Patna, Aug 14 (IANS) The Election Commission of India (ECI) has served notices to Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) MP, Veena Devi and her husband, JD(U) MLC Dinesh Singh, over allegations of holding dual voter identity cards, on Thursday.Both have been asked to submit their replies by 5 P.M. on August 16.The controversy, which has stirred Bihar’s political scene, erupted after RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav alleged that the couple’s names are registered in voter lists of two separate Assembly cons…

Chandigarh, Aug 14 (IANS) Punjab Police have foiled a major terror plot being orchestrated by Pakistan’s ISI-backed terrorist Harwinder Rinda with the arrest of two operatives of Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) terror module, said Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav here on Thursday. Those arrested have been identified as Harpreet Singh, alias Preet, a resident of Bhullar village in Tarn Taran, and Gulshan Singh, alias Nandu, a resident of Rampura village in Amritsar.Police teams hav…

Hyderabad, Aug 14 (IANS) A court in Telangana’s Nalgonda district on Thursday awarded a death sentence to a man for the rape and murder of a 12-year-old girl. The Special POCSO court found the 24-year-old accused, a butcher, guilty in the case and pronounced the death sentence.The court found M. Mukarram guilty under relevant provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and the Indian Penal Code (IPC).The court also imposed a fine of Rs 1.10 lakh. POCSO Court in-char…

Guwahati, Aug 14 (IANS) Assam’s Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve was overwhelmed by grief when one of its oldest members, ‘Mohanmala’, passed away on Thursday. The majestic Mohanmala, estimated to be 70 or 80 years old, was the oldest elephant and the last matriarch at the Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve, officials said.KNPTR Director Sonali Ghosh said that a ‘Shraddhanjali’ sabha was held at Mihimukh in the central range of the park, and last rites were performed by the o…

Jamshedpur, Aug 14 (IANS) A man in Jharkhand’s Jamshedpur allegedly killed his wife over suspicion of an illicit relationship, before committing suicide by coming under a train, officials said on Thursday.On Thursday morning, locals informed the police that the body of Shilpi Mukherjee, 35, the wife of Saheb Mukherjee, 40, was lying inside her house in Namotola under the Parsudih police station limits. Police reached the spot and found her naked body, with multiple stab wounds.She was reportedly…

Chandigarh, Aug 14 (IANS) Three days after repealing the contentious policy, which triggered statewide protests by thousands of farmers, the Punjab Cabinet, led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, on Thursday decided to withdraw the notification of the Department of Housing and Urban Development pertaining to land pooling policy of June 4, along with subsequent Amendments.Through the policy the government was looking to acquire 65,533 acres of land, of which 46,861 acres were to be acquired through…

Patna, Aug 14 (IANS) Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday conducted an aerial survey of flood-hit regions in Bihar and instructed officials to intensify relief and rescue operations as water levels in major rivers, including the Ganga and Kosi, crossed danger marks.The CM, accompanied by Water Resources Minister Vijay Chaudhary and senior officials, flew over the worst-affected districts, including Bhagalpur, Bhojpur, Begusarai and Khagaria.The survey came a day later than planned after bad w…

Jammu, Aug 14 (IANS) A massive cloudburst hit J&K’s Kishtwar district on Thursday, with casualties feared, even as officials said a rescue operation has been started in the affected area.The cloudburst hit Chositi village in the Paddar sub-division of Kishtwar.While reports claimed 10 people have died in this cloudburst, there was no official word on the casualties.Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh said that the cloudburst had hit the Chositi area of the Paddar sub-division, and a rescue op…

Amaravati, Aug 14 (IANS) In a huge setback to YSR Congress Party president and former Chief Minister Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, the ruling Telugu Desam Party on Thursday wrested Pulivendula and Ontimitta ZPTC seats in his home district, YSR Kadapa. Making dents in the YSR family’s bastion, the ruling party won the by-election to Pulivendula and Ontimitta Zilla Parishad Territorial Constituency (ZPTCs) by a huge margin.The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) was also leading in Ontimitta ZPTC as the counting …

Kolkata, Aug 14 (IANS) The BJP on Thursday said the Trinamool Congress regime under the leadership of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has pushed West Bengal back into the darkness filled with hate and rioting as was witnessed in 1947.BJP leader Amit Malviya, who is the party’s Information Technology Cell Chief, said the Mamata-led Trinamool Congress regime has brought back the dark days of riots, forcing the people to relive the trauma.“78 years ago, in 1947, Bengal was butchered on Cyril Radcl…