L A T E S T      N E W S

Delhi gang-rape case: Accused Ram Singh
commits suicide in Tihar

NEW DELHI: In a sensational twist in the gruesome Delhi gang rape-cum-murder case, one of the accused Ram Singh allegedly committed suicide in a high-security cell in Tihar Jail early on Monday morning, raising questions over monitoring of undertrials.

Significantly 33-year-old Ram Singh, who has a slight deformity in his right hand after an accident, hanged himself from the grill of his cell in jail No.3 using his clothes, jail officials said.

The news of his death immediately triggered demands from his lawyers and family for a CBI probe. They alleged that he was murdered inside the jail and refused to believe that he could have committed suicide.

Forensic experts have visited the jail premises to collect samples. Singh was under depression for the past couple of days and on Sunday evening, he even did not have food, jail sources said, a claim contested by his lawyers.

Since it was a death under suspicious circumstances, Delhi government ordered an inquiry by a metropolitan magistrate.

"Singh was not alone in the cell when he committed suicide. Other inmates were present and a guard was also posted. But nobody came to know about it. Around 5am, he was found hanging," a senior jail official said.

Prone to violent behaviour and mood swings, he had suicidal tendencies and was under "suicide watch," he said.

Singh, who was to be produced before court for its daily hearing, was rushed to the jail hospital where he was declared brought dead. His body will be taken to Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital for post mortem.

"There is already an inquiry which has been ordered by Tihar Jail on suicide of the main accused. We are enquiring into the matter," R P N Singh, minister of state for home affairs, said.

The girl was raped in the bus by him and his five associates, including a minor, in south Delhi after brutally beating her and also her male friend. The girl died in a Singapore hospital on December 29.

Singh, who was arrested a day after the incident, was the driver of the bus in which the girl was raped. His brother Mukesh was driving the bus when the girl was sexually assaulted allegedly by them.

All the adult accused, charged with murder and gangrape, face punishment up to death. The other four accused came to the Saket court where lawyers are on strike.

M L Sharma, a lawyer claiming to appear for Singh, had moved the Supreme Court seeking transfer of the case out of Delhi on grounds that the trial would be vitiated in the capital. The court rejected it.

Singh's lawyer V K Anand said after the death that again they would move the Supreme Court for shifting the trial from Delhi as they feel that the accused are not safe here.

In a related development, the court hearing the case was informed about Singh's death. Additional sessions judge Yogesh Khanna ordered that an inquiry be held into it.

Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit met Union home minister Sushilkumar Shinde in the wake of the alleged suicide by a December 16 gang rape case accused.

"A magisterial inquiry has already been ordered. Till the report comes, it will be difficult to comment on the issue. Let the autopsy report come, things will be clear," Dikshit said.

Singh's family alleged that he was murdered and demanded a CBI probe into the incident. "He has not committed suicide. He has been murdered and then hanged. I am saying this on the basis of the fact that evidences has been erased. He could not move his hand as it have fractures.

"I am also demanding that the post mortem be held infront me," he said.

Reacting to the incident, the girl's family said they were "surprised but not saddened" by the suicide and are waiting for the four others to be sent to the gallows.

"We are surprised at the suicide but we are not sad. He would have been hanged even otherwise. We wanted him to be hanged publicly. He might have hanged because of shame. Now we are waiting for the four others to be sent to gallows," he said.

Lawyers appearing for Singh and four others said "there is some foul play" behind the death.

"There is some foulplay. He cannot commit suicide. He is not such a person that he can commit suicide. He was very happy with the way the trial was going on," advocate V K Anand, who represents Singh and his brother Mukesh, alleged.

Lawyer A P Singh, appearing for Vinay Sharma and Akshay Singh, said that Ram Singh was "killed by jail authorities" and that Tihar is no longer safe for undertrials.

M L Sharma, who appeared for Singh initially, also alleged that Singh was killed by police.

Mamata Sharma, National Women's Commission chairperson, raised questions about the functioning of Tihar Jail, saying it was "shocking" that the administration could not protect the undertrial and demanded an inquiry.

Former Tihar director general Kiran Bedi said only an inquiry will tell under what special watch was he and what happened to that watch. "How did this man give this watch a slip? I think we need to wait for the inquiry," she said. — PTI

Four Aussie players sacked for breach of discipline

MOHALI: In an unprecedented move, Australia on Monday axed vice-captain Shane Watson and three other key players from the side for the third Test against India for failing to obey team management orders, giving a shocking twist to their already disastrous tour.

Watson, pacers James Pattinson and Mitchell Johnson and batsman Usman Khawaja were dropped for failing to make a presentation on how to improve their personal as well as the team’s performance after the innings and 135 runs defeat in the second Test in Hyderabad.

“That’s a line-in-the-sand moment. We have given these guys absolute clarity,” Australia coach Mickey Arthur said while making the announcement at a press conference here.

The stunning turn of events leaves Australia, trailing 0-2 in the series, with just 13 players to choose from for the third Test starting here on Thursday.

