20 peacock carcasses found
Bhubaneswar: Carcasses of at least 20 peacocks were recovered on Tuesday from Madhupur village forest area in Odisha’s Khurda district, about 25 km from here. “We have recovered the carcasses from the forest and sent them to Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT) for examination,” said Dilip Rout, Khurda forest range officer. Rout said they recovered 20 carcasses from the forest at a distance of seven to eight feet. “We apprehend more carcasses may be lying in far away places. The forest is spread over two kilometer area,” Rout said adding more personnel were deployed in the area. Asked about the cause of death of the large number of peacocks, the Rout said the reason could be assertained only after the postmortem report. Villagers, on the other hand, suspected that the incident could be the handiwork of poachers who might have spread paddy laced with poison leading to the death of the national birds. The veterinary surgeons at the OUAT said the carcasses would be sent to National Institute of HighSecurity Animal Diseases (NIHSAD) in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, for post-mortem. (PTI)
Rajiv Gandhi’s statue defaced
Moga (Pb): The statue of late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was allegedly defaced by some unidentified people at the premises of block samiti here, police said on Tuesday. The miscreants threw paint on the statue on Monday, police said. It was second time when the statue was defaced, a similar incident had taken place in December 2013. Meanwhile, the administration has shifted the statue to the Moga administrative complex here. Deputy Commissioner Parminder Singh Gill assured the Congress activists to keep it in the complex for the time being so that it could be installed at proper and safe place. Former Minister Malti Thapar lodged a complaint in this connection following which some unidentified people were booked under various sections of the IPC. The statue was installed in May 2006 by then district Congress committee President Ranvinder Singh Pappy, who later joined the Akali Dal. (PTI)
UP godman beaten to death
Mathura: A godman of Kirar Ashram was allegedly killed by some unidentified miscreants who relentlessly beat him using bricks on the godman, police said on Tuesday. The deceased has been identified as Parmender Das, they said. The incident took place last night when unknown persons entered Kirar Ashram in Goverdhan area and killed the godman by thrashing him with bricks and stones, police said. Police is probing the matter to nab the culprits and to ascertain the reason behind the murder. “He was first strangulated and then hit by bricks. The motive of the murder is being ascertained,” SP City Shailesh Pandey said. The family members of Gwalior-based godman (mahant), who was a bachelor are being contacted for further detail, Pandey said. While godman was sleeping on first floor, few youths were sleeping on the second floor. The unidentified assailants had bolted the door of youths from outside before killing the mahant, he said. Somehow the youths came out and found the godman dead, he added. (PTI)
Mauritius President arrives in Hyderabad on 2-day visit
Hyderabad: President of Mauritius Ameenah Gurib-Fakim arrived in the city for a two-day visit. Telanagana Minister for Information Technology, K T Rama Rao received her at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport. The Mauritian President will visit Chariminar, Salarjung Museum and Falaknuma Palace here tomorrow, according to an official release. Gurib-Fakim, the first woman President of Mauritius and a distinguished scientist, was in New Delhi before coming to Hyderabad. (PTI)
278 child marriage complaints dealt with in Har since Oct 2014
Chandigarh: As many as 278 complaints of child marriage have been dealt with by Protection cum Prohibition Officers in Haryana till date from October last year. Of these, 129 child marriages were prevented by counselling and 30 through injunction orders. The rest were either referred to police or application given for nullity under Section 3, an official spokesperson said today. The state government has established Special Cells for Women and Children in each district to implement the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005 and the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006. (PTI)
Army Service Corps celebrates its 255th raising day
Jammu: The oldest and the largest administrative service of the Army, the Army Service Corps (ASC) celebrated its 255th raising day on Tuesday, at the headquarter of the Udhampur-based Northern Command. “The Army Service Corps celebrated its 255th raising day at the headquarters of the Northern Command in Udhampur today. It is the oldest and the largest administrative service of the army,” a defence spokesman said. The ASC is mainly responsible for provisioning, procurement and distribution of supplies and petroleum products to the Army, Air Force, Navy and other Paramilitary forces. General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, (Army Commander) Northern Command Lt Gen D S Hooda, complimented all ranks of the ASC for their dedication, high degree of professionalism and flexibility in performing their duties in difficult and inhospitable terrain conditions in the Northern theatre. “While the history of supply and transport services is as old as the history of organised warfare itself, it was in 1760 that the very rudimentary supply and transport organisations of the three presidencies of the East India Company were brought under the council of a single authority,” the spokesman said. On December 8, 1950, the word ‘Royal’ was dropped and ever since the Corps celebrates its raising on this Day, he said. (PTI)
