Wahab Riaz booked for violating one-dish rule in Lahore party

Lahore:  A case has been registered against Pakistani cricketer Wahab Riaz for violating "one dish" rule at a party he arranged in connection with his marriage at his residence here.

A police team raided his Garden Town residence on Sunday and registered an FIR under section 188 of Pakistan Penal Code against him for violating a ban on more than one dishes at marriage ceremonies.

Riaz's nikah is scheduled for November 28.

In Punjab, a province of 90 million, the government has banned serving more than one dish at marriage functions that could not last 10pm.

"How could police raid and register a case against my son when we were holding the marriage function inside our house," Riaz's father Sheikh Sikandar said.

He said a police official heading the raiding team wanted "some money" and when his demand was not met he registered the case on the pretext of violating one dish rule.

Station House Officer Adnan Maqsood said the police raided the cricketer's house on the complaint of city district government official Muhammad Amer.

The Punjab government has ordered an inquiry into the matter.

3 killed in Bangalore building collapse

Three persons including a two-year-old girl were buried alive when their house collapsed on them in Jai Krishnappa compound in Adugodi in Bangalore on Tuesday.

The deceased have been identified as Bhola Singh, 22, Malkan Singh, 20, both street vendors, and Savitha, 2. Another inmate of the house Rajbir Singh, 21, who sustained injuries, has been admitted to St John’s Hospital.

An official of Fire and Emergency services, which have been deployed for rescue operation, feared that that a 45-year-old woman, who is missing, could be trapped underneath the debris. Rescue operations were being carried out by deploying earth movers and excavators.

The collapsed house was situated atop a godown in the compound. The collapse of the house around 8.45 am also led to crumbling down of a row of houses adjoining the godown, officials said.

While two families occupied the house atop the godown, about ten to twelve people resided in the other adjoining houses that crashed subsequently. Most of the families living in the complex were daily wagers, who had left for work in the morning. Or else, the number of casualties could have been higher, a police official added.

Police said that the houses in the compound were about 40 years old and incessant rains over the last two or three days could have caused the collapse.

Karnataka minister Santosh Lad quits over mining scam

Bangalore: The multi-crore mining scam in Karnataka Friday cost Congress minister Santosh Lad his job amid mounting pressure for his resignation ahead of the state legislature's session from Nov 25 at Belgaum.

Ending the day-long suspense and political drama, the 34-year-old mining baron, who was minister of state for infrastructure development, information and Kannada and culture departments finally submitted his resignation letter to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.

"I have tendered my resignation to the chief minister in view of the allegations of illegal mining against me and my company and to avoid any embarrassment to our government," Lad told reporters later.

Lad's mining firm V.S. Lad & Sons was indicted by then Karnataka ombudsman (Lokayukta) Justice N. Santosh Hegde for illegally extracting and supplying about 10,000 tonnes of iron ore during 2008-10 from Sandur mines in Bellary district, about 330km from here.

Lad's firm is also being probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on a Supreme Court directive after its appointed central empowered committee (CEC) classified it under 'C' category mining lessee and directed the state government to cancel its license for allegedly committing large scale illegal mining.

"Though there was no pressure from the CM or the party's high command, I have resigned because I don't want my party to be embarrassed further. I am open to investigations and am sure I will be proved innocent," Lad asserted.

Lad is the first minister to quit the six-month-old Congress government after the party returned to power following its victory in the state legislative assembly elections in May.

The resignation came after whistle-blower S.R. Hiremath of Samaja Parivartanan Samudayaa, an NGO, on whose petition the apex court ordered the CBI probe, recently met Governor H.R. Bhardwaj with documentary evidence to seek Lad's removal from the cabinet.

After the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lawmakers petitioned the governor with the same demand, Bhardwaj advised the chief minister to look into the matter.

The BJP and two other opposition parties -- Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) and Karnataka Janata Party (KJP) threatened to disrupt the state legislature session at Belguam, about 500 km from here in northern Karnataka, if Lad was not removed from the ministry.

The Lad family has been in mining business for decades and the controversy over Santosh Lad's alleged involvement in illegal mining has pitted him against his cousin Anil Lad, a Congress lawmaker from Bellary district.

Indian-American woman dragged to death in US

Boston: In a tragic incident, a 58-year-old Indian-American woman was killed when a youth struck her with a pickup vehicle and dragged her for nearly five kilometres after an altercation at a motel, police said.

Kanchanben Patel and her husband, who worked at the motel, were hit by the youth who had an altercation with them about illegal use of a room.

Moses Acloque, 22, hit Kanchanben with his pickup truck and dragged her for three miles, killing her, police said.

