N A T I O N

Three Days, Three Strikes
Naxals raid CRPF camp, kill three jawans
Alert along Andhra-Chhattisgarh border after strike
Raipur/Hyderabad, June 11
In the third incident of Maoist violence in the state in as many days, three CRPF jawans were killed when Naxalites attacked the force’s camp at Bhejji village in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada district today. Ten Maoists were also killed in the encounter, but their bodies were taken away by the ultras.

Mumbai rained in

Heavy rains continued to lash Mumbai for the third consecutive day on Saturday, causing water-logging and disrupting rail, road and air services. — PTI

India pushes Lanka on Tamil rights
Seeks quick political arrangement to put an end to ethnic conflict
Colombo, June 11
Seeking a “quick” solution to Sri Lanka's drawn out ethnic conflict, India today pressed the Mahinda Rajapaksa government to come to a “political arrangement” with the minority Tamils.

Protest heats up at Posco’s $12-bn Orissa project
Land acquisition officials unable to enter trouble zone despite heavy police deployment
Paradip (Orissa), June 11
The anti-Posco agitation today intensified with women and children in the forefront even as the Orissa Government, which had declared the protests as “unlawful”, redeployed police force but it returned for the second day without entering the plant site.

Three Days, Three Strikes
Naxals raid CRPF camp, kill three jawans
Alert along Andhra-Chhattisgarh border after strike

Raipur/Hyderabad, June 11
In the third incident of Maoist violence in the state in as many days, three CRPF jawans were killed when Naxalites attacked the force’s camp at Bhejji village in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada district today. Ten Maoists were also killed in the encounter, but their bodies were taken away by the ultras.

The Andhra Pradesh police have sounded an alert along the Andhra-Chhattisgarh border since Bhejji village is barely 40-50 km away.

A group of around 250 Naxalites attacked the CRPF camp in Bhejji village, Additional Director General of Police Ram Niwas said. Jawans opened fire forcing the Maoists to retreat after the two-hour encounter.

The injured jawans are being taken out of the encounter site and being shifted to a hospital in Jagdalpur for treatment, he said.

Senior officials of police and the CRPF rushed to the site and additional forces were also sent to the area. The police have started search operations in the area. Naxals had blasted roads to prevent reinforcements from reaching the spot.

Khammam district Superintendent of Police P Harikumar said that the Andhra police had taken all precautionary measures along the Andhra-Chhattisgarh border besides keeping a watch on the movement of suspicious persons entering the state. "We have already alerted our policemen on the border and movement of security forces has been increased," the SP said.

Yesterday, Naxals blew up an anti-landmine vehicle killing 10 security personnel in Dantewada. On Thursday, they had opened indiscriminate fire near the camp of Chhattisgarh Armed Force in Naraynpur district, killing four jawans and leaving another injured. — PTI

India pushes Lanka on Tamil rights
Seeks quick political arrangement to put an end to ethnic conflict

Colombo, June 11
Seeking a “quick” solution to Sri Lanka's drawn out ethnic conflict, India today pressed the Mahinda Rajapaksa government to come to a “political arrangement” with the minority Tamils.

“The quicker the Sri Lankan government can come to a political arrangement (with Tamils) the better,” National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon said after his talks with President Rajapaksa along with Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao and Defence Secretary Pradeep Kumar.

Sri Lanka had already pledged to improve on the 13th Amendment, the 1987 Constitutional provision which seeks to grant regional autonomy, as a political solution, Menon said, addressing Colombo-based Indian reporters.

The controversial 1987 amendment was a result of the Indo-Lanka peace accord which sought, but failed to end Tamil separatism in the island.

Menon maintained that Sri Lanka has already pledged to improve on the constitutional amendment and hoped they would implement it.

Menon along with Rao and Kumar opened closed-door talks with Foreign Minister GL Peiris soon after arriving in Colombo on Friday and had a breakfast meet with Rajapaksa this morning.

After spending about two hours with Rajapaksa, they also met with Tamil political leaders before leaving the island. The visit took place against the backdrop of the Tamil Nadu Assembly passing a resolution demanding imposition of economic sanctions against Colombo.

Menon said Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa's recent remarks did not figure in their talks. “The Sri Lankan government has said that they will directly deal with the Centre,” Menon said playing down the Jayalalithaa factor. — PTI

PM to visit Lanka

Protest heats up at Posco’s $12-bn Orissa project
Land acquisition officials unable to enter trouble zone despite heavy police deployment

Paradip (Orissa), June 11
The anti-Posco agitation today intensified with women and children in the forefront even as the Orissa Government, which had declared the protests as “unlawful”, redeployed police force but it returned for the second day without entering the plant site.

The six-year-old agitation against the setting up of the steel plant, which reached a flashpoint after the state government tried to acquire land forcibly, today saw political leaders and civil society activists rushing to the dharna site at Gobindpur to express solidarity with the protesters.

As the villagers, refusing to give away their land for the steel plant, formed a three-tier human barricade at the entry point, 23 platoons of police (about 800 personnel) were redeployed in the area, official sources said.

The police had been withdrawn from the place yesterday as the district administration of Jagatsinghpur made efforts to persuade the agitators to allow movement of officials in the area for land acquisition work for the project, they said.

CPI MP Bibhu Prasad Tarai along with members of CPI-M, Forward Bloc, RJD and SP reached Gobindpur area and sat on a dharna protesting forcible land acquisition by the state government. “The people are being beaten up, threatened and forced to receive cheque as compensation,” Tarai alleged.

Jagatsinghpur district Rehabilitation and Resettlement officer Surjit Das, however, termed the MP's allegation as “false and baseless”.

“We acquire land of the people who volunteer to give it,” Das said over phone claiming that there had been absolutely no use of force so far. Not ruling out use of police force, Jagatsinghpur SP Devdutt Singh said: “It is unlawful to claim ownership over government's forest land. We will do whatever is lawful.” The administration has declared assembly of protesters at the site as unlawful. — PTI

14-year-old raped, hanged in UP police station

Lakhimpur (UP), June 11
A 14-year-old girl was allegedly raped and hanged inside a police station premises in Nighasan area here after which all 11 policemen posted there were suspended. The girl, who had taken her cattle grazing, was missing since yesterday evening and her body was found hanging from a tree near an under-construction administrative block inside the Nighasan police station last night.

"The teenager had taken her cattle for grazing at the rear of the building. When she did not return till late, her mother went to the spot and found the girl's body hanging from the tree," Superintendent of Police DK Rai said. On the basis of a complaint lodged by the girl's mother, a case of rape and murder has been registered, he added.

"The victim's father works as chowkidar at the building. There was a separate gate used by him and his family," the SP said, adding that they used to stay adjacent to the police station premises. All 11 policemen, including station officer and two sub-inspectors, who were present at the police station, have been placed under suspension. — PTI