Hyderabad, July 30 (IANS) A woman was injured when a stray bullet hit her on the terrace of her home at Narsingi area in Hyderabad on Tuesday, officials said.

This was the second incident in as many weeks and it sent panic among residents.

Police suspect that it may have misfired from a nearby army firing range where soldiers were practising.

The incident occurred under the limits of the Narsingi police station of Cyberabad Commissionerate. The woman, identified as Padma, was on the terrace of her building in Gandhamguda when a bullet struck her leg and she sustained a bullet injury near the ankle.

She was rushed to a hospital, where she received treatment and was later discharged. Alerted by the local residents, police rushed to the spot and seized the bullet.

This was the second incident in Narsingi this month.

On June 13, a stray bullet had pierced through the glass windows of a flat on the fifth floor of an apartment complex. No one was injured in the incident.

There are two firing ranges near Gandhamguda where police and army personnel conduct firing practice.

–IANS

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Srinagar, July 30 (IANS) J&K’s Shias on Tuesday asked the Indian government to take a strong stand against the persecution of the community in Pakistan.

Senior Shia leader and head of J&K Shia Association, Imran Raza Ansari appealed to the Centre to take a strong stand against the persecution of the Shia community in Pakistan.

“I am writing to bring to your attention a catastrophic situation unfolding in Parachinar, Pakistan, where the Shia community is facing an existential threat from extremist groups. “The situation is dire and immediate action is necessary to prevent a massacre. Years of sectarian violence, apathy and inaction of Pakistani government have emboldened extremist groups leaving the Shia community vulnerable to further attacks,” he said in a letter to External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar.

“The recent escalation of violence has created a humanitarian crisis and it is imperative that India takes a strong stance to prevent further bloodshed. India has a moral obligation to act given its commitment to human rights and religious freedom,” Ansari said.

–IANS

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Imphal, July 30 (IANS) A potentially catastrophic train accident was averted due to the swift action of Territorial Army personnel in Manipur’s Noney district on Tuesday, officials said.

Defence spokesman Lt Col Amit Shukla said that a goods train, comprising of 21 wagons carrying rice, was en route to Khongsang station in the Noney district, when excessive rainfall in the early hours of Tuesday washed away the crushed stone that supports the tracks in some portions, and the damage posed a significant risk of track instability and misalignment.

However, a Territorial Army patrol deployed along Jiribam to Khongsang detected the damage and promptly alerted authorities about the impending danger.

Railway authorities were immediately informed and the goods train was stopped at Kambiron by the Army personnel.

The timely intervention by the Territorial Army prevented what could have been a major train accident, the defence spokesman said.

The Territorial Army is deployed along this stretch of the railway line to provide security for the under-construction 110-km-long mega railway project linking Jiribam (near southern Assam) to Imphal. The soldiers’ vigilance and quick response underscore the critical role they play in ensuring the safety and security of this essential infrastructure project, the Army official said.

–IANS

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Kozhikode, July 30 (IANS) Kerala experienced its “worst-ever” natural disaster in the hilly Wayanad district early on Tuesday as a series of devastating landslides, amid heavy rain, left at least 120 people dead, 98 others reported missing while around 160 people were being treated in a few hospitals in the affected district even as rescue operations continue to locate the missing and evacuate those marooned, officials said.

The worst-affected areas include Churalpara, Velarimala, Mundakayil and Pothukalu and the locals from these areas who managed to escape are deeply shattered as hundreds of homes have been totally destroyed.

Tragic stories are coming out in large numbers from people who have lost their near and dear ones. A man broke out in tears as he said after the landslide occurred, he could only watch helplessly as his mother and his sister were washed away as he clung to a window for safety.

A woman said: “I have no idea of my sister and three children of hers. Till last night we were all together and now I have no clue where they are.”

“There are hundreds of people living at Mundakayil where I have been living for the past 24 years and I am deeply saddened as in this hospital, there is no one from my area where I live,” said a deeply upset Kunjumohammed, lamenting that he has lost his house and so has his daughter

“I hail from the Pothukalu area and this is going to be the worst-ever tragedy that Wayanad has witnessed. None has a clue of the number of lives that will be lost as the entire place looks ravaged by the landslide,” said a local who was in tears as he searched for his immediate family members at the hospital.

