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Bilkis case deferred for Feb 21

     Mumbai: The Bilkis Bano gangrape and murder case trial has been postponed again. A special CBI court in Mumbai has now posted the hearing for February 21. The decision was taken after defence lawyers sought more time to prepare for their deposition. Along with the announcement of the new date of hearing, the court also said that the case would now be heard at the Mazagaon court because of security concerns. 14 Relatives of Bilkis were killed by a mob in the post-Godhra riots in Gujarat in March 2002. The case was originally heard in Gujarat but on the orders of the Supreme Court was transferred out.

Tibetans celebrate New Year in Dharamshala

     Dharamshala: Braving heavy snowfall and rains, Tibetans in Dharamshala offered fire prayers on the first day of Tibetan New Year - Losar, on Tuesday. According to Tibetan Zodiac, time is calculated from the year of the enthronement of King Nyatri Tsengpo, the first Tibetan King. That makes this the 2132nd Losar year. The word Losar, derived from an ancient script, is itself a combination of two words-"Lo" which means "Year" and "Sar" meaning "New". Tibetans hold bonfires and light lamps at monastery on the occasion to scare away evil and purify the spirits. The New Year celebrations usualy continues for more than a fortnight. "Some of the family members, they take the crackers and we fire it and we say a prayer which is to renounce the evils, to avoid the misfortunes, to have a prosperous New Year," said Tsering Phuntsok, a young Tibetan.

      For the tourists, the celebrations were a moment of self- realisation, as they were exposed to soothing chants and the karmic philosophy of Buddhism. "Very significant. Before I came to Dharamshala, I really had never been a part of a ritual like this where the New Year we really looked at our past Karma, our past deeds, - trying to reconcile them. So, once again, for me, this becomes a very important aspect, and I think when we are celebrating any New Year, I think it is a wonderful ceremony to have. Whether it be western New Year or any New Year, it is to purify or burn up your past Karma and enter into our New Year and new cycle with a pure foundation," said Brian Huebel, an American tourist. On the auspicious day, the Tibetans also prayed for their spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama. Thousands of Tibetans, including Dalai Lama, fled their homeland after an unsuccessful uprising in 1959, against the Chinese invasion of Tibet in 1950. About 134,000 Tibetan refugees, most of them born in exile, are now settled in different parts of India and Nepal, with the Dalai Lama residing at his headquarters in Dharamshala.

Three arrested in Delhi in Kislay case (Go To Top)

     New Delhi: Delhi Police on Monday night achieved a major breakthrough, when they nabbed three accomplices of the main accused in the Kislay kidnapping case. Brijesh, Rajan Choudhary and Rajesh were arrested from Saket area of South Delhi, said the police on Tuesday. All three have been accused of harbouring Vijay Thakur, the main accused in the kidnapping of Kishlay Komal, the Delhi Public School (DPS) Patna student who was released by his abductors on February 2. Kislay was kidnapped from near his residence in Patna on January 19, as he was approaching his school bus stand. The incident sparked off a series of protests by students that included relay fasts and sit-ins before Raj Bhawan, besides stopping taking their tiffins and petitioning President A P J Abdul Kalam and Bihar Governor Buta Singh for his immediate release.