New Delhi, September 20
Atif Bashir, 24, the alleged mastermind of the Delhi blasts, was killed in an encounter yesterday at Jamia Nagar.

He did not only frame the serial blasts in the national Capital but was also responsible for the blasts in Jaipur (May 13), Ahmedabad (July 26) and district courts in three cities of Uttar Pradesh in November the last year.

Atif, who hails form the Sarai Meer area of Azamgarh in U.P., had visited almost all nook and corner of the country to meet his allies and recruit members in the name of Islam.

Pursuing a postgraduate diploma course in human rights from Jamia Milia Islamia, he is said to have been motivated by Al Queda and its chief Osama bin Laden’s fight against western countries.

The laptop found from his hideout has been sent for forensic test. The police has recovered photographs of Laden and material on Al Queda.

“There are several photographs of Laden and his messages urging Muslims to fight against the imperialism of the USA and its supporting countries. The man was in the habit of reading,” informed a special cell official.

The police has also recovered a book from among his belongings which had an underlined paragraph which talked about Jehad in the 18th century.

Mohammad Saif, 23, who was arrested yesterday from the encounter site, revealed that they took orders from Atif. Atif was the boss. He worked independently.

Although he met Mohammad Subhan alias Tauqeer of SIMI regularly, Tauqeer
did not command him.

“Tauqeer gave operational support whenever Atif asked for it, but he did not take orders from anybody. He targeted the cities and the areas. He recruited his men and assigned them tasks,” informed the official.

According to Saif, Atif was very particular that no one carried a mobile phone
during an operation. Atif was also very particular that the people working with
him kept clean looks.

“He was against the typical looks of a bearded Muslim youth and encouraged workers to wear jeans and trousers. However, he never forced if the other person was not ready to change as per his instructions,” said a senior police official adding that in fact Tauqeer in his correspondence with Lashkar-e-Tayiba (LeT) had told them that this group was unlike an outfit they might have come across.

Zeeshan, 25, who planted the bomb at Barakhamba Road where seven people were killed, comes from Azamgarh in UP.

He was arrested yesterday evening from the Jhandawalan area of Central Delhi.

Authorities at the Indian Institute of Planning and Management (IIPM) have confirmed that Zeeshan had passed out in the last batch.

The institute’s head of corporate communications Amit Saxena said, “He was a student in our last batch, which passed out this summer and his overall attendance record was 79 per cent.”

The institute’s students and teachers said that he was a normal student and never gave the slightest hint that he could be involved in any such an activity.

Mohammad Saif, 23, had planted a bomb at Regal Cinema in Connaught Place, which luckily did not go off. He too hails from Azamgarh.

The Delhi police’s special cell team caught him yesterday from the house in Jamia Nagar where Atif and Sajid were killed.

In a condolence message to the members of the bereaved family Hooda said the contribution of the inspector in combating terrorism would always be remembered.

New Delhi, September 20
At a special meeting of the Delhi unit of the BJP, rich tributes were paid to martyr inspector Mohan Chand Sharma who was killed in an encounter with the terrorists yesterday and condolences were expressed for the bereaved family members.

Dr Harsh Vardhan along with other party workers attended the funeral at Nigam Bodh Ghat today.

He described the death of the inspector as a great loss not only for the Delhi police, but also Delhi and the country as a whole.

During his exemplary police career, Mohan Chand Sharma had succeeded in eliminating more than a dozen terrorists and was rewarded seven times for bravery.

Narrating Sharma’s commendable job in his police career, the Delhi BJP chief said the inspector was a courageous warrior who fought terrorism.

True tribute to Sharma would be only when associates of killed terrorists
identified and killed.

Time is most appropriate when the police along with the public launched an in-depth operation against terrorism.

Dr Harsh Vardhan clarified that there was no other way to get rid of terrorism and terror-related fearful atmosphere.

Terrorists have become outrageous and they are indulging in bomb blasts challenging the authorities openly.

New Delhi, September 20
This year has brought a double whammy to the anti-terrorist squad of the Delhi police. It lost two ace sharpshooters — assistant commissioner of police (ACP) Rajbir Singh in March and inspector Mohan Chand Sharma in Friday’s shootout.

