 |
|
|
Three held for PNB locker heist
CPCB turns the heat on firecracker units
Chautala harps on rural development
Modi’s remarks draw flak from Sikh body
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Wife gets benefit of the
Extortionist held, Rs 1.2
35 shells found in metal scrap
Don’t politicise intelligence input: Mishra
Workshop aims at speeding up crime investigation
DUTA call for protest today
Panel moots further relief in property tax
DPS celebrates Founder’s Day with soul-stirring drama
|
|
Three held for PNB locker heist
New Delhi, October 20 The case was cracked due to the perseverance of a constable of the anti-auto theft squad, who detected a sudden change in the lifestyle of the suspects, following which bank peon Rajender Singh, his friend Lala Ram, who is also a peon with the Connaught Place branch of Indian Bank, and Ikramuddin, a key-maker, were arrested yesterday. Joint Commissioner of Police (South) Satish Chandra told media persons. “One more person, Furkan, a key-maker, who assisted the accused in the opening of lockers, is absconding and yet to be arrested.” The police arrested the accused while they were travelling in a stolen car near Nizamuddin, where they had come to dispose of the booty. Rs 11 lakh in cash and gold jewellery weighing about three kg were recovered from their possession. “The entire operation of tampering with the lockers lasted 20 days (June 18 to July 7) and took place at regular intervals and not subsequent days to avoid detection.’’ As Rajender had the keys to the locker room and there was no security guard at the bank branch, he planned the ‘operation’ with the help of his old friend Lala Ram who was in heavy debt. Both roped in Ikramuddin for breaking open the locker while Furkan joined later, said the Jt CP. ‘‘The operation was unique in the sense that all the 16 lockers were broken open by removing the four rippers embedded inside the locker with the help of a drilling machine without tampering with the lock of the safe. Later, they would pull one of the levers of the lockers to close it, leaving everyone stumped over the ‘tampering’. Except for the holes caused by drilling, there were no visible signs of pilfering.’’ In July last, of the nearly 3,000 lockers in the Naoroji Nagar branch of the PNB, 16 were found with drilled holes and valuables missing, even though the locks were intact. While the tampering was first detected on July 12, the matter came to the notice of the police only after a woman raised an alarm on finding her valuables missing and reported the matter with the Sarojini Nagar police station on July 24. Though post-detection, the bank officials ordered an internal inquiry on July 12, as two lockers belonged to its employees as well, the police was not informed even until nearly twelve days. Besides jewellery and cash, people had reported the theft of fixed deposit certificates and share certificates from their ‘safe’ lockers. Even as the bank put out a list of 16 people whose lockers had been tampered with, about 24 lockers were found to be ‘rigged’ of which 16 contained valuables. Last month, the bank had settled the matter with all the claimants, barring three who had yet to submit their papers on the estimated loss, ‘’in the interest of the public’s faith in it’’.
Auto-lifters held
The Delhi Police have arrested three vehicle thieves in two different incidents in the last 24 hours. The accused have been identified as Vishal Sharma (23) and Deepak, alias Deepu (22), and Sahid (25). In the first incident, the police arrested one Sahid who was allegedly involved in several cases of auto lifting. Ten cases are registered against him in different police stations. The police recovered three Maruti cars and two motorcycles from him. He was arrested by the Anti-Auto Theft squad of East district. In another incident, the police arrested Vishal and Deepak from Vikas Puri area in West district. With this arrest, the police have worked out 10 cases of snatching and auto-theft and have recovered five gold chains. During investigation, the accused revealed that they had stolen the motorcycle about two months back from Vikas Puri.
