The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Delhi and neighbourhood

	Ex- councillor held for murder New Delhi, February 20 Ashok Jain, a former councillor of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), was arrested on Wednesday for his alleged involvement in murdering a city-based builder last year, police said. Jain was arrested from Delhi Police’s Crime Branch office in Chanakyapuri after he was being called for questioning in the case of Vijay Dhaiya’s murder at his Hauz Qazi home in September last year. “We have arrested Jain after his direct involvement in the murder was established. He would be produced before a city court Thursday,” said Delhi Police spokesman Rajan Bhagat. Police said he had paid money to goons to eliminate Dhaiya following a property dispute. In 2004, the Congress par for six years after the Central Bureau Of Investigation (CBI) caught him red-handed taking a bribe of Rs 100,000 from a builder at his Sitaram Bazar office in north Delhi. He was released on bail a month later. At that time he was the deputy chairman of the MCD Standing Committee.—IANS
	Dalit researcher harassed JNUSU protests against victimisation Akhila Singh Tribune News Service New Delhi, February 20 Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) has protested against the victimisation of a Dalit woman researcher from the School of Life Sciences (SLS). An M.Phil. and Ph.D. student in SLS has been subjected to harassment whereby she had to discontinue her studies in JNU and take admission in the Ph.D. programme offered at IIT-Roorkee. “Her CSIR fellowship has discontinued since April 2007, which is impeding the continuation and transfer of the fellowship in her new enrolment,” maintains JNUSU. According to the JNUSU office-bearers, the student, who was already a CSIR-JRF qualified scholar, has completed 3 semesters in her M.Phil./Ph.D. enrolment in JNU including the mandatory 2 semesters of coursework. Since in the coursework, she had the mandatory grades necessary for an SC student to opt for a direct Ph.D., she opted for it. Since then, the victim has faced numerous hurdles in her lab experiments and passing of synopsis towards confirmation in the Ph.D. programme. In addition, since April 2007, her supervisors have refused to sanction her CSIR fellowship. “The student has painstakingly and patiently taken up the issue of her confirmation in the Ph.D. programme and her scholarship both with the School and the JNU administration, but of no avail,” said Sandeep, president, JNUSU. “It is matter of shame for the university that it has not been able to retain a well-qualified student, who has proved her academic credentials.” However, the victim’s supervisor has claimed that her research is not up to the mark and that she is not interested in research. Meanwhile, JNUSU demands that immediate steps be taken to address the issue along with the release of her fellowship. All the details regarding the issue must be on record. “The entire JNU community will strongly resist such vindictive discrimination of a woman Dalit student,” said Sandeep.
	Teen found dead Tribune News Service New Delhi, February 20 Ninteen-year-old Razia Khatun was found dead due to burn injuries last night in her Pratap Garden house in West Delhi. According to local police, Razia died due to explosion of gas cylinders in the kitchen. However, the body was found from the bedroom while the LPG cylinders in the kitchen were intact. The fire brigade officials maintain that they had received calls regarding the fire in the kitchen but on reaching the spot found that the fire had broken out in the bedroom. It had been extinguished before the arrival of fire brigades. The fire officials handed over the body to the local police station of Bindapur. According to DCP West, Robin Hibu, there seems to be some foul play as Razia had marks on the neck. He said investigation is on and only after the postmortem report will the police be able to ascertain the cause of death. Razia lived with one Musharaff who regarded her as his daughter. Musharaff was not in the house when the incident took place. He said he had been called by one of the neighbours who told him about the fire. “When I came home, although the fire had been extinguished I had lost my daughter,” said Musharaff. He revealed that Razia had marks on the neck and a hole in the chest. Musharaff believes that someone had killed Razia first and then tried to burn her.
	School faces closure for beating student New Delhi, February 20 A private school in Delhi faces closure as a Class 10 student has remained in coma for over a month after being beaten by a teacher. “There is no place of corporal punishment in education and such types of incidents will not be tolerated by the government. We have issued a show-cause notice to the school and have asked why it should not be de-recognised,” Delhi education minister Arvinder Singh Lovely said Wednesday. Rinky Kaushik, a 15-year-old student of the Dinkar National Model School in east Delhi, slipped into coma after her schoolteacher beat her. Her parents have complained the teacher, Dhirendra Kumar Dinkar, beat her with a stick when she refused to attend his tuition classes. A resident of Mayur Vihar, Kaushik has been lying in the intensive care unit (ICU) of the Maharaja Agrasen Hospital since Jan 7. Doctors performed surgery to remove a blood clotting from her head. “The girl is out of danger,” the minister told reporters after visiting the hospital Wednesday. Lovely also directed the education department to conduct an inquiry through a committee headed by a deputy director. The minister said such incidents “cast a question mark on the noble profession” of teaching. He said it is the duty of all citizens of Delhi, including teachers, parents and general public, to oppose corporal punishment. “I urge the parents to come forward to report such incidents to the education department so that action can be taken against them,” he added.—IANS
