NEW DELHI: Security was tightened in Parliament House on Tuesday as the upper house met for a short duration to discuss the alleged failure of the govt to Provide security to slain former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.

Plainclothesmen and the watch and ward staff inspected the passes Carefully before newsmen and others were allowed in. This was followed by frisking by both metal detectors and hands.

No immediate explanation was available for the sudden tightening of security.

9 die in firing

VARANASE: At least nine people were killed and about 60 others, including some policemen, injured when police opened fire to disperse agitated workers of a cement factory in Sonebhadra, near here June 3.

Heat wave deaths

JAIPUR: The unprecedented heat wave scorching the entire western Indian desert state of Rajasthan has claimed 19 lives in the past one week, while the temperature soared to a record level of 50 degree Celsius at Chittorgarh, reports at the state headquarters said here Tuesday.

12 die in Pak blast

ISLAMABAD: A Pakistan army spokesman Saturday said the toll in Friday’s explosion at the Badrashi ammunition dump near Nowshera was 12 and 68 persons were wounded.

Reports here however said the toll was much higher.

Pak budget

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s defence expenditure for 1991-92 has been budgeted at Rs 70.95 billion, registering a significant increase of Rs 7.36 billion over last year.

This expenditure is 11.6% over the revised estimates of Rs 63.59 billion for 1990-91 and accounts for 38.2% of the current expenditure.

Rigging says BJP

MORADABAD: The rightwing pro-Hindu BJP leader, Atal Behari Vajpayee Sunday claimed that while elections were free and peaceful in BJP ruled states, polling in some other states was rigged and voters “prevented from exercising their voting rights”.

Ex-minister shot

JAMMU: A former Jammu and Kashmir minister and close associate of the late Sheikh Abdullah, Hissam-Ud-Din Bandy, was shot dead in Srinagar on Tuesday,

Unidentified gunmen intruded into Bandy’s house in Nagin area and sprayed bullets on him an official spokesman said here Bandy was 67.

BJP confident

BANGALORE: Advani Monday ruled out alignment with any political party after uh elections to form a government at the centre,

He said the BJP was poised to secure an absolute majority in the election and there would not be any hung parliament after the election.

Rao too

LUCKNOW: Congress (I) president P V Narasimha Rao Tuesday ruled out seat adjustments with any party and said his party expected to win a “good number” of seats in the current elections.

Rao told a press conference here there was no other party in the country which could pose a real challenge to the Congress I,

Benazir’s charge

NEW DELHI: Benazir Bhutto has said the present Pakistani regime approached her father-in-law, Hakim Zardari, to get his son, Asif, to divorce her or else “he would not be spared.”

“Ever since my government was overthrown, I was time and again warmed to cither leave the country or I would not be spared”, Bhutto said in an interview with the Indian video magazine ‘eyewitness’,

Article extracted from this publication >> June 7, 1991