New Delhi, May 26
A 16-year-old girl was allegedly raped in a moving car after she was kidnapped by five men in outer Delhi’s Kanjhawala on Saturday. Four of the accused were beaten up by the locals, who handed them over to the police. The main accused is at large. The accused have been identified as Irfan, Arif, Afzal and Wasim, who are residents of Khajuri Khas in northeast Delhi. The absconding accused is 21-year-old Anish, who works as a barber.

“Anish allegedly raped the girl in a Maruti Wagon-R car, while the others waited for their turn,” said a police officer, close to the investigation of the case.

Some motorcyclists saw them and intercepted their car. They then thrashed the accused.

The police were informed about the incident at about 11 pm on Saturday. “Initially, the call reported was about a brawl in Kanjhawala,” the officer added. A police team noticed four men being beaten up by the locals. They rescued them. On questioning, the police learnt what the accused had allegedly done. 

The victim told the police that she lives with her family in Sawada JJ colony in Kanjhawala and was abducted by five persons when she was wandering near her house. She was taken away in a car, and while it was being driven, Anish allegedly raped her. The police managed to arrest Irfan, Arif, Afzal and Wasim. Anish had escaped before the police arrived. Investigators are trying to locate him through technical surveillance.

The girl was taken to the Babu Jagjivan Ram Hospital in Jahangirpuri for a medical examination. The examination confirmed that the girl was raped. The accused also underwent treatment at the hospital for minor injuries.

A rape case has been registered at the Kanjhawala police station over the victim’s statement and medical report. The accused also face charges under Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO) Act.

New Delhi, May 26
Amarnath Yatra, which is beginning from June 28, might become a distant dream for many from this year, as just anyone will not be allowed to embark upon the famous and also the most hazardous pilgrimage to the holy cave, at least from Delhi.

People aspiring for the Yatra are queuing up in city hospitals to get the mandatory health certificate after the Supreme Court made it compulsory for them to furnish compulsory medical certificate, before seeking registration for Amarnath Yatra, which would evaluate the resistance of the applicant and check if he is appropriately fit to make the pilgrimage which is full of tough mountainous terrain.

In case, a patient fails to clear the tests, he does not stand any chance to get the certificate. The tests include blood sugar and ECG.

A few tests are optional like X-ray, whereas additional tests may also be suggested by the doctor depending upon the condition of the person.

“The whole purpose of the check-up is to filter the pilgrims at the fitness level. We cannot allow anyone who fails to meet the medical standards which used to be the case till now,” said Dr Bagotia, State Nodal officer for Amarnath Shrine Pilgrimage.

The Yatra for which lakhs of devotees dare the most formidable route in hilly terrains of Srinagar, reported 108 deaths last year.

Earlier, people used fraudulent means to get medical clearances for the Yatra.

This year, the certificates can only be issued by the Delhi government authorized health centres and hospitals. People are in a spot now with private hospitals charging exorbitantly for the required tests and government hospitals taking too much of time in conducting the tests, thereby delaying the registration process.

“Though all my tests have completed this Friday, the date for Pulmonary Function Test (PFT) was given for June 10. I am doubtful if I will be able to register for yatra after I get the certificate,” said 50-year-old Anil Prakash, in Lok Nayak Hospital.

However, senior government officials clarified not everyone has to go for tests like PFT which takes time due to infrastructural issues.

“Such tests are only for people who have history of certain medical conditions with the possibility of aggravation during the yatra,” said Dr Bagotia.

He clarified that the tests were suggested by experts and authorization of hospitals has been done to ensure against forged health certificates. “It was the decision of experts’ committee who suggested the compulsory tests to benefit the public at large after taking into account the atmospheric and geographical conditions of the journey,” said Dr Bagotia.

Delhi Health Minister Dr A.K. Walia said that the city government has tried to simplify the procedure by reducing the number of tests from six to four and increasing the hospitals from 11 to 23.

“After we received complaints about too much delay in the process and the pilgrims being harassed at the hands of private hospitals as they were charged hefty amounts, we enhanced the number of hospitals. They are being done free of cost at government hospitals,” said Dr Walia.

The facility has now been extended in AIIMS, Safdarjung Hospital and RML Hospital. In addition to this, chest X-ray will be conducted only in respect of Yatris who are more than 40 years of age. However, the doctors may recommend any other test in case they feel that it is necessary.

Earlier, only five hospitals—DDU, Hari Nagar, Dr Baba Saheb Ambedkar Hospital, Rohini, Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Hospital, Bhagwan Mahavir Hospital and North Delhi MCD Hospital Hindu Rao were issuing such certificates.

Whereas, later, the government allowed hospitals with capacity more than 100 beds to issue such certificates.

Till now, DDU has issued 1,500, Ambedkar Hospital 1,500, Bhagwan Mahavir Hospital 600, LNJP Hospital 80, Sanjay Gandhi Hospital 350 and Hindu Rao Hospital has issued 15 such certificates every day.