Maoist commander Ganesh, 3 others killed in encounter

BHUBANESWAR/BERHAMPUR/HYDERABAD: He vanished at will – sometimes robed as a swamiji, stick in hand, towel over his shoulder – shedding names as easily as trails. On Thursday, bullets caught up with Maoist commander Paka Hanumanthu, better known as Ganesh Uike, with a collective bounty of Rs 1.1 crore, who refused to surrender and died in a security operation in Odisha.The 69-year-old CPI (Maoist) central committee member – the Odisha in-charge of the banned outfit and a veteran of more than four decades underground – was among four Maoists killed before dawn in Kandhamal district, a hilly, forested region in southern Odisha bordering Chhattisgarh. His death raised the number of rebels killed in Kandhamal to six over the past 24 hours.

Security agencies linked Ganesh to several major Maoist operations, most notably the May 2013 Jhiram Ghati ambush in Sukma district of Chhattisgarh, where a convoy of Congress functionaries was attacked, killing at least 27 on the spot and wounding 34. That episode kept him high on most-wanted lists across Maoist-affected states.Thursday’s operation followed the Dec 22 surrender of 22 Maoists from Chhattisgarh in Malkangiri district in southern Odisha. Police said credible intelligence from the surrendered cadres helped track Ganesh’s movements. Ganesh killing a turning point: ShahTwo Maoists, including an area committee member, were killed Wednesday. Ganesh fell hours later, becoming the first Maoist commander and central committee member neutralised in Odisha. Kandhamal SP Harish BC said security forces found four bodies — two men and two women — all in uniform, along with two INSAS rifles and a .303 rifle. “Ganesh’s identity has been verified. Identities of the other three cadres are being established,” he said.Home minister Amit Shah called the operation a turning point. “A significant milestone towards Naxal-free Bharat,” his office said in a post. “We are resolved to eliminate Naxalism before the 31st of March 2026.” Shah has set March 2026 as the nationwide deadline to end Maoist insurgency and said Odisha is on the verge of becoming free of left-wing extremism.Police sources said Ganesh showed no signs of surrender. In recent months, he had publicly criticised central committee colleague Chandranna for surrendering to Telangana police & insisted the movement would continue despite setbacks. Ganesh carried bounties of Rs 40 lakh in Chhattisgarh and Rs 25 lakh each in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.Born in Pullemla village of Nalgonda district in Telangana, Ganesh — known by aliases Rupa, Rajesh Tiwari, Chamu, Chamru and Somudu — studied in Nalgonda, left his BSc unfinished, and went underground in 1982 amid violent campus politics. He later emerged as an organiser and commander in West Bastar, a dense forest belt in southern Chhattisgarh, serving as secretary and in-charge of the divisional committee and overseeing the south sub-zonal bureau.

MUMBAI: Marking a long-awaited milestone for the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), the Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) formally entered India’s commercial aviation map on Thursday with the arrival and departure of its first scheduled passenger flights.The inaugural arrival was IndiGo flight 6E460 from Bengaluru, which touched down at 8am and was welcomed with a ceremonial water cannon salute. Over half an hour later, NMIA saw its first departure – an IndiGo flight to Hyderabad – taking off at 8.40 am. Day 1 saw 48 flights connecting nine domestic destinations and serving over 4,000 passengers, with peak traffic between 5 pm and 7 pm.NMIA’s take-off marks a major expansion of air connectivity for Mumbai region, constrained for decades by existing airport operating out of a single runway and handling 950 flights every 24 hours.The ‘Navi’ or ‘newness’ factor was underscored even by aviation professionals. “For us, the new airport is called Navi,” said an airline pilot. It is the official call sign to be used by pilots and air traffic controllers in radio communication. “When the first flight was handed over to the Navi Mumbai tower, we radioed to the pilots, ‘Welcome to Navi’,” an aviation official said.There were teething troubles for flyers. Several passengers said road signages were unclear or missing at junctions, causing motorists to reach the cargo terminal before finding the passenger terminal. Approach roads were also under repair, with JCBs deployed for road-widening work.Despite Navi Mumbai Municipal Transport launching bus services on five routes, most flyers opted for app cabs as auto and taxi stands were not fully operational. Passengers travelling from areas such as Matunga and Dadar noted the distance to the new airport-around 35 km. “Signages are not clearly visible on Atal Setu when you enter Navi Mumbai,” said Matunga resident Dinesh Gandhi.Curious visitors also turned up to see the airport, but private security restricted entry to ticketed passengers.Day 1 operations began with four carriers: IndiGo, Akasa Air, Air India Express and Star Air. Developed and operated by Adani Airports Holdings Limited, NMIA is among India’s largest greenfield airport projects. Chairman Gautam Adani welcomed passengers from the inaugural flight and interacted with staff and frontline workers. “It’s a proud day for Mumbai and for India,” he said.Cultural performances featuring Maharashtrian lezim, dhol and tutari added local flavour. India Post released a commemorative First Flight Carried Special Cover flown on an IndiGo service to Goa.Demand to name the airport after D B Patil resurfaced, with former MP Sanjeev Naik saying it reflected the sentiment of Navi Mumbaikars.

