In a shocking incident, a 10-year-old boy shot his friend with a country-made pistol in Barabanki district. The victim, aged 11, has been shifted to the Trauma Centre in Lucknow and his condition is said to be critical. The accused boy has been sent to a juvenile home after being arrested and produced before a magistrate. According to the police, the incident took place in Jinhauli village in Barabanki, late on Wednesday evening. Mohammed Qasim was a frequent visitor to the home of Maszada Bano whose son was his friend. Qasim’s father used to work part time at Bano’s spinning centre.
***
AMU will reopen on May 16
Aligarh, May 5: The Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), which was closed indefinitely last Saturday following clashes between rival students’ groups, will reopen from May 16 in a phased manner.
A decision to this effect was taken at an emergency meeting called by vice-chancellor P.K Abdul Aziz late on Thursday evening.
According to a senior university official, it has also been decided to provide hostel facilities to all final year students in professional courses and in other courses from May 16.
***
Maoists kill sarpanch’s son in Orissa
Akshaya Kumar Sahoo
Bhubaneswar
May 5: Suspected Maoists on Thursday blew up a panchayat office at Niliguda in Malkangiri district by triggering landmine blasts, even as reports came in that another group of rebels killed the son of a village head as he refused to join their fold. According to police, a band of rebels reached the Niliguda panchayat office, nearly 620 km from the state headquarters, and blasted the building.
However, there was no human casualty as the building was locked. “The red rebels used landmine to blow up the building. Since no one was staying in the building, there were no reports of human casualty,” said inspector-in-charge of Malkangiri police station Ramakrishna Pati.
The ultras have stepped up their activities in recent times.
***
SC concludes hearing on salwa judum
AGE CORRESPONDENT
New Delhi
May 5: The Supreme Court on Thursday concluded the hearing on a four-year-old PIL raising the violation of human rights by Salwa Judum activists, a concept devised by Chhattisgarh government to fight Maoists.
A bench of Justices B. Sudershan Reddy and S.S. Nijjar also took into account the new device of recruiting special police officials (SPOs) by the state allegedly replacing Salwa Judum after the concept had failed. During the hearing, the top court examined the report of a special team of National Human Rights Commission sent to the state.