In Maharashtra, a village awaits Kulbhushan Jadhav's return

MUMBAI: Residents of a small village in western Maharashtra are hoping that despite the odds stacked heavily against their local lad Kulbhushan Jadhav, who has been sentenced to death in Pakistan, will return home.

People in Jadhav's native Javli village in Satara district on Tuesday condemned Pakistan and demanded the release of Jadhav, the retired Indian Navy officer sentenced to death on Monday by a Pakistan army court on alleged "espionage" charges.

A villager said that Jadhav has built a house in his farm at Javli and used to visit the village two-three times a year.

"The Indian government should get him released at any cost. It is their responsibility. India should pressurise Pakistan to release Kulbhushan Jadhav," the villager said.

"It is our request that he should be released as early as possible. Indian government should apply twice the pressure and efforts it did while securing the release of army- man Chandu Chavan," he said.

22-year-old Chavan had crossed into Pakistan on September 29 last year, the day India conducted surgical strikes on terror launch pads across the line of control (LOC) in Jammu and Kashmir, 10 days after an attack by suspected Pakistani militants on a camp in Uri that killed 19 soldiers. PATNA/MUNGER: Chhattisgarh CM Raman Singh on Tuesday said that his state has taken steps towards prohibition and as part of that liquor will not be allowed in having a population up to 3,000.

The liquor sale has already been prohibited in villages having up to 2,000 population and now the government would keep villages with population up to 3,000 away from alcohol, Singh told reporters at the helipad in Munger, Bihar.

The chief minister further said that his government has already done away with "Kuchiya Pratha" (outsourcing liquor sale to middlemen) and liquor is sold only from government outlets.

People in Jadhav's native Javli village in Satara district condemn Pakistan and demand the release of Jadhav