FIR against RJD MP and supporters for poll-related offence
Chapra: An FIR was on thursday lodged against RJD MP Prabhunath Singh and his supporters under sections of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 for poll-related offence in Bihar’s Saran district, official sources said. Deputy Collector Dharmenda Kumar lodged an FIR at Town police station against Singh, his private secretary Jitendra Singh and unidentified supporters for obstructing government work by breaking a barricade during filing of nomination by the MP from the Maharajganj parliamentary seat on April 15 last, the sources said. As per the complaint, Singh and his supporters had broken the barricade set up near Town police station chowk and stormed into the district collectorate premises for filing of nomination by the RJD MP against permissible entry of only five persons, they said. The RJD MP was granted permission to carry out road show upto Town police station chowk from the municipality entry point only before filing of nomination, the sources said adding Singh’s private secretary Jitendra Singh too has been booked on same charges as he had applied for permission for the road show. (PTI)
Eunuchs cast votes in B’neswar
Bhubaneswar: Happy over being recognised as the third gender by the Supreme Court, as many as 230 eunuchs on Thursday cast their votes here in the state capital. The All Odisha Eunuch Association, the apex body of eunuchs in the state, asked all its 1,300 members spread across the state to cast their votes and exercise their democratic rights. “This is for the first time we have cast votes under ‘others’ category. Earlier, the eunuchs were casting votes either as male or female categories,” said Madhuri Kinnar, the secretary of the association, who cast her vote at the Saheed Nagar Primary School booth. Phula, Malli, Kajol and other eunuchs also cast their votes and demanded immediate setting up a Hinjara Welfare Board and reservation for them in elections and jobs. Association president Pratap Sahu said all members have been asked not to miss the opportunity of participating in the election process. “Eunuchs across the state cast their votes with enthusiasm,” Sahu said. (PTI)
Uma Bharti’s chopper strays into MP
Lalitpur: The authorities had a tough time retracing the links with the chopper of senior BJP leader Uma Bharti on board as it strayed into Madhya Pradesh due to some technical reason from Lalitpur district of Uttar Pradesh this noon. The BJP leader, candidate from Jhansi parliamentary constituency spread over Lalitpur district as well, was to fly from Rajghat to Kalyanpura village about 20 kms from district headquarters. Due to some technical reasons it strayed into neighbouring Madhya Pradesh district of Shivpuri. It finally landed in Pichore from where she flied back to Lalitpur safely to the relief of the partymen and the authorities. The official sources said the incident took place due to bad weather but the local party leaders alleged that the Uttar Pradesh government provided wrong altitude on GPS. Lalitpur is situated on UP-MP border in Bundelkhand region of Uttar Pradesh. (UNI)
Rs 10 crore worth ephedrine seized at airport
Thiruvananthapuram: In a major drug haul, 25 Kg of banned ephedrine, worth about Rs 10 crore in the international drug market, has been seized from a Zimbabwean woman at the international airport here. The 32-year-old woman, who was about to leave for Doha on a Qatar Airways flight, was apprehended by a team of air customs officials on suspicion. Customs sources the woman, who arrived in India on a student visa, came here from Delhi and was on her way to Doha. From there, she was planning to go to Johannesburg in South Africa, they said. The drug, concealed in polythene pouches, was found kept in a number of wooden boxes in her bag, they said. It was one of the biggest drug hauls at the airport in recent times, Sophia M Joy, Additional Commissioner of Central Excise and Customs, said. (PTI)
Gold bars worth Rs 17 lakh seized
Hyderabad: Customs officials on Thursday seized 500 gms of gold bars, estimated to be worth Rs 17 lakh, from a woman passenger at the international airport here. Based on intelligence profiling, officers of Customs Air Intelligence Unit intercepted the passenger after she arrived by an Air Arabia Airways flight. Five gold bars weighing 500 gms were recovered from her, Customs authorities said. (PTI)