— TNS
|
|
CPCB turns the heat on firecracker units
New Delhi, October 20 The CPCB has already dispatched its teams to various firecracker-producing units in the country, including those at Sivakasi, Chennai, Delhi and Bangalore. Samples collected from these units will be tested for noise and air pollution levels at different agencies identified by the board. These include the National Physical Laboratory in Delhi, the Indian Institute of Technology, Chennai, besides CPCB zonal office in Bangalore. According to CPCB Chairman V. Rajagopalan, manufactures not complying with the standards set by the board would be issued notices. Moreover, manufactures producing spurious firecrackers would be identified and taken action against. He said these measures are part of the exercise to ensure that non-complaint firecrackers do not reach the market. For this, the collected samples would be tested for various norms, including chemical composition and packaging. To keep the air and noise pollution under control, the CPCB and its state units conduct detailed ambient air quality and noise level monitoring every year during the festival season. While the quality of air generally deteriorates alarmingly due to bursting of firecrackers during the season, the board has tried to keep a check on the pollution level. Some of the major findings of the last year’s measurement of air quality revealed that except for sulphur dioxide, the level of all other pollutants at almost all locations had exceeded air quality standards. However, RSPM and SPM levels at BSZ Marg, Patel Nagar and Ashok Vihar were found lower than that recorded during 2002. Interestingly, even gaseous pollutants like carbon monoxide. nitrogen dioxide and sulphur dioxide were recorded lower in 2003 Divali as against that in 2002. The air quality also improved significantly on the day after Divali. The average noise level also ranged between 69 and 90 Leq
dB (A) against 2002 values of 66 to 82 leq dB (A). The average values for normal days range between 56 and 71 Leq
dB (A) The highest average noise level value was observed at New Friends Colony and Lajpat Nagar. At some places the maximum instantaneous values exceeded beyond 100 Leq
dB (A). Meanwhile, to discuss and share the Indian experience in the field of air pollution control with other Asian countries, the MoEF and the CPCB are hosting an international conference on Better Air Quality (BAQ) with the Clean Asia Initiatives (CAI) for Asian cities and the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) at Agra from December 6 to 8. As many as 600 professionals working in the field of air pollution monitoring, modeling and control are expected to participate in the conference. According to Head, Secretariat, CAI-Asia, Cornie Huizenga, the objectives of BAQ 2004 are to improve the science on which air quality management in Asia is based, strengthening the governance structure for urban air quality management, developing stronger stakeholders networks and clarifying the linkage between urban air quality management and long range transport of air pollutants.
|
|
Chautala harps on rural development
Faridabad, October 20 Addressing the villagers of 69 Panchayats and six wards of the Ballabhgarh Assembly constituency, Mr Chautala said a project had been taken up to repair all the government buildings, including those of the hospitals and schools. Admitting that there was a shortage of teachers in the government schools, he assured that all the vacancies would be filled up soon. It may be recalled that majority of the schools in the rural areas are experiencing a shortage of teaching staff. For instance, Sagarpur, a prominent village of
Ballabhgarh sub-division, is reported to have only four teachers for about 300 students in the high school. To make matters worse, there is no teacher for subjects like English, Science and Social Studies. The primary school in the village, with a total strength of about 350 students, has just two or three teachers. It is learnt that several of the teachers avoid rural postings as the government do not pay house rent allowance on pattern of their counterparts in urban areas. Though these problems are common to all government schools in the rural areas, little has been done beyond assurances in the past. The Chief Minister claimed that the government had spent about Rs 1.12 crore on various schemes in
Ballabhgarh constituency in the last three phases of the ‘Sarkar Apke Dwar’ programme. He said the government would provide free power meters to the applicants, who belong to the BPL category. He also promised that BPL cards would be issued afresh soon. He said his government would providing uninterrupted power supply in the state after December 31 along with a grant of Rs 2.25 lakh for the construction of a sports stadium in the villages where Rs 75,000 had been deposited with the government.
