Man held for Facebook posts denied bail

Agra, Feb 6 (IANS) A school chairman, arrested for posting "communal and inflammatory" material on Facebook, was denied bail and sent to judicial custody till Feb 18 Wednesday, police said.

Bail plea of the accused, Sanjay Choudhary, was rejected by the Agra chief judicial magistrate, Assistant Superintendent of Police Dinesh Kumar told IANS.

Choudhary, a civil engineer and chairman of Dev Public School here, was booked and arrested Monday under section 153A of the Indian Penal Code and 66A/67 of IT Act for "defamatory and inflammatory posts against a particular community", police said.

His laptop, SIM card and data card were also seized.

Police acted after some Facebook users complained against the posts.

However, Choudhary's lawyer said the Facebook account was hacked and someone else posted the material.

There were reports that Choudhary was held for defamatory posts against politicians. But a police source said he was arrested allegedly for the communal hatred he was inciting.

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Leaders, professionals call for police reforms

New Delhi, Feb 6 (IANS) Leading professionals Wednesday joined Defence Minister A.K. Antony and Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit to press for urgent police reforms in the country.

"Police reforms are the real need of the hour," Antony said on the occasion of a meeting on the subject convened here by formerCentral Bureau of Investigation (CBI) director D.R. Kaarthikeyan.

"Our policing system must change to be more sensitive and responsible to the people," he said in a message to the organisers.

Stressing that police reforms ought to be an integral part of good governance, Antony said the force must win the trust of the people through more and more accountability.

In her message, Dikshit said people at large had come to realise that "police should be more responsible, proactive and sensitive in order to ensure a sense of security and confidence".

Referring to the Dec 16 gang-rape of a young woman in Delhi who died, she said the outrage "has also made both the public and the government to join heads together to have fruitful interaction in this regard".

She demanded that training should improve professionalism in police forces and enhance their operational efficiency.

In his opening remarks, Kaarthikeyan warned that police would never be effective if they lost the confidence of the citizens.

Former Supreme Court chief justice R.C. Lahoti called for a return to the times when the beat constable was at the heart of the policing system.

Today, he said, ordinary people were afraid of approaching the police. This, he said, had to change.

Wajahat Habibullah, chairperson of the National Commission for Minorities, said while minorities were treated better in India compared to many other countries, there were times when they were at the receiving end of police.

Echoing Dikshit's view, he said "proper training" was a must to produce more professional policemen.

Former CBI director Ashwani Kumar, now with the OP Jindal Global University, complained that thousands of cases were pending in courts, puncturing police efforts to bring the guilty to book.

Prakash Singh, former director general of the Border Security Force, called for a bar on criminals from contesting elections if police reforms were to succeed.

Management guru Gurcharan Das said the Dec 16 gang-rape was the first time when a brutal incident had led to a fast-tracking of the entire administration.

"We need to extend this treatment to all brutal incidents," he said.

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Boy killed as balcony collapses in Mumbai

Mumbai, Feb 6 (IANS) An eight-year-old boy was killed when a part of a building collapsed in south central Mumbai Wednesday, a civic official said here.

"Masum Arif Khan, 8, was killed when the balcony of his fourth floor home gave away while he was standing there," an official from the civic disaster control told IANS.

There were no other casualties.

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Avalanche hits Kinnaur hamlet, seven rescued

Shimla, Feb 6 (IANS) Following three days of heavy snowfall, anavalanche hit a remote hamlet in the tribal Kinnaur districtWednesday, burying two houses. At least seven people, who were trapped under the avalanche, were later extricated by rescue teams, an official said.

Police and the locals laboured for over eight hours in a rescue operation and extricated all seven people, including four children, from the rubble. They were given first aid for injuries, Deputy Commissioner J.M. Pathania told IANS by phone.

The avalanche struck the remote hamlet of Kafnu in Bhaba Valley, about 70 km from district headquarters Rekong Peo, around 7 a.m., Pathania said.

The hamlet witnessed more than four feet of snow.

Officials said six families had vacated their houses sensing threat of the calamity in Kafnu.

The higher reaches in the state have been witnessing heavy snowfall for the past three days.

The government has advised people to stay indoors in Kullu, Lahaul-Spiti and Kinnaur districts, and Pangi and Bharmour areas of Chamba district. They have also been asked not to go out in avalanche-prone areas. Schools in these areas have been closed as a precautionary measure.

Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh Wednesday reviewed the situation after three days of snow and rain across the state.

