Sri Lanka navy arrests 34 Indian fishermen
Colombo: At least 34 Indian fishermen have been arrested and their boats seized by the Sri Lankan Navy for allegedly fishing in the country’s waters, authorities here said on Tuesday. The fishermen were arrested last night at Talaimannar and Kangesanthurai off the northern coast of Sri Lanka, the Sri Lankan navy said. They have been handed over to the fisheries inspection offices in Jaffna and Mannar, the Sri Lankan Navy said. The arrests followed Sri Lankan government claims that new legislation is being planned in order to confiscate equipment of Indian fishermen allegedly poaching in Sri Lankan waters. A fisheries department official in Tamil Nadu said the 34 fishermen were arrested today in separate batches by Sri Lankan naval personnel near Katchatheevu in the Palk Straits and close to the Lankan coast respectively. The department’s assistant director told PTI that 23 fishermen from Kottaipattinam in Pudukottai district were arrested at Neduntheevu close to the Sri Lankan coast while others were arrested while fishing near Katchatheevu. The Sri Lankan navy allegedly damaged two boats by forcing them to collide, seized seven boats and also ruined 40 fishing nets, he said. (PTI)
Holy book row: One of accused hospitalised
Chandigarh: One of the alleged accused out of two brothers arrested in connection with the sacrilege incident of holy book at Bargari in Faridkot, was here on Tuesday hospitalised in view of spinal injury, police said. Rupinder Singh has been hospitalised at PGIMER here for spinal injury treatment, police said. Yesterday, a court in Faridkot had sent Rupinder Singh and Jaswinder Singh, of Panjgrain Khurd village in Faridkot, to Judicial custody till November 9 in sacrilege case of Guru Granth Sahib. Both brothers had refuted the allegations of Punjab police and pleaded their innocence. The parents and native villagers of the two brothers and members of Sikh community had claimed that both the brothers had been framed up in the case. Punjab was under turmoil for over a week after series of over eight incidents of sacrilege of holy book, with Sikh protesters, including hardliners resorting to blocking of road traffic at several places in the state. Police have so far arrested six people for their alleged involvement in sacrilege incidents of holy book at different places in various districts. (PTI)
Newborn baby girl rescued from garbage dump, in ICU
Bhubaneswar: A newborn baby girl was rescued from a garbage dump here and shifted for treatment to a paediatrics hospital in Cuttack, where she is in the ICU in a critical condition. The infant was rescued by some volunteers from the garbage dump in Unit-8 area near the passport office here on Monday who heard her cry, police said. The police rescued the baby and admitted her to Capital Hospital here. She was shifted to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Postgraduate Institute of Paediatrics (Sishu Bhawan) in Cuttack this morning, they added. “The condition of the baby girl is critical. She is admitted at the ICU and a team of expert doctors is looking after her health,” said Sishu Bhawan director S Satpathy. (PTI)
Minor raped, murdered in Bengal
Kolkata: An 11-year-old girl was allegedly raped and murdered in West Bengal’s North Dinajpur district, police said on Tuesday. The incident happened late Monday night in Kaliaganj some 400 km from Kolkata. According to the police, the accused identified as Vicky, lured the minor on the pretext of giving her prasad and allegedly raped her. She was found lying unconscious and bleeding and was declared dead in hospital. “We have registered a case of rape and murder. We have arrested the accused’s mother for abetting the crime.(IANS)