Jawaharlal Nehru University professor suspended for harassment

NEW DELHI: K R Nayar, one of the senior-most professors in Jawaharlal Nehru University's Centre of Social Medicine and Community Health, has been suspended with immediate effect on charges of sexually harassing a female student.

JNU vice-chancellor Sudhir Kumar Sopory confirmed the suspension, saying the order "has been issued". He said further action will be decided upon by the varsity's executive council and that the suspension "will stay till further orders".

TOI tried to contact Prof Nayar at his home for his reaction to the suspension. A family member took the call and said the professor had "no comments".

The order, issued on Friday, comes five months after the student filed a complaint with the university's Gender Sensitization Committee Against Sexual Harassment on November 1, 2012. The harassment, those involved with investigations said, started in March 2012. But the student refrained from complaining because she felt nobody would believe her as Nayar is a professor of repute. It was only because of unflinching family support that she finally took on her tormentor.

However, no one is celebrating yet, said her fellow students. Students TOI spoke to on Saturday, mostly those in the forefront of the battle against the teacher, said the suspension order was more like a half-victory, as he is yet to be dismissed from the campus. "Besides," one of them said, "just a suspension cannot heal the emotional pain." A general apprehension among the students is also that it is not just about punishing Nayar and ending his career in JNU, it is about doing something to stop his "activities" that may continue beyond JNU.

The case had seen sustained campaigning in JNU for the past few months. "We are happy that Nayar has been immediately suspended. We all feel victorious in some sense as we see this as our own case too. I feel that after the Nirbhaya incident, things have changed," said Smriti Minocha. She said she was moved by the widespread support from fellow male students, too, and that for the first time, the faculty (in this case from Nayar's department) openly expressed solidarity with the cause of gender justice on the campus.

After the V-C's suspension order on Friday, students put up posters across the campus demanding prompt implementation of recommendations made by the GSCASH, which has already submitted its inquiry report to the administration for further action. Ashutosh Deep, a PhD student in Nayar's centre, said, "I felt bad initially because the professor was confident he would get away. He also tried to show that the girl in question was mentally unstable, which we know is far from the truth." Deep recalled a four-year-old case in which a JNU professor was suspended on similar charges. "He was suspended for a year, but was reinstated within six months," he said, acknowledging that the speedy action in the current case is unprecedented.

(Names of the students have been changed to protect their identity)

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I am never fatigued, I don't intend to run away: Dikshit

NEW DELHI: "I am ready for another fight," Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit said today as she prepares to lead Congress for an unprecedented fourth term when assembly elections are held in November this year.

The 75-year-old Congress leader, who has had a rather difficult time in recent months in the wake of the December 16 gang-rape in the city and other law and order issues, said she has no intention of running away from leading the party.

"We are confident that when we go in for the elections in November-December, I think we will go with confidence. We are not shaky, not scared," she told PTI.

Dikshit, who led Congress to three straight wins in Delhi beginning 1998 and has been at the helm of affairs for nearly 15 years, said she will fight the assembly polls on the basis of her record and highlighting achievements in making Delhi a better city.

"There is something you can feel about a government and that feeling comes from what is it that you are doing to reach out to those who are the most needed. In that also our record has been good. So something which can be seen and felt itself motivates voters," she said.

When asked whether she will lead the party in the elections, she replied, "I don't intend to run away".

"I am never fatigued because there is always something new to do here. Delhi is a very exciting city.... There is always something exciting to do in Delhi," the CM said, adding she was enjoying her current job.

Asked about opposition BJP, Dikshit said the party has not been able to pose a challenge like it did earlier.

She is also dismissive about Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party, which made a foray into politics last September on anti-corruption plank, saying it has no clarity about what exactly it wants.

On the projection by a section of media of she being a probable prime ministerial candidate, Dikshit said she was working for the November elections in Delhi and she can't really say about the future.

"You know when I came to Delhi, not even in the craziest dreams I had thought that I would contest elections here," she said.

On the challenge that could be posed by main opposition BJP, Dikshit said it would be difficult to say what will happen in future as the whole tide may change.

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JNU professor suspended over allegations of sexual harassment

NEW DELHI: A professor of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) has been suspended on charges of sexually harassing a student.

K R Nayar, a senior faculty member of Centre of Social Medicine and Community Health (CSMCH), has been suspended following allegations of sexual harassment made against him, JNU Public Relations Officer Poonam Kudaisya said today.

The order of suspension was issued on Friday and will remain in effect till further orders, she said.

The decision on any further action against Nayar will be taken by the executive council of the varsity, official sources said.

Nayar has been on the faculty of CSMCH since 1985. He has been teaching courses on research methodology, social sciences in public health and environmental health.

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Shiv Sena ex-leader attacked in Delhi over parking

NEW DELHI: A former Shiv Sena leader has complained that he was attacked by four people, including a woman, here following an argument over parking, said police on Sunday.

Dhruva Pathak, 46, a resident of Vishnu Garden in west Delhi, was thrashed by autorickshaw driver Mohan and three others around 10.45 p.m. Saturday in west Delhi's Rajouri Garden area, police said, quoting from the victim's complaint.

