M A I N   N E W S

3 children killed in blast
Pak sets up team to attack LoC posts

SRINAGAR, Sept 13 (UNI) — At least three children were killed in a blast at Manjkot in Uri sector of north Kashmir this evening.

Official sources told UNI that the children were fiddling with an explosive device when it exploded at Manjkote this evening.

However, it was not immediately known from where had they brought the explosive.

JAMMU: Two women were killed and seven others, including three jawans, injured in indiscriminate firing and shelling by Pakistani troops in Jammu and Kashmir, official sources said today.

An old woman was killed in indiscriminate mortar firing from across the border at Fakir Dhara in Poonch district on Monday night, they said.

Another woman was killed and four civilians were injured when Pakistani troops resorted to heavy shelling in Uri sector of Baramula district yesterday, they said. Several houses were damaged in the shelling.

Three army jawans were injured when a shell exploded near their picket in the sector, the sources said.

Indian troops retaliated and intermittent heavy exchange of fire between the two sides was reported from Kharamari, Degwar and Swajian sectors of Poonch district, Lamm and Noushera sectors of Rajouri district and 10 outposts along the international border in Jammu district since last evening, they said.

Meanwhile, a defence spokesman accused the Pakistani forces of deliberately targeting innocent civilians to force them flee from the border areas.

NOUSHERA: Pakistani army has set up Border Action Team (BAT) comprising army commandos and militants to attack Indian forward posts along the Line of Control (LoC), a senior army officer said here.

“The BAT formations are being given specialised training opposite Noushera sector by Pakistani regulars to launch attacks and raids on our forward defence posts,” Brig Vijay Singh told a group of visiting mediapersons.

He said Noushera brigade had repulsed six such attacks since July this year killing over a dozen of Pakistani intruders. “We lost two jawans in these sneak type attacks during the night hours,” he added.

“Our troops remain fully alert along the LoC to thwart the enemy designs of infiltration of subversives and weapons to this side,” another senior officer, Major General N.S. Pathania, GoC of the division, said.

It was due to extra vigil that 104 militants and intruders were killed along LoC during past four months, he said.                 

Ranga’s diagnosis ‘improper’

NEW DELHI, Sept 13 (PTI) —The six-member government-appointed committee that went into the treatment provided to former minister Rangarajan Kumaramangalam is understood to have said that Apollo Hospital had not properly diagnosed his illness.

“This much is certain that the diagnosis was not done properly”, Health Minister C.P. Thakur told Star News in the wake of the committee submitting its report to him, adding that there were certain reservations (in the committee) on the issue.

He said action would be definitely taken against the hospital but admitted there was no scope for “severe action”.

Replying to questions, he said there was not much scope for “severe action”. He, however, said that what needed to be done depended upon what had been pinpointed in detail in the report.

Suggesting that there were two possibilities, he said that it could have been deliberate or they could have “missed” proper diagnosis despite making attempts.

Stating that no one would do such a thing deliberately, he said what would be looked into was the intention.

He said that the government would definitely initiate action against the hospital. “Whatever is possible under the law, we will certainly do. We will also seek legal opinion”.

Meanwhile, Health and Family Welfare Minister C P Thakur today said the government would take a week to examine the committee’s report and take action. He did not rule out the possibility of cancelling the hospital’s licence if warranted.

Earlier, Indraprastha Apollo Hospital today asserted it was “highly improbable” the former Power Minister Mr P Rangarajan Kumaramangalam had acute myeloid leukaemia (blood cancer) and they had failed to diagnose it when he was under their treatment four months before his death last month.

The hospital said in a press note today that in a wide variety of tests they conducted on the late leader, our doctors did not find any evidence of acute myeloid leukaemia, the condition he is purported to have been diagnosed with in his last days, nor did they find any evidence of the possibility that he might come down with it in the future”.

The hospital said, “that he may have had indications of acute myeloid leukaemia and that Apollo may have failed to diagnose these are highly improbable, since no abnormal cells were detected in any of the various blood tests conducted on Mr Kumaramangalam”.

Apollo said Kumaramangalam, who was admitted to Apollo Hospital on April 14 with fever, was thoroughly investigated by a team of experts.