On July 6, 2018, cadres of the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) killed a civilian, identified as Raiju Wadde, accusing him of being a ‘police informer’, at Tiralgarh village under the Bande Police Station area in the Kanker District of Chhattisgarh. Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Jaiprakash Badhai disclosed that CPI-Maoist cadres raided Wadde's house, dragged him out on to the streets and assaulted him. Subsequently, the Maoist conducted a ‘jan adalat’ (people’s/ praja/ kangaroo court) in the village and shot Wadde dead.
On June 24, 2018, a Pakistan Army soldier, identified as Sepoy Niaz Ali, was killed in an exchange of fire across the Pak-Afghan border in the North Waziristan District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) [the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) merged with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) on May 31, 2018]. "We shall... complete the fencing undeterred," Director General (DG) Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Major General Asif Ghafoor vowed, as he tweeted news of the sepoy's death. He added that Afghanistan’s cooperation was required [for fencing of the border], and that this was in the mutual interest of both countries.
For decades now, the Pakistan establishment, including both political parties and the military leadership in pursuit of their own agendas, have propped up and exploited Islamist extremist and terrorist formations. Increasingly, however, these radical groups are realizing their own power and capacity for mass mobilization and, instead of operating as proxies for others, seek a direct political role for themselves.
Chhattisgarh: Bijapur: 'Revolution' Interrupted
On April 27, 2018, eight Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) cadres, including six female cadres, were killed in an encounter with Security Forces (SFs) in the deep forests under Ilmidi Police Station limits in Bijapur District, Chhattisgarh. The Police recovered one Self Loading Rifle (SLR), one .303 rifle, four 12-bore guns, four Single Barrel Breach Loading (SBBL) guns, one .315 bore rifle, one revolver, live cartridges, three hand grenades, six rocket launchers, four pairs of olive green dresses and Naxal [Left Wing Extremist (LWE)] literature from the encounter spot. According to Special Director General (anti-Naxal Operations), D. M. Awasthi, the killed CPI-Maoist cadres were active in the Usoor and Basaguda area of Bijapur District.
Assam: ULFA-I: Marginal Threat
Insurgency across India’s Northeast is currently at its lowest ebb. Most major insurgent groups have suffered severe losses over recent years and are now engaged in talks with the Government. However, some splinter formations remain violently active. One of these latter groups is the Independent faction of the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA-I).
Ten persons, including six Policemen, were killed and another 35 were injured in a suicide attack near a Police check post outside the Tablighi Jamaat Markaz (centre) at Raiwind Town in Lahore, the provincial capital of Punjab, on March 14, 2018. A teenage suicide bomber blew himself up when a Policeman tried to stop him from entering the Markaz. At least 70,000 followers of Tablighi Jamaat were present at the annual congregation. The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for the attack and threatened more attacks on Police in retaliation for the killing of their “associates” in Punjab.
Nagaland: Democratic Consolidation
Nagaland Governor P.B. Acharya on March 6, 2018, stated that the Naga ‘political issue’ would be resolved within six months. He further asserted that if Nagaland and the Northeast were to progress, then the Naga issue should be brought to a conclusion and the welfare of the Nagas should be on the agenda.
Meghalaya: End of an Insurgency
On February 24, 2018, the ‘commander in chief’ of the Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA) Sohan D. Shira was killed in an encounter with commandos of the Meghalaya Special Force-10 at Dobu A’chakpek in East Garo Hills District. Police recovered one Heckler & Koch assault rifle with magazines, gelatin sticks and detonators, among other items, from the encounter site. Meghalaya Director General of Police (DGP) S.B Singh stated that “last night (February 23) we had received information about the probable location of Sohan Shira and Independent faction of United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA-I) ‘commander’ Dristi Rajkhowa and their group in Dobu Anchengbok in Bilwatgre village. Accordingly, we launched an operation at 4am and finally caught up with him in an encounter at around 11:30 am.” According to personnel of SF-10 commandos, who took part in the operation, Sohan was several yards away from his group when an approaching team of commandos came into visual contact with him. He (Sohan) tried to escape by firing a volley of shots from his rifle and the Police commandos returned fire, killing him on the spot.
