Arrest for cop attack

Jajpur: Nine persons of Choramuhan village have been arrested and forwarded to court on Tuesday for allegedly beating up the police personnel in Jajpur. They were remanded to judicial custody after their bail pleas were denied by the judicial magistrate first class, Chandikhole. Eight policemen, including inspector-in-charge (IIC) of Kuakhia police station Atul Krishna Das and assistant sub inspector Jaladhar Rout, sustained injuries in the incident. The injured police are undergoing treatment at Jajpur district headquarter hospital.

Scam probe

Bhubaneswar: The state government on Tuesday rejected the Opposition’s demand for a House committee to probe into the alleged irregularities in the execution of various projects under the JNNURM scheme. “There is no need for a House committee,” said housing and urban development minister Badri Narayan Patra. Moving an adjournment motion on the issue, Congress MLA Nabakishore Das and others said the Centre had allotted huge funds under JNNRUM to undertake various developmental projects in Bhubaneswar and Puri, but the money had not been spent properly.

Poachers held

Ganjam: Two poachers, Bijaya Swain and Mangalu Swain, were on Monday arrested and forwarded to the court for killing two wild elephants at Buduli in Ganjam. The two jumbos, aged between 25 and 30 years, were electrocuted in Buduli that falls in Mujagada range under Ghumsur North forest division. Bijaya and Mangulu confessed that they laid the wire with an intention to kill animals, said DFO Bipin Bihari Behera.

Mining scam

Ganjam: The high court on Tuesday adjourned further hearing on the necessity of a CBI probe on the mining scam till April 5. The two-judge bench of Chief Justice V. Gopala Gowda and Justice B.N. Mohapatra issued the adjournment order after hearing the arguments of the advocate general Ashok Mohanty along with submission of a counter affidavit and the arguments of former state law minister Narsingh Mishra on behalf of Rini Rath, one of the PIL petitioners. Mohanty reiterated that there is no necessity to entrust the CBI with the investigation as the state vigilance police is ‘competent’ and ‘has the necessary logistics as well as manpower to conduct the investigation’.