NEW DELHI: In a crackdown on the functioning of a dummy school that enrolled hundreds of students in higher secondary classes, the Delhi high court on Wednesday barred it from running classes XI and XII or admitting new students. High court also initiated contempt of court proceedings against the owner and management of Richmondd Global School for flouting its earlier undertaking given to the court in this regard.Justice Jyoti Singh ordered the management to deposit Rs 75 lakh with the court registry as the money was charged from hundreds of students in these classes who, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) found, never turned up to attend classes but were enrolled only on paper. CBSE had carried out a surprise inspection, suspecting the students were taking coaching classes but paid the school to remain eligible to sit for the class XII examination and become eligible for quotas in Delhi’s engineering and medical colleges.Justice Singh, while penalising the school, allowed 128 students out of 1,300 enrolled in classes XI and XII to be transferred to a nearby CBSE-affiliated school, and asked the board to open its online portal so they could apply for examination registration.“A team of CBSE officials shall visit the school on December 26 at 2.30 pm, inspect the records and verify the admissions as also the attendance of 128 students studying in class XII. The school shall issue transfer certificates to the students within a week’s time. On receipt of the certificates, they shall join James Convent Senior Secondary School, Nihal Vihar,” the high court directed, adding the students will pay the three months’ quarter fee as well as examination fee/late fee, as applicable.Appreciating the role of CBSE standing counsel M A Niyazi in facilitating the transfer, HC noted: “CBSE has permitted 128 students… as an exceptional measure, looking at the extraordinary circumstances, and neither this concession nor the present order will be treated as a precedent for students currently studying class XI in the school nor in any other case.”HC ordered school chairman Nidhi Gupta and manager Rishabh Gupta to file separate affidavits confirming no further students are being admitted. It said this, “Information shall be disseminated amongst the students of classes X and XI and also put up on the notice board at a prominent place so that these children are made aware that they will not be promoted to classes XI and XII in the next academic session”.The court was hearing petitions by the school and some of its students against CBSE’s decision to withdraw affiliation.

NEW DELHI: The much-hyped reunion of the Thackeray cousins after 20 years has altered the political landscape of Maharashtra with the new alliance signalling the silent end of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) – the opposition front which Uddhav formed with the Congress and Sharad Pawar’s NCP in 2019 to keep the BJP out of power after the assembly elections.The MVA, which ruled the state for two-and-a-half years, was dealt a body blow in 2022 when the Shiv Sena and the NCP split down the middle after rebellion against Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar. Despite the setback, the opposition coalition came back strongly in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, winning 30 out of the 48 seats in the state. But that glory was short-lived as the MVA was decimated in the assembly elections held later in the year and could collectively win only 46 out of the 288 seats.

While the assembly elections had already taken the sting out of the MVA, the Thackeray alliance has now literally left the coalition on the verge of disintegration. Sharad Pawar has indicated he will align with the Thackeray cousins, but the Congress has been left in the lurch as it refused to join hands with Raj Thackeray’s MNS, given his aggressive “outsiders” pitch against north Indians. So, where does the Congress go from here? The immediate test for the grand-old-party is the elections to 29 civic corporations in Maharashtra, including the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, on January 15. The just-concluded municipal council and nagar panchayat elections, which were swept by the BJP-led Mahayuti, saw the Congress emerge as the main opposition party. While the Congress won 824 seats, its MVA allies – NCP (SP) and Shiv Sena (UBT) – could manage only 256 and 244 seats respectively. Little wonder, the Congress, which had for some time now played second fiddle to both Uddhav and Sharad Pawar, was quick to assert that it has now emerged as the principal opposition in the state.Maharashtra Congress chief Harshwardhan Sapkal on Thursday said his party is holding discussions to form an alliance with Prakash Ambedkar’s Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) for the upcoming municipal corporation elections. But will this alliance be enough to help the grand-old-party counter the force of ruling Mahayuti on one hand and the strong Marathi pitch of the Thackeray brothers on the other?The Congress move to chart its own course in Maharashtra is a bold gambit. The party which had a fairly strong presence in the state politics till 2009, has since seen its electoral fortunes decline. In the 2024 assembly elections, the Congress could win only 16 seats out of the 101 it contested in the 288-member assembly. The Congress vote share stood at 12.42% – which is the lowest for the party in Maharashtra, but still more than all other players in the state except the BJP.The Congress would be hoping to draw support from the minorities, Dalits and also the migrant voters by staying away from Raj Thackeray. It would also hope to insulate itself from anti-incumbency against Uddhav Thackeray, whose Shiv Sena has dominated the BMC for many years.However, this solo fight pitches the Congress against the BJP – which has been an undisputed winner in all recent electoral contests. The move also ends up dividing the opposition space in the civic polls, giving the BJP-led Mahayuti an advantage. The local body elections will also put to the test the Congress’s organisational strength – which has seen a decline in many states. If, despite these challenges, the Congress does manage a decent show in the civic polls, it could pave the way for a changed thinking in its alliance politics. On the flip side, a poor show could push it more towards oblivion and reduce the party’s bargaining power.The Congress, for now, says that independent contests by MVA constituents in civic elections should not be seen as a rift within either the MVA or the INDIA bloc. Leader of Opposition Vijay Wadettiwar justified the party’s solo stance and said that while the INDIA bloc had fought the Lok Sabha elections together and the MVA contested the assembly polls as a united front, local body elections operate under different political realities.However, if the Thackeray clan bonhomie translates into electoral gains for both Uddhav and Raj, the Congress will have to be prepared for a long solo stint in the state.

