MBA arrested for smuggling drugs

NEW DELHI: A 32-year-old businessman has been arrested with eight kilograms of heroin, worth Rs 30 crore, from Nizamuddin railway station.

Police believe the accused, Anumulagundam Soma Shekhar, is part of an international drug cartel operating from Kuwait, Afghanistan and Pakistan. With Shekhar's arrest, the crime branch has recovered a total of 30kg heroin, worth over Rs 100 crore.

During interrogation, the accused said he entered the trade after suffering huge losses in his construction business, which he began after completing his MBA from Hyderabad. "His father was a senior officer at an Italian-based cement manufacturing unit in Kaddapa, Andhra Pradesh so the accused had started a stone-crusher unit," said DCP (crime) Bhisham Singh. Police said Shekhar began peddling drugs after coming in contact with an NRI named Rajni who was living in Kuwait.

The accused went to Srinagar to procure drugs on March 26. "He was caught red-handed from Nizamuddin station on March 27 by a team led by ACP Zile Singh," said Ravindra Yadav, additional CP (crime).

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Man revived from deep coma after 2 months

NEW DELHI: Doctors at a private hospital here have given a new lease of life to a man declared "near brain dead" by a hospital in Canada. Asok Debnath, an IT professional from Kolkata, was suffering from severe brain infection that went undetected for several weeks.

Ankita, the patient's wife, said he was airlifted to Max Hospital in Saket when doctors in Canada gave up. "My husband was working on a project in Canada for the past three years. In October, he had fever, headache, chills and pain in the back of the neck. Gradually, he developed difficulty in walking," she said. "We took him to a local hospital where doctors diagnosed abnormality in the brain with enhancement in the brain stem suggestive of some kind of brain and spine infection. But they could not find the cause."

Debnath's condition deteriorated and he slipped into deep coma. Doctors observed him for 20 days and then declared there was no possibility of any improvement. "They consoled and asked me to be brave," said Ankita, who married Debnath two years ago.

Unwilling to give up, she mailed her husband's medical report to all major hospitals in India, and finally Dr Puneet Agarwal from Max offered to make an effort to save him.

"Frankly, we were not confident about saving or reviving him. The doctors in Canada had done all possible tests and treatment," said Dr Agarwal. Debnath was put through a series of tests for brain infection and tested positive for Lyme disease-a bacterial disease spread by tick bites that affects the skin, joints, heart and the nervous system. "It is very common in western countries. I am surprised doctors in Canada could not pick this up," the doctor said.

Debnath was put on Lyme medication for about a month with intravenous immune globulin (IVIg), and antibiotic therapy was given to check infection in the trachea. "The medication worked and he gradually developed consciousness after about two-and-a-half months in deep comatose condition. At present, he is fully conscious and is able to speak a few words. Recently, he started eating solids and semi-solids without a tube. He also has some movement in both legs now," Dr Agarwal said.

Although complete recovery is still some way off, Ankita said, "God has listened to our prayers and saved him. I am sure things will improve further".

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Youth killed in fight over girl

NEW DELHI: More than a month after the 21-year-old son of a senior Union home ministry official was found lying dead in a drain in North Campus, police on Saturday claimed to have cracked the case and arrested two of his friends for allegedly killing him by smashing his head with a beer bottle and stabbing him over a girl.

Pradeep Kumar, who was pursuing a bachelors degree in business administration (BBA) from a private university, was killed on February 21. His decomposed body was found three days later and could be identified only on February 27.

The accused, identified as Rinku Kumar and Tinku Kumar, are both 21, gym trainers and live in Maurice Nagar. The cops are looking for Pradeep's two other friends for their suspected involvement in the crime.

One of Pradeep's friends suspected him of making advances towards his girlfriend and had asked him to mend his ways. Pradeep refuted the allegations and confronted him. His friends had been looking to get even and finally got a chance on February 21 when Pradeep agreed to come with them to a party in Timarpur. They dragged him near their car, smashed his head with a beer bottle and stabbed him a dozen times with bottles, police said. Then they placed his body in the boot of a car and dumped it in the drain near Khalsa College.

When Pradeep did not return home, his father lodged a case of kidnapping which was subsequently converted into murder. DCP North Sindhu Pillai formed three teams under ACP Timarpur Anil Yadav, inspector Arti Sharma and the Timarpur SHO to crack the case. The teams worked on leads, analyzed Pradeep's call records and narrowed down on the suspects. Rinku and Tinku broke down during interrogation and confessed to the crime.

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IIT-Delhi student invents device to test haemoglobin

NEW DELHI: A student of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi, Ambar Srivastava, has developed a mobile phone-size haemoglobin metre dubbed the TrueHb Hemometer - the first case of an innovation from the institute's biomedical engineering department actually getting "productized".

The device, which has been validated by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) for its efficacy, is expected to help identify and tackle anaemia effectively. India with very high prevalence of anaemia also sees a large number of maternal deaths from the condition.

The CBC counter is the gold standard for haemogram tests in labs. It could cost Rs 2-10 lakh, is at least twice the size of a personal computer and needs regular power supply.

While the price of the TrueHb meter has not been fixed as of now, it is expected to be cheaper than most other similar devices in the market, which cost well over Rs 25,000.

Paper-based colour cards that use a colour scale to provide a rough estimate of haemoglobin values are also used. Such cards give a range and not an exact value of the haemoglobin level.

TrueHb, on the other hand, works like a conventional glucometer and works with just a tiny drop of blood from a pinprick on the disposable strip. It not only reads the accurate level within 45 seconds, but also stores up to 1,000 such readings. It can be charged like a mobile phone and allows up to 300 tests per charge.

"It will be very useful on the field for health workers, blood banks, primary health centres, the school health scheme of the government, and all point of care use, including for use at home," explained Srivastava.

"Currently, we don't have the correct estimate of the true prevalence of anaemia in India. Once you have an accurate measure of the haemoglobin level, anaemia diagnosis can be made effectively and treatment can be decided accordingly. There are several analysers in the market but, to the best of my knowledge, none as portable as this. In AIIMS, we have checked the efficacy of the TrueHb in a limited number of blood samples in standardized lab condition and found very good accuracy," said Dr Renu Saxena, head of the department of Haematology in AIIMS.

The device was developed with funding from the Technology Development Board of the Department of Science and Technology at IIT's Centre for Biomedical Engineering, established in 1971 as a joint venture between IIT and AIIMS to develop healthcare technologies.

"We develop many concepts, but have not been very successful in productizing them and bringing them to the market. We are very proud that our student Ambar Srivastava has pursued this beyond his time in IIT to bring it to the market, which is a huge challenge," said Dr Sneh Anand, professor and head of IIT, Delhi's Centre for Biomedical Engineering.

"It took us three years to productise the research. It was the collaborative effort of biochemists, electronics engineers, micro-optics experts and mechanical engineers who helped integrate micro-optics with the embedded electronics, couple it with the right biochemistry and build completely automated state-of-art machines for mass production of strips. The manufacturing machines would have cost us Rs 8-12 crore had we got American or Korean machines. Instead, we designed and built our own special purpose machines and managed to establish the mass manufacturing facility within Rs 25 lakh. Our established manufacturing facility is highly scalable and has the production capacity of five lakh strips per day. We can produce any number of meters as we are getting it contract manufactured," explained Srivastava, who is now managing director of the company Wrig Nanosystems Pvt Ltd that he established to produce and commercialize TrueHb Hemometers.
Features of TrueHb hemometer

* Very accurate

* Rechargeable battery/300 tests per charge/6 months idle time

* Quick on-the-spot result within 45 seconds

* Painless-requires just a fraction of a drop of blood

* High shelf life strips

* Intelligent self-testing system

* High memory-stores 1000 readings

* Ergonomically friendly

* Customised easy-to-read display

* User friendly interfaces

* Ultraportable: Weighs under 800gm, pocket-sized, sleek optoelectronics design

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Ancient baoli under siege

A 13th-century monument in the congested lanes of Mehrauli has attracted the attention of the Delhi high court. Protected by Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), Gandhak ki Baoli is an ancient stepwell dated to the reign of Sultan Iltutmish (1211-1236 AD). However, new construction around the monument is not only blocking its view but also endangering the structure.

Earlier this week, the high court pulled up the South Delhi Municipal Corporation and Delhi Police for rampant illegal construction around the baoli, one of ASI's prized protected monuments. Justice Manmohan was shocked to learn that unauthorized constructions have mushroomed in the area despite ASI's repeated requests to seal and demolish them. "Someone is pulling wool over our eyes. How can there be further unauthorized construction despite there being a sealing and demolition order?" Justice Manmohan said, summoning the local SHO and the municipal officer concerned for an explanation.

The amended ASI Act prohibits construction within 100m of a protected monument and restricts construction within 101-300 m. However, TOI found a lot of construction work in full swing. There's a half-built two-storey building adjoining the baoli. Across the road, a new floor is being built on a residential building. Further away, in the regulated zone, construction work is rampant.

The monument itself is in a dismal condition. There's a garbage dump behind it amid a large number of jhuggis. There's new construction almost on top of the baoli's boundary wall. TOI found no guard at the site.

The HC lashed out at the civic agency, saying it should have taken "special care" to prevent unauthorized construction, more so when the court is monitoring the menace of illegal construction in that area. The court was taken aback by the pictures shown by petitioner Ashok Kumar Soni, who alleged that police and the corporation had refused to act even after he drew their attention to the problem.

The court had earlier directed ASI to take appropriate action on Soni's petition, and the authority had ordered the corporation to seal and demolish the unauthorized constructions.

"This is a massive construction. There are over 100 people here. You can't mobilize so many people overnight...this material must have come in trucks. What is the SHO of the area doing?" the court said, asking the SHO to file an affidavit. It warned the municipal engineer concerned, who was present in court: "If this is beyond your control, we will get another AE to do it" and directed him to be present again on July 7.

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Meenakshi Lekhi alleges scam at Delhi's Kathputli Colony

NEW DELHI: Relocation of artists from Kathputli Colony has become a major election issue in the New Delhi constituency. After Aam Aadmi Party, BJP candidate Meenakshi Lekhi has hinted at a "land scam" in the in situ redevelopment of the area and demanded a CBI probe.

"A CBI inquiry should be held and the LG should stop relocation of residents till the probe is complete," said Lekhi. Senior BJP leaders say the Congress-led Delhi government didn't keep the residents' interest in mind while planning the redevelopment. Residents of the colony had asked LG Najeeb Jung to stop the reloacation process a month ago.

