The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Delhi and neighbourhood

	Man gets death for killing wife, three daughters New Delhi, February 16 A businessman was Saturday given death penalty for poisoning and strangulating his wife and three minor daughters to death three years ago as a city court cited it as the “rarest of rare” cases. Additional Sessions Judge B.R. Kedia held Rajkumar Khandelwal guilty of killing wife and three children and awarded him death sentence. “It’s a case which falls under the category of the ‘rarest of rare’ as the man is responsible for the upkeep of his family and poisoning them is a shame,” said the judge in his order. Khandelwal killed his wife Anita and daughters Alisha, Chamma and Jyoti by first poisoning them and then strangling them, the prosecution said. The incident took place on the night of July 4-5, 2005 at the Hotel Gautam near the Old Delhi railway station. The police had then recovered a letter reportedly written by Khandelwal confessing the crime. During interrogations, he disclosed his identity and confessed to having murdered his wife and daughters. According to the prosecution, Khandelwal had taken a bank loan of Rs.1.3 million for his iron-manufacturing business but was unable to repay the same due to huge losses. In acute depression, he decided to kill his family members. “The loss in the business cannot be attributed to the lives of his wife and innocent children. He is the one who is responsible for it,” said the judge. He visited several temples at different places, including Varanasi, Delhi, Haridwar, Jammu, Katra, Rishikesh, Agra and Mathura before reaching Delhi, and hired a room in the hotel, where he committed the bizarre crime of killing his wife and three daughters, the prosecution said. — IANS
	Foreigner jumps on railway track, battles for life New Delhi, February 16 A foreign national, possibly from Japan, was battling for life Saturday evening after he jumped from a railway overbridge on to the tracks in the Chanakyapuri diplomatic area here,though police and fire service personnel tried to dissuade him. The man, in his early 20s and yet to be identified, was admitted to the Safdarjung Hospital with grievous head injuries and multiple fractures. He was wearing a green shirt and jeans. “He is a foreign national and we are trying to ascertain his identity. From his appearance he looks like a Japanese national and we have called an interpreter to record his statement,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southwest Delhi) Shalini Singh told IANS. The incident occurred around 4.15 p.m. when the man, reported to be in an intoxicated state, jumped on the railway tracks from a height of nearly 20-25 feet after giving a slip to the police and fire service officials who for over 45 minutes tried to overpower him. The man was first spotted walking on the railing of the overbridge by Rohit Dhaiya who was on his way to Connaught Place from his R.K. Puram home on a two-wheeler around 3.30 p.m. “I and other passers-by tried to dissuade him but he didn’t listen to anyone. We even threatened to report the matter to the police. He just gestured, asking us to go away or else he would jump,” Dhaiya, a software professional, told IANS. “He then threw some money at an old woman. I called the police control room (PCR) and left the area as I was getting late for my urgent work,” Dhaiya said. In between, three trains had passed by down below but the man sat quietly on the bridge railing, taking support of an advertisement hoarding, Dhaiya added. Anil Kumar, who was also there, said four PCR vans and a fire brigade tender arrived at the spot one after another within 10 minutes. “The policemen made all possible efforts to get him down but it was evident that the two sides couldn’t communicate properly due to the language barrier. The policemen failed to catch him due to the large hoarding blocking their way,” Kumar said. “When the policemen tried to reach the man from both sides of the railing, he stood up and threatened to jump. The policemen had no option to just wait there. Fire officials also failed to reach near him,” Kumar said. In the meantime, the policemen in coordination with Railway officials halted the railway traffic at the point for nearly 20 minutes. Shashi Kant Sharma, another eyewitness, said: “The policemen were afraid that he might pull them down along with him. But when three officials finally managed to partially catch him, he slipped from their clutches and fell on to the tracks.” Witnesses said the incident could have been averted had senior officials come and talked to the man. Soon after the incident, a large mass of curious onlookers gathered at the spot causing traffic snarls. — IANS
