Kidnapped student killed
3 acquaintances of family held for murder
Hoshiarpur, February 15
Panic-stricken residents of this city plunged into grief as they came to know that the abducted ninth class student, Abhi Verma, alias Harry, has been brutally murdered by abductors. His body was found lying naked in fields at Daulatpur village near Adampur in Jalandhar district in the wee hours today.
Punjab page
Thousands bid tearful adieu to Abhi
Abhi’s killers had done good deal of homework

Ludhiana page Kidnappings: DIG, four SSPs meet The inconsolable mother of Abhi Verma, after his body was brought back to Hoshiarpur on Tuesday. — Tribune photo by Pawan Sharma

Natwar assures Pak of cooperation, focuses on terrorism
Islamabad, February 15
Mr K. Natwar Singh, who today became India’s first External Affairs Minister since 1989 to arrive here on a bilateral visit, said the Composite Dialogue process with Pakistan could be sustained only in an atmosphere free from terrorism and violence.
In video (28k, 56k)
Delhi, Kabul explore new avenues of cooperation
Sports page: Natwar’s visit will melt the ice, hopes Mani

EC seeks report on Chatterjee’s suspension
Chandigarh, February 15
The Election Commission of India has sought a report on the suspension of the Financial Commissioner and Principal Secretary, Town and Country Planning, Mr Bhaskar Chatterjee, from the Haryana Government.

Editorial: In the face of defeat
Haryana page: EC tried to crush democracy, says CM
EC biased against INLD: Chautala

B.K. Roy goes to Guwahati, at last
Chandigarh, February 15
The Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, Mr Justice B.K. Roy, left for Patna this morning, but not without leaving behind another controversy. Chief Justice Roy will first go to Patna, his home town, from where he will travel to Guwahati to take over as Chief Justice of the Guwahati High Court.

Special article: An unbecoming outburst

Fresh snow sets off avalanches
Jammu-Srinagar highway closed again
Jammu, February 15
Having remained open for a couple of hours, the 300-km Jammu-Srinagar highway was closed again today following fresh snowfall and landslides. More than 400 vehicles were stranded on the highway.

Wet spell worries farmers Chandigarh, February 15 While officials of the Agriculture Department of the Central Government say that the rain has improved further the prospects of Rabi crops at the national level, farmers in this region are worried because of the prolonged wet spell of weather. At Kheragaju village (Patiala) farmers check the damage caused to their wheat crop by hailstorms. — This photo was taken by Manoj Mahajan on Tuesday.