Pak shrine stormed
ISLAMABAD, Oct 9 (AFP) — Religious militants in Pakistan raided a shrine to protest against devotional singing which they said was against Islam and shot dead a senior police officer, reports said today. Hundreds of activists armed with batons and guns stormed into the courtyard of a shrine late yesterday in Chakwal town in Punjab, a report in The News said. They opened fire killing a Deputy Superintendent of Police who was present at a qawwali singing.

Lankan offensive
COLOMBO, Oct 9 (PTI) — The Sri Lankan Government today said the army would go ahead with its offensive against the LTTE despite one of its biggest reverses in last week’s battle in Kilinochchi even as the main opposition demanded a parliamentary committee to be set up to ascertain troop losses. Deputy Defence Minister General Anurudha Ratwatte told Parliament "whatever setbacks may come from time to time we will go ahead with our plans and not stop until we reunite this country and bring peace to the nation".

4 Maoists killed
KATHMANDU, Oct 9 (AFP) — Four alleged activists of the extreme-Left Maoist Party have been shot dead by the police in Sindhuli district, west of here, the police said today. According to locals in Langurkhola and Jarayotar villages in Sindhuli district, 145 km Southeast of here, the four were shot yesterday. The four had been killed in an armed clash with a police patrol in rugged country, Deputy Inspector of Police Lal Mani Baral of the district police office in Sindhuli district said.

SI killed in blast
HYDERABAD, Oct 9 (UNI) — A sub-inspector (SI) of police was killed and six constables were injured when the vehicle in which they were travelling hit a landmine set off by Naxalites of the banned People’s War Group (PWG) at Chendurthi in Karimnagar district of Andhra Pradesh this afternoon. The policemen were proceeding for bandobust duty for the eighth phase of the state government-sponsored janmabhoomi programme when the incident occurred. The deceased was identified as Srinivasa Rao of Krishna district.

Industrialist murdered
PUNE, Oct 9(PTI) — Industrialist S.K. Malhotra, vice-president of Halogen Bulb manufacturing unit had been found murdered, the police said here today. The body of Malhotra (67) was found lying in a pool of blood in his apartment in Nigdi township with his throat slit open, the police said. The murder came to light when his wife Leena returned from Bangalore and found the doors locked last afternoon. The motive for the murder was yet to be established, the police added.

Forces in Bihar
PATNA, Oct 9 (UNI) — Twelve companies of paramilitary forces have been deployed in Biharsharif and Rapid Action Force jawans continued to patrol the vulnerable areas of the district as efforts were on to nab the miscreants responsible for the communal clash on Dasehra day which has claimed three lives so far. Meanwhile, no untoward incident was reported for the second successive day today. The police said efforts to apprehend the miscreants responsible for the incident were underway.

Ban on book sought
NEW DELHI, Oct 9 (PTI) — Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) today demanded the Marathi book, "Jhannam Medhya Janar Kon, Hindu ki Ahindu" (Who Will Go To Hell, Hindu or a non-Hindu), be banned throughout the country, saying that it was sacrilegious and replete with anti-Muslim versions. IUML president and Lok Sabha MP, G.M. Banatwalla urged Home Minister L.K. Advani that Kishore Rane’s book be banned, its copies confiscated and firm legal action be taken against the author and publishers, according to a statement here.

Terrorist held
JAMSHEDPUR, Oct 9 (UNI) — Punjab terrorist Gurucharan Singh, alias Billa, linked to the assassination of former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh was arrested by the police from the Golmuri area here yesterday. The police said Billa, a member of terrorist outfit Babbar Khalsa International, was wanted in connection with an attempt to blow up the Burail jail in July last to free Babbar Khalsa International chief Jagtar Singh Harwara, the price accused in the Beant Singh killing case.

7 tribesmen killed
AGARTALA, Oct 9 (UNI) — Guerrillas of the banned National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) gunned down seven tribal villagers, including women, at Chankup under Salema police station in Dhalai district last night. The police said here today the heavily armed militants raided some housed belonging to tribals and shot dead seven persons on the spot. A few others were also injured in the sudden attack.

Bihar gangrape case
PATNA, Oct 9 (PTI) — The two accused in the sensational kidnapping and gangrape of a minor girl today surrendered before the Chief Judicial Magistrate who remanded them to 14 days' judicial custody. The police personnel deployed at the civil court in mufti could not identify the accused as they came in an Ambassador car with tinted glasses. They entered the court of the CJM around 11.30 a.m. and surrendered.

CPI(ML) leader dead
CHENNAI, Oct 9 (UNI) — Veteran revolutionary Nagabhushan Patnaik, (64) who symbolised the revolutionary spirit of the Naxalbari and the Srikakulam armed struggle, died here tonight at a private hospital following a renal failure. Mr Patnaik suffered cardiac arrest early today. A senior politburo member of the CPI(ML) liberation, Mr Patnaik, who was sentenced to death in connection with five murder cases, was technically on parole since 1982 after his death sentence was commuted to life sentence.