Anand Mohan Sahay

Stories by Anand Mohan Sahay

Ex-priest of Bodh Gaya temple accused of theft

Ex-priest of Bodh Gaya temple accused of theft

Rediff.com   23 Jun 2008

Buddhist monks have demanded the arrest of the former chief priest of the Bodh Gaya Mahabodhi temple, Buddhism's holiest shrine, after recovery of ornaments and jewelry donated by devotees from his room.

IIT-JEE: Bihar's Super 30 cracks cent percent

IIT-JEE: Bihar's Super 30 cracks cent percent

Rediff.com   30 May 2008

Thirty students of Bihar's Super 30 have passed the highly competitive Indian Institute of Technology-Joint Entrance Examination (IIT-JEE) this year. It is first time that Super 30 achieved 100 percent result .The results were declared on Friday.

Bihar court summons Sonia over Durga poster

Bihar court summons Sonia over Durga poster

Rediff.com   22 May 2008

The Muzaffarpur court had on April 16 issued a notice to the Congress president on a petition alleging that that she had hurt the religious sentiments of Hindus by her alleged portrayal as 'Goddess Durga' in a poster at the party's Muradabad office in Uttar Pradesh.

Tiger dies after being injured by poachers

Tiger dies after being injured by poachers

Rediff.com   10 May 2008

A tiger which was seriously injured by poachers, died at Valmikinagar Tiger Reserve in Bihar's East Champaran district. A team of forest officials were informed by local villagers that a tiger was seriously injured in a trap laid by poachers. The tiger later died from its injuries. The tiger population is decreasing at an alarming rate in the Valmiki National Park, Bihar's only tiger project.

Four bank robbers beaten to death by villagers

Four bank robbers beaten to death by villagers

Rediff.com   9 May 2008

Four bank robbers were beaten to death and another seriously injured by local villagers when they were decamping with booty looted from a SBI branch at Chausa in Buxar on Friday afternoon. Police officials said the villagers overpowered them and beat them to death. The robbers had shot dead a security guard of the bank when they entered the bank.

Scientists prune Bodhi tree to keep it healthy

Scientists prune Bodhi tree to keep it healthy

Rediff.com   7 May 2008

Three dead branches of the sacred Bodhi tree at the Mahabodhi temple in Bodh Gaya, Bihar were pruned by a team of scientists of the Dehradun-based Forest Research Institute to keep the tree healthy. The FRI scientists have also suggested some fresh measures for healthy growth of the tree, considered to be about 150 to 200 years old. The FRI has been given the responsibility of maintaining the sacred Bodhi tree by the state government.

'No fatwa to minister for dealing with liquor'

'No fatwa to minister for dealing with liquor'

Rediff.com   26 Apr 2008

Imarat-e-Sharia, a Patna based Muslim organization, has denied that it issued any fatwa against Bihar's Excise Minister Jamshed Ashraf for being in charge of a department that deals with liquor and wine. Leading Islamic seminary Darul Uloom, Deoband has reportedly upheld a fatwa against Ashraf by Imaret-e-Sharia. Ashraf told rediff.com that he will continue as the state's Excise Minister. "I will not change my ministry over a baseless controversy."

Dowry torture case against Shahnaz Hussain

Dowry torture case against Shahnaz Hussain

Rediff.com   26 Apr 2008

"The court has directed the police to lodge a case of dowry torture under Section 498/A of the IPC against Shahnaz Hussain and to investigate into the case" a sub-inspector in Patna's Gandhi Maidan police station told rediff.com on Saturday. Rabiya, who has filed a 40-page complaint petition in the chief judicial magistrate's court, Patna, said Shahnaz tortured her when she was pregnant for the first time.

Man lynched for delay in serving tea

Man lynched for delay in serving tea

Rediff.com   24 Apr 2008

Abdul Qayum, a tea shop owner in Bihar's Araria district, was beaten to death by a group of youths for delay in serving them tea. According to the police, the victim was busy serving tea to people at his shop and requested others to wait for some time. But the youths took the request as an act of humiliation.

Bihar: Maoists blow up petrol pump

Bihar: Maoists blow up petrol pump

Rediff.com   18 Apr 2008

Dozens of Maoist guerrillas in Bihar's Gaya district blew up a petrol pump owned by gangster-turned-politician Bindi Yadav and tried to set ablaze an oil point, tanker and generator room, the police said. Four employees of petrol pump have been missing since the Maoist attack. Police sources said activists of the banned Communist Party of India-Maoist were behind the attack.

