Nation news in brief

IANS/PTI

Avalanches hit Army posts on LoC, five soldiers missing

Srinagar, Dec. 12 (IANS): Five soldiers were reported missing after avalanches hit two Army posts on the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir, police said on Tuesday. Two soldiers went missing in Kupwara district’s Nowgam sector on Monday evening and three others disappeared on Tuesday morning in Bandipora district’s Gurez sector. More than five feet deep snow had accumulated in Gurez due to the heavy snowfall that started on Monday evening, the officer added.

Delhi govt. nod for free treatment scheme for accident victims, others

New Delhi, Dec. 12 (IANS): Victims of road accidents, fire and acid attacks will get medical treatment in all city hospitals at government expense, regarding which a scheme was approved by the Delhi Cabinet on Tuesday. “The Cabinet today (Tuesday) approved the Accident Victims Scheme which will be implemented after approval from the Lt Governor (Anil Baijal),” Health Minister Satyendar Jain told the media here. “The government will pay the hospital expenses of any individual -- from Delhi or outside -- who is injured in an accident on any city road,” he said. He said almost 8,000 accidents occur every year in the capital, with around 20,000 people getting injured. On an average, 1,600 of them die.

Afghan couple held for entering IGI airport with ‘edited’ ticket

New Delhi, Dec. 12 (IANS): An Afghan couple was arrested on Tuesday on the charge of gaining entry to the Indira Gandhi International airport here by showing an ‘edited’ ticket, an official said. Sayed Omar and his wife Nazila Sayed were held around 6.30 p.m. in the check-in area of Terminal-3. “We caught the couple as they were roaming suspiciously in the check-in area. The couple said they had gained access to the airport by showing an edited ticket of Kabul-bound flight SG-21, by which their daughter was scheduled to travel,” a Central Industrial Security Force official told IANS. The couple was handed over to the IGI Police for legal action, he added.

Man found hanging in Noida

Noida, Dec. 12 (PTI): A man was found hanging in his home in Noida after having an argument with his family members over his drinking habits, the police said today. Satish, a resident of Salarpur colony, prima facie seemed to have committed suicide, a police official said. He was an alcohol addict and regularly got into arguments on this issue with his family. The body has been sent for post-mortem. The police is investigating all possible angles, including murder, the official said.

Two shot dead at wedding function in Amritsar

Amritsar, Dec. 12 (PTI): Two persons were killed and three critically injured when two groups fired at each other at a wedding function here, police said today. SSP Amritsar (Rural) Parampal Singh said that yesterday a marriage function was being hosted in a banquet hall near Chehertha area on the outskirts of Amritsar where two rival groups were invited by the bride’s brother. The situation got out of control when old enmity came to the fore when the groups came face to face, he said. Both groups allegedly opened fire at each other resulting in the death of two and injuries to three including a woman who was attending the marriage function.The two groups led by Harwinder Singh and Manpreet Singh had long standing grudges against each other, he said. Both were facing some criminal cases and different FIRs were registered against them in different police stations, said SSP Singh adding that both Harwinder Singh and Manpreet Singh died on the spot during the shootout.

Engineer shot dead in Bihar

Patna, Dec. 12 (PTI): A junior enginner, employed with the irrigation department in Bihar, has been shot dead by unidentified persons in Saran district while he was on his way home in the state capital, police said today. “Veermani Kumar, who was posted at Hajipur in the adjoining district of Vaishali, was shot dead in Sonepur police station area late last night. Kumar lived in Kurji locality of Patna and he was returning home when unidentified assailants fired at his car. He received bullet injuries in his chest”, Superintendent of Police, Saran, Harkishor Rai, told PTI over phone. A police party rushed to the spot and took the engineer to a hospital where he was declared brought dead, the SP said. Rai claimed that investigations have revealed that the engineer was involved in a property dispute and a case had beeen lodged in this connection at a police staion in Patna. “We suspect that those with whom Kumar was involved in the dispute, are behind the murder,” the SP said. A country-made pistol was used in the killing and the possibility of the masterminds having hired contract killers cannot be ruled out, he said.

Fire breaks out on Central University of Kashmir campus

Srinagar, Dec. 12 (PTI): A fire broke out at the Central University of Kashmir’s (CUK) Nowgam Campus here today, damaging electronic equipment and other items in the department of convergent journalism (DCJ). “The fire presumably emanated from the media studio and spread to the adjoining rooms of the department. There was a major damage to the costly equipment and the infrastructure of the media studio, which was state-of-the-art,” a university spokesperson said. Despite fire safety measures, the studio suffered extensive damages, he said adding the exact cause of fire was not known yet. The faculty and other administrative staff were safely evacuated. The fire was effectively put out of the fire and emergency department personnel who were assisted by State Disaster Response Force. Vice-Chancellor Prof Mehraj ud Din Mir later chaired a meeting and said that all the examinations of the university scheduled to be conducted from 15 December would be held on time.

‘Dead’ DSP transfered in Andhra Pradesh; DGP orders probe

Amaravati, Dec. 12 (PTI): In a faux pas, a “dead” senior police officer in Andhra Pradesh was last night transferred and asked to report to the police headquarters. Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) D Ramanjaneyulu, who was posted in the Tirumala special branch, died more than six months back due to some health issues, but his name figured in the list of 16 DSPs who were transferred. As the gaffe left the police brass embarrassed, a senior police official said, Director General of Police Nanduri Sambasiva Rao has ordered an internal inquiry. A police spokesperson in a statement today said the transfer figured in the list “due to a clerical error”. “It stands cancelled,” he added.