Affidavit order

Patna: The high court on Thursday directed the government to file a counter affidavit in connection with construction of Bihar Museum on Bailey Road.

The division bench of Chief Justice L. Narasimha Reddy and Justice Vikash Jain passed the order during hearing a PIL filed by one Ashok Kumar questioning the utility of constructing the Rs 530 crore-worth museum.

Murder arrest

 Munger: Special Task Force personnel caught Pawan Mandal, the main accused in the murder of BJP leader Pankaj Verma, from Patna on Thursday.

CM direction

 Patna: Chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi on Thursday directed all departments to ensure effective monitoring of funds which have to come from the Centre. He directed the departments to write letters to the ministries concerned on his behalf for early release of pending funds.

Solidarity

Patna: Bihar Power Engineering Service Association general secretary Ashwini Kumar on Thursday said they support the demand of Bihar State Electricity Employees' Association and Bihar Power Workers' Union to regularise the services of contract field workers, technicians, junior and assistant engineers. They do not, however, support the proposed strike call given by the unions on February 18.

Bank conference

 Patna: Bank Employees' Federation of India would organise its 9th All India conference in Patna on Saturday. Around 1,000 delegates will attend the four-day conference.

Transfer

Patna: The government transferred 46 Bihar administrative service officers, including the sub-divisional officers of Gaya, Rohtas, Siwan, Muzaffarpur, Bhagalpur and Darbhanga districts.

Arms seized

 Aurangabad: Police seized a rifle and nine live cartridges from Ganpat Tendua village on Thursday after a clash between two groups of people over use of sub-standard material in construction of a road.

Collision

Begusarai: Three members of a family were killed and 10 others injured when a sports utility vehicle collided with a speeding truck on State Highway 55 near Mohanpur village on Thursday. The victims were residents of Sikraula village in Begusarai district.

Two dead

 Sasaram: Two persons were killed when a pickup van collided with a motorcycle on Grand Trunk Road near Kudra in Kaimur district on Thursday. The deceased were residents of Kaimur and Rohtas districts.

Beaten to death

 Muzaffarpur: Pradip Paswan, a 15-year-old boy, was beaten to death by a group of villagers of Dhiran Chapra on Wednesday night. One person has been arrested.

Tributes

Patna: Tributes were paid to litterateur Acharya Janki Ballabh Shastri on Thursday at a programme organised by Ganesh Dutt Vichar Manch to mark his birth anniversary.