A personnel of the Border Security Force (BSF) was killed in Pakistani firing along the international border in Jammu and Kashmir’s Samba district. The BSF has said they have given a befitting response to the Pakistani side. BSF Head Constable Lal Fam Kima, 50, was from Aizwal in Mizoram.

This was the third ceasefire violation by Pakistan Rangers in the past three weeks.

According to the BSF, Pakistan Rangers resorted to unprovoked firing at Ramgarh sector in Samba last night.

BSF constable Kima was critically injured in the firing. He was shifted to hospital where he died this morning, officials said.

According to BSF officials, firing started around midnight. In a statement, the BSF said Indian troops gave a befitting response to the firing.

Earlier, on October 27, Pakistani troops resorted to heavy gunfire and mortar shelling in Arnia sector along the border in Jammu and Kashmir. Dozens of villagers had to flee their homes after mortar shells hit residential areas. Three persons, including two BSF personnel, were injured in the firing.

On October 17 too, Pakistani troops had started firing in Arnia sector, leaving two BSF personnel injured. The situation was brought under control after a flag meeting between local commanders of BSF and Pakistan Rangers.

The frequent incidents of firing are a major violation of the ceasefire understanding between India and Pakistan in February 2021.

Scientists have discovered an old record of complex brain surgery in China’s Xinjiang. Interestingly, there are indications on this perfectly preserved human skull that a head injury was treated surgically by making a hole in the cranium, as per a report in New Scientist. The scientists speculate that Chinese shamanic doctors probably performed the treatment around 2700 years ago.

The Yanghai cemetery, located in Xinjiang, is a large and ancient burial site that houses the remains of a clan who practised shamanism, which is a belief system that involves employing trance to interact with the supernatural. A skull belonging to a man who lived between 750 and 800 BC that was discovered in a cemetery was analysed by Qian Wang of Texas A&M University and his fellow researchers using CT scans.

As per the outlet, the man had suffered a blunt force injury that resulted in an accumulation of blood beneath his head, known as an epidural haematoma. This can be fatal and places strain on the brain.

Similar to how this ailment would be treated today, a bit of the skull was removed by what was likely a shaman doctor in order to heal the injury and relieve the haematoma. This is referred to as a craniotomy in modern surgery. It is performed on patients suffering from head traumas or for the relief of intracranial pressure, among other reasons.

The person survived the treatment and continued to live for at least eight weeks, according to signs of healing found within the walls of the fracture lines.

The researcher said, “In order to successfully remove the haematoma, the doctor was able to design a bone flap according to the injury by using the fracture lines.” According to Mr Wang, this is the most ” advanced and skilled craniotomy ever found” in the wider Eurasian region.

Mr Wang stated that while there isn’t concrete proof that the surgery was performed by a shaman doctor, there are other discoveries in the area that support the theory. One person at the Yanghai cemetery was recognised as a shaman based on a bronze knife and pointed instrument, known as an awl, that were likely surgical instruments and were hanging from his waist. There has been evidence of cannabis use as an anaesthetic at the cemetery. 

The Supreme Court on Thursday re-directed High Courts to initiate suo moto proceedings towards expeditious disposal of pending cases against elected legislators – MPs and MLAs – from their respective states. The Chief Justices of these courts have been told to monitor settlement of cases.

The court was hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) for establishment of special courts to decide criminal cases related to public servants and members of the judiciary “within one year… and to debar convicted persons” from holding posts in legislative, executive and/or judicial bodies “for life”.

The PIL referred to High Courts’ data to point out that 5,175 cases against MPs and MLAs are still pending, of which 40 per cent, or 2,116, have been open for at least five years.

On the petitioners’ first request, a bench led by Supreme Court Chief Justice DY Chandrachud left it to the High Courts of each state (in which the case is being heard) to monitor developments.

The court observed that it would be difficult to frame uniform guidelines.

The hearing for the second – regarding electoral ban on convicted persons – will continue.

The plea also asked no adjournments be given “except in rare and exceptional circumstances”, and that in case of delays bail be cancelled. Trial courts have now told not to adjourn cases unless necessary.

The plea was made in the context of a 2015 judgement by the Supreme Court, which said “… in relation to sitting MPs and MLAs, who have charges framed against them… the trial shall be concluded speedily… and, in no case, later than one year from date of framing of charge(s)”.

READ | Supreme Court To Hear Plea On Trial Against MPs, MLAs, Nearly 5,000 Cases Pending

The court had also said: “… as far as possible, trial shall be on day-to-day basis. If, for some extraordinary circumstances, court is not able to conclude trial within one year… (it will) submit report to Chief Justice of respective High Court, indicating reasons for not adhering to time limit…”

Earlier, in compliance with a Supreme Court order in this case, various High Courts had reported the number of pending cases (as of December 2018 and November 2022) against MPs and MLAs.

According to these numbers, the maximum number of such pending cases are in Uttar Pradesh.

There were 992 unresolved cases in 2018. Last year this number was 1,377, and 719 of these had been undecided for over five years. Among the larger states, others with such high numbers are Bihar; there were 546 pending cases as of November and 381 have been in limbo for over five years.

Per the data other states with over 100 cases pending for over five years are Maharashtra (169) and Odisha (323), while Tamil Nadu has 60, Karnataka 61, Madhya Pradesh 51, and Jharkhand 72.

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