New Delhi, December 19
A 17-year-old boy from a slum area was arrested today for being involved in the murder of a man who had taken the teenager to an isolated spot for having homosexual relations.

The boy then disappeared with the 35-year-old man's telephone, leaving a perplexed Delhi Police hunting for clues to get to the killer.

The incident took place on September 24 in a largely isolated park near the Adilabad fort in the Tughlakabad area of south Delhi.

The victim, Guddu, and the killer had met only hours earlier on a bus, police said. After exchanging pleasantries for a while, the victim, a cab driver, asked the teenager whether he would like to have gay relations. The boy told the police that he agreed as he wanted to rob the man of his gleaming mobile.

After the murder, the boy escaped with the phone and a purse, but found only Rs 50 in it. When the police found Guddu, he was half naked. His face had been smashed with a huge stone.

For weeks, the police remained in the dark. One day, a group of boys in the fort complex told the police that a teenager who used to play 'gulli danda' with them had not been seen since the day of the murder.

A police team then sprang on the young killer at his house in Sangam Vihar. Deputy Commissioner of Police P. Karunakaran said the juvenile knew the area around the Adilabad fort.

"The juvenile kept the mobile phone in his house but did not use it as he was aware he could be caught," said Karunakaran. The killer has been sent to a juvenile reformation home.

New Delhi, December 19
The Aam Aadmi Party today got recognition as a recognised state party and reserved symbol of broom in Delhi from the Election Commission on the basis of its performance in the just concluded Delhi Assembly polls.

The election symbol of "broom" will now be reserved for the AAP in Delhi. Elsewhere in the country, its candidates will also get the benefit of contesting under the "broom" symbol, i e, they will get preference in case other candidates apply for it.

The recognition to AAP, which is in the process of deciding on whether to form its government in Delhi with Congress support, came after it fulfilled the laid criterion in this regard.

As per laid norms, a party may be recognised by the Election Commission if it wins atleast three per cent seats, subject to a minimum of three seats and at least six per cent of total valid votes.

The AAP has far outperformed on this criterion in Delhi assembly polls where it won 28 seats in the 70-member House and took over 25 per cent vote share.

Meanwhile, AAP is seeking public opinion on whether to form its government after the Delhi assembly election results gave a hung verdict.

While BJP won 31 seats, with one to its ally SAD. One seat was won by JD-U and one by an independent. The Congress won only eight seats, after the Delhi voters rejected the 15-year-old Sheila Dikshit government in the national Capital. — PTI

New Delhi, December 19
The Delhi University Teachers' Association (DUTA) along with the Staff Association of Hindu College staged a demonstration at the college on North Campus today, demanding the withdrawal of the suspension of two teachers of the college along with a public apology to them who, they say, have been unjustly targeted.

A large number of teachers from across colleges in the university participated in the dharna and the Daulat Ram College Staff Association sent an official delegation to express solidarity.

The protestors condemned the chairperson of the Governing Body, SNP Punj, who had issued show cause notices on September 25 to two teachers of the college, Jai Inderpal Singh and Arvind Chaudhry, asking them as to why action should not be taken against them for allegedly manhandling some colleagues in a Staff Association meeting held on August 27 and questioned the dubious role played by the officiating principal.

If their demands are not met, the DUTA will be compelled to intensify its agitation, said DUTA president Nandita Narain.

The notices cited a complaint filed by the individuals who were allegedly manhandled and the two teachers were given time to reply till October 10. Apparently, even before receiving their reply, they were issued another letter by the chairman on October 12, informing them that they had been suspended, pending enquiry, she said.

The Staff Association of Hindu College in its meeting held on October 25 had demanded withdrawal of the teachers' suspension. Meanwhile, a complaint filed by Inderpal Singh and Chaudhry on October 23 had been forward by the Acting Principal to a Grievance Committee set up by the Staff Council, a statutory body. The Grievance Committee, in its report, has held the complaint lodged against the two as patently false, and the suspension completely unjustified.

However, the chairman proceeded with the enquiry against the two teachers, the hearings for which have been held in his private office at Punj Essen House, Nehru Place, a clear case of vested interests, noted DUTA secretary Harish Khanna.

New Delhi, December 19
Expressing his happiness over passing of the Lokpal Bill in Parliament, leader of the BJP Legislature Party, Dr. Harsh Vardhan, has urged the President and the Prime Minister to observe December 18 as "Lokpal Diwas" so that the people may remember this long-awaited day as Public Justice Day.

He said that some leaders, who were engaged in corruption, tried to put hindrance in the passing of the bill, but the BJP stood strongly in favour of it and contributed to its passing. He also said that the entire credit of passing the bill goes to the nine-day indefinite death of social activist Anna Hazare and the commitment of top BJP leaders. Today, the Lokpal is a reality in India.

Vardhan said that prevention of corruption is more important than punishing the corrupt people. Following the principle of "prevention is better than cure" for eradicating corruption it is necessary that the government should take its decisions in a transparent manner and be accountable. The government should adopt high quality e-governance system and work in the most transparent manner.

It is also necessary that the information about files, meetings, decisions, tenders, contracts, financial activities, payment and receipts, national and international agreements, sale and purchase should be available on the website so that the common man may get the entire detail on his computer at his home or on his smart phone. If it is done, there will be little scope for corruption, Vardhan said.

He said that whenever there has been fight for justice, public rights, fundamental rights, the persons interested in status quo and persons enjoying power have opposed it. They have not only defamed the people making the just demand, but also oppressed them. No demand has been met without shedding blood or sweat. Hundreds of people have lost their lives in the fight for justice.