He said the life in the state, particularly in the tribal areas and higher reaches, has been severely hit.

The chief minister also directed the authorities to ensure supply of electricity, water and other essential commodities to the people and clear roads that have been blocked by heavy snowfall.

The Met Office has forecast that western disturbance - storm systems originating in the Mediterranean Sea and moving across the Afghanistan-Pakistan region - will remain active over the state and higher areas are likely to experience heavy snow till Thursday.

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Mobile company manager commits suicide

New Delhi, Feb 6 (IANS) A mobile company manager committed suicide by hanging himself from a ceiling fan in his house here Wednesday, police said.

Nitin Bhardwaj, a resident of Uttar Pradesh's Agra, was found hanging in his rented accommodation in east Delhi's Madhu Vihararea around 12.30 p.m.

The 28-year-old worked as a manager in a mobile company in NOIDA.

"Bhardwaj was alone in his room. Neighbours who found him hanging informed police, who are yet to ascertain the reason behind his extreme step. No suicide note was recovered," said a police officer.

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Mock earthquake drill to hit Gurgaon traffic

Gurgaon Feb 6 (IANS) A mock earthquake rescue drill will be held here, including on the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway, Thursday and will affect traffic, an official said Wednesday.

The mock drill will affect the flow of traffic on Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway, causing long jams for a few hours, the official said on the condition of anonymity.

Organised by Gurgaon Disaster Management Authority (GDMA) and the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), the mock drill is aimed at checking the level of preparedness of officials and citizens to tackle natural calqamities.

It will start Thursday at 11 a.m. at the Government College in Sector 14 on Mehrauli-Gurgaon Road, Mini Secretariat near Rajiv Chowk on the expressway and at the General Hospital flyover on Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway near 32nd Milestone. All schools have also been asked to conduct the drill.

Deputy Commissioner of Police P.C. Meena will be in charge of the exercise.

Though Gurgaon's hundreds of high-rise buildings are believed to be sensitive to earthquakes, they have been kept out of the drill.

A mock earthquake of a hypothetical intensity eight on the Richter Scale with its epicentre in district Mandi of Himachal Pradesh, about 300 km from Gurgaon, has been planned for Feb 11 at 11 a.m., teh official said.

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Man, woman found dead in house

New Delhi, Feb 6 (IANS) A middle-aged man and a woman, who were in an extra-marital affair, were found dead at the woman's house here, police said Wednesday.

"The incident was reported Tuesday evening. Jaya Narayan, a labourer, had gone to Premlata's house in Mundka area in west Delhi. A neighbour spotted them in an unconscious state," said a seniorpolice officer.

They were taken to Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Hospital where they were declared dead on arrival, police said.

A bottle of poisonous substance was recovered from the house. No suicide note was found, police said.

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Three brothers attacked by relatives, one shot at

New Delhi, Feb 6 (IANS) Three brothers were brutally beaten up by the family of one of their relatives and their associates here Wednesday morning, said police. One of the brothers is critical, and another suffered gun-shot wounds.

Around a dozen people attacked Sanjay, 34, around 6 a.m. in east Delhi's Gokalpuri area, police said.

Sanjay's brothers Santarpal, 45, and Brijpal, 50, were also beaten up. Santarpal was shot in his leg by the attackers, who then fled.

"The trio were admitted to Guru Tegh Bahadur Hospital where Sanjay is reportedly in a critical condition. A case has been registered and a probe is on," police said.

The reason for the fight is not yet known, police added.

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Search for bombs resumes at Alabama hostage site after two found

MIDLAND CITY, Alabama (Reuters) - Bomb technicians searched for explosive devices Wednesday after two were found at the rural Alabama property where a man, who had held a young boy hostage in an underground bunker for nearly a week, was killed in a firefight with authorities Monday.

Investigators dismantled two explosive devices that were found Tuesday at the scene near Midland City in southeast Alabama, theFederal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said.

One device was inside the bunker where Jimmy Lee Dykes, 65, had holed up for nearly a week with a 5-year-old boy he had randomly snatched off a school bus after killing the driver. The second device was in a plastic pipe Dykes had asked negotiators to use to communicate with him during the standoff.

No additional devices were spotted during the sweep that resumed on Wednesday, FBI agents said.

FBI agents stormed the homemade bunker and shot and killed Dykes on Monday after surveillance equipment showed him wielding a gun and looking agitated, law enforcement sources said. The boy was rescued unharmed.

