Noida, August 19
It can only happen in Noida. Charan Singh, right hand man of notorious land shark, Moti Goel, had complained of heart problem in jail. He was shifted from Dasna jail in Ghaziabad to Noida government hospital Sector-30, Noida about one-and-a-half month ago.

Incidentally, there is no heart specialist in Noida government hospital. So Charan Singh was put under an orthopaedics surgeon for his treatment. In the meantime Charan reportedly had a heart attack. So he was shifted to a private hospital four days ago.

Many notorious and well off criminals manage to get admitted in good hospitals/nursing homes to escape the hard life in jails. According to sources, Charan Singh, chief accomplice of land mafia Moti Goel had reported ‘sick’ soon after landing in Dasna jail.

With the blessings of doctors and jail authorities, he was moved on June 27 to Noida government hospital where he initially had some breathing problems, doctors said.

All the doctors are taking care of the top land grabber just as they would do for a top leader or VIP. Charan Singh was put in the charge of Dr Renu. After Dr Renu had refused to tend him once, a report was called for from Dasna jail authorities and he was put in the charge of Dr Ajay Agawal, an orthopaedic surgeon.

Special arrangements in bath room and bed of Charan Singh were made by the doctors and staff of the hospital where common people don’t get even ordinary medicines for bad cold, cough and fever.

After remaining for four days in a private hospital without govt. or court approval, Charan Singh is reported to have returned to district hospital. This was done very quietly.

While SSP Piyush Mordia said he cannot interfere unless he gets orders from a court, District Magistrate Santosh Kumar Yadav said he was not aware that Charan Singh was being treated in District hospital here.

He said he will seek report on how he was sent to a private hospital and only then he will be able to comment in the case.

New Delhi, August 19
Delhi Police today ordered a vigilance inquiry into allegations that a senior official was involved in a land deal running into crores and had a conversation in this regard with a suspected drug peddler which was recorded by the force itself.

The recording of the conversation between the decorated ‘encounter specialist’ and the drug peddler was made by the Narcotics Department of the Delhi Police which had taped the phone of the trafficker.

In it, the official purportedly speaks to him about a land deal the latter wanted to strike in Sonepat in Haryana.

He allegedly took a hefty commission for bringing down the cost of land from the Rs 15 crore the seller had initially asked.

The matter was reported in a local daily today. The tapes of the alleged ‘scam’ involving the official were also run on a television channel.

Police Commissioner K K Paul had ordered an inquiry into the episode by the Joint Commissioner of Police (Vigilance), Delhi Police spokesman said. The probe is to be completed at the earliest.

“The authenticity of facts and the alleged details of the said tape would be verified besides gathering of other reports done before the report takes a final shape,” he said.

The ‘encounter specialist’ is a much-decorated official of the Delhi Police having been awarded Police Medal for Gallantry on this Independence Day for the fifth time.

He was earlier allegedly involved in a dispute over a plot of land in Mansarovar Garden in west Delhi.

Knowledgeable circles in the police and media are not surprised at the turn of events, since the officer in question is not exactly famous for professional integrity, but many are now waiting to see the outcome of the latest incident.

Ghaziabad, August 19
Two of the six suspects in the August 16 murder of a Supreme Court lawyer have been arrested from Khoda Colony here after a nearly two day hunt.

The two, Meraj and Aftab, were arrested last night from the Khoda Colony under Indirapuram police station, sources said. While Meraj hails from Ghazipur, Aftab is from Ballia.

Meraj allegedly was one of those who shot advocate Alakh Singh on the fateful day while Aftab sat in the vehicle outside the house which brought them to the lawyer’s place.

The two had reportedly been given a ‘supari’ of Rs 2.5 lakh by another accused Ajay Singh who had earlier worked with Alakh in a company.

Alakh had reportedly brought a fraud by Ajay to the notice of the management there and since then the accused nursed a grudge against him, waiting for the right moment to avenge the deed. While Ajay was an accountant in the company, Alakh was its legal advisor.

Four of the accused, including Ajay, are still absconding.

