tribuneindia...Spotlight

			Saturday, July 25, 1998
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51 ULFA, NDFB men surrender
TEZPUR, July 24 (PTI) — Fiftyone militants belonging to the banned United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) and the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) today surrendered with large quantities of arms and ammunition before Assam Governor Lt-Gen S.K. Sinha (retd). The militants surrendered at an Army camp in Thakurbari, 24 km from here, and the oath-taking ceremony was led by ULFA’s self-styled lieutenant Ripu Kalita. The GOC-in-C (Four Corps), Lt-Gen N.C. Viz, was also present, while the Chief Minister, Mr Prafulla Kumar Mahanta, was represented by the Panchayat and Rural Development Minister, Mr Sahidul Alam Choudhury.

18 die in road mishaps
JAIPUR, July 24 (UNI) — Eighteen persons were killed and 16 injured in two road accidents in Ajmer and Jhalawar districts in Rajasthan, the police said today. Thirteen persons died on the spot and one was injured in a collision between a Rajasthan Road Transport Corporation bus and a jeep, 7 km from Kekri in Ajmer district. In another accident, five women were killed and 15 injured when a tractor trailer overturned near Bhawani Mandi town in Jhalawar district last evening.

Sonia to lead rally
NEW DELHI, July 24 (PTI) — Congress president Sonia Gandhi will lead a rally of party workers here on July 28 in protest against the alleged misrule of the BJP-led government and spiralling prices. Thousands of Congress workers from Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan will converge at Ramlila Maidan and proceed in a procession via Jantar Mantar to Parliament House, where Mrs Gandhi will address them, Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee president Sheila Dikshit said.

10 feared drowned
BEGUSARAI (Bihar), July 24 (PTI) — At least 10 persons were feared drowned when a boat capsized in the midstream of the Ganges near Munger Ghat, 40 km from here, yesterday, the police said. The boat, carrying about 25 passengers, was caught into a whirlpool and capsized. While 15 passengers, including women and children, were rescued by local villagers, the others were reported missing, Five bodies have been recovered so far.

CBI raids
PATNA, July 24 (PTI) — Simultaneous raids were carried out by the CBI today on the residential and business premises of former district Animal Husbandry Department Officer, (Ranchi), Gaurishanker Prasad and his relatives in Ranchi, Nasik and here in connection with a fresh case of the fodder scam. Sources claimed that fresh investment papers and details of bank accounts were seized during the raids and that these were "being scrutinised."

Session extended
NEW DELHI, July 24 (UNI) — The Union Cabinet tonight cleared the proposal for extension of the current Parliament session by four days. The session was to end on July 29. It also cleared the national housing policy, allowing bigger participation of the private sector in housing building activities

Miraculous escape
CALCUTTA, July 24 (UNI) — At least 89 passengers and some crew members on board an alliance aircraft Boeing 737-200 had a providential escape when the plane made a "heavy landing" at Silchar airport in Assam this morning. No one was injured, aviation sources said. Eight seats were damaged under the impact of heavy landing of the aircraft, according to Mr P. Shaw, Deputy Director, Air Safety, Directorate-General of Civil Aviation, Eastern Region.

Rajasthan CM
JAIPUR, July 24 (PTI) — Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhairon Singh Shekhawat was today flown to Delhi by a state aircraft for treatment at Apollo Hospital. Mr Shekhawat, who suddenly had a few bouts of vomitting and complaint of stomach pain, was admitted to the SMS hospital here on Wednesday. According to medical sources, his condition was stable. The Chief Minister has been suffering from pancreatic infection and other ailments.

Arms seized
MUMBAI, July 24 (PTI) — An alleged member of the Mumbai underworld, Mohammed Kunju, who was arrested by the BSF at Jaisalmer in Rajasthan on July 13, was trying to smuggle in a huge arms consignment at the behest of Dubai-based gangster Aejaz Pathan, according to the police. Pathan is wanted in connection with the 1993 serial blasts case here. The consignment consisted of small arms, grenades, RDX explosives and detonators.