“It’s a tragedy which one cannot ever think about. Just imagine these people, including children, went to sleep last night and the tragedy struck. Many were swept away by nature’s fury. In Malappuram district, 16 bodies were found floating in the Chaliyar river. Dismembered body parts have also been taken out from the river. A team led by a Lt Colonel has helped people trapped in the Mundakayil market area were rescued using a ropeway which the Army set up,” Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said.

“The first landslide occurred at 2 a.m. and then at 4.10 a.m. The road connecting Mundakayil to Churalpara has been washed away. The river which was flowing in the affected area has branched out and it now flows in two directions,” he added.

The Chief Minister said that he had received calls from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K.Stalin, and West Bengal Governor C.V. Ananda Bose, and all pledged their full support for the state. Stalin has deployed a team from the state, led by two IAS officers, comprising disaster relief personnel and medical staff, to help in the rescue operations.

Vijayan said after hearing of the tragedy, contributions to the Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund have started to pour in.

After addressing the media in the evening, the Chief Minister issued an advisory asking people not to travel to the disaster site as it will become difficult for the rescue team to go forward in their work. He also has informed that those who wish to come to help the suffering should get in touch with the district authorities who are coordinating the relief operations and depending on their request help should be provided. In the affected areas, 45 relief camps have been opened and there are over 3,600 people in these camps.

Of the 120 dead, only 48 bodies have been identified, leaving distraught relatives who have lost their near and dear ones running to various places trying to locate the missing people.

Even though Chief Minister Vijayan expressed doubts that the rescue operations can continue after dusk, the rescue teams comprising all three defence forces, the NDRF, police, fire force and a large number of volunteers are continuing their rescue operations trying to bring out people holed up at marooned places.

Leader of Opposition V.D. Satheesan, who reached the affected area, requested Vijayan to ensure that the government issue a directive to avoid post-mortem of the deceased so as to avoid more pain to the survivors.

Meanwhile, five cabinet ministers of the Vijayan government are in Wayanad overseeing the rescue and relief operations, while the state government has declared two days of mourning.

Prime Minister Modi has deputed Union Minister of State for Fisheries George Kurian to Wayanad to coordinate the rescue operations.

The matter was discussed in the Lok Sabha during the ongoing Budget session and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, who was earlier the MP from Wayanad, called for a swift rescue operation and also demanded enhanced compensation for the victims. He also demanded that the mapping of landslide-prone areas in many areas of Wayanad and Western Ghats be done and an action plan be readied by the Centre to address “growing frequency of natural calamities in the fragile region”.

–IANS

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New Delhi, July 30 (IANS) The Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled that the State Bar Councils (SBCs) and the Bar Council of India (BCI) cannot demand payment of fees other than the stipulated enrolment fee and stamp duty, if any, as a pre-condition to enrolment as an advocate under the Advocates Act, 1961.

A bench, headed by CJI D.Y. Chandrachud, said that the decision of the SBCs to charge fees and charges at the time of enrolment in excess of the legal stipulation under Section 24(1)(f) violates Article 14 and Article 19(1)(g) of the Constitution. Section 24(1)(f) as it currently stands provides for an enrolment fee of Rs 600 payable to the SBCs and Rs 150 to the BCI by general candidates and a total of Rs 125 by SC and ST candidates.

The Bench, also comprising Justice J.B. Pardiwala, asked the Bar Councils to ensure that the fees charged at the time of enrollment comply with Section 24(1)(f) and that the provision is not defeated either directly or indirectly under the garb of different nomenclatures.

“The SBCs are imposing miscellaneous fees and charges in the guise of an enrolment fee, which cumulatively exceeds the statutory stipulation under Section 24(1)(f). The decision of the SBCs to charge an enrolment fee beyond the stipulated amount is contrary to the legislative object of the Advocates Act,” the top court said.

It clarified that its decision will have prospective effect and the SBCs are not required to refund the excess enrolment fees collected before the date of its judgment.

The Supreme Court in July last year had transferred to itself various petitions pertaining to exorbitant enrollment fees which were pending consideration in different High Courts on an application filed by the Bar Council of India (BCI).

–IANS

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