Alakh Singh, a lawyer with the Supreme Court, was shot dead at his Vaishali residence in Ghaziabad on the night of August 16.

The assailants fired at him from close range after having tea with the lawyer who had minutes before given directions to them on phone to reach his home.

New Delhi, August 19
It was the day of the colourful thread symbolising sibling love as women in the capital tied rakhis on the wrists of their brothers to celebrate ‘Raksha Bandhan’.

Markets buzzed with activity, with people doing last-minute shopping for rakhis, sweets and gifts and there was huge rush on the city’s roads as families got together to celebrate the day.

Physically-challenged children and students tied ‘rakhi’ on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today as Delhiites celebrated Raksha Bandhan symbolising the bond between a the brother and sister.

Physically-challenged children from SOS villages, students from city schools and Brahmakumaris joined Dr Singh at his 7, Race Course Road residence to celebrate the festival.

The Prime Minister and his wife, Mrs. Harsharan Kaur greeted the guests and mingled with them during the one-hour celebration. Dr Singh also shook hands with the children, who were delighted to be present at the Prime Minister’s residence.

The differently-abled children, all inmates of the SOS villages in the Capital, were accompanied by attendants and SOS officials.

Elsewhere in the Capital, young girls and women tied ‘rakhis’ on the wrist of their brothers and exchanged greetings in residential colonies and homes.

Tying rakhis and offering sweets to their brothers, sisters prayed for their welfare while the brother in turn promised to protect them. Gifts were also exchanged.

There have been brisk sales of ‘rakhis’ of all kinds. Some like ‘Harry Potter’ rakhis and ‘Spiderman’ rakhis have been a craze among teenagers.

Despite being a holiday, the traffic was quite heavy on the Capital’s roads leading to snarls at several places in the morning. It took several hours for the harried traffic policemen to restore some normalcy on the roads as people literally poured out on the streets – some out visiting, some out for a picnic and others just out for fun.

The parks and eating houses in the Capital were also crowded as families preferred to eat out rather than cook at home because of the festival.

Even Tihar Jail wore a festive look as thousands of women turned up on the occasion of ‘Raksha Bandhan’ to tie ‘rakhis’ to their imprisoned brothers.

As many as 13,500 women visited the jail premises between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. to meet their 4,459 brothers, a jail official said.

Some sisters were seen taking a pledge from their brothers not to commit any crime in the future.

Thirty-three male inmates were taken to the jail for women in the Tihar premises to get ‘rakhis’ tied by their incarcerated sisters.

Prison authorities had even made arrangements so that women could buy sweets and ‘rakhis’ inside the jail premises itself at reasonable rates, the official said.

New Delhi, August 19
If rallies, meant to be a ‘show of strength’ that mark the beginning of the much hyped elections to the Students Union in the Delhi University, are any indication of a party’s support system, the factions in the fray need more than colourful posters and smiling candidates to make an impact in the forthcoming elections.

The head count at the rallies taken out by arch rivals Nationals Students’ Union of India (NSUI) and Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) in the North Campus here on Thursday was far from impressive. What’s more, a majority of students, increasingly distancing themselves from the “politics of the campus” are showing little interest in the forthcoming polls. So even as candidates burn a hole in their pockets putting up glossy posters across the city, there are few who can even recall the names of the outgoing DUSU panel.

A sizeable number of students named Ragini Nayak of NSUI as the outgoing DUSU President instead of Narendra Tokas; some made no distinction between the college union Presidents and the DUSU President, and still others came up with names they saw on posters “pasted on college wall”. “Each year the issues are the same, DTC passes, more hostels and saving education. I have been in the university for the last 4 years and for me, these elections mean shaking hands with candidates and a holiday on the polling day,” said Shantanu, a post graduate student of Political Science.

Contesting the claim that student’s unions are all hype, Kuntal Krishna of the NSUI said, “being the representatives of students we have always been in the forefront, we work as a pressure group when the need arises”.

And buoyed by these “achievements”, the aspiring leaders have begun the wooing game. “We have devised a special strategy for this year’s elections and we are confident of winning this year as well,” said Krishna.

