Farmers’ suicide 

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Human Rights Commission on Tuesday directed the state government to submit a report within four weeks on the issue of farmer suicides. As many as five farmers committed suicide within a span of five days, including the death of two farmers on Tuesday.

Working group

Bhubaneswar: A working group will be constituted involving senior officials of the state government and Indian Oil Corporation Limited to lay down a road map for the establishment of a petrochemical complex near Paradip. The panel will also review the fiscal incentives under a fresh MOU in the mutual interest of the state and the Paradip oil refinery project. This was decided at a meeting between chief secretary G.C. Pati and IOCL chairman B. Ashok.

Narcotic cuffs 

Cuttack: The flying squad of the excise department on Tuesday arrested a drug peddler and recovered 110 grams of brown sugar worth nearly Rs 11 lakh from his possession. The accused, Rajendra Nimai, 48, was arrested by a team of the excise officials from his residence at Bose Colony at 6:30am. Harish Sethi, the excise inspector said Rajendra was involved in peddling narcotic substances for the past two years and was supplying brown sugar to other peddlers in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack.

Eunuch shot at

Jajpur: A eunuch was injured critically when unidentified people fired at her in Jajpur Road on Monday night, police said on Tuesday. The injured has been identified as Kajal, a native of Sapagadia village. 

Goon held

Cuttack: Manas Das, 30, a criminal who was wanted in 17 cases relating to robbery, loot, and extortion was arrested on Tuesday. Two pistols and live bullets have also been recovered from his possession. 

Police said Das was arrested after he was intercepted by a special team of Malgodown and Chauliaganj police while one of his other associate managed to escape during the raid.

Jailed

Bhubaneswar: The Balasore district judge on Monday awarded life  imprisonment to a 60-year-old for hacking a woman to death at a village in the district two years ago. The court also slapped a penalty of Rs 2,000 on the accused, Parikhita Dalei. Parikhita, a native of Gobindapur village, had killed Santana Dalei, 62, of the same village following an altercation over a minor issue on June 28, 2010.

Celebration

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Sahitya Academy is going to celebrate the birth centenary of Binode Kanungo, compiler of Jnan Mandal, a famous Odia encyclopedia. The celebration will commence from Wednesday at the Utkal Sangeet Mahavidyalaya. 

Sports boost

Cuttack: The Odisha Olympic Association has decided to add 17 new districts of the state along with affiliating two state sports associations.