Panel gives Udit another chance

Patna: The Bihar women’s commission on Monday said evidence presented by Ranjana Narayan suggested that she was Udit Narayan’s first wife.

The commission gave the singer one more chance to present his case failing which the matter can be referred to the National Commission for Women.

The singer did not turn up before the panel for the second time today and instead sent counsel Mahasweta Chatterjee to represent him.

The commission has been insisting on personal appearance so that Narayan could be brought face to face with Ranjana, who claims to have tied the knot with the singer in December 1984 at Supaul’s Nirmali village.

Chairperson of the commission Manju Prakash said: “We have sufficient evidence to substantiate that Ranjana is Udit’s wife.”

The woman, she pointed out, has submitted over two dozen letters supposedly written by Narayan between 1987 and 2000 and around 40 photographs of the duo. “The clinching evidence is Ranjana’s bank statement, which shows a transfer of Rs 2,000 from Udit’s account three years ago,” said Prakash.

Janshatabdi mows 7 on truck

Haveri (PTI): Seven persons were killed and one was injured when a train rammed into the truck they were travelling in at an unmanned level crossing in this Karnataka district.

Among those killed were four women and two children.

The mishap occurred when the vehicle’s engine developed a snag at the level crossing and the approaching Bangalore-Hubli Janshatabdi Express rammed into it, Haveri district additional superintendent of police B.B. Sakri said.

Kushboo case

New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court has refused to grant anticipatory bail to Sunil Mehra, editor of Maxim, against whom a case has been registered for publishing morphed photographs of south
Indian actress Kushboo.

Trishul reprieve

Ajmer (PTI): A local court has discharged five VHP activists for alleged possession of around 650 trishuls (tridents) after the Rajasthan government withdrew cases registered against them in 2003 under the Arms Act. The tridents were to be distributed by the outfit’s general secretary Praveen Togadia. His case is pending in court as police have not yet filed a chargesheet.

LPG blast deaths

New Delhi (PTI): Three persons were killed and four injured when a house in west Delhi collapsed following a gas cylinder explosion around 2 am on Monday, a fire brigade source said.

A 10-day India festival introducing the country’s culture and achievements to Chinese students has opened at Peking University as part of events to mark the India-China Friendship Year.