Two suspected thieves beaten to death in Bihar

Two suspected thieves beaten to death in Bihar

Rediff.com   17 Apr 2008

In yet another case of street justice, two suspected thieves were lynched by a mob in a Bihar village for allegedly stealing a pump set, police said on Thursday. The victims, identified as Mahant Nat and Butan Nat were brutally beaten with bricks, stone and bamboo sticks, after was allegedly caught stealing a pump set in Pokhra vllage in Siwan district. Both victims belong to the poor Nat nomadic community.

Buddhists fight for control of Mahabodhi temple

Buddhists fight for control of Mahabodhi temple

Rediff.com   17 Apr 2008

Delay in formation of a new panel of the Bodh Gaya Temple Management Committee's by the state government led by Nitish Kumar raised eyebrows among Buddhist monks, who have been fighting for Buddhist control over the management of the temple at Bodh Gaya , about 110 km from Patna, where Gautam Buddha attained enlightenment 2,550 years ago. In the absence of a proper panel to look after its management, the temple has been facing difficulties in coping with day today affairs.

Bihar: Nitish inducts 19 new ministers

Bihar: Nitish inducts 19 new ministers

Rediff.com   13 Apr 2008

The JD-U ministers, whose resignations were accepted, were state Building Construction Minister Monazir Hasan, SC/ST Welfare and Social Welfare Minister Rameshwar Paswan and Rural Development Minister Baijnath Prasad Mahato and ministers of state (independent charge) -- Arjun Rai (Information and Public Relation), Vishwa Mohan Kumar (Minor Water Resource), Ajit Kumar (Transport), Manzar Alam (Minority Welfare) and Suchitra Sinha (Food and Consumers' Conservation).

Bihar: Naxals attack police station, kill 4 cops

Bihar: Naxals attack police station, kill 4 cops

Rediff.com   13 Apr 2008

At least five persons, including four policemen, were killed and three injured on Sunday evening when cadres of the Communist Party of India-Maoist attacked the police station at Jajha railway station in Bihar's Munger district. The Maoists looted the entire stock of arms and ammunition from the police station. Top district officials as well as railway officials had rushed to the spot.

2.6 billion people don't have toilets

2.6 billion people don't have toilets

Rediff.com   5 Apr 2008

A whopping 2.6 billion people across the world don't have access to toilets. Most people without access to toilets live in Asia, Africa and the Latin American countries, which lack basic sanitation facilities.In India, over 700 million households don't have proper toilets or waste disposal systems. The United Nations has highlighted the lack of toilets as one of its priorities in the millennium development goals.

Patna: Youth lynched for stealing books

Patna: Youth lynched for stealing books

Rediff.com   5 Apr 2008

The victim, identified as Ram Pravesh Mahto, was brutally beaten to death with bricks, stone and bamboo sticks, after he was allegedly caught stealing books from a printing press at Chakaram intersection, near the Buddha colony police station. The angry mob killed Mahto and then left his body on the street. The police later recovered the body. A case of murder has been lodged against unidentified people in this connection.

Bihar: Four labourers killed in mishap

Bihar: Four labourers killed in mishap

Rediff.com   31 Mar 2008

Four labourers, who were working on the construction of a new bridge, were killed when a 10-feet high mound of soil collapsed and buried them in Bihar's Madhubani district, police sources said on Monday. Two labourers were seriously injured in the incident. According to officials of the district administration, the labourers had been employed by IRCON, which was constructing a new bridge in place of an old bridge.All the four victims were labourers from a Dalit community.

Bihar seeks CBI probe in death of Shahnaz Hussain

Bihar seeks CBI probe in death of Shahnaz Hussain

Rediff.com   28 Mar 2008

Shahnaz Husain had demanded a CBI probe in to her son's death. during her visit to Patna. She even met state chief minister Nitish Kumar, who promised to recommend a CBI probe. Samir Hussain fell to his death from the third floor of the apartment of his father-in-law in Patna in January.

Bihar: Parents want DNA test on boy found in UK

Bihar: Parents want DNA test on boy found in UK

Rediff.com   26 Mar 2008

A day after they claimed that a nine-year-old Sikh boy found abandoned in a London bus stop last week was their son Shintu, the parents have sought a DNA test to confirm their claim. "We want a DNA test because we are sure that it was our son," Shintu's father Ganga Prasad told rediff.com over telephone from Aurangabad on Wednesday.

Kidnapped in Bihar, found in London?

Kidnapped in Bihar, found in London?

Rediff.com   25 Mar 2008

Parents of nine-year-old Sintu want their son back. They believe that the boy, who was found abandoned by the London police few days ago, was indeed their son. Sintu was kidnapped three years ago from Aurangabad town in Bihar.