New Delhi, January 12
With the arrest of three autolifters, the East district police claimed to have worked out seven cases of vehicle theft and recovered three Maruti cars and one motorcycle from their possession.

The accused have been identified as Ashok Kumar, Jamshed and Akbar, all residents of Ghaziabad.

Acting on a tip-off that the suspects would be riding on a stolen motorcycle and would come to Kalyanpuri, the police laid a trap and nabbed them.

During interrogation, the accused disclosed that they were involved in seven cases of vehicle thefts in North and North-West districts.

In another case, the South district police claimed to have arrested two autolifters for their involvement in a case of armed robbery in Lajpat Nagar on December 24.

They were identified as Israel (28), resident of Dadri and Mohammad Hanif (24), resident of Faridabad.

Based on a secret information that the gang had set up a base at Tilpat in Faridabad, a special team reached the area and caught the gangsters.

New Delhi, January 12
A gangster of Haryana was shot at by the Special Cell of the Delhi Police in an encounter in Paschim Vihar. He was involved in at least 12 cases of murder, attempt to murder, extortion and attack on police personnel.

The accused identified as Ram Dhari, alias Balli, carried a reward of Rs 50,000 by the Haryana police. He has been admitted to the DDU Hospital in a serious condition.

The sleuths received a tip-off that Balli would be coming to meet his associate in Paschim Vihar, and accordingly, the sleuths intercepted him at around 6.10 pm this evening.

The accused started firing at the police personnel and when the police fired in self-defence, he sustained serious injuries.

Ghaziabad, January 12
The Ghaziabad police shot dead two dreaded criminals in encounters in two different places. The criminal shot in Sahibabad has been identified as Farroukh, son of Aas Mohd. of Sohana village under Niwadi police station.

He was wanted in some 18 cases of attempt to murder, loot and dacoity, said the Superintendent of Police, Mr Jai Narain Singh.

On receipt of information of looting near Harsh Vihar, the Deputy Superintendent of Police, Mr Dinesh Yadav, reached the spot with a police force. The criminals trying to escape on a motor bike slipped and had to take cover in the Panch Sheel colony. When the police challenged them, they fired at the police. In retaliatory fire, one of the criminals was killed.

In the second encounter, the Hapur police killed Anil, alias Tillu, who was on his way to his village Wazheelpur to eliminate one of his enemies.

Anil was shot dead while his companion was able to flee. The police seized a revolver from the encounter site. Anil was wanted in six murder cases and a number of loot and dacoity cases, the police said.

New Delhi, January 12
With the arrest of three persons, the Economic Offences Wing of the Delhi Police claimed to have busted a gang involved in duping hundreds of students by promising them admissions in professionals courses like MBBS, MDS, BDS, MS, etc.

During the course of racketeering, the accused had collected huge sums of money amounting to several lakhs from the aspiring students.

The accused have been identified as Sanjay Kumar Sinha, alias Sanjay (39), resident of Malviya Nagar, Rajesh Kumar Sinha, alias Prakash Singh, alias Abhishek (33), resident of Mumbai and Sunil Kumar Mehto, alias Manoj (39), resident of Noida.

The sleuths received complaints from several people that a gang operating in Delhi had cheated them out of several lakhs of rupees on the pretext of getting them seats for professional courses via VIP quota.

The accused published advertisements in the leading national dailies published from New Delhi, Mumbai, Lucknow and Chandigarh. As per the advertisements, one could get seats after paying a captivation fee ranging from Rs 15-20 lakh.

To win the trust of the readers, the accused also took them to some Union minister’s residence and introduced them to one of their associates, who happened to be in the minister’s residence. He would pose as PA to the minister.

The sleuths said that the victims were mostly from Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh. They were of good families and had paid a hefty sum for the seats.

The accused had been running the racket since 1998 and used to often change names to protect their identities. They had offices in Delhi, Jaipur and Mumbai. After collecting the money, they would go underground for some time. Once the issue dies down, they would surface again and operate in different names and addresses.

Some of the institutes they used to run were Monarch Education Career, Sahara Career, Delhi, Patil Education Career, Mumbai and Jai Consultancies, Jaipur.

New Delhi, January 12
The Mayor of Delhi, Mr A. R. Verma, paid tributes to Swami Vivekanand on the occasion of his 141st birth anniversary. The corporation organised a simple function to celebrate the anniversary of the great philosopher.

The Mayor remarked that Swamiji enunciated the principal of ‘daridra narain’. He did not believe in the religion, which could not wipe the tears of widows and give a piece of bread to orphans.

He symbolises the spirit of the youth and his birthday is rightly observed as Youth Day throughout the country, Mr Verma added.

The corporation organised a medical check-up camp on this occasion at Vivekanand Puri Polyclinic under the chairmanship of area Councillor Mr Satbir Sharma.

New Delhi, January 12
It is either 100 per cent attendance or no examinations at the end of the second semester for those students of Delhi University’s law faculty who failed to net the mandatory 66 per cent attendance in the first semester.

