Friday, March 29, 2002, Chandigarh, India
 Updated at 3:00 am (IST)

Mosque siege ends
Holed-up militant shot dead
Srinagar, March 28
Army sharp-shooters today shot dead a Hizb-ul Mujahideen militant, who had taken refuge in a mosque, ending a six-hour siege of the complex without causing any damage to it, defence sources here said. 

J&K page: Hawala money sustaining militancy Soldiers rest during the siege of a mosque at Raidbugh village, 40 km west of Srinagar, on Thursday. — Reuters photo

VHP takes dig at Vajpayee
Says Hindus not fundamentalists
New Delhi, March 28
Brushing aside Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee’s criticism of “Hindu fundamentalism,” the VHP said today if Mr Vajpayee wanted to keep off the Hindutva forces it would hardly make a difference to them.

         BJP notice to Singhal

Army patrols Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad, March 28
Army and para-military personnel were today patrolling curfew-bound areas of the city, including the minority-dominated Sarkhej locality, where trouble erupted last night when a mob set ablaze a hotel and a few shops.

In video: As curfew is relaxed in sensitive areas of Ahmedabad city, theatre artistes take out a rally for return of normalcy. (56k)

          PM’s Gujarat visit

Ensure 24-hour power to border
districts: CM
Anandpur Sahib, March 28
There would have been no better way for Captain Amarinder Singh to celebrate completion of one month in office as Chief Minister of Punjab by announcing uninterrupted (24-hour) power supply to border districts of the State from the precincts of this holy city on the sacred occasion of Hola Mohalla festival here today.

Was Amarinder given siropa? Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh acknowledges the greetings after receiving a siropa at Takht Kesgarh Sahib in Anandpur Sahib on Thursday. — Tribune Photo Karam Singh

Suicide bomber kills 16 in Israel
Netanya, Israel, March 28
A Palestinian suicide bomber blew himself up in the dining room of a seaside hotel in Israel yesterday, killing 16 persons and wounding about 140, the police said.

India denounces Pak comment on Yasin
New Delhi, March 28
India today strongly denounced Pakistan for trying to interfere in its internal affairs by making a comment on Hurriyat Conference leader Yasin Malik’s arrest under POTO.

Jaswant reaches China today
New Delhi, March 28
India’s concern over terrorism and the urgency to speed up negotiations to resolve the protracted border problem are expected to be outlined during parleys External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh will have with Chinese leaders in Beijing tomorrow.

Kerosene, LPG subsidy to continue
New Delhi, March 28
The government will continue to subsidise kerosene and cooking gas for five more years even as the administered price mechanism (APM) is dismantled from April 1.

PPSC Secretary ‘burnt’ record Patiala, March 28 The Punjab Public Service Commission will meet on April 1 to deliberate on the alleged burning of the record of the Commission on two occasions in the recent past, and the mode of functioning of the PPSC after the arrest of the Chairman.             Sidhu taken to vigilance cell             Security withdrawn