Latest news with #AK47s
NDTV
2 days ago
- Politics
- NDTV
"Mumbai Blasts Could've Been Averted If...": Ujjwal Nikam On Sanjay Dutt
New Delhi: The government's key lawyer Ujjwal Nikam, who is now stepping into politics with a seat in Rajya Sabha after a recommendation from the President of India Droupadi Murmu, took a relook at his career in law today in an exclusive interview with NDTV. Going over the milestones, he revealed one "secret" that he said he had had never told the media - his whispered conversation with Sanjay Dutt when the actor was convicted under the Arms Act during the hearing of the 1993 bomb blasts case in Mumbai in which 257 people had died. Mr Dutt's conversation with the Public Prosecutor was noted and much commented on at the time. BUt it was not known what was said. Sanjay Dutt, Mr Nikam said today, had lost control once the sentence was announced. "I saw his body language change. I felt that he was in shock. He could not tolerate the verdict and he looked shaken," Mr Nikam told NDTV. "He was in the witness box and I was nearby and I spoke to him. You'd remember he became silent and then he left," he added. Asked what it was that he told the actor, Mr Nikam said he was revealing the "secret" for the first time. "I told Sanjay, 'Sanjay don't do this. The media is watching you. You are an actor. If you appear scared by the sentence, people would consider you guilty. You have a chance to appeal'. He said 'Yes sir, yes sir'. Sanjay Dutt, back then, was innocent and had kept the weapon because he was attracted to guns, Mr Nikam said. "Yes he did commit an offence in the eyes of the law. But he is straight forward guy. And I considered him innocent. I have only one thing to say. The blast took place on March 12, days before that a van came his (Sanjay Dutt's) house. It was full of weapons-- hand grenades, AK 47s. Abu Salem (henchman of gangster Dawood Ibrahim) had brought it. Sanjay picked some hand grenades and guns. Then he returned it all and kept just one AK 47. Had he informed the police at the time, the police would have investigated and the Mumbai lasts would never have happened," Mr Nikam said. He said he had told Mr Dutt's lawyer about this as well -- the AK 47 was never fired and its possession - that of banned weapon -- was "one thing". But his not informing the police was what had led to the blasts that had killed so many people. The court had acquitted Mr Dutt from the acuusation of being a terrorist under the TADA law but had convicted him under the Arms Act. Later, the Supreme Court reduced his six-year sentence to five years. Mr Dutt had completed this sentence in Pune's Yerwada jail. Mr Nikam was also the prosecutor for the 26/11 Mumbai attack for which Pakistani terrorist Ajmal Kasab was hanged. Asked about his statement that Ajmal Kasab was having biriyani in jail, he said the terrorist had indeed demanded biriyani. But that comment was taken up by political leaders and politicised.
Metro
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Metro
Houthi rebels celebrate sinking ship laden with explosive materials in Red Sea
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Houthi militants hold their AK47s in the air and shout 'Allahu Akhbar, death to America' after storming a merchant ship laden with explosive materials in the Red Sea. In a Hollywood-style trailer released by the terror group's media centre, the militants fire rockets at the Liberian-flagged Magic Seas from small boats. After launching rocket propelled grenades at the vessel carrying 17,000 metric tons of 'highly hazardous' ammonium nitrate, the Houthi rebels hijack the huge red trawler. In intercepted radio transmissions, the captain of the Magic Seas tells the Houthis 'not to impede his safe passage'. But they demand him to 'stop the ship immediately for the safety of your crew'. The captain ignores them and makes a desperate mayday call saying he is being attacked by Houthis. Shortly after the crew abandon the Greek-owned bulk carrier and ditch into the sea where they are safely rescued by a passing UAE freighter. The fighters pull themselves aboard and sprint past the broken windows of the bridge. They calmly walk to the observation deck where they hold their rifles aloft and launch into a vile tirade against Israel and the United States in shocking drone footage. Moments later, drone footage shows them blow up the ship which sinks in the major global shipping route. Moammar Al-Eryani, serving as the Minister of Information for Yemen, said on X: 'The tanker was carrying approximately 17,000 metric tons of highly hazardous ammonium nitrate, resulting in its sinking and threatening the marine environment and international shipping lanes. 'A message to the international community: This is the militia we have repeatedly warned against, and this is the terrorism you have long ignored. 