Influenced by the ongoing Lon Varratu (Come Back Home) campaign, seven Maoists, including two carrying rewards, surrendered in Chhattisgarh’s Dantewada district.

Among those who laid down arms were Juglu alias Sundum Kovasi and Dasha alias Burku Podiyam, both of whom had a bounty of Rs 50,000 announced by the Chhattisgarh government. These surrendered Maoists had been actively involved in various regional committees, participating in activities such as digging roads, cutting trees, and putting up banners and posters during the Naxal bandh, police officials said.

The surrender marks a significant success for the Naxal Eradication Campaign led by Inspector General of Police Sundarraj P, Deputy Inspector General Kamalochan Kashyap, and Superintendent of Police Gaurav Rai. Under the rehabilitation policy of the Chhattisgarh government, authorities have been working to integrate these former extremists into mainstream society. Extensive awareness efforts, including village-level publicity, have resulted in many Maoists choosing to abandon their militant activities.

At least 19 children, allegedly held captive and forced to work in imitation jewellery production, were rescued from Gujarat's Rajkot.

The Rajkot City Police and the Special Operations Group (SOG), along with the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit, rescued the children, all believed to be from West Bengal, from a house in a residency near Bedichowk.

According to officials, the children were found in distressing conditions and have been immediately sent for medical check-ups.

Initial examinations have reportedly revealed injury marks on their hands and backs, suggesting physical abuse.

Gujarat Environment Management Institute (GEMI), under the Forest and Environment Department, concluded a statewide campaign themed #BeatPlasticPollution, which ran from May 22 to June 5. According to data released on Friday, as many as 1,640 citizens came together to clean 12 beaches across Gujarat, collecting more than 18,350 kgs of waste, including large quantities of plastic.

The campaign saw public participation across beaches, urban neighborhoods, and villages, aiming to reduce plastic pollution and promote sustainable lifestyles.

Clean-up activities were conducted at coastal sites including Dwarka, Shivrajpur, Umargam, Dandi, Dumas, Mahuva, Porbandar, and Ravalpir.

The Forest Department in Gujarat has taken action against five individuals caught attempting to spot lions illegally in the Kodiya Vedma area of the Khambha Tulsishyam range in Dhari Gir East.

According to officials, forest patrol teams intercepted a car late at night on June 5 in the protected Kodiya VD zone.

The group, which included two individuals from Bhavnagar and three from Khambha, had entered the restricted area without permission in an attempt to sight lions.

Acting under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, the Department imposed a fine of Rs 90,000 on the offenders. A formal case has also been registered against them.

The police on Friday intensified their hunt for four more accused persons in connection with the stampede near Chinnaswamy Stadium that claimed 11 lives.

Earlier, four people, including the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) Marketing Head and DNA Event Management Company staffers, were arrested at the airport.

The personnel from the Cubbon Park police, who registered the case, and a special wing of the Central Crime Branch (CCB) are conducting a joint operation.

According to sources, the hunt is on for Rajesh Menon, Head and Vice President of RCB; K.T. Majeed, Director and Chief Financial Officer of DNA Event Management Firm; Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) Secretary A. Shankar; and Treasurer Jayaram.

Sudhakar, also known as Nar Singhachalam, a central committee member of the group, has been killed in a fierce gun-battle in the dense forest of Bijapur, Chhattisgarh on Thursday.

He was a highly wanted Maoist figure in Telangana, Chhattisgarh, and Maharashtra, with authorities having placed Rs 1 crore bounty on him.

Confirming his death, officials said he was eliminated in a fierce battle against Maoists which is going on in the dense forests of Bijapur, Chhattisgarh.

Gunfire has been raging since Thursday morning, with forces having moved in on intelligence indicating the presence of top Maoist leaders in the National Park region.

The police have filed an FIR against the management of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), DNA event management company, and the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), naming them as accused regarding the stampede incident near the Chinnaswamy Stadium here on June 4 which resulted in deaths of at least 11 people.

The development has come 24 hours after the tragic incident and amid criticism from the opposition and activists who questioned the government’s move to register only an Unnatural Death Report (UDR) instead of filing an FIR.

The Cubbon Park police in the Central Division of Bengaluru city has filed the FIR. The RCB management is named as the first accused in the case. DNA Event Management Company has been named as the second accused, and the KSCA has been named as the third accused party in the case.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday conducted a series of searches across the Kashmir Valley as part of its continuing investigations against terror conspiracy by Pakistan-backed proscribed terrorist organisations and their offshoots to destabilise Jammu and Kashmir, an official said.

A statement by NIA said: “Thirty-two locations in the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir were searched as part of today’s crackdown. The locations were residential premises of hybrid terrorists and overground workers associated with these Pakistan based offshoots such as The Resistance Front (TRF), United Liberation Front Jammu & Kashmir (ULFJ&K), Mujahideen Gazwat-ul-Hind (MGH), Jammu & Kashmir Freedom Fighters (JKFF), Kashmir Tigers, PAAF and others, which are affiliated to proscribed terrorist organisations such as Laskar-e-Toiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), Al-Badr etc.

Export and import activities between India and Bangladesh will remain suspended for several days on the occasion of Eid-al-Adha in the neighbouring country, an official said on Thursday.

An official of Integrated Check Post along Agartala (India)-Akhaura (Bangladesh) said that the export and import activities through this trade point would be closed from Friday and would reopen on June 9.

He said that the trade through the other checkposts including Tripura's Srimantapur, Belonia, Khowai, Kailashahar and Dharmanagar would close and reopen on different days as per the convenience of the traders.

The Agartala-Akhaura ICP, set up in 2013, located in the vicinity of the capital city of the state of Tripura that too within the Agartala Municipal Corporation area.

The mystery surrounding the recent unknown animal bite incidents appears to be nearing resolution with the discovery of a jackal carcass near Limbai village in Rajpur tehsil of Barwani district.

While this revelation may bring some clarity, fear continues to grip Sendhwa village following a new wave of animal attacks on Wednesday.

Residents remain anxious about their safety despite medical confirmation that the latest incident involved a dog and not a wild animal.

Eight persons were attacked and severely bitten, four of whom were transferred to Maharaja Yashwant Rao Holkar Medical College and Hospital in Indore for further treatment.

Photographs of wounded children raise questions about whether a dog could have inflicted such severe injuries. Four new patients have arrived in Indore for treatment following an animal attack in Kermala, Varla tehsil of Barwani district.