Cops beat two NE students, make racist remarks
New Delhi, August 21
Two students of Delhi University belonging to the North-East Forum for International Solidarity (NEFIS) were today taken to the Bharatnagar police station, where they were allegedly beaten up by police officers who were also said to have passed 'racial remarks'. Their fault was that they boarded the bus, but could not take a ticket because of the rush.

Congress favours bringing Asif, Shoaib into fold
New Delhi, August 21
In a bid to come into power for the fourth time in Delhi, the Congress has started making strategies to woo the MLAs of smaller parties so that it can manage to win the required seats necessary for the formation of government. Sources said that the Congress doubts whether the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) would make a dent in its party stronghold.

Law and order collapses, says Goel
New Delhi, August 21
The Congress government in Delhi is a mute spectator even as murder, rape, abduction and harassment of women have become the order of the day. The murder of six persons in just two hours in east Delhi a couple of days ago is an example of the collapse of law and order, said the Delhi unit chief of the BJP, Vijay Goel.

PERSONAL FOOD SCHEME: A woman earns a living on the roadside near India Gate in New Delhi. Tribune photo: Manas Ranjan Bhui

AAP names candidates for Shahdara, Tilak Nagar seats
New Delhi, August 21
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) today announced its candidates for the two Assembly constituency seats of Tilak Nagar and Shahdara. The party has decided that social activist Surender Sharma would contest election on the AAP ticket from Shahdara while Jarnail Singh is the party's bet from Tilak Nagar vidhan sabha. With this, the party has announced candidates for a total of 42 seats. Surender Sharma, an advocate in Karkardooma Court, is also a social activist who has been fighting for long the battles of the common man for water rights.

Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan (R) and director Prakash Jha pose for the photoshoot for the promotion of their upcoming movie 'Satyagraha', which is set to be released on August 30, in New Delhi on Wednesday. Tribune photo: Mukesh Aggarwal

Asaram Bapu booked for raping teen
New Delhi, August 21
A 16-year-old girl in Delhi has accused godman Asaram Bapu and his associates of allegedly raping her at their Jodhpur-based Ashram. According to the police, following the girl's complaint, a zero FIR was registered at the Kamla Market police station. The case was transferred to the Jodhpur police.

40 city forests developed, says Dikshit
New Delhi, August 21
Delhi's green cover has gone up considerably. The credit for it goes to schoolchildren and eco-clubs, said Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit today while inaugurating a plantation drive in the complex of Delhi Jal Board Water Treatment Plant at Kondli.

Urdu teachers’ emoluments hiked
New Delhi, August 21
Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit today announced that the government has raised the emoluments of the Urdu teachers. She gave awards to Urdu educators also. While addressing an annual convention of Urdu Educators at Talkatora Stadium, Dikshit said that Urdu language is a symbol of composite culture of the country. The Urdu Academy in Delhi has been doing commendable work for promoting the language.

Cops beat two NE students, make racist remarks
The victims were travelling without tickets in bus
Ananya Panda
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 21
Two students of Delhi University belonging to the North-East Forum for International Solidarity (NEFIS) were today taken to the Bharatnagar police station, where they were allegedly beaten up by police officers who were also said to have passed 'racial remarks'.

Their fault was that they boarded the bus, but could not take a ticket because of the rush. They reportedly paid the penalty to the DTC ticket checker after the intervention of two sub-inspectors (SIs).

The forum today submitted a complaint to the DCP, Ashok Vihar, demanding strict action against the "biased and racist behaviour" of the officers. It would also be approaching the National Human Rights Commission tomorrow.

The incident occurred around 10.30 am when the two students on their way to Satyawati College, where they were to join a rally against the compulsory Hindi language requirement, got into a bus but did not take a ticket.

"It was crowded and we were late for the protest, so we took the bus. We paid fine for travelling without tickets, but two sub-inspectors started intimidating me and my colleague. When we resisted, they took us to the police station. They not only thrashed us but also passed several racist comments on our physical features," said Chinglen, an MA history student and member of the forum.

According to the complainants, they were detained for two hours during which they were brutally thrashed and released only after "they were forcibly made to sign on a statement, saying that they were not assaulted by the police but by another party".