'Inaction towards these terrorist acts threatens to close Bab al-Mandab Strait, disrupting energy security and global trade, all at the behest of the Iranian regime. If this Houthi cancer is not eradicated now, the world will pay a heavy and costly price.' The video was released after another attack by Yemen's Houthi rebels on a Greek-owned Eternity C cargo ship killed three mariners and wounded two others on Tuesday. The two attacks are the first Houthi assaults on shipping since late 2024 on the waterway that had begun to see more ships pass through in recent weeks. Since November 2023, the Houthis have disrupted commerce by launching hundreds of drones and missiles at vessels in the Red Sea, saying they were targeting ships linked to Israel. While the Houthis reached a ceasefire with the United States in May, the militia has reiterated that they will keep attacking ships it says are connected with Israel. 'After several months of calm, the resumption of deplorable attacks in the Red Sea constitutes a renewed violation of international law and freedom of navigation,' IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez said on Tuesday. 'Innocent seafarers and local populations are the main victims of these attacks and the pollution they cause.' MORE: Netanyahu surprises Trump with letter nominating him for Nobel Peace Prize MORE: Melania Trump joins Donald in welcoming Gaza hostage who was 'very important' to her MORE: Trump says Israel agreed to 60-day Gaza ceasefire and threatens Hamas to accept
The Hindu
18-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Death of Uday, Aruna deepens leadership crisis among Maoists in AOB region
In the early hours of Wednesday morning, the Greyhounds personnel, during a combing operation in the area near Akooru in Maredumilli forest of Alluri Sitharama Raju district, spotted a group of around 16 armed members of the banned CPI (Maoist). What followed was a fierce gun battle for about an hour, in which three Maoists were killed. Among the deceased were Gajarla Ravi alias Uday, a Central Committee member and the secretary of the Andhra Odisha Border Special Zonal Committee (AOBSZC), and Ravi Venka Chaitanya alias Aruna, a zonal committee member and secretary of the East Division, which controls the AOB region. The police recovered three AK 47s. The death of Uday and Aruna is certainly a big blow to the Maoists, as the security forces presume it to be the endgame of the Left Wing extremists in the AOB region. After the death of two top Maoist leaders Kudumula Ravi and Bakuri Venkataramana alias Ganesh, there was a leadership void in this region. Both were considered fierce tribal leaders. While Kudumula died of illness in 2016, Bakkuri was among the 30 Maoists killed in the Ramaguda exchange of fire in 2016. It was after their death that Uday, Aruna and Chalapathi took charge of the AOB region. There was a rumour that Uday was also killed in the Ramaguda encounter, but he survived and led the Maoists in the AOBSZC. Hailing from Velishala in Telangana, Gajarla Ravi (58) alias Ganesh alias Anand alias Uday, joined the movement in 1990. He had completed his Intermediate and ITI and was an active member of RSU (Radical Student Union). After going underground, he was posted to AOB region to revive the movement. Trained by Nambala Keshava Rao alias Basavaraju, who was killed in May this year and Akkiraju Haragopal alias RK, who died of illness in 2021, Uday was supposed to be military strategist and also a leader who could recruit more tribal people. Both his brothers—Gajarla Saraiah and Gajarla Ashok— were associated with the movement. Saraiah, a member of the Central Military Commission and Central Committee, was shot dead in Kanthalapally forest in Warangal in April 2008 while Ashok surrendered in 2015. Considered a hardcore ideologist, Uday was said to be the trusted man of the senior leadership. After a series of major encounters such as in Ramaguda in 2016 and Teegalametta in 2021, in which many leaders were killed, a string of surrenders and arrests of mid-level leaders that followed, the movement had died down by 2022. Uday and Aruna, who were heading the operations, had moved to safer havens in Chhattisgarh. It was only in May 2024, after facing the heat in Chhattisgarh and with the idea of reviving the movement in the AOB, Aruna, Uday and Kakuri Pandana alias Jagan moved in with about 30 cadres. Considered an educated and fierce fighter, Aruna was the wife of former Central Committee member Chalapathi, who was killed earlier this year. She hailed from Pendurthi area of Visakhapatnam. Apart from her involvement in many cases, it is said that she had led the squad that killed former Araku MLA Kidari Sarveswar Rao and former MLA Siveri Soma, in September 2018, in Dumbriguda area of now ASR district. On May 7, Pandana, the last of the tribal leaders from the AOB, was killed in an encounter. With the deaths of Uday and Aruna, there is hardly anyone to lead the movement, say security personnel associated with anti-Maoist operations.
