SPECIAL COVERAGE
CHANDIGARH

LUDHIANA

DELHI


THE TRIBUNE SPECIALS
50 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE

TERCENTENARY CELEBRATIONS



M A I N   N E W S

Rising Red terror: Maoists kidnap Chhattisgarh Collector, kill 2 guards

Raipur, April 21
In an audacious daylight operation, Maoist rebels today abducted the Collector of Chhattisgarh's Sukma district from the middle of a meeting with villagers after killing his two security officers.

Alex Pal Menon (32), an IAS officer of the 2006 batch, was kidnapped from Majhipara village in Keralapal area of the Maoist-infested district this afternoon, Additional Director of Police Ram Nivas said. The Maoists have not established any contact with the government or put forth any demand.

The incident happened when Menon, who went to the village on motorcycle, was holding a meeting with the villagers as part of the government's 'Gram Suraj' campaign, aimed at weaning away the locals from the path of Naxalism.

"Around 20 Naxalites reached the spot and shot dead two personal security officers of the Collector before taking him into the nearby forest," Ram Nivas said. The Maoists, however, spared sub-divisional Magistrate SK Vaidya, who was also present. State Home Minister Nankiram Kanwar said the Naxals had come on bikes and abducted Menon after opening fire.

A police team led by Sukma SP Abhishek Shandilya rushed to the spot and launched a combing operation to rescue the Collector. — PTI

Daring attack

n Menon, the first Collector of the newly-created Sukma district, is known to be pro-active in undertaking development work in the backward region

n He was meeting villagers as part of the 'Gram Suraj' campaign aimed at weaning away locals from the path of Naxalism when attacked

n Maoists had on Friday triggered a powerful landmine targeting the convoy of Bijapur BJP MLA Mahesh Gagda, killing two BJP workers and the driver of the vehicle

n Last year, Maoists had kidnapped the Collector of 
the adjoining Malkanagiri district and a junior engineer 

Back

 

 





 



HOME PAGE | Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir | Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs | Nation | Opinions |
| Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi |
| Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail |