New Delhi, Jul 17 (PTI) These are the top stories from the northern region at 9 pm

These are the top stories from the northern region at 9 pm SONEBHADRA DEL61 UP-2NDLD-CLASH 9 killed, 19 injured in shootout over land in Uttar Pradesh Sonbhadra/Lucknow: A village head and his supporters allegedly opened fire on a rival group in a land dispute in Sonbhadra, killing nine people, including three women, and leaving 19 injured on Wednesday, police said. LUCKNOW DEL74 UP-LD COP-ATTACK Miscreants open fire at jail van, kill two cops, free three prisoners and escape Lucknow: Two policemen were shot dead Wednesday in Sambhal district as some unidentified miscreants opened fire at a jail van and fled with three undertrial prisoners after freeing them from the custody.

ALIGARH DES23 UP-KIDS-DEATH 2 kids die, 52 taken ill after drinking 'contaminated' water from school hand pump: Official Aligarh (UP): Two children died and 52 others were taken ill allegedly after drinking contaminated water from a hand pump in their village school in the district. BANDA DES10 UP-MADARSA SUSPENSION 1 arrested, 2 cops suspended in UP madrasa wall demolition incident: Police Banda (UP): Two policemen have been suspended and a person arrested in connection with the demolition of a madrasa's boundary wall in Uttar Pradesh's Fatehpur district, officials said Wednesday.

LUCKNOW DES5 UP-CABINET-RESHUFFLE Singh's appointment as UP BJP chief puts focus on UP cabinet reshuffle Lucknow: The appointment of OBC leader and Uttar Pradesh minister Swatantra Dev Singh as the new state BJP chief has once again put the spotlight on reshuffling of the cabinet headed by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. LUCKNOW DES7 UP-BJP CHIEF-INTERVIEW BJP will sweep upcoming Assembly bypolls in UP: Newly-appointed state party chief Lucknow: Exuding confidence that he will clear his first electoral test after being appointed as the Uttar Pradesh BJP chief, Swatantra Dev Singh on Wednesday said the saffron party will sweep the upcoming Assembly bypolls in the state.

LUCKNOW DES4 UP-SP-COMMITTEE Akhilesh Yadav forms 21-member panel to probe 'fake cases' lodged against Azam Khan Lucknow: Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav has constituted a 21-member committee, led by leader of opposition in the Legislative Council Ahmad Hasan, to probe "fake cases" lodged against party MP Azam Khan in Rampur. BAREILLY DES27 UP-COWS Bareilly mayor, municipal body lock horns over cows' death in animal shelter Bareilly (UP): The Bareilly mayor and the local municipality have locked horns over the alleged death of 125 cows in an animal shelter run by the civic body here.

DEHRADUN DEL56 UKD-CHAMPION BJP expels its gun-toting MLA from party Dehradun: The BJP Wednesday expelled its gun-totting Uttarakhand MLA Kunwar Pranav Singh Champion from the party for six years. SHIMLA DES45 HP-LD PILGRIMS 5 pilgrims injured in Kullu glacier collapse, septuagenarian dies of hypothermia Shimla: Five pilgrims were injured as a glacier broke off and collapsed on way to the Shrikhand Mahadev shrine in Himachal Pradesh's Kullu district while a 74-year-old man from Maharashtra died due to hypothermia, police said Wednesday.

NEW DELHI DEL35 LSQ-DEF-JK-LAND Over 56,000 acres of land in J-K with defence depts, wings, organisations: Govt New Delhi: Over 56,000 acres of land in Jammu and Kashmir is with different defence departments, wings and organisations, and the total rent paid for it to land owners or the state government in the last three years is more than Rs 134 crore, Lok Sabha was informed on Wednesday. JAMMU DES3 JK-VET-PARAGLIDER Vet takes to para-gliding to spread FMD awareness in Reasi hills Jammu: In a unique move, an Animal Husbandry Department official of J&K's Reasi district has taken to paragliding to reach out to people in difficult hilly terrains to apprise them of the state's free vaccination scheme for cattle to protect them from the foot and mouth disease.

NOIDA DES11 NCR-FAKE-ABDUCTION Afraid to face family, man fakes own kidnap after splurging money partying Noida (UP): A 20-year-old man has been arrested here for allegedly concocting a story about his own abduction and misleading police with false information, officials said Wednesday. NEW DELHI DES9 DL-TRAFFIC-VIDEO Drunk woman, her friend held for misbehaving with Delhi traffic cop: Police New Delhi: A woman and her friend were arrested for allegedly misbehaving with a traffic policeman after they were stopped for not wearing helmet in west Delhi's Mayapuri, police said Wednesday.PTI NEW DELHI LGD36 DL-COURT-KEJRIWAL Court summons CM Arvind Kejriwal in defamation case New Delhi: A Delhi court Wednesday summoned Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in a criminal complaint of the founder of social media page, 'I Support Narendra Modi', who alleged that the AAP leader re-tweeted a defamatory video by YouTuber Dhruv Rathee in May 2018.

NEW DELHI DES40 DL-DIKSHIT-CHACKO Rift in Delhi Congress widens as AICC incharge Chacko dilutes Dikshit's powers New Delhi: Stating that Delhi Congress chief Sheila Dikshit is "not keeping well", AICC incharge PC Chacko on Wednesday authorised the three working presidents to hold meetings of district and block committee heads and take decisions, seen as an attempt to dilute her powers amid a deepening turf war between the two. PTI ASH ASH.