With days left for elections, political parties are capitalizing on the issue to garner support from people living in the area and in nearby slum clusters. AAP's candidate from New Delhi, Ashish Khetan, had attempted to stay the night in Kathputli Colony but was not allowed to do so.

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Breezy Facebook post by Delhi traffic cops grabs eyeballs

NEW DELHI: The traffic police got a lot of attention on Friday morning with chilled-out posts about an anti-pollution drive on their Twitter and Facebook pages. "Gooooooddd Morrniinnnggg Dellhhhiiiii!! All ye early birds and late risers, Hear! Hear! Hear! Over 400 prosecuted yesterday for not carrying valid PUC Certificate! Puhhlleease carry PUC Certificate IN ORIGINAL to avoid prosecution. Share! Share! Share!" it read.

Within minutes, the message went viral, and then the feedback poured in — not all of it complimentary as many people did not like the juvenile tone on an authority's pages.

The message was posted around 7am to highlight that 400 drivers had been issued Rs 100 challans on Thursday after the high court ordered Delhi Police and the transport department to crack down against pollution.

Some likened the "cool" message to the traffic police giving schoolchildren a free hand on their site. Kumar Aditya, a user, commented: "Yo Yo Honey Singh". Hemant Singh wrote: "Not bad to start light hearted (sic) early in the morning". Another user, Sumeet Saxena, wrote: "You sound very excited about prosecuting 400 people in one day... after the court raps you for it... Why were you sleeping all this while, huh? Hope you show this enthusiasm to keep the traffic moving in the city".

Nishal Joseph, wrote: "'Puhhlleease'?? really?? #WhatYouHighOnBro". Another user, Tarun Kumar, commented: "Delhi Police aap ese to na the!" Comments like "Koi naya ladka admin ban gaya hai. But I like the change and language" followed.

The traffic police were quick to respond. "Outsourced? No! But young at heart, like a college lad, yes!" They further said, "Thanks for the feedback, people. Briefly, PUC checking centres are authorized by the Transport Department, not Delhi Traffic Police. PUC centres issuing certificates after tweaking, greed! But vehicle owners paying and not insisting on a proper test — not understandable."

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Two arrested for raping factory worker in Gandhi Nagar

NEW DELHI: Two men have been arrested for allegedly gang-raping a 26-year-old woman in east Delhi's Gandhi Nagar area on Thursday night.

The woman, who works at a garment factory, told police that she was working late on Thursday and was about to leave when her employer, Sanjay (33), called her to his office located at the back of the factory. When the survivor entered the room, Sanjay also called his colleague Devender (40) into the room after which the duo raped the woman. She claimed they also threatened her against telling anyone.

Both the accused were arrested on Friday morning after the survivor's medical examination confirmed rape. Police said they are questioning other workers who were in the factory at the time of the incident. A case of rape under Section 376 has been registered.

The survivor told police that had been working at the garment factory since the last few years and lived nearby.

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Congress wants Vijay Kumar Malhotra booked

NEW DELHI: A Congress delegation on Friday met Delhi's chief electoral officer, Vijay Dev, and submitted a memorandum demanding action against BJP leader Vijay Kumar Malhotra for violating the model code of conduct.

Congress wants a criminal case filed against Malhotra for repeatedly attacking the minority community. Earlier this week, while addressing a press conference, Malhotra had said Batla House and Jamia Nagar had become terrorist hubs.

Delhi Congress chief Arvinder Singh said it has been pointed out that due to Malhotra's statement, the "communal amity in Delhi has been disturbed". Congress has asked for security to be stepped up at polling booths in Muslim-dominated areas. The DPCC chief said Congress will not allow the 'Gujarat model' to be applied in Delhi and also said Malhotra's statement was Sangh Parivar's strategy to frighten the minority community.

Meanwhile, a day after BJP filed a complaint against Kapil Sibal for "offering legal support" to two men arrested from Jamia Nagar, V K Malhotra asked Congress president Sonia Gandhi to clarify her party's stand on the issue. "If Congress supports the arrests then it should take action against Sibal and Sandeep Dikshit for supporting the men. But, if it thinks the arrests are wrong, it should act against home minister Sushil Kumar Shinde," said Malhotra.

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Babel on Delhi Metro's trains: No clear winner here

NEW DELHI: The 50-km long Dwarka-Vaishali/Noida line could be a snapshot of Delhi. A melange of people travels on this Metro line, making it the most populous one in the Delhi Metro network. Nowadays, the talk in the Metro is all about politics. From Narendra Modi's "masterstroke" of 'chai pe charcha' to Arvind Kejriwal's "courage" in fighting elections from Varanasi, the discussions between announcements of "Mind the gap" is peppered with political analysis, comments on the role of the media and speculation over whether AAP will be able to tap the rural population like it did the urban one.

On a busy Friday morning, it's yet another crowded day on Delhi Metro. As this reporter boards the Blue Line (Dwarka-Vaishali/Noida) — hopping on to the pink coach to avoid the crowd in the general compartments — the decibel level is fairly high. Women are either talking on the phone or to others sitting next to them. While most of the talk is about television and fashion, a group of young women are discussing the prospects of Smriti "Tulsi" Irani being pitted against Rahul Gandhi in Amethi. Good news for the Gandhi scion: most of the girls seem to feel Irani has little chance. The consensus seems to be that beating Gandhi on his home turf will be tough though the girls feel that if Gandhi had fought against Narendra Modi, it would have been a more "even" fight.

Across the coach, in another corner, a trio of middle-aged women is also discussing politics, though here the discussion is about Arvind Kejriwal. The Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) leader has a fan following amongst these women, residents of Laxmi Nagar, as they talk about his anti-corruption helpline in Delhi. One of the women recounts how she went for the "durbar" that was held in Delhi secretariat during the brief AAP regime. "I voted for AAP though my husband didn't...I think Kejriwal will spring a surprise during this election like he did in the assembly," predicts the lady.

By this time, the train has crossed Rajiv Chowk and the crowd has thinned out considerably. It seems a good time to make your way down the train. As this reporter walks down the coaches, listening in to conversations, it's obvious that Delhi is in the grip of election fever. Commuters who usually have earphones plugged in are talking to their neighbours. Newspapers are open as the men, and the few women in the general compartments, talk about the latest coverage. The discussions are in-depth, with many quoting survey results from older newspapers to make their point.

Interestingly, the range of opinions is as varied as the people boarding from the various stations along the route. Those getting on from places like Dwarka or Janakpuri speak about the rising prices and the rampant corruption when questioned about the elections. "Salaries can't seem to keep pace with the rocketing prices," says Rishabh Lal, a daily commuter from Janakpuri. Lal, who works in a government office in Connaught Place, is supported by Sanket Vashishth from Dwarka. "The Congress in its manifesto has nothing to offer to the middle class. Our only hope is the Seventh Pay Commission," moans Vashishth.

The issues are different as you cross the age gap though. A group of students boarding at Mayur Vihar is equally concerned about corruption but seems eager to take "action". Says Delhi University student Monisha Chahal: "I had gone for the Anna rally and came away very concerned about corruption. I want political parties and their candidates to talk about how they will tackle corruption." And while local issues, especially corruption, are important, some are giving a thought to the economic policies of the political parties as well. "The candidates should talk about their party's position on economic and foreign policies as well," adds Amit Singh, another young student in the group.

In fact, it's hard to predict what's driving these commuters to decide on a political party. While the men seem more sold on the idea of development peddled by BJP, the women seem enamoured of Kejriwal's brand of "honesty and commitment". The good news for Congress is that it still has some supporters. As this reporter speaks to a bunch of old-timers returning home in the evening, the issues seem to be the same as the ones that have cropped up through the day. Water and electricity vie for space with concern over rising prices and corruption. Some talk about the governance record of the candidates while others talk about the promises made by the parties. What's certain is that elections are just round the corner and Delhi seems to be very involved in it.

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Dry Dwarka asks parties for clear planÂ

NEW DELHI: Dwarka residents, who had refused to vote in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, have decided to give one last chance to political parties. They have invited the LS candidates from the three major parties for an open discussion on Sunday, where each of them is expected to spell out their respective model of development for Dwarka.

"We have invited Jarnail Singh of the Aam Aadmi Party, Parvesh Verma of the BJP, and Mahabal Mishra of the Congress. All three have agreed and we hope to have a good discussion. An invitation is also being sent to all the area residents. We will see if any of them is able to impress us suitably. And if not, we may still not vote," said Sudha Sinha, general secretary of the Dwarka group housing federation.

Mishra, who is the sitting MP from the area, is likely to face some grueling questions. The AAP candidate may also have to face the music after the party's policy on private tankers left the area high and dry.

The sub-city constructed by Delhi Development Authority has been facing several issues, the most critical of which is the availability of water. In the past month or so, the water supply to the area has reduced further after the police started cracking down on private tankers which till then met over half the demand.

It was decided last week, at a protest organized by the federation, to not cast votes in the LS elections and to not pay property taxes till the water problem was solved. Though the police had initially denied permission to the group for the protest citing security concerns due to the elections, they later permitted the group to protest for half-an-hour on a slip road. On Thursday, the police filed an FIR against some residents under Section 188.

Residents are also embroiled in a court case after they self-allocated flats in some societies. "The allocation had not been done for five years. Fed up with the state of affairs, we carried out self allocation and now the case is in court," said a resident.

The residents, Sinha said, are completely frustrated and will to go through anything. "Residents are in a desperate situation and societies are not getting a drop of water for three to four days. Surprisingly, after our protest, the supply to some societies was increased. Initially we had said that we will not vote but we would like to hear from our candidates," she said.

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Confident Tirath last to kick off poll campaignÂ

NEW DELHI: North West Delhi MP Krishna Tirath, who has once again been fielded by Congress, is yet to start her campaign. While other candidates have already started campaigning aggressively in the constituency to woo voters, Tirath will start her 'two areas in a day' campaigning only from Friday. Till then, she is relying on party workers and supporters to clinch her a third victory.

Tirath is contesting for a third term against AAP's Rakhi Birla and BJP's Udit Raj. Behind her lackadaisical approach is her confidence that her constituents will elect her once again. "They know that their areas will see major development if I come back for a third term. They have no complaints against me and praise the work I have done in the constituency so far,'' she told TOI.

Tirath's campaigning is being carried out mostly by party workers and supporters who are seeking support, door to door. "I have held meetings with area MLAs extensively, and from Friday, we will start a programme to touch every area in the constituency. Like on Friday, in the first half, I will go to Badli and in the latter half of the day to Narela. Then the next day we will go to Kirari and Mundka. This way, we plan to cover two areas every day,'' she said.

