APRIL 5, 1984, FORTY YEARS AGO

SIX IN SPACE

INDIAN COSMONAUT RAKESH Sharma enteredhisnewspacehomeforaweek-longstay two hours and six minutes after the Soyuz Tll docked with orbiting Salyut 7 Soviet space station. This is the first time that six people are aboard an orbiting Soviet spaceship. Playing host to Sqn Ldr Sharma, Soyuz Commander Zuri Malyshev and Flight Engineer Gennadi Strekalov were cosmonauts Leonid Kizim, Vladimir Solovyov and Oleg Atkov.

NSA MADE STRINGENT

THE GOVERNMENT HAS initiated steps at an administrative as well as political level to check extremist activities and reach a political settlement with the Akalis. The Union Cabinet decided to effect some changes in the existing National Security Act, making it more stringent. The 15-day period set for giving grounds for detention is to be increased to one month and approval from the Advisory Board can be had within a year instead of the present six months.

OPPOSITION ON CENTRE

THE OPPOSITION IN the Lok Sabha dubbed the government as incompetent and stepped up the demand for its resignation because of its inability to handle the Punjab crisis. Home Minister P C Sethi, who replied to a grim six hour debate on the deteriorating situation, however failed to come up with a concrete plan of action to contain the growing lawlessness in Punjab.

LETTERS OF TERROR

FIFTEEN PEOPLE IN Himachal Pradesh have received threatening letters from terrorists. This was disclosed by Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, in reply to a question by Lashkari Ram (BJP) in the assembly. These letters had been written in Gurmukhi in the name of Dal Khalsa, he said.