	Bank to bear cost of negligence New Delhi, February 16 The Standard Chartered Bank has been asked by a consumer court here to pay compensation of Rs 50,000 to logistics firm Kuehne & Nagel (India) Ltd for clearing a bearer cheque of Rs 400,000 without comparing the authorised signatures. “Despite guidelines issued by the Reserve Bank of India to all banks not to make payments against bearer cheques of heavy amounts above Rs 50,000, the bank cleared the cheque of Rs 400,000 without carefully comparing the signatures of the signatory with the specimen signatures. The bank is guilty for deficiency in service,” Justice J.D. Kapoor of the Delhi State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission said in his order. However, the bank pleaded that the firm, being a highly valued customer, was not to be treated at par with others in such type of payments. Thus, there was no practice of ensuring from the customer whether such a cheque had been issued and, therefore, the bank could not be held guilty for any deficiency in service. But the commission rejected Standard Chartered’s plea, asserting that protecting the interest of the consumer was more important than the bank’s practice. Kuehne & Nagel (India) Ltd had opened a current account with the bank in 1998 with the signatures of three authorised signatories. During the period in which Rs 400,000 cheque was cleared, two of the authorised signatories were out of town and the third signatory had instructed the bank to clear cheques with the signatures of one authorised signatory. About a week later, when the company received its weekly statement from the bank, it was noticed that its account had been debited in excess of Rs 400,000. Later, this amount was found to have been withdrawn on December 31, 1999, via a bearer cheque that was neither issued by the firm nor signed by any of the authorised signatories. In fact, the company had never issued a bearer cheque of such a heavy amount. “Practice of a bank is one thing but to protect the interest of consumers to rule out any offence or fraud, particularly when the payment is to be made across the counter, is another thing. Every service provider is required to take abundant precaution before any loss is occurred to its valued customer,” Justice Kapoor ruled. — IANS
	The last day of Appu Ghar Azera Rahman New Delhi, February 16 For those who grew up with at least one visit to Appu Ghar during their summer vacations and then visited years later with their kids for another of those roller coaster rides, it will be the last ride through memory lane tomorrow, as India’s first amusement park sells its last tickets. “They shouldn’t close down Appu Ghar!” cried eight-year-old Shalini Mehra, holding a pink candyfloss stick outside the amusement park even as the adorable orange coloured jumbo, the mascot of the 1982 Asian Games, rotated slowly at the entrance. “I come here so often. My cousins, who live in Jaipur and visit us every summer, also look forward to the rides here and then a dip at Oysters (the water park adjoining Appu Ghar)...Now where will we go? Will they build another Appu Ghar here?” she asked her father. Shalini’s concern was echoed by hundreds of other children and grown-ups who are simply heartbroken at the thought that Appu Ghar is running its last few rides before shutting down forever on Sunday evening. “I can’t believe they are closing down Appu Ghar,” said Ashwin Kumar, an engineer. “First it was the Chanakya Cinema and, now, it is Appu Ghar. These are the places we associate our childhood, our youth with. We have grown up in these places...they are a part of Delhi’s charm, its history,” 30-year-old Kumar said. However, Masifa, another eight-year-old, was too busy to be saddened. She had come all the way from Kashmir to Delhi for the first time and could not wait to hop in for all the rides at Appu Ghar. “We have come here earlier too, but for Masifa and my son it is the first time,” said Quratulain, her mother. “Achha hua hum aaj aagaye (Good that we came today). We did not know that it would close down on Sunday...that is such a pity! In Pehalgaon in Kashmir, there is an amusement park, but Appu Ghar is special and different. That is why, a visit here was a must when we were planning our trip to Delhi,” she told IANS. Inaugurated in 1984, Appu Ghar was the first amusement park in India, It is now making way for a wing of the Supreme Court that will house a library, lawyers’ chambers and offices. A part of it will be used by the Delhi Metro Railway Corporation (DMRC) to build a metro station. “It has been 24 years since I have been working here. Indira Gandhi wanted this park to be built and that is how it was born in 1984. At that time we used to charge Rs 10 per ride. From those days to today, when the ticket is Rs 220 (for a package of all the 21 rides) for children, we have come a long way,” Harish Singh at the ticket counter, with his grey hair gleaming in