"Fifty-year-old Samili Pahari was caught by some villagers over a dispute and poured inflammable substance before setting her on fire at Singharshi village," Sub-Divisional Police Officer Dinesh Razzak told reporters.

Interrogation of four persons, who were arrested after an FIR was lodged with Amrapara police station, was continuing to know the reason behind the attack on a woman belonging to the primitive tribe, he said.

Murugesan, who had been absconding since the incident, was arrested by a special police team headed by Deputy Superintendent of Polic (Virudhunagar District) Ramamoorthy near a temple, they said.

Hashemi, tried in absentia, has dismissed all charges against him as politically motivated. A Baghdad court also tried in absentia his secretary and son-in-law Ahmed Qahtan and sentenced him to death.

"It is a great day for relations between the two nations. The visa agreement is historic," PDP president Mehbooba Mufti told reporters here. She, however, said it was unfortunate that the fruits of the reconciliation process between New Delhi and Islamabad have not reached Jammu and Kashmir.

"The forefathers of the Thackerays hailed from Bihar and migrated to Mumbai generations ago as has been corroborated by a book written by a late Thackeray family member," he told PTI.

The latest violence brings the number of people killed in attacks so far this month to 86, according to an AFP tally based on security and medical sources.

Police said the grenades and detonators were recovered from Bijoy Boro, who was travelling in the bus which was on its way from Tamulpur in Baksa district to Rangiya in Kamrup Rural district.

Chaudhry Muhammad Tufail, a former district general secretary of the PML-Q, was attacked by the gunmen in Gujrat city shortly after he left his home in a car this afternoon.

Tufail and his bodyguard died instantly. Police and political leaders reached the scene after the attack. The bodies of the two men were taken to a nearby hospital.

Official sources said the explosion occurred when a grouppersonnel belonging to 33rd Assam Rifles battalion werejogging at Kumbi area, about 45 km south east of here.

The para military forces posted at Moirang and Sendra usedto jog in the area almost daily.

Security forces recovered two AK-47 magazines, several IEDs, four IED circuits, ten hand grenades and 52 electric detonators from the hideout, they said. The hideout was located in inhospitable mountains of Pir Panjal, the officials said.

In an email to PTI, the Paresh Barua-led faction's publicity wing member Aranya 'Asom' said the outfit had officially taken responsibility for the blast.

The violence, which struck at least 10 cities across the nation, highlighted militant attempts to sow havoc in the country and undermine the government.

The ISRO today denied it is locked in a space war with China and said its Mars Mission was aimed at learning more valuable lessons as a scientific community.

"We never raced with anybody. In space, science drives technological development and that will subsequently result in developing an application," ISRO chief Dr K Radhakrishnan said in reply to a question from a reporter on whether India is locked in a space war with China.

Protesters led by People's Movement Against Nuclear Energy convener S P Udayakumar were prevented from proceeding further by Rapid Action Force personnel and police, half a kilometre away from the plant, police said.

Most dailies uniformly described the signing of the new visa agreement yesterday by External Affairs Minister S M Krishna and Interior Minister Rehman Malik as a significant achievement, especially as the pact is aimed at easing decades-old restrictions on travel by senior citizens, tourists, pilgrims and businessmen.

 In part three of his marathon interview, published by Sena mouthpiece Saamana today, Thackeray said: "At present there is only one person who is intelligent, brilliant -- Sushma Swaraj." 

 He was responding to the question who in the BJP could become the next prime minister. "I have said this many times... She would be a great choice for PM's post. She is a deserving, intelligent woman. She would deliver a great performance," the Shiv Sena patriarch added.

In his condolence message, Ansari said Kurien is credited with being the architect of the largest diary development programme in the world-- Operation Flood. 

"He engineered the white revolution in India and made India the largest milk producer of the world. He is recognised as the man behind the success of the Amul brand," the vice president said. 

Condoling the sad demise of Kurien, Singh described him as an icon of India's cooperative movement and the dairy industry. 

In his condolence message to Kurien's wife, Molly Kurien, the prime minister said Kurien was an outstanding and innovative manager and an exceptional human being. "His contribution to the welfare of the farmer and agricultural production and development of the country is immeasurable. Kurien was an icon of India's cooperative movement and the dairy industry," Singh said. 

Raja, who is facing trial in the case, had earlier sought special CBI judge OP Saini's permission to defer his cross-examination of prosecution witness and the department of telecom's former deputy director general (AS) AK Srivastava, due to the unavailability of his counsel Sushil Kumar. 

Srivastava's testimony assumes significance in the 2G case as he had deposed that Raja, being the then telecom minister, was the "final authority" to take decisions on policy matters in the DoT. He had also said Raja had communicated to the prime minister about the policy for distribution of licences "at his level" and the issues involved in it were "not processed" the by DoT formally.

Krishna meets Khar, pushes for justice for 26/11 victims