Five Maoists killed in gunfight
Visakhapatnam: Five Maoists were killed in an exchange of fire with police near the Andhra Pradesh-Odisha border on Sunday, police said. According to police, the incident took place near Gummirevulu village in Gudem Kotha Veedhi block. The exchange of fire took place when personnel of anti-Maoist force, Greyhounds, and the Special Protection Force (SPF) came face to face with the Maoists during the combing operations in the agency area. Following the gunfight, bodies of five Maoists were recovered. Arms and kitbags were also recovered from the spot. There were no reports of any casualties on the police side. The forces launched the joint operations against those who escaped in the forests. The combing operations were being carried out in the region in view of the ongoing anniversary celebrations by the Communist Party of India-Maoist. The banned outfit had announced anniversary celebrations from September 21 to 28. The gunfight occurred a day before the first anniversary of the killing of then Andhra Pradesh Assembly member Kidari Sarveswara Rao. (IANS)
Cong plans march in Gujarat
Ahmedabad: To spread Mahatma Gandhi’s message, the Gujarat Congress has decided to organise a march to Sabarmati from two places — one from Porbandar, his place of birth, and the other from Dandi, famous for the ‘salt satyagrah’. The march will start on September 27 and culminate on October 2 at the Sabarmati Ashram. Termed as the ‘Gandhi Sandesh Yatra’, the march was aimed at spreading the ideologies and ethos of Gandhi on the occasion of his 150th birth anniversary, said a Gujarat Congress leader. All senior state party leaders are expected to participate in the march. Arjun Modwadia, senior Congress leader, said during the 400-km Porbandar-Sabarmati march, meetings would be organised in most towns and villages. The year is also special for the Congress due to the 75th birth anniversary of Rajiv Gandhi. (IANS)
Terror module busted in Punjab
CHANDIGARH: In another major crackdown on terror, the Punjab Police has busted a module of the revived Khalistan Zindabad Force (KZF), the Pakistan-backed and Germany-based militant group that was conspiring to unleash a series of terrorist strikes in Punjab and adjoining states. The police said on Sunday thgat it has seized a huge cache of arms, including five AK-47 rifles, pistols, satellite phones and hand grenades, following the raid. Given the international links and the ramifications of the conspiracy, Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has decided to hand over further investigations in the case to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to ensure that the entire conspiracy is fully and expeditiously unraveled. Initial investigations revealed that drones were being used to deliver weapons and communication hardware from across the border. (IANS)
Ex-UP CM summoned by CBI
Lucknow: A Special CBI court has issued summons to former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Kalyan Singh to appear before it on September 27 in connection with the Babri Masjid demolition case. Taking note of Bar Association’s information that Kalyan Singh’s gubernatorial term ended in first week of September, special judge S.K. Yadav issued summons on the Central Bureau of Investigation’s pending application. Besides Singh, former Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani, M.M. Joshi, Uma Bharti and others are also facing trial for conspiring to demolish the 14th century structure on December 6, 1992. The trial is being conducted on a day-to-day basis. The court had asked the CBI whether the BJP leader was still holding a constitutional post. (IANS)