Babri case: Uma Bharti in UP court
◗ IN BIHAR, 26 people were killed on Thursday after being struck by lightning, officials said. More than 100 have died in lightning strikes in the state in the last one week
Lucknow: Senior BJP leader Uma Bharti on Thursday appeared before a special court in Lucknow, accusing the then Congress-led government of framing her in the 1992 Babri mosque demolition case because of political vendetta.
New Delhi, July 2: At least 31 people died in lightning strikes in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh on Thursday, while the flood in Assam claimed one more life and inundated crop fields, even as Mumbai braced for extremely heavy rainfall.
However, the national capital sweltered under a stifling heat with no rains. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted dry weather in the city for the next two days and rains on the weekend. Most places in the city recorded the maximum temperatures between 39 degrees and 42 degrees Celsius.
In Bihar, 26 people were killed on Thursday after being struck by lightning, officials said. More than 100 have died in lightning strikes in the state in the last one week, they added.
According to the state disaster management department, the casualties were reported from eight districts — Patna, Samastipur, East Champaran, West Champaran, Sheohar, Katihar, Madhepura and Purnea. Samastipur accounted for the highest number of seven deaths, followed by Patna (six), East Champaran (four), Katihar (three), Sheohar and Madhepura (two each) and West Champaran and Purnea (one each), the department said.
On June 30, 11 people were killed by lightning strikes in five districts, while 83 such deaths were reported from 23 districts within a span of 24 hours on June 25.
Expressing grief over the latest fatalities, chief minister Nitish Kumar ordered a payment of `4 lakh as ex-gratia to the next of kin of each deceased. In the neighbouring Uttar Pradesh, five people died and 12 others got injured in incidents of lightning strikes in Ballia district.
The dead included a 70year-old retired Army man, Babulal Singh, and villager Nirmal Verma, 43, who were struck by lightning while working in their fields in Babu Ka Shivpur village of Dokati area, police said.
Ten others were injured in thunderbolt strike on Wednesday while working in a field in Mahthapar village of the district. They were rushed to a hospital, where two women, Savita (35) and Sheela (19), died during treatment.
In another incident at Rampur Madai village in Bhimpura area of the district, a 28-year-old farmer, Ram Sarikha Rajbhar was struck by lightning while working in his field and killed.