StateScape

13 Naxals surrender in APHYDERABAD: Thirteen Naxalites of the outlawed People's War Group PWG, including a woman, surrendered to police...

13 Naxals surrender in AP

HYDERABAD: Thirteen Naxalites of the outlawed People8217;s War Group PWG, including a woman, surrendered to police in Karimnagar and Nizamabad districts of Andhra pradesh in the last 24 hours. The police have identified the five ultras as N Muglaiah 30, allegedly involved in murder of E Veriaah, a BJP worker, Shamala Raju alias Srini 24, Mohd Yusuf alias Kranti 22, Chakrahari alias Ramesh 23 and the woman Naxal T Premila alias Surekha 19. The naxalites were involved in various offences including murders. In Nizamabad district, eight PWG extremists, operating in Sirnapalli forest area, surrendered before the SP C V Anand on Wednesday, police said.

Award for Delhi CM, Om Puri, Nana

NEW DELHI: Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, film actors Om Puri and Nana Patekar and Odissi danseuse Kavita Dwibedi are among several distinguished persons to be presented the Rashtriya Ekta awards on the occasion of Rajiv Gandhi8217;s birth anniversary on Friday.The annual awards, instituted in memory of Rajiv Gandhi by All India National Unity Conference AINUC, are given to distinguished personalities in various walks of life for their contribution to national integration and unity.

Pilgrims8217; visit to Amarnath goes up

JAMMU: As many as 81,927 pilgrims have so far performed darshan of the holy ice lingam of Lord Shiva at Amarnath till Thursday, while 1,194 pilgrims left Jammu for Pahalgam and Baltal areas in valley this morning, official sources said here. Over 13,000 pilgrims were at different places en route to the cave shrine for having darshan of the lingam, they said, adding that 62,907 pilgrims have left Kashmir valley for their native places after performing the darshan. A fresh batch of 1,194 pilgrims, including 888 females and 99 sadhus, left Jammu this morning for the darshan. According to MET office, the weather in Jammu-Banihal-Pahalgam-holy cave-Baltal-Sonamarg is expected to be cloudy with showers accompanied by thunders likely atfew places during the next 24 hours.

Leptospirosis toll rises to 18

SURAT: With a tribal woman succumbing to leptospirosis at the New Civil Hospital here on Thursday morning, the toll due to the killer disease has mounted to 18 in South Gujarat, official sources said. Surat district accounted for 10 deaths, Navsari six while Valsad reported two deaths, sources said. There were 16 leptospirosis patients at Surat New Civil Hospital, 11 at Valsad, nine at Vyara community health centre, three at Navsari district town hospital and two at Chikhli-based community health centre, sources added.

Two girls die in Pakistani shelling

SRINAGAR: Two teenaged girls were killed and three houses were damaged in Pakistani shelling of civilian areas in North Kashmir on Wednesday evening, official sources said here.

In the unprovoked shelling the worst affected was a village near Uri town, where dozens of shells fired by the Pakistani troops exploded with deafening sounds, killing the two girlsand forcing people to rush to safer places, the sources said. The girls were killed when their houses were hit by the shelling at village Dardkote near the border town of Uri of Baramulla district last evening.