Gilgit Baltistan: Where Islamabad Sees 'Terrorists'
Political persecution goes unabated in Gilgit-Baltistan. According to reports, Advocate Ehsan Ali, President of the Gilgit Baltistan Supreme Appellate Court Bar Association and ex-Chairman of Awami Action Committee (AAC) re-shared a photograph from a recent Iranian protests on social media on his Facebookpage in January (date not specified) 2018. The photograph, showing a woman protester sitting on a platform meant for prayer leaders in a mosque, had become a symbol of defiance of ordinary Iranians against the clerical regime in Iran. Soon after, fundamentalists started opposing the post calling it derogatory. Two FIRs (First Information Report) were filed on January 8, 2018, accusing Ali of “blasphemy” and also so making “fun of principal tenets of Islam”. The lawyer in the meantime (date not specified) removed the post, though there was hardly anything derogatory about the photo and also apologized to the people who found the post offensive and whose sentiments were hurt.
On February 15, 2018, 20 Islamic State (IS, formerly, Islamic State of Iraq and al Sham, also Daesh) terrorisms were killed in air and ground attacks conducted by the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) in Pacheragam, Kot, Heska Mina and Rawodat Districts of Nangarhar Province.
On November 20, 2017, a 'commander' of Communist Party of India (CPI-Maoist)'s 'Jan Militia (People's Army)', identified as Baman Kawasi aka Chaman, carrying a reward of INR 100,000, was arrested by Chhattisgarh Police from neighbouring Telangana. Acting on specific inputs, the Chhattisgarh Police arrested Chaman from the Husnabad area in the Khammam District of Telangana. Chaman was a native of the Kuwakonda Police Station area in the Dantewada District of Chhattisgarh. The 'People's Army', with an estimated current strength of around 12,000 cadres, forms the backbone of the Maoists' operational capabilities, and is responsible for intelligence gathering, spreading ideology and also mobilizing people into joining the group.
Chhattisgarh: Bijapur: Diminishing Heartland
On November 12, 2017, three Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) cadres were killed in an encounter with the Security Forces (SFs) near Mankeli village under the Bijapur Police Station limits in Bijapur District. SF personnel who were on an anti-Maoist operation in the area came under Maoist fire and an encounter ensued. SFs recovered bodies of three Maoists, along with three weapons, including one INSAS (Indian Small Arms System) assault rifle, and Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) from the encounter site.
Odisha: Malkangiri: Retreating Disruption
On October 22, 2017, the dead body of a civilian, identified as Sama Pangi (45), was recovered from Spillway Ghat (bank of a water body) of Balimela reservoir in the Chitrakonda area of Malkangiri District in Odisha. On October 15, 2017, Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) cadres had hijacked a motor launch boat and taken Sama Pangi, its driver, hostage in the "cut-off" region of Chitrakonda in the District, when the vessel was on its way to Kunturpadar carrying grocery items for Indian Reserve Battalion (IRB) forces deployed in the region. The Maoists killed Pangi suspecting him to be a 'Police informer'. According to Police, Pangi had been attacked two years earlier as well, but had survived. Following the attack, he had left his native village Janti and was staying at Pilobai village in the Chitrakonda area. He had sought protection from the District Police.
On October 25, 2017, three Islamic State (IS or Daesh) cadres, identified as Midilaj K.C. (26), Rashid M.P. (23), and Abdul Razakh K. (24), were arrested by the Valapattanam Police in the Kannur District of Kerala. All three youth, who were natives of Kannur District, were arrested by the Police. They had been kept under surveillance since they returned to India some four months earlier (date not specified), from Turkey.
Chhattisgarh: Rajnandgaon: Blocking Maoist Recovery
On October 4, 2017, a group of Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) cadres killed two civilians on the suspicion of being 'Police informers' in the Aundhi area of Rajnandgaon District. The victims, identified as Chandan Kirsam (51) and Vinod Salame (18), were first assaulted and then strangulated by the Maoists.