New Delhi, October 14
Just after the announcement of the assembly elections in Delhi on November 29, the BJP declared that corruption, financial scam, inflation and misrule of the Sheila Dikshit government would be its main issues against the Congress.

If the BJP is voted to power, it would make inquiries against the Chief Minister for a financial scam of Rs 12,000 crore while privatising power distribution in Delhi. The Public Accounts Committee of the Delhi government and the auditor-general of India had also pointed out this scam in its annual report, said Prof Vijay Kumar Malhotra, chief ministerial candidate of the BJP.

Addressing the media, he said that besides BJP national president Rajnath Singh, senior leaders L. K. Advani, Sushma Swaraj, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and Arun Jaitley, actors Hema Malini, Smiriti Irani, Dharmendra and Shatrughan Sinha would be main election campaigners in Delhi.

The BJP would soon declare a list of its candidates. Around 4,000 party activists have applied for the tickets. Their names are being scrutinised. Twelve people have applied for tickets against Sheila Dikshit, Delhi unit chief of the BJP, Dr Harsh Vardhan said.

When asked whether Professor Malhotra would contest against Sheila Dikshit, he said the party would decide the name of the candidates.

He said there was no groupism in the BJP. The party is united to fight and win the assembly elections. Tickets will be allotted on the basis of the winning ability of the candidates.

Welcoming the announcement of the elections date, Dr Harsh Vardhan said that his party was ready to defeat the Congress. Party workers of all 16 districts, 280 blocks and 11,000 polling booth committee-level workers were making preparations for intensive election campaign, he said. 

New Delhi, October 14
Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee (DPCC) president, Jai Prakash Agarwal, said that the party would contest the Assembly elections on the basis of its development works and ask vote from citizens for regularisation of unauthorised colonies, flats for jhuggi dwellers, better transportation and Ladli scheme for girls.

Welcoming the Central Election Commission’s announcement of dates for the Delhi Assembly elections, Jai Prakash Agarwal said that the Congress would declare name of its candidates in the end of October. Last date for filing of nominations is November 11.

He said that scrutiny of candidates for 25 constituencies has been finalised. Once it is finalised for all 70 constituencies, it would be sent to the AICC to select the candidates. Two or three names for each constituency will be sent to the AICC, he said.

When asked that the BSP could create problem for the Congress to win the elections, he said that the Congress was strong enough to face these parties.

The BSP is raising the issue of dalits but how many dalits have been given tickets, he asked.

The BSP has announced name of candidates six months ago but people are leaving the party as there is no transparency in it, he said.

Expressing his happiness at the decision of the Election Commission, the DPCC president said that the Congress would put up a united fight in the coming Assembly elections to retain power in Delhi for the third consecutive term, and thereby teach the BJP a lesson.

He said that the Congress’ election plank would be on the remarkable achievement of the government in Delhi for the past ten years, which has changed the face of the Capital.

Congress government’s progressive policies have benefited all communities and all categories of people, which should stand the party in good stead in the elections.

Its decision to regularise unauthorised colonies would benefit over 40 lakh people in Delhi. It is also constructing four lakh flats, under the Rajiv Rattan Awaz Yojna Scheme, to relocate those living in the slum and JJ clusters.

The Congress would make every effort to give representation to various castes, communities and religions while selecting the candidates so as to ensure that no section of people felt neglected or alienated.

He said the interest of women and youth would also be taken care of.

He appealed to the voters of Delhi to give their mandate in the name of development. 

New Delhi, October 14
Muslim identity has been equated with terrorism, and there is a need for the community to unite and emerge as a political force, said speakers on Tuesday at a gathering of Muslim clerics and scholars from across the country.

A judicial probe was also demanded into the “fake encounter” at Jamia Nagar last month in which two suspected terrorists were gunned down.

The All India Muslims Organisations meeting convened by Ahmad Bukhari, the Shahi Imam of Jama Masjid, also deliberated on the alienation of Muslims.

During his inaugural address, the Imam lamented the attitude of various governments towards Muslims.

“After a review of 60 years history, we find that Muslims have been victimised under different governments, sometimes in the name of riots and sometimes in the name of terrorism and put into utmost distress and disgrace to make their morale low,” said Bukhari.

Describing the September 19 Jamia Nagar shootout as “fake”, Bukhari demanded a judicial probe into the incident and proposed legal and financial aid for the “innocent” people arrested.

Two suspected terrorists said to be involved in the September 13 terror bombings in the capital were killed in the shootout. A decorated police official was fatally wounded.

“The shootout in Jamia Nagar was a fake encounter and we demand a judicial probe. Simultaneously, we should make some arrangements for providing legal aid for the innocent arrested persons,” he said.