	Uma Khurana reinstated Tribune News Service New Delhi, February 20 The infamous schoolteacher Uma Khurana, who was dismissed by the Delhi government following her arrest about six months ago when a TV sting operation showed her involved in a prostitution racket, has been reinstated in the services today. The department of education of the Delhi government decided to revoke her dismissal after she was given a clean chit by the court in the sting operation of a sex racket. Khurana was not available for comment but her lawyer Amit Kumar said she was “very happy” with the decision. Amit revealed that she had received a letter from the department regarding her reinstatement and asking her to join duty. “She has thanked all those who have given her the moral support and help during the difficult phase of her life,” he said. Khurana was dismissed from service following the airing of the sting operation which purportedly showed the teacher as running a prostitution racket of school girls. However, the expose turned out to be “fake” after it came to light that her business associate Virender Arora and a TV reporter Prakash Singh were allegedly framing her in the case. She was subsequently discharged by a city court on November 1 last year due to lack of evidence, but the government did not reinstate her.
	Abnormal heartbeats a sign of arrhythmia Ravi Bhatia Tribune News Service New Delhi, February 20 If your heart skips a beat on and off on its own and not because of the effect of Bollywood heartthrobs, you could be suffering from arrhythmia. Arrhythmia, also known as dysrhythmia, is caused by certain problems that impinge on the electrical system of the heart muscle resulting in asymmetrical heart cadence. Such malfunction can cause the heart to pump less effectively. Arrhythmia is a disease in which the heart can beat either too fast, or too slow, or with an irregular rhythm. The heartbeat that is too fast is known as tachycardia and the slower one is known as bradycardia. The disease can occur when an abnormal rate of heart rhythm is developed by the natural heart pacemaker. It may also bud, if the normal conduction pathway is interrupted with. When another part of the heart takes up the task of pace making, the chances of developing the disease are more rampant. The normal heartbeat of an individual, when at rest is 60-80 times per minute, which increases with the augment in the level of physical drudgery. The heartbeats by the movement action of the electrical impulse. The condition of tachycardia, may arise when the heartbeats 120-150 times. Whereas, in case of bradycardia there is a 2: 1 ratio in the heartbeats, that is instead of two the heartbeats just once. According to Dr Umesh Gupta, cardiologist, Umkal Hospital, “There are many causes behind this disease, which include coronary artery disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, smoking, excessive use of alcohol or caffeine, drug abuse and stress.” Generally arrhythmia is harmless in nature, but at times it can be serious or fatal. As under such an abnormality of the heartbeats, functioning of the heart may not be able to pump enough blood to the body. And as a matter of fact, lack of blood flow can damage the brain, heart, and other organs. A milestone in the treatment of arrhythmias is through the ECG, also called Electrocardiogram. ECG helps in solving all rhythm-related problems. “The ECG’s function is to record the electric activity of the heart. With every beat of the heart, it sends across an electric-like signal. In order to record the electric activity, small patches or stickers called ‘electrodes’ are placed on different parts of the body, one on each arm and leg and six across the chest,” says Dr Umesh Gupta.
	Ways to prevent backache New Delhi, February 20 Backaches and neck pains have become common complaints among those with sedentary lifestyles. And experts stress that the incorporation of ergonomic workstations, the right posture and exercise are essential to increase the productivity of employees. According to doctors, nearly 90 percent of people suffer from back problems at some point in life. What aggravates the problem is not maintaining the right posture and not being able to adjust their fixed workstation according to their needs. Sanjay Sarup, a paediatric orthopaedic surgeon at the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital here, explains ergonomics as the science of making one’s workplace safe and comfortable as per individual needs. The use of a healthy workstation could boost the attendance as well as the productivity of the workforce significantly, Sarup told