Acloque was arrested in Foxborough late Monday night just after a state trooper reported seeing the body of Kanchanben under his Ford F150 vehicle.

Employees at Arbor Inn Motel told police that Acloque and another man had sped away from their property after refusing to pay their bill when he hit the couple, who recently celebrated becoming US citizens.

After smashing one car, MyFoxBoston reports, he struck Kanchanben and her husband. Acloque was arraigned this morning in Wrentham District Court on multiple charges, including leaving the scene of an accident causing death, prosecutors said.

Uddhav's brother opposes Thackeray's Shivaji Park memorial

Mumbai: In an embarrassment for the Shiv Sena, the late Bal Thackeray's elder son Jaidev Sunday expressed strong opposition to a memorial dedicated to his father at Shivaji Park here.

Jaidev, the estranged elder brother of Shiv Sena President Uddhav Thackeray, said there is no need for a statue or memorial to be built at the historic ground in Dadar west and its status as a play-cum-recreation ground should remain undisturbed.

"I feel that those Shiv Sena leaders who have made it big in the party should contribute money and buy land somewhere in the city for the statue or memorial. They can even construct it in the mayor's bungalow compound. Why should it be constructed at Shivaji Park," Jaidev asked mediapersons, even as lakhs of people converged on the ground to mark Thackeray's first death anniversary.

In the past one year, there have been demands from various quarters to erect a befitting statue of the late Thackeray at Shivaji Park, which had a special place for him during his lifetime.

Jaidev said only a statue of the great warrior king Chhatrapati Shivaji should adorn Shivaji Park.

Going a step further, he added that there is no need for anybody else's statue or memorial at the ground, including his father Bal Thackeray.

"When the Shiv Sena leaders can get land for constructing resorts, why can't they get a piece of land for a Thackeray memorial? If the party was really serious on it, they could have easily got some land for him in the past one year," Jaidev said sarcastically.

To a question, Jaidev said not only should Shivaji Park be kept free of any memorial, even the Mahalaxmi Race Course should be left untouched.

Mumbai is already short of open public spaces and whatever is left should not be disturbed. "There is no need for any memorial or statue of Thackeray at Shivaji Park - he lives in the hearts of the people," Jaidev asserted.

Hinting at plans to enter politics, Jaidev said he would launch a campaign to unite Maharashtrians soon before taking further steps.

Shivaji Park, where Thackeray was cremated last year in a public funeral, is regarded as the 'cradle of Indian cricket' where many top Indian cricketers, including Bharat Ratna Sachin Tendulkar, cut their teeth in the game.

Cricket temple dedicated to Sachin, Dhoni, Yuvraj in Bihar soon

Cricket is a religion in India and affirming this is the fact that a temple dedicated to Indian top three cricket players -- Sachin Tendulkar , Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Yovraj Singh, is being constructed in a village in Bihar.

This cricket temple -- a first of its kind -- will provide an opportunity for fans of cricket's Gods -- Sachin, Dhoni and Yuvraj -- to offer prayers and worship them if they like it.

The construction of the temple is a brainchild of Bhojpuri actor-cum-singer Manoj Tiwari, who is an avid cricket fan.

"I have decided to construct a temple dedicated to cricket players like Sachin, Dhoni and Yuvraj, Tiwari told rediff.com.

Tiwari also added that the cricket temple will be constructed in his ancestral village, Atarwaliya, in Kaimur district.

"After the Indian cricket team won the World Cup earlier this year, I made up my mind to build a temple dedicated to cricket players," Tiwari said.

He informed that the temple will be designed by a Mumbai-based renowned architect.

"White marble life-sized statues of Sachin, Dhoni and Yuvraj in cricket uniform, with bats in hands, will be installed as deities of the cricket temple," he said.

He said that special sculptors from Jaipur were hired to make the idols.

According to him, four acres of land was acquired for the cricket temple in his village.

"A huge bat and ball would be constructed atop the temple to make the structure visible from distance," Tiwari said.

Man accused in Phoolan Devi's murder case, dies in Tihar

New Delhi: A 35-year-old man, accused in Samajwadi Party MP Phoolan Devi's murder case and lodged in high security Tihar jail, died here on Wednesday following a heart attack, officials said.

"Pradeep, who was lodged in jail for past six year in connection of Phoolan Devi murder case, suffered heart stroke in the morning," Sunil Gupta, Tihar Jail spokesperson said.

He was rushed to the Deen Dayal Upadhyay hospital, but he died mid way.

"The matter is being enquired into by a Judicial Magistrate. Further action would be taken after the report," Gupta said.