Villager slips out of militant clutches
Jammu (PTI): A villager who had been kidnapped by militants from Kathua district escaped from their clutches, while security forces apprehended a Pakistani near the border, official sources said.
On Sunday night, two militants sneaked across the border, barged into the house of Parkash Singh in Rehn village and took away his son Naveen.
The militants forced Naveen to take them to a police post in Dingam village where they had planned to launch an attack, the sources said. While crossing a nullah, Naveen pushed one of his captors into it and fled under the cover of darkness as the other militant had already crossed the stream.
Naveen went to a nearby police station and reported the incident early on Monday. Security forces have launched a joint operation in the area.
BSF troops, meanwhile, caught Asif Khan, a Pakistani of Chasdah village in Peshawar, at the border outpost of Bakerpur in RS Pura sector on Sunday. He had crossed over to this side on a bicycle, the sources said. Khan was handed over to police after preliminary questioning.
Slipshod rap on rape-probe cops
New Delhi (PTI): Annoyed by Delhi police’s “slipshod” probe into a six-year-old case of gangrape of a minor, a city court has asked the commissioner of police to take strict action against the officers responsible for “sabotaging” the case.
“This case is a striking example of inaction on the part of the investigation officer and SHO (station house officer) and they have spoiled the investigation of this grave and heinous crime, punishable with life imprisonment.... Several accused whose names clearly find mention in prosecutrix’s statement are still at large and no effort is being made to arrest them and to bring them to justice...,” metropolitan magistrate Surinder S. Raathi said.
On October 21, 1998, a 15-year-old girl was raped on her way to her grandmother’s house.
The magistrate directed that the order be sent to the police chief “for looking into the matter to fix up responsibility of sabotaging the case and for taking strict disciplinary action” against sub-inspectors Aditya Ranjan and Ajay Kumar, who were probing the case, and inspectors Tejpal Nagar and Hukum Chand Rana, who were SHOs at the time.
The court also reprimanded deputy commissioner of police (north-east district) for sprucing up the investigation despite the court asking him to personally supervise it.
Dalit thrashed in water clash
Pune (PTI): A Dalit was beaten up by members of an upper caste in Shirur village in western Maharashtra — reeling under severe drought — for trying to fill water from a tanker, police said on Monday.
A case has been registered against six persons. The victim, 35-year-old Bhagwan Mahadeo Lad, has been admitted to hospital.
Lad in his complaint said trouble began when he demanded that water be filled in the storage tank constructed by the gram panchayat so that it could be equally distributed.
Pilot runs over two
Mumbai (PTI): The pilot of a private airline, arrested on Sunday for negligent driving after he allegedly ran his car over two security personnel, has been released on bail, police said. One of them was killed on the spot and the other was injured, sources said. The car then rammed into five other vehicles parked in the area.
Kargil power plant
New Delhi (PTI): The Central Electricity Authority (CEA) on Monday gave its nod to the 44-mw Chutak Hydroelectric Project in Kargil district of Jammu and Kashmir at an estimated cost of Rs 675 crore. The CEA has also cleared a 45-mw hydro power project in Nimoo Bazgo in Leh district at a cost of Rs 631 crore. Both projects will be executed by the state-owned National Hydroelectric Power Corporation at a total investment of Rs 1,300 crore.
Kicked to death
Nagpur (PTI): A man, dancing in a marriage procession, was killed after he was kicked by a horse at Pulgaon in Wardha district, police said. Satish Ramdas Bhokre, 30, died on the spot, the police said, adding that a case of accidental death has been registered.
Air mishap averted
Bhopal (PTI): All 101 passengers onboard a Delhi-bound Alliance Airways aircraft had a miraculous escape when two of its tyres deflated while taking off at Raja Bhoj airport on Monday evening. The commander of the Mumbai-Indore-Bhopal-Delhi flight abandoned the take-off when he noticed a slight imbalance in the Boeing 737 aircraft.
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The 18th edition of the India Knit Fair will be held at Tirupur near Coimbatore from May 12. About 75 knitwear garment exporters from across the country will display their spring/summer-2005 collections at the three-day fair.