The students who play truant regularly will require more than a toothache to keep them from the class! They will have to brush up their arithmetic to calculate the number of days they will have to put in to make the aggregate cross 66.

The announcement allowing the students to make up for the deficient attendance is, however, limited to those with 34 per cent and above in the first semester. As for those who had less than 33 per cent attendance, their names have already been dropped from the rolls.

In December 2004, more than 25 per cent of the first year students in the Delhi University’s Law Centre I and II and the Campus Law Centre were barred from taking their semester examinations.

The authorities have now asked the students with 34 per cent and above attendance to sign an undertaking that if they fail to have 100 per cent attendance in the second semester, they will not be allowed to take the exams and seek promotion.

“Those who have 34 per cent and above are being allowed a chance to make up for the attendance, if someone has 34 per cent in the first semester, he will need to have 100 per cent in the second to get an aggregate of 66 per cent, mandatory to take the exams,” said an official.

It was pointed out that those who had less than 33 per cent will find their names struck off from the admission list. “There were close to 50 students in LC I who have been dropped. In CLC, out of the 55 students whose names have been struck off, 33 had less than 10 per cent attendance and seven had zero attendance,” he said.

Those students who had between 50 and 65 per cent attendance were allowed to sit for the remaining examinations.

The rule necessitating students to have at least 66 per cent attendance to be able to take the semester exams was framed last year and has become functional from the current academic session.

New Delhi, January 12
The BJP would hold a ‘protest week’ from January 15 to 22 against the treatment meted out to the Shankaracharya of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham, Jayendra Saraswati.

The president of Delhi BJP, Dr Harsh Vardhan, said that the arrest of the junior Shankaracharya, Vijayendra Saraswati, on the day the Shankaracharya was released on bail, was an attack on Indian culture, religion and prestige of Hindus.

Meerut, January 12
A prisoner from Punjab, Sarjit Singh, currently lodged in the District Jail, Meerut, has appealed to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to get a probe done into his illegal confinement. He alleged that he was being tortured because of his refusal to pay Rs 10,000 to the jail authorities.

Dozens of office-bearers of a Sikh organisation rushed to the district jail in the evening on Tuesday and requested the jail authorities to allow them to meet Sarjit Singh.

On being refused the permission to meet him, some of them turned violent. They also tried to meet the Commissioner, Meerut Division, and the District Magistrate in this regard to seek their intervention. In his letter to the NHRC, Sarjit Singh stated that he had been facing trial in two cases of theft in the Judicial Magistrate (Sadar) court No 16 since June 2001.

Sarjit Singh narrated in his letter to the NHRC that he was not being released by the jail authorities even after the completion of his sentence.

Moreover, he alleged torture at the hands of the jail authorities for his failure to pay money demanded by the authorities. However, the Senior Superintendent of the District Jail, Mr B. P. Tripati, told mediapersons that even though the allegations of Sarjit are false, he would personally look into his file.

New Delhi, January 12
In a special address at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) here today, the President, Dr A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, urged for the need to think uniquely and contribute to the nation’s progress through innovation.

The President began his address by pointing out that he had been told that everyone in JNU thinks differently and it is this ability to think uniquely that leads to vision, which in turn leads to progress.

The President also called for what he claims is the ‘law of development’, to ensure the transformation of India as a developed nation. In his address, he drew attention to the challenges “in our planet earth of six billion people”.

“We have also seen that the economic prosperity of few nations alone has not brought lasting peace to the world. No single nation will be able to handle the situation by itself. Humanity will require mega missions for harnessing solar energy, drinking water from seawater through desalination process and bringing minerals from other planets and also to bring space manufactured products. In such a situation, the present reasons for conflict between nation to nation will become insignificant and unwarranted. India can play a major role in developing a new model of enlightened citizen centric society, which will provide prosperity, peace and happiness to all the nations in the world,” he said.

Referring to religion and spirituality, he said, “a message I have received is that most Indians, experienced and old, energetic and middle-aged, young and innocent, they all look to religion for solace and safety. I have also visited great many religious places and houses of worship throughout the length and breadth of this great country and I have met many of our religious leaders. Religions are like exquisite gardens, places full of surpassing beauty and tranquility, like sacred groves filled with beautiful birds and their melodious songs. I truly think that religions are beautiful gardens.”

New Delhi, January 12
It’s a dream come true for Abdul Rehman of Moradabad. Accompanied by his son and daughter to the Indira Gandhi International Airport, he is on the verge of fulfilling his life-long dream of taking the flight to Mecca for the Haj.

Abdul Rehman’s son and daughter have accompanied him from Moradabad to see him off at the Indira Gandhi International Airport. Bidding his children farewell, he says with satisfaction, “I am very happy because my lifelong dream of going for Haj will be fulfilled soon.”

Like Abdul Rehman there are thousands of devote Muslims of all ages, alighting at the special Haj Terminal at the Indira Gandhi International Airport to make the most important journey of their life.