Mohan lived close to Pathak's office in Rajouri Garden and objected to the latter parking his vehicle on road in an inappropriate manner, police said.

Pathak, who claims to have worked with the Shiv Sena for 22 years, told IANS that he was attacked by Mohan, his wife, his son Rinku and one of his associates.

He claimed Mohan allegedly started using abusive language when he saw his car parked on road.

"When I told him not to use abusive language, he along with the others attacked me. The accused also damaged my car," said Pathak.

The victim was treated for head, leg and hand injuries at a hospital, said a police officer.

"We are verifying the facts that led to the incident. No one has been arrested," said the officer.

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Man arrested for raping daughter in Delhi

NEW DELHI: A 42-year-old man was arrested for raping his 14-year-old daughter with his friend, police said Sunday.

The girl, resident of north Delhi's Kanjhawala, approached police Friday and lodged a complaint against two men, including her father.

"In her complaint, the girl said that her father and his friend raped her several times. She also claimed that she was threatened," said a police officer.

Her father was arrested after a medical examination of the girl.

"We have launched a search to nab the other man," said the officer.

The girl lived with her mother, who had lodged a complaint of domestic violence against her husband and was living separately for over four months.

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Nirbhaya accused claims Tihar inmates broke his hand

NEW DELHI: Vinay Sharma, one of the accused in the Nirbhaya gangrape and murder case, appeared before the court on Friday with a fractured arm and claimed that Tihar inmates beat him up badly on Thursday night in a bid to stop him from appearing for an Indian Air Force (IAF) written test.

The accused pleaded before additional sessions judge Yogesh Khanna that he should not be sent back to Tihar. "Mujhe yahi marwa do par Tihar jail mat bhejo, waha boht darr lagta hai. Mey yahi se kud jauga par Tihar nahi jauga (You can get me killed here but don't send me to Tihar, I feel scared there. I will jump from here but will not go to Tihar)," he pleaded with the judge through his counsel A P Singh.

However, Tihar authorities denied the allegation, claiming that Vinay had fallen down and hurt himself. "He was sent to DDU hospital at 7pm on Thursday and returned at 10pm. He told the doctors there that he had fallen down. CCTV footage also reveals Vinay was not beaten up," Tihar law officer and spokesperson Sunil Gupta said. The superintendent of jail number 7, where he is lodged, has submitted a report to the Tihar DG on this issue.

Even the court, while referring to a report of G B Pant Hospital, where Vinay had gone for follow-up treatment on Friday, observed that his elbow was fractured "due to a fall".

With his right arm broken, Vinay is almost sure to miss the test for a clerical post in the IAF on Sunday.

Taking note of Vinay's condition, the court directed that further "security and safety of all the four accused (in the case) should be ensured by the jail officials". It also sought reply from the jail number 7 superintendent and directed him to personally appear before it on Saturday along with Vinay's entire medical reports.

The court sought reply from the jail authorities on a plea of Vinay and co-accused Akshay Thakur as to why they should not be shifted from Tihar to Rohini jail. Seeking the transfer of prisons, their advocate also wanted the court's direction to register an FIR against "the real culprit".

Vinay's allegations come a day after Akshay had alleged in the court that he was receiving life threats in the jail from a police constable, who was continuously abusing him. Tihar officials rubbished these allegations also.

Vinay charges led to other Nirbhaya case accused to make similar claims. Advocate M L Sharma's client Mukesh, another co-accused, alleged that six policemen had beaten up Akshay and Vinay. "I was also beaten up," Mukesh said. Advocate Sharma claimed that Mukesh was suffering from chest pain because was "poisoned".

One of the co-accused told the court that Vinay was unwell since Thursday. He was taken to the jail dispensary. When he returned after seeing a doctor at 11 pm on Thursday, inmates noticed that his arm was broken.

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Nirbhaya accused claims Tihar inmates broke his hand

NEW DELHI: Vinay Sharma, one of the accused in the Nirbhaya gangrape and murder case, appeared before the court on Friday with a fractured arm and claimed that Tihar inmates beat him up badly on Thursday night in a bid to stop him from appearing for an Indian Air Force (IAF) written test.

The accused pleaded before additional sessions judge Yogesh Khanna that he should not be sent back to Tihar. "Mujhe yahi marwa do par Tihar jail mat bhejo, waha boht darr lagta hai. Mey yahi se kud jauga par Tihar nahi jauga (You can get me killed here but don't send me to Tihar, I feel scared there. I will jump from here but will not go to Tihar)," he pleaded with the judge through his counsel A P Singh.

However, Tihar authorities denied the allegation, claiming that Vinay had fallen down and hurt himself. "He was sent to DDU hospital at 7pm on Thursday and returned at 10pm. He told the doctors there that he had fallen down. CCTV footage also reveals Vinay was not beaten up," Tihar law officer and spokesperson Sunil Gupta said. The superintendent of jail number 7, where he is lodged, has submitted a report to the Tihar DG on this issue.

Even the court, while referring to a report of G B Pant Hospital, where Vinay had gone for follow-up treatment on Friday, observed that his elbow was fractured "due to a fall".