A preliminary investigation indicated Dykes "engaged in a firefight" with SWAT team members who entered the bunker, the FBI said in a statement late Tuesday.

Dykes appeared to have reinforced the bunker to thwart entry attempts by law enforcement, agents said, without revealing further details.

The drama came against a backdrop of a heated debate about gun violence and school safety across the United States, following the shooting deaths of 20 children and six adults in December by a gunman who had forced his way into a Connecticut elementary school.

The rescued Alabama boy, identified only as Ethan, turned 6 on Wednesday. Relieved residents posted signs around his hometown with messages such as "Happy Birthday Ethan" and "Welcome Home."

An online effort to send Ethan and his family to Disney World in Florida was close to reaching its $7,000 fundraising goal.

"For the first time in almost a week, I woke up this morning to the most beautiful sight ... my sweet boy," the child's mother said on Tuesday in her first public statement about the ordeal. "I can't describe how incredible it is to hold him again."

"My family and I ask that you respect our privacy and give us a little time - time to heal, time to put this nightmare behind us, time to move forward," said the mother, who was not named.

Dykes, a retired trucker who served in the Navy during the Vietnam War era, had been due to appear in court last week to face a menacing charge involving one of his neighbors.

On the eve of his trial before a judge, Dykes boarded a school bus carrying more than 20 children home and demanded that the driver let a student off the bus, according to authorities.

When the driver, Charles Albert Poland, 66, refused, Dykes shot him four times with a 9 mm handgun, killing Poland, and fled with Ethan, officials said.

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A Minute With: Soderbergh about his new film 'Side Effects'

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Oscar-winning filmmaker Steven Soderbergh delves into the world of prescription drugs in his new film "Side Effects," a psychological thriller that opens on Friday.

Rooney Mara and Channing Tatum play a couple whose lives unravel when she begins taking a new anti-anxiety medication prescribed by her psychiatrist, played by Jude Law.

Soderbergh, 50, spoke with Reuters about his own experiences with prescription drugs, shooting in New York and what he plans to do on his self-imposed hiatus from film-making.

Q: "Side Effects" shows characters either taking medication or prescribing them. Have you ever needed to take medication for your mood, for example?

A: "Luckily, my equilibrium is fairly consistent, so I've never been in a position of wanting or needing something to stabilize my mood. The Inderal beta blocker, what they call the "speaking drug," is miraculous. I use that. A buddy of mine turned me on to it because I said, "I really hate getting up in front of people." He says, "You've got to try Inderal." It keeps you calm and keeps you from getting anxious. That's my only pill experience."

Q: No pain-killing drugs that have landed so many in rehab?

A: "I had kidney stones once, which were not fun. They give you (pain-killer) Oxycontin and I thought, 'Oh boy, this is the one.' People turn their lives upside down to try and get this stuff. But it did nothing for me."

Q: You shot "Side Effects" in New York, which is where you live. What were some of the challenges shooting there?

A: "I was really fascinated by how the paparazzi came around when we were shooting out on the street. The unwillingness on the part of the city to give you certain physical parameters to work within that allow some amount of privacy to do your work was shocking. There were times where I was literally bumping in to them while we were trying to work."

Q: You're officially taking a break from film. How are you staying busy?

A: "I'm still working on stuff, just not movies. I've got this website (Extension765.com) that's going to go up sometime in March or April where (personal and movie items will be) accessible to get or buy."

Q: Like what?

A: "I have closets full of memorabilia, slates, scripts with my notes in them, badges from film festivals ... I can auction it off (online) and give the money to charity. I will also have my photography and a whole line of film related T-shirts."

Q: What's the concept behind the T-shirts?

A: "When they were being designed, I would test them out by wearing them to the set to see if people knew the movie references. There was this one Black Pony Scotch shirt. That's a very, very obscure reference from a famous film noir from the 1940s where there is a five-second pan across a table and you see this bottle of Black Pony Scotch."

Q: What's the movie?

A: "Laura" (by director Otto Preminger).

Q: Is the name of your site another obscure film reference?

A: "'The Conversation.' Whenever Gene Hackman calls to find out what's going on, Harrison Ford answers the phone and says, 'extension 765.'"

Q: Are you up to anything else at the moment?

A: "Yes. I've also designed a pair of super high-end audiophile headphones - what will be limited edition. I've been work working (on them) with the RED (digital) camera people."