|
|
Modi’s remarks draw flak from Sikh body
New Delhi, October 20 Describing it as unfortunate, unconstitutional and undemocratic, the Sewadar Committee also urged the President to immediately dismiss the Chief Minister of Gujarat, who has hurt the feelings of Sikhs. The SGSC also asked the chief of the Akali Dal, S. Parkash Singh Badal, to retire from Akali politics in the interest of Sikh Sangat. Otherwise, SGSC would launch a nationwide agitation against him. It also urged the Sikh Sangat to snap ties with the Rashtriya Swayam Sewak Sangh (RSS). The BJP influence on the Akali Dal and its communal politics would undermine the Sikh tradition. The committee also appealed to the Sikhs to boycott the Akali-BJP political alliance. The SGSC has underscored the need to repeal the SGPC Act to make it more comprehensive and result-oriented, so that reforms can be carried out in the management of Sikh gurdwaras. S. Bachan Singh, S Pritam Singh Walia, S. Gurvinder Singh, S. Inderjit Singh, S Harpal Singh, S. Baljit Singh, S. Pritam Singh Modi, S. Harjot Shah Singh, S. Amreek Singh, Gyani Harbans Singh and S. Raja Singh Sethi had attended the meeting.
Long-term
trade policy
New Delhi, October 20 Stating this at an interactive meeting organised by PHDCCI, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit invited suggestions from industry, chambers and trading community to provide the necessary inputs to make the policy achieve its desired goal. She said that a study was being conducted on feasibility of elevated highways to manage the increasing traffic on the roads. About 42 flyovers have been commissioned in the last five years of which 20–30 were functional and the remaining would be operational soon, she said.
— TNS
|
|
Wife gets benefit of the doubt in murder case
New Delhi, October 20 Setting aside the trial court order of conviction and life sentence awarded to the woman, the Bench ordered her immediate release from Tihar Jail. Maya was earlier granted bail, but she could not be released after she failed to arrange the surety and furnish the bail bond. Maya and her husband, also from Nepal, had come here in 2000, and were living in Okhla area of the city. The husband, who was working as a gas delivery man, used to beat them up almost every day. On the fateful day on March 14, 2001, there had been a quarrel between the two and the husband assaulted the woman, leaving her unconscious. Even the child had been grievously hurt, her counsel Ritu Gauba pointed out. After gaining consciousness, Maya stabbed her husband to death, it was alleged. The defence counsel had contended that the accused did it in self-defence and to save her child.
|
|
Extortionist held, Rs 1.2 lakh seized
New Delhi, October 20 According to the police, Sunil Malik, the complainant, had received a phone call from his brother-in-law Sanjay Chopra, a resident of
Ranchi, who informed him that he had received an envelope from Delhi. The envelope contained documents which carried minute details of his family. The sender of the envelope had threatened to kill Sanjay Chopra, if he did not pay Rs 1.12 lakh. The extortionist had also directed Sanjay to ask Sunil Malik to stay in touch for the purpose of delivering the extortion amount. Ravi Raj, then, gave his mobile number and asked the former to deliver the amount at Rachna cinema. Later, the matter was reported at Rajendra Nagar police station. The police laid a trap and arrested the accused from the said premises and recovered the money that was delivered to him by Sunil Malik. During investigations, he told the police that he was earlier working as a supervisor in the hotel of Sanjay Sharma in
Ranchi. But he was dismissed from service following a dispute with Sanjay Chopra. To settle scores, he decided to extort money from him.
|
|
|
35 shells found in metal scrap
Ghaziabad, October 20 These shells will be destroyed along with nearly 100 shells recovered over the past few weeks in the district. The recovery of shells follows an explosion at the factory yesterday and recovery of six more live munitions by the Army and the police.
