Pakistani prisoner's family arrives in India

NEW DELHI: Two family member of Pakistani prisoner Sanaullah Ranjay, who is in a Chandigarh hospital after being attacked in a Jammu jail, have reached India Tuesday after being granted permission from Indian officials.

The two family members arrived in Chandigarh via the Wagah-Attari border, according to a statement by the Pakistan High Commission. His two teenage sons were not able to receive visas because they both don't have ID cards.

Mighty Rajasthan Royals beat Pune Warriors by 5 wickets

NEW DELHI: Brilliant half-centuries by Rahul Dravid and Ajinkya Rahane and sensible show by Stuart Binny in death overs helped Rajasthan beat Pune by 5 wickets in the IPL clash on Sunday.

Chasing a huge 179, Rajasthan got off to a flying start as Dravid and Rahane furstrated the visitors with their gritty show. The duo shared 98-run opening stand to lay a solid platform for the win.

Angelo Mathews gave Pune Warriors first breakthrough by dismissing Rajasthan skipper Rahul Dravid (58) in the 12th over.

Protest against Sajjan Kumar's acquittal in a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case

New Delhi: About 500 protesters blocked the high-security Vijay Chowk access to Parliament House in New Delhi for about an hour today, forcing MPs arriving for the session to either turn back, or get off their vehicles and walk.

The protesters later courted arrest following which the cops cleared the area. They were taken to the Parliament Street Police Station.The police had barricaded the area, which also houses the President's residence, Rashtrapati Bhawan, and important ministries, including the Prime Minister's Office in the North and South Blocks.

India to send plane to bring back Sarabjit's body

Lahore/New Delhi: Sarabjit Singh, the Indian who was attacked in a prison in Pakistan where he spent 22 years after being convicted of terrorism, died early this morning at a Lahore hospital after a cardiac arrest.

Pakistan has agreed to send back his body to India for his last rites.  It had turned down India's appeals to let Mr Singh be treated either in India or another country.

Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde said that a special plane will be sent to bring Mr Singh's body home.

Pak activist Ansar Burney demanded Rs 25 crore to save

New Delhi: Indian prisoner Sarabjit Singh's sister Dalbir Kaur said Pakistan has murdered her brother and alleged that Pakistan human rights activist Ansar Burney had demanded Rs 25 crore to help Sarabjit. "Had I paid Rs 25 crore to Ansar Burney, Sarabjit would have returned to India. I am poor so could not pay him. Burney had told me that at least pay Rs 2 crore to get Sarabjit. He told him that if I will give him the money in the morning, Sarabjit will be released by evening," she alleged.

Protests against acquittal of Sajjan Kumar

NEW DELHI: Sikh groups protested here on Wednesday demanding stringent punishment for Congress leader Sajjan Kumar, who was acquitted the day before in a case related to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.

The protesters gathered outside the Tilak Nagar police station in west Delhi, close to a resettlement colony of the 1984 anti-Sikh riot victims.

Two Metro stations in Delhi were closed in the afternoon as Sikh protesters came onto the tracks with placards and shouted slogans against Sajjan Kumar's acquittal, an official said.

Sajjan Kumar acquitted, shoe thrown at judge

NEW DELHI: In a major relief to Congress leader Sajjan Kumar, a Delhi court on Tuesday acquitted him in a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case while convicting five others for being a part of the mob that killed five Sikhs here.

District and sessions judge J R Aryan acquitted Kumar while convicting five others — Balwan Khokkar, an ex-councillor, Mahender Yadav, an ex-MLA, Kishan Khokkar, Girdhari Lal and Captain Bhagmal — for their involvement in the case.

The pronouncement of judgement witnessed a huge uproar by the protesters one of whom hurled a shoe at the judge soon after he acquitted Kumar in the case of riots that broke out 29 years ago on October 31, 1984, after the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

India asks Pak to send Sarabjit back for treatment, punish his attackers

New Delhi: India on Monday appealed to Pakistan to faciliate the return of prisoner Sarabjit Singh who was attacked by his jail inmates on Friday afternoon. In a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs said, "In view of the recent tragic events and present circumstances, we once again appeal to the Government of Pakistan to take a sympathetic and humanitarian view of this case, and release Sarabjit Singh."