Both lived by the gun and, eventually, died by it and together had nearly 90 ‘kills’ to their credit.

Singh and Sharma were part of the ‘Dirty Harry squad’ of the Delhi police and the face of the counter terrorism operations in the Capital.

While Singh was allegedly killed by a property dealer in March, Sharma succumbed to bullet injuries during a firefight with suspected terrorists at Jamia Nagar in South Delhi on Friday.

“Both were sharpshooters of the Delhi police’s anti-terror special cell and were the strength of the department due to their expertise in analysing intelligence inputs and anti-terrorist operations,” a Delhi police official said.

Both had developed a vast network of informers and often received valuable tip-offs from their informers, who they assiduously cultivated over the years.

The word “encounter” entered the lexicon in the mid-1990s when gangsters from western Uttar Pradesh began making forays into the Capital.

Rajbir Singh and Mohan Chand Sharma were among the most prominent encounter specialists at the time.

The special cell was formed in 1986, when militancy in Punjab was at its height, with an office in the backyard of Lodhi Road police station.

For nearly a decade, however, the unit remained in complete anonymity.

A change was ushered in 1998 when Ashok Chand was appointed its deputy commissioner of police.

Rajbir Singh, who had by then earned a name for himself as “encounter specialist”, was posted as ACP.

Singh handpicked Mohan Chand Sharma along with Badrish Dutt, Lalit Mohan Negi, Hridya Bhushan and others. Sharma, 44, is one of the most decorated officers.

He had joined as a sub-inspector in 1989 and soon proved himself to be a policeman with his nose to the ground. — IANS

New Delhi, September 20
Religious leaders of all faiths today sharply criticised terrorism and violence in the name of religion, at a seminar that was to mark the tercentenary of the installation of the Guru Granth Sahib as the eternal guru of the Sikhs.

The Quest for Knowledge Foundation and the Delhi Minorities Commission had organised an interfaith seminar on ‘Guru Granth Sahib-an epitome of interfaith’ at the India Islamic cultural centre in the Capital today.

After paying condolence to the victims of the Delhi serial bomb blasts, the president of the Quest for Knowledge Foundation Jitender Pal Singh said that the foundation was working among the children, inculcating a feeling of religious harmony and peace in them.

“Guru Nanak fought against discrimination in the name of class, caste and gender. Religions never preach hatred,” he added.

A member of the Delhi minority commission, Pushpinder Singh said that people understood the relevance of communal harmony and that was the reason behind the participation of so many people in the seminar.

“Guru Nanak spoke about humanity and equality. In Punjab religious issues that could spark violence anywhere else, are sorted out so peacefully,” said Mufti Mohd. Mukaram Sahib, Shahi Imam, Fateh Puri Masjid.

He said, “I believe that Allah would have wanted one religion for the whole world.”

Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, who participated in the seminar, used the forum to speak about the recent incidents of terrorism.

“Terrorists do not have anything to do with any religion. Their sole motive is destruction,” she said.

Sadhvi Sadhana, a Jain religious leader said “confusions and dilemmas surrounding religions are creating differences between people.”

Swami Shantatmananda of the Rama Krishna Mission Ashram echoed similar opinion saying “Violent people do not belong to any religion. No religion in the world talks about disharmony.”

“As religious leaders, this is our responsibility to take this message to people across the country,” he added.

Zorastrian leader Dadi Mistry spoke about universal harmony and said, “I have been a witness to the violence at the time of partition and I believe that a deeper understanding of religions is required.”

“Diversity should not divide us. We should take this opportunity to think about the reasons behind the religious hostility,” said Vincent M Consassio, Archbishop of Delhi.

Trustee of the Lotus Temple A.K. Merchant called upon the congregation to introspect and take actions to ensure communal harmony.

While speaking about the Guru Granth Sahib, Surjeet Kaur Jolly, principal, Shyama Prasad Mukherjee College said that there was no other book that answers all the dilemmas an individual goes through.

Faridabad, September 20
Three police personnel from Uttar Pradesh, including an ASI, were today injured when half a dozen associates of an undertrial opened fire on them in Ballabgarh after they were returning from court.

