148 of 150 Ram temple works done, handed to Trust: Misra
Ayodhya, Oct 16: A total of 148 of the 150 construction works in the Ram temple complex in Ayodhya have been completed and handed over to the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, Nripendra Misra, chairman of the temple construction committee, said on Friday. The main work pending handover is the construction of the temple’s outer enclosure, or ‘parkota’, Misra said after reviewing the progress of construction works on the second day of a three-day meeting of the committee. Rain affected water-treatment work on the roof of the ‘parkota’, which would be completed when the weather improves, he said. The target is to complete the lighting work on the ‘parkota’ and the temple facade by November 15, Misra said, adding that arrangements would be made to illuminate the temple in keeping with its grandeur and architectural beauty during Diwali. Misra said that construction of the Vijay Stambh and the Shaheed Smarak has been completed. (PTI)
CMRL case: ED summons Pinarayi Vijayan on October 23
Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 16: The Enforcement Directorate has summoned former Keralam chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan for questioning in the CMRL-linked money laundering case investigation on October 23, officials said on Friday. They said the summons have been issued under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) under which the central agency has booked a case taking cognisance of a recent state police FIR in the matter. Officials said Vijayan (81), the Leader of Opposition in the Keralam Assembly, has been asked to depose before the ED office in Kochi on October 23. The veteran Marxist leader and his party have consistently denied any wrongdoing in this case. The Keralam Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) on October 12 registered two FIRs against Vijayan and his family members– daughter Veena T and son-in-law and former minister P A Mohamed Riyas- in connection with the alleged CMRL bribery case. (PTI)
Couple arrested for killing wife’s ‘lover’ in UP
Bahraich (UP), Oct 16: Police in Uttar Pradesh’s Bahraich have arrested a married couple for allegedly killing the wife’s ‘lover’, stuffing the body in a plastic sack, and dumping it in a canal, officials said. The couple allegedly lured the victim who worked in Mumbai to their home in Shravasti under a pretence before committing the crime, Additional Superintendent of Police (Rural), Durga Prasad Tiwari, said on Thursday night. The investigation also revealed the involvement of the woman’s father and brother, who are absconding, Tiwari said. According to the officer, police found the body of an unidentified man stuffed inside a plastic sack on the banks of the Piprahwa canal in the Matera police station area on October 11. Police circulated pamphlets carrying the deceased’s photograph, which led the family to identify him as Akash Gupta (28), son of Mahadev Gupta, a resident of Basti district. (PTI)