprehended him, the official said. Boga was involved in several criminal offence including murder, attack on police personnel, arson and other, said the official, adding that he was carrying a reward of Rs 1,000 on his head. Interrogation was on with him, he added.
http://zeenews.india.com/news/chhattisgarh/naxal-held-in-kanker-in-joint-operation_934725.html
RPF workers held during search operation
IMPHAL, May 24: During a search operation, the Thoubal District Police Commandos arrested an active worker of PLA/RPF on May 23, informed a press release of the PRO Police. The arrested worker has been identified as Chongtham Oken, 44, son of Ch Gosai Singh of Langmeidong Mamang Makha Leikai. During investigation it was revealed that he made monetary demands to ZEOs of Kakching, Wangoi and Bishnupur and upon his disclosure, another active worker of the organisation identified as Maimom Bajanta Singh, 41, son of M Mohori Singh of Bashikhong Maimom Leikai was also arrested from Lilong bazaar.
One mobile handset was seized from Oken’s possession, said the release. A case has been registered at Waikhong Police Station and investigation is going on said the Manipur Police Department, it said. The release also continued that, the Imphal West district Police Commandos on May 23 conducted a cordon and search of a suspected house located at Yurembam area and arrested two PLA/RPF active members identified as s/s lt colonel Thokchom Kunje alias Tolen alias Babu Singh, 55, son of (L) Th Keso Singh of Yurembam Makha Leikai and Khongbaltabam Robin Singh, 58, son of (L) Kh Henouba Singh of Uripok Tourangbam Leikai from the house of Tolen. Two mobile handsets were seized from them. A case has been registered at Patsoi Police Station and investigation is going on, it said.
http://kanglaonline.com/2014/05/rpf-workers-held-during-search-operation/
Defence, Home Ministries to brief Modi
With the Bharatiya Janata Party’s avowed stand of zero tolerance of terrorism, the Narendra Modi-led government is likely to attend urgently to the issues of national security comprehensively. The two key Ministries — Defence and Home — entrusted with the upkeep of national and internal security are gearing up to make their presentations to the new Prime Minister. Both Ministries have been asked to prepare a road map on emerging challenges in national security in broader terms including military, economic, cyber and energy security…. On Naxal-violence, the Ministry is expected to brief the new government on the necessity to fill the “spaces” that have allowed rebel cadres a much wider area for manoeuvre and action. As per the Ministry records, an estimated 7,000 hardcore cadres and 30,000 of the Naxal Jan Militia (part-time members) are active.
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/defence-home-ministries-to-brief-modi/article6038862.ece
Two ‘hardcore Maoists’ arrested in Aurangabad
CRPF officials said the operation took place in Chapra village under Daudnagar Sub-division of the district on the basis of intelligence inputs. “Our men from CoBRA (Combat Battalion for Resolute Action) took part in the joint operation with the police here. Both the arrested Maoists – Shailesh Yadav and Arjun Paswan are dreaded naxals involved in several incidents of violence,” said CRPF Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Chiranjeev Prasad.
Police said there have been a dozens of cases lodged against the arrested duo in Aanti and Konch police stations of Gaya, another heavily naxal-infested district of Bihar. “Yadav and Paswan are accomplices of Maoist zonal commander Kailash Prajapati, who was arrested earlier this month. More raids are being conducted in the district to nab others connected with these persons,” Aurangabad SP Upendra Kumar Sharma said.
http://post.jagran.com/two-hardcore-maoists-arrested-in-aurangabad-1400840814
Youth Suspected of Naxalite Links Detained in Ramnad
RAMANATHAPURAM/DHARMAPURI: Busting a suspected module to draft youngsters into the Naxal movement in the backward Dharmapuri region, sleuths of the Anti-Naxal Special Duty Wing on Thursday detained a 24-year-old youth from Ramanathapuram district. The youth, Sathish Kumar of Melaiyur near Anandhur in Ramanathapuram was allegedly in regular touch with Anandhi alias Amalorpavam (50), an old-time Naxalite.
Investigators told Express that Sathish Kumar had studied in a government-run Industrial Training Institute (ITI) in Sivaganga where Anandhi, a native of Thirukkai village, worked as a cook. “We suspect that on finding Sathish Kumar to be an active individual, Anandhi had ‘mentored’ and introduced him to extremist ideology,” a police officer said. Incidentally, Anandhi was one of the five women, who were arrested during an anti-Naxal combing operation at Uthangarai in the then composite Dharmapuri district in November 2002. In that operation, police had controversially shot dead Siva alias Parthiban, a functionary of the Radical Youth League.
The women and their male colleagues, numbering around 20, were subsequently detained under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA, since repealed) and remanded in jail by the POTA Court in Poonamallee near Chennai. After spending several years in prison, many of the accused including Anandhi came out of prison on bail. “Anandhi maintained her links with Naxal outfit leaders in Dharmapuri and she had introduced Sathish Kumar to them,” an officer said.
