SRINAGAR: The separatist Hurriyat Conference chairman, S A S Geelani and two senior HC leaders have been placed under house arrest since Thursday, official sources said on Friday. Police and paramilitary personnel were deployed around the residences of Geelani, Mirwaiz Umer Farooq, former chairman and chief of Awami Action Committee (AAC), and Ghulam Mohammad Bhat, AAC general secretary to prevent them from coming out of their residences, the sources said. No reason was given for their house arrest.

3 TDP men hurt as bombs explode

KURNOOL: Three persons were seriously injured after six country-made bombs exploded in the house of a Telugu Desam party supporter in Talamudipi village of Nandikotkur assembly constituency in this district on Thursday. Police superintendent Madan Mohan said the injured Jayaram Reddy (28) and Prasad (36) were hospitalised while another injured, Thomas, fled the scene. Congress candidate Gowru Venkat Reddy ofthe constituency has demanded an enquiry into the incident and said the TDP was bent upon creating panic among the voters.

Insurgents kidnap three in Tripura

AGARTALA: Three persons were kidnapped by unidentified insurgents while one person was reported missing in separate incidents in Tripura on Thursday, police said on Friday. Armed insurgents kidnapped a driver of a jeep and his assistant on the Agartala-Takarjala road near market area in West Tripura district, while in another incident, a person was abducted by insurgents from Rankang village in south Tripura district. An activist of DYFI, the youth wing of CPM, was reported missing from Gabardi area of west Tripura district since Tuesday last.

Youths loot bank, cash found in bus

HYDERABAD: Three youths decamped with Rs six lakh from Syndicate Bank branch in Warangal town in a daring day-light robbery on Friday, but police recovered the trunk containing the cash almost immediately, though the robbers escaped. The youths fled with thecash from the bank's strongroom, but when the police launched a manhunt, the trunk with entire cash was found in a bus near Kazipet railway station. The manhunt for the unlucky robbers was on.

Veteran journalist N K Singh is dead

JAMSHEDPUR: Veteran journalist N K Singh died of cancer here on Thursday night. He was 58. Singh began his journalistic career in the English daily Searchlight at Patna. He also worked for Amrita Bazar Patrika and other English and Hindi dailies. Singh is survived by his wife, three sons and two daughters. Several people, including mediapersons, attended the funeral at the Subarnarekha Ghat here on Friday.