On development, she may be attacked by her political rivals but Tirath remains unfazed and insists she has done a lot of work over the past five years. "I have upgraded hospitals and constructed chaupals, hospitals, maternity hospitals and community centres. We spent Rs 400 crore on constructing roads and another Rs 200 crore on roads in areas where they never existed like Nangloi to Najafgarh,'' she said.

The one-time MP counts Metro as one of her biggest achievements. "The Metro has come till Mundka. Now we want to extend the line going from Siraspur village till Narela. It was halted in between because of some issue with farmers' land for which they are being compensated. In Rohini's sectors 1 to 40, we plan to have more schools, dispensaries, hospitals, community centres, parks and religious centres. Pipelines have been laid in Kirari and a reservoir made for increased water supply,'' she said.

Tirath dismisses her rivals within the party as "nothing" and the ant-incumbency concerns for the Congress too. "At least in my constituency, there is no anti-incumbency,'' she said, adding: "The BJP candidate is an outsider. There are cases against him I'm told. As for the AAP candidate, everyone knows she asked for money from the previous candidate to campaign for him. Then there was that incident - she lodged a complaint against a child who threw a ball at her car. Even her father is abusive and egoistic and is known to threaten to everyone. She has no image whatsoever to speak of,'' said Tirath.

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Light rain expected on Friday in Delhi

NEW DELHI The national capital experienced a pleasant Thursday, with light drizzle in the morning. The Met office has forecast a partly cloudy sky Friday with one or two spells of light rain.

A total of 2 mm of rainfall was recorded till 5.30 p.m. Thursday and the day's maximum temperature settled three notches below the season's average at 29.1 degrees Celsius, while the minimum temperature was at 19.6 degrees Celsius, two notches above the season's average.

"Friday morning will be partly cloudy, with mist in the morning. One or two spells of very light rain and thunderstorm could occur in some areas," an official of the India Meteorological Department said.

The maximum and minimum temperatures are likely to hover around 30 and 19 degrees Celsius, respectively.

Wednesday's maximum temperature was 32.2 degrees Celsius, while the minimum was 19.1 degrees Celsius.

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Poacher held with turtles

NEW DELHI: A poacher was arrested from Badarpur bus stand on Thursday with 27 soft-shelled turtles.

The turtles were allegedly captured by poachers in Rajasthan and transported in bags to various places.

"The turtles were to be killed for meat which is consumed under the mythical belief that it has aphrodisiac properties. The carapace and the plastron of these endangered turtles is usually dried and powdered and then sold off to Bangladesh and South East Asian countries for use in traditional Chinese medicine," said the Wildlife SOS statement.

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Court rejects plea for FIR against Geelani

NEW DELHI: A trial court on Thursday rejected a plea seeking lodging of an FIR against hardline separatist Kashmiri leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani and three others for allegedly instilling "hatred" among the people of Kashmir and other parts of India saying the alleged offences were not committed in Delhi and therefore, the matter is out of the court's jurisdiction.

Metropolitan Magistrate Vijeta Singh Rawat dismissed the plea for a police probe against Geelani, Tehreek-E-Hurriyat general secretary Mohd Ashraf Sahrai and Hurriyat Conference members Masarat Alam Bhat and Ghulam Nabi Sumji saying the alleged offences were committed within the state of J&K itself.
The court said the offence did not fall in its jurisdiction and the probe cannot be carried out under Indian Penal Code (IPC) as it is not applicable to Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) where the penal provision is under RPC (Ranbir Penal Code). "The complainants were especially asked to address the court on the applicability of IPC to the allegation made. In reply thereto, the complainants stated that the videos have been viewed in Delhi. (This contention being more applicable to the alleged offences in the virtual world does not have much implication). However, in considered view of this court, there is no doubt on the aspect of non-application of IPC on omission and commission in the state of J&K which has been accorded special status by virtue of Article 370 of the Constitution and has limited the power of Indian Legislature," the court said.
The court further said "the arguments led by counsel for the complainants does not hold any ground that the IPC would extend to the facts and circumstances of the present case". The court order came on the plea filed by two complainants who had claimed Geelani had on several occasions "threatened the safety and security of the government of India and its citizens" by delivering hate speeches.

The two complainants had contended the court has the jurisdiction to order registration of FIR as the alleged statements given by Geelani and three others have been heard in Delhi as well. On the issue of special status and applicability of RPC in J&K, the petitioners had argued these four persons were Indians and therefore, the penal provisions under IPC and other acts were applicable to them.

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Delhi HC allows Rajpal Yadav to travel abroad

NEW DELHI: Bollywood actor Rajpal Yadav, who was earlier sent to jail for misleading the court in a recovery suit filed against him, was today allowed by the Delhi high court to travel to Dubai for shooting of a film in which he has been offered a role.

Justice G S Sistani allowed the 43-year-old actor's plea, saying the money earned through his film can be used to repay the loan of Rs five crore that he took from a businessman who filed a recovery suit against Yadav and his wife.

The court made it clear that by allowing him to go abroad, between March 30 to April 14, 2014, it is "not granting him any concession or condoning his acts" which, it observed, were not good in the past.

"Defendant 2 (Yadav) has filed an application to travel to Dubai for shooting of a movie between March 30, 2014, to April 10, 2014, and undertakes to return latest by April 15.

"The court is of the view that if request of defendant 2 is declined, no benefit will accrue to plaintiff (businessman). But if he is allowed to go under the condition that he will disclose before the court the amount he gets for this and any other roles and will deposit the same, the amounts so received can be used to repay his loan.

"By allowing him to go abroad, this court is not granting any concession or condoning the acts of defendant 2," Justice Sistani said.

Yadav was directed to file an undertaking that he will return on or by April 14, will give terms of travel, nature of the contract and the financial terms.

The producer, who has offered him the role, will also have to file an affidavit stating terms of contract, amount that will be paid to Yadav, etc., the court said.

It also warned that any violation of the conditions shall be viewed strictly and listed the matter for further hearing on May 22.

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Notice on parking for disabled

NEW DELHI: The Delhi high court on Wednesday issued a notice to the city government and civic agencies on a plea seeking direction to provide parking space to the physically challenged near the entrances of public buildings.

Acting Chief Justice B D Ahmed and Justice Sidharth Mridul asked the Delhi government, the civic bodies, traffic police, the police commissioner and DDA to file responses by May 26.

A PIL filed by Vinod Kumar Bansal, a social worker through advocates Anupam Srivastava and Sitab Ali Chaudhary, said parking spaces should be provided to the physically challenged in line with the Master Plan Delhi 2021. The plea sought the court's direction to the Delhi government and civic agencies to install auditory signals at red lights on public roads for physically handicapped.

The plea further sought directions to make pavements wheelchair-friendly. "Footpaths, pavements and public roads are laid only for the purpose for passing through by the pedestrians / vehicles and are also meant for passage only and for no other purpose or business but the shopkeepers are misusing the footpaths, pavements and to some extent roads in Delhi," the PIL said.

It points out that footpaths and pavements are constructed for free and safe passage for and by the pedestrians. However, authorities have ignored their duty to regulate, "maintain and control the free flow of traffic and of the general public at large...."

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NE couple thrashed for defying Munirka curfew

NEW DELHI: A couple was beaten up allegedly by their landlord's son and some goons in Munirka on Tuesday for trying to step out of their rented house at 9.30pm. The landlord, who likes to lock the main gate of the house early, was reportedly angry with the couple from Manipur when they asked for the keys. He allegedly called in youths from the neighbourhood to intimidate the victims.

Mercy, who was carrying her 10-day-old baby, alleged that a woman hit her with a broom and some goons pushed her. Her husband, Thangminlian, a jawan posted in J&K, claimed to have been hit with rods, prompting a fight-back.

Thangminlian was taken to hospital by youths from the northeast. He has injuries on the hands and back. Mercy had come to Delhi for her delivery. Her mother, Heneng, has a small garment business in Munirka. Thangminlian had also taken leave for a month to tend his wife. Mercy was with her baby girl and a four-year-old son on Tuesday, when they decided to visit a relative who also lives in Munirka. "When we asked for the keys, the landlord and a stranger asked us why we didn't go out during the day. It's been less than a month since we moved in, but they have always looked down on us," said Mercy who belongs to Churachandpur, Manipur.

Thangminlian, who was discharged on Wednesday, has been recuperating at a relative's house. "Being in the Army, I interact with soldiers from different communities all the time. I think we are not welcome here," said the enfeebled Thangminlian.

Rosemary, at whose house the couple was recuperating, said discrimination and racist comments were common.

When the youths attacked Thangminlian, his son, Siamboi, ran to his grandmother's house. She tried to shield her son-in-law. The couple is planning to leave Delhi soon. When TOI visited the couple's one-room house in Munirka, there were bloodstains on the wall, floor and bed. "We have arrested seven people, including the landlord and his son," said a senior cop of the south district. He added that a case of assault and sections of the SC/ST Act have been slapped on them.

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Four arrested for shooting in W Delhi market

NEW DELHI: Four men have been arrested for shooting at a food stall owner and injuring another person in west Delhi's Tilak Nagar area.

Police said the accused—Gulshan (30), Sahil (22), Naveen Kumar (30) and Gurmeet (23)—are part of a gang led by Gulshan. Three others called Makhan, Neeraj Sabharwal and Kesho had been arrested immediately after the incident.

Police said, on March 11, two of the accused were performing stunts on their two-wheeler in Vishnu Garden to try and impress a group of girls. The men allegedly also passed lewd comments.

When food stall owner Sachin Walecha protested and asked the men to behave, an argument ensued.

The men left the area but returned later with eight others to threaten Walecha. Sensing trouble, locals began to gather around the spot. Fearing that they might be beaten up by the people, the men opened fire, injuring Walecha and a passerby identified as Akshay.

Though three people were arrested after the incident, Gulshan and his accomplices managed to flee. However, on Sunday, the remaining four involved were nabbed from Dwarka Mor Metro station. "A team led by inspector Sandeep Gupta and comprising sub-inspector Naveen Kumar nabbed Gulshan and three others. Three pistols and ten rounds have also been recovered," said Suman Goel, DCP (southwest).

During interrogation, the accused told police that they had also stabbed a rival gang member at Tis Hazari court earlier this month.

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Govt issues notice to Kejriwal, asks for Rs 85,000 per month rent

NEW DELHI: Delhi government has issued a notice to AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal asking him to pay a rent of Rs 85,000 per month for the flat in which he had been staying in for over a month even after resigning from the chief minister's post.