"Without any investigation, they treated us like criminals and beat us even after we paid fines. We were taken to Hindu Rao Hospital for an MLC. We are not going to accept this authoritarian behaviour charcaterised by racial comments," Chinglen added.

Condemning the police reaction as an instance of 'arm-twisting', Thanglunmang Khongsai of NEFIS said, "The student activists were not involved in an adverse law and order situation. So, it is not right for the policemen to react in such a way. The way the policemen conducted themselves clearly shows how much of a racist bias works within the city's local administration and police stations. The incident highlights how vulnerable are the northeastern students in the national Capital."

Angered by this incident, the NEFIS has also decided to initiate legal action against the officers of the police station.

Congress favours bringing Asif, Shoaib into fold
Syed Ali Ahmed
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 21
In a bid to come into power for the fourth time in Delhi, the Congress has started making strategies to woo the MLAs of smaller parties so that it can manage to win the required seats necessary for the formation of government.

Sources said that the Congress doubts whether the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) would make a dent in its party stronghold. If the MLAs of smaller parties are brought into the Congress fold, chances of its winning the election will be stronger.

Keeping this in view, the Congress is in favour of taking the RJD MLA from Okhla, Asif Mohammad Khan, and the LJP MLA from the Turkman Gate assembly constituency, Shoaib Iqbal, in its fold as they may win the election this year also. Though Asif is a first-time MLA, he is quite popular in his constituency.

As far as Shoaib is concerned, he is a senior MLA and has been representing the constituency since 1993.

According to the sources, the names of Asif and Shoaib and a few others have been recommended by the Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit to the high command to take them into the Congress.

However, party workers in these constituencies and a few local Congress leaders are opposing the likely entry of Asif and Shoaib as the MLAs would then end their chances of contesting the election on Congress tickets.

When contacted, Asif said, "I cannot make any comment on this issue as yet. At present, I am busy in getting the development work done in the constituency. There is hardly one and a half months left for the work to be finished."

On his part, Shoaib said that he was being pressurized from various quarters into joining the Congress but "I have not yet decided to change the party. My joining the Congress may change the scenario in the walled city as well as other Muslim-dominated areas".

Law and order collapses, says Goel
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 21
The Congress government in Delhi is a mute spectator even as murder, rape, abduction and harassment of women have become the order of the day. The murder of six persons in just two hours in east Delhi a couple of days ago is an example of the collapse of law and order, said the Delhi unit chief of the BJP, Vijay Goel.

The BJP flays the Congress government for not taking up this issue with the Lieutenant Governor and the Police Commissioner.

There seems to be no coordination between the city government and the Union Ministry of Home Affairs over the worsening law and order situation.

The Chief Minister simply expresses her helplessness over the deteriorating law and order. With regard to the incidents of kidnapping of children, Delhi stands second only to Uttar Pradesh.

According to the National Crime Reports Bureau, the rate of crime against children is the highest in Delhi (75.9 per cent), Goel said.

As per the latest data of the Delhi Police, around 7,400 vehicles were stolen from the national Capital between January and June this year, said Vijay Goel.

AAP names candidates for Shahdara, Tilak Nagar seats
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 21
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) today announced its candidates for the two Assembly constituency seats of Tilak Nagar and Shahdara. The party has decided that social activist Surender Sharma would contest election on the AAP ticket from Shahdara while Jarnail Singh is the party's bet from Tilak Nagar vidhan sabha. With this, the party has announced candidates for a total of 42 seats.

Surender Sharma, an advocate in Karkardooma Court, is also a social activist who has been fighting for long the battles of the common man for water rights. He has been elected secretary of the Shahdara Bar Association (Karkardooma Court) five times.

Going to the history of the candidates, Sharma in 1995 filed a PIL in which the High Court ordered the water supply line of entire Shahdara to be changed. Similarly, it was on his writ petition that the court ordered building of an underground reservoir in Shalimar Park worth Rs 20 crore, benefiting the residents of Shahdara.

His writ petition also led to the implementation of Water Master Plan 2011-21, in which there is a provision for building 52 reservoirs all across Delhi.