The last major congregation of Muslim clerics was held in February this year by the Darul-Uloom, a 150-year-old seminary in Deoband where a fatwa condemning terrorism was issued. This was subsequently reiterated in Delhi in May.

The speakers also called for the need for Muslims to emerge as a political force.

“Today Muslims are living in utmost adverse economic and political conditions. Muslim identity has been equated with terrorism. We have fought for the independence of this country now the need is to get united and emerge as a political force,” said Maulana Arshad Madni, chairperson of Jaimiat Ulema-e-Hind.

A message sent by Maulana Marghoob-ur-Rehman of Darul-Uloom, Deoband, was read out in the meeting.

“Our intelligence agencies and police force are using terrorism as a tool to target the Muslims. The electronic media has played a biased role in showing only police version in the case of the Jamia Nagar shootout,” said the Maulana in his message.

Syed Nizamuddin, general secretary of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board, commented on the political agenda of the communal forces.

“Targeting Muslim youth is a part of the long drawn agenda of the communalised political forces in our country. These forces want to demoralise the educated Muslims and restrict their voice,” said Syed Nizamuddin.

The meeting is being attended by clerics, scholars, religious and political leaders along with journalists.

This is the second time in more than three decades that such a meeting has been convened. A similar meeting took place in Lucknow in 1972.—IANS

New Delhi, October 14
Groups representing India’s religious minorities and activists held a protest rally here on Tuesday demanding stronger action against perpetrators of communal violence, with several parts of the country seeing sectarian strife in the past two months.

The rally at Jantar Mantar in Central Delhi condemned the ‘communal violence on minorities in India’ and was organised by the All India Confederation of Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe Organisations to mark World Religious Freedom Day.

“To choose one’s religion is a fundamental right. On this day to mark religious freedom, we condemn violence and atrocities meted out to minorities - the recent attacks on Christians in Orissa and Muslims after the terror attacks,” said Madhu Chandra, national secretary of the All India Confederation of SC/ST Organisations.

Chandra said across the nation, members of the confederation resented the government’s inaction and were disappointed by the National Integration Council meeting here on Monday.

“Crucial issues of arresting perpetrators and putting a ban on radical groups have not been addressed. The action they speak of is very mild,” Chandra averred.

October 14 was declared World Religious Freedom Day in 2006 at a mega gathering of Dalits at Nagpur, Maharashtra, to mark the day on which B.R. Ambedkar, the chief architect of the Indian Constitution, quit Hinduism and converted to Buddhism in 1956 to be free from caste oppression.

Sixty people from Dalit communities, minority unions and students assembled at Jantar Mantar and raised slogans “Religious Freedom is a fundamental right! Ban RSS! We want judicial inquiry into the Batla House case!” as part of the rally.

While the RSS stands for the Hindu organisation Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Batla House is the locality in Jamia Nagar where two Muslim youths were gunned down by the police as terrorists suspected to be involved in the Delhi serial blasts.

“Acts of violence on minorities and Dalits - because they change their religion in our secular nation - is preposterous. The main aim of the rally is to ensure that we take a step forward in the Ambedkar movement and play down communal forces,” said Vinod Kumar, a social activist.

Violence against Christians has claimed at least 35 lives in Orissa since late August and a nun is also alleged to have been raped by Hindu rightwing mobs. Thousands of Christians have been rendered homeless in the state. Similar violence has also been reported from Karnataka.

“No faith teaches us to resort to violence - every person must respect another and feel free to follow their chosen faith,” said brother Victor Das, who runs a prayer shelter here, and is general secretary of the Faridabad Churches’ Council.—IANS

New Delhi, October 14
Retired Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Amod Kanth, who is now chairperson of the Delhi Commission for Child Rights, said the commission has issued notice to the Delhi police for “picking up” some juveniles for interrogation from Jamia Nagar after the September 19 shootout and holding them back for hours.

“The commission was informed that the Delhi police had picked up four boys for questioning in Jamia Nagar after the shootout episode. Although the boys, all below the age of 18, were released later, they were held back for a considerable amount of time,” Kanth said.

“We have issued notice to the Delhi police on the matter. They have 15 days to get back to us,” Kanth said on the sidelines of a human rights conference here.

“Once a juvenile is detained, it has to be brought to the attention of a member of the Juvenile Justice (JJ) Board. A juvenile has to be looked from the viewpoint of the juvenile justice system and not the criminal justice system.

“Under the Juvenile Justice Act, no juvenile can be arrested - they can only be taken into custodial care. And the parents have to be informed. There is no business to hold him back until and unless there is reason to believe that his release will bring him in association with criminals or expose him to some danger,” added Kanth, who is also the founder of Prayas, an NGO working on child rights.

