The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Sunday, May 7, 2000,
Chandigarh, India

THE TRIBUNE SPECIALS

50 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE

TERCENTENARY CELEBRATIONS

S P O T L I G H T

Indians safe in Sierra Leone
NEW DELHI, May 6 (PTI) — United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has conveyed to India that all 35 Indian Army personnel of UN peacekeeping force in Sierra Leone detained by the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) are safe. Mr Annan rang up Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee last night to inform him that all the Indian Army personnel, including eight officers, in Sierra Leone “are safe,” a spokesman for the PM’s office said.

Christians attacked
GANDHINAGAR, May 6 (PTI) — An armed mob, allegedly owing allegiance to a fundamentalist organisation, attacked some Christians in the Hatijan area in the city outskirts, the police said today. Two persons were injured in the yesterday’s attack on a group of Christians from Ahmedabad’s Bible House, who had gone there to distribute Christian literature, the police said.

Nigar Sultana dead
MUMBAI, May 6 (UNI) — Noted actress of yesteryear and wife of movie Moghul K. Asif, Nigar Sultana, died recently at Jaslok Hospital in South Mumbai. Nigar Sultana is survived by her daughter Hina Kausar and a son. Nigar Sultana has to her credit several hit movies, including “Bazaar”, “Patanga”, “Aag”, and “Bela”. Her last film “Mughal-e-Azam” was a runaway success. She had worked with noted directors like Raj Kapoor and H.S. Rawail.

Undertrials shot
HYDERABAD, May 6 (PTI) — The four undertrial prisoners, who escaped from Jeedimetla police station yesterday, were shot dead by a special police team in an encounter late last night, the police said here today. The police team spotted the undertrials at Ghatkesar in the neighbouring Rangareddy district and asked them to surrender. But the prisoners attacked the police team and were killed in the retaliatory fire, the police said.

Left Front loses poll
AGARTALA, May 6 (UNI) — In a major debacle, the ruling CPM-led Left Front was voted out from the 30-member Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC), which went to the polls in two phases on April 30 and May 3.