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Expedite law to empower disabled: President

New Delhi, Feb 6 (IANS) President Pranab Mukherjee Wednesday urged the government to expedite a new law to empower people with disabilities, saying such people fully participate in social life and theentire community benefits when barriers to their inclusion are removed.

"I urge the government to complete the remaining stages of consultation expeditiously and to introduce the bill in parliament as early as possible," Mukherjee said while giving away National Awards for Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities here.

He said the government was in the process of replacing Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act, 1995, with a more comprehensive new legislation in consonance with the United Nations Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

"Persons with disabilities participate fully in social life and the entire community benefits when barriers to their inclusion are removed. Barriers faced by such persons are a detriment to society as a whole," the president said.

"Persons with disabilities do not have equal access in society to services, including education, employment, health care, transportation, political participation or at times justice. This is an occasion to acknowledge the dignity and rights of Persons with Disabilities and to re-dedicate ourselves to their empowerment," he said.

Noting the government has created a separate Department of Disability Affairs last year, Mukherjee urged all state governments to have a similar arrangement to give more focus to issues confronting people with disabilities.

He also urged the Ministries of Social Justice and Empowerment, Women and Child Development, Human Resource Development, Health and Family Welfare and Labour and Employment to work in unison to achieve the results.

Noting the goal of inclusive and universal education was being pursued under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, Mukherjee said there was also a need to ensure that children with special needs have access to education.

He also said simple aids such as hearing devices, limb prosthesis, wheel-chairs and Braille writing equipment facilitate mobility and communication should be provided to such people to improve their functional capacity.

He said all central ministries and organisations under their control must take immediate and comprehensive steps to ensure that reservation for this category was effectively implemented in letter and spirit and backlog of vacancies in all establishments in the government should be filled as early as possible.

"I also request the private sector to employ more and more persons with disabilities," he said.

The president also urged states to appoint full-time independent commissioners for Persons with Disabilities at the earliest possible to function effectively for grievance redressal.

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Notice to Buddhadeb for questioning Mamata's honesty

Kolkata, Feb 6 (IANS) The Trinamool Congress Wednesday slapped a legal notice on former West Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and demanded an apology from him for questioning his successor Mamata Banerjee's honesty.

The notice, sent by lawyer Rajdeep Mazumdar following the directive of the party's all India general secretary Mukul Roy, askedBhattacharjee to apologise publicly within 48 hours for his remarks against the Trinamool chief, failing which the party would start legal proceedings against him in both civil and criminal courts.

Raising questions about Banerjee being projected as a "symbol of honesty" by the Trinamool, CPI-M politburo member Bhattacharjee Tuesday asked the media to probe her family's financial situation after she came to power.

On Wednesday, Trinamool leader and Urban Development Minister Firhad Hakim slammed Bhattacharjee.

"Nobody in Indian politics can question Mamata Banerjee's honesty. Workers of the Trinamool Congress believe her. The people of the state believe her. Buddhadeb should come to his senses. When that happens, he will admit his mistake and apologise to Banerjee," Hakim said.

"Bhattacharjee left (former chief minister) Jyoti Basu's ministry in the 1990s. His daughter said he would not continue in a ministry of thieves. But he rejoined the cabinet in a couple of years lured by its office," he said.

Hakim then referred to the Left Front's defeat in the 2011 assembly polls.

"Bhattacharjee was rejected by the people of the state. Even people of his constituency rejected him. He has no moral right to make such allegations against a person of integrity like Banerjee, who is a real mass leader," Hakim said.

"We condemn his statement. Mamata Banerjee has faith in the people. We leave the matter to the people who will give a befitting reply (to Bhattacharjee)," he said.

Lashing out at Bhattacharjee, who had during a TV interview gave Banerjee a "zero" for her performance, Hakim said: "When West Bengal is on the fast track to development, peace and progress, he is giving a zero to the government. Bhattacharjee himself is a big zero. Can you name one industrial venture which succeeded during his tenure? In contrast, he left the state with 55,000 closed factories".

Asked to comment in an interview with Bengali TV channel Chobbis Ghanta on Trinamool projecting Banerjee as a symbol of honesty, Bhattacharjee replied: "I'm unable to agree".

Pressed further, he said: "You conduct a probe into her family condition now as compared to what it was earlier. According to my yardstick, she does not pass the yardstick of honesty."

"I can't accept her as being honest. This is no secret. A lot of people close to her know this and they have started talking about it," he said.

Asked if he could provide details, Bhattacharjee said: "I'm not a drain inspector. You can probe it if you want to. Many know what people close to her are doing. Everything will come out easily if there is an investigation."

