GUWAHATI: National Democratic Front of Bodoland activists gunned down seven Santhals and left 25 others injured, while two militants were killed in an encounter with the police in Kokrajhar district since last night. Armed NDFB militants attacked a group of Santhals at Soraipala killing seven of them, including three children, and injuring 25 others. The militants also fired on a patrol conducting search operations after the killing of the Santhals.

Health stir

NEW DELHI: Government today decided to hand over sanitation and maintenance services in government hospitals in the capital to private contractors, as the indefinite strike by more than 70,000 health employees entered sixth day crippling health services. This came as a slap on the striking group `C' and `D' employees who have been opposing such a move since they launched their agitation.

ISI plot bared

MUMBAI: A conspiracy by the Pakistani ISI to carry out a series of bombblasts in the commercial capital to spark off large-scale disturbances, has been unearthed with the arrest of an agent of Dubai-based gangster Aejaz Pathan near the Rajasthan border on July 13. The agent, Mohammed Kunju, is believed to have been instructed by Pathan, a wanted accused in the 1993 serial bomb blasts here, to carry the consignment containing 100 kgs of very high explosive to Mumbai for targeting major buildings and installations.

Film funds

MUMBAI: A committee of Indian Banks' Association has got down to brass tacks to channelise finance to film making, despite non-issuance of a notification by the Central government to confer industry status on the film industry. The committee had its first meeting here today and asked the Film Federation of India to provide `a total step by step write up' on what goes into film production.

Hockey coach

CHENNAI: The suspense over naming the coach for the national hockey senior team has ended with the announcement of M KKaushik for the post in place of Vasudevan Bhaskaran by K P S Gill, president, Indian Hockey Federation here this evening. Gill said Koushik and his deputy Ramesh Parameswaran would coach the team till the Asian Games.

No motormen stir

MUMBAI: The proposed motormen's strike from July 28 was called off on Saturday evening at a meet of the Driving Staff Joint Action Forum. Convenor of the forum S V Hardikar said the decision had been taken following Union Minister for Railways Nitish Kumar's plea for more time to study their demands and his word on a sympathetic consideration of motormen's woes. Though he warned that the decision should not be taken as a sign that the motormen have withdrawn from the agitation.