Kejriwal had sought an extension to stay in the C-II/23 house at Tilak Lane in central Delhi till his daughter's examinations in May.

The notice was issued by the special secretary of Public Works Department on Monday. When asked, an AAP spokesperson said Kejriwal will pay the rent.

As per the notice, Kejriwal has been asked to pay Rs 85, 000 per month as rent from March 1, that is 15 days after he resigned from the chief minister's post on February 14.

Sources said the former chief minister has been asked to respond to the notice within a week.

Earlier this month, PWD had sent a letter to Kejriwal asking him to vacate the house as he had already crossed the 15-day deadline for staying in the official accommodation.

As per norms, a Delhi government minister can stay a maximum of 15 days in his official residence after demitting office without paying market rent.

Kejriwal in return had sought an extension to stay in the house till his daughter's examinations got over in May.

According to sources, the notice was issued to Kejriwal after taking the Lt Governor's approval.

The PWD sent the letter to Kejriwal after the urban development ministry had asked the Delhi government to return the flat which had been allotted to Kejriwal as chief minister.

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Manipuri couple beaten up by landlord in Delhi

NEW DELHI: A Manipuri couple in the mid-20s were beaten up by their landlord in Delhi, police officials said on Wednesday.

They were at their home in south Delhi's Munirka area when they got into an altercation with the landlord late Tuesday over the key to the house's main gate.

Police said the couple was beaten up by the landlord and his family members.

The couple was then taken to a hospital, while the police questioning the landlord.

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Cycling on the way to cancer awareness

NEW DELHI: The cyclothon organized by Indian Cancer Society and Cycling Federation of India had many enthusiastic cyclists taking out their bicycles on a Sunday. The cyclothon for adults was flagged off from the Jawahar Lal Nehru Stadium by environmentalist Sunita Narain.

Gautam Gambhir, who was supposed to flag off the cyclothon with Narain, turned up late and the organizers had to wait for him to flag off the kids' cyclothon. As soon as the cricketer reached the venue, there was a collective roar from the kids who had woken up on a Sunday morning to participate in the event. Gambhir said, "It's a great initiative to use cycling to promote cancer awareness. It's really important to make people aware and the more we tell people about cancer, the better it is."

Sunita said, "We need to promote cycling in our country, and for the same, we need cycling lanes. We will keep fighting for it." Such was the enthusiasm of the kids who had come to participate in the event, that they were quite kicked about waking up early. Anahita, a student of Shri Ram School, Gurgaon said, "Usually, I go to Raahgiri, but today I came here. I enjoy cycling and it's nice to be here on a Sunday morning."

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Delhi University likely to limit applicants to 10 colleges

NEW DELHI: Students seeking admission in Delhi University this year may have to restrict their applications to 10 colleges and six courses. They may also not be permitted to change colleges more than once.

These are some of the proposals the university is likely to implement in a bid to limit the chaos that prevailed during admissions in previous years. DU administration has also said it would not allow colleges to enroll students beyond sanctioned strength.

The changes were proposed by a committee set up last year to improve the admission process. According to a member, the committee has also recommended that students coming in from other streams have a 2% higher cutoff.

Last year, aspirants could take admission in any college provided their scores were higher than the cutoff and also change colleges as subsequent cutoffs were announced.

"The proposed changes will be considered by the university administration soon. Although online and offline centralized application process will continue, the proposal is to limited the number of applications and change in colleges. These will shorten the admission process. In the last two years, there were 10 cutoff lists for general candidates," said a south Delhi college principal, who was in the committee.

There is also a proposal to base the cutoff on the best of three subjects, in what could benefit students with vocational subjects.

So far, cutoffs in DU are based on the aggregate in best-of-four subjects which includes one language. Here too, it has been proposed that the cutoff be based on best-of-three subjects. For students from vocational courses, the proposal is to deduct 10 marks while calculating the best of four/three aggregates.

The changes may bring cheer to aspirants with a gap year or those wishing to shift courses mid-way. One of the proposals wants to do away with an age bar for admissions and says no college should deny entry to aspirants because of gap years.

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Nido Tania 'killers' custody extended

NEW DELHI: A court here on Tuesday extended the judicial custody of four people allegedly involved in Arunachal Pradesh student Nido Tania killing case till April 7.

Additional chief metropolitan magistrate Pritam Singh extended the custody of accused Pawan, Sunder, Sunny, Uppal and Farman for 14 days after they were produced before him. The four were arrested in February and booked under the Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act for making racist remarks against Tania.

Tania died in hospital on January 30, a day after being beaten up by several shopkeepers in south Delhi's Lajpat Nagar area following an argument over his appearance and clothing.

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19-year-old gang-raped in Delhi's Vasant Kunj, three arrested

NEW DELH: A 19-year-old woman was allegedly raped by four men, of which three have been arrested, police officials said on Wednesday.

One of the accused was known to the victim and had called her at an isolated place in south Delhi's Vasant Kunj area on Tuesday evening.

The woman was raped in turns by the accused and his friends, who threatened her of dire consequences if she told anyone about the incident.

The victim called the police and informed them about the assault.

The police said three men were arrested late Tuesday from the same area, while one of them was on the run.

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Hole drilled in hotel to steal jewellery

NEW DELHI: This was a break-in with a difference. The target was a jewellery shop but the shutters remained intact, rather firmly in place. The burglars - a team of three - apparently checked into a hotel room, right above an adjoining shop closed for sometime now, drilled a hole in the floor to lower themselves into that shop and then made a hole in the wall it shared with the jewellery shop, Bharat Art Gallery.

The men had checked into room nos. 117 and 118 of Hotel Hari Piorko in Paharganj on March 17 i.e. Holi. Quite incredibly, over the week, they used gas cutters, drilling machines, rods, lock breakers and gas cylinders to execute their plan to rob Bharat Art Gallery but no one from the hotel got wind of it. No one heard any noise and this elaborate planning went completely unnoticed.

The hotel has told Delhi Police that it was only when the room service staff went to check the vacated rooms in the afternoon, they discovered the hole in the floor that was hidden under the bed. By then, the three men - one in late thirties, another in early twenties and the third around 16 - had left. They had checked out around 4 am, said the police. The cops were called in around 4pm.

It is suspected that the final strike was made on the intervening night of March 23-24. Interestingly, the jewellery shop is closed on Mondays and the burglars must have thought that this would give them some lead time before their handiwork was discovered. It is suspected that the driving licences the men had submitted as proof of identity are fake. They had claimed to be from Panipat.

The worth of jewellery taken away is not clear and cops are making an assessment. The men had first collected the ones spread on racks and panels and also in drawers (around 500g). They then attempted to cut through a safe which had jewellery worth several crores but the drilling machines proved inadequate. The three then retraced their steps, perhaps hauling themselves back into the rooms using a rope and made good their escape.

Forensic teams have picked up evidence and samples from the rooms and a number of people, including the hotel staff, shopkeepers in the area and their employees, are being questioned. CCTV footage of the hotel and the area is also being checked.

A team of officers, led by DCP (central) Alok Kumar, is investigating the case.

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Rare pieces of history now at National Museum

NEW DELHI: For the first time an array of exquisite artefacts, belonging to periods from the Harappan civilization to modern times, will be displayed to the public at the National Museum. A few tiny Harappan figures, a monumental Naga Deva, an eighth-century Uma-Maheshvara, an animal-headed anthropomorph and a marble tomb of a Mughal lady dating back to the 17th century are part of 'The Body in Indian Art'.

Curated by art historian Dr Naman P Ahuja, the exhibition comes after a favourable reception in Brussels during the art festival Europalia, which concluded recently. "About 20-25% of the 300-odd artefacts in the exhibition have not been shown before and another 60% have an element of surprise as they were lying at museums in small towns and were too fragile to be sent to Brussels," said Dr Ahuja, an associate professor at JNU.

The curator, who has spent years exploring storerooms of numerous small regional museums, said he and his team culled out many objects that were not on public display. Some were in the gardens of museums and had thus escaped the trained eye of scholars. A significant discovery is the boar-headed copper anthropomorph (2nd or 1st millennium BC) which was gathering dust at a storeroom. It was dusted off for the show in Brussels and has now been catalogued. "It has been traced to a period between Harappan Civilisation and Mauryan Empire, and takes the story of Indian gods and goddesses farther back in history than what we had imagined. It is valuable for art historians, archaeologists and linguists,'' said Dr Ahuja.

Equally fascinating are some tiny Harrapan figures hidden from the public eye since they were excavated in 1933. They comprise a steatite Seal (2500-1700 BC from Kalibangan, Rajasthan); a terracotta female figurine with animal horns (2500-1700 BC, Mohenjodaro); and two horned masks, almost identical. All these objects were kept in the cells of ASI at Purana Quila. A monumental Naga Deva, a 9th-century sculpture, has been lent by the Bhopal Museum for public view. This statue is carved from a porous stone and flakes like snakeskin.

National Museum director-general Dr Venu V called the exhibition the most extensive collaboration of collectors across the country. The marble tomb of a Mughal lady, kept at ASI's Red Fort Archaeological Museum, is an example of Islamic art. Its lavish, white marble and fine calligraphy makes it fit for a member of the imperial family. A tiny toe-suckling 'Bal Krishna' in bronze was ferreted out from Chennai Museum. The book Akitoosha-i-ukba (provision for the next world) is made of copper pages with silver calligraphy and has the 99 names of Allah inscribed in it.

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Fortune spent, but rot in AI flats

NEW DELHI: The 810 flats at Air India's housing colony have been crying out for renovation. Senior officials have been fighting for several years to improve their living conditions. The crumbling walls and dilapidated look are telltale signs of not just neglect but a possible misuse of funds—the airliner claims to have spent crores on renovating these flats; where all that money went is anybody's guess.

Water seeps from the ceiling owing to tanks on the rooftop; the decades-old distemper has come off most walls; cement awnings have given way to expose the girder frames. Even so, Air India claims to have spent about Rs 3.91 crore on the flats in Vasant Vihar (near Vasant Continental) in 2010-11. While details of the expenditure in the current financial year are not available, senior Air India officials claim renovation of the colony is in full swing. According to them, contractors have been hired. It is another matter that the residents haven't seen any labourers apart from those engaged by them.

The occupants wrote a letter to the chief vigilance commissioner in November last year, requesting him to look into the alleged financial bungling in maintenance of the airline's highest quarters. They have also written to the President, Prime Minister and the civil aviation minister several times, attaching the replies of RTI queries filed by them (TOI has the copies). A Ganeshamurthi, an MP, recently wrote to the minister, seeking his intervention.

