Nation news in brief

3 on way to attend PM’s event killed in accident, 25 hurt

Dindori, May 15 (PTI): Three persons were killed and 25 others injured when a bus carrying people to Amarkantak in Madhya Pradesh overturned near Ramnagar village in Dindori district today, a police official said. The deceased included two persons who were standing near the bus. The victims were on their way to Amarkantak to take part in the concluding function of ‘Namami Devi Narmade Sewa Yatra’ which the Prime Minister is slated to attend later in the day. The accident occurred this morning when the bus driver lost control over the vehicle following which it overturned killing one and injuring 25 other passengers.

Kerala’s all-women pongala fest gives hope to homeless

Thiruvananthapuram, May 15 (PTI): ‘Pongala’ offerings made at the Attukal Devi temple here in makeshift brick stoves are turning out to be a blessing for the homeless as the bricks will be used for construction of houses for the needy. Lakhs of bricks are abandoned by devotees after the annual “Attukal Pongala”, one of the world’s largest all-women religious event, each year. “Project LIFE” (Livelihood, Inclusion, Financial Empowerment) envisages to make Kerala a zero-homeless state by providing home for homeless. Besides bricks, an amount of Rs 3.50 lakh would also be given to each beneficiary as financial aid to build houses under the LIFE programme, he said.

Over 900 railway stations to have CCTV cameras

New Delhi, May 15 (PTI): Indian Railways will install CCTV surveillance system at more than 900 stations under the Nirbhaya Fund at an approved cost of Rs 500 crore to strengthen security at rail premises. Tenders will be floated shortly to install about 19,000 high definition CCTV cameras at 983 stations across the country to ensure round-the-clock security to passengers including women. The Centre had created Nirbhaya Fund with a Rs 1000 crore corpus in its 2013 Union Budget to support initiatives by the government and NGOs working towards protecting the dignity and ensuring safety of women in the country.

23,000 litres of illicit liquor recovered

Muktsar (Punjab), May 15 (PTI): Police today raided a house in village Katiawali and recovered 23,000 litres of illicit liquor stored in drums. On a tip off, police raided the house and found two dozen drums filled with liquor buried under the ground. The manufacturers of the illicit liquor fled from the spot. Police have booked them under relevant sections of the IPC.

Fearing harassment, Rewari girls on strike for school upgradation

Rewari, May 15 (PTI): Around 80 girls of a government high school here have gone on an indefinite strike demanding upgradation of their institution, fearing they will be harassed if they travel to a senior secondary school located in a different village for higher studies. The stir by the girls, studying in class IX and X in Gothda Tappa Dahina village, entered its sixth day today. Of the 86 protesting students, 13 are on hunger strike, village head Suresh Chauhan told PTI. The protesters said they would not stop until the government accepted their demand. Meanwhile, the district education authorities said since the school did not fulfil the minimum condition required for the senior secondary level, it could not be upgraded.

Man tries to get Aadhaar card for Osama bin Laden

Jaipur, May 15 (PTI): Osama bin Laden is dead and gone but a Saddam Hussain operating an E-Mitra kiosk centre in Rajasthan’s Bhilwara district tried to make an Aadhaar card for the slain Al Qaeda terrorist. However, officials of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) got a whiff of the matter and reported the matter to police. Police have arrested Saddam Hussain Mansuri, 25, who runs an Aadhaar card registration centre in Mandal town.The accused had allegedly uploaded a blurred picture of Laden along with other details.

Two people arrested for slaughtering buffalo without licence

Muzaffarnagar, May 15 (PTI): The UP police has arrested two people for allegedly slaughtering a buffalo without a licence at Niyazupura locality here. Shahzad and Nadeem were arrested following a raid on their house, which yielded 20 kg of buffalo meat and three buffalo skins, the police said today. A case has been registered against them, they added.

Army denies clean chit to officer who tied youth to vehicle

Srinagar, May 15 (IANS): The Indian Army on Monday denied that the court of inquiry (COI) had given a clean chit to an officer who had tied a local youth in front of a vehicle last month to avoid attack from stone-pelters. In the wake of media reports saying that the COI had exonerated and even appreciated Major Nitin Gogoi for his action on April 9, Defence Ministry spokesman Col Rajesh Kalia said that proceedings were still on. Earlier reports had said that Gogoi, who had reportedly tied a youth to the bonnet of a jeep as a ‘human shield’ on April 9 to avoid attack from stone pelters in Badgam, had been given a clean chit and the COI had even appreciated his attempt to avoid casualties.