Twelve paramilitary troopers were killed and 11 injured when their vehicle hit a landmine planted by Maoist rebels in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh, news reports said yesterday.
The troopers were killed on Saturday evening in a forested area of Tongapal in Dantewada district, about 500km south of the state capital Raipur, IANS and PTI news agencies reported.
A 40-member squad of the Central Reserve Police Force and district police was returning to base camp after searching for Maoist rebels, police said.
The victims were traveling in a truck which hit the landmine. Seven men died on the spot and four on their way to hospital, TJ Longkumer, inspector general of police, said.
“One more succumbed to injuries midnight at the hospital where 11 men were rushed in a critical condition,” Longkumer said.
He said the toll could go up as some policemen were still missing.
“We have rushed extra police forces to the attack site,” Longkumer said.
The police team was returning from a village in the Tongepal area after receiving information that the Maoist rebels had set fire to some trucks used in road construction.
An unnamed local police official was quoted as saying rebels burned the trucks to lure the soldiers into an ambush in Bastar area of the Dantewada forests.
Chhattisgarh police estimate that roughly 10,000 rebels operate in the southern part of the state that includes Dantewada and Bijapur districts.
Maoists guerrillas operate in 13 of India’s 29 states. The Bastar region, which has a large tribal population and poor development, is one of their strongholds, authorities say.
FRAUD ALLEGED: The leader of an opposition alliance made allegations of electoral irregularities and called for a protest in Tirana as European leaders are to meet Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama’s Socialist Party scored a large victory in parliamentary elections, securing him his fourth term, official results showed late on Tuesday. The Socialist Party won 52.1 percent of the vote on Sunday compared with 34.2 percent for an alliance of opposition parties led by his main rival Sali Berisha, according to results released by the Albanian Central Election Commission. Diaspora votes have yet to be counted, but according to initial results, Rama was also leading there. According to projections, the Socialist Party could have more lawmakers than in 2021 elections. At the time, it won 74 seats in the
A Croatian town has come up with a novel solution to solve the issue of working parents when there are no public childcare spaces available: pay grandparents to do it. Samobor, near the capital, Zagreb, has become the first in the country to run a “Grandmother-Grandfather Service,” which pays 360 euros (US$400) a month per child. The scheme allows grandparents to top up their pension, but the authorities also hope it will boost family ties and tackle social isolation as the population ages. “The benefits are multiple,” Samobor Mayor Petra Skrobot told reporters. “Pensions are rather low and for parents it is sometimes
CONTROVERSY: During the performance of Israel’s entrant Yuval Raphael’s song ‘New Day Will Rise,’ loud whistles were heard and two people tried to get on stage Austria’s JJ yesterday won the Eurovision Song Contest, with his operatic song Wasted Love triumphing at the world’s biggest live music television event. After votes from national juries around Europe and viewers from across the continent and beyond, JJ gave Austria its first victory since bearded drag performer Conchita Wurst’s 2014 triumph. After the nail-biting drama as the votes were revealed running into yesterday morning, Austria finished with 436 points, ahead of Israel — whose participation drew protests — on 357 and Estonia on 356. “Thank you to you, Europe, for making my dreams come true,” 24-year-old countertenor JJ, whose
CANCER: Jose Mujica earned the moniker ‘world’s poorest president’ for giving away much of his salary and living a simple life on his farm, with his wife and dog Tributes poured in on Tuesday from across Latin America following the death of former Uruguayan president Jose “Pepe” Mujica, an ex-guerrilla fighter revered by the left for his humility and progressive politics. He was 89. Mujica, who spent a dozen years behind bars for revolutionary activity, lost his battle against cancer after announcing in January that the disease had spread and he would stop treatment. “With deep sorrow, we announce the passing of our comrade Pepe Mujica. President, activist, guide and leader. We will miss you greatly, old friend,” Uruguayan President Yamandu Orsi wrote on X. “Pepe, eternal,” a cyclist shouted out minutes later,
RSS