Recently, the police had detained Anandhi and monitored her mobile phone call records. On finding that she had received/made calls to a particular number often, police tracked it down to that of Sathish Kumar. “Four days ago, we traced a call made by a Naxal commander to Sathish Kumar and we rushed to Thiruvadanai to track him but failed,” an officer said. According to sources, following the failed attempt to nab Sathish Kumar, police had detained his brother Palani on Wednesday to ascertain the former’s whereabouts. “On learning about this, Sathish Kumar presented himself before the Thiruvadanai Police Station on Thursday from where the waiting Anti-Naxal Special Duty Wing team took him to Dharmapuri for interrogation,” an officer said.
Palani was then let off. It is learnt that the police is also hunting for two suspected Naxals from Dharmapuri — Chandran and Manivasagam. However, till late Thursday night, the Anti-Naxal Wing refused to confirm if Sathish Kumar was formally arrested or merely held for the purpose of questioning. Incidentally, in October 2012, the Chennai police had arrested 13 persons for suspected links with Naxalites and of them three — Duraisingavel, Palani and Baskar were detained under POTA.
http://www.newindianexpress.com/states/tamil_nadu/Youth-Suspected-of-Naxalite-Links-Detained-in-Ramnad/2014/05/23/article2240005.ece
40 months on, court acquits ‘Naxal activist’ Sudhir Dhawale
Forty months spent at Nagpur prison in the company of over 60 tribal and Dalit youths, all booked in various cases of alleged Naxal activities, Sudhir Dhawale wants to pursue his unfinished dream — To relaunch a well-networked agitation against caste atrocities in the state. Dhawale, a Dalit activist and editor of Vidrohi magazine which openly criticised the state over cases of social inequalities, was arrested on January 2, 2011. Police said Dhawale was involved in Naxal activities in Maharashtra.
He was, however, acquitted last week by Gondia’s sessions court after police failed to produce substantial evidence against him. Most of the books seized from his residence in Byculla were available online or in the market, the court observed. “I was under police scanner since 2006, in the post-Khairlanji phase, where activists and intellectuals came together and questioned the state. It was after a long time that Dalits had begun organising. Our agitations resonated in the remotest areas. They began arresting us (Dalits) in false cases,” claims Dhawale. In the Khairlanji massacre on September 2006, a Dalit family was wiped out by dominant caste villagers.
Dhawale had launched a political front, Republican Panther, on December 6, 2007. The front’s mandate was to construct a common political platform for Dalits. “We had decided to intervene in every case of atrocity across the state. Agitation and protesting was not enough, our aim was to build a mass base and ensure the government was held responsible each time a Dalit basti was burnt, a Dalit youth was killed or a Dalit woman was sexually assaulted,” Dhawale said. Dhawale’s release comes at a time when the incidents of caste-related atrocities have increased greatly in the state. Last month, a 17- year old Dalit boy was killed in Ahmednagar for falling in love with a girl from a dominant caste. A Dalit sarpanch was killed in Jalna district for allegedly opposing political activists from dominant caste.
“But dissenting voices are stifled. We rarely see the oppressed caste fight back. Sustained agitation that we saw post-Khairlanji is no more a common sight. Many of us who participated in protest rallies then (post-Khairlanji) have been booked in cases. We were labelled as ‘Naxals’. I want to go back to those activists, youths, and relaunch our struggle,” Dhawale said.
http://indianexpress.com/article/india/regional-india/40-months-on-court-acquits-naxal-activist-sudhir-dhawale/
Cops seize huge cache of arms from Maoist hideout
RANCHI: Acting on the information gathered from the four CPI (Maoist) cadres, who were arrested from Bero area, police recovered a huge cache of arms from their hideout on Wednesday evening. At a press conference on Thursday, Ranchi SSP Prabhat Kumar said seven assault rifles, over 20 live bullets were recovered from Bero area, along Gumla and Lohardaga borders, when police conducted raids after extracting information from the arrested Maoists. ”
A brisk encounter also occurred between our forces and the Maoists late on Wednesday night. No one from either side was harmed in the encounter,” said Kumar. Police said the Maoists were possibly planning more strikes on the security forces and had gathered huge cache of arms in the forests for the purpose. “It could also be possible that the Maoists had planned major attacks on their rivals in Gumla,” said a police officer.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/City/Ranchi/Cops-seize-huge-cache-of-arms-from-Maoist-hideout/articleshow/35512344.cms
Police nab four hardcore Maoists in Ranchi
Ranchi, May 23 (ANI): Police arrested four hardcore Maoists in India’s red corridor of Gulma district and interiors of Ranchi in Jharkhand and recovered arms, ammunition and a number of mobile phones. Two of the arrested Maoists were area commanders of the red rebel outfit.
http://www.ibtimes.co.in/tv/police-nab-four-hardcore-maoists-in-ranchi-13972
Over 100 injured in Mexico City protest
Mexico City, May 22 (EFE).- A total of 101 people were injured, including 20 listed in serious condition, and five others were arrested when police moved in to take control of a Mexico City neighborhood from demonstrators opposed to a water project, the Federal District Public Safety Secretariat said. Residents opposed to the water project in San Bartolo Ameyalco, a town in the Mexico City borough of Alvaro Obregon, put up barricades, set fires, threw bottles at police and used sticks and stones to attack officers, the secretariat said.