In a letter dated February 4, 2014, Ajit Singh, the current civil aviation minister, told Ganeshmurthi: "The matter has been examined by the chief vigilance officer (CVO), Air India Limited. In his report, the CVO has informed that a committee, comprising three senior officers of Air India staying in the colony in Vasant Vihar, had been formed on September 11, 2013 to coordinate security and the overall discipline in the colony." The letter, however, doesn't mention the findings of the report, and only says the tenders for maintenance work have been floated.

In the colony, 646 flats are occupied by officials of the erstwhile Indian Airlines, while 164 are in possession of Air India employees. An RTI query reveals Rs 60,000 had been allocated for each Indian Airlines flat, while Rs 5,000 was set aside for an Air India flat in 2010-11. Residents, however, claim no work has been done on their flats and that they are paying from their own pockets.

Air India, which did not respond to TOI's questions despite several attempts to reach them, also remained silent on several queries made by the applicant of the RTI, which sheds light on the amount spent on 'renovation'. When asked about budget allocation and spending from 2004 to 2010-11, Air India could only provide details from 2007-08, as the previous data was "not available".

"There has been no repair work in the colony for at least seven years. In addition, no RWA was formed for years. Decisions were taken by a few individuals who had appointed two contractors on paper. Contractors had to carry out repairs and renovate the flats by turns. We are officials of a respected company living with our families and this is the condition," said an Air India official. A source, who didn't want to be identified, hints at large-scale misuse of funds.

Air India has a similar housing colony in Mumbai. Sources say work was being conducted there in transparent way, while the goings-on in the Delhi quarters are apparently shrouded in secrecy. "We have an internal website—webmail.airindia.in—which has all the details about the official quarters. While information on Mumbai flats is up to date, the Delhi data is not. There is something amiss, and despite several letters to all the authorities, everyone's turned a blind eye," said the source.

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Doctors write to PM against Okhla plant

NEW DELHI: About 80 doctors from Holy Family Hospital in Okhla and some other hospitals across the city have written open letters to the Prime Minister's Office raising concerns about emissions from the Okhla waste-to-energy plant. In their letters, written on individual letterheads, doctors have said polluting emissions from the plant could lead to allergies, asthma, cancers and reproductive anomalies.

Many of these doctors also live close to the waste-to-energy plant. Central Pollution Control Board checks at the plant site have revealed dioxin emissions to be way higher than the permissible limit. Residents are extremely concerned about fly ash from the plant falling on their homes and vehicles. Delhi Pollution Control Committee issued a show cause notice to the plant in January for not meeting the air quality standard.

"An unusually large number of patients are coming in with respiratory ailments like asthma and bronchitis which can be attributable to the high levels of pollution in Okhla caused by the plant. The Holy Family Hospital has announced plans to launch a medical college. We would like it to function in an unpolluted environment," Fr P A George, director of the hospital, said.

Neonatologist with Fortis La Femme Ashu Sawhney, who lives just behind the plant, said, "Based on my experience as a paediatrician as well as various studies, I can say such pollutants cannot just cause respiratory illnesses but also learning and behavioural problems. My daughter developed asthma last year," she said.

Another paediatrician from AIIMS Shivani Randev said, "Most children from the area are suffering from respiratory illnesses. These pollutants can cause foetal anomalies, infertility, cancer and other health issues. This is a humble request from residents, especially doctors, from the area to please help us and shut down the plant."

The letters will be submitted to the National Green Tribunal by petitioners who have filed a case against the plant. One of the main reasons for anxiety among residents and environmentalists is high dioxin levels around the plant. When CPCB monitored air quality there last October, dioxin level in stack 1 was 1.06ng TEQ/Nm3 (toxicity equivalent) and that in stack 2 was 0.93ng TEQ/Nm3 though safe level is 0.1ng TEQ/Nm3 only.

Not just pollution, environmentalists are also concerned about the social cost of this technology as a large number of ragpickers stand to lose their jobs if waste-to-energy plants are widely adopted for waste management. Though they are common in the West, there is a raging debate even there about the suitability of waste-to-energy plants. In Delhi, the issue is even more relevant because there is no waste segregation at source which is why chances of non-biodegradable waste like plastics ending up in the incinerator is high.

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Amit Modi hosts Italian week celebrations at the Grand Hotel in Delhi

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Residents near Okhla plant will vote to curb pollution

NEW DELHI: It's not power or water that is weighing on their minds. People living close to the Okhla waste to energy plant have decided to vote in the general election to demand clean air. About 120 residents from adjoining areas like Sukhdev Vihar, Sarita Vihar, New Friends Colony and Haji Colony resolved on Sunday not to consider candidates who don't have curbing pollution on their agenda.

Residents say AAP is the only political party to have promised action against the plant during the assembly polls. But, no party or candidate has till now made this a plank for the Lok Sabha elections. "When AAP was voted in Delhi, environment minister Saurabh Bhardwaj had promised to shut down the plant. AAP had included the issue in their manifesto; no other party has commented on this serious environmental issue. We have decided to vote for a party that is committed to taking action," said Ranjit Devraj, a resident.

After the Okhla waste plant issue featured in a popular TV series on contemporary issues produced by actor Amir Khan recently, more residents have joined the campaign. "Our campaign had run out of steam. But the show has spotlighted the issue again. We have decided to support only the party that helps us in closing this plant. We are watching the campaigns very closely," said Seema Alvi, a DU professor.

Residents had a meeting on Sunday to discuss why the government had failed to act despite mounting evidence. They quoted from Central Pollution Control Board reports which mention high levels of dioxin and particulate matter in the area. Many doctors were also present. Dr Nita Misra of Holy Family hospital said, "We are shortly going to hold medical camps to ascertain the health effects."

Rishi Bansal, a law student and resident of New Friends Colony, said flyash from the plant gets scattered all the way up to Maharani Bagh, New Friends Colony, Haji Colony, Sarita Vihar and Sukhdev Vihar. "It has been noticed falling in the Okhla subzi mandi and becoming a serious health hazard," claimed Bansal.

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Dwarka won’t vote, or pay tax

NEW DELHI: The federation of Dwarka's group housing societies announced on Sunday that not only will they not vote in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, but they will also stop paying property taxes. At a dharna organized to protest the massive shortage of water in the area, residents also said they would field their own candidate for the next assembly elections.

Close to 200 residents gathered for the protest. Though their application for the dharna was turned down by police on Saturday, residents were allowed to stand in a service lane. Some banners and chairs were, however, confiscated.

"Whatever little water is meant for us is also being siphoned off. Unauthorized colonies are tapping into our lines. Tanker operators are stealing our water and DDA is also occasionally diverting some of it to the airport. At present, for close to seven lakh residents, DDA is officially supplying just about five million gallons per day. Much of this is groundwater, the quality of which is extremely poor. The private tankers were recently seized," said a resident.

DDA, which built the Dwarka sub-city, supplies water to the area at a higher rate than the rest of the city. However, Dwarka has never had sufficient water and Delhi Jal Board has washed its hands off the matter claiming they never approved of the project for this very reason. DDA, on the other hand, claims DJB was aware of its plans.

Meanwhile, DJB has constructed a 20 MGD water treatment plant in Dwarka which is lying unused for the past few years. The water needed to operate this plant has to come from Haryana but a dispute between them and Delhi and ensured there is no water. "Delhi paid Haryana several hundred crores to construct the Munak canal. With the canal, around 80 MGD of water lost through leakages and evaporation would have been saved. Delhi wants to use this water for three WTPs, including the one at Dwarka. Haryana, however, says it will not give Delhi this additional water. Despite Congress a Congress government in both states till a few months back, the dispute could not be resolved. Meanwhile, the 400m or so of the canal in Delhi's territory is yet to be made since DDA has not transferred land to DJB citing encroachments in the area. The whole project is a mess," said sources.

After several meetings, DDA has promised to increase supply by 1MGD through 13 new borewells, but this will take at least two months.

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Inventors aim for better toilet habits

NEW DELHI: The most common joke at the toilet fair was, "Do you need to go", followed by a gentle nudge in the direction of a toilet. The one-liner was invariably followed by giggles and snickers. But the actual objective of the Reinvent the Toilet Fair, which was held in Delhi on Saturday, is to make all Indians "go".

Fifty three per cent of Indian households defecate in the open (600 million people) and the absence of toilets contributes to increased disease burden, malnutrition and impaired cognitive development in children, according to the World Bank.

The developing world's sanitation problem has received attention and funding from various quarters. One of these campaigns has been by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which funded 16 research institutions since 2011 across the world as part of the Reinvent the Toilet Challenge. Last year, India's department of biotechnology with the Gates Foundation and Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council had also launched the Grand Challenges India to reinvent the toilet under an investment of US $2 million.

For the 40 exhibitors who arrived in Delhi to showcase their idea of a complete solution, the challenge was simple—to design toilets that capture and process human waste without piped water, sewer or electrical connections, and transform waste into useful resources, such as energy and water, all at an affordable price. The cost of the service cannot exceed Rs 3 per user per day. From solar powered toilets to web-connected ones, from automatic toilet-seat sanitization to electronic latrines to modular ones that can be assembled in 40 minutes to those which turn organic waste into charcoal brickets that can again be used to fuel stoves—there is no almost no path that teams have not gone down. The team from University of Colorado, Boulder, has used concentrated solar energy to transform both faecal matter and urine into commercially-viable products such as solid fuel, heat and fertilizer.

Karl G Linden, civil, environmental and architectural engineering professor from UCB and the principal investigator on the team, pointed to a pack of peanuts he had roasted using the charcoal that his toilet had produced. He said, "The most important part are the fiber optic cables we have used to move the solar energy to the reaction pot where everything gets incinerated." .

Apart from the energy use, piped water requirement and waste treatment, odour and cleanliness issues are also reasons why people might not use a toilet and prefer to go out in the open. Eram Scientific Solutions Pvt Ltd has built and installed toilets that have an automated pre-flush, post-flush and a floor-wash system across ten states.

Anvar Sadath, CEO, Era, Scientific, said, "We found that people were put off by the dirty floors and squat potties. So, we put in the floor wash system that is completely unmanned." Eram's public toilet unit also has SIM cards and is web-linked which means it can be monitored remotely in case the toilet malfunctions.

