Tamil militants blasted an army headquarters building in Colombo and ambushed an army convoy in the Jaffna peninsula, leaving 17 people dead. In retaliation, the Sri Lankan troops opened fire at Ariyalai near Jaffna, killing six Tamils, including a newly married couple. The troops were assisted by Air Force helicopters in the operation.

Odisha Minister Out

After four days of nail-biting suspense, Revenue Minister Niranjan Patnaik lost his cabinet berth. Chief Minister J B Patnaik forwarded the minister’s resignation letter to the Governor, who accepted it. The minister submitted the resignation letter to the CM stating that he would like to step down on grounds of political propriety in view of the Orissa High Court judgment. The HC described the Revenue Minister as a “habitual bribegiver”.

B C Roy awards

The 1984 Dr B C Roy Award for “statesmanship of the highest order”, conferred posthumously on Indira Gandhi, was received by Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. Gandhi later presented awards to 35 scientists, doctors and teachers of medicine, including six women. Satish Dhawan, chairman, Space Commission, and B K Anand, an eminent physiologist, were two of the scientists decorated with awards.