Even the long-hours of waiting at the airport does nothing to dampen the festive atmosphere prevalent in the shamiyanas, put up by the Haj Committee to accommodate the Hajis coming from far and near. The Hajis have been given identity cards and bracelets by the Haj Committee for their safety. These cards and bracelets contain the name and place of birth and the nationality of the Hajis for safety purpose.

The Organising Secretary of the Delhi State Haj Committee, Mohd. Ather Ludhianvi, told The NCR Tribune that as many as 82,000 pilgrims are expected to make the trip to Saudi Arabia to perform Haj.

As many as 3,500 Hajis will be from the Delhi state itself, Mr Ludhianvi added.

However, he clarified that the Delhi State Haj Committee has to deal with pilgrims from other cities like Meerut, Muzaffarnagar, Saharanpur, Raipur and other North Indian states, as they arrive in the national Capital to board the flight to Mecca. In effect, it has increased the number of Hajis going from Delhi to as many as 12,000, he added.

The Haj Committees at the state level have organised training and orientation camps for the pilgrims to give them information about the rituals and arrangements made by them, both in India and Saudi Arabia.

After arriving in Jeddah, the Hajis are taken to Mecca by buses, where they perform the Haj. The special Haj flights to Jeddah, started in December, will continue till January 15, informed an official at the Haj Terminal, Indira Gandhi International Airport.

The External Affairs Ministry’s Haj Cell has issued special guidelines about the various rules and regulations of Saudi Arabia to all the Haj Committees so that such information inturn could be passed on to the Hajis to make their journey comfortable and hassle free.

However, a large number of devotees have made arrangement on their own to make the journey to the Holy land.

Sixty-five-year-old Reshmi and her 45-year-old daughter Zubeida, from Rajasthan, are among such persons who have decided to make their own arrangements for the Haj. After all, she is among the few lucky ones. Reshmi’s son lives in Jeddah and has made arrangements for visa and tickets for them. A Haji has to spend 40 days for completing the Haj. Inspite of all hardships, the elderly Hajis are least bothered. If they make it back, they are blessed. And even if they do not, it would be a blessing for them to die in God’s land.

New Delhi, January 12
The Municipal Corporation of Delhi has intensified its special drive against unauthorised dairy owners who have failed to deposit 50 per cent of the amount for the plots booked for the new dairy colony being developed at Ghogha in Narela.

Dairy owners are required to deposit a sum of Rs 1,250 per square meter towards advance payment with respect to dairy plots being booked for the new dairy colony, an MCD spokesman said.

The MCD has finalised and developed the dairy colony at Ghogha following the court direction as generally these dairies in the urban areas have caused traffic hazards.

The MCD had allotted plots of different size. When the Municipal Commissioner announced the coming up of new dairy colony, it was opposed by a number of standing committee members, saying that Delhi was a state not a city. One dairy colony is not enough for all the dairy owners because of distance.

New Delhi, January 12
Allopathy can be combined with Ayurveda, naturopathy, yoga, meditation and many other sub-branches of homeopathy provided the doctors from the recognised systems of medicine work in cohesion, said Dr K K Aggarwal, President, Heart Care Foundation of India, Dr Rachna Singh, Senior Homeopath, Escorts Heart Institute, Dr Raju, Senior Ayurvedic Physician, Maharishi Khosla Hospital and Mr N S Adhikari, Senior Naturopath, in a public discussion organised by DD Bharti here today.

The panellists said that every system of medicine is incomplete by itself. They need to be complemented.

Allopathy has an advantage for its accurate diagnosis, diagnostic tolls, emergency medicine and surgical procedures.

On the other hand, Ayurveda has an advantage for pulse diagnosis, understanding body type and prevention of various diseases. Both naturopathy and Ayurveda deal with maintaining health and prevention of diseases. Many branches of homeopathy like nosode, sarcode and mother tincture therapy can be tried with other systems of medicine.

On the other hand, pure homeopathy deals with many disorders related to skin, asthma and allergy.

Talking about Ayurveda, Dr Aggarwal said it involves understanding the soul and consciousness.

New Delhi, January 12
The Supreme Court today termed as “lawful” the construction of Rs 200-crore Akshardham temple complex on the banks of river Yamuna in Delhi and dismissed a PIL, challenging the allotment of land to the society which is constructing it.

The court said all the Land Use Plans have been adhered to and clearance of expert bodies like Central Water Commission and National Environment Engineering Research Institute has been obtained for the purpose of construction.

The Akshardham temple, a replica of the famous Akshardham temple in Gujarat, is scheduled for opening in March this year

New Delhi, January 12
Temperature dropped slightly, but sunshine made it a pleasant winter day for the Capital today. The weather office registered a one-degree drop in temperature. ‘’It was 5.8 C, one degree below normal,’’ a Met official said. —TNS

New Delhi, January 12
To help students enhance their performance, FIITJEE has announced two programmes, Ascent and Pinnacle. Ascent is for those students eager to prepare for a career in engineering. With special inputs to help students compete and do well in competitive exams, the programme also ensures increase in IQ levels, claims FIITJEE. --TNS