the sunlight, told IANS. “We are devastated by the Supreme Court’s judgement to close it down,” he said. Ram Kumar, one of the guards at the entrance gates, said, “There are about 300 employees in Appu Ghar - the people at the ticket counter, guards, those manning the rides. But nearly 1,000 people will be affected because the vendors here are dependent on Appu Ghar for their livelihood. What will we do?” Ajit Sharma, who sells things like camera films, toys, pens and key chains at the amusement park, said, “If Appu Ghar shifts to some other place, it will still be good news for us. But from what it seems, I don’t think that will happen...we have been here for as long as Appu Ghar has been. We will be seriously affected.” Appu Ghar, which normally receives nearly 1,000 visitors a day, especially during summer, when children have their vacations, is now recording a lower footfall of around 500. “Actually, there were talks going around that Appu Ghar will close down on January 31. That is why some people thought that it is already closed...we get numerous calls everyday enquiring about it. Also because it is the exam season, children are not coming in as many numbers. In any case now the end is approaching,” Singh said sadly. — IANS
	‘Delhi gates open to all’ Tribune News Service New Delhi, February 16 Union home minister Shivraj Patil today welcomed citizens of the country, who were interested in making a living in the national Capital. “It is here where politics of the country shapes up. This is the city where new ideas develop. The government wants people to come here and contribute to the city’s development. We welcome all,” Patil said on Delhi Police’s 61st Raising Day Parade at New Police Lines in Kingsway Camp. The home minister’s statement assumes significance in the backdrop of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray’s adverse remarks on migrants from North India and the subsequent violence in Maharashtra. Patil said that the city’s population had been increasing and one could not expect a decline in this. “The city population has crossed 1.4 crores and is growing at a fast pace. It is a challenge for the administration, but residents should respect the laws of the land and facilitate smooth functioning,” he said. Talking about corruption in police forces, Patil said that a minority was influenced by bad thoughts, 99 per cent of them were righteous. Noting the 2010 commonwealth games as a challenge for the city, he said that the police had to be properly equipped to handle the influx of people during the event. Delhi police commissioner Y S Dadwal promised to meet the challenges in an efficient and exemplary way. “The Delhi Police endeavours to raise the bar of acceptable performance. We are aware of the expectations of the public. We would try to continue as the country’s premier police force and match standards of the best in the world”, said Dadwal. The Union home minister also distributed gallantry medals to the deserving officers. He exhorted them to carry on the good work.
	BYPL officials assaulted Tribune News Service New Delhi, February 16 Officials of BYPL( Recovery Department )were seriously assaulted by three assailants in Karol Bagh’s popular China Market. A BYPL Assistant Manager sustained serious injuries. The Recovery officials had gone to disconnect the electricity of the consumer residing at WEA 14 A/34 China Market, Karol Bagh, who had an outstanding of over Rs 40,000 and was misusing the domestic connection for commercial purposes. “The Recovery team had gone to the venue to disconnect the defaulter’s electricity in accordance to the guidelines laid in the Indian Electricity Act ,2003, after the consumer failed to respond, let alone acknowledge ,the numerous notices sent by the company. The occupant of the premises had not paid his electricity bills since October 2007,” said a BSES official. Delhi Police personnel ,who were informed about the incident, promptly reached the venue and managed to arrest Vipin, Manoj and Uma Shankar - the three assailants, supposedly sent by the occupant. A FIR (No 24) has been registered against the three u/s 332, 353, 342 and 186 of the Indian Penal Code at the Karol Bagh Police Station. Later the electricity meter was removed with help of the local police. Half of China Market is a power theft area. It is not uncommon for BSES’ Enforcement Teams to be routinely attacked while performing their mandatory duties in the area. `The record fall in power theft cases , from 63 per cent (2002) to 30 per cent (2007) has not been an easy one. Till date, even after the setting up of Special Courts for electricity disputes and allocation of Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) to the discoms, they continue to encounter daily perils, while carrying out their routine duties”, said a BSES official.
