The team of 21 Rashtriya Rifles had entered the house of a civilian to prevent a hostage situation when they came under attack from the terrorists who had already reached there. While the four army personnel and the police Sub Inspector lost their lives in the encounter, the civilians trapped in the house were safely evacuated.
A fresh probe into the Pathribal encounter case is not ruled out in view of the major controversy that has erupted after the Army gave a clean chit to its personnel in the infamous incident which took place in Kashmir in 2000.
The Indian Air Force had on Thursday said all 13 people on board the aircraft have died.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday expressed his extreme disappointment over army's decision to close the Pathribhal fake encounter case and said the state law authorities will be asked to examine options to address this "serious" matter.
The two boxers, who had signed up with the Indian Boxing Council (IBC), will be re-joining the national camp after submitting letters of apology to the Boxing Federation of India (BFI) for abruptly leaving the amateur circuit.
Gurcharan Singh tells Laxmi Negi/Rediff.com why he deserted the Indian team and the reason for wanting to return to the country after 15 years.
In a first for women's boxing in India, former world champion and Asian Games bronze-medallist L Sarita Devi has decided to turn professional but will not give up on the amateur circuit either if the Boxing Federation of India allows her. The 31-year-old multiple-time Asian champion decided to take the plunge by signing up a two-year deal with the commercial partners of Indian Boxing Council (IBC) - a licensing body for professional boxers in the country -- Sporty Boxing Private Limited.
Railways Ministry spokesperson Anil Saxena said several people have been rushed to nearby hospitals with injuries, and the casualties may go up.
The government stuck to its decision not to name any manager for 23 out of the 28 disciplines in which India are taking part in the upcoming Asian Games even though the Indian Olympic Association and National Sports Federations slammed the move.
