WORLD IN BRIEF : INDIA : Leader Defends Plan to Help Low Castes

Indian Prime Minister Vishwanath Pratap Singh fended off pressure to scrap plans to help low castes as police shot and killed six people and a student committed suicide in protests across northern India. Indian news agencies said that a conclave of Singh’s party, Janata Dal, renewed majority backing for his plan, which would raise the quota of government jobs reserved for outcastes and low Hindu castes from 22.5% to nearly half. Party leaders who had pressed him to compromise won consent only to pursue talks aimed at persuading upper-caste students to end seven weeks of violent protests, the news agencies said.