CalTech's innovation from 2012 has attracted the interested of US-based Kohler Company that is now working with them on minimal water use in toilets and waste handling. Doulaye Kone, senior programme officer (water, sanitation and hygiene), Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, said, "There have been hundreds of schemes and community mobilization. We are still stuck with no perfect solution. We are trying to solve one part of the problem. You have to understand that you cannot be using a clean flush-toilet at home and providing a stinky one to the poor"

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AAP-BJP slugfest during tribute to freedom fightersÂ

NEW DELHI: A function to commemorate the death anniversary of freedom fighter Bhagat Singh turned into a political battlefield in Sector 5 of Rohini on Sunday. AAP's Rakhi Birla, who was doing rounds of the area, got an enthusiastic reception at the venue. A number of people, including BJP MLA Kulwant Rana, garlanded for form's sake. But, before Rakhi could address the public, Rana took the stage and held forth on the achievements of BJP since Independence, the role played by ex-PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee, referring to themselves as "true Indians".

After a tribute to Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru on their 83rd death annviverary, Rana's tone became political. "The country is being divided on the basis of caste, creed and religion. This has become a dangerous trend ... even outsiders are trying to invade the country. Only the BJP is truly Indian and can strengthen the very chord of India and keep the nation together," he said. There was some discontent among the audience. As organizers clarified the function was not a political platform for aspiring candidates, all eyes turned towards the AAP leader. A Rajasthani dance performance was halted so that Rakhi, who was in a hurry to attend other meetings, could speak.

"I know this is not a political platform but it has just been turned into one,'' she said. She then paid her respects to the martyrs and promised to honour their memory and the legacy they left behind. "What happened after Independence might have freed us physically but mentally we are still not free. Issues like corruption, inflation and violence still plague our society. When women step out, their families worry about their security. They need to know they will be safe. If we want to progress, we have to change our mindset ... and learn to differentiate between what is genuine and what is not. We have to honour the sacrifice made by our freedom fighters,'' she said.

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Poll yoga at Ramlila with Ramdev, Modi

NEW DELHI: Commending yoga guru Ramdev for raising issues of black money and corruption, Narendra Modi launched a veiled-but-scathing attack on the Congress-led UPA government on Sunday.

"I like the issues raised by him. He talks about the need to bring black money home. I strongly feel that these issues should be addressed immediately. Some people get sleepless nights when he talks about these issues. So they harass him. But he is a strong man," said the BJP's prime ministerial candidate while sharing the dais with Ramdev at the Yoga Mahotsav in the capital.

Ramlila Maidan was packed to capacity with close to 60,000 people attending the event. Though Modi will address a rally in Delhi on March 26, he took time out of his hectic schedule to attend Ramdev's programme, which saw participation of many spiritual leaders. In his speech which lasted only 11 minutes, Modi praised Ramdev for his smart use of technology to bring yoga into the mainstream.

"He has very effectively used technology to reach out to millions. Sitting here, he is teaching yoga to people from 650 cities in India and abroad. Unfortunately, the government never bothered to promote it,'' Modi said.

The BJP leader felicitated the descendants of Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev. The family of Rajbala, who died in police action at Ramlila Maidan during a Ramdev rally in 2011, was honoured.

Meanwhile, central Delhi roads were choked as supporters arrived at the venue in large numbers and parked their vehicles on roads.

Traffic snarls were reported from Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, Minto Road, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg and Netaji Subhash Marg. Heavy traffic was seen on Ring Road, Jawaharlal Nehru Marg and Bhavbhuti Marg as many buses, which carried supporters, were parked there. Commuters said they had to take longer routes as the roads near Ramlila Maidan were shut due to security reasons.

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Dhananjay bail hearing today

NEW DELHI: A trial court will hear on Saturday arguments on the bail plea of BSP MP Dhananjay Singh who, along with his wife Jagriti Singh, has been chargesheeted in connection with the murder of his maid.

Dhananjay, a sitting MP from Jaunpur constituency in Uttar Pradesh, has approached the court after his bail plea was dismissed on February 22 by the court on the ground that, being an influential person, he could intimidate the witnesses who are yet to be examined. Additional sessions judge Lokesh Kumar Sharma, who was scheduled to hear the arguments on the bail plea on Friday, posted it for Saturday as the investigation officer of the case could not appear before the court.

The court earlier asked Delhi Police to apprise it of whether they have provided protection to the key witnesses in the murder case and directed it to file a written submission in this regard.

In his bail petition, Dhananjay had said that since the two key prosecution witnesses in the case had already been provided protection by police, there was no likelihood of him trying to intimidate them. A magisterial court had dismissed the bail plea of Dhananjay on November 20 last year and directed police to provide protection to the principal witnesses till the time their statements were recorded.

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3 held at IGI with gold

NEW DELHI: A new trend in gold smuggling may be emerging at IGI airport. Over the past few weeks, smugglers are using the airport as a transit point to exchange the cache among themselves. The customs department on Thursday caught 4.5 kilos of smuggled gold that was changing hands between two parties at the airport on Thursday.

Two people who boarded a flight from Bangkok to Delhi on their way to Kathmandu were caught handing over gold jewellery to a person scheduled to fly to Hyderabad. The whole consignment of 4.5 kilos was being smuggled through the Delhi airport. "The travelling patterns of these people raised our suspicion. For someone bound from Bangkok to Kathmandu it wouldn't make sense to travel through Delhi," said a senior customs official. TNN

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Amir and Shivani Pasrich attend charity event in Delhi

Smile was the cause: This was a charity event, to raise funds for cleft palate removal in infants and young children. It was hosted at the embassy of Sweden, by the ambassador of Sweden to India, Harald Sandberg, who gave an impassioned speech about the cause before dinner was announced. This event saw a short fashion show by Samant Chauhan as well.

Cocktail chatter: Many guests came typically late, but others caught up with each other over drinks. There was Sunil Sethi, Nafisa Ali, whose mobile kept her busy throughout, Amir and Shivani Pasrich, Manjit Bhullar and others. Gudmundur Eiriksson, ambassador of Iceland to India, was also present.

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Times of India hosts 'Connections' at the Shri Ram Center

Europe meets India: Connections, an international performing festival, presented by the Times of India at the Shri Ram Center, was recently hosted in the capital. The opening day saw some great perfromances by a group of international dancers from the Opera of Paris and the Spanish Dance Company. A total of seven European and four Indian artistes gave a spectacular performance and entertained the audience with their different dance styles.

A new kind of creativity: The festival focussed on the relationship between India and different nations, cultures, artistes, audiences, the past, the present and the future. "The emphasis of the festival was on a 'new kind of creativity', through innovative and fruitful exchanges around a common language - art," said Rukmini Chatterjee, an Indo-French choreographer, and the organizer of the festival.

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Maid murder: Delhi court grants two months' interim bail to BSP MP

NEW DELHI: BSP MP Dhananjay Singh, who along with his wife Jagriti Singh have been charged in connection with murder of their maid, was granted interim bail for two months by a Delhi court.

Additional Sessions Judge Lokesh Kumar Sharma granted interim bail to Dhananjay, a sitting MP from Uttar Pradesh's Jaunpur constituency, on a personal bond of Rs one lakh and two sureties of the like amount.

However, despite getting interim bail, Dhananjay, who was arrested on November 5 last year, will have to remain in Tihar jail under judicial custody as he has not been granted bail in a separate rape case in which he is facing trial.

During the arguments, Delhi Police opposed the bail plea of Dhananjay saying there was no new ground or change in circumstances for releasing him on bail.

The police, however, told the court that the two prime witnesses in the case have been provided security in pursuance to the order passed by a magisterial court last year.

Senior advocate Hariharan and advocate SPM Tripathi, who appeared for Dhananjay, argued that since the two key prosecution witnesses in the case had already been provided protection by police, there was no likelihood of him trying to intimidate them.

The defence counsel also argued that there was no possibility that the MP would tamper with the evidence or influence the witnesses in the case.

They also said that Dhananjay has to look after his ailing father and as charge sheet has already been filed, no useful purpose would be served by keeping his client in custody.

Earlier, the court had directed police to apprise it about whether they have provided protection to the key witnesses in the case.

Dhananjay had approached the court after his bail plea was dismissed on February 22 by the court on the grounds that, being an influential person, he could intimidate the witnesses who are yet to be examined.

The magisterial court, while dismissing the bail plea of Dhananjay on November 20 last year, had directed police to provide protection to the principal witnesses till the time their statements were recorded.

Dhananjay was chargesheeted for various offences under IPC, including for alleged destruction of evidence and abetment of the offences of murder and attempt to murder.

Jagriti has been chargesheeted for offences under sections 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder), 344 (wrongfully confining for 10 or more days), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 201 (destruction of evidence) of the IPC.

The couple were arrested on November 5 last year in connection with the death of their 35-year-old maid Rakhi Bhadra, a resident of West Bengal.

Dhananjay and Jagriti, a dental surgeon at a government hospital here, are lodged in jail in judicial custody.

The police, in its charge sheet, had alleged that Jagriti used to "mercilessly beat" her three domestic helps and had "compelled" them to work by holding them captive.

Rakhi's body, with injury marks on her legs, chest and arms, was recovered from Dhananjay's South Avenue residence on the evening of November 4, 2013.

Earlier, police had chargesheeted Dhananjay in a separate case for allegedly repeatedly raping a 42-year-old railway employee for nearly four years.

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Water supply to be affected in various areas on Monday

NEW DELHI: Due to major repair works to be carried out in the raw water pump house in Bawana, water supply will be available at low pressure on next Monday evening in CT Dwarka and its command areas, Uttam Nagar, Matiala Village and adjoining areas, Vishwas Park and adjoining areas, Vikaspuri Society areas, Dabri Mod, Pankha Road.

Water supply will also remain affected in Vikaspuri, Vikas Nagar, Nangloi Village, Mundka Village, Nangloi Extension, Mohan Garden BPS and its command areas, Baprola booster pumping station and its adjoining areas, Najafgarh and adjoining areas and Najafgarh.

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Mahabal, Ramesh make it to Congress list

NEW DELHI: Congress has finally settled for its sitting MPs in West and South Delhi, too. On Tuesday, the high command had decided to go with the current MPs in the five other seats in the capital, fuelling rumours of Mahabal Mishra and Ramesh Kumar getting replaced by fresh faces. However, it seems Congress finally preferred to play it safe to avoid dissidence while facing an anti-incumbency wave and fighting the Modi and AAP factors.

Caught in a triangular contest and still reeling under the impact of the December debacle, the central election committee had discussed several options, including fresh faces like Youth leader Rohit Chaudhary and cricketer Virender Sehwag from South Delhi. In West Delhi, actor Manoj Bajpai was considered. However, feedback from certain quarters has put Congress in a weak spot in South Delhi and predicted West Delhi as one of the toughest challenges.