Not just in Delhi, rapes happen elsewhere too: Shinde

New Delhi: Amidst strong protests over the rape and brutality meted out to a five-year-old girl here, Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde on Monday tabled a statement in both the houses of Parliament related to the horrific case.

In a bid to assuage the raging protests, Shinde said rapes are taking place not just in Delhi but across India.

Making a suo motu statement in the Lok Sabha earlier in the day, Shinde had said an inquiry has been ordered into the lapses on part of police to investigate the disappearance of the five-year-old girl and attempt to hush up the matter.

Second accused in minor rape case arrested by Delhi Police from Bihar

One more person allegedly involved in the rape of a five-year-old girl here a week ago has been arrested, police said on Monday.

Pradeep, the second accused, was apprehended from Bihar in a joint operation by Delhi and Bihar Police, Delhi Police Commissioner
Neeraj Kumar said.

"He will be brought to Delhi today after getting a transit remand from Darbhanga court," Kumar said.

Honda's cheapest bike 'Dream Neo' hits roads for Rs 43,150

GURGAON: Japanese auto giant Honda on Wednesday launched a new motorcycle 'Dream Neo' in India's volume-driven commuter segment, priced at Rs 43,150, making it the company's cheapest two-wheeler in the country.

The company's wholly-owned subsidiary Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India's (HMSI) 110cc scooter 'Dio' was its lowest cost two-wheeler so far in the country at Rs 44,718.

Indian Railways complete its 160 years

New Delhi:  Indian Railways will complete its 160 years this month. The first train in India started on April 16, 1853. At the occassion, dailybhaskar.com brings you the history of Indian Railways and interesting facts related to it.

You will be surprised to know that ice was used to keep the AC trains cool. A particular system was evolved for the same. The first Indian train started on April 16, 1853 at 3:35 from Bombay to Pune.

Devotees converge at temples as Navratri begins

New Delhi: Devout Hindus converged at temples in New Delhi on Thursday morning, to mark the beginning of the nine-day long Hindu festival of Navratri, which is held in honour of the Goddess Durga. Making a beeline, the devotees converged at temples to offer morning prayers on the festival's first day, as they offer fruits and flowers to the goddess as an act of worship. Decked up with lights and flowers, the temples in Kanpur saw huge crowds of devotees. Meanwhile, people thronged to the temple in Jammu to offer prayers.

Indian prisoner's death: No word from Pakistan on autopsy report

New Delhi: There has been another India-Pakistan confrontation, this time over the death of Indian prisoner Chamel Singh. Government sources have told CNN-IBN that India has not received any reply from Pakistan on why it took two months to conduct Chamel Singh's autopsy.

In fact, CNN-IBN has learned that Pakistan has not yet responded to India's request for the autopsy. This comes as Pakistani authorities rejected India's claims that Singh died of torture at the Lahore jail.

Senior SC lawyer Harish Salve withdraws as counsel for Italian naval guards

NEW DELHI: "Insulted" and "shocked" by Italy's stand on the marines issue, senior Supreme Court advocate Harish Salve has quit as counsel for the Italian government in the fishermen killing case.

Salve said that now it is "a question of Indian prestige" and the government will be "justified" in the tough steps it takes in the matter after the Italian government refused the return of two marines, charged with killing of two Indian fishermen last year.

"I am an Indian first and then a senior counsel and after that comes my duty to my client and I feel insulted...I feel that first of all we are officers of court and secondly in a matter like this, the client has to take you into confidence and if the client does not have confidence in you, I think we owe it to the system not to continue," he said.

Indian ex-airforce chief’s home raided

NEW DELHI: Detectives raided the home of India’s former air force chief on Wednesday as part of an investigation into alleged bribes paid to secure a $748 million contract for 12 Italian helicopters.

Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) spokeswoman Dharini Mishra said former air chief marshal S.P. Tyagi’s home was among more than a dozen addresses targeted in the raids.“He is one of the 13 people we have filed an FIR (First Information Report) against,” Mishra told AFP.