On Bhattacharjee's reference to Banerjee's family, Hakim said: "Every individual has the right to earn. Nobody can question this. For example, I am in politics, but my brother may not be in politics. He can pursue his own calling."

"The income tax and other government institutions are there to look into what people possess. No individual can conduct an inquiry," he said.

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357 file nominations for Meghalaya polls

Shillong, Feb 6 (IANS) Over 350 candidates filed their nomination papers for the Feb 23 elections to the Meghalaya assembly, an election official said Wednesday.

The filing of the nominations to contest the polls to 60-member Meghalaya assembly ended Wednesday with no reports of poll-related incidents.

"A total of 357 candidates have filed nomination papers for the 60assembly constituencies. On the last day (Wednesday) of filing papers, 52 candidates filed nominations," state Chief Electoral Officer Prashant Naik said.

Chief Minister Mukul Sangma and former chief ministers D.D. Lapang, Salseng C. Marak and Donkupar Roy filed their nomination papers as nominees of the Congress and United Democratic Partyrespectively.

The ruling Congress party has fielded its candidates in all the 60 assembly constituency.

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GJM calls 12-hour shutdown in Darjeeling Feb 9

Darjeeling, Feb 6 (IANS) A day after the West Bengal governmentannounced its plans to form a Lepcha Development Council in the Darjeeling hills, the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) Wednesday called a 12-hour shutdown Feb 9 in protest the government's move.

"We have called the shutdown against the state government's move to divide our people. The government is following a divide and rule policy to drive a wedge between the Lepchas and the Gorkhas," GJM spokesman Benoy Tamang told reporters after an emergency party meeting.

Lepchas are indigenous tribals of Sikkim and surrounding hills, including Darjeeling.

The GJM announced the shutdown in the presence of party chiefBimal Gurung.

As news of the GJM's call for the shutdown reached the state secretariat in Kolkata, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee went into a huddle with senior ministers and bureaucrats.

Later, North Bengal Development Minister Gautam Deb said his government was committed to giving full support to the new hill development body Gorkha Territorial Administration (GTA), which is now run by the GJM.

However, GJM president Bimal Gurung has threatened to step down as GTA chief executive to devote full time in leading the movement for a separate state ofGorkhaland.

"The West Bengal government will give full support to the GTA. Our job is to promote development there to ensure that the people remain joyful. The government will do it...we cannot and will not do anything which will make the hills suffer," Deb said.

He seemed guarded while talking to the media.

"I will comment on the recent development after watching the government reports. I will not comment anything on media reports," Deb said.

On why the peaceful hills have suddenly become violent, the minister said: "I have to adhere to some secrecy. I cannot divulge everything to the media."

On Tuesday, the state government decided to form the Lepcha Development Council in an apparent bid to put pressure on the GJM which recently revived its demand for Gorkhaland.

A day after its activists raised pro-Gorkhaland slogans at a programme in Darjeeling, where Banerjee was present, the GJM warned of "violence and bloodbath" if its demand for the separate state was not met.

The long standing agitation for forming a separate Gorkhaland out of the northern West Bengal hills has led to the loss of many lives over the past two decades, besides hitting the region's economic mainstays - tea, timber and tourism.

On July 18, 2012, a tripartite agreement was signed between the GJM, and the state and central governments for setting up a new autonomous, elected GTA -- a hill council armed with more powers than its predecessor, the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council formed in the late 1980s.

The GJM now runs the GTA after sweeping its maiden territorial elections last July.

On Tuesday, former state chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattachrjee rapped the Banerjee government for "mishandling" the Darjeeling hill issue and warned that compromising on the Gorkhaland matter would create severe problems.

Bhattacharjee alleged that the state government had blundered by inking the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) accord without the GJM dropping its demand for a separate statehood.

"Any direct or indirect compromise on the Gorkhaland demand would not do any good. It is a vital border area. The issues of the Dooars (foothills of the Himalayas) and Terai (the plains close to the hills) are also linked," he said.

Bhattacharjee also questioned the chief minister's decision to form a Lepcha Development Council without following the GTA agreement in letter and spirit by reserving seats for the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes.

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12 percent of Goa under Lokayukta scanner: CM

Panaji, Feb 6 (IANS) Over 12 percent of Goa's population will come under the Lokayukta scanner, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar said Wednesday.