“The project in question, which will benefit about 20,000 residents of the town, has been delayed more than 18 years. The borough reported that the start of work was last Feb. 14 and it was constantly halted because of the opponents, who supposedly are protecting an aquifer located there,” the secretariat said in a statement. Borough officials blame the dispute on the people who currently supply water to residents, the secretariat said.
Local officials asked various agencies, including the police department and the Mexico City Water System, for support during the installation of pipes to supply drinking water. The Federal District Public Safety Secretariat deployed 1,569 police officers, supported by 94 vehicles and two helicopters, to take control of the area. “During the operation, five arrests were made and 101 people were injured, 20 of them seriously, who were taken to different hospitals,” the secretariat said, without specifying how many officers were hurt. Protesters seized two officers and held them for several minutes before agreeing to release them, the secretariat said.
http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/agencia-efe/140522/over-100-injured-mexico-city-protest-0
Clashes in Istanbul kill two as protest anniversary nears
(Reuters) – A second person died on Friday after clashes between Turkish police and protesters in a working-class district of Istanbul, stirring fears of further unrest as the anniversary of last year’s anti-government demonstrations approaches. Istanbul Governor Huseyin Avni Mutlu called for calm “for the security of the nation” after protesters throwing petrol bombs and stones clashed with riot police in the city’s Okmeydani district on Thursday.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/05/23/us-turkey-protests-idUSBREA4L17620140523
Police detain 38 students during night raid at occupied Ege University building in İzmir
Thirty-eight people were detained in a nighttime police raid of Ege University’s Foreign Languages Faculty building in the western province of İzmir. The building had been occupied by students on May 22, according to Doğan News Agency. The students denounced police presence at the university and also protested the recent mining disaster in Soma, the death of the 15-year-old Gezi victim Berkin Elvan last March, and the shooting of a mourner during clashes in Istanbul on May 22.
“Our right to protest is being restrained. We demand that the police move out of the campus,” said one student, Serdar Gür. Riot police were deployed to the three-storey building at around 1 a.m., reinforced by a police helicopter, to break the occupation.
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/police-detain-38-students-during-night-raid-at-occupied-ege-university-building-in-izmir.aspx?pageID=238&nID=66861&NewsCatID=341
Court Concludes Two Trials Against 23 Garment Protesters
Two high-profile trials involving 23 men accused of taking part in a pair of violent garment worker protests in early January ended Thursday after five days of hearings at the Phnom Penh Municipal Court, with verdicts due next week. Of the 23, union leader Vorn Pao and nine others were arrested on January 2 at a protest for higher garment sector wages that turned violent when protesters and soldiers, called in to protect the Yakjin factory, began pelting each other with rocks.
Over five days of hearings that ended Thursday after a marathon 12-hour session, the prosecution sought to paint Mr. Pao as the main culprit in the violence, accusing him of inciting the protesters to attack the soldiers. The defendants have all accused the soldiers of throwing the stones first.
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/court-concludes-two-trials%E2%80%88against-23-garment-protesters-59434/
Baloch student wages hunger strike over missing leader
KARACHI: Eyes yellowing but sparkling with determination, Lateef Johar vows to carry on his month-long hunger strike until his missing leader is recovered – or he dies and another young Baloch takes his place. A month ago the 23-year-old chose to sit outside Karachi Press Club and refuse food, to demand the return of Zahid Baloch, the chairperson of the Azad group of the Baloch Students Organisation (BSO). The missing man was allegedly picked up by security forces on March 18 in Quetta.
For a month Johar and other BSO activists searched for their chairperson, but in vain. With the hunt attracting little attention, the central committee of the BSO decided to launch a hunger strike “unto death” and Johar offered himself as the maiden volunteer. “We just want that at least the world must know what is going on with us and how the state is suppressing our movement by kidnapping and killing our fellows,” Johar said. The BSO is one of the largest Baloch student movements. Some accuse it of links to violent separatist groups who have waged a 10-year insurgency, with regular bomb and gun attacks on security forces and state symbols. Johar has lost 21 kilogrammes of his body weight since beginning his protest and his frailty is obvious as he becomes breathless while talking.
http://tribune.com.pk/story/712034/baloch-student-wages-hunger-strike-over-missing-leader/
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