Rape accused kin refutes cop claim

New Delhi (PTI): A relative of an accused in the December 16 gang rape case has refuted Delhi police’s claim in a special court that she concocted a false story at the behest of their lawyer.

Akshay Thakur’s elder sister-in-law claimed she had taken a train to Bihar a day before the incident occurred, along with the accused. Akshay is one of the accused in the case.

Akshay’s kin, who came in court to depose as a defence witness, also declined the police claim that the accused had not boarded the train on December 15, 2012 from Delhi to his native village and was in the bus in which the girl was gang raped on December 16. Akshay in his statement had claimed that he had left for his native village in Bihar a day before the incident and was not in the bus at the time of the incident.

Suicide attempt foiled

Patna: Tabassum Begum, widow of slain leader of the JD(U) students’ wing, Shamim Khan, attempted to commit suicide on the Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar Bihar University campus in Muzaffarpur on Friday in protest against police’s failure to arrest the killers of her husband.

Floral tributes

Patna: Tributes were paid to Hindi litterateur Acharya Shivpuja Sahay on his 120th birth anniversary on Friday. The state function was organised at SK Memorial Hall where food and consumer protection minister Shyam Rajak paid floral tributes to the late novelist.

Flood threat

Patna: An increased flow of water in the Ganga has put pressure on spur numbers five and six of embankment of the river near Ismailpur Bindtoli in Bhagalpur. A water resources department media note on Friday said flood protection work at this point was being done on a war footing.

Seed protest

Patna: Members of GM Free Bihar Movement held a protest programme on Friday. Addressing the event, members said the introduction of genetically modified seeds would cause problems. They claimed that apart from health hazards and harm to environment, the introduction of such seeds would put a question mark on the sovereignty of the country.

Tribal plea

Patna: Bihar Rajya Gonda Mahasabha president Sujata Sumbrai on Friday said tribals in the state were not getting their due.

Drought demand

Patna: BJP MLA from Paliganj, Usha Vidyarthi on Friday sat on a 28-hour hunger strike to press for her demand of declaring Patna a drought-hit district. She also demanded that the government stop taking land revenue from farmers.

Quail farming

Patna: Prem Youth Foundation on Friday organised a state-level training programme to promote quail farming. Experts briefed the participants about quail farming and explained that the state had immense potential in this field.

Soldiers’ death

ara: Residents on Friday took out a protest march and burnt effigies of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and defence minister A.K. Antony demanding action against Pakistan in wake of the death of five armymen.