Hindustan Times
29-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Forces raze memorials in Maoist citadels
On February 9, security forces gunned down 31 Maoists in the jungles of Indravati National Park in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district, inflicting the highest single-day toll on the insurgency at the time. After an eight-hour gunbattle involving at least a thousandparamilitary and police personnel, the forces recovered the bodies of 31 uniformed Maoists, along with a large cache of weapons, including AK47s, SLRs, INSAS rifles, .303 rifles, BGL launchers, and explosives. But that's not all the forces found. 'After the encounter, the forces also came across a tall stone memorial built in the memory of the Maoists' senior comrade, Katakam Sudarshan, aka Anand,' said a Central Reserve Police Force officer in Bijapur, who asked not to be named. Katakam Sudarshan, a politburo member of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist) died of natural causes on May 31, 2023. 'We had information about the memorial but we had never entered the area until a few months ago as it was a Naxal stronghold. The area was not under our control so we had left it untouched all these years,' added the officer. 'The stone structure has now been destroyed.' That's not the only one. Over the last year, as security forces pushed deeper into the Maoist heartland and made inroads into territories considered too hostile even five years ago, they started smashing scores of what they claim are makeshift memorials to various Maoist leaders. This symbolic purge – to remove traces of Maoist influence across the once-infamous red corridor – has now become a part of the government's aggressive move to wipe out the decades-old insurgency by next spring. 'Such structures help Naxals keep the locals under their control by wielding a fake narrative that the area is under their control ,' the officer quoted above said. Security officials said that after entering Maoist strongholds in left-wing extremism (LWE) affected districts of Sukma, Bijapur, Narayanpur, and Dantewada, the forces repeatedly found red sandstone structures, some with several storeys in the shape of a tower as high as 60 feet. At least 147 such structures have either been bombed or brought down, said the officials. 'The memorials, all built using cement and painted red, range from 6- 60 feet in height. There is a common pattern too. A tall red memorial with the name of their slain leader or the date of the incident, when they have died. These were leaders who have masterminded and killed thousands of security forces personnel,' said a Central Reserve Police Force officer in Bijapur, who asked not to be named. Since the memorials were built in Naxal strongholds, the rebels had access to cement from nearby villages and were even able to use heavy machinery to construct the structures, the officer added. The memorials, resembling red pagodas, have the names of slain Maoist leaders, the date they died on, and messages in Hindi or Telegu paying tribute to the 'fallen comrade' inscribed on them. Some also have the flag of CPI (Maoist). But there are never any photographs. 'There will always be an erected podium in front of the memorial. The podium is where the Naxal cadres take oath every morning. Surrendered Naxals confirmed that recruitments and later training were held in front of such memorials inside the jungle. Over the last year, as the number of such memorials in Naxal areas became common and more frequent, an order was issued to destroy every symbol,' said the CRPF officer quoted above. The forces started discovering more of these memorials as they made inroads in Naxal strongholds. In December 2024, they came across a 60- feet tall concrete structure (shaped like a tower) built in the memory of Akkiraju Haragopal, a Maoist central committee member. Haragopal, aka Ramakrishna, died of natural causes in the forests sometime in October 2021, said a police officer. It had the date October 14, 2021 — the day the Maoist leader likely died — inscribed along with a message in Telugu paying homage to him and the Maoist movement. The structure was destroyed after the forces entered the Komatpalli village in Bijapur and set up the Vatevagu camp. 'It must have been the tallest such memorial. It took nearly 3-4 hours to get rid of the structure. When the forces took control of that area in Bijapur and found the structure, we all knew it was the first thing that needed to go. In all these years, these Naxals were emboldened to build such memorials and remind the innocent villagers of their influence. We ordered a JCB earthmover and toppled the structure,' said a police officer involved in the operation. Security personnel said they are mindful of not damaging structures that are aligned with tribal culture and customs. The police say these memorials served as nodes of the Maoist operation inside the forest – around where training would happen, events glorifying the killing of security forces and civilians would be held. 'Building memorials is part of the Naxal propaganda…Naxals did this to keep people under their influence. Outside these memorials Naxals held their Shaheed Diwas, glorified violence, and symbolised their leaders as heroes,' said inspector general (IG) of Bastar range, Sundarraj P. The forces believe smashing these memorials is key to dispelling the notion that the rebels still hold control of large swathes of forestland from where they've been recently wiped out – especially in weaning local villagers away from what the government believes is now a demoralised insurgency. 'There are less than 350 armed cadres who are refusing to surrender and putting up a fight with security forces. Hundreds of them have already surrendered,' said another police officer. Sundarraj said in some cases, the requests for destroying the memorials came from local villagers themselves after forces set up camps in the areas. 'People also do not want to remember that legacy…At many places people themselves have requested us to get it removed because the future of their children, who could have gone to school, were destroyed by Naxals,' he said. 'Such memorials won't be allowed.'