IANS. An ergonomically designed workstation, which can be readjusted, will allow a computer user to work in a neutral, relaxed and ideal typing posture that will minimise the risk of developing any back-related problems. Gaurav Gupta from BP Ergo, a company dealing in modular furniture systems, said ergonomic furniture is made of composite material like aluminium, steel and stainless steel, and is designed to suit specific needs of different individuals at the workplace. The price of ergonomically designed furniture starts from Rs 8,000 and varies according to size. So have firms in India started using ergonomic furniture? “It is very much in demand and we have already provided such furniture to companies like Nokia, American Express, Bank of America, Reliance and Birla Sun Life Insurance amongst others,” he said. But Mehernaaz Damania, a Mumbai-based corporate fitness consultant and back pain therapist, explains that an ergonomically designed workplace alone cannot prevent backache problems. Sitting in the right posture is important to reap its benefits. “Posture is the place from where health begins,” Mehernaaz said. She added that if the right posture was not maintained while sitting for 8-10 hours a day in office, it affects breathing and blood circulation, disrupts the functioning of internal organs, besides affecting the functions of muscles and joints. “One has to know how to sit properly. How high or how low the chair and computer should be placed are important considerations in reducing the incidence of such ailments,” she said. Mehernaaz, who has trained many people to make proper use of ergonomics at their workplace, suggests that if a firm installs such furniture, the staff should be trained for its proper use. However, Sarup and Mehernaaz maintained that there was no substitute for adequate exercise. The fitness expert advised that a person should ideally get up and move around every 15 minutes or include regular stretches between their working hours. This is important to avoid stiffness in the muscles and joints that lead to pain in the neck and back, she said. “India is a nation sitting on the butt,” remarked Sarup. The orthopaedic surgeon suggested that people go for regular walks, go to the gym or engage in some physical activity to boost their productivity in a natural way.—IANS
	Meet on spinal injuries Tribune News Service New Delhi, February 20 In order to focus attention on the recent advances in management of various spinal ailments, the Spinal Cord Society (Indian chapter) and the Indian Spinal Injuries Centre are organizing an International Spine and Spinal Injuries Conference (ISSICON-2008) from February 22 to 24. The conference will bring together over 500 participants from all over the world—36 distinguished foreign faculty members and 85 eminent national faculty members—to deliberate on various aspects related to spinal injuries and spinal ailments. The theme of the conference is “Recent Advances in Spine Care”. The various aspects related to spinal injuries/spinal ailments that will be covered in the conference and are important for the developing countries of the region would be, role of stem cells in management of spinal cord injuries in human beings, pre-hospital management of trauma patients (management at site of accident, proper evacuation to the nearest faculty and then transfer to a definitive faculty), advances in rehabilitation management of spinal injuries, assistive technology, prevention of spinal cord injuries in developing countries, advances in back pain, minimal access (key hole) surgeries, disc replacements, education and research, etc. One of the main highlights of the conference will be a special session on the prevention of spinal cord injury in developing countries of Asia. Realizing the fact that most of the professionals in developing countries of the region are not fully aware about the basics of spinal cord injury management, a post-conference workshop has been scheduled on “Management of Spinal Cord Injuries” from February 25 to 27, 2008. The aim of the workshop will be to train professionals—doctor, nurse, physiotherapist, occupational therapist, social worker, psychologist, nutritionist, community health worker and health care manager involved in management of spinal cord injuries in various centres. The conference will be inaugurated by Tejendra Khanna, Lt. Governor of Delhi. During the conference, a panel of judges comprising distinguished national and international faculty members will choose the best paper and poster presenters in the field of surgical and rehabilitation management of spinal injuries. The award for the winners would be fellowships in reputed centres in Europe. In addition an award of 1000 Euro has been sponsored by one of the international faculty members for the best-published paper.