"Everyone, including politicians, bureaucrats, sarpanches (village headmen) and NGOs who get funding of Rs.1 lakh plus from the government, will come under the ambit of Lokayukta. Volumes offrivolous complaints will make the organisation less effective," Parrikar told reporters here.

"Over 12 percent of Goa's population comes under the ambit of Lokayukta," he said.

Parrikar has come under fire from civil society for making a host ofcontroversial amendments to the state's Lokayukta law, including introduction of a fine of up to Rs.1 million on those making "false and frivolous" complaints to the anti-corruption institution.

Other controversial amendments that have also been criticised in the public domain by BJP's executive committee members include: declarations of the Lokayukta to lapse if chief minister's office fails to take cognizance of the same in three months and enabling ministers indicted of corruption to hang on to their posts instead of making their resignations mandatory.

Parrikar now claims he is willing to again look at these amendments provided he is "convinced" they are detrimental to the interests of the Lokayukta.

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Kamal Haasan's fans celebrate release of spy-thriller 'Vishwaroopam' in Tamil Nadu

Chennai, Feb 7 (ANI): The screening of spy-thriller 'Vishwaroopam' will finally take place in Tamil Nadu today, after a tumultuous two weeks of court cases and stay orders.

Fans of actor-filmmaker Kamal Haasan can be seen dancing outside the theatres in Chennai to celebrate the release of the movie on Friday. They also garlanded the cutouts of the actor.

People started gathering outside cinema halls in Chennai in large numbers to watch the first show of Vishwaroopam.

The movie was originally set to release on January 25 got the go ahead for release after actor-filmmaker Haasan agreed to remove seven scenes that offended Mulsim groups.

Earlier, the Tamil Nadu Government withdrew petition from the High Court, thus paving the way for screening of 'Vishwaroopam' in the state after Haasan reached a settlement with protesting Muslim groups.

The Madras High Court had banned the Tamil version of the film in southern Tamil Nadu state after the state government appealed, fearing law and order problems.

The controversy surrounding the film was the latest in a string of recent clashes over freedom of expression in India.

Earlier, Haasan, who acted and directed the movie, said the matter has been "settled amicably" with Muslim groups after he agreed to cut certain scenes from the film, including words from the holy Koran.

"Vishwaroopam", which opened in cinemas on Friday (January 25), was mired in controversy with some Muslim groups protesting over its alleged depiction of the community in a negative light.

The filmmakers said the delay could cost them between $5.6 million and $14.8 million in losses - depending on whether they are granted permission to screen the movie at all or not. (ANI)

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Three killed as slab from bridge crashes

Mumbai, Feb 7 (IANS) At least three labourers were killed and six injured when a slab from an under construction bridge adjacent to the airport fell while being hoisted by a crane, officials said here Thursday.

The incident occurred around 11.45 p.m. Wednesday when a 30-metre slab from the Sahar Elevated Access Road near Mumbai Airport crashed to the ground, city disaster control officials said. The crane hoisting it also collapsed, trapping the workers underneath.

The injured have been admitted to the nearby Holy Spirit and Seven Hills hospitals for treatment.

Part of the two-kilometre Sahar Elevated Access Road, the bridge is coming up adjacent to the T2 Terminal at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport and will be a vital link connecting the congested Western Express Highway direct to the airport.

This is the third incident of its kind hitting a major urban infrastructure project in the past six months, raising safety concerns.

The incident came just four days after Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan declared the project (Sahar Elevated Access Road) among the mega-infrastructure projects that will change the face of Mumbai this year.

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Rahul to undertake first visit to Amethi as Congress Vice President

Amethi, Feb. 7 (ANI): Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi will undertake a two-day tour of his parliamentary constituency Amethi beginning today.

It will be his first visit to his constituency after taking over as theCongress Vice President.

Forty-two-year-old Gandhi is scheduled to meet senior party functionaries and leaders in the area during his visit. He will also lay the foundation of some development works in the area.

The Congress Vice President will not address any public rallies during his Amethi visit, but is expected to hold closed-door meetings here in an endeavour to concentrate on mass scale restructuring of the party cadres.

The visit will follow Gandhi's extensive deliberations with Congress office bearers on the organisational functioning.

Congress leaders and other well-wishers here of the ruling party at the Centre are excited about Gandhi's elevation.

Gandhi had earlier on Tuesday postponed his visit to Amethi due to bad weather conditions.

He had last visited Amethi just a few days before his formal elevation as the party's number two on January 19 during the Congress Party's three-day 'Chintan Shivir' in Jaipur.