With his right arm broken, Vinay is almost sure to miss the test for a clerical post in the IAF on Sunday.

Taking note of Vinay's condition, the court directed that further "security and safety of all the four accused (in the case) should be ensured by the jail officials". It also sought reply from the jail number 7 superintendent and directed him to personally appear before it on Saturday along with Vinay's entire medical reports.

The court sought reply from the jail authorities on a plea of Vinay and co-accused Akshay Thakur as to why they should not be shifted from Tihar to Rohini jail. Seeking the transfer of prisons, their advocate also wanted the court's direction to register an FIR against "the real culprit".

Vinay's allegations come a day after Akshay had alleged in the court that he was receiving life threats in the jail from a police constable, who was continuously abusing him. Tihar officials rubbished these allegations also.

Vinay charges led to other Nirbhaya case accused to make similar claims. Advocate M L Sharma's client Mukesh, another co-accused, alleged that six policemen had beaten up Akshay and Vinay. "I was also beaten up," Mukesh said. Advocate Sharma claimed that Mukesh was suffering from chest pain because was "poisoned".

One of the co-accused told the court that Vinay was unwell since Thursday. He was taken to the jail dispensary. When he returned after seeing a doctor at 11 pm on Thursday, inmates noticed that his arm was broken.

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Let us use, stop misuse: Netas

NEW DELHI: The city's political top order is all for retaining the beacon privilege, but in a nod to the Supreme Court's directive, it wants a crackdown on unauthorized use.

Delhi's minister for power, Harun Yusuf, said red beacons are a necessity for ministers on the move. "Our day is packed with public functions and meetings. Beacons and hooters help us move without difficulty through the traffic." But he also said the traffic police must prevent misuse of beacons as, "during the parliament attack, a car with red beacon was used by terrorists."

Revenue minister Arvinder Singh said beacons make it easy for politicians to move during emergencies. "When a building collapsed in my constituency in east Delhi, I had to rush to the spot. Normally, it would have taken me two hours but because of the red beacon and hooter I was able to reach the site in 45 minutes." However, he expressed reservations about extending the privilege. "As the transport minister, I had opposed a demand for red beacons by MLAs in the assembly."

Congress and BJP leaders seem to be on the same page on the issue. BJP state president Vijay Goel said, "I used the red beacon as per entitlement as a union minister in the NDA government. But I gave up its use once I was out of the office. It is critical to review guidelines for allocation of red and blue beacons to prevent misuse".

Mira Aggarwal, mayor of North corporation, said, "The Constitution allows mayors to use red beacons. In the recent circular, the Delhi government forgot to mention this. I have written to the government in this regard''.

However, former BJP state president Harshvardhan, said, "I feel emergencies that require such traffic clearance are extremely rare and the entitled class must realize this".

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Beacon club grows on vague law

NEW DELHI: In the past year, at least 25 officials of organizations ranging from the human rights commission to the Central Administrative Tribunal have been granted approval for using red beacons in Delhi. Even officials of obscure departments like Board for Reconstruction of Public Sector Enterprises and a river water tribunal have got permission as the government ranks them on a par with high court judges.

Sources in the traffic police say the red beacon club is growing due to lack of clarity in the law on entitlement. "The rules say that certain ranks or their equivalent are allowed beacons. The phrasing of the rule is such that several officials are able to claim they are 'equivalent' to those who have the authorization. Thus the law creates ambiguity and officials can take advantage of it," said a source.

As a result, when traffic police started prosecuting unauthorized red beacon use following TOI's campaign on the issue, they were immediately flooded with letters from various government departments asking for exemption on some pretext or the other. At least 25 of them were found to have a valid claim to using red beacons. While the two election commissioners were at the rank of the chief election commissioner, who is allowed a red beacon, members of the National Human Rights Commission were all ranked at the level of Supreme Court judges, said traffic sources.

The Lokayukta, vice-chairman and members of the Central Administrative Tribunal, and even the president of the Customs Excise & Service Tax Appellate Tribunal were all ranked at the level of high court judges, and hence entitled to red beacons. Even the chief whip of the ruling party of the Delhi Vidhan Sabha, who was ranked equivalent to the speaker, was given a red beacon complete with a flasher.

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Cyber stalker gets booked

NOIDA: A case was filed against a man on Thursday by a software engineer's father accusing him of cyber stalking his daughter for over a year. An FIR was filed for criminal intimidation as well as under various sections of the IT Act against the woman's former friend who had allegedly been making obscene phone calls and sending threatening emails.

According to the complaint, the cyber stalking started in July 2012 when the victim received the first email from the man. She was then bombarded with threatening, lewd and harassing mails. She also received constant threats besides suffering the indignity of having her images posted on social networking websites. These were also distributed to family and friends, including her fiance, police said.

"A case under Sections 294, 506 of the IPC and Sections 65, 66A, 66C, 66E, 67A and 74 of the IT Act has been lodged. Our cyber wing is conducting a detailed probe into the case and appropriate action will soon be taken," said Preetender Singh, SSP.

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