S P O T L I G H T

Poet Navakanta Barua dead
Guwahati, July 14
Assam’s most loved and respected poet Navakanta Barua died here today at his Silpukhuri residence following respiratory problems. He was 72. He is survived by his daughter. Barua had written 39 books and was a giant in Assamese literature He was given the Padma Bhushan in 1976 and the Sahitya Akademi award in 1975. UNI

Fire triggers blasts
Mamdot (Ferozepore), July 14
Seventeen mines laid by the Indian Army for self-defence are reported to have exploded just 700 metres near the International border last night. According to sources in the BSF and the Army, the mines exploded due to fire caused by the first explosion. A stray animal, possibly a dog, entered the mines laid fields and stumbled on a mine leading to a fire that spread in the dry grass. TNS