Thackeray ends hit-&-run silence

Mumbai: Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray has expressed condolences in a signed letter to the families of victims of a hit-and-run involving his personal assistant, reports our special correspondent.

The letter broke the Thackeray family?s silence over the accident on Saturday, in which Ravindra Mhatre had hit four persons waiting at a bus stop here, killing two women and injuring two men.

The letter was personally delivered to the families of 75-year-old Leela Mashelkar and 55-year-old Sheela Pawaskar by the Shiv Sena?s executive president, Uddhav Thackeray, and senior leader Manohar Joshi on Thursday.

Evoking memories of his personal tragedies, Thackeray wrote: ?Everyone is born with a warrant of death. Which way will you die and when is difficult to predict. I have also been through this.? He referred to the death of his eldest son Bindumadhav Thackeray in a car accident near Lonavala, and the death of his wife Meenatai in a heart attack a few years ago.

Police have, however, asked the regional transport office (RTO) to cancel the driving licence of Thackeray?s personal assistant Mhatre.

?Vile Parle police have sent a letter to the RTO asking it to cancel his licence as he was involved in a fatal mishap,? deputy commissioner of police Bipin Kumar Singh said. This is a normal procedure followed by the police in road accident cases, he added.

Blast at J&K minister house

Srinagar: Militants carried out a massive blast at the ancestral house of a minister late on Wednesday night, reports our correspondent.

A powerful bomb exploded inside the house of state agriculture minister Abdul Aziz Zargar at Noorabad in Anantnag district, police sources said.

Zargar is a senior leader of the ruling People?s Democratic Party and a confidant of chief minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed. The minister and his family were not present when the bomb exploded.

?They are all in Jammu. The house was extensively damaged in the blast,? said a police officer.

On Thursday, militants tossed a hand grenade at a patrol party of the Central Reserve Police Force at Khanyar in Srinagar. Five troopers were injured in the explosion near the Khanyar police station.

Fatal wedding trip for nine

Raipur (PTI): Nine members of a wedding party were killed when the vehicle in which they were travelling collided with a tree near Baya in Chhattisgarh on Thursday.

Eighteen people were going to Bhawarpur in Mahasamund district after attending a marriage in the district. Six seriously injured persons were shifted to Raipur Medical College Hospital and the others admitted at a hospital in Mahasamund. The driver, who was unhurt, is absconding, police said.

Infant killer

Mumbai (PTI): A youth was arrested by the crime branch in connection with the alleged sacrifice of an infant in the city last year. Pravin Rathod was held on Tuesday for kidnapping and murdering his relative, Jayesh Patel, on April 5, the deputy commissioner of police, crime, said.

Indians held

Colombo (PTI): The Sri Lankan navy arrested three Indians for allegedly trying to smuggle heroin into the country on Thursday. The trio, who arrived in a boat from India, was held after 1kg of heroin was found on them, a navy spokesperson said. They will be brought before a magistrate and if found guilty, face death penalty or life imprisonment.

Girl set ablaze

Nagpur (PTI): A teenager died after she was allegedly set on fire by a 26-year-old youth in Amravati on Wednesday. Deepali Kulkarni, a higher secondary student, had spurned the advances of Raju Wankhede, a compounder, police said. Enraged, Raju went to Deepali?s home and poured kerosene over her while she was asleep. Deepali, engulfed by the flames, rushed out and succumbed to her injuries in hospital.

Sex racket bust

Jammu (PTI): Six persons were held on Thursday for running an inter- state sex racket in Udhampur district. Police raided the house of Surinder Singh in Katra from where the racket was allegedly being run and seized a car. Singh used to bring girls from Delhi, official sources said.

The National Research Centre for Banana is working on a technology to make textiles from banana stem fibres. The centre also plans to develop medicinal banana stem juice and beverages.