While ABVP is yet to finalise the names of the candidates who will file nominations, Indian National Students’ Organisation (INSO) has fielded four candidates — Mandeep Singh, Amita Dhawan, Shrikant Sharma and Sonia Sehrawat — for the DUSU panel.

New Deli, August 19
If your car’s numberplate is defective or the windowpanes are dark, be prepared to be prosecuted by the Delhi Traffic Police. So far the police have hauled up more than 3 lakh people this year for not observing the rules in this connection. The police have initiated a drive against those who are violating the rules by not fixing the numberplates as per the norms.

A stringent action is also being taken against those who have treated their vehicle windowpanes with dark films.

Joint Commissioner of Police, Traffic, Qamar Ahmed said, “The windowpanes of the car should be transparent. There is no question of any concession in this matter.”

He said that the law gives relaxation on the glasses where the vehicle manufacturer gives the company-made tinted glasses. But in this case, the specifications are already there, added Mr Ahmed.

According to a senior traffic police official, “We have directed all the checkposts in the districts to keep a watch on the vehicles. If anyone is found not having the numberplates as per the regulations, he would be prosecuted as per the law”.

The traffic police have prosecuted 89,202 drivers since March 29 for defective numberplates. This includes prosecution of 38,456 light goods vehicles. Besides, the police have also prosecuted 18,098 heavy transport vehicles, 16,619 motor cycles, 12,770 car/jeeps and 820 TSRs.

Similar action has been taken against dark films on car windowpanes. The data available claims that since July 27, the traffic police have taken action against 22,945 vehicles. This includes 22,719 cars/jeeps and 226 taxis.

Gurgaon, August 19
A clash between villagers in Kadirpur in Sohna Assembly segment in this district and a farmhouse owner and his associates resulted in firing today in which one person was injured.

The injured, Mr Bulla Ram, a resident of village Kadirpur, received a gunshot on his leg.

According to the villagers, the owner of the farmhouse, Col J.K. Bhalla, was trying to encroach on panchayat land of Kadirpur. The dispute between the villagers and the farmhouse owner had been going for the past few days.

According to Col. Bhalla, the villagers started pelting stones on his farmhouse and his workers when a wall was being constructed around his property.

However, Mr Mahesh Taima, a member of Zilla Parishad said that the farmhouse owner had brought about 15 armed persons this morning who opened fire on the villagers.

The villagers say that the erection of the wall would have deprived of them of a thoroughfare. However, Col. Bhalla claims that he was building a wall on his own property.

Mr Bulla Ram, injured in the firing, was apparently in his house when the gunshot caught him by surprise. He is reportedly out of danger.

Col. Bhalla had set up his farmhouse about three years ago. After the incident, Col. Bhalla and his associates retreated to the farmhouse while more irate villagers started assembling at the site. Many of them were wielding lathis. A crowd of about 200 persons had assembled when the police reached the spot.

The police has rounded up Col. Bhalla and six of his associates from the farmhouse.

New Delhi, August 19
The CRPF jawan who shot dead his senior colleague at the residence of Union Minister Dayanidhi Maran on Thursday was today remanded to judicial custody till September 2 by a Delhi court.

Constable Ganesh Sutar was produced before Metropolitan Magistrate Deepak Garg, who sent him to 14 days’ judicial custody.

The accused had fired at head constable Suresh Dogra around 7.30 a.m. yesterday, killing him on the spot. The shooting took place in the guard room at 6, Akbar Road soon after Suresh went there after finishing his duty at the gate. Police said Ganesh was facing a departmental inquiry in which Suresh was a witness and cited this as the reason behind the shooting. — TNS

Greater Noida, August 19
A young man was done to death in Sadolapur village under Bisarakh police station and his dead body thrown in the fields. The family of the deceased has filed an FIR against unidentified assailants.

Sunder, son of Mansha Ram, was a truck driver in Priya Gold factory. He had gone home after leaving the truck in the company premises three days ago. His body was found in the fields by some women on Thursday evening at 8 p.m. Police had found signs of some wounds on the dead body which has been sent for autopsy. — OC