NEW DELHI: Delhi’s air quality improved for the second consecutive day on Thursday, though pollution levels continued to remain a concern. The city’s 24-hour average air quality index (AQI) stood at 234 at 4 pm, placing it in the ‘poor’ category, according to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). The reading marked an improvement from an AQI of 271 recorded at the same time on Wednesday and a sharp recovery from the ‘severe’ level of 412 recorded on Tuesday.

Of the 40 functional air quality monitoring stations in the capital, 10 reported ‘moderate’ air quality with AQI levels below 200. These included Lodhi Road, IIT Delhi, Indira Gandhi International Airport and Aya Nagar. Meanwhile, 27 stations continued to record air quality in the ‘poor’ category.Two stations — Jahangirpuri and Bawana — recorded ‘very poor’ air quality, with AQI levels crossing 300.Despite the recent improvement, forecasts indicate that air quality is likely to deteriorate to the ‘very poor’ category in the coming days.As per CPCB classification, an AQI between 0 and 50 is considered ‘good’, 51 to 100 ‘satisfactory’, 101 to 200 ‘moderate’, 201 to 300 ‘poor’, 301 to 400 ‘very poor’ and 401 to 500 ‘severe’.Data from the Decision Support System (DSS) for Air Quality Management showed that vehicular emissions were the largest contributor to Delhi’s pollution load on Wednesday, accounting for 18.5 per cent. Industries in Delhi and adjoining areas contributed 9.5 per cent, followed by construction activities at 2.5 per cent and waste burning at 1.6 per cent.Among NCR districts, Jhajjar in Haryana emerged as the highest contributor to Delhi’s pollution at 17.6 per cent, followed by Rohtak at 5.9 per cent and Sonipat at 3.1 per cent.

Beijing on Thursday rejected a Pentagon report that accused China of using easing border tensions with India to weaken US-India ties, calling the claims false and aimed at creating discord.“The Pentagon’s report distorts China’s defence policy, sows discord between China and other countries, and aims at finding a pretext for the US to maintain its military supremacy,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said at a media briefing in Beijing, firmly opposing the report.Chinese defence ministry spokesperson Zhang Xiaogang also rejected the findings, including references to growing defence and space cooperation between China and Pakistan and suggestions about a possible military base. Zhang called the report biased and said that it exaggerated the so-called “Chinese military threat” and misled the international community. He further urged the US to stop spreading false narratives and provoking confrontation.

China on ties with India

Responding to sections of the report that discussed India-China relations, Lin said Beijing viewed its ties with New Delhi from a long-term and strategic perspective.“We stand ready to strengthen communication, enhance mutual trust, promote cooperation, and properly handle differences with India, and advance a sound and stable bilateral relationship,” he said.On references to the Line of Actual Control, Lin said the boundary issue was a matter between China and India, and that the current border situation was stable.“The boundary question is a matter between China and India, and the current border situation between the two countries is generally stable with smooth communication channels.”

What Pentagon said

In its annual report to Congress titled ‘Military and security developments involving the People’s Republic of China 2025, the US department of war said China may seek to use easing tensions along the Line of Actual Control to stabilise relations with India and prevent closer US-India ties.The report referred to a meeting between Chinese president Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in October 2024. The report also said China has expanded the definition of its “core interests” to include Taiwan and sovereignty claims in the South China Sea, the Senkaku Islands, and Arunachal Pradesh.It further highlighted cooperation between China and Pakistan in areas such as defence and space, adding that Beijing has “likely also considered” setting up a military base in Pakistan.