	DMC advised to carry out survey of minorities Syed Ali Ahmed Tribune News Service New Delhi, February 16 The Delhi Minority Commission (DMC), like the Karnataka Minority Commission (KMC), should carry out a door to door survey for reservation of minorities in the Capital. Deputy chairperson of Rajya Sabha Dr K. Rehman Khan said this at a discussion on ‘Education Grants to Minorities’ organised by the DMC. The KMC had carried out the survey 15 years ago. Thereafter, the government gave four per cent reservation to minorities. Now, their lives are better, he said. The Centre had sanctioned Rs 70,000 crore for the uplift of minorities. But only Rs 40,000 crore have been spent so far. The remaining amount lapsed, as people did not come forward to benefit from the schemes. Advocate Tarique Siddiqui opposed Rehman, when he said that minorities in South India were more aware than those in North India. Siddiqui said that minority status had not been bestowed on North Indian minority institutes as compared to those in South India. He said that institutes like — Jamia Millia Islamia and Aligarh Muslim University had been demanding minority status for years. Dr Rehman could not answer to Dr Hepesh Shepherd, director, Ingraham Institute, when he asked about the grants given to minority institutions. Even the DMC secretary avoided the question. Shepherd said that government schemes are meant only for people. There is no mention of institutions. He said that on going through the government programmes related to minorities, it appeared that it was tolerating them. It should encourage such schemes, he advised. All minority groups including members of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee attended the function.
	Attacks on North Indians condemned Tribune News Service New Delhi, February 16 Several social organisations and personalities from various walks of life, under the banner of Federation of Responsible Societies, today gathered in the Capital to condemn violence against North Indians in Maharashtra. The Federation has demanded from the government to take immediate action to improve the situation in the area. It said that the railway ministry should be ready for evacuation in case of mass exodus. It would also appeal to the home minister to curb the ongoing attacks on North Indians. “More forces should be sent to Maharashtra to safeguard the lives of non-Marathas,” said Ravi Ranjan Singh from Samast Bharat Desham. “We are a country of Gandhi and we should not turn violent. The organisation is going to take constitutional measures to ensure the safety of migrants,” he added. “But we would be forced to boycott the state in case tension continues,” he said. The organisation has distributed flowers to Marathis in Bihar symbolising peace between the communities. Former MP BA Paswan, who just returned from the affected region said, “I have visited the area. The politicians are playing vote-bank politics. The residents do not have any hard feelings for each other.” Residents of Maharashtra should maintain peace and respect each other. “I have written to the law minister and have asked him to prohibit fundamental organisations to use words like – sena and dal,” said Ram Chander Jain, former Naval officer. “Sedition is a serious crime that leads to death penalty,” said Kesari Singh Gujjar, lawyer in the Supreme Court. “So leaders, who are making these sweeping statements should be punished accordingly.”
	Farmers’ dharna for relief Our Correspondent Greater Noida, February16 Farmers agitating for higher compensation for land acquired by the Greater Noida Authority have forcibly stopped the development work in their villages. The farmers, who sat on a dharna in front of the Greater Noida Development Authority office and in their fields, had stopped the work in various villages, demanding inclusion of land already acquired under rates applicable in April 2005, into the new package. The farmers said they would not allow the government to take possession of their land until their demands were accepted. They stopped the construction work in Ghori Vachhera, Saini, Mathurapur, Raipur Bangar, and Ajaibpur villages. Later ,SDM Sadar and Dadri reached there with a posse of police. In the meantime SP leader Ashok Chauhan, Brijinder Bhatti and ex -MLA Nawab Singh Nagar also reached there. All political leaders dared the police to arrest them and the farmers. Farmers, their families and children had assembled in large numbers. Seeing a large number of villagers, the police retraced their steps. The politicians said the GNID Authority had gone back on its assurances to the farmers. GNID Authority chairman Lalit Srivastava ,however, said that farmers who had accepted compensation in 2005 were also now clamouring for the latest revised rate of Rs 800 per sq. yard. It was highly unethical, Srivastava added.
