tribuneindia...Spotlight

			Thursday, February 18, 1999
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Laloo appears in court
PATNA, Feb 17 (PTI) — Rashtriya Janata Dal president Laloo Prasad Yadav today appeared in the court of designated CBI Judge S.K. Lal in connection with a conspiracy angle case of the fodder scam. Former Chief Minister and Bihar Jan Congress Chief patron Jagannath Mishra, however, could not appear in the court as he was indisposed. Former Bihar Minister C.P. Verma, RJD MLA R.K. Rana and former Director of State Animal Husbandry Department Ramraj Ram also appeared in the court in the case.

Advisers to Governor
NEW DELHI, Feb 17 (PTI) Mr M.N. Buch, a 1964-batch IAS officer, and Mr A.F. Couto, a retired IAS officer, have been appointed as advisers to the Goa Governor, it was officially announced today. The appointments would come into effect from the date they assume charge.

4 non-tribals shot
DIPHU, Feb 17 (PTI) — Four non-tribals were shot dead by militants in central Assam’s Karbi Anglong district last night, official sources said here today. A group of 12 armed Dimasa Haola Dorga militants swooped on the local Borlangsar market and opened fire, killing two persons on the spot, the sources said.

Meeting on prices
NEW DELHI, Feb 17 (PTI) — The Joint Monitoring Committee under the chairmanship of the Cabinet Secretary to review prices of essential commodities will hold its first meeting here tomorrow. This will be the first quarterly meeting of the committee after it was set up in January to monitor prices and the availability of essential commodities.

Militant held
MUZAFFARNAGAR, Feb 17 (PTI) — A Sikh militant owing allegiance to Pakistan’s ISI was arrested on the Roorkee-Delhi highway in Muzaffarnagar district, the police said today. Acting on a tip-off that Amarjit Singh was coming in the town to kidnap a businessman for ransom, the police laid a trap and arrested him. He was carrying a reward of Rs 50,000 on his head.

Surjeet hurt
HYDERABAD, Feb 17 (UNI) — The CPM general secretary, Mr Harkishen Singh Surjeet, sustained injuries after a fall in the Makineni Basavapunnaiah Bhavan, the headquarters of the Andhra Pradesh unit of the CPM here today. Mr Surjeet, who arrived here enroute to Warangal to attend a meeting of the Kisan Sabha, was injured when he slipped and fell in the bathroom.

Sheikh Hasina
DHAKA, Feb 17 (PTI) — The Bangladesh Supreme Court today reserved its judgement on a petition seeking initiation of contempt proceedings against country’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed after obtaining her statement concerning the case. Chief Justice A.T.M. Afzal, while reserving the judgement on a petition filed by a senior lawyer, ordered that the statement obtained from the Prime Minister on the matter should not be divulged.

12 RJD men hurt
PATNA, Feb 17 (PTI) — Twelve RJD activists, including a woman, were injured today when the police resorted to lathi charge to disperse the demonstrators when they tried to break a police cordon while protesting the dismissal of the Rabri Devi ministry. The police said they used lathis to disperse the 200-odd RJD supporters when they defied prohibitory orders and "jostled and shoved with securitymen" raising slogans against the Union Home Minister, Mr L.K. Advani, and the Governor, Mr Sunder Singh Bhandari.