Rane threatens to quit, launches tirade against Deshmukh

Mumbai (DNS): Maharashtra Revenue Minister Narayan Rane on Tuesday threatened to quit Vilasrao Deshmukh-led coalition government and launched a fresh attack on the latter's style of functioning alleging "it is serving the interests of one man"।

"This government is not for the common man but to serve the interests of one man", Rane, at loggerheads with the Chief Minister, told reporters at Mantralaya, leaving no doubt for guessing who the 'one man' he was referring to।

The immediate provocation for Rane's tirade against Deshmukh is apparently the approval of land allotment for Videocon group's Rs 8,000 crore Liquid Crystal Display panel manufacturing project in the state by the state cabinet on Tuesday।

In the cabinet meeting, Rane was apparently involved in a verbal duel with Deshmukh, saying the land for the project is being given at a far lesser price than the market price।

"I will meet Congress high command soon and offer to resign from this government which is not doing anything for the common man but working to further interests of industrialists," Rane, who in his three years in the Congress has failed to unseat Deshmukh from the CM's post, said।

Both Deshmukh and Videocon Chairman V N Dhoot hail from Marathwada region and Rane is expected to highlight their 'nexus' when he meets the party leadership.

Violence rages in Jammu, 2 cops lynched, 48 injured

Jammu/Srinagar, Aug 5 (DNS) Two policemen were today lynched in Jorian in Jammu and Kashmir as violence flared up on the Amarnath issue with protesters torching police posts and vehicles and uprooting 1।5 kms of railway track in the Jammu region, leaving 51 injured.

In Srinagar, another five persons were injured in clashes between police and stone-pelting agitators who were protesting against the call to blockade Jammu-Srinagar highway given by Shri Amarnath Sangharsh Samiti and the killing of a youth।

The two policemen were lynched after police opened fire in the border area of Jorian where protesters burnt down a police post, a Gypsy vehicle and a tehsildar's office। As many as 29 persons including 13 cops were injured in the violence, forcing authorities to call out the army.

In Akhnoor town, protesters, demanding removal of Governor N N Vohra, set fire to a police post and a tent housing security personnel। Police there had earlier fired teargas shells and resorted to cane charge.

Curfew was imposed in Kathua after police and protesters fought pitched battles in which 18 persons including 5 cops were injured, official reports reaching Jammu said। The agitators set fire to a railway police post and a municipal office in Kathua.

Protesters uprooted 1.5 kms of railway track and stopped an army special train in Gagwal area in Samba district where at least four persons were injured in police-protester clashes.

Ahmedabad police gets 7 sketches of blast accused

Ahmedabad, Aug 5 (DNS) The city crime branch has obtained sketches of seven people who might be involved in the Jaipur bomb explosions in an effort to gather leads in the Ahmedabad serial blasts on July 26, a senior police official said today।

"We have obtained seven sketches of suspects who could be involved in Jaipur bomb blasts। We are studying them for any link with Ahmedabad serial blasts," Joint Commissioner of Police Ashish Bhatia said.

The sketches will be studied by our experts and if needed, might be shown to the eye-witnesses, he said।

The crime branch has already prepared three sketches of possible suspects who could have planted bombs in the city।

Meanwhile, the city police conducted combing operations in various parts of the city yesterday।

Several teams from different police stations searched over 3,000 vehicles, 110 hotels and guest houses, 30 public gardens, various farm houses and 42 religious places। They also questioned 155 persons.

The Surat police is also questioning various suspects to get more information।

"We are still investigating the cases। There are some leads which may suggest involvement of local SIMI workers. We are still looking for concrete evidence in the cases," an official of Surat city police said.

Bomb squads have defused 24 explosive devices recovered from various places in the diamond city over the past one week.