Two militants killed in Kashmir
Srinagar: Two militants were killed in an encounter with security forces in Kulgam district of Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday, police said. The militants fired upon a patrolling party of the security forces in Devsar area of the south Kashmir district on Sunday evening, a police official said. He said the security forces retaliated and in the ensuing gunfight, two militants were killed. The identity and group affiliation of the slain militants were being ascertained, the official said. He said two more militants were suspected to be trapped in the area and an operation was on to capture them. (PTI)
Foreign tourists flown out
Kochi: A special aircraft of Swiss International Airlines took off from Kochi late Saturday night with 164 passengers from here for Zurich, officials said on Sunday. Besides 115 Swiss citizens, the flight carried tourists from Germany, Austria, Norway, Denmark and France. Most of the passengers were stuck at Kochi, while the others were brought in from neighboring states. This is the fourth flight that repatriated tourists from the state to Europe since the international airports were closed on March 23 to contain spread of Covid-19 disease. (IANS)
Kerala freedom fighter donates
Thiruvananthapuram: A Kerala Police team was pleasantly surprised when it reached the house of a centenarian freedom-fighter near here to check on him – and found him waiting for them with a donation for the struggle against coronavirus. Following the Covid-19 outbreak, the Kerala Police launched a programme of visiting aged people at their house to check on them. Uunder this, a team from the Malayankeezhu police station went to the house of 102-year-old Paramesweran Nair, who lives with a helper. When the news came that a police will be arriving, Nair had a quick bath and dressed up and was waiting for them – with a cheque. “We were on a routine visit to check up on how the aged citizens are coping up with the tough times. We were surprised when he gave us a cheque of Rs 5,000 and said it was to be given to the CM Covid Relief Fund. (IANS)
Boy commits suicide over PUBG
Chandigarh: A 13-year-old boy allegedly committed suicide by jumping into Bhakra canal in Punjab after he received a scolding from his family for playing an online game PUBG, the police said on Sunday. The Class 8 boy had gone missing from his home in Patiala town on April 20 when his parents scolded him for spending too much time playing the online game during the lockdown. The body was recovered from the canal on Sunday. (IANS)
Only serious cases
New Delhi: Amid lockdown all non-emergency medical procedures at hospitals have been put off to ease the burden on doctors caring for coronavirus patients. Though general patients are not denied medical services, hospitals have been asked to avoid crowding to prevent any coronavirus infection. Dr Jyoti Sheoran of the Department of Ophthalmology at the Safdarjung Hospital told IANS, “We have our emergency services open. Patients are coming and we are treating them. We have a few services open, but we are not making it public to prevent crowding. “On Saturday, I attended 30-35 patients. Nobody is being denied any service. But we are prioritising our patients and not encouraging those with simple problems to avoid them exposure to Covid-19 infection.” (IANS)
Free rail travel call
Kolkata: Leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Sunday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking that migrant labourers in different parts of the country be allowed to travel free of cost to their destination by the Railways once the lockdown is lifted. In a series of four letters to the PM, Chowdhury said that a large portion of the migrant labourers are from the minority community and urged that the government feed these people during the month of Ramadan owing to their “hapless condition” due to the Coronavirus induced lockdown. Highlighting the misery of migrant labourers in different parts of the country, Chowdhury sought a “direction to the Ministry of Railways to carry these penniless people to their destination free of cost.” (PTI)