-The Telegraph Hyderabad: As rights groups accused the anti-Maoist militia Salwa Judum of atrocities on Chhattisgarh's villagers, its founder Mahendra Karma kept insisting his only aim was to "liberate" the tribals from the rebels' tyranny and propaganda. The future of the government-backed vigilante group, which still survives unofficially despite a Supreme Court order to disband it, now looks bleak after the Maoists killed Congress tribal leader Karma yesterday. The Salwa Judum (whose name...

-The Hindu Raipur: Launching the Congress party's ‘Parivartan Yatra' (March for Change) on Thursday in Bastar, a senior Central Minister, Jairam Ramesh, compared Mahendra Karma, the tribal leader, with a "slow tiger." "Mahendra Karma was called the ‘Bastar Tiger.' But the tiger has slowed down over the years," said the Minister in the presence of Mr. Karma and about two thousand Gond tribals. Sitting on the dais, Mr. Karma's reactions changed...

-Down to Earth Government and academic differ on reasons for decline Census data, released by directorate of census operations in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, has revealed that the tribal population of the islands declined by 3.19 per cent in the decade between 2001 and 2011. The overall population on the islands, however, increased by 6.86 per cent. While the government says the 2004 tsunami could be a reason for the decline...

-The Telegraph The Maoist attack in Chhattisgarh has jolted the security establishment, which was till recently celebrating recent successes against the rebels. Union home ministry sources said the massacre would go a long way in repairing the shattered morale of Maoist cadres, who were on the defensive following a coordinated blitzkrieg by the central and state police forces. Sustained security operations in the past three years had reduced the 39-member central committee of...

-The Times of India KORAPUT: Underpaid and tortured at workplace, six tribals were rescued by Malkangiri police in association with their Hassan counterparts in Karnataka on Saturday. According to sources, an agent identified as Rama Khillo of Sileru in Andhra Pradesh had lured these people, aged between 20 and 25 years, from Malkangiri district's RAC 1 village underKorkunda block with promises of better livelihood at Hassan on April 5. "These people were taken...