The ASI, Omkar Singh, who was hit on the shoulder, is said to be critically injured. He has been admitted in the local Escorts Hospital. The other two personnel were injured in physical battle with the criminals.

The criminals escaped after the incident. Their intention was to rescue the undertrial, who is wanted in four states, including Haryana.

According to sources, the criminals used countrymade guns. The police personnel, however, ensured that the undertrial could not escape.

The incident occurred when the police personnel were having lunch at a hotel on the Agra-Delhi national highway after producing the undertrial in a local court.They were en route to Mathura.

The criminals came to the spot on two vehicles and opened fire from close range on the police personnel.

The battle lasted about 15 minutes. The local police arrived on the scene before which the criminals had fled.

The undertrial, Aditya, had surrendered before the Faridabad police a few months back. He was wanted in a murder case at Ballabgarh.

He was lodged at Bhondsi jail in Gurgaon. The Mathura police had taken him on remand to Uttar Pradesh. He was brought by them here to appear in a local court.

The local police has launched a hunt for the criminals. The city wore a look as if it was under a siege.

New Delhi, September 20
No mikes, no slogan shouting. Yet, when 200-odd people - men, women and children - marched silently at Connaught Place in the heart of the Capital on Saturday evening to protest drunken driving, the message was sent across, loud and clear.

Rajkumari was one of the many marchers. She, like most others, had lost one of her loved ones because of somebody else’s fault.

“I lost my son this January when he came under the wheels of the car of a man who was drunk,” Rajkumari, holding a banner which said ‘Stop drunk driving before it takes our youth away,” said.

“His name was Amar - the immortal - and was all of 20. Had it not been for the
irresponsible act of that man, he would have been with me now,” she said with
moist eyes.

Like Rajkumari, Hamid Ali, wearing a tattered shirt and a plain pair of trousers, participated in the march.

“I lost my nephew last year when a drunk man mowed him down with his car. May no one suffer such a brutal death as he did. Unfortunately, that man is still at large... we are poor and can’t do a thing to get justice.

“All that we can do now is raise awareness against this dangerous trend. Drunk driving should be stopped,” Ali said.

Organised by the Citizens Against Drunk Driving (CADD), the march which culminated at Jantar Mantar, is part of an eight-city tour called the Strides for Change campaign to raise awareness against drunk driving and demand that a national commission against drunk driving be formed.

Prince Singhal, activist and the brain behind the initiative, said they will take this drive to Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Pune, and Goa where drunk driving is rampant.

“The activity would bring together people from all walks of life including celebrities, and the common man which would culminate with a signature campaign in support of the formation of the commission against drunken driving.

“It is important to involve the common man in this process as only stricter laws cannot make a difference because drunk driving is not just a law and order problem but also reflective of the behavioural pattern of society,” Singhal said. — IANS

Gurgaon, September 20
The ministry of environment and forests as well as the pollution control board have given the clearance to set up solid waste management project at Bandhwari village in Gurgoan district.

Now it is up to the Haryana Urban Development Authority to execute the project, informed a municipal corporation representative at the monthly meeting of the district officers held in mini-secretariat here yesterday.

The meeting was apprised that all hurdles in the way of the project had been cleared and the requisite no-objection certificates received from the ministry concerned and the pollution control board.

Presiding over the meeting, Gurgaon deputy commissioner Deepti Umashankar
directed the block development and panchayat officer of Sohna to issue challans
to shopkeepers who throw garbage on the central verge of the Sohna road in
Badshahpur village.

Directions were also issued to the MC authorities to expedite the work of shifting dairies outside the city.

A dairy complex is being developed at Kherki Majra village because the dairies were a major cause of sewerage blockade in the city.

Noida, September 20
A woman admitted in Noida’s Metro hospital a week ago succumbed to dengue yesterday. Mamta, 32, was in a pretty had shape when she was brought to the hospital, a hospital official said.

According to Dr Ajay Purang, Mamta was suffering from malaria and loss of platelets at the time she was admitted to Metro hospital.