The BJP never wants that a Gandhian like Anna Hazare should lose his life due to fast. The present Lokpal is a good beginning, he said.

New Delhi, December 19
Many students who have cleared the examination of banking services conducted by the Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) protested at Jantar Mantar today against its recruitment policy as thousands of them, who had cleared the examination and interview for the post of probationary officers, assistant managers and clerks this year have not been recruited so far.

Gaind Lal, who was leading the protest, said that about 35,000 youths, who had qualified all the examinations of the banking services of public banks have not been given jobs.

He said that 6,100 youths had cleared over all merit score examination of public sector banks conducted by the IBPS in 2013. Of them 45,000 had cleared the interviews. But still the IBPS has not given any assurance of jobs. There is a shortage of 56,000 employees and officers at all levels in public sector banks but the youths have not been posted.

Gaind Lal said today was the first protest. I will take it as a movement and contact all those 45,000 youths and organise a major agitation. Clearing a competitive examination is no joke. Once they clear the examination and interview, they must be posted according to their merit, he said.

New Delhi, December 19
Minister of State for Human Resources Development Shashi Tharoor today underlined the need for educating and empowering women so that they are aware of their rights and are more willing to report any abuse against them.

Society also needs enlightened and sensible men who have the will to give women their due status and respect, he added while speaking at a, 'Annual Interstate Meet: Celebrating 30 years of FLO: Together We Can' of the FICCI Ladies Organisation's (FLO).

Addressing the issue of crime against women, he said, educating a girl meant educating an entire family and bringing about a change in the perspective of the male members of the family, which would eventually result in making men more sensitive towards women.

However, he admitted that a huge gender gap can be seen when it comes to education at the higher level. Although women are performing better academically, but their number still remains small when compared with their male counterparts.

One of the major challenges to keep girls in schools during their adolescence is lack of basic amenities like girls toilets, he pointed out. To resolve this issue, the government has passed a mandate that every school, be it girls or co-education, must have at least one girl's toilet and the government has allocated funds for it, he noted.

A pledge on "women safety" was read out in the presence of the minister who also signed the pledge towards ensuring that empowerment of women and girl child is a national priority.

Usha Ananthasubramanium, chairperson and managing director of Bharatiya Mahila Bank, said that the bank will predominantly cater to women, although men will also be welcome to open accounts. But the main focus will be on women and women's empowerment through products and services, financial inclusion and financial literacy.

She said that women are the most under-utilised asset in any economy and suggested that the corporate sector should also play a proactive role in empowering women. They should look at corporate diversity and clear succession plan for women.

FICCI president Naina Lal Kidwai informed the participants that FICCI and FLO have for the first time set up a task force on safety of women. The 20-member task force, chaired by Sidharth Birla, president-elect of the FICCI, has made detailed recommendations on four aspects - physical, environmental, organisational and educational.

Speaking on the opening of the women's bank, she said, banks are wary of lending money to women because of instances of non-repayment of dues. Hence, Kidwai urged women entrepreneurs and others seeking loans from banks to make timely repayment as it would open doors of the mainstream banks and many other women would be able to avail of these loans.

New Delhi, December 19
The foggy weather in the national Capital today settled down paving the way for a smooth flow of air traffic which was disrupted due to continuous mist for the past few days.

Today, the city witnessed a maximum temperature of 22.4° C, which is normal for this time of the year. The maximum humidity level in the city was as high as 100 per cent while minimum was 77 per cent. The minimum temperature was recorded at 10.8° C.

The air traffic at the IGI airport remained almost normal, as the visibility at the runways did not go below 500 m, which was well above the minimum of 125 m for low visibility take-offs.

However, four trains were cancelled and 27 delayed, said the Northern Railway official. The commuters faced some problems while driving due to poor visibility. Also many trains, coming to Delhi were delayed by several hours.

However, the foggy conditions might return for the trouble of passengers as MeT department has predicted dense fog tomorrow but it will give way to a clear sky as the day proceeds. The maximum and minimum temperatures will hover between 22° C and 9° C, respectively, said the officials.

Dense fog was recorded in the past three days in the city, which badly affected the road, rail and air traffic. The minimum temperature was recorded above normal, which remained 3° C above average at 10.8° C.

New Delhi, December 19
The opposition in South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) today alleged a nexus between the municipal officials and the building mafia.

Leader of opposition Farhad Suri raised the issue of civic laxity in curbing illegal construction and alleged that the officials sent a false report to Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung over activities at Sainik Farms in south Delhi.

"The report sent to the LG termed various illegal constructions at the initial stages as cases of minor repairs. The reality is that full-fledged buildings up to two storeys have been allowed to be constructed with the blessings of the field engineers," he said.

He said the LG in November 2012 issued directions to check the menace of illegal constructions at Sainik Farms. Some of the measures included installation of CCTV cameras at all the entry and exit points and installation of barriers.

Suri alleged that the area executive engineer was to be blamed for not taking proper corrective measures. "Action needs to be taken against him," he said.

Meanwhile, the south civic officials claimed their drive against illegal constructions continued on Thursday in south zone and action was taken against ten properties.

The building department's eight teams targeted illegal buildings in Arjun Nagar, Masjid Moth, Begumpur, Lado Sarai, JVTS Garden, Paryavaran Complex, Mehrauli and Radhey Mohan Drive.

In another development, sources in the north civic agency said leader of the House Mahinder Nagpal and standing committee chairman Ram Kishan Singhal are expected to quit the civic agency on Friday as they have got elected to the Delhi Assembly.