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Fine arts training

Thanjavur: Free training in various fine arts will be given by South Zone Cultural Centre to 250 students from November 4 for two years, according to a press release .

Applications were received from students in the age group of eight to 18 and out of them, 250 were selected. Eleven out of them will be given training in mridangam, 35 in violin, 50 in singing, 65 in bharathanatyam, 73 in painting and 16 in veena.

Detained under Goondas Act

PUDUKOTTAI: Three youths who freed two under-trial prisoners from police escort, have been detained under the Goondas Act. The detenues are Alex alias Alex Pandian (24) of Sirkazhi, K. Sundar of Arokiapuram near Tuticorin and Jaffar alias Jaffar Sadiq (23) of Sattur.

Armed with deadly weapons, the three had freed prisoners Imtiaz Ahmed and Selvakumar, both Sri Lankan nationals, from police custody, while being taken to the Central Prison in Tiruchi on July 26. The under-trials were later arrested.

Based on the recommendations of the Superintendent of Police, Kapil Saratkar, the Collector, S.J. Chiru, issued orders on Wednesday, detaining the trio under Goondas Act.

Found hanging

PUDUKOTTAI: The body of a youth, R. Ramesh, of Thallakulam near Madurai, was found hanging at a private lodge here on Wednesday. Police said that the youth had murdered a person at Thallakulam a few days ago and was staying here.

The Elector's Photo Identity Card found on him helped to identify the person, the police said.

Tension in Akkaraipettai

NAGAPATTINAM: Tension prevailed in Akkaraipettai village on the Nagapattinam coast on Thursday following rumours of fresh clash between two groups of fishermen.

Heavy police pickets were posted to prevent further clash and about 50 fishermen were taken into custody. Revenue and police officials spoke to both groups on Thursday.

Mettur level

TIRUCHI: The level at the Mettur dam stood at 99.55 feet against its full level of 120 feet on Thursday. The inflow was 18,113 cusecs and the discharge 100 cusecs. - Staff Reporter

DMK cadres assault PMK worker

Tuticorin: The police are on the look out for three Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam cadres for assaulting a Pattali Makkal Katchi party worker at Kulathur near here on Tuesday.

According to police sources, Moovendran, Sekhar and Ponnusamy had attacked P. Sivagurunathan (38) owing to political rivalry. The complainant suffered injuries on his head.

Three students held for harassing girl

TIRUNELVELI: The Perumalpuram police have arrested three students of a polytechnic near here for allegedly harassing a fellow girl student.

Jones Nishanth (19) of Palayamkottai, Prabhu Kumar (20) of Melapalayam and Praveen (20) of Kalvilaiveedu in Kanyakumari district were arrested and remanded to custody on Wednesday night. In her petition to the City Commissioner of Police, G. Uma Ganapathi Sastry, submitted on Wednesday, the complainant stated that she had been harassed by many students, including the three.

Rain in Tuticorin

Tuticorin: The district received a total of 68.8 mm rainfall, with an average of 3.4 mm, in the last 24 hours ending 8 a.m. on Thursday. Following is the rainfall recorded (in mm) at various places: Tiruchendur 10; Kovilpatti 1; Kayathar 16; Kadambur 7; Maniyachi 7; Ettayapuram 17; and Tuticorin 10.8. — Staff Reporter

20 injured in accident

ERODE: The crew of a State Transport Corporation bus and 18 passengers sustained injuries when the bus dashed against a roadside tamarind tree here on Thursday. According to the police, the bus was proceeding to Mysore from Erode. When it came near Thaneerpandalpalayam, the driver tried to avoid a cyclist and turned left hitting the tree. The injured were admitted to the District Headquarters Hospital. Handlooms and Textiles Minister N.K.K.P. Raja, MLAs R.M.

Palanisamy, K.V. Ramanathan and Collector D. Karthikeyan visited the patients. - Staff Reporter

50 fair price shops raided

ERODE: On instructions from Joint Registrar of Cooperatives A.M. Jamshed Batcha, the cooperative department officials recently conducted surprise raid on 50 fair price shops in the district and collected Rs. 15,253 as fine from erring employees in the shops. - Staff Reporter

Man killed

NAMAKKAL: A 55-year-old man was killed and another was injured when a goods auto rickshaw overturned in Velagoundampatti near here on Wednesday.

The police said Muthusamy of Siruvachiyur near Attur and Velmurugan were travelling in the auto, when the accident took place. They sustained injuries and were admitted to the hospital. Muthusamy died in the hospital. - Staff Reporter

Petition against Vaiko dismissed

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has dismissed a petition seeking to direct the police to register a criminal case against MDMK general secretary Vaiko for allegedly making a provocative speech in support of banned organisations.

Justice R. Regupathi, dismissing the criminal original petition filed by K. Pal, however, said the petitioner was at liberty to proceed further in accordance with law before the appropriate forum. The Judge also recorded the statement of the Government advocate that the complaint preferred by Mr. Pal had been investigated and that it was concluded "as false in nature."

According to the petitioner, Mr. Vaiko delivered a provocative speech at Mambalam on August 21, in which he openly praised the banned Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). Despite a complaint in the jurisdictional police station on August 23, no action was taken against Mr. Vaiko, the petitioner contended. — Special Correspondent

PMK workers hold demonstration

NAGAPATTINAM: Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) workers, led by State deputy general secretary and Poompuhar MLA M.K. Periyasamy, held demonstrations protesting against Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam taking the chairmanship of the Kuttalam panchayat union.

The protests were held in several parts of the district on Wednesday and Thursday. The leaders said that the post was allocated to the PMK but DMK candidate Ko.Si. Mathialagan, son of Ko.Si. Mani, Minister for Cooperation, jumped into the fray in the last minute and won the chairmanship. — Staff Reporter

Ganja seized, one held

Tuticorin: Officers of the Narcotic Intelligence Bureau (NIB) on Thursday seized 3.75 kg of ganja and arrested a 35-year-old man.

Sources said an NIB team picked up Varghese (53) on suspicion near the Old bus stand and interrogated him, following which they recovered the ganja. Varghese was produced before a Judicial Magistrate who remanded him to the custody under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act. — Staff Reporter

Special repair works sanctioned

CHENNAI: Special repair works, estimated to be about Rs. 6 crore, have been sanctioned for about 11 km on National Highways-45A.

They will be carried out in Bhuvanagiri-Chidambaram section and Parangipettai in Cuddalore district. Reconstruction of 14 cross drains will also be done. The Union Minister for Shipping, Road Transport and Highways T.R. Baalu has sanctioned the works for the road, which was hit in the floods in 2005 and tsunami in 2004. — Special Correspondent

Belgium Premier visiting State

CHENNAI: Belgium Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt will pay a two-day visit to the State on Saturday and Sunday. He will arrive here by a special aircraft at 6 p.m. on Saturday. During the visit, he is scheduled to meet the Governor in Raj Bhavan at 7.30 p.m., besides attending a banquet hosted by him at 8 p.m., according to an official release. On Sunday, Mr. Verhofstadt will have a breakfast meeting with Belgian businessmen at 8 a.m. — Special Correspondent

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