Bodh Gaya (Bihar), Nov 3 : Monks from Thailand offered prayers for world peace and sculpted out an idol of Lord Buddha in Bodh Gaya on Sunday.

The 33-member delegation offered prayers for the well being of the people of the entire world.

"We have come from Thailand to build Lord’s Buddha idol," said Payap Shinawatra, a monk from Thailand.

Later, the monks got together and worked continuously for 12 hours to sculpt out a statue of Lord Buddha.

Patna, Oct 30 : Railway Minister Lalu Yadav today visited the family of Rahul Raj, who was killed in a police shootout after his alleged attempt to hijack a public bus by scaring passengers with a revolver at Kurla in Mumbai on Monday.

Expressing his condolences to the family members of Rahul, Lalu condemned the act of the Mumbai Police and said that the prevailing tension is the result of the regional divide instigated by some anti social elements.

He said that it is the fundamental right of the citizens of India to seek jobs anywhere in the country.

Patna, Oct 30: Railways Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav today announced compensation of Rs three lakhs for the widow of Dharam Dev Rai, a resident of Uttar Pradesh''s Gorakhpur district who was beaten to death on a train in Badlapur in Maharashtra, after the miscreants identified him as a "North Indian".

The incident caught media attention as it happened in the wake of the ongoing raging controversy over harassment of North Indians, particularly those from Bihar, in Mumbai.

New Delhi, Oct 27: An all-party delegation headed by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar will meet Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh here today to submit a joint memorandum demanding action against the "divisive forces" that attacked railway job aspirants from Bihar in Mumbai.

A delegation comprising Union Ministers, Parliamentarians and leaders of various political parties in Bihar will meet Dr. Singh at five p. m. today.

An all-party meeting on October 23 had expressed anguish over the attack on north Indian examinees by activists of Raj Thackeray''s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS).

They unanimously decided to submit a joint memorandum to Dr. Singh in this regard.

Rajgir (Bihar), Oct 26 : Hundreds of Buddhist monks from India and abroad gathered in Rajgir in Bihar to pray for world peace.

The prayers were held as part of 39th anniversary of the Vishwa Shanti Stupa, situated atop the Ratnagiri Hill.

The occasion also gained prominence as an American follower of Buddhism donated a peace bell made of an alloy of eight metals, weighing five tons, to the stupa.

Richard Dixcy, the donor of the bell said that the peace bell was a gesture for the hospitality shown to Tibetans by the State Government by giving them refuge.

Patna, Oct 25: Violence broke out during the dawn-to-dusk Bihar shutdown today called by various student organisations to protest against the attacks on North Indian candidates during a railway recruitment examination in Mumbai.

The shutdown is being called by various student organisations, including AISA, the student wing of Communist Party of India
(Marxist-Leninist), an ultra Left party.

Students ransacked Shekhpura railway station and delinked the engine of a passenger train this morning.