Sources said finding an alternative to Mishra, who has a hold on the Poorvanchali vote bank, was not easy, though his son Vinay had lost the assembly polls from the belt.

In South Delhi, Ramesh Kumar, the sitting MP, is the brother of Sajjan Kumar and a strong Jat leader in the Outer Delhi belt. While Sajjan has been pushed to the fringes of mainstream politics due to his alleged involvement in the 1984 riots, the party had fielded Ramesh in 2009 as no one could match Sajjan's stature. Jagparvesh, Sajjan's son, however, had lost the December polls, suggesting the Congress might be losing its grip on the vote banks.

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Middle class holds key to New Delhi seat

NEW DELHI: The candidates are all rooted in solid middle-class values, and so is much of the 14.2-lakh electorate in New Delhi parliamentary constituency. It's going to be a triangular contest this time, with two-time MP and Congress' in-charge of communications, Ajay Maken, up against BJP spokesperson Meenakshi Lekhi and Aam Aadmi Party's Ashish Khetan, who is an investigative journalist.

Going by the December election results, AAP looks strong as it won seven of the ten assembly seats here, however its middle-class support has eroded somewhat since then. BJP got the remaining three seats while Congress drew a blank. A surprise polling surge among the youth and the middle- and upper-middle classes caused the upset—every Congress MLA, including former CM Sheila Dikshit, was booted out—and is expected to define the parliamentary poll outcome as well.

At its core, the constituency has a large population of government employees residing in colonies at Lodhi Road, Gole Market, Andrews Ganj, RK Puram, Moti Bagh and Sarojini Nagar. There are aspirational neighbourhoods like Jor Bagh, Golf Links and Chanakyapuri, and other upscale colonies like Greater Kailash I&II, Defence Colony, Safdarjung Enclave and Vasant Vihar.

For long, the constituency was a BJP stronghold, represented by former PM Atal Behari Vajpayee (1977-1984), and party stalwarts L K Advani (1989-1992) and Jagmohan (1996 to 2004). Congress broke in during 1984-89 (K C pant) and 1992-96 (Rajesh Khanna), and has held the seat twice since 2004.

BJP is hoping the 'Modi wave' will sweep the seat its way again. The party's campaign will target AAP for failing to fulfill poll promises, and Congress on corruption, inflation and policy paralysis at the Centre. About the 'AAP factor', Lekhi said, "AAP ran its campaign in the Delhi assembly election saying, 'Kejriwal for CM, Modi for PM'. Now it is time to vote for Modi as PM".

Shaken by the December debacle, Congress will focus its campaign on Maken's clean image. The two-time MP plans to highlight all the development work and policy changes effected during his tenure as minister for sports, urban development, and housing and poverty alleviation. "AAP's 49-day government in Delhi has disillusioned the middle class and Modi is no major threat. BJP fought Delhi polls on the 'Modi wave' yet failed to get a majority," he said.

AAP is promising voters "systemic change". Debutant contestant Ashish Khetan said his party's 49 days in office showed people a different way of governance. "The real challenge for us is to counter the big money being pumped into propaganda by BJP and Congress. We are banking on door-to-door campaigns and road shows."

In areas like Karol Bagh, Rajinder Nagar, Patel Nagar, Malviya Nagar, Kalkaji and Lajpat Nagar that have a large number of people displaced by the Partition, inflation and corruption are the main poll issues. While the constituency is largely cosmopolitan, caste and class are likely to sway voters in the urban villages of Shahpur Jat, Chirag Dilli, Naraina, Munirka, Kotla Mubarakpur, Zamrudpur, Garhi and Pilanji Gaon. Congress is hoping to reap political dividend from giving Jats minority status. However, in the December polls, even the villages broke out of the caste stereotype.

The constituency also has several slums with the potential to swing the outcome in a contest where traditional politics is being put to the test by an electorate seeking change.

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Cop held for molesting student in Delhi

NEW DELHI: A Delhi Police head constable has been arrested on charges of molesting a DU student in Lodhi Colony, south Delhi, on Monday.

The cop, Narendra Kumar, was posted in the security wing. He has been suspended and a departmental inquiry has been initiated against him. "An FIR of molestation was registered and he was sent to judicial custody," an officer said.

On Monday, Narendra was returning to his Lodhi Colony house after drinking with friends. He saw the 23-year-old and passed lewd comments at her, police said. When she objected, he allegedly molested her. The woman immediately raised an alarm and later informed the police.

In another case, the joint director of the defence ministry has been arrested for molesting a minor girl, his neighbour, in Rohini on the same day. An FIR was registered against him.

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​Maid murder: Delhi court to hear arguments on BSP MP Dhananjay Singh's bail tomorrow

NEW DELHI: A Delhi court will tomorrow hear the arguments on the bail plea of BSP MP Dhananjay Singh, who along with his wife Jagriti Singh, has been charged in connection with the murder of his maid.

Additional sessions Judge Lokesh Kumar Sharma, who was scheduled to hear the arguments on the bail plea today, posted it for tomorrow as the investigation officer of the case could not appear before the court.

The court had earlier asked the Delhi Police to apprise it whether they have provided protection to the key witnesses in the murder case and had directed it to file a written submission in this regard.

Dhananjay, a sitting MP from Jaunpur constituency in Uttar Pradesh, had approached the court after his bail plea was dismissed on February 22 by the court on the ground that, being an influential person, he could intimidate the witnesses who are yet to be examined.

In his bail petition, Dhananjay had said that since the two key prosecution witnesses in the case had already been provided protection by police, there was no likelihood of him trying to intimidate them.

A magisterial court had dismissed the bail plea of Dhananjay on November 20 last year and directed police to provide protection to the principal witnesses till the time their statements were recorded.

Dhananjay was charged for various offences under IPC, including for alleged destruction of evidence and abetment of the offences of murder and attempt to murder.

Jagriti has been charged for offences under Sections 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder), 344 (wrongfully confining for 10 or more days), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 201 (destruction of evidence) of the IPC.

The couple were arrested on November 5 of last year in connection with the death of their 35-year-old maid Rakhi Bhadra, a resident of West Bengal. Dhananjay and Jagriti, a dental surgeon at a government hospital here, are lodged in jail in judicial custody.

The police, in its chargesheet, had alleged that Jagriti used to "mercilessly beat" her three domestic helps and "compelled" them to work by holding them captive.

Rakhi's body, with injury marks on her legs, chest and arms, was recovered from Dhananjay's South Avenue residence on the evening of November 4, 2013.

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Vice President Hamid Ansari released Ravindra Rajhans 'Sunrise In Slums' in Delhi

A book, inspired by Slumdog Millionaire, has found its way to the vice president's residence. Sunrise In Slums, written by Ravindra Rajhans, was released by Vice President Hamid Ansari in the capital recently. An anthology of poems on the lives of underprivileged children, it's been inspired by the Oscar-winning movie.

The ambassadors of France, the Czech Republic and Thailand were among those present, besides Rajhans' son Jyoti Kalash, the commissioner of Nagaland. Rajhans (the pen name of Dr Ravindra Nath Shrivastava), a retired professor of English and a satirist, has also been awarded the Padma Shri for his contribution to Hindi literature in the year 2009.

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Congress set to renominate Mahabal Mishra, Ramesh Kumar in Delhi

NEW DELHI: Congress is likely to re-nominate West Delhi and South Delhi MPs Mahabal Mishra and Ramesh Kumar, indicating the party's failure to effect any change of candidates in the capital despite the leadership's bid to present a few fresh faces.

Congress's options were squeezed after it gave tickets to the other five sitting MPs -- Kapil Sibal, Sandeep Dikshit, J P Agarwal, Ajay Maken and Krishna Tirath. Both Mishra and Kumar are influential MPs, the latter due to the clout of his brother Sajjan Kumar.

The likely decision to re-nominate all seven MPs became almost inevitable after Sibal, Dikshit and Tirath got tickets while Maken and Agarwal won their party primaries.

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American rapper Sky Blu aka LMFAO performs

American rapper Sky Blu, better known as one half of the musical duo LMFAO, made the capital sway to his tunes recently. At a club in the city, the singer performed some of his most popular tracks and left his audience craving for more. Later in the night, the rapper took his shirt off and got guests to dance along with him, too.

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Vice-President Hamid Ansari released Ravindra Rajhans's 'Sunrise In Slums' in Delhi

A book, inspired by Slumdog Millionaire, has found its way to the vice president's residence. Sunrise In Slums, written by Ravindra Rajhans, was released by Vice President Hamid Ansari in the capital recently. An anthology of poems on the lives of underprivileged children, it's been inspired by the Oscar-winning movie.

The ambassadors of France, the Czech Republic and Thailand were among those present, besides Rajhans' son Jyoti Kalash, the commissioner of Nagaland. Rajhans (the pen name of Dr Ravindra Nath Shrivastava), a retired professor of English and a satirist, has also been awarded the Padma Shri for his contribution to Hindi literature in the year 2009.

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Manipuri woman found dead in Delhi

NEW DELHI: A 20-year-old Manipuri woman was found dead under mysterious circumstances in her rented accommodation here Thursday, police said.

Aben Sofia was found dead by her room partner around 11.30 a.m. when she tried to wake her up.

Sofia, who came to Delhi a week ago, had rented a room at Munirka in south Delhi.

"We received a call from the room partner of the deceased that her roommate was found dead on her bed," Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police PS Kushwaha said.

"It seems to be a case of either suicide or food poisoning," he said.

No suicide note was found on the spot.

The body has been sent for post-mortem examination and the room partner is being questioned, he added.

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Ex-fiancé kills woman cop

NEW DELHI: A Delhi Police woman constable posted with the traffic wing was strangled to death with a piece of cloth by her ex-fiance, a former non-commissioned officer of the Navy, at a southwest Delhi guesthouse on Sunday night.

Police said the family of Priyanka Kumari (22) had learned about 25-year-old Mohit Kumar's alcohol problem and called off their marriage which drove him to commit the crime. "Mohit was arrested in Dadri on Tuesday afternoon," DCP (Southwest) Suman Goel said. A case of murder has been registered. Police may add to the FIR clauses pertaining to sexual assault if the post mortem report confirms rape.

The murder came to light on Monday morning when the room service employee informed the manager that guests of room number 5 were not responding to calls. He had peeped in through the hatch above the door and seen a body on the bed. Mayank, the manager of the guesthouse, said, "Mohit had checked in around 8pm on Saturday with Priyanka. They claimed to be a newlywed couple from Haryana."