|
|
|
Don’t politicise intelligence input: Mishra
New Delhi, October 20 Delivering his inaugural address at a workshop organised by the Observer Research Foundation (ORF) on “Recent intelligence failures in the US, UK and Russia: Lessons for India”, Mr Mishra said the tendency of the government to tailor intelligence inputs to suit pre-determined action would lead to greater disaster than the intelligence failures themselves. Citing the example of Iraq, where such an approach ended in a “catastrophic result”, Mr Mishra said this had done harm to the governments of the United States as well as that of the United Kingdom. He added that this had also harmed the action itself. While stressing the need for coordination among the security agencies in a country, the National Security Advisor of the NDA government said that lack of coordination among agencies was a problem not only in India but also in countries like the US. Perhaps the attack on the World Trade Centre in the US would not have happened if there was proper coordination between the FBI and CIA and the information on the possible actions of the terrorists, which the FBI gathered following the arrest of Zarqawi Musavi, was passed on to the other agency, Mr Mishra said, adding that even the report on an earlier attack on the World Trade Centre in 1993 was neither studied nor assessed properly. He also cited the instance of an intelligence agency official who reacted negatively when asked whether a particular piece of information had been passed on to the other for necessary action. He also underscored the need for striking the right balance between secrecy and transparency in intelligence gathering. Noted strategic expert K. Subrahmanyam, in his keynote address, charged that the Joint Intelligence Committee (JIC) had been turned into the Cabinet Secretariat by the NDA government. Mr Subrahmanyam regretted that the situation was no different under the UPA government. Earlier, ORF Chairman R. K. Mishra said though issues of intelligence failure had started featuring prominently after 9/11 in the US, this issue was centuries old and terrorists had succeeded in assassinating Kings, Prime Ministers and other important leaders. ‘‘In India we have lost a Prime Minister, a former Prime Minister and a large number of other important people at the hands of assassins,’’ Mr Mishra said.
|
|
Workshop aims at speeding up crime investigation
New Delhi, October 20 Delivering the inaugural address, Professor Shridhar Sharma said, “Narcoanalysis has been in use since the 1930s and has proved to be an useful tool for bringing out the repressed material into the consciousness of the person. And using it in crime investigation requires extreme caution and should be administered in a psychiatric setting with anesthetists, psychiatrists and other experts.” Dr M. S. Rao pointed out the enormous potential of Narcoanalysis as a forensic tool in crime investigation and gave instances where the forensic laboratories in India have used them effectively, as in Telgi’s (Stamp scam) case. Dr U. N. B. Rao, Joint Commissioner of Police (Training), Delhi Headquarters, wanted that such tools should be brought to the knowledge of the police, who are the first people reaching the scene of a crime and later are expected to provide the correct evidences and truth in the courts of law. He wanted that training should be imparted to high-level police officials, who could make use of Narcoanalysis judiciously. Dr Selvamurthy, Chief Controller, DRDO, Delhi, while emphasising the importance of Narcoanalysis, stated the need for considerable research and newer drugs to be discovered for use in crime investigation. Dr B. Mohan, Director, State Forensic Science Laboratory, Bangalore, who presented the theme paper, elaborated on the drugs used in Narcoanalysis, their effects and how the drug is administered with caution in a hospital setting under the supervision of anesthetists, medical doctor, clinical psychologist, psychiatrist and law enforcement official. He said, “it is a harmless procedure, which can be effectively used to bring out the truth from the person concerned. It is an excellent alternative to the third degree and coercive methods used by the police.” These scientific aids, which are widely used today, are considered to be the most humanitarian approach to investigation. If the subject agrees to submit to any of these tests, these methods could be used effectively and successfully in crime investigations. In this technique, photographs and statements relevant to the particular crime are presented to the subject so as to stimulate his brain and encourage a reaction. It is based on the premise that the brain is central to all human acts and it helps identify perpetrators of crime by measuring brain-wave responses to the stimuli. In Narcoanalysis, the drug sodium pentathlon is administered to the subject after taking his consent. This puts him in a trance-state and helps to retrieve memory of repressed material. In hypnosis, however, the subject is put into the trance-state without these chemicals and the subject is able to reach those repressed materials and areas, which in his normal state he will not remember or discuss. Dr Poonam Tuli presented a demonstration of hypnosis on a subject. To the defence lawyers, however, subjecting an accused to such tests violate Article 20 (3) of the Constitution, which lays down that “an accused cannot be forced to become a witness against himself.” The Forensic Medicine experts, Prof. T. D. Dogra, Professor and Head of the Department of Forensic Medicine, AIIMS, and Dr Bharat Singh, who had conducted a large number of postmortem examinations in Delhi, opined that this method of narcoanalysis has to be used with utmost caution and only in a hospital and under medical and psychiatric supervision. Major-General Nilendra Kumar, Judge Advocate General, Army HQ, cited a number of judgement pronounced and how in the Army Narcoanalysis can be used under caution. The Public Prosecutor, Shri Ahmad Khan, concurred that Narcoanalysis will be of great use in shortening the time of interrogation and arrive at the truth. Since narconalysis is video-graphed, it can be seen if the suspect is compelled at all to give the information. Recommendations were made based on the deliberation of the workshop on Narcoanalysis and crime investigation. The need for technical guidelines for using Narcoanalysis and legislative measures for its use in criminal investigation were highlighted in the recommendation. It was also pointed out that ethical issues should be decided keeping in mind the national security of the country, society’s welfare and individual human rights. The Narcoanalysis should be meant for extracting the truth rather than hurrying up the case and should be used as an aid in police investigations. Better drugs than sodium pentathlon should be used for Narcoanalysis as it is a good substitute for the third degree method used by the police. Narcoanalysis should be given equal importance as that of other branches of Forensic Science like questions, documents, photography, toxicology etc.