	BJP for Rs 45000 package in Budget Tribune News Service New Delhi, February 20 The BJP today demanded from the central government a special fund of Rs 45,000 crore in the Budget for the year 2008 to make the city worth living. Delhi BJP president Dr. Harsh Vardhan said that at the rate of Rs 20 crore each for providing basic amenities to each unauthorised colony a sum of Rs. 32000 crore was needed. At least Rs. 20 crore was needed for the development of each village of Delhi. For 364 villages a total amount of Rs. 7280 crore was needed. For improving the sewerage an amount of Rs 6000 crore was needed immediately. Addressing a conference, he said that central government had given a package of Rs. 15000 crore to the farmers of Vidharbha for saving them from starvation and suicides. A package of more than Rs. 10,000 has been given to Jammu and Kashmir State. The central government has also sanctioned Rs 32000 crore for the development of North-East states. UP Chief Minsiter Mayawati has also been given the latest package of Rs 2000 crore for saving the people of Bundelkhand. Similar packages have been given to Bihar, Uttaranchal, Andhra Pradesh etc. The Delhi BJP chief said that as Delhi was the capital of the country it reflected the image of country, hence it was the responsibility of the central government to develop it as a model capital. Delhi is not very large, it can be developed very fast. Delhi is not a full-fledged state hence the central government will have to take initiative to make it a model state. The money given for the development of Delhi as a package should be monitored by the central government itself so that the corrupt Congress government of Delhi does not misappropriate this fund like the fund for yamuna cleaning. Demanding special fund for development of the national Capital, Dr. Harsh Vardhan, had written a letter to the union finance minister. According to the latest Master Plan, population of Delhi is 1.62 crore. If one trusts the government statistics, about five lakh newcomers settle in the city every year. Of the total population 40 per cent people do not have houses of their own. The power requirement of Delhi is 4000 mega watt and 950 million gallon water per day. According to an estimate, Rs. 1800 crore have been spent for cleaning yamuna. The Delhi government has framed a new scheme to spend an amount of about Rs. 1500 crore to clean the river. There are about 1600 unauthorised colonies in Delhi and 364 urban and rural villages. There are 18 big drains in the capital which discharge sewage into the yamuna. The walled city has its own problems. The sewer system has collapsed here. The transport is at the mercy of God. There are also problems in the field of education, health, sanitation, security. He said that special fund is required to bring all these thing in order.
	BJP Jind rally to show strength Ravi S.Singh Tribune News Service Faridabad, February 20 The Haryana unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party plans to use its March 16 Vijaya Sankalp rally at Jind to send a strong message to the voters that it was keen on building its organisation and going it alone in the elections. A former state minister and a senior party leader Krishan Pal Gujaar said here that the rally would set the election mood. The Yatra from three centres will start on February 24 and culminate in a rally at Jind on March 16. Vice-president of the Kisan Morcha and party MP from Sonipat,Kisan Singh Sangwan said that the INLD cadre was “rumour mongering” about possible alliance with the BJP.Addresing a workers’ meeting at Gurgaon yesterday he is reported to have stated that a section in the INLD was spreading the canard so as to prevent the party leaders and supporters from switching over to the BJP.He asserted that there was no possibility of the BJP entering into electoral tie-up with the INLD. The BJP has suffered immensely in the past due to electoral tie-ups, especially with the INLD,he added. The Yatra will start from Mujhauli in Faridabad,Nangal Chaudhary in Mahendergarh and Kalka and from Faridabad by the party general secretary Capt.Abhimanyu. The latter would cover Faridabad,Gurgaon and Rohtak parliamentary constituencies and 27 assembly segments.The yatra would traverse both the Jat and non-Jat dominiated areas.Also,Rohtak is the home district of Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and the parliamentary seat is also represented by his son Deepender Hooda. Hooda is considered to be the dominating political figure in Rohtak after he made a dent in the INLD citadel. The BJP plans to set up booth and village level teams for the coming Lok Sabaha election. The BJP will be specially targeting the ruling Congress in Haryana and at the Centre during the Yatra.
	Religious leaders come together against foeticide New Delhi, February 20 In a new initiative to counter the scourge of female foeticide in the country, leaders of different faiths have come together to launch a campaign against the social evil. Inaugurating the campaign here today, Vice-President Hamid Ansari said female foeticide could not be countered merely with the help of law. It is not a problem, but a disease, he said, adding no new law will help. Instead, look into the mirror and ask yourself as to when it began and how can it be cured. Needless to say, the figures are alarming. If we do not put a full stop to it now, it will be worse than AIDS and cancer. We now hear of female foeticide from posh areas of Delhi too, said Jain leader Yuva Acharya Lokesh. Muslim leader Mufti Mohammad Mukarram said Islam does not allow female foeticide and termed it as a blot on humanity. No society is complete without a woman. What women can contribute to the society and the home, no man can achieve it, he said.—PTI

