Mumbai: Ten days after being grilled by the Mumbai Police over her role in the murder of her daughter Sheena Bora, TV tycoon Indrani Mukherjea is said to have admitted to her role in the murder. Police sources say that Indrani has told the police of the circumstances behind Sheena’s murder.

Indrani has been accused of murdering Sheena along with her ex-husband Sanjeev Khanna and her driver Shyam Rai.

A local court had earlier extended the police custody of the three accused – Indrani, Sanjeev Khanna and Shyam Rai – till September 5.

Peter Mukerjea, who has been married to Indrani for 13 years and set up a media company with her, had first said that he was unaware that Sheena was his wife’s daughter and that Indrani had introduced her as her sister.

A few days after Indrani’s arrest, Peter amended his version to say Sheena did inform him that she was his step-daughter, but he had no reasons not to believe his wife Indrani’s denial of that claim though he found it “difficult to digest”. He claimed that the same thing was communicated to him by his son Rahul Mukerjea, but he had not believed him as well.

Peter maintained that he vaguely remembered the date when he was told about the fact and it was sometime in 2011.

Sheena Bora was in a relationship with Rahul, Peter Mukerjea’s son from an earlier marriage, when she was allegedly murdered on April 24, 2012. The 24-year-old was allegedly strangled in a car, then her body was burnt and dumped at a forest in Raigad, about 84 km from Mumbai.

Her purported remains were found a month later and buried by the police, which treated the body as unclaimed. For three years, Indrani Mukerjea told her family and friends that Sheena had shifted to the US.

Ratna Singh the daring girl who chose to become a naturalist in spite of having a degree in International Law. Perhaps the surroundings of Bandhagarh National Park where she was brought up brought her back to nature. She truly loves nature and in the course of conversation she stresses that the comfort of the cities with internet, wifi Skype is not available but the fresh aroma and air of the jungles and its animals is no comparison to these materialistic things.

Tara Singh started her career as Safari Guide in 2006 when she was the first lady in the profession. In a question as to how difficult it was as a female to join this profession she says her immediate family members had no objection but the far off relatives were a bit apprehensive. But later on as she progressed everything settled down. She here also makes it a point that the gender issue in the cities is more prevalent than in the villages and tribal people. The tribals have gender equality. At first the tribals were a bit apprehensive too but as time went by and the activities like tracking animals that she showed in her performance they were impressed. In fact because of her performance she was more respected than her male counter parts.

When RealNews of India asked how difficult it is to work in the jungles. Prompt came the reply you have to understand the nature and the jungle. She further added the caution is required. We have to check the ground for snakes, feel the smell of animals and guess the distance. She even shared a scary incident to Real News. After attending a party she was returning back to her quarters she felt a big shadow of a leopard appear in front of her. She remained still. With animals if you move or start running they will come after you. So she remained still for ten minutes and was a bit relieved. Just to ensure more of her safety she added ten more minutes then she heard footsteps first, at slow space then becoming faster and more distant. She now knew that the leopard and left and now she was safe.

As a naturalist she encourages city people to visit such wildlife sanctuaries to be away from the wild traffic, the congestion and time bound life. She says you have to feel the fresh air and the surrounding and you will love it Ratna further says.

She along these years has also imparted training to a number of females. Ratna says women become better naturalist as they are more hardworking and patient.

Comparing wildlife to Africa and Australia Ratna defines that they are much better in terms of variety and the laws relating to wildlife is stricter in India. However there are two rare species that others do not have, that is the tiger and bear. The tiger and deer are found in Central and North India.

In a question as to how these wildlife sanctuaries effect the fast moving development of a country Ratna says it is a difficult equation for the government, but if we cannot breathe then what sense does modernization make, Ratna says, making the whole world wake up and realize.

Congress President Sonia Gandhi today extended greetings to the people on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan and hoped the festival will strengthen bonds between people.

Gandhi described the festival as a “celebration of mutual bonding between people, as indeed the affection between a brother and a sister”.

She hoped the festival “as always will foster bonds and honour amongst people”.

Raksha Bandhan festival is being celebrated today.

On the occasion of Raksha Bandhan, sisters tie ‘rakhi’ (sacred thread) on the wrists of their brothers which symbolises their love for them while the brothers promise to protect them always.PTI

NEW DELHI: A retired army havildar who was on a relay hunger strike as part of agitation by veterans for early implementation of ‘One Rank One Pension’ was on Saturday rushed to the Army hospital after his health deteriorated.

“Havildar Abhilash Singh has been taken to hospital. He was on relay hunger strike,” an official from the United Front of Ex-Servicemen, the umbrella organisation of veterans carrying out the protest, said.

Besides Singh, four others who were on fast-unto-death have been admitted to hospital after their health deteriorated.