NDTV
25-05-2025
- Politics
- NDTV
NDTV Ground Report: Extortion Part Of China's Unconventional War On India
Extortion, armed violence and drugs - this is the deadly trio used by China to wage its unconventional war against India, using armed insurgent groups that it has funded for decades. In some states in the northeast region, families live in debilitating fear - their children are at constant risk of either getting recruited into an armed insurgent group or of becoming drug addicts. Up to 22 per cent of the salaries of state government employees is deducted at the disbursal offices - this is an unofficial "sovereignty tax" imposed by armed insurgent groups like the National Socialist Council of Nagaland - Isak-Muivah (NSCN-IM) and the Zomi Revolutionary Army (ZRA). The administration has bent over to keep the peace as these groups, armed with sophisticated Chinese-made weapons like AK 47s and rocket launchers, wield sway over most of the northeastern part of the country. "Even the state government has been paying taxes to some of the bigger groups," said KK Sema, a retired IAS officer who spearheaded a movement against Nagaland's "sovereignty tax". "Development funds come to the department. That department is told to pay 5-6 per cent to the groups from the headquarters itself. The money is then disbursed to the field, the field officers and contractors are also taxed. The state government will deny this. The state government employees are paying 22 per cent of their salary. This is being deducted at the disbursement office before it is paid to them. The disbursement officer would negotiate with the armed groups to reduce the 22 per cent to 10-12 per cent and the remaining amount would be paid to the government employee," he said. Everyone and everything is "taxed" by these armed groups. From vegetables and small businesses, to trucks and farm produce, groups like the NSCN-IM and the ZRA get a cut from all trades and commodities. The NSCN-IM's "Budget" NDTV got exclusive access to the NSCN-IM's "Budget" for fiscal year 2025-26. The amounts are staggering as they are a record of extortion of the people of Nagaland. This armed insurgent group plans to raise over Rs 158 crore in what they call "sovereignty tax", a fancy term for extortion. Everything from food items to fuel to construction materials is "taxed". Small shop owners too have to pay the NSCN-IM cadre. They cough up, staring at the barrel of a gun. Smuggling of cheap betelnut from Myanmar into India is also rife and provides a hefty sum for funding these armed insurgent groups. In this fiscal year, the NSCN-IM plans to raise Rs 2 crore from betelnut alone. Most of this betelnut from Myanmar heads to the factories of gutkha makers, according to highly placed sources. This fuels yet another illegal economy. As a result of this wanton extortion, the prices of goods and food in Nagaland can rise sharply without warning. "Because of the insurgency, there were many factions which were going out and taxing people. There is absolutely no reason for prices to rise. In the morning, a kilogram of tomatoes would cost Rs 30 and in the evening, it would cost Rs 60 without any real reason," Mr Sema explained. "Civil society started questioning why this price rise was happening. A few of us got together and sent out a group of youngsters to find out what was happening in the markets. They found that each commodity was being taxed in the market. They call it the 'sovereignty tax. It is called tax. But it is nothing but extortion," he added. Top sources told NDTV in confidence that a section of the local police and administration too actively aid these armed insurgent groups. Take for instance, the current Chairman of the Zomi Council, the mother organisation of the ZRA - Vumsuan Naulak. A retired Intelligence Bureau officer, he can be seen in this photograph awarding a child soldier at an undisclosed location in the Chin State of Myanmar. The Assam Rifles and a section of the state police are attempting to control the influence of these violent groups. On May 16, the Assam Rifles neutralised 10 cadres of an unnamed group and recovered seven AK-47 rifles, one RPG launcher, one M4 rifle and four single-barrel breech-loading rifles. They also found ammunition and war-like stores in Chandel district of Manipur, along the India-Myanmar Border. The Dimapur Police have stepped up efforts to file cases of extortion - 58 cases were filed between January 2024 and April 2025. 81 arrests were made and 78 weapons - from Chinese made AK 47s to Israeli Uzis - were seized. Special Operation Teams have also been set up to provide rapid action in cases of extortion. Police sources also told NDTV that Ikato Chishi Swu, son of one of the late founders of NSCN-IM Isak Chishi Swu, is currently in China. He had released a letter in April stating that he was quitting the NSCN-IM and would head to Myanmar to "continue the struggle" as the NSCN-IM had become a "corrupt" organisation. But flush with Chinese funding and sophisticated arms, these groups recruit more youth and the deadly cycle of violence continues unabated. Share
