Kanpur ‘blast’

Lucknow, Oct. 14: A bicycle bag exploded in Kanpur this evening, injuring at least five persons and triggering rumours of a terror attack.

Police later said a firecracker purchased for Diwali and kept in a bag on the bicycle exploded for some reason. “Mobile police vans made announcements to assure people that it was a cracker burst. It is not a terror attack at all,” H.R. Sharma, the superintendent of police, said.

Advani copter

Malappuram (PTI): A helicopter carrying BJP leader L.K. Advani made an unscheduled landing at the international airport at Karippur on Tuesday. Airport sources said the helicopter was diverted for a “fuel check”. Advani, coming from Kasargode district, was scheduled to land at a helipad in Kozhikode for a public engagement.

Python scare

Bhopal (PTI): A 15-foot python was caught on Monday from the official residence of Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan. Security personnel noticed the python at the back of the house and called a snake-catcher.

Hand wash

Raipur (PTI): Around 48 lakh students in Chhattisgarh will wash their hands with soap and water to observe the first Global Handwashing Day on Wednesday. The day was designated by the UN as part of its ongoing International Year of Sanitation to promote hygiene.

Murder let-off

Mumbai (PTI): A court has acquitted a former Shiv Sena councillor, Surekha Patil, accused of murdering a man and throwing his body on railway tracks. Raj Patil’s parents had lodged the case against Surekha, claiming that just before the murder, the councillor had reprimanded the victim for harassing girls in the area.

Navy ‘attack’

Rameshwaram (PTI): Ten Tamil Nadu fishermen were injured in an alleged assault by Sri Lankan navy personnel in the Palk Straits on Monday night. The navy personnel allegedly attacked them and tore their fishing nets.