LeT Commander killed in gun battle in north Kashmir
Jammu: A top Lashker-e-Taiba (LeT) foreign militant was on Tuesday killed in a gun battle with troops in Kupwara district of Jammu and Kashmir. Based on specific intelligence input about presence of a terrorist in general area Laribag, a search operation was launched by the Rastriya Rifles (RR) unit located in Handwara area, a defence spokesman said. The area was cordoned and the terrorist was effectively engaged, he said adding that in the ensuing fire fight the militant was killed at about 0600 hours. The terrorist has been identified as Umaar Bhatti, an LeT Commander operating in Kashmir Valley from past 20 months, the spokesman said. An AK–47, a grenade and other war like stores were recovered from near his body, he added. (PTI)
‘Love’ and ‘jihad’ are ‘paak lafz’, shouldn’t be misused: Azam
Rampur (UP): Attacking BJP over the issue of ‘love jihad’, senior Uttar Pradesh minister Azam Khan has said that both ‘love’ and ‘jihad’ are “paak lafz” (pure words) and should not be misused to vitiate the atmosphere. Talking to reporters here on Monday, the senior Samajwadi Party leader said, “Both the words, ‘love’ and ‘jihad’, are paak lafz… And should not be misused…” Khan said those who are misusing the words to create division between communities should be punished as per law. He said “125 crore Indians cannot be held responsible if several hundred people indulge in exploitation of the two words”. The UP minister also hit out at BJP MP Yogi Aditya Nath for his controversial remarks on inter-community marriage. (PTI)
HC confirms death penalty for Pune rogue driver
Mumbai: The Bombay High Court Tuesday confirmed the death sentence on Pune rogue driver Santosh M. Mane, who two years ago hijacked a state transport bus and killed nine people. The incident happened Jan 25, 2012 after he was denied a change from night duty to day duty by his superiors. In a fit of rage, he hijacked the bus from the busy Swargate Bus Depot in the heart of the city and drove wildly for nearly 16 km before he was forced to a stop. The incident left nine pedestrians dead, many were injured and several private and government vehicles as well as public and private property en route were damaged. (IANS)