tribuneindia...Spotlight

			Monday, November 30, 1998
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Former PM Rao's son arrested
HYDERABAD, Nov 29 (PTI) — Former Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao’s son P.V. Prabhakar Rao, an accused in the Rs 13 crore urea scandal, was arrested in neighbouring Mahaboobnaga District late yesterday. Rao, against whom the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had issued a non-bailable arrest warrant early this month, was taken into custody by the local police near Kottuur village and handed over to the ED team, the police said. A 10-member ED team later brought him to the city for interrogation. Rao, who had earlier ignored summons from the ED to appear before it, would be produced before the court tomorrow, ED sources added.

10 students killed
GUWAHATI, Nov 29 (PTI) — Ten college students were killed and 32 seriously injured when a bus carrying them fell into Tihu river in Assam’s Nalbari district today, official sources said. The accident occurred when a Nalbari-bound bus from Barpeta carrying 55 students of BH Girls’ College of Howley, who had gone for a picnic yesterday plunged into the river while crossing the Natkuchi bridge which was in a bad state. The injured were admitted to the Nalbari Civil Hospital.

Cong leader shot
MUZAFFARPUR (Bihar), Nov 29 (PTI) — Senior Congress leader Rambabu Thakur was among two persons killed when unidentified assailants fired indiscriminately at his residence near here today, the police said. Thakur’s wife, his daughter and two colleagues were also injured in the shootout, the police said. Thakur had unsuccessfully contested elections to the Aurai Assembly constituency in Muzaffarpur twice on the Congress ticket.

New scouts' chief
NEW DELHI, Nov 29 (PTI) — Former Union Minister Rameshwar Thakur has been elected president of the Bharat Scouts and Guides (BSG), a statement issued by its national headquarters here today said. Haryana Government’s Principal Secretary L.M. Jain was elected national commissioner of the organisation for the second term. Thakur and Jain have been involved with the BSG movement since their childhood, it said.

Arms recovered
GUWAHATI, Nov 29 (UNI) — The police arrested two suspected arms smugglers and recovered two G-3 rifles, one AK-47 rifle and about 760 rounds of ammunition during a raid at Lungnit under Diphu police station of Karbianglong district today, according to DSP Mukesh Agarwal. He said on phone that the arms and ammunition were brought from Manipur in an oil tanker. Further investigation was on. Meanwhile, the Army shot dead hardcore ULFA activist Narayan Konwar and apprehended six others in Nagaong district yesterday, an official report said.

7 persons hurt
CALCUTTA, Nov 29 (PTI) — Five persons, including a child, were injured in stray incidents of bomb blasts in Howrah during municipal corporation elections today. Thirtyseven arrests were made in connection with stray incidents of election-related violence in the district, I.G. (law and order) Prasun Mukherjee said. Meanwhile, the BJP demanded repoll in the entire Howrah Municipal Corporation, alleging "large-scale booth-capturing, intimidation and violence.

Sardar Sarovar dam
BARODA, Nov 29 (PTI) — A "Sangharsh committee", formed by about 150 NGOs in Gujarat, would organise a rally at Kevadiaya village on December 20, demanding the restarting of work on the ambitious Rs 40,000-crore Sardar Sarovar project across the Narmada at the village. The work had come to a halt for the past four years due to a pending case in the Supreme Court. The Former Union Power Minister, Dr Urmilaben Patel, told reporters here that the total cost of the dam was going up due to the stoppage of work.