5 killed, 24 injured in road mishap
Ara: Five people were killed and 24 others were injured when a bus carrying them over turned near Bachari bridge under Piro police station area in Bhojpur district on Saturday. Police said here that the incident took place when the bus carrying the victims over turned near Bchari bridge. Five people died on the spot while 24 others sustained injuries in the incident. ‘All the 24 injured had been admitted to a local hospital where condition of six was stated to be critical’, police said adding that the ill fated bus was on its way to Bikram in Rohtas district from Bihiya in Bhojpur district. Loss of control of the driver over the vehicle was stated to be the reason behind the accident, police further added. (UNI)
Man accuses MLA wife of beating him up
Sambhal (UP): A Samajwadi Party MLA has been booked along with her aides for allegedly beating up her estranged husband. Dilip Varshney, estranged husband of Laxmi Gautam who is MLA from Chandausi, has lodged an FIR in this regard, police said today. He alleged that Gautam along with her gunner and other associates last night came and beat him up after giving an ultimatum to vacate the house. Varshney also alleged that they hurled abuses at his elderly mother. (PTI)
Villagers demand removal of liquor shop
Puducherry: Traffic on the Puducherry-Cuddalore road was affected for about one-and-a-half hours today as the people of Nainarmandapam village led by AIADMK legislator Bhaskar put up a road blockade. They were protesting the opening of a liquor shop at Nainarmandapam by the Pondicherry Agroc Products and Civil Supplies Corproation (PAPSCO). A private party had identified a place for opening a liquor shop at Nainarmandapam where already a liquor shop existed and the move was dropped following public protest. However, PAPSCO made all arrangements to open the shop last evening which drew public protest. However, this morning, despite protest from the villagers, the shop was opened by PAPSCO. Angered at this, the villagers led by the legislator locked up the shop and put up a road blockade. Senior police and PAPSCO officials intervened and assured that the shop will not be opened there following which they called off their stir. (UNI)
People’s Rights Fed plea to varsity
Puducherry: The Federation for People’s Rights here on Saturday urged the Pondicherry university authorities to revoke the suspension of students involved in a raggin incident, in the wake of the Madras High court granting a stay on the university action. In a statement here,Federation Secretary G Sugumaran said Kavya, a student from Kerala was allegedly ragged by soem senior students and threatened to sexually harass her. Following this, she ledged a complaint with the university authorities. However, nine students including Kavya were suspended and the students were on a indefinite fast for the last five days. The university administration failed to take any initiative to hold talks with the students to put an end to their stir,he charged. The Federation would take part in the agitation to be orgnsied by the CPM in front of Rajnivas here on November 11 in support of the suspended students,Sugumaran said. (UNI)
Govt employees protest in Srinagar
Srinagar: Dozens of government employees staged a protest here Saturday against what they termed the anti-employee policies of the Jammu and Kashmir government. The employees gathered at the Press Enclave at Residency Road in summer capital Srinagar raising slogans against the Omar Abdullah-led coalition government in the state. “We shall neither tire nor bow before the brute force being used by the state government to put down our peaceful voice and legitimate demands,” Employees Joint Action Committee (EJAC) president Abdul Qayoom Wani told the protesters. “We had planned to hold a seminar on the employees’ demands inside the CAPD (Consumer Affairs & Public Distribution) office in the city today (Saturday). Police sealed all entry and exit points at the proposed venue, forcing us to gather at the Press Enclave to hold the protest,” Wani said. “This protest is against the use of force by the state government against its employees. We demand withdrawal of essential services maintenance act (ESMA) and the withdrawal of invoking of no-work-no-pay rule,” he added. “(IANS)
J-K govt orders inquiry into Class XII exam paper
Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir government has ordered an inquiry into complaints of students that the recently held Class XII Mathematics paper was “twisted and out of syllabus”. “The complaint of class XII students about examination of Mathematics paper recently held was discussed at an officers meeting here under the chairmanship of Deputy Chief Minister, Tara Chand. After thorough deliberations on the issue, the deputy chief minister ordered an inquiry into the matter,” an official spokesman said. (PTI)
The official said Chand, who holds the Education portfolio, asked Secretary Board of School Education (BOSE) to inquire into the matter immediately and submit report of “irresponsible attitude” of concerned authorities so that justice is meted out to the affected student community and erring officials are taken to task appropriately. Many students and their parents held protests here over the issue and demanded government intervention into the matter. One student, Irshad Ahmad Shah (18) from central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district, allegedly committed suicide on October 29 after consuming poison as he was “disturbed over not doing well” in the paper. The BOSE had assured intervention into the matter, saying it would be probed. (PTI)