	Illicit liquor factory found Tribune News Service New Delhi, February 16 With the arrest of Surjeet Singh, 50, and Vikram Singh, 20, both residents of village Jaitpur, Badarpur, the South District Police has busted a clandestine factory, manufacturing illicit liquor in the area of Madanpur Khadar, and seized 430 litres of freshly prepared liquor. About 600 litres of ‘lahan’ used for preparation of illicit liquor have been destroyed. The police of Madanpur Khadar, police station Sarita Vihar, had received information that in the Yamuna Khadar area behind Narula Farm, Jaitpur, illicit liquor is manufactured in huge quantity. The information was developed and a raid conducted at about 9.00 in the morning. The raiding team found a ‘bhatti’ (furnace). Two persons, later identified as Surjeet Singh and Vikram Singh, were putting wood in the furnace. They were caught immediately. On checking, the wine was found to be 430 litres. The raiding team destroyed about 600 litres of raw material used for preparation of liquor.
	Land transfer fraud Our Correspondent Noida, February 16 A tracer in land consolidation department had lodged a complaint that a Lekhapal (revenue official) had illegally transferred 3700 sq yard of the gram sabha in village Dujana to a person by tampering with the revenue record. The land had been transferred to another Ghatta No, fraudulently. The land is worth over a crore. The construction being done on the land has been stalled by the land consolidation officer, but no action has yet been taken against Lekhapal. Gram sabha land in Gram Dujana in Dadri Tehsil, vide Ghatta No. 649 was registered in the revenue record. Village Lekhapal, Promode Kumar Kardam had borrowed the revenue map from tracer Ranjit Singh to consult it. Later Lekhapal had returned the map to tracer but Ghatta No. 649 and 621-2 had been tampered with. Gram sabha member Gajraj said though a complaint had been lodged but consolidation officer did not take action against Lekhapal. A complaint has been lodged with District Magistrate. Consolidation officer Yashvir Singh said he had examined the spot and stopped construction work.
	400 posts vacant in Delhi’s juvenile homes Azera Rahman New Delhi, February 16 Despite an urgent need for more staff in juvenile homes across the Capital, nearly 400 posts have been lying vacant for the past three to four years, says Jayshree Raghuraman, secretary of the women and child development ministry’s social welfare department. She admitted that proper care was not being administered in the homes run by the social welfare department because of a high number of children and inadequate staff. “There have been 300 to 400 vacancies since the past three to four years. The recruitment is through the Delhi Subordinate Services Selection Board, in which the candidate has to sit for an exam and then go through an interview round,” Raghuraman said. “Also, the person has to be trained in handling children at rehabilitation centres and juvenile homes. All of this has been taking a lot of time,” Raghuraman told IANS today on the sidelines of the national consultative meeting. — IANS
	Millions swindled from court staff’s PF Ghaziabad, February 16 Over Rs.70 million have been swindled from the provident fund account of the court staff here with a judge filing a police complaint naming some employees. Special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Court Judge Rama Jain late Friday filed the complaint at the Kavi Nagar police station here. According to the police, a vigilance team of the audit cell of the Allahabad High Court noticed the swindling and informed the high court. The registrar of the high court ordered the local court here to lodge a first information report (FIR) with the police to initiate legal action against the guilty. The special judge in her complaint named a functionary as main culprit in addition to the 13 Class-III employees, 30 Class-IV employees and 39 unidentified outside people. The Kavi Nagar police, on the complaint, registered a criminal case against 85 people. — IANS