The deadlock over OROP continues even as the protest entered its 76th day on Saturday.

Yesterday the government had sought “some more time” to roll out OROP.

Close to 22 lakh retired servicemen and over six lakh war widows stand to be the immediate beneficiaries of the scheme, which envisages a uniform pension for the defence personnel who retire in the same rank with the same length of service, irrespective of their date of retirement.

Currently, the pension for retired personnel is based on the Pay Commission recommendations of the time when he or she retired. So, a Major General who retired in 1996 draws less pension than a Lt Colonel who retired after 1996.

KATHMANDU/SINDHUPALCHOWK, Nepal (Reuters) – Nepali villagers blocked trucks carrying supplies for earthquake victims on Wednesday, demanding the government do more to help after last week’s disaster left more than 5,200 people dead and tens of thousands homeless and short of food and water.

In the capital Kathmandu, about 200 people protested outside parliament, asking for more buses to go to their homes in remote parts of the Himalayan nation and to hasten the distribution of aid that has flooded into the country but been slow to reach those in need.

In Sangachowk village in one of the worst-hit districts, about three hours by road from the capital, scores of angry villagers blocked the road with tires.
They stopped two trucks headed for the district capital with rice, noodles and biscuits. Later they blocked a convoy of three army trucks with relief supplies, leading to a tense standoff with armed soldiers.

“We have been given no food by the government,” said Udhav Giri, 34. “Trucks carrying rice go past and don’t stop. The district headquarters is getting all the food.”
The government was struggling to fully assess the devastation wrought by Saturday’s 7.8 magnitude quake.
“This is a disaster on an unprecedented scale. There have been some weaknesses in managing the relief operation,” Nepal’s Communication Minister Minendra Rijal said late on Tuesday.
An official from Nepal’s home ministry said the number of confirmed deaths had risen to 5,238 by Wednesday night. Almost 10,350 were injured in Nepal, and more than 80 were also killed in India and Tibet.

Prime Minister Sushil Koirala has told Reuters the death toll could reach 10,000, with information on casualties and damage from far-flung villages and towns yet to come in.
That would surpass the 8,500 who died in a 1934 earthquake, the last disaster on this scale to hit the Himalayan nation of 28 million people located between India and China.
However, there were signs on Wednesday that Kathmandu was slowly returning to normal. Some people prepared to head home to sleep after spending the last four nights in the open out of fear their damaged homes may not be able to withstand aftershocks.

Some street vendors started selling fruit in the city, but others said they were too scared to open shops because buildings had been so badly damaged.
“I want to start selling, I have children at home, but how can I open a shop where it is risky for me to sit inside?” said Arjun Rai, a 54-year-old who runs a general store.
In some mountainous areas, the government has struggled to deliver aid. Rescue helicopters have had problems landing at some sites.

Shambhu Khatri, a technician on board one of the helicopters, said entire hillsides had collapsed in parts of the Gorkha district, burying settlements, and access was almost impossible.
FEAR OF DISEASE
In Kathmandu and other cities, hospitals quickly overflowed with injured soon after the quake, with many being treated out in the open or not at all.
Guna Raj, who works for a Kathmandu-based NGO specialising in providing sanitation, said there have been outbreaks of diarrhoea in relief camps because of a shortage of toilets and clean water.
“In the next few days or weeks I am sure there will be an outbreak of epidemics,” said Raj, who is involved in the relief effort.

Foreign Secretary Shanker Das Bairagi appealed for specialist doctors from overseas, as well as for search-and-rescue teams despite earlier suggestions from officials that Nepal did not need more such assistance.
“Our top priority is for relief and rescue teams. We need neurologists, orthopaedic surgeons and trauma surgeons,” Bairagi said. Experts from a Polish NGO that has an 87-strong team in Nepal have said the chances of finding people alive in the ruins five days after the quake were “next to zero”.
Nevertheless, a Nepali-French rescue team pulled a 28-year-old man, Rishi Khanal, from a collapsed apartment block in Kathmandu on Tuesday after he had spent around 80 hours trapped in a room with three dead bodies.
Doctors amputated one of his legs on Wednesday because of damage from prolonged internal bleeding.

Tensions between foreigners and Nepalis desperate for relief surfaced, rescuers said, as fresh avalanches were reported in several areas.
Members of Israeli search-and-rescue group Magnus said hundreds of tourists, including about 100 Israelis, were being airlifted out of Langtang in Rasuwa district, a popular trekking area north of Kathmandu hit by a fresh avalanche on Tuesday.

Fights had broken out there because of food shortages, Magnus team member Amit Rubin said. One of the trekkers said there had also been scuffles over places on the rescue helicopters.
The quake also triggered an avalanche on Mount Everest that killed at least 18 climbers and guides, including four foreigners, the worst disaster on the world’s highest peak.