|
|
DUTA call for protest today
New Delhi, October 20 The DUTA Executive has also expressed its solidarity with the cause of the struggling karamcharis under the banner of DUCKU. The DUTA Executive has stressed upon the urgency of Visitorial enquiry into the functioning of the VC, who is indulging in large-scale violation of provisions of DU Act, Statutes and Ordinances. The Executive has also urged upon the governing bodies of Shaheed Bhagat Singh College and Shivaji College to institute an enquiry into the functioning of the principals of these colleges. Pending an enquiry, the VC and the concerned principals should be sent on leave. The DUTA is also exercised over the delay by the UGC and the MHRD in resolution of their issues concerning changes in composition of selection committees for lecturers and principals in colleges, third promotion to college teachers and parity to librarians with teachers amongst other issues, a release said.
|
|
Panel moots further relief in property tax
New Delhi, October 20 This was announced by a member of the Hardship and Anomaly Committee, Mr Sanjay Puri, who has moved a resolution in this connection before the Standing Committee. The Hardship Committee has also recommended that a rebate of 10 per cent for timely payment of property tax be given to the DDA and Group Housing Societies. The rebate will only be applicable if the flat is being used for residential purposes, whether self-occupied or rented.
|
|
DPS celebrates Founder’s Day with soul-stirring drama
Gurgaon, October 20 Besides parents and other dignitaries, the BJP chief and Leader of Opposition, Mr L. K. Advani, Executive Director of Escorts Heart Institute and Research Centre, Dr Naresh Trehan, President of DPS Society, Mr Salman Khurshid and its Chairman, Mr Narendra Kumar, appreciated the efforts of the students. The spectacular show was choreographed by the renowned choreographer and Kathak dancer, Ms Vaswati Mishra, and scripted by Mr Suneel Sinha of `Maachis’ fame. The music was composed by Mr Taufiq Qureshi, the music director of `Mission Kashmir’. The drama highlighted the need for moral values, which are the concepts that make life beautiful and rewarding. Whenever these pictures are distorted, the face of society also gets disturbed. Honesty and integrity are among the characteristics that all the communities want to see in their young people. These positive values are crucial for the healthy development of the youth. Tableaux depicting the lives and teaching of Lord Buddha, Rabindranath Tagore, Swami Vivekananda, Mother Teresa and Mahatma Gandhi were on display. Children resplendent in their breathtaking costumes recreated the purity of thoughts, words and deeds of these great leaders. The tableaux invoked a feeling of serenity and peace amongst all those present there. Children of ‘Shiksha Kendra’ organised a special tableau depicting the positive values of the joint family system. These
children belong to the nearby villages. The drama was conceptualised by Mrs Anita Malhotra, Principal of the school, who has returned from Dubai after setting up a branch of the DPS there. In her speech, Ms Dhara Jaipuria, Pro Vice-Chairperson of the school, said the school would try to play its role towards building a society based on ethics and values.
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Mailbag | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
Faridabad, October 20