Karnataka deputy CM DK Shivakumar meets Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge at his residence in Bengaluru (PTI)

NEW DELHI: Karnataka deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar on Thursday met Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge at his residence in Bengaluru amid speculation over the state leadership issue. Speaking to reporters later, Shivakumar clarified that the discussion was, however, not political and he only discussed with Kharge the law enacted by the center replacing the MGNREGA ahead of the Congress Working Committee meeting on December 27.“There is no need to do it, I will not do it, there is no such thing for now. Siddaramaiah and I have said that we will work abiding by the high command’s decision, and we are committed to it,” said Shivakumar.On remaining a party worker, Shivakumar said, “I’m a lifetime worker of the party. Whatever the post may be, I’m a worker of the party. I have tied the party flag, both as a party worker and President. I have pasted party posters, and I have done the sweeping work. I have done all things for the Congress party. I have not come just to sit and make speeches on the stage. I have done all the work for the party,” as quoted by PTI.When asked if he expects a reward for his work, he replied, “I won’t answer such things.”The leadership issue in Karnataka intensified after the Congress government reached the halfway mark of its five-year term on November 20. Kharge had recently stated that confusion over the leadership exists only at the local level and urged local leaders to take ownership of disputes rather than blaming the high command. Earlier, Siddaramaiah asserted in the Assembly that he would continue in office and that the high command supported him. Reacting to this, Shivakumar said, “We have come to an agreement with the involvement of the Congress high command, and both of us will abide by it.”When asked if he will be going to Delhi, the deputy CM said, “If I’m called, I will go. I have not been called so far.” On whether Siddaramaiah will attend the Congress Working Committee meeting, he added, “Maybe. I’m aware that three CMs (from Congress-ruled states) have been invited. Deputy CMs have not been called. State Congress Presidents are only called for the extended working committee meeting.”Shivakumar also criticised the new law replacing MGNREGA, calling it detrimental to the poor, labourers, and farmers. “The new law makes for 40 per cent contribution for the scheme from the states, no state can afford, even the BJP states can’t implement it. We have to fight, we are planning. As the state Congress president, I will plan a big movement on this. All panchayat members and MGNREGA workers should come together and ensure that the MGNREGA is restored and protect rural development,” he said.

Thailand on Thursday defended the demolition of the Vishnu idol, describing it as a “decorative structure” along its border with Cambodia, after criticism from India.Thailand’s prime minister Anutin Charnvirakul also defended the move, telling reporters on Thursday that “a destroyed statue cannot compare to soldiers’ lives or limbs”.The Thai government further said that the structure was “not connected to any religion” and was “merely a decorative piece at a location along the Thailand-Cambodia border.”It said that the statue was removed to assert control in a disputed border area and that the action was not meant to insult any religion.“The removal was related to security considerations and area administration and not intended to disrespect any religion or beliefs,” it said in a statement.In a separate statement, Bangkok added that the statue was “not installed as a registered or officially recognised religious site”.The government also expressed “sincere regret for any discomfort that may have arisen from misunderstandings” following the circulation of images showing the demolition.India slams idol destructionIndia reacted sharply to the incident on Wednesday, with the ministry of external affairs saying that “such disrespectful acts hurt the sentiments of followers around the world, and should not take place.”“Notwithstanding territorial claims, such disrespectful acts hurt the sentiments of followers around the world, and should not take place,” the ministry said, adding that “Hindu and Buddhist deities are deeply revered and worshipped by people across the region, as part of our shared civilisational heritage.”A Cambodian government spokesman from Preah Vihear province earlier said, “We condemn the destruction of ancient temples and statues that are worshipped by Buddhist and Hindu followers.”He further said that the statue was “inside our territory in the An Ses area”.Cambodia has repeatedly accused Thai forces of damaging temple ruins along the border during recent clashes, an allegation Bangkok has denied.Thailand-Cambodia conflictThe demolition followed nearly two weeks of military clashes between the two neighbours.Videos showing the Vishnu statue being torn down with a backhoe circulated widely on Thai social media this week. AFP verified the footage and confirmed it was filmed near the disputed An Ses area.A check on Google Maps showed the statue stood about 400 metres from the border, on the Cambodian side.The long-running border dispute flared up again this month, leaving 23 people dead in Thailand, most of them soldiers, and 21 civilians killed in Cambodia, according to official figures. Both sides have blamed each other for triggering the latest fighting and have accused one another of targeting civilians.