Konark protest

Bhubaneswar: Activists of Konark Suraksha Samiti, an organisation spearheading the movement for preservation and conservation of the monument, on Friday called a dawn-to-dusk bandh and locked the main gate of the monument in protest against the re-introduction of the increased entry fee to the Sun temple. The members of the outfit also sat on a dharna in front of the monument. Archaeological Survey of India had last month announced three-fold hike in entry fee for domestic visitors and 100 per cent hike for foreign tourists into historical monuments including Konark temple. The ticket price was increased from Rs 10 to Rs 30 for the domestic visitors while the entry fee for foreign tourists was doubled from Rs 250 to Rs 500.

Convocation

Cuttack: As many as 135 students, including 108 undergraduates, will receive their degrees at the third annual convocation of National Law University, Odisha (NLUO) here on Saturday. Degrees will be conferred upon 54 students of BALLB and 54 students of BBALLB and 25 students of LLM. Besides, gold medals will be awarded to 16 students of the 2015-16 batch at the convocation. Chief Justice of India T.S. Thakur will deliver the convocation address while chief minister Naveen Patnaik will be the guest of honour at the event.

Exploit charge

Bhubaneswar: Angry residents surrounded the Kakatpur police station in Puri district demanding the arrest of a schoolteacher accused of sexually exploiting a seven-year-old girl for the past three years. 
The school management has reportedly sacked Prashant Kumar Mistri, the accused. The mob ransacked the school and set fire to old car tyres on the road to register their protest. The matter came to light after the child complained to her parents about the schoolteacher. Her parents then lodged an FIR against the accused.

Student dead

Bhubaneswar: Tension prevailed at Capital Hospital following the death of a second-year engineering student on Friday morning. The friends of the deceased, Ashutosh Mohanty, 21, alleged that he had died after being drugged by a peddler. Later, his friends managed to catch the peddler and thrashed him. The police have detained the peddler.

Unfit bus

Bhubaneswar: Police have arrested owner of the ill-fated bus that fell into a gorge at Gaelo Ghat in Deogarh district killing 27  members of an opera party on April 18. The police arrested the owner, identified as Tapan Kumar Mohanty, on Thursday for operating the bus without valid documents. The Cuttack road transport officer had on April 19 filed an FIR against Mohanty at Lalbag police station for running his vehicle without fitness certificate and route permit.