Criminal Case against six cops for beating up woman

Muzaffarnagar, June 30: A criminal case was registered today against six policemen for allegedly beating up a woman while searching for a theft accused at Jolly village here, police said.

According to the victim, yesterday six police personnel entered her residence in search of a man, accused of theft.

However, when they did not find him, they beat her up following which her leg got fractured, SP Sharad Sachan said.

Meanwhile, irate villagers today blocked road in the village for several hours in protest against the police action.

–Agencies

P Chidambaram ticks off Pakistani Foreign Minister

New Delhi, June 30: Home Minister P Chidambaram today virtually ticked off Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi for his statement that it was difficult for his country to rein in elements like LeT founder Hafiz Saeed.

“Substantive discussions on security related matters and on post 26/11 matters were held between me and the Interior Minister of Pakistan.

Moily denies equating Lord Ram with Naxals in book

New Delhi, June 30: Law Minister M Veerappa Moily today said during his 14-year exile Lord Ram helped tribals earn their rights and rejected criticism that he had equated the legendary figure with Naxalites in his epic ‘Shree Ramayana Mahanveshanam.’

“Lord Ram did not rest during his exile… he worked for capacity building of tribals who lived like slaves… Ram gave freedom but did not annexe kingdoms,” Moily said at the release of the English version of his book at the hands of Chief Justice of India S H Kapadia.

Ex-gratia for kin of slain CRPF personnel

Bhubaneswar, June 30: The Orissa government today announced ex-gratia and pension for families of slain CRPF personnel from Orissa who lost their lives in a Maoist attack at Narayanpur in Chhattisgarh.

Expressing grief over the yesterday’s incident, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said Rs two lakh each will be given to the next of kin of the eight slain CRPF men from Orissa besides a family pension of Rs 1,275 per month.

The eight were among the 26 CRPF personnel who were killed in an ambush by Maoists in Chhattisgarh.

SHO booked in corruption case, suspended

Rohtak, June 30: An SHO of Haryana Police was today suspended for allegedly accepting a bribe from a citizen for striking out his son’s name from complaint register here.

Inspector Balwan Singh Dhaka, SHO posted at the Shivaji Colony police station, has been suspended and booked under the Prevention of Corruption (PC) Act after he was caught red handed while accepting a bribe of Rs 3,000, police said.

Fair price shops in Del to provide cheap rice, wheat

New Delhi, June 30: In a bid to give people some relief from spiralling price rise, Delhi Government today said that wheat and rice would be now made available at a reasonable cost in fair price shops to even those holding APL (above poverty line) cards.

So far the subsidy was available to those holding BPL (below poverty line) cards only.

Delhi Food and Supplies Minister Haroon Yusuf today said to cut down the prices of food grains, steps are being taken in favour of all APL card holders as the Central government has allocated special adhoc/additional quota of wheat and rice.

Remand of Nazeer, 8 others extended

Kochi, June 30: A CBI special court, hearing terror related cases probed by the NIA in Kerala, today extended till July 15 the remand of suspected Lashkar operative T Nazeer and eight others.

All the accused were brought to the NIA court with their faces covered and with sufficient police protection as directed by the court earlier.

Accepting an application from NIA, the court also declared two of the accused — Mohammed Asher and K P Yusuf — now in Gulf, as proclaimed offenders in the Kozhikode blast case of 2006.

–Agencies

Maoists and Leftists should be charged with treason: VHP

Allahabad, June 30: Activists of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal today staged a demonstration here in protest against the killing of 26 security personnel in Chhattisgarh and demanded that all Maoists and “their Leftist supporters” be charged with treason.

Led by the district unit chief of VHP, Pawan Srivastava, the agitators gathered at a busy crossing in the city and set fire to an effigy of Maoist insurgents, who had killed 26 CRPF men, in an ambush in Narayanpur district of Chhattisgarh yesterday.

US-led base attacked in Eastern Afghanistan

Kabul, June 30: Several Taliban militants have attacked one of the biggest US-led bases in eastern Afghanistan, detonating a car bomb at the facility’s entrance, an official says.

