Women’s team wins WC recurve gold; Deepika qualifies for final

Women’s team wins WC recurve gold; Deepika qualifies for final


Deepika Kumari

The Indian women’s recurve team on Sunday upset the mighty South Koreans to win gold in the World Cup Archery (Stage IV) at Wroclaw, Poland for their second successive gold after Medellin meet.

According to information received in Kolkata, Deepika Kumari, Laishram Bombayla Devi and Rimil Buriuly stunned world champions Koreans 219-215 in a thrilling final as the Indian archery team returned with the solitary gold from the last leg of the World Cup.

Korea had finished third in Shanghai, first in Antalya, and did not compete in Medellin Stage as the team of Yun Ok-Hee, Ki Bo Bae, and Joo Hyun Jung never scored below 222 points in their three elimination matches, against the United States, Italy and Russia.

Winners in Stage III at Medellin, the Indian team started as a dark horse as they had a poor 5-2 win-loss record against the Koreans.

Under windy conditions, both teams started out with unusual 7s as they were locked (163-each) after the third end.

With six arrows to go, a poor 6 by Ki Bo Bae let down the Olympic champions as the Indian trio shot three perfect 10s to wrap the issue 219-215.

Deepika concluded the four World Stages with two golds (Medellin, Wroclaw) and two silvers (both Shanghai) and one bronze (Medellin). Deepika had returned empty-handed from Stage 2 in Antalya.

Based on her performances in the four World Stages, Deepika finished inside top seven to qualify for the World Cup Finals to be held on September 21 and 22 in Paris.

Deepika thus qualified for the Finals for second year in a row. In her maiden appearance in Tokyo last year, Deepika had returned with a silver.

Based on their rankings after four stages of the World Cup, top seven archers in men’s and women’s sections make the cut for the Finals, while the hosts country (France) get a quota berth.

Dola Banerjee is the only Indian to have won a gold in the World Finals (in 2007)

Police arrest all 5 accused in Mumbai gang rape

Police arrest all 5 accused in Mumbai gang rape

All five accused in the gang rape of a young photojournalist in Mumbai have been arrested, three days after the incident triggered outrage across the country.

While the fourth accused Kasim Bangali was nabbed from Mumbai on Saturday night, the fifth accused in the case Salim Ansari was arrested from Delhi on Sunday.

Ansari was arrested by the Mumbai Crime Branch from the national capital and is being brought to the metropolis, a senior police official told PTI.

Before that, police had on Saturday arrested two of the accused — Vijay Jadhav and Siraj Rehman — while another accused Chand Babu Sattar Shaikh alias Mohammed Abdul had been arrested on Friday.

Vijay Jadhav and Abdul were remanded in police custody till August 30.

Togadia, Singhal arrested as VHP inaugurates yatra

Top VHP leaders Pravin Togadia and Ashok Singhal were on Sunday arrested in a massive crackdown by the UP administration to enforce its ban on the controversial yatra, which was inaugurated by the saffron outfit in Ayodhya.

While Mr. Togadia was arrested from Ayodhya, Mr. Singhal was taken into custody at Lucknow airport.

Mr. Singhal, who was not allowed to come out from the airport, asked, “Why am I being arrested, what crime have I done...They should tell me. There is Mughal rule in Uttar Pradesh, where saints and seers are being stopped from worship.”

Mr. Togadia said demonstrations would be staged all over the country on Monday against the ban by the UP government on the ’Chaurasi Kosi Parikrama Yatra.’

“This is not a political yatra but a religious one and ban or oppression resorted to by the government would not be tolerated at any cost,” he told reporters.

“This movement would reach each and every village of the country and tomorrow protest dharnas would be staged at district headquarters all over the country,” Mr. Togadia said.

Condemning the arrest, BJP spokesman Vijay Bahadur Pathak said the arrests were unfortunate as yatra was a religious affair and nothing to do with politics.

Earlier, Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas Committee Chairman Nritya Gopaldas of Ram Janmabhoomi inaugurated the yatra by walking ten steps outside his temple before he was detained.

“We have inaugurated the yatra. But this yatra should not be politicised. It is carried out all 12 months (not time-bound),” Mr. Gopaldas said.

Ahead of the start of the yatra, former BJP MP Ram Vilas Vedanti and sitting MLA Ram Chandra Yadav were arrested from Ayodhya.

“Over 500 persons going to participate in the yatra have been arrested from across the State, where tight security arrangements are in place to prevent the yatra,” ADG, Law and Order, Arun Kumar said.

A curfew-like situation is prevailing in the town as shops have been shut and Naya Ghat area has been cordoned off.

Temporary jails have been set up by the government in Faizabad, Barabanki, Bahraich, Basti, Gonda and Ambedkarnagar, which lie in the yatra route.