tribuneindia...Spotlight

			Saturday, July 31, 1999
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10 die in road mishap
ETTAYAPURAM (TN), July 30 (PTI) — Ten persons were killed and 15 others were injured when a van and a bus collided in Tuticorin district this morning, the police said. While seven persons died on-the-spot at Sinthalakarai, near here, three, including the van driver, died on way to the hospital. The van was carrying 25 pilgrims for a temple festival at Erukkangudi from a village near Ettayapuram when the mishap occurred.

SC issues notices
NEW DELHI, July 30 (UNI) — The Supreme Court today issued notices on a special leave petition against a Patna High Court judgement, dismissing a public interest litigation by the Samata Party, questioning the large-scale transfers of bureaucrats and police officers in Bihar after the fall of the BJP-led government at the Centre. The notices returnable within four weeks were issued to the Union of India, the Election Commission and the Bihar Government by a Division Bench comprising Mr Justice S.P. Bharucha and Mr Justice R.P. Sethy.

South African strike
JOHANNESBURG, July 30 (Reuters) — South African public sector staff today extended a wage strike with hundreds of thousands of workers joining the biggest post-apartheid labour challenge to the government and threatening tougher action next week. Union officials estimated that about 300,000 teachers, health care workers and police and prisons staff participated in a wage strike yesterday. National Education, Health and Allied Workers Union official David Makhura told Reuters initial reports indicated that many more workers were observing the strike today.

SHO suspended for custodial death
HOOGHLY (WB), July 30 (PTI) — The SHO of Chanditala police station of Hooghly district of West Bengal, its duty officer and sentry guard have been reverted to the police lines pending inquiry into the custodial death of a person yesterday, a senior police official said today. Eight persons have also been arrested for assaulting the man on Wednesday at Shiakhala in the district before he was handed over to the police and sent to hospital for treatment, Subdivisional Police Officer (SDPO) Chandannagore Dipankar Bhattacharya said. Amit Malik (22) was found dead yesterday inside the toilet of the police station, where he had been taken before being produced before the Magistrate. He was arrested after being handed over by the people of Shiakhala, who beat him up for his alleged suspicious movements, the police said. Malik had committed "suicide" inside the toilet by hanging himself with a nylon string from the water pipe, the police claimed. His father Mr Nistaran Malik, said he had written to the State Human Rights Commission for intervention.

Inquiry findings
NEW DELHI, July 30 (PTI) — An inquiry into the recent accident of the GT Express in which 21 passengers were killed and over 150 injured near Mathura has held the railway staff responsible for the mishap. According to provisional findings of the statutory inquiry by the Railways, the accident occurred due to the failure of the railway staff.

Bihar floods
PATNA, July 30 (PTI) — The overall flood situation in Bihar further worsened today with river Sone and Punpun rising menacingly all along their course threatening to submerge low lying areas of Bhojpur and Patna districts, official sources said. Water Resources Department sources said following heavy rains in the catchment areas of river Sone, there was possibility of flooding of several rural areas in Bhojpur district.