Attackers fired rocket-propelled grenades at the base on Wednesday morning, and reports say the fighting continues, AFP reported.

A spokesman for the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) confirmed that several militants were killed during the attack on Jalalabad base, but there were no casualties among NATO or civilian staff.

LeT behind Kashmir disturbance, govt committed to peace: PC

New Delhi, June 30: Pakistan-based extremist organisation Lashkae-e-Tayyeba (LeT) is fomenting trouble in Kashmir and the government is determined to maintain peace in the state, Union Home Minister P Chidambaram said at the end of a one-and-a-half hour long meeting with the PM and other ministers and senior officials.

“We have reason to believe that LeT is fomenting trouble in Sopore. Two terrorists who were killed on June 25 in Sopore were also linked with the LeT,” he told a press conference.

PM calls meeting to review Kashmir situation

Srinagar, June 30: As the Kashmir Valley continues to remain tense with violence spreading, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has called a high-level meeting on Wednesday to review the deteriorating situation.

The meeting, which began at 5.00 pm, is reviewing the situation as well as deliberate on measures to bring it under control.

The meeting will be attended by Union Home Minister P Chidambaram, Defence Minister AK Antony, National Security Advisor Shiv Shankar Menon, Union Home Secretary GK Pillai and officials from security agencies.

Shah Rukh Khan’s security cut down

Mumbai, June 30: Mumbai Police has withdrawn and cut down security cover of several Bollywood celebrities and politicians including Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan after reviewing threat perception to them.

In a meeting held in May, state DGP D Sivanandan (the then Mumbai Police Commissioner) reviewed threat perception to 78 people including politicians and celebrities following which he ordered withdrawal of security of 54 people while downsized the cover for the rest, said sources in the Protection and Security Department.

Gold recovers on low level buying, silver ends higher

Mumbai, June 30: Gold prices recovered moderately at the bullion market here today on the back of fresh local buying interest at existing levels amid firming trend in the global markets.

Silver also moved up due to renewed industrial demand.

Standard gold (99.5 purity) rose by Rs 60 per ten grams to close at Rs 18,830 from overnight closing level of Rs 18,770.

Pure gold (99.9 purity) also gained by Rs 55 per ten gram to end at Rs 18,915 as against Rs 18,860 yesterday.

Silver ready (.999 fineness) firmed up by Rs 60 per kilo to finish at Rs 30,095 as against Rs 30,035.

Air India effects shake-up in its managerial cadre

Mumbai/New Delhi, June 29: Air India has carried out a major shake-up in its top management, including reshuffling six of its Executive Directors responsible for crucial tasks.

The exercise, which will come into effect from July 15, would also see shuffling of eight General Manager level and three Deputy General Manager level officers, airline sources said.

An official circular to this effect, signed by CMD Arvind Jadhav, has been circulated among the employees.

Babbar Khalsa terrorist held in Amritsar

Amritsar, June 30: A Babbar Khalsa terrorist has been arrested and one AK 47 riffle, three magazines and 72 live cartridges were recovered from his possession here, police said.

Acting on a tip-off, police arrested Sher Singh, a resident of Bhutal village in Sangrur district, yesterday with the cache of arms and ammunition, a press release said

Singh had earlier spent around six years in jail for his involvement in various cases of bomb blasts in Delhi, Panipat, Kurukshetra, Kaithal and Chandigarh, and a jail break in Burail, it said.

–Agencies

UP to undertake verification of how people got PSOs

Lucknow, June 30: Uttar Pradesh Police will carry out a verification drive across the state to identify those who managed to get personal security officers (gunners and shadows) on the basis of fake government orders, a senior police official said here today.

“It has been decided that a drive would be carried out in all the districts of the state to identify persons who had obtained gunners and shadows on the basis of fake government orders,” Additional Director General of Police Brij Lal told reporters here.