While Jarnail Singh, AAP candidate from Tilak Nagar, has been an active member of the party since its inception. He has also been closely associated with Anna Andolan for Jan Lokpal Bill.

Asaram Bapu booked for raping teen
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 21
A 16-year-old girl in Delhi has accused godman Asaram Bapu and his associates of allegedly raping her at their Jodhpur-based Ashram. According to the police, following the girl's complaint, a zero FIR was registered at the Kamla Market police station. The case was transferred to the Jodhpur police. A zero FIR is an FIR that is lodged at a particular police station and is transferred to another police station or a different state.

The police said the girl is a native of Shahjanpur in Uttar Pradesh. She has been studying in class XII. Her family members are disciples of Asaram Bapu.

In the first week of August, she complained of stomachache. "In her complaint to the police, the girl's family alleged that the Ashram people told them that a 'yagna' would be held to treat the girl. The yagna was to be held on August 13, but due to unknown reasons, it was held on August 15 at Jodhpur. The girl and Asaram participated in the yagna. The girl's family then took her to their hometown, where she informed her parents that she had been sexually assaulted by Asaram Bapu," said a police officer.

The police said when Asaram had been in Delhi between August 18 and 20, the girl's family tried to meet him, but they were not allowed. They then decided to approach the police.

According to the police, the girl's family went to the Kamla Market police station on August 20. The police lodged a zero FIR under sections 376 (punishment for rape), 342 (holding a person hostage), 354 (punishment for molestation) and 509 (outraging the modesty of a woman), IPC and other sections.

40 city forests developed, says Dikshit
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 21
Delhi's green cover has gone up considerably. The credit for it goes to schoolchildren and eco-clubs, said Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit today while inaugurating a plantation drive in the complex of Delhi Jal Board Water Treatment Plant at Kondli.

The Chief Minister said that society would have to learn from the children who have been involved in the plantation drive for more than 10 years. Around 300 schoolchildren joined Dikshit in planting saplings.

Deputy Speaker, Delhi Assembly, Amrish Gautam, Environment Secretary Sanjiv Kumar, CEO (DJB) Debashree Mukherjee, Additional Secretary (Environment) Sandeep Mishra, Additional Principal Conservator of Forest G.N. Sinha, Chief Conservator of Forest A.K. Shukla and others were present on the occasion.

Dikshit stated that 5,000 saplings would be planted at Kondli. The site would witness a green canopy once the plants grow up. She exhorted people to take care of the saplings.

She said Delhi has developed around 40 city forests which are the lungs of the city. The ornamental and valuable fruit-bearing trees such as Amaltas, Gulmohar, Jakranda, Milletia, Jamun, Ahmla, Aam, Bahera, besides Shisham, Neem, Arjun, Pilkhan, Peepal, Bargad are being planted at Kondli.

Urdu teachers’ emoluments hiked
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 21
Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit today announced that the government has raised the emoluments of the Urdu teachers. She gave awards to Urdu educators also. While addressing an annual convention of Urdu Educators at Talkatora Stadium, Dikshit said that Urdu language is a symbol of composite culture of the country. The Urdu Academy in Delhi has been doing commendable work for promoting the language.

The government has already declared Urdu a second official language and now hiked the monthly emoluments of Urdu teachers deployed by the Urdu Academy to Rs 11,000 per month.

Dikshit presented awards amounting to Rs 1,500 to 46 Urdu educators and prizes to top students. She said that henceforth an Urdu educator would get honorarium of Rs 2,000 per month instead of Rs 1,500 and top students would get an award of Rs 1,000.

The Chief Minister today stated that her government has been rendering all possible help in promoting Urdu in the Capital.

Meanwhile, former chairman of the Delhi Minorities Commission Kamal Faruqui criticized the government, saying that appointing Urdu teachers on consolidated salary just hurt the Urdu-knowing people. They should be given permanent jobs with the full scale. Since 1995, there has been no permanent appointment of Urdu teachers. Since 2003, Urdu has been enjoying the status of second language, but the posts for Urdu translators are still vacant.