Gandhi had campaigned aggressively in Uttar Pradesh during the state assembly polls, but his party did not perform up to his expectations and was relegated to the fourth position, winning 26 out of 403 seats.

The Congress Vice President has now increased the frequency of his visits to his constituency following the party's dismal show in the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls. (ANI)

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Sonia Gandhi to campaign in poll-bound Nagaland

Kohima, Feb 7 (ANI): Congress President Sonia Gandhi will visitNagaland today to campaign for the state assembly election to be held on February 23.

According to reports, Gandhi will address two public meetings at Mokokchung and Dimapur districts respectively.

Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi will also address public rallies in Kohima, Mon and Tuensang districts tentatively on February 9 and 14.

The Congress has been in opposition in Nagaland since 2003.

Meanwhile, a total of 193 candidates filed their nominations on Wednesday for the Nagaland assembly elections.

The scrutiny of the nomination papers will be taken up today and last date of withdrawal is on February 9.

In 2008 election, Nagaland Peoples Front won 26 seats; Indian National Congress won 23 seats. And BJP and Independent parties won 2 and 7 seats respectively. (ANI)

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Three arrests so far for abusing Jammu and Kashmir's all-girl rock band

Srinagar, Feb. 7 (ANI): The Jammu and Kashmir Police has arrested three people in connection with the online abuses and threats to the first all-girl rock band of the Valley.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had come out in full support of the Valley's first all-girl rock band 'Pragaash' who stopped live shows following threats and criticism. He had also promised strict action against people involved in threatening the members of the band.

The police arrested Irshad Ahmad Chara of Batmaloo on Wednesday night. Tariq Khan was apprehended from Bijbehara and Rameez Shahwas arrested from Ganderbal, according to the sources.

The Police is tracking down the Internet Protocol addresses of the 26 users whose comments on the band's Facebook page were found abusive.

Earlier, a member of the band on Tuesday said that though they are feeling bad but will not sing in future.

"We have mutually agreed to call it quits because of the people of Kashmir and our Grand Mufti sahib. He is Islamic scholar and he might be right suggesting us not to sing, we respect him," said one of the three band members.

Asked whether they are afraid after the fatwa, the teenage girl said that they are neither afraid nor required any security from state government.

"I started singing when I was fourteen, now I am feeling a little bad but will not sing in future. We would like to thank the media and the people who have come in our support," said the girl.

The band named 'Pragaash' (morning light) on Monday, decided to call it quits in the wake of a 'fatwa' issued by Grand Mufti Bashiruddin Ahmad terming singing as un-islamic and obscene. (ANI)

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Protests outside SRCC over Modi's visit

New Delhi, Feb 6 (IANS) Left-wing students outfits staged protests outside Delhi University's Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC) against Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi's visit. ABVP activists also thronged the site to support Modi.

The police resorted to lathi-charge and water cannons to disperse students of Left-wing unions who tried to pull down the barricades and gain entry into the college where Modi was addressing students.

Around 600 policemen, some of them in riot gear, tried to bring the situation under control.

Angry students shouted, "Modi go back!" Posters held up by protestors read: "Expose Modi!"

Meanwhile, Akhil Bharaitya Vidyarthi Parishad members raised slogans in praise of Modi.

"People of Gujarat have not got justice yet. How can Modi be welcomed when he had such a big role in the Gujarat riots? It is not all about development," Prashant Singh, a member of the All India Students' Federation, told IANS.

"The development model of Modi is needed in the entire country. He is the best leader and India needs people like him," Utkarsh Sahni, a student of DU's PGDAV college, said.

Many of the students belonged to the All India Students' Association, the Students Federation of India and the All India Students Federation -- all Left-wing unions.

Wearing black clothes and masks of ghosts, students crossed the barricade and shouted slogans against Modi outside the college.

Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC) is the alma mater of many leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), including Arun Jaitley, Vijay Goel, Jagdish Mukhi and Vijay Jolly.

Modi's talk at the college was about "Emerging business models in the global scenario".

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More ruckus in Kerala assembly over Suryanelli

Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 6 (IANS) The infamous Suryanelli sex case was the matter of much contention and heated debate in theKerala assembly Wednesday, with the government and the Left opposition sticking to their respective stances, and refusing to budge.

Leader of opposition V.S. Achuthanandan made a submission, saying that in the wake of the latest ordinance signed by the president last week, holding that the victim's statement must get utmost importance, the Suryanelli victim too must be heeded: the woman had claimed that among those who exploited her was P.J. Kurien, currently deputy chairman of the Rajya Sabha.