Chhattisgarh CM discusses anti-Naxal strategies

Raipur, June 30: A day after 26 CRPF personnel were killed in a Naxal ambush in Chhattisgarh’s Narayanpur district, Chief Minister Raman Singh today called an emergency meeting to discuss anti-Naxal strategies.

The meeting, apart from reviewing yesterday’s deadly attack, discussed strategies to modernise police forces and equip them with better tools to fight the outlaws, officials said.

PC Responsible for Maoist Attack, Says Vara Vara Rao

Hyderabad, June 30: The revolutionary writer, Mr Vara Vara Rao has said that the Union Home Minister, Mr P. Chidambaram, should own responsibility for the attack of Maoists on the CRPF jawans in Chattisgarh.

Talking to the media here on Wednesday, Mr Rao said that the Central should at least now call off the Green Hunt Operation and withdraw CRPF forces from Dantewada and other areas.

He said that 26 CRPF men were killed eight more were injured in the Maoist ambush in Chattisgarh on Tuesday.

Fake VISIT VISAS: Consultant Arrested

Hyderabad, June 30: Hyderabad Police seems to have working actively these days, in an attempt to break the fake Visit Visa racket, Police arrested an educational consultancy owner, Mohd. Masooduddin, 36, who was allegedly making and selling fake documents to secure ‘student’ and ‘visit’ visas, was arrested by the Hyderabad police on Tuesday. Masooduddin, from whom passports of 21 persons were seized, managed to secure two passports, Police Commissioner, A.K. Khan, said.

Avantika has no problems with my female fans: Imran

Mumbai, June 30: Bollywood’s chocolate boy Imran Khan, who recently got bitten by a female fan in Mauritius, said his fiancée Avantika Malik has no problems with the female attention he gets.

Imran, who was at the official mobile game launch of his forthcoming film “I Hate Luv Storys”, when asked what his fiancée’s reaction was after the incident, claimed that she was quite okay with the whole thing.

Sonam Kapoor unfazed by romance rumours

New Delhi, June 30: Gossip mongers have been busy linking her first to ‘Saawariya’ co-star Ranbir Kapoor and now to debutante director Punit Malhotra but actress Sonam Kapoor has decided not to react to such rumours.

When asked to comment on her alleged romance with ‘I Hate Love Stories’ director Punit, Sonam said, “I’m never going to speak about my personal life in public, who I am dating or whatever. So I am neither confirming nor denying anything.”

Nevertheless, the 25-year-old actress admits that on her first meeting with Punit she found him to be as handsome as a Bollywood actor.

Sonam’s sister praises Ranbir

Mumbai, June 30: Does Sonam Kapoor like Ranbir? This is one of the big questions which has never been accurately answered.

While many have denied that it is real, but the latest remarks of Sonam’s sister Rhea Kapoor shows a different side of the story.

According to sources, Rhea Kapoor recently praised Ranbir in public much to the astonishment of the gathered audience. No one could believe that Sonam’s sister can be such a big admirer of Ranbir when in the past Sonam has denied any link-up with the actor.

It’s great to be part of film family: Sonam Kapoor

Mumbai, June 30: Bollywood actress Sonam Kapoor, who is the daughter of actor Anil Kapoor, says she is glad to be part of a film family.

“It’s great to be part of a film family since there is always more support. I love being my father’s daughter,” Sonam told reporters here.

The actress was present at the J.W. Marriott hotel in Juhu for the launch of a mobile game on her forthcoming film “I Hate Luv Storys”.

The film directed by Punit Malhotra and co-produced by Dharma Productions is slated to hit the screens Friday.

Emraan and I are each other’s lucky charms: Kangana

Mumbai, June 30: Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut, who will be seen with actor Emraan Hashmi for the third time in “Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai”, revealed that both of them consider each other lucky.

“I don’t have many scenes with Emraan in this film but we were discussing some time back that we are definitely each other’s lucky charms. Both the films that we did together — ‘Gangster’ and ‘Raaz-The Mystery Continues’ — worked,” Kangana told IANS.