The Village of Twins: Indian village with 250 sets of twins
May 11, 2009 News & Events, lahore attack
Telegraph
Doctors are trying to unravel the mystery of an Indian village boasting 250 sets of twins born to just 2,000 families.
Baffled doctors are trying to unravel the mystery of an Indian village boasting more than 220 sets of twins born to just 2,000 families Photo: BARCROFT
Baffled doctors are trying to unravel the mystery of an Indian village boasting more than 220 sets of twins born to just 2,000 families Photo: BARCROFT
Group photo of twins in India: Indian village with 250 sets of twins
78 pairs of twins Photo: BARCROFT
The phenomenon has seen almost six times as many twins born than the global average in the remote village of Kodinhi, in Kerala.
In 2008 alone 15 pairs of twins were born in the village out of 300 healthy deliveries and this year is expected to top that number.
In the last five years alone up to 60 pairs of twins have been born, with the rate of twins increasing year-on-year.
Local doctor and twin enthusiast Dr Krishnan Sribiju has been studying the medical marvel of Kodinhi for the past two years.
Although 250 sets of twins have been officially registered in the village Dr Sribiju believes the real number to be far higher.
“In my medical opinion there are around 300 to 350 twins within the village boundaries of Kodinhi,” he said.
“What is fascinating is the increasing numbers of twins with each passing year, so much so that I feel in the past ten years the number of twins in Kodinhi has doubled.”
According to villagers, the twin phenomenon only started occurring three generations ago.
Dr Sribiju said: “To the best of my knowledge this medical marvel began somewhere between 60 to 70 years ago.
“Without access to detailed biochemical analysis equipment I cannot say for certain what the reason for the twinning is, but I feel that it is something to do with what the villagers eat and drink.
“If that is the case then maybe whatever is causing this exceptional level of twinning can be bottled and provide help for infertile couples.” Categorising the twin phenomenon as a naturally occurring anomaly, Dr Sribiju has ruled out genetic factors as the cause due to the localised nature of the village.
He also dismisses any suggestion that the unusual level of twins could be caused by an unknown pollutant pointing to the high number of healthy twins born without any deformities.
“There are lots of reasons for twins, but let me explain the underlying uniqueness of Kodinhi,” said Dr Sribiju, 40.
“The number of twins per thousand here is around 45 per 1,000 births.
“Indian, and by that I mean Asian, people on the sub-continent have the lowest acknowledged incidences of twinning in the world at around four per thousand.
“In addition, there is no IVF treatment here because of the prohibitive cost. Global rates of twins being born, especially in the western world, have increased because of artificial insemination.”
Tags: 250 twins, indian village, twins village
India rejects Pakistan’s claim on Lahore terror attacks
Apr 11, 2009 lahore attack
New Delhi: India on Friday rejected the claim of a Pakistani police officer suggesting New Delhi’s hand in the terror attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore and asked Islamabad to put its “own house in order”.
“Nobody has ever accused India of such a thing. India has been a victim of targeted terror attacks,” minister of state for external affairs Anand Sharma told reporters here.
He said it was “universal knowledge” who are the perpetrators behind the attacks in India and where the terror outfits operate from.
“It is universal knowledge who are the perpetrators and where these terror outfits are operating from, that is from the territory of Pakistan,” Sharma said.
“It would be important that their security agencies and government work to put their own house in order rather than accuse India,” he said. Sharma said such accusations would not serve any purpose.
Pakistan on Friday said it has “credible evidence” of Indian involvement in the March three terror attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team, but retracted within hours, saying “pro-India Afghans” were behind the incident and the attack on a police training centre in Lahore.
“Pro-India Afghans have carried out both the attacks,” Lahore police chief Pervaiz Rathore said.
Tags: lahore attack, lahore attacks
Pak claims Indian involvement in Lahore attack
Apr 11, 2009 lahore attack
Lahore: Pakistan on Friday said it has “credible evidence” of Indian involvement in the March 3 terror attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team here, but retracted within hours, saying “Pro-India Afghans” were behind the incident and the attack on a police training centre.
“Pro-India Afghans have carried out both the attacks,” Lahore police chief Pervaiz Rathore told PTI. Law enforcement agencies has “sufficient” evidence in this regard which would soon be made public, he said.
Earlier, speaking to reporters, Rathore had said with the help of other intelligence agencies there has been considerable progress in this case.
“One thing is for sure that there is an Indian hand behind the attack. I must tell you that there is credible evidence of Indian involvement in the attack,” he had said.
Police training Centre Mannawa Lahore incident
Apr 2, 2009 lahore attack
Jalaybi
April-02-09
It may be a foreign motivated incident as to provoke centiments agains pakistan based talibans for greater and more powerful action against Pakistani Talibans.
The years long terror activities in pakistan have a sort of particular pattern. Most of the terror incidents are based on suicidal attacks. Involving one, two or more suicidal bombers coming to the target and exploding themselves along with many among the gatherings. The Police training incident is distinguished in its pattern because the way the incident takes place immediately reminds the Mumbai incident taking place 26/11/2008. Early in the morning the recruits are engaged in their parade in the big ground of the training centre suddenly a number of gunmen probably about a dozen climbed the boundry wall and start throwing gurnades on the young trainees. The attack was sudden but its reaction was also immiditate as a trainees dispursed with in few minutes and the attackers had to occupy the building of the training centre. They set their positions on the second floor firing at number of targets with in the building on the first floor or upward. Mean time the operation measures were taken very quickly and the security forces including police, rangers and army commandos occupied strategic points and process of retaliation began. The media continued to concentrate on every minute situation taking help of the experts and analysts throwing light on every possible angel of the incident a number of analysts express the view of the similarity of the incident with the Mumbai incdent. But later on a few captives were found to be either afghans or tribals or Punjabis . but all such impressions have been through private media while the official statement is yet to be given.
