JNU and BHU keen to open centres in Bihar, says minister
Patna: Delhi-based Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and Banaras Hindu University (BHU) are keen to open their centres in Bihar, state Education Minister P.K. Shahi Wednesday said. “JNU’s official has informed us that they will open a centre in Bihar after permission from the union human resource ministry,” Shahi said. Shahi said he had sent letters to JNU and BHU for submitting their proposals. “Till now, BHU’s officials have not informed us and we are awaiting their reply,” he said. Shahi said the state government will provide all possible help to both the educational institutions to set up their centres. Last month, after Congress president Sonia Gandhi laid the foundation stone of an off-campus branch of the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) in the state’s Kishanganj district, BHU too showed willingness to set up a branch in Bihar. BHU vice chancellor Lalji Singh then said the university was keen to open a branch and asked the Bihar government to provide land. Shahi said he has also written a letter to union Human Resource Minister Pallam Raju in this connection and requested his intervention. Shahi said that hundreds of students from Bihar are studying in JNU and BHU and if both the universities open their centres in the state, it will provide more opportunities for the youth. (IANS)
Death to three in rape-murder case
New Delhi: A court here Wednesday awarded death penalty to three men convicted in the rape-murder of a 19-year-old woman in 2012. The court Feb 13 convicted Ravi Kumar, Rahul and Vinod on various charges dealing with kidnapping, rape and murder. Additional Sessions Judge Virender Bhat awarded death sentence to the three men, observing that the case falls under the category of “rarest of rare”. The prosecution told the court that the victim was only 19 years old when the crime took place. Arguing on the quantum of sentence, the prosecution said the convicts committed a barbaric act as they first kidnapped the woman, raped her and then killed her. They then dumped her body in a field in Rodhai village in Haryana’s Rewari district. The prosecution said the woman was kidnapped by the three men in a car from near her house in Qutub Vihar area on the night of Feb 9, 2012, while she was returning from her office. The prosecution said there were multiple injuries on the woman’s head and other parts of her body. Police said the three men had assaulted the woman with a car jack and an earthen pot. Ravi Kumar committed the crime with the help of the other two convicts as he was outraged over the woman’s refusal to his friendship proposal, police said. (IANS)
Thieves dig tunnel from IOC pipeline to steal oil and diesel
Meerut: Large quantity of diesel and petrol was stolen by some miscreants by digging a tunnel through the supply pipeline of Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) here, following which two persons were on Wednesday arrested, police said. The incident came to light three days back and police have today arrested two suspects — Narendra Singh and Gyanendra Chaudhary — in this connection, OmPrakash, SP, Meerut said. According to preliminary investigation, more persons are said to be involved in the crime and efforts are on to nab them, he said. The tunnel originated underneath a plot owned by Narendra Chaudhary while the point where the hole was drilled in the pipeline is beneath a plot owned by Gyandendra Choudhary, Om Prakash said. A case was then lodged against both plot owners following which police started the investigations, he said. (PTI)