TOP STORIES

Flip-flop on pre-paid auto booths
Sheila hits out at back-seat driving by L-G
New Delhi, February 13
The ‘pro-activism’ of Lieutenant Governor Vijai Kapoor has ruffled the feathers of the Council of Ministers yet again. Joining issue with Raj Niwas for, first, raising objections to the upward revision of autorickshaw fares and, second, ordering the closure of pre-paid booths only to re-open them later, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit says its “intervention” was unwarranted.

CRIME SPIRAL
Delhi-bound bus looted at gunpoint
Noida, February 13
A Delhi-bound UP Roadways bus of Etawa depot, coming from Secunderabad, was looted at gunpoint at Chhapraula village by three desperadoes. Before snatching conductor Hari Kumar Sharma’s moneybag, the criminals assaulted him and a few other passengers. There were a little over 12 passengers in the late evening bus.

• Dreaded gangster gunned down near Shipra sun city

Sainiks at it again
Valentine’s Day ritual
New Delhi, February 13
Shiv Sainiks today attacked an Archies gallery in East Delhi and destroyed Valentine’s Day cards and other items stocked in the shop. The group later claimed that Valentine’s Day was an “attack on Indian cultural heritage as it propagated obscenity”.

Jama Masjid denies entry to disabled, NHRC moved
New Delhi, February 13
Disturbed at being prohibited from entering the holy minar at the Jama Masjid, Manoj Kumar, a disabled person, has approached the National Human Rights Commission. Kumar was refused entry into the holy minar at the Jama Masjid because of his physical handicap. This was done despite the assurance given to the management committee of his ability to climb the steps.

Additional BSNL phone connection for just Rs 50 Faridabad, February 13 Dismissed as not so `customer-friendly’, the government-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has announced a slew of schemes and services in the district.

THE ACHIEVERS
This do-gooder helps sex workers return to the mainstream
New Delhi, February 13
For 38-year-old Anand Sharma, a resident of Central Delhi, rescuing women trapped in prostitution has become a faithful pursuit. Aware that most of them are victims of adverse circumstances, he scours the red light areas in his sincere efforts geared towards identifying victims.

COMMUNITY

DURA rally against delay in fellowship revision
New Delhi, February 13
The Delhi University Researchers Union (DURA) staged a demonstration outside the UGC office here today. The scholars were protesting against the delay in the implementation of the enhanced fellowship amounts and the denial of the fifth year fellowship.

SPECIAL FOCUS ON ROHTAK
MDU Merit Promotion Scheme: Confounding academic confusion
Rohtak, February 13
The more one tries to understand the academic system, the more confused one becomes. If we take the case of the Merit Promotion Scheme (MPS) at Maharshi Dayanand University, one finds that there are 20 Readers presently trapped in the pay scale of Rs 3,000-5,000.

• 56 truant employees
• Anesthesiologists meet

Merchant’s car recovered
Jhajjar, February 13
The car of a cloth merchant, Naresh Agrawal, that was looted by five robbers at pistol-point near the railway bridge in Ismail village on the night of February 9 was recovered from the main bazaar here today. The car was abandoned by the robbers in a narrow street adjacent to the market.

NCR BRIEFS
SC to decide soon on extending mining ban 
Faridabad, February 13
A decision regarding continuing the ban on mining within five kms radius of the Delhi border in the NCR or its withdrawal, is likely to be taken soon by the Supreme Court.

• One killed, 8 injured in accident
• Students robbed
• Complaint against INLD leader
• Man badly burnt

DELHI DIGEST
Two shot dead
New Delhi, February 13
Two persons were allegedly shot dead in the Capital in two different incidents since last night. In the first incident, one person Jaivir Singh Pawar (40), resident of Shah Pur Jat who runs a security agency, was shot dead at his house last night by some unknown assailants.

• Robber nabbed
• Blind students’ rally