Children burnt to death in Bihar
Patna: Three children were burnt to death and five sustained burn injuries when their thatched house in a Bihar village caught fire, police said on Saturday. The incident took place late Friday at Kusi village in Muzaffarpur district, about 70 km from here. “All the victims were of the same family,” a police official said. Police said it was not clear how the house caught fire. (IANS)
Five die in UP roof collapse
Lucknow: At least five people were killed near Uttar Pradesh’s Mainpuri town when a roof of a house collapsed following heavy rain, officials said on Saturday. The incident took place at Auna village Friday past midnight when the family of two women, two teenaged girls and a man was fast asleep. Neighbours rushed to rescue those trapped under the debris, but all the victims died before they could be pulled out. District officials, who reached the accident site in the morning, faced protests from locals, who not only manhandled an official, but also stoned their vehicles. The bodies have been sent for post-mortem examination. (IANS)
Six of a family killed in accident
Dehradun: Six persons of the same family were killed on Saturday when their car fell into a gorge in Pauri district. The car met with the accident this afternoon when it plunged into a 300 ft deep gorge near Chaubata Khal in Pokhra block of the district, killing all the six occupants on the spot, police said. The car was carrying a family from Agaroda to Datha to attend a post marriage ceremony when the accident took place, they said adding what led to the accident is still not clear. All the occupants of the car were males. Chief Minister Harish Rawat has expressed deep sorrow over the deaths. (PTI)
Medical intern dies of suspected drug overdose
Kolkata: A medical intern died in the state-run SSKM hospital here on Saturday after suspected drug overdose, an official said. Two interns were found in critical state in the hospital hostel Saturday morning and admitted to the Intensive Care Unit, said SSKM Hospital director Pradip Mitra. “We learnt from some students that two interns were critically ill. They were both admitted to the ICU. One of the interns, who was in a very serious condition, was put on ventilator support, but died despite all efforts to revive him,” Mitra said. The other intern is also on ventilator, and very critical. “We don’t know the exact reason. But we have learnt from their friends that there is a suspicion it could be a case of drug overdose,” Mitra added. SSKM is the largest state-run hospital in West Bengal. (IANS)
ANCF to study elephant habitats, man-elephant conflict in Odisha
Bhubaneswar: Odisha government today signed an MoU with the Asian Nature Conservation Foundation (ANCF), Bangalore, to conduct a study to assess the carrying capacity of elephant habitats in the state and minimise the man-elephant conflict. Principal Chief Conservator of Forest S Srivastav and ANCF Chairman R Sukumar signed the MoU in the presence of Forest and Environment Minister Bijayshree Routray. The government decided to sign the MoU to conduct a study as the elephant populations rose from 1886 in 2010 to 1930 in 2012. Around 75 per cent of the total elephants were found in three elephant reserves –Myurbhanja,Sambalpur and Mahanadi elephant reserve declared by the state for conservation of elephants. Due to severe biotic pressure the elephant habitats were under threat. The animals were forced to leave their habitat and enter villages leading to man-elephant conflict resulting in death of elephants, loss of human life and property. (UNI)
Ambala police nabs hardcore criminal
Ambala: The Ambala police have nabbed hardcore criminal Tarsem Rana, carrying prize of Rs 50,000 on his head. Ambala-Panchkula Commissioner of Police Ajay Singhal said Rana was arrested along with his two accomplices from Naya Gaon (Madhya Pradesh) on Friday. He said Rana was wanted for threatening Congress leader Himanshu for ransom of Rs 20 lakh. He along with others had attacked Himanshu at his residence Prabhu Prem Puram on February 3 and had threatened to kill the mustard trader if the payment was not made. His other two accomplices arrested along with him were identified as Joginder and Sehdev. They were brought here and were produced in the court to seek remand for interrogation. Singhal said a pistol, a country made pistol 315 and 16 live cartridges besides two stolen cars were recovered from their possession. On February 12, Tarsem’s accomplices again attacked Himashu’s father when their servant Ranku Yadav was injured in the presence of security police cops. Following raids conducted by the police teams, three assailants were arrested but Tarsem was not nabbed. (UNI)
Civil surgeon arrested on bribe charges
Faridkot: A senior health official was arrested by sleuths of vigilance bureau from his office while allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 20,000 from a pharmacist, police said on Saturday. Faridkot civil surgeon Baldev Singh Sahota was nabbed last evening while accepting the bribe from Jagseer Ram of Muktsar, Deputy Superintendent of Police Bhupinder Singh Sidhu told reporters here. He said Sahota had demanded Rs 50,000 from the pharmacist for giving a favourable report in a departmental enquiry, but the deal was finalised in Rs 20,000. However, the pharmacist reported the matter to the bureau, which swung in action and nabbed the doctor and registered a case under the provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act, he said. (PTI)
Army guideline on Kashmiri attire triggers row
Srinagar: A guideline to Kashmiri journalists not to wear ‘pherans’, a traditional Kashmiri attire, to army press briefings has triggered a row, with Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah Saturday calling it “unacceptable”. An invitation to the press briefing for Saturday of the commander of army’s Srinagar-based 15th corps said that journalists should not come wearing ‘pherans’ during the briefing. Local journalists Friday protested the army’s guideline saying a ‘pheran’, which is a tweed over garment worn by Kashmiris during the winter months, is a traditional Kashmiri dress. Omar Abdullah tweeted Saturday: “If the army has in fact told journalists not to wear a pheran to Corps headquater events that is unacceptable and the order should be withdrawn. “People wear their pheran with pride. It’s part of our identity aside from the best way to stay warm in the cold. Can’t ban pherans.” (IANS)