Saviour Cheetah clocks new record

New Delhi (PTI): An Indian Air Force Cheetah helicopter created a world record by landing 23,240 ft on Kamet glacier in the Garhwal Himalayas to rescue three critically injured climbers.

The operation was carried out by Wing Commander S.K. Sharma and his co-pilot Flight Lieutenant A.P. Dhanake, who flew the rescue missions on May 11, 12 and 13 in turbulent conditions and in the face of jet-speed winds.

Recounting the mission, Sharma told reporters on Monday that it was the first time that Cheetah helicopters had landed at such altitudes and the pilots had to take off their oxygen masks to save the climbers.

“The landing was done much above the service ceiling of the French helicopter, made under license here,” said the pilot. The helicopter’s height ceiling, according to the operating manual, is about 23,000 ft.

Using the global positioning system to get an idea of the height and speed while executing the task, he said only one body could be retrieved at a time. The rescued climbers were part of an air force expedition to Kamet, the third highest peak in the Indian Himalayas.

Fake encounter case trial

Siachen (PTI): The military court trying the “fake” Siachen encounter case on May 31 overruled objections regarding presentation of new documents by then commanding officer of Gorkha Rifles Colonel K.D. Singh.

Disputing the authenticity of a letter presented in court by Colonel Singh on his fourth day of deposition, Major Surender Singh, who allegedly made the false claim of an encounter with Pakistani troops at Siachen last year, had objected to the production of “new papers”.

“What is the relevance of submitting papers that were not presented before the court of inquiry earlier?” he had said.

The presiding officer of the court, Brigadier Philip Campose, however, overruled the objection, stating he was not concerned about the report of the inquiry because it was not before him.

While screening the video clips, Colonel Singh pointed out that the enemy target, which Major Singh had claimed to have destroyed, was blurred. He also said that there were no mules to be seen although the Pakistani side had used the animal extensively. “Mules are seen on all authentic video clip of other encounters and so these are fake,” he contended.

Fee relief for poor students

Bangalore (PTI): The Karnataka government on Monday decided to extend financial support to poor students from Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes pursuing medical courses, in the wake of an unprecedented hike in fees of undergraduate and postgraduate courses.

Chief minister . Dharam Singh said the decision would cost the government an estimated Rs 300 crore with an annual expense of Rs 60 crore.

Minor sale foiled

Akola (PTI): Police foiled an attempt to sell a minor girl to a person double her age after being tipped off by a Shiv Sena worker about the deal. Twelve people have been arrested. The 15-year-old girl, a resident of Mochipura locality of the city, was supposed to get married on Sunday to the 40-year-old man who lives in Gujarat, the police said. The girl’s mother was paid Rs 45,000.

Cop arrested

New Delhi (PTI): A Delhi police constable was arrested on Monday along with his mother and brother on the charge of murdering his pregnant wife in their house in northwest Delhi. The body of 27-year-old Mina, the wife of constable Ravinder Kumar, was found on Saturday with her throat slit. The trio has confessed to the crime, sources said. Mina was killed because she had lodged a dowry harassment case against her in-laws, the sources added.

Diarrhoea deaths

Pratapgarh (Uttar Pradesh) (PTI): Ten people, including eight children, have died of diarrhoea since Saturday even as 24 others took ill in a village 40 km from here, said chief medical officer Ishwar Chand Srivastav. A team of doctors is camping in the village and efforts are on to disinfect the water sources, he said.

Holy trip

Chennai (PTI): The Sankaracharya of Kanchi, Jayendra Saraswati, will be camping at Sri Kamakshi Mandir in New Delhi for five days from June 1 for the 111th birth anniversary celebrations of the late Chandrasekharendra Saraswathi, the institution sources said.

Children have built a 7-km chain of sand cigarettes on Goa’s beaches to spread the quit-smoking message on Monday, the World Anti-Smoking Day. The act that was initiated by a local NGO attempts to set a world record.