1996 Delhi blast: Court verdict on April 8

NEW DELHI: A Delhi court has deferred till April 8 the pronouncement of verdict in the case of the 1996 Lajpat Nagar blast in which 13 people were killed.

District and Sessions Judge S P Garg said that the judgement would be delivered on April 8.

The court had on March 18 reserved the judgement in the case in which 10 alleged militants of Jammu and Kashmir Islamic Front, including a woman, have faced the trial.

The blasts had rocked the market on the evening of May 21, 1996, killing 13 and injuring scores of people.

The accused were arrested soon after the incident by police which tracked the calls made by them to various media houses, claiming responsibility for the terror attack.

Those facing trial on various charges, including criminal conspiracy and murder, are Farooq Ahmed Khan, Mohd Naushad, Mirza Iftikhar, Mohd Ali Bhatt, Mirza Nissar Hussain, Latif Ahmed Waza, Syed Maqbool Shah, Javed Ahmed Khan, Abdul Gani and their woman associate Farida Dar.

Situation tense in old city area, curfew to continue till 6pm

HYDERABAD: Situation remained tense on Tuesday in several areas of the old city where curfew was clamped following incidents of communal violence, which left one dead and 80 injured since Saturday.

Curfew, imposed last evening, has been extended till 6 pm today, South Zone DCP Madhusudhan Reddy said.

Due to curfew, 10th class examinations in 140 centres in South Zone area have been postponed, he said.

The Centre has rushed 1,800 paramilitary personnel to restore peace in the sensitive areas. The entire force has been put on alert to maintain law and order in view of Hanuman Jayanti celebrations today.

Fresh violence erupted yesterday in Moghalpura, Shalibanda, Charminar, Aliabad, Falaknuma, Shamsheergunj and Lal Darwaja localities after a group of miscreants pelted stones at passersby which increased tension, police said.

One person was stabbed to death yesterday and another hurt in the Shalibanda area. Another person was injured when a vehicle was attacked at Khilwat Chowrasta, they said.

About 130 persons, suspected to be involved in the communal clashes, have been taken into custody so far, police added.

Scorching week ahead for Delhi

NEW DELHI: With the minimum temperature remaining well above average early Monday, the capital is set for yet another scorching week ahead, the weather office said.

"The minimum temperature recorded early Monday was five degrees above average, at 22 degrees Celsius. The maximum is expected to touch 38 degrees Celsius," an India Meteorological Department (IMD) official said.

On Sunday, the minimum and maximum temperature recorded here was 22.3 and 37.5 degrees Celsius respectively- both at least four notches above average for this time of the year.

Clash-hit Hyderabad tense; govt deploying additional forces

HYDERABAD: With situation in the old city remaining tense after communal clashes, the Andhra Pradesh government today said that additional forces, including nearly 1000 paramilitary personnel despatched by the Centre, were being deployed to restore peace in the trouble-hit areas.

The situation continued to be tense following the clashes that erupted last evening, Chief Minister K Rosaiah told the state assembly.

"We are constantly monitoring and reviewing the situation and also talking to the Centre on this. The Centre has sent 10 companies (about 1000 personnel) of paramilitary forces on my request to Union Home Minister P Chidambaram," he said.

At least 36 people were injured in stone-pelting and 70 others taken into custody after the clashes between two communities in the old city. Prohibitory orders were clamped in 18 police stations of south zone and four police stations of Goshamahal division of west zone of the city.

Rosaiah said the government was taking every step to ensure peace and appealed to all sections to observe restraint. "AICC President Sonia Gandhi called me over phone today and enquired about the situation. She has also appealed for peace," the Chief Minister added.

Home Minister P Sabita Reddy visited some of the trouble spots this morning while Director General of Police R R Girish Kumar was in the affected areas till late in the night.

Earlier, the opposition parties pressed for a discussion in the assembly through an adjournment motion on the issue but Speaker N Kiran Kumar Reddy disallowed it.

Agitated members of the Majlis Ittehadul-e-Muslimeen, however, remained insistent on a discussion.

MIM floor leader Akbaruddin Owaisi said the situation in old city was so volatile that students were unable to venture out to go to the examination centres.

He wanted the government to postpone ongoing exams. The police force posted in old city was inadequate, Owaisi said.

Education Minister D Manikya Varaprasada Rao assured Owaisi that the government would take an appropriate decision on the examinations after obtaining a report on the situation.

The Home Minister, who drove to the assembly after visiting the old city, said the situation was gradually returning to normal.

Leader of Opposition N Chandrababu Naidu appealed to people to observe restraint and ensure that things did not flare up.

The MIM MLAs created a din and sought to block the proceedings, forcing the Speaker to adjourn the House for 15 minutes.

YNE Regional