6-year-old boy dies while playing cricket
Hyderabad: A six-year-old boy died while playing cricket after he was hit on the chest by a powerful shot.T. Vamshi Krishna died while playing cricket when he was hit by a ball near his house in Sahara Estate in Vanasthalipuram here.According to the police, the boy was playing with other children in the neighbourhood on Thursday evening when he was hit on the chest by a powerful shot played by another boy.The child collapsed on the ground. He was shifted to a nearby hospital, where he died while undergoing treatment.Vamshi’s parents complained to the police that negligence by the 14-year-old boy, who was batting, led to their son’s death.It was the second incident this week that a player has been fatally injured while playing cricket.Former Bengal Under-19 cricketer Ankit Keshri died on Monday after sustaining head injury while fielding in a Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) senior knockout match in Kolkata.His tragic death was followed by injury to another Bengal cricketer Rahul Ghosh on Tuesday. Rahul was injured on the left side of his head when hit by a ball in a CAB club league match in Kolkata.Rahul is said to be gradually improving but is still in a Kolkata hospital. (IANS)
4 sentenced to death for rape, murder of minor girl
Srinagar: Four persons were on Friday sentenced to death by a sessions court in Kupwara for the gangrape and murder of a 13-year-old girl eight years ago while she was returning from school. Terming it as a rarest of rare case, Principal District and Sessions Judge Kupwara Mohammad Ibrahim Wani awarded the death penalty to convicts Sadiq Mir, Azhar Ahmad Mir, both residents of Langate in Kupwara, Mochi Jahangir Ansari of West Bengal and Suresh Kumar of Rajasthan, who had gangraped the child and slit her throat, before burying her. Emotional scenes were witnessed in the court as relatives of the victim broke down when the judge read out the verdict against the four for gangraping and murdering the class 8th student on June 27, 2007. After hearing arguments on the quantum of sentence, the court agreed with Senior Public Prosecutor Ghulam Muhammad Shah, who sought death penalty for all four convicts, terming it a rarest of rare case. Shah said 88 witnesses had recorded their statements during the seven-year-long trial in the case. “It was a Friday when she was killed and it is on Friday when our wounds have been healed. Justice has been done,” an uncle of the victim said. He also thanked the state government for instituting a bravery award in her memory. The state government in 2012 had instituted an award in her name to recognise the acts of bravery of children.(PTI)
Bihar storm: Rajnath conducts aerial survey
Purnia (Bihar): Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday conducted an aerial survey of storm-hit districts of Bihar and took stock of the situation as death toll in the Tuesday’s killer Nor’wester mounted to 55. “The Centre is fully behind the state government in this hour of crisis. We will provide all necessary help to the state government,” Singh said. Accompanied by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Union Ministers Ravi Shankar Prasad and Radha Mohan Singh and former Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi, Singh assessed the damage caused by the storm in worst-hit Purnia, Madhepura and Katihar districts. The Home Minister also held a meeting with top state government officials. As per the latest report compiled by the state Disaster Management department, Purnea bore the maximum brunt of the Nor’wester with a maximum of 38 deaths. While seven persons lost their lives in Madhepura, three died in Madhubani, two each in Katihar, Sitamarhi and Darbhanga and one in Supual, the report said. (PTI)
Oldest Gorkha battalion celebrates 200 years
Pathankot: Hundreds of serving and veteran officers on Friday celebrated bicentenary of the first battalion of Gorkha Rifles (1/1 GR) with vigour and zest at Pathankot. Veterans, serving officers, junior commissioned officers and other ranks both from India and Nepal attended the event, a defence spokesman said. Unit’s bicentenary celebrations commenced with a solemn memorial service in honour of the martyrs. Thereafter, a Guard of Honour was presented to Lt Gen Ravi Thodge, Colonel of the Regiment, the spokesman said. He also addressed a Special Sainik Sammelan and released a befitting First day cover to commemorate the landmark occasion. The Battalion was raised on April 24, 1815 from the remnants of Gorkha General Amar Singh Thapa’s forces who valiantly fought the British at the Malaun Fort near Shimla. Over the last two centuries of the battalion’s existence, it has time and again proven it’s worth by gallant actions in various fields of battle across the world, through the two World Wars, the Indo-Pak wars and in the conflicts of the sub-conventional realm, he said. The event was a reunion for erstwhile comrades-in-arms who travelled from across the globe to be together at this momentous once-in-a lifetime occasion, he said. (PTI)