Achuthanandan said that in the wake of the repeated assertions from the victim in this regard, the state government should order a fresh probe into the crime.

"You recently reopened investigations in two cases that were closed in the past (Anchery Baby murder case and K.T. Jayakrishnan murder case). Similarly, in the wake of the latest change of testimony by a few people who then had spoken for Kurien, and also considering that the victim has stood by her earlier statement, a fresh probe should be ordered," Achuthanandan said.

State Home Minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan said the state government has sought legal advice in this matter. Once that advice is known, the government would consider what course of action to take, he said.

Chief Minister Oommen Chandy reiterated that all teams probing the case had cleared Kurien.

"We can only go as per the laws. It is cruel to haunt a person who has been cleared by the courts," Chandy said.

Meanwhile, the case has become the talking point in the state, and there are people rallying to the support of the victim.

A group of women activists of the Janadhiyapathiya Mahila Association, led by top CPI-M women leaders, staged a protest outside the assembly demanding Kurien's arrest.

Some protestors tried to barge into the assembly, but were stopped by police, and some of them got roughed up in the melee.

"Our activists were roughed up and dragged onto the streets, then taken into custody by the police. This was brutal treatment of peaceful protestors, and we will now stay put at this spot in front of the assembly building until our fellow-activists are released," former minister and central committee member of the CPI-M P.K. Sreemathi said.

The women activists detained by police were released later after a case was registered.

Kerala State Human Rights Commission chairman J.B. Koshy, who has served as chief justice of Bihar, said: "This is a case that has already been cleared by the courts, we have no rules to follow in a case like this. And I have not been reading the news on this issue; there is nothing but politics in it."

The case relates to the confinement and rape of a 16-year-old girl for a period of 45 days by 42 men in 1996. In 2005, the Kerala High Court acquitted 35 accused, and convicted one man for crimes related to sex trade. Last month, the Supreme Court ordered a retrial of the case in the Kerala High Court.

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On border vigil, BSF sniffs out heroin aplenty

Amritsar, Feb 6 (IANS) The Border Security Force (BSF) has a new menacing enemy on the 553-km border with Pakistan in Punjab - drugs.

The BSF drive to check drugs smuggling, especially heroin, has resulted in the highest ever seizure of heroin - nearly 290 kg - in 2012. The contraband was said to be valued at over Rs.1,450 crore (about $273 million) in the international market.

In January this year, the BSF confiscated over 25 kg of heroin, worth over Rs.125 crore (about $23 million). Ten kg was seized from the Amritsar sector Jan 22 followed by a seizure of 15 kg from the Gurdaspur sector two days later.

The seizures of 2012 surpassed all recent records.

The seizure by the BSF in 2008 was over 100 kg. It rose in 2009 to about 120 kg, dipped slightly the next year to about 115 kg, and in 2011 it was only around 68 kg.

"We recovered 288 kg of heroin in Punjab in 2012," BSF's Punjab frontier Inspector General Aditya Mishra said.

In fact, the BSF seized over 200 kg of heroin in the first eight months of 2012, leaving BSF officials baffled at the sudden increase in smuggling from Pakistan.

"Smugglers from both sides (India and Pakistan) are involved. We killed nine Pakistani smugglers and arrested 19 Indians in the past year," a BSF officer told IANS.

Punjab shares a 553-km barbed wire fenced border with Pakistan which is guarded by 134 battalions of the BSF round the clock.

"In today's world, conventional war being a rarity, the BSF faces never-ending challenges day and night in the form of infiltration of terrorists and smuggling of weapons and narcotics," a BSF spokesman said.

He said that newer technologies were being adopted in daily duties of the troopers for effective border management and curbing of smuggling.

Besides the BSF, other central and state government agencies are involved in tracking and seizing drugs being smuggled through the international border.

These include the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) and customs as well as the Punjab Police Special Operations Cell.

In 2012, customs officials seized 135 kg of heroin packed in cement bags imported from Pakistan through the India-Pakistan goods train in just four months (July-October).

The seizure is valued at Rs.675 crore (about $127.2 million) in the international market.

In October last year, 105 kg of heroin was seized from cement bags in one consignment. This led to the suspension of cement trade between the two countries for some time.

These agencies have made significant heroin seizures in recent months as well.

(Jaideep Sarin can be contacted at jaideep.s@ians.in)

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