She was earlier treated in an East Delhi hospital, when her platelets count had dropped to less than 20,000.

According hospital doctors, Mamta died of dengue. Health department sources said they were not aware of it.

The CMO, Dr M.L. Mishra, said dengue had not been verified by the NICD, New
Delhi, in case of Mamta. Only four patients are, therefore, officially confirmed to
have died of dengue.

Private hospitals in the city are having a large number of viral patients with less platelet counts. As such there is a great demand for platelets. But hospitals are not declaring them to be dengue patients.

Dr V.K. Gupta of Sumitra hospital said they were admitting a dozen patients daily with less platelets count.

Patients are closely monitored for four or five days even after their platelets count has dropped.

If the platelets count does not improve then dengue serology test is conducted. If the results of this test are positive, then it is declared to be a dengue case.

In Mamura village of Sector-66, dengue and malaria have spread like an epidemic, with hardly a household not having a patient of either of the scourge.

Still there is no sign of fogging operations by the health department.

No fogging has ever been done in Mamura this season, according to villagers, though dozens of residents are down with malaria and dengue.

New Delhi, September 20
The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) today launched thalassaemia control project at Hindu Rao Hospital.

Launching the project, municipal commissioner K. S. Mehra said the major concern is to prevent the disease from passing to the next generation so that babies are not born having thalassaemia traits which is very difficult to cure and quite painful and traumatic for the patients and their families.

With the project, the MCD will be able to detect thalassaemia traits at an early pregnancy stage or even before marriage to ensure counselling of couples and taking remedies.

He assured administrative help to the project to make it successful.

The municipal commissioner in a reply to a query about improving security in the hospitals said a police post had been set up on the hospital premises to prevent any untoward incident.

A sub-committee has also been constituted to study the security measures required in the wards for the safety of medical, para-medical staff and patients so that doctors and other staff can perform their duties in a safe environment.

He also appealed to the doctors to give their best in treating the patients since their profession is a noblest of all.

Their behaviour and knowledge can do miracles to cure the patients.

Dr V. K. Monga, chairman, medical relief and public health committee, said the MCD was concerned about the health of its citizens especially the future generations.

The MCD had started anaemia control programme last year in which more than one lakh students have been covered.

Students in Delhi are anaemic in much larger number than expected. The treatment has been started to improve their health.

Dr Monga said thalassaemia control project would be implemented in phased manner.

The project is being launched from Hindu Rao Hospital having all facilities and equipment for the project.

Dr Monga also said refresher courses for medical and para-medical staff of the hospitals and maternity homes would be organised.

New techniques like choriovillous samplings (CVS) will be introduced in the
major MCD hospitals.

Additional commissioner, education and health, Janak Digal, said the MCD would implement the project in other hospitals also like Swami Dayanand, Kasturba, Mrs Girdhar Lal, colony hospitals namely Tilak Nagar, Lajpat Nagar, Kalkaji, Balak Ram and 32 maternity homes.

Director hospital administration, Madhu Jain informed that thalassaemia screening would also be organised for schoolchildren studying in all MCD schools through the school health scheme and routine check-ups.

Awareness programme for schoolchildren and their parents will be organised
under the scheme.

Awareness programme will also be organised for the general public in the maternity homes and rural areas.

Mass screening camps will be organised in the maternity homes every three months.

It will also formulate uniform treatment guidelines for the management of childhood cancers and will look into the data of all centers across the country.

It will conduct research activities to refine the treatment in the country. The Children Cancer Institute of Australia is aiding InPOG.

New Delhi, September 20
Time was when shades used to be rounded and black - and meant to protect your eyes from the sun.

But today they can come bejewelled with pearls, crystals, and many Indians are more than willing to burn a hole in their pocket for it!

The country’s branded eyewear market has grown manifold in the past three to four years as luxury fast gains synonymity with urban lifestyles.

From Ray-Ban to Prada to Bvlgari to Burberry to Versace to Vogue and Dolce & Gabbana, all the high-end names are here.

The Spring-Summer season collection 2009, to be launched worldwide by the end of 2008, will see about 350 styles from these brands in the range of Rs 2,000 to Rs 40,000 — a sign that India is an emerging market - though still trailing behind China.

