IITian joins quota hunger strike

KanPur (PTI): A student of the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, has started an indefinite hunger strike to protest against the bill passed in the Parliament that provides reservation for other backward classes in central educational institutions.

Chandrashekhar, also a spokesperson for Youth for Equality, said the aim of the strike was to express solidarity with the similar protest by resident doctors of AIIMS in Delhi.

He said several students would soon join him. “Our agitation would remain peaceful and it would not deter the working of IIT.”

The students of Banaras Hindu University have also decided to agitate against the OBC quota, he added.

Thackeray security stepped up

Mumbai: The security cover provided to Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray has been enhanced following reports of a fresh threat to his life from fidayeen squads of the Lashkar-e-Toiba.

Though police officials remained tightlipped about the development, a report in the Sena mouthpiece Saamna said the intelligence bureau had alerted Mumbai police on December 13 about the possibility of such an attack.

The report said the bureau’s special director P.C. Haldar had sent an intelligence alert to Mumbai police warning about the arrival of a Lashkar fidayeen module in the city.

The module had also conducted reconnaissance at Matoshree, the Thackeray bungalow at Bandra, which has a heavy security cover around it.

Jessica verdict

New delhi (PTI): Delhi High Court will give its verdict in the Jessica Lal murder case on an appeal challenging the acquittal of all nine persons, including main accused Manu Sharma, by a trial court on Monday.

A bench of Justices R.S. Sodhi and P.K. Bhasin will pronounce the verdict at 2 pm.

CPM murder

Thrissur (PTI): A CPM worker has been hacked to death in his hospital room by suspected BJP activists, police said. The assailants sneaked into his room, mortally wounded him and escaped.

Deities burnt

Ahmedabad (PTI): Security has been tightened in four villages in Dangs district of Gujarat after statues of local tribal deities were found vandalised, police said. Unknown miscreants burnt wooden statues of tiger and snake gods, leading to tension in the area.

Students of a beautician course at a Pune institute are practising their craft on inmates of beggars’ homes and orphanages. The institute also offers free counselling to poor families.