DMC opposes shopping complex near Jama Masjid
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, February 20
A delegation of Delhi Minority Commission (DMC) along with representatives of Muslim organisation including ex-vice chancellor of Jamia Millia Islamia today told the Lt. Governor of Delhi Tejender Khanna that the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) had made a plan to construct a high-rise shopping complex near Jama Masjid.

This idea of the corporation will damage the beauty of the historical monument. Constructing a shopping complex near Jama Masjid is allegedly an idea of a deputy commissioner of the MCD, DMC chairman Kamal Faruqui said.

The Lt. Governor has assured the delegation members that the sanctity of the historical Jama Masjid would be maintained. Shopping complex will not be constructed if it damages the beauty of the monument. He will discuss this issue with the municipal commissioner, Faruqui said.

Christian member of the DMC, Arnold James said that during discussion with the Lt Governor, he appealed for renovation of the bus stand and also shifting of the DTC bus pass counter located near St. James Church at Kashmere Gate.

Film fest on disability begins
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, February 20
The 5th We Care Film Festival on Disability started today at India International Centre, Lodhi Road, in the Capital. The programme was organised by Brotherhood Society in collaboration with the World Bank and Asian Academy of Films and TV.

Around 47 documentaries from all over the country and abroad took part in the festival.

Mark Sofer, ambassador of Israel was the Chief Guest of the programme.

M H Raina, Satish Kapoor and Poonam Natrajan (Chairperson, National Trust) and others took part in the programme.

The programme was held under the stewardship of Dr Sandeep Khanna (addl. secretary, Ministry of Social Justice).

Scuffle at AIIMS hits services
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, February 20
As a result of fight between one Inderpal, who works in the electricity department of the All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS) and a few resident doctors of the hospital, the work at the prestigious medical institute remained disrupted for quite a few hours. It was only after the mediation of police officers that the dispute was settled between the maintenance employees and the doctors.

According to reports, Inderpal had brought his father Pyarelal to the hospital in the morning today due to some heart complications. The doctors on duty did not attend to Pyarelal promptly following which a verbal duel ensued between the doctors and Inderpal. They soon came to blows in which Inderpal suffered head injuries. The maintenance employees of the hospital then came in support of Inderpal. They were demanding the arrest of the doctor. The fracas led to disruption of treatment at the hospital causing inconvenience to many patients.

Two on bike fire at cops

New Delhi, February 20
Two unidentified motorcycle-riding men shot at police personnel in the Capital and escaped after a nearly half-an-hour chase, which seemed straight out of a Bollywood flick.

Around 12.30 p.m., three policemen Roop Kishor, Lalit and Jagdeesh deployed with police control room (PCR) van stopped the duo in Patparganj area in east Delhi as their motorbike had different vehicle registration numbers on the front and rear number plates.

The two, in their 20s, first tried to strike a deal with the policemen and even asked them to talk to their lawyer on their cell phone.

As the policemen paid no heed, the duo tried to flee, leaving their motorcycle behind. And when the police neared them, they opened fire. The cops, however, escaped unhurt.

The two then robbed the motorcycle of a Reliance Fresh executive, who was passing by, and fled the scene.

A witness, who did not wish to be named, said: “The duo fired at least seven-eight gunshots at the policemen, but there was no retaliatory firing from the opposite side. The policemen were just saving their lives.”

“Thankfully, there was hardly anyone nearby, otherwise it could have resulted in a bigger tragedy,” the witness said.

The police said they cordoned off the area and a search was on to nab the culprits. However, they refused to comment on why the policemen didn’t act swiftly.

“It is a matter of investigation and we will not reveal anything about the probe. We have got some possible clues and a search is on,” a police official said.—IANS

Blueline driver wants to adopt ‘Goltu’

New Delhi, February 20
The tragic story of ‘goltu’, the three-month-old baby who lost both his parents to the Blueline menace in the Capital today had another moving chapter, with the driver of the bus in question wanting to adopt him.

I am really sorry for what has happened. I will support the child in any way. I will even adopt the child as I do not have any children, Ramesh Chander, the driver of the bus, said.

The baby’s father Atiq Ali was killed in a Blueline accident on Sunday, while his mother Daliya Bibi, devastated after the mishap, allegedly committed suicide the next day. Christened by the staff of the AIIMS, where Goltu was under their care till his uncle came from new Jalpaiguri in West Bengal to take him. The driver of the bus involved in the accident today said he would like to adopt the child.—PTI