“Sunglasses or shades have definitely grown from being a necessity to a luxury. While people used to wear them to protect their eyes only until a few years ago, now their choice of shades is more like an extension of their personality,” Sudhanshu Arora, marketing manager, Ray-Ban Sun Optics India Private Limited, told IANS.

“Today people want separate pairs of shades for office, casual wear, party wear, beach wear and so on and this has given a major boost to the eyewear market.”

While many Indian customers even now are under the impression that it would be economical to buy luxury brands from abroad, Arora says it is otherwise.

A regular pair of Ray-Ban sunglasses would cost anything starting from Rs 2,000, Vogue Rs 5,000, Versace Rs 10,000, Dolce & Gabbana at Rs 11,000, and Bvlgari Rs 13,000, respectively.

Except for the middle class and lower middle class societies, the price, Arora said, is not much of a “deciding factor in the purchase” of Indian clients. What matters most is the “style, fit and the brand”, he said.

Arora said this was a result of a gradual change in trends in the accessories market. “It is not just eyewear, people are spending a lot on their bags, shoes, jewellery and for all this, they have become very brand conscious. So the branded eyewear market is emerging,” he said.

A section of the public also has much more purchasing power. The high end brands target cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bangalore and Hyderabad.

Though India’s market is “emerging”, that of China is 10 times bigger, says Paolo Ciarlariello, managing director of Luxottica Group India, which markets and distributes the high-end brands.

“China is bigger. In fact, the US, Europe and Japan are some of the biggest luxury markets in the world for us. But I am sure that within the next five to 10 years, things will be different in India. And with the people in Delhi and Mumbai getting increasingly brand conscious, I forecast a very bright future,” Ciarlariello said.

Apart from witnessing an upsurge, the eyewear market is even observing a comeback of trends, especially those in the 1980s.

There was a time when shades used to be plain and simple rounded and black. But designers the world over are using an avant garde approach to stylise sunglasses as large, round, square, bright, multicoloured and most prominently - bejewelled.

“The retro look is coming back and, as far as I can forecast, bejewelled frames, ones with temples encrusted with Swarovski and rhinestones, will be in,” said Arora.

One such pair of shades is available in the Bvlgari special edition range and costs a whopping Rs 40,000.

But for those wanting to see the world through luxury-tinted glasses, the prices may not count! — IANS

Noida, September 20
After the encounter with terrorists at Jamia Nagar in the Okhla area of South Delhi yesterday, the Noida police was put on high alert.

It stepped up checks for vehicles coming from Delhi at Okhla barrage adjacent to
Jamia Nagar.

The police put up barriers at the police post on Okhla barrage and the main
entrance to Noida.

The Delhi police had alerted Noida police about the two terrorists who had managed to escape from house number L-18 at Batla House in Jamia Nagar during encounter.

The police conducted checks in all shopping malls and markets of the satellite town. Guest houses and hotels were also checked.

Verification drive for tenants in different sectors will soon start. Like Jamia Nagar thousands of people live here in rented accommodation.

Some terrorists could also be living here. Even house owners may not know what exactly their tenants do, police officers said.

Noida, September 20
Despite checking by the Noida police at various points in the city, five cars have been reportedly stolen from different places in Noida in one day.

These include two cars parked in front of educational institutes. The first car was stolen from Amity University in Sector-125, Noida.

It belonged to a Sector16 Faridabad resident. Atul Gupta who has lodged a report with Sector-39 police Kotwali about his Accent car.

The second car was stolen from Lotus Vally School a little distance away. It was a Maruti car owned by Gaurav Sharma, a resident of Amarpali Garh, Meerut Road.

Ridhi Chopra, of Ring Road, Lajapt Nagar, Delhi, has informed the Sector-49 police that her Santro car had been lifted from in front of D-5 Sector 49.

Bir Singh of G-17, Sector-2 Noida alleged that his Innova car had been stolen from G-26, Sector-49. Bir Singh said he had a hard time making the police to register his car theft report.

Of late, thieves are showing preference for big cars, according to a police official.