Sitabai was a spinster, while Ranjana was a widow of 10 years. She had no children and resided with Sitabai and their brother, Sadanand, who is a bachelor. Ranjana's body was found in a pool of blood near the rear entrance of the bungalow while Sitabai's body was in the bedroom.

Police also found a blood-stained knife and a pair of blood-stained jeans, a shirt, a banyan, underwear and a pair of shoes in the bungalow. The killer appears to have taken a bath and changed his clothes before leaving, police suspect.

A sniffer dog led a police party to a spot about 2 km away on Gangapur Road, where the killer is suspected to havefled in a vehicle. A nakabandi was clamped and road blocks were erected on all arterial roads, but in vain.

The victims were surviving on rent earned from their ancestral properties in the city and seldom socialised. Sadanand has one more sister, Sumitra, who resides in Mumbai, but she has severed ties with him and the victims.

The victims' bungalow is located on a prime plot and police are exploring the possibility of a contract killing by a builder or a relative.

NSUI to revive polls

The National Students' Union of India (NSUI), the students' wing of the Congress, has threatened to launch an agitation to demand elections of student bodies in colleges. The NSUI is scheduled to hold its state-level convention at Aurangabad on October 18 after a 10-year gap.

NSUI state President Sanjay Rathod told reporters following a meeting with party activists that the organisation wants to revive the democratic process of electing students' representatives in colleges state-wide. To press for thisdemand, the union will also lead a delegation to the governor.

An enrolment drive will be launched from September 15 to 30 to mobilise students and blood donation camps would be organised on the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi on October 2.

Claiming a membership of over a lakh, Rathod said the NSUI would also undertake signature campaigns demanding action against Shiv Sena leaders indicted by the Srikrishna Commission.

Powerloom bandh

A `Powerloom Bandh' was observed and a morcha taken out by the Indian Powerloom Federation in the Malegaon town on Monday, to focus attention on the demands of powerloom owners.

According to Dr Khalil Ansari of the federation, recession in the industry along with the impractical policies of the government had adversely affected the powerloom sector. He pointed out that the government prohibited the printing of coloured sarees, lungis etc. on powerloom, reserving the sector for the handloom weavers.

The federation is demanding permission to manufactureprinted sarees, lungis etc., to export powerloom products, simplifying procedures and interest free loans for modernisation. Interestingly, though powerlooms are permitted to produce only grey cloth, there are some powerloom owners who continue to defy the law by producing printed sarees and lungis.

There are about 80,000 powerlooms in the Malegaon town, out of which 3,000 are engaged in producing printed cloth. The row between the powerloom owners and handloom weavers over manufacturing coloured sarees has been going on for decades, with the textiles ministry reserving it for the the handloom sector.

Tribal dept stir ends

The indefinite strike of employees of the Tribal Development Department, which commenced on Saturday, was withdrawn today following the government's acceptance of four of the five major demands.

Secretary of the Adivasi Vikas Vibhag Karmachari Sanghatana said the government had agreed to set up a separate education wing to monitor ashram schools in the state, administrativepowers to headmasters or ashram schools and creating new posts to monitor funds and strengthening hostel administration. There are 412 government ashram schools, 334 aided ashram schools and 168 hostels in the state. Employees from 378 government ashram schools had joined the stir.