The mannawa training centre incident is distinguished as a different sort of activity there fore a number of analysts have very different range of opinions.
Either it is a regular activity of the known terrorists groups based with in pakistan terrortries the people belonging to Pakistani talibans may be responsible for this act of terror.
It may be a foreign motivated incident as to provoke centiments agains pakistan based talibans for greater and more powerful action against Pakistani Talibans.
A few of the critics also reflect that there may be a RAW involvement in the incident making it a sort of revenge of Mumbai attacks
Tags: lahore attack, Lahore Incident, Mannawa, Pakistan
Mourning the Lahore attack victims
Mar 31, 2009 lahore attack
Dawn: Relatives and police pay tribute at the coffins of policemen during a funeral ceremony in Lahore on March 31, 2009. Thirteen people were killed during a police academy siege where attackers armed with guns, grenades and suicide vests stormed the training centre in Lahore, unleashing eight hours of gun battles until they were overpowered by security forces.
Tags: attack on lahore, lahore attack, Lahore police academy, Pakistan
Baitullah Mehsud claims responsibility for attack
Mar 31, 2009 lahore attack
An anti-terrorist police squad move to the compound of a police training school on the outskirts of Lahore, March 30, 2009.  APLAHORE: At least 13 people, including four police trainees and two instructors, were killed and another 100 wounded in eight hours of gunbattles with armed assailants who had captured a police training school in the outskirts of Lahore during a general Monday morning drill. The security personnel, led by the army, retook the school after a tense drama that ended around 3.30 pm.
The chief of Tehrik-i-Taliban, Baitullah Mehsud, on Tuesday took responsibility for an attack.
‘Yes, we have carried out this attack. I will give details later,’ Mehsud, an al Qaeda-linked leader based in the Waziristan tribal region told Reuters by telephone.
Security forces had captured an alleged assailant said to be of Afghan origins from the near-by fields a couple of hours before the school was secured. Two hand-grenades, a knife, a walkie-talkie set and a passport in his name were recovered from him. Another three attackers blew themselves up to avoid arrest when the security forces launched the final operation to secure the centre in the afternoon. Private TV channels reported that 40 suspects have been arrested from the Dinnur district of Dera Ismail Khan as of Tuesday morning.
Three men suspected to be involved in the attack were also taken into custody when they were trying to escape from the building premises in police uniforms. They were removed to an unidentified place for interrogation.
Tags: Baithullah Massod, lahore attack, Pakistan
Security forces arrested terrorists of Lahore Police Academy
Mar 30, 2009 News & Events, lahore attack
Declared victory over attackers who besieged Manawan police academy, firing into the air in jubilation, Geo news reported on Monday.
At least three bearded men in vests put their hands in the air and surrendered to the small group of armed security forces and commandos on the rooftop of the main academy building just outside the city of Lahore.
Tags: lahore attacks, lahore gunmen arrested, lahore under attack
‘Gunman’ Held After Attack On Police Academy
Mar 30, 2009 lahore attack
LAHORE: Police and security forces Monday arrested a suspect allegedly linked to a group of attackers who besieged Manawan police academy where 26 people died during pitched battles, police said.
The bearded suspect wearing traditional ‘shalwar kameez’ dress and carrying two hand grenades was nabbed from a graveyard close to a helipad just outside the academy compound.
The suspect was shoved into a security forces vehicle and driven away.
Armed with grenades and assault rifles, and some dressed in police uniform, attackers shot their way into the camp near Lahore and were continuing to trade fire more than six hours later with security forces.
Foreign elements may be involved in Lahore attack: Malik
Mar 30, 2009 lahore attack
ISLAMABAD: Interior advisor Rehman Malik said security put on high alert across the country and more contingents of Rangers have been sent to Manawan.
In an exclusive chat with Geo News, Malik said jihadi outfits and foreign element could involve in the attack. Today’s incident is part of terror wave exists in the country which begun from NWFP. This is an attack against country’s sovereignty.
Interior minister said the attack carried out those elements that want to destabilize the country. These are well planned and organized attacks and terrorists trained during Afghan jihad. Government buildings are unsafe and police not given anti-terror training.
Tags: lahore attack, police academy
Gunmen storm Pakistan police academy
Mar 30, 2009 News & Events, lahore attack
The incident comes less than a month after an ambush on Sri Lanka’s cricket team in the same city, which killed six police officers and a driver and wounded several players.
In the latest assault, a group of attackers armed with assault rifles and hand grenades got inside the centre as dozens of officers were preparing for training.
One report said there between eight and 14 gunmen involved, while another said 20-25 and it is believed some were wearing police uniforms.
Around 90 officers were injured in the atrocity. Hours after the attack began, the gun battle was still going on, with army rangers, known as the country’s elite forces, joining the fight.
Security teams surrounded the centre and fired from the rooftops of nearby buildings.
Injured police men trying to escape out of the police training institute lahore
Ranjers in action on
picture of injured Police man under treatment in Lahore gunment attack on police academy
Manawaan police academy in Pictures Commondo firing
A commandos trades fire with militants at the Manawaan police academy in Pictures
Tags: lahore attack, lahore attacks, Lahore police academy, lahore under attack
