Tejpal to get unedited CCTV footage
Panaji: The Goa Police Crime Branch has been directed by a fast track court Saturday to submit copies of all evidence, including unedited CCTV video footage, to former Tehelka editor-in-chief Tarun Tejpal, who faces charges of rape. Additional Sessions Judge Vijaya Pol in her order directed the investigating officials to hand over the evidence within 20 days from Saturday. Tejpal had been repeatedly seeking footage from CCTV cameras installed outside an elevator at the Grand Hyatt hotel, on the outskirts of Panaji, where he is alleged to have raped a now former junior colleague twice on two days. The journalist has contested the allegation of rape and had claimed in an application to the court that the CCTV footage, which has been used as evidence by the police against him, should be handed over to him because “it was evidence” of his “innocence”. The victim had claimed that Tejpal had raped in the elevator during ThinkFest, an annual conference organized by Tejpal in Goa. Tejpal, who surrendered to the police, has been in police and judicial custody for over five months now. (IANS)
Woman wants divorce for not constructing toilet
Patna: A woman in a Bihar village has demanded a divorce from her husband for not constructing a toilet in their house. Alakh Niranjan of Sadeshopur village near Bihta town in Patna district is a worried man as his wife is upset over being forced to make her way to an open field every day under the cover of darkness to defecate. The case has come to light when Niranjan’s wife approached a women helpline here seeking help for divorce. “She is not ready to live with her husband. In fact, absence of a toilet has forced her to demand a divorce,” said Sarita Sajal, a women’s helpline counsellor. The woman has told the helpline that Niranjan has been beating her for demanding the construction of toilet, Sajal said. “Since 2009, my husband has been promising and assuring me to construct the toilet but it is yet to be built. Whenever I insisted for it, he thrashed me. Now I have decided not to live with him,” Niranjan’s wife said. However, Niranjan has again assured her he would soon build the toilet. “I failed to built the toilet due to financial problems but will do it now to save our marriage,” Niranjan said. Sajal said the women’s helpline has called the couple at the end of May to resolve the dispute. (IANS)
Army foils infiltration bid in J&K
Jammu: The army has foiled an infiltration bid from across the Line of control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir, an officer said Saturday. Defence spokesman Col Manish Mehta told IANS: “Alert troops noticed movement of militants in Saujiyan area of the LoC in Poonch district late yesterday (Friday). “The troops fired at the militants who ran back towards the LoC. Troops are on high alert in the area. The infiltration bid has been foiled.” (IANS)
JD-U divided over support to Kejriwal in Varanasi
Patna: Bihar’s ruling Janata Dal-United (JD-U) is divided over lending support to AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal in his electoral battle against BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi in Varanasi. Senior JD-U leader and spokesperson K.C. Tyagi had Thursday announced the party’s support to Kejriwal’s candidature in the Uttar Pradesh holy city. But differences among party members soon surfaced when party president Sharad Yadav questioned Tyagi’s announcement, saying he was not aware of it and that it was not a party decision. Bihar JD-U president Vashsisht Narain Singh said no party leader from the state will campaign for Kejriwal in Varanasi. “Tyagi’s decision to support Kejriwal was taken in a hurry without consulting others,” Singh told the media here. “Till now, (Bihar) Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is yet to say anything on support to Kejriwal,” a leader close to Nitish Kumar said. The Lok Sabha polls will be held in Varanasi May 12, the last phase of the 2014 general elections. Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal was the Delhi chief minister for 49 days after the party’s stunning debut in the December 2013 assembly elections. He is contesting against Modi and the Congress’ Ajay Rai. (IANS)
‘Flood vacation’ for schools in Bihar’s flood-prone districts
Patna: Students of hundreds of government schools in Bihar’s 20 flood-prone districts will get a “flood vacation” during the rainy season and not a summer vacation this year, an official said Saturday. “There will be no summer vacation in government schools in the flood-prone 119 blocks in 20 districts,” R.S. Singh, an official of education department said. Arguing that school-going children are deprived of their education during floods, Singh said: “We have decided not to have a summer vacation in government schools, and instead have a flood-vacation to compensate.” Among the flood-prone districts are Purnea, Araria, Kishanganj, Muzaffarpur, Katihar, Supaul, Saharsa, Gopalganj, Begusarai, Saran, Vaisali, Khagaria, Samastipur, Lakhisarai and Madhepura. In Bihar, government schools will be closed for summer vacation from May 26 to June 7. “The summer vacation will be for schools in 18 districts, which are not flood-prone or and affected by drought,” he said. (IANS)
Construction of chariots begins for Puri Rath Yatra
Bhubaneswar: The construction of three gigantic wooden chariots of Lord Jagannath has kicked off for the annual June 29 Rath Yatra, or chariot festival, at Odisha’s Puri city, an official said Saturday.
Going by tradition, the construction work started on Akshaya Tritiya, the third day of the bright half of the lunar Vaisakha month in the Hindu calendar, which this year fell on Friday. The carpenters took off the bark from three wooden logs placed in front of the temple after special rituals were performed Friday evening, temple public relations officer Laximidhar Puja Panda told. Every year, Lord Jagannath, his brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra are taken out of the 12th century Jagannath temple, 56 km from state capital Bhubaneswar, in chariots to the Gundicha temple in the city. Nearly 100 carpenters will construct the three gigantic chariots for the deities – Nandighosha for Lord Jagannath, Taladhwaja for Balabhadra and Debadalana for Subhadra. Nandighosh is 45-feet-high and has 16 wheels. It has red and yellow fabric on its roof and a wheel is placed on top of it. Taladhwaja is 44-feet-high and consists of 14 wheels. (IANS)