Mohit left the guesthouse around 11.30 on Sunday night and even asked for directions to a sweet shop in the area from hotel employees. He was arrested from a relative's house.

Speaking to TOI, Priyanka's family members said she had been working for Delhi Traffic Police since 2010 and was posted in Dwarka courts. "The marriage had been fixed three months ago through a family friend. Mohit's family claimed he was a naval officer and posted in Goa drawing a handsome salary. When we found out he had been dismissed and was an alcoholic to boot, we decided to call off the marriage," Priyanka's brother, Praveen, said.

Family members claimed that Mohit reached their house in Sagarpur when Priyanka was alone and coerced her to accompany him threatening to shoot her kin if she did not.

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Sting operation row: Delhi court records statement of AAP member

NEW DELHI: A court here on Wednesday recorded the statement of an AAP member in a criminal defamation complaint against the CEO of a news portal for allegedly releasing a "doctored" video showing some party candidates accepting funds through illegal means before last year's assembly polls in Delhi.

Metropolitan magistrate Akash Jain recorded the statement of complainant-witness Pankaj, an Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) member, who told the court that the CD was shown on the TV channels to defame the party and its candidates prior to the assembly polls.

The court recorded his statement and posted the matter for July 23 for remaining pre-summoning evidence.

The plea was filed by AAP and Dinesh Mohania who had successfully contested the Delhi assembly polls from Sangam Vihar constituency on AAP's ticket.

AAP and Mohania had alleged the accused had defamed them and the video of the sting operation against the party members was forged and tampered with due to which charges under sections 464 (making a false document) and 469 (forgery for purpose of harming reputation) of the IPC were also made out.

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Two bludgeon friend to death after spat over bed

NEW DELHI: A drinks party on Holi turned nasty when a youth was bludgeoned with the handle of a spade by two of his friends following an argument over sleeping arrangements. The victim, Bharat Chaudhry, had objected to one of the assailants sleeping on his bed, police said.

The duo has been arrested. The incident was reported from Mundka in west Delhi. "Bharat is from Bihar. The arrested men are Raju Tiwari from Assam and Daleep Tripathi from Hardoi in Uttar Pradesh. Tripathi was earlier arrested in a rape case in Hardoi and is out on bail," DCP (Southwest) Suman Goyal said.

On March 17, police received a call around 7pm about a murder near a shop on Rohtak Road. "A team led by Prem Chandra, SHO Mundka, rushed to the spot and found the deceased with multiple injuries to his head. A bloody trail led the team to a property agent's office. There was a pool of blood on the floor and splashes of blood on the walls. It appeared that there had been a scuffle. A case was registered and investigations begun," Goyal said.

Teams were dispatched to railway stations and bus stands to trace the absconding culprits and raids conducted at various places. The two were at last found on a building material supplier's premises in Haryana. Upon interrogation, they confessed their crime.

They said they had consumed liquor on the first floor of the office after which Raju slept on a bed on the ground floor while the others went outside for a stroll. Around 5pm, Bharat arrived and found Raju sleeping on the bed. When he asked him to get up and leave, a heated argument took place which had fatal consequences.

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Ex-fiance kills woman cop

NEW DELHI: A Delhi Police woman constable posted with the traffic wing was strangled to death with a piece of cloth by her ex-fiance, a former non-commissioned officer of the Navy, at a southwest Delhi guesthouse on Sunday night.

Police said the family of Priyanka Kumari (22) had learnt about 25-year-old Mohit Kumar's alcohol problem and called off their marriage which drove him to commit the crime. "Mohit was arrested in Dadri on Tuesday afternoon," DCP (Southwest) Suman Goel said. A case of murder has been registered. Police may add to the FIR clauses pertaining to sexual assault if the post mortem report confirms rape.

The murder came to light on Monday morning when the room service employee informed the manager that guests of room number 5 were not responding to calls. He had peeped in through the hatch above the door and seen a body on the bed. Mayank, the manager of the guesthouse, said, "Mohit had checked in around 8pm on Saturday with Priyanka. They claimed to be a newlywed couple from Haryana."

Mohit left the guesthouse around 11.30 on Sunday night and even asked for directions to a sweet shop in the area from hotel employees. He was arrested from a relative's house.

Speaking to TOI, Priyanka's family members said she had been working for Delhi Traffic Police since 2010 and was posted in Dwarka courts. "The marriage had been fixed three months ago through a family friend. Mohit's family claimed he was a naval officer and posted in Goa drawing a handsome salary. When we found out he had been dismissed and was an alcoholic to boot, we decided to call off the marriage," Priyanka's brother, Praveen, said.

Family members claimed that Mohit reached their house in Sagarpur when Priyanka was alone and coerced her to accompany him threatening to shoot her kin if she did not.

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Nurse’s suicide leads to protest at AIIMS

NEW DELHI: Over 700 AIIMS nurses staged a protest in the institute on Tuesday demanding action against the deputy nursing superintendent and chief nursing officer over the recent death of a nurse, Molly Siddichan, who allegedly committed suicide at home by hanging.

The nurse was allegedly depressed over her transfer to another department and had left behind a suicide note. According to the AIIMS nurses' union, Molly, who worked in the Intensive Care Unit of the Neuro Tower centre for eight years, was transferred to the ward where she was being harassed mentally by the administration. "She was frequently put on night duty and her child care leave was not sanctioned," said Anil Kumar, joint secretary of AIIMS nurses union.

The union gave 48 hours to the AIIMS administration to take action against the two officers. "We demand that the deputy nursing superintendent and the chief nursing officer be suspended," said Kumar. As per sources, the AIIMS director met some of the members of the union and is likely to set up a committee to probe the matter. Molly lived with her family in Ashram.

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AIIMS nurse suicide: Staff stage protest, demand action against officials

NEW DELHI: Over 700 AIIMS nurses on Tuesday staged a protest in the institute demanding action against the deputy nursing superintendent and chief nursing officer over the recent death of a nurse Molly Siddichan, who allegedly committed suicide at her home by hanging herself.

The nurse was apparently depressed over her transfer to another department and had left a suicide note.

According to the AIIMS nurses' union, Molly who worked in the Intensive Care Unit of the Neuro Tower centre for eight years, was transferred to the ward where she was being harassed mentally by the administration.

"Her duty was transferred to the ward in the Neuro Tower centre where she was being mentally harassed by the administration. She was frequently put on night duty and even her child care leave was not sanctioned," said Anil Kumar, joint secretary of the AIIMS nurses union.

The union gave 48 hours to the AIIMS administration to take action against the two officers.

"We demand that the deputy nursing superintendent and the chief nursing officer should be suspended," said Kumar.

As per sources, AIIMS director met some of the members from the Union and is likely to set up a committee to probe the matter.

Molly lived with her family in Ashram area. According to AIIMS sources, she was brought to the hospital's emergency between 9.30am and 10am on Sunday where she was declared dead on arrival.

She had gone to the church in the morning with her husband and two children.

"However she left early saying she was not feeling well. When her husband along with the two children returned home at around 9.30am, they found her hanging from the ceiling fan," said a doctor.

Police recovered a suicide note from the spot. "The suicide note states she was very upset with her transfer. Prima facie, it appears that she was depressed over her transfer to another department following which she took such an extreme step," said a senior police official said.

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23% of Indian B-schoolers land up in US: Survey

NEW DELHI: As many as 38% of Chinese graduates prefer to work in the US, while 23% of Indian B-schoolers land up in that country, a survey by the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) has found. The survey revealed that a quarter of B-school alumni across the world don't work within their own country.

While almost all B-school graduates from the US (97%) are likely to work in their own country, a majority of the Chinese are likely to work overseas (52%). Canada leads the table for annual median salary at entry level with US$ 75,000, but it is the US which pays the highest mid, senior and executive level salaries. The pay package for B-school alumni in India was among the lowest in the 18 countries listed in the survey.

"These are robust survey results in a debut effort from direct collaboration with 132 business schools in 29 countries. A fascinating highlight of this year's alumni survey is the wide reach of salary data. Seeing earnings data by job level for graduates of business school who work in India is helpful information to consider in one's career planning and expectations," said Michelle Sparkman Renz, director, research communications, GMAC.

As for B-school education, 77% of the alumni said it was financially rewarding. Old students also ensured that they keep in touch with the alma mater, be it for mentoring scholars or for recruitment.

Nearly 34% of recent alumni have kept contact with the faculty, while 28% attended alumni events. Around 43% of old students visited their alumni site, and an even higher 45% followed their Bschool on social media.

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Rs 10 crore gold from Afghanistan seized at IGI airport

NEW DELHI: In one of the biggest hauls of smuggled gold in the recent past, the customs department on Sunday seized Rs 10 crore worth of yellow metal at the IGI Airport from a passenger coming from Afghanistan.

This is the first time that Afghanistan, notorious for narcotics smuggling, has figured so prominently on the gold smuggling radar.

The development is notable as it comes in the backdrop of exponential rise in import of gold in India's neighbouring countries, in particular Pakistan, in the recent past.

Pakistan had to come up with import control measures a few months ago after gold import in the country rose by 400% last year over 2012 without any visible rise in demand in the domestic consumer market. Indian financial intelligence agencies have also detected similar rise in gold imports in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and China and believe part of it is headed to India through illegal routes.

According to Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), in the past one month alone 150 kg of gold has been seized on the Indo-Bangla border. Smuggling of gold has reached new heights in the past one year after government hiked duty on gold to 10% from 1% a couple of years ago to reign in a burgeoning current account deficit.

In the past one year, India has seen seizures of close to 3000 kg of smuggled gold every month. Actual smuggling, says sources, is far higher. In the present case, custom authorities at IGI airport in Delhi intercepted 10 passengers coming from Herath in Afghanistan.

The passengers, which included one man and nine women, were intercepted during routine surveillance while they attempted to cross the Green Channel. On their personal search, 38.43 kg of gold (including necklace, kada, chain and bullion which the passengers were either wearing or hiding in their clothes) were recovered from their person. The total value of the seized gold is estimated to be Rs 10,60,19,646.

The smuggled items were seized under Section 110 of the Customs Act, 1962 and the passengers were arrested under Section 104 of the act, said sources.

A senior DRI official said, "The Afghanistan has rarely seen any gold smuggling in a long time. There have been a few instances but they all involved very small amounts and did not indicate any racket behind it as in this case. In that way, this is the emergence of a new route and given that Afghanistan does not produce gold, it must have been brought from some other country."

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