Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Jan 17:  Police today said they arrested a police constable and a Sarpanch in South Kashmir’s Kakapora town for running a drug racket in the area.
Station House Officer, Kakapora, Manzoor Ahmad said a police official caught a man, Feroz Ahmed Dar, at the entry of the Police Post with banned codeine syrups wrapped in a newspaper.
The arrested person later confessed that a police constable, Mohammad Syed of Anantnag district, handed over the syrups to him for the National Conference Sarpanch of the area, Fayaz Ahmed Dar at Ward 19-A, Kakapora.
Ahmad said initial investigations have revealed that Syed would supply the same drugs in lieu of cash to Sarpanch, which police had seized in 2012 from drug peddlers.
“We have seized at least 1250 codeine syrups in 2012 from drug peddlers and had registered a case vide FIR number 10/2014 in this case,” the SHO said.
He said that the Sarpanch was called to police station for questioning where he admitted that the man was sent by him to collect the banned drugs. He was later arrested and put behind the bars.
“So far we have four persons including the police constable, Sarpanch, and his aided Sajad Ahmed Dar and Feroz Ahmed Dar, all residents of Kakapora,” he said.

Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Jan 17: An Army officer accidentally slipped into river Chenab and was washed away by its strong current, in tehsil Akhnoor.
As per Defence spokesman, Major DS Bhinder of Meerut, Uttar Pradesh had gone to the Chenab river bank when he accidentally slipped and fell into the river at Gobind Ghat in Akhnoor.
The officer was swept away by the strong currents, he said adding the Army has launched extensive rescue operations.
The search operations were, however, severely affected due to adverse climatic conditions and strong current of the river, he said, adding the efforts were still on to trace him.

NEW DELHI, Jan 17: Eighteeen months after quashing a disproportionate assets (DA) case against BSP chief Mayawati on a technical ground, the Supreme Court today asked why CBI did not file a fresh FIR in the case.
Holding that CBI should have got proper advice on registration of a fresh case against her after the apex court quashed the FIR, a three-Judge Bench headed by Chief Justice P Sathasivam issued notice and sought response from the former UP Chief Minister and the agency within four weeks.
The Bench brushed aside the stiff Opposition put forward by senior advocate and BSP member Satish Mishra who opposed the plea, saying it is politically motivated.
“We expected that CBI should have got proper advice and acted on that basis,” the Bench said, indirectly referring to its 2012 verdict by which it had quashed the DA case against Mayawati on a technical ground and leaving the option open to the agency to lodge a fresh case against her.
“It is not for the court to pass order on every aspect,” the Bench said.
“Is it always the duty of the court to direct CBI,” the court asked.
The CBI, which has reportedly decided to close the case against Myawati, will have to explain to the apex court for not registering a fresh FIR.
By its July 2012 verdict, the court had quashed a nine- year-long DA case against Mayawati on the ground that the agency proceeded against her without properly understanding its 2003 orders which were confined to the Taj Corridor case relating to release of Rs 17 crore by UP Government allegedly without sanction.
Thereafter, in May 2013, while reserving its decision on a plea seeking review of its July 2012 judgement, the apex court had clarified that its earlier verdict has not taken away CBI’s power to proceed against her in a separate DA case.
The apex Court was hearing a PIL filed by UP resident Kamlesh Verma seeking its direction to CBI to register a fresh case against Mayawati.
Senior advocate Shanti Bhushan, appearing for the petitioner, contended that sufficient evidence has already been collected by CBI during its probe and a charge sheet had been drawn against Mayawati.
It would be a travesty of justice that despite there being well founded accusation, she is permitted to go scot free, he contended.
“The situation is that despite there being credible evidence having been collected against her indicating her disproportionate assets, she is moving scot free because after collection of evidence and preparation of charge sheet, this Court has found that the investigation was without the authority of law,” the petition said.
“The inaction of the CBI in registering a fresh FIR against her after taking due sanction under the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act despite there being credible evidence having been collected against her of having disproportionate assets is clearly arbitrary and hence, violative of the Constitution,” it said. (PTI)

Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Jan 17: Several trains and flights were delayed due to poor visibility and dense fog in the region since last evening.
An official spokesman said that in view of poor visibility and fog in Jammu airport area, Indigo, Spice jet, Go Air  and several other flights were delayed by one to two hours today. The morning flights had the difficulty in landing up to 12 noon but thereafter the visibility improved.
He said as compared to yesterday, there was some improvement in the visibility and almost all the flights operated from Jammu airport while six were cancelled on Thursday. The timings of several flights were also re-scheduled.
A Northern Railway spokesman said that many trains were late by  two to eight hours in view of poor visibility since last evening. He said Amarnath Express was late by 8 hours. Its departure was also four hour late than the scheduled time. Malwa Express was three hour late, Swaraj Express by three and half hours, Jhelum and Hemkund by two hours while most of the others by one to two hours late today. Huge rush of passengers had been accumulated at the  Jammu Railway Station due to delay in arrival and departure timings of the trains.
The movement of vehicular traffic was also affected due to dense fog in the region since last night. Many inter- state buses arrived two to three hours late from Delhi, Chandigarh, Amritsar and other destinations today. The poor visibility also resulted into some mishaps on the highways.