Gujarat

Ahmedabad/Bhopal/Jaipur, Apr 17 (PTI) Unseasonal rain, dust storm and lightning hit several parts of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat overnight, leaving 35 people dead and many others injured, officials said Wednesday.

Madhya Pradesh reported 15 casualties in rain-related incidents. 10 people each were killed in Gujarat and Rajasthan in the overnight rains.

Ahmedabad, Apr 17 (PTI) Unseasonal rain and dust storm hit several parts of Gujarat, leaving at least 10 people dead and several injured, officials said Wednesday.

Rain and dust storm were reported from areas including districts in North Gujarat and Saurashtra region, on Tuesday afternoon, they said.

"According to preliminary reports coming from different parts of the state, at least 10 people have lost their lives," G B Manglpara, the state government's director (Relief), told PTI on Wednesday.

Ahmedabad, Apr 11 (PTI) Election authorities in Gujarat Thursday gave a warning to BJP MLA Madhu Srivastava, accused of violating the model code of conduct by threatening voters during a rally in Vadodara district on April 3.

Vadodara collector and district election officer Shalini Agarwal said she has also directed the district superintendent of police (DSP) to conduct a further inquiry into the matter.

Srivastava is the sitting BJP MLA from Waghodia in Vadodara district.

Ahmedabad, Apr 11 (PTI) The Gujarat High Court has quashed three notifications of the state government aimed at stopping export of livestock from Tuna Port, terming it "colourable exercise of powers" to do something which cannot be done directly.

A division bench of justices Harsha Devani and Bhargav Karia passed the judgment last week.

Ahmedabad, Apr 6 (PTI) A 50-year-old farmer facing financial crisis allegedly hanged himself from the ceiling of his house at Lushala village in Junagadh district of Gujarat, police said Saturday.

The deceased Dilip Tatamiya shared 0.4 hectares of land with his two brothers, a Vanthali police station official said.

Ahmedabad, Mar 31 (PTI) Nine persons were injured, two of them seriously, when members of two communities clashed near Viramgam town in Ahmedabad district Sunday, police said.

The two groups attacked each other with sticks and pelted stones, a local police official said.

A police team too came under attack when it went to arrest the culprits, he said.

Ahmedabad, Mar 28 (PTI) Former Gujarat BJP MLA Shamji Chauhan quit the Congress Thursday, claiming that the party cheated him by not offering Lok Sabha ticket from Surendranagar as promised.

The Congress has not announced its candidate for Surendranagar yet. However, local Congress MLAs Soma Patel and Rutvik Makwana are considered to be front-runners for the nomination.

Sensing that he stands no chance, Chauhan bid adieu to the party Thursday.

Ahmedabad, Mar 26; PTI/GANASHAKTI: A special CBI court Tuesday allowed the CBI to file its reply on applications moved by former police officers D G Vanzara and N K Amin to drop proceedings against them in the 2004 Ishrat Jahan alleged fake encounter case.

The applications were moved by the two retired police officials on Tuesday.

The court of special CBI judge J K Pandya allowed CBI lawyer R C Kodekar to seek the view of the "higher authority" in the investigating agency, as requested by Pandya, and submit its reply on April 3 on the applications.

Jamnagar, Mar 20 (PTI) An Army jawan allegedly committed suicide by shooting himself to death with his service rifle at the Infantry Brigade camp here while on duty, police said.

Vishal Kumar P (25), from Kerala's Thiruvananthapuram district, allegedly committed suicide on Tuesday night, police said.

The deceased hailed from Pangode village in Nedumangad taluka of Kerala's Thiruvananthapuram district, an official of Jamnagar A division police station said.

Ahmedabad, Mar 18 (PTI) A teenage girl was allegedly raped by a man claiming to be an exorcist in a village in Devbhoomi Dwarka district of Gujarat, police said Monday.

The parents of the 14-year-old survivor had approached the accused, a self-styled exorcist, for help as their daughter had not been keeping well, said a Kalyanpur police station official in the district.

The incident took place Sunday at Bhatvadiya village, around 400km from Ahmedabad, he said.