The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Sunday, April 16, 2000,
Chandigarh, India

THE TRIBUNE SPECIALS

50 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE

TERCENTENARY CELEBRATIONS

S P O T L I G H T

21 LTTE rebels killed
COLOMBO, April 15 (PTI) — Twentyone LTTE rebels were killed and 12 Sri Lankan security personnel were injured in different encounters in north and east of the country during the Sinhala and Tamil new year yesterday, defence sources said today. The LTTE militants were killed in several counter-attacks by the troops on rebel positions in as many as seven places in northern Jaffna where the army was attempting to push strong pockets of resistance established by the rebels in a massive offensive on March 26. The security forces also suffered casualties when a jeep carrying six policemen was caught in an LTTE landmine on the eve of the new year. Five constables sustained injuries.

Blasts at airport
KINSHASA, April 15 (AP) — Explosions shook Kinshasa’s airport, setting fire to several buildings, killing some persons and seriously injuring others. State-run radio reported that a short circuit sparked a fire at an army munitions depot yesterday, triggering a series of explosions that shattered the windows of the airport terminal. The fire spread to a fuel depot, causing further explosions, and engulfing two military planes in flames, the radio said.

Victor Banerjee
NEW DELHI, April 15 (PTI) — Well-known film actor Victor Banerjee today resigned from the BJP saying he lacked the temperament to “sincerely and devotedly serve a constituency for five years”. In a letter to party President Kushabhau Thakre, he said “the concept of Hindutva as a social movement, where it might hurt the fundamental rights and sentiments of fellow human beings, is something I did not subscribe to when I joined the BJP and cannot ever.”

4 kidnapped
AGARTALA, April 15 (PTI) — One smuggler was killed and four Indians were kidnapped at a border village in South Tripura District when locals and a BSF party resisted an attempt by a group of Bangladeshis to lift cattle from the Indian side. The incident occurred when armed Bangladeshi cattle smugglers entered Rajnagar village near the border in the district and tried to lift cattle, state Director-General of Police K.T.D. Singh said.

Dalit Website
NEW DELHI, April 15 (PTI) — Senior Congress leader Buta Singh, MP, launched a Dalit international website at his residence here today marking the 109th birth anniversary of B.R. Ambedkar, the architect of Indian Constitution. Addressing a group of Dalit intellectuals on the occasion, the former union minister asked them to make use of the website for their advantage and for the development of the community living in rural areas and in faceless ghettos in the urban peripherals and slums.