Gunman opens fire at high school in Turkey, wounding at least 16 before killing himself
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Ankara (AP): A former student opened fire at a high school in southeast Turkey on Tuesday, wounding at least 16 people before killing himself, an official said.
The 18-year-old attacker, armed with a shotgun, fired randomly at a vocational high school in Siverek, Sanliurfa province, before hiding inside the building. He later killed himself with the same shotgun, Gov Hasan Sildak said.
The attack left 10 students, four teachers, a canteen employee and a police officer wounded, Sildak said. While most of them were being treated in Siverek, five of the wounded teachers and students were transferred to a hospital in the provincial capital because their conditions were more serious, the governor said.
The motive for the attack remains unclear. School shootings are rare in Turkey.
Earlier, media reports said all students were evacuated and police special operations units were deployed after the assailant refused to surrender.
“The individual was cornered inside the building through police intervention and died after shooting himself," Sildak told reporters, adding that a “comprehensive” investigation into the shooting would be carried out.
Video footage showed dozens of students running out of the school toward the gate and onto the street.
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Our govt committed to delivering true social justice to every poor: PM Modi
Dehradun (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said that "after abrogation of Article 370, the Constitution is now fully applicable across the entire nation", and asserted that the NDA government is committed to delivering true social justice to every poor.
Addressing a public meeting in Dehradun after the inauguration of the Delhi-Dehradun economic corridor, Modi said, "Today is also the birth anniversary of Babasaheb Ambedkar. On behalf of the people of the nation, I pay my tributes to Babasaheb. The policies formulated and the decisions taken by our government over the past decade have served to restore the dignity of the Constitution."
Babasaheb's life was dedicated to ensuring a just system for the poor, deprived and the exploited, he added.
"After abrogation of Article 370, the Constitution is now fully applicable across the entire nation. Work is being done in a dozen districts according to the spirit of the Constitution where Maoism, Naxalism have ended," he said.
Modi said our Constitution expects that a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) be implemented in the country, adding that by taking this spirit forward, Uttarakhand has shown the path to the nation.
"Today, our government is committed to that very same spirit for delivering true social justice to every poor and deprived individual," he said.
The prime minister asserted that a big medium for achieving social justice is the balanced development of the nation by providing amenities to all and ensuring prosperity for everyone. It is for this reason that Babasaheb strongly advocated modern infrastructure and industrialisation, he added.
He said this decade would be that of Uttarakhand and this corridor will give a huge push to the state's growth.
"When tourism develops, all benefit. I am happy that Uttarakhand is emerging as a key destination for winter tourism and sports," Modi said.
He also said that the 12-km elevated corridor along the Delhi-Dehradun expressway has been built keeping the safety and security of elephants in mind.
Referring to the Haridwar Kumbh, Modi said, "Haridwar will host Kumbh next year and we must leave no stone unturned to make the experience a divine and clean one."
Earlier in the day, the prime minister inaugurated the Delhi-Dehradun economic corridor, which will cut travel time between the two cities to nearly half.
The 213 km-long six-lane access-controlled Delhi-Dehradun economic corridor has been built at a cost of over Rs 12,000 crore.
The corridor traverses through Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, and will reduce travel time between Delhi and Dehradun from over six hours at present to around two-and-a-half hours, according to an official statement.
The Delhi-Dehradun economic corridor will play a pivotal role in strengthening regional economic growth by enhancing connectivity between major tourism and economic centres as well as opening new avenues for trade and development across the region.
"The project reflects the vision of the prime minister to develop next-generation infrastructure that combines high-speed connectivity with environmental sustainability and improved quality of life for citizens," the statement said.
Implementation of the project also involves the construction of 10 interchanges, three Railway Over Bridges (ROBs), four major bridges and 12 wayside amenities to enable seamless high-speed connectivity.
The corridor is equipped with an Advanced Traffic Management System (ATMS) to provide a safer and more efficient travel experience for commuters.
Keeping in view the ecological sensitivity, rich biodiversity and wildlife in the region, the corridor has been designed with several features aimed at significantly reducing human-wildlife conflict.
To ensure the free movement of wild animals, the project incorporates several dedicated wildlife protection features. These include a 12-km-long wildlife elevated corridor, which is one of the longest in Asia.
The corridor also includes eight animal passes, two elephant underpasses of 200 metres each, and a 370-metre-long tunnel near Maa Daat Kali Temple.
Prime Minister Modi also paid floral tributes to Dr BR Ambedkar on this occasion.
Modi inspected the wildlife corridor on the elevated section of the Delhi-Dehradun economic corridor in Saharanpur and also held a roadshow in the Uttar Pradesh town, waving at people who had lined up.
He offered prayers at Maa Daat Kali Temple near Dehradun.
A large number of people gathered in Dehradun and waved at the prime minister as his motorcade passed through the streets of the Uttarakhand capital.
