A DAY after the Special Task Force (STF) arrested two Harkat-ul-Jehadi-Islami (HuJI) militants involved in last months serial blasts in Uttar Pradesh, STF Jawans gunned down two suspected Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists in an encounter on Lucknow-Dewa Road near Barabanki on December 23.

The militants were planning to target Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati, ADG (Law and Order) Brij Lal said adding the STF had recovered a map of CM’s official residence from the possession of the militants.

Varanasi , December 14 The latest entrant in the lists of mock cremation in the holy ghats of Varanasi is Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee. The tradition had started about five years ago. In this period, at least 250 mock cremations have been staged by those in the business of protests.

But Buddhababu is in august company. Forget political leaders, even effigies of stars like Rani Mukherjee and Hema Malini have been burnt here with due ceremony.

VARANASI: The Union Minister of State for Textiles E V S Elengovan said that the Centre government is planning to soon introduce a comprehensive policy on child labour in the country.

Talking to the reporters on the second day of the three-day India Carpet Expo here on Thursday Elengovan said, "The problem of child labour in the industrial sector is a subject of state governments but the centre is fully aware of the problem and is concerned to sort it out."

LUCKNOW: With no demands coming from the BSP for special trains for the upcoming rally of the party, other passengers might face a tough time on October 9.

"We have not been told about the number of people expected to arrive at the station on the day to participate in the rally. Neither have we been asked about the requirement of coaches to accommodate the crowd," said an official.

Last time, 17 special trains were run by the Northern Railway (NR) to accommodate the BSP supporters. But, this time they will board routine trains to reach Lucknow.

PUBLIC PROSECUTOR Mohd Aslam Siddiqui has sent a letter to the Principal Secretary (Home) urging him to ask the Lucknow police to produce relevant documents required in the proceedings against Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) militant Waliullah, the alleged mastermind of the blast that took place at
Sankatmochan temple in Varanasi on March 7, 2006.

NEW DELHI: The opposition to organised retail has claimed its first victim. Reliance Retail is likely to hand out termination letters to 1,000-odd employees of Reliance Fresh stores in UP in the course of this week as it prepares to formally exit the state.

Bowing to mass opposition from local shopkeepers, the company will also close down 20 Reliance Fresh stores in Noida and Ghaziabad. A company insider said that Reliance Retail was being forced to exit UP owing to what he described as the “vindictive approach” of the state government.

Varanasi, Sep 19: The opposition Samajwadi Party has accused the Mayawati government of behaving in an "autocratic" manner by imposing a ban on university and college students union elections in Uttar Pradesh.

Led by SP President Mulayam Singh Yadav's brother and state party General Secretary Shivpal Singh Yadav, party activists staged a sit-in at Circuit House against the policies of the BSP government.

Shivpal Yadav charged Mayawati with "behaving in an autocratic manner" and threatened to put her in jail if the SP returned to power.

New Delhi, Sept. 19 (PTI): Bye-election to a seat in Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council would be held on October 15, the Election Commission announced on Tuesday.

The bypoll to elect a new member from Varanasi Division Teachers' Constituency has been necessitated following the death of Shyam Narayan Singh, the Commission said.

The notification would be issued on September 21 and counting of votes would take place on October 17, it said.

http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/002200709190324.htm

Varanasi, Sep 14: Medical services in eastern region of the state were paralysed today as doctors in government hospitals went on a four day strike in protest against the murder of a doctor yesterday.

Protesting against the killing of a radiologist working in a government health centre, the doctors took out rallies and demonstrated against the administration demanding arrest of the culprits.

Medical services remained paralysed in Varanasi, Mirzapur, Bhadohi, Azamgarh, Mau, Balia, Jaunpur, Chandauli Ghazipur and other places, official sources here said today.

LUCKNOW: With college students’ protest against Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati’s decision to ban union elections spilling onto the streets, the Samajwadi Party on Saturday announced a State-wide dharna for Monday.

The Congress too expressed its intention to oppose the ban, described as autocratic by the party leaders.

There was no let-up in the protest on the second day on Saturday, with irate students resorting to violence in Varanasi, Azamgarh, Gorakhpur and Meerut.