“After Hyderabad the whole team was really hurting, we were discussing ways of getting back into the series,” Arthur said.

“We were particularly aware of where we were as a team and how we were going to get back. I asked the players at the end of the game to give me an individual presentation.

“I wanted three points from each of them technically, mentally and team as to how we were going to get back over the next couple of games, how we were going to get ourselves back into the series,” he added.

Arthur said the dropped players failed to meet the deadline set for making the presentation and it was important to maintain team discipline by punishing them.

“Unfortunately four players didn’t comply with that. We pride ourselves on attitude. We have given the players a huge amount of latitude to get culture and attitude right,” Arthur said.

“We believe that those behaviours with what we want to do with this team, how we want to take this team to be the best in the world, teams that are the best in the world have best attitudes and best behaviour patterns and a good, hard, ruthless culture.

“I believe those four players unfortunately did not meet my requirements so those four are not available for selection for this Test match,” he added.

Arthur said to become world-beaters, the Aussies will have to fall in line when it comes to discipline.

“We have given this team a huge amount of time to buy in with what we want to do for the Australian cricket team. We have given a vision to these guys that is spelt out.

“We’ve given an expectation that is spelt out and although this incident might seem very small in isolation this is a line-in-the-sand moment for us as a unit in our quest to become the best in the world,” he said.

Arthur said even skipper Michael Clarke feels that it was time to crack the whip in what has been a thoroughly disappointing series for the team from Down Under.

“I think the best thing that these three days off have given me is reflection time, to reflect on how well have I been going in my job, like I expect everyone else to do when you’re 2-0 down in the series.

“Myself and Pup (Clarke) came to the conclusion that we have been so focused on winning cricket games that maybe some people have been cutting corners. Perhaps there have been some soft options taken. We decided that we needed to really get that in line,” he said.

This is perhaps the first time in the history of the game that players have been dropped for not making a presentation and comes as a massive blow to the team, which is likely to be without wicket—keeper Matthew Wade due to injury.

Brad Haddin is being flown in as cover for Wade, who sprained his right ankle on Saturday while playing basketball.

Pattinson, who has been their in-form bowler, would be missed badly as the track in Mohali is expected to assist the seamers.

Khawaja was expected to replace Phil Hughes in the team but that has now been ruled out, providing the out-of-form number three batsman another opportunity to prove his worth.

The fourth player to be dropped, Mitchell Johnson, has not played a single match yet.

Available players: Michael Clarke (capt), David Warner, Ed Cowan, Phillip Hughes, Moises Henriques, Glenn Maxwell, Steven Smith, Peter Siddle, Mitchell Starc, Xavier Doherty, Nathan Lyon, Brad Haddin (wk). — PTI

Action will be taken if Vijender is found guilty: Jitendra

NEW DELHI: Union Sports Minister Jitendra Singh on Monday said that appropriate action will be taken against Olympic bronze-medallist Vijender Singh only if the boxer is found guilty in the drug scandal that has rocked Indian boxing.

“At this point of time the investigation is going on by the Punjab Police. When the conclusion comes and somebody is implicated or charge sheeted, we will definitely take action,” said Mr. Singh.

“The guilty will be punished but that is the matter of Punjab Police. Investigation is being done by the Punjab Police,” he added.

Super heavyweight pugilist Ram Singh have already been expelled from the National Institute of Sports after admitting to consuming contraband.

Ram, a former national championships medallist, has admitted to experimenting with drugs along with Vijender, who has denied the allegations.

Their names cropped up after the unearthing of heroin worth Rs 130 crore from Fatehgarh Sahib at an NRI’s flat. An SUV registered in the name of Vijender’s wife was found outside the flat during the police raid.

Vijender, a former world number one, gave India its first Olympic medal in boxing when he clinched a bronze in the 2008 Games. Besides, he is an Asian Games gold-medallist and a multiple-time Commonwealth Games medallist.

Considered the poster boy of Indian boxing, Vijender has stated that he is not involved in the scandal and does not know the alleged drug peddler caught by the police.

Earlier, Ram claimed that the Vijender consumed drugs with him on a few occasions but insisted that the duo mistook the contraband for food supplements. Ram was Vijender’s roommate at the NIS. — PTI 

Coal scam: CBI registers fresh case

NEW DELHI: CBI on Monday carried out searches in five cities after registering a fresh case against Jharkhand Ispat Private Limited for alleged irregularities in the allotment of coal blocks.

CBI sources said that Jharkhand Ispat Private Limited, a company of RC Rungta Group, was allotted North Dhadu coal block on January 13, 2006 for its sponge iron plant.

They said the agency detected several irregularities in the allotment after which a case was filed against it and unknown public officials.

The sources said details of the FIR could not be revealed as searches were still going on at Varanasi, Hazaribagh, Kolkata, Ranchi and Delhi.

An email sent to the company seeking reaction remained unanswered.

CBI has so far registered 10 FIRs, including this one, in connection with the coal scam.

The agency had earlier also booked some companies for alleged cheating, forgery and misrepresentation of facts in their applications for coal blocks. — PTI