According to Kanth, one of the biggest challenges that the commission faces today is the lack of understanding of the juvenile justice system.

“One of the alleged terrorists killed in the Jamia Nagar shootout was a 17-year-old. He was a juvenile. The police could have mentioned his age but didn’t want to declare so that the laws under the Juvenile Justice Act doesn’t apply.

“The problem today is that there is a lack of understanding and acceptance of the Juvenile Justice Act. I have time and again said that a child cannot be looked from the viewpoint of the criminal justice system, but from the juvenile justice system,” he said.

B.B. Pande, professor of National Law School of India University, Bangalore, who was also present at the conference, said, “The role of the police should be minimised in the juvenile justice system. Members of the special juvenile unit should handle such matters”. —IANS

New Delhi, October 14
An international fire and security exposition will be held for the first time in India at Pragati Maidan here from October 16 to 18.

FIREX India will be offering a dedicated platform for the security and fire protection industry to interact with leading Indian specifiers and installers.

Pegged as the largest international security and fire technology exhibition in India, the three-day event also includes a defining two-day international concurrent conference–Indian Fire and Security Inc.: Crossing the Rubicon–on October 16 and 17. The event concept based on ‘Global Outlook, Local Approach’, reiterates to focus on the new technology, discussing its potential and application in the industry scenario from the Indian point of view.

Explains Arun Khazanchi, president, Fire & Safety Association of India, “Since 2002, the market for security and fire protection products has grown by around 47 per cent.

While fire protection products have increased by 71 per cent, security related products have increased by 21 per cent. India’s security and fire market is currently worth US$620 million, with major demand for security products coming from the defence and IT vertical markets.

The overall fire protection market in India is worth US$339 million. Although the market is enjoying unprecedented growth, lack of standards and legislation, and numerous small unregulated players, are constraining growth factors and ensuring severe price competition.”

Khazanchi says, “India has a dual market environment, both of which are growing. On the one hand is the market for higher value products for installation in foreign-driven investments such as business process outsourcing and strategic, nationally critical sites; on the other, installation of lower value products in Indian infrastructure, commercial enterprise and public sector locations.”

The exhibition will feature over 200 of the world’s leading security and fire manufacturers and distributors with almost 20% of them launching new products and technologies during the exhibition.

Representatives across various industry verticals such as consultants and specifiers, electrical consultants, fire consultants, safety managers, design managers, architects and instrumentation managers are expected to attend the event.

The events are set to provide visitors and exhibitors with a definitive cross section of the very best in fire and security products, services and expertise.

New Delhi, October 14
Mumbai and Delhi top the list of top 10 cities for doing business in India, according to a competitiveness index report prepared by the real estate-focused publication Realty Plus.

The report - 2008 City Microeconomic Competitive Index - highlights the business opportunities offered by various cities, and the various challenges investors can expect.

The report maps the competitiveness of the 10 leading cities on a highly evolved framework of multiple dimensions encompassing 225 indicators.

Mumbai tops the list, followed by Delhi and Hyderabad. Other cities on the list are Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Chennai, Kolkata, Pune, Chandigarh and Gurgaon.

Mumbai scores the highest in best overall business environment, excellent demand conditions and most superlative factor conditions.

Delhi scores in terms of superior competitive intensity, best supporting industries and very good factor conditions; however, its weakness lies in very poor quality of life, little state incentive for business and high costs.

Bangalore scores in excellent knowledge creation infrastructure and good market. Its weaknesses are inadequate infrastructure, poor income distribution pattern and very high business cost.

A city is deemed competitive if it exploits its conditions - labour, capital, land, natural resources - not merely in the form they are available, but adds value and leverages the conditions for reaping the maximum economic benefits. —IANS

Noida, October 14
SAFCON 2008, a conference held at Amity University in Noida recently, revealed that a majority of cases of fall of children, reported from the South Delhi area, were from rooftops.

The conclusion was reached after studying 174 cases of death of infants and children due to accidental fall, received by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) for autopsy from January 1996 to December 2005.

The data was analysed with regard to age, sex, location of fall, height of fall, cause of death, pattern of injury and seasonal variation.

The study showed that 60.9 per cent of the victims were boys while 39.1 per cent girls.

The age-specific rate of fall showed that toddlers had the highest rate of 39.65 per cent followed by 26.43 per cent each among pre-school children and school-going children and the least of 7.47 per cent among infants.

The most common cause of death is head injury, which accounts for 84.48 per cent. In 93.67 per cent of the cases the head and face were the most commonly injured body part and skull was the bone fractured in most of the cases (59.19%).

Major fall sites in decreasing frequency were: 38.50 per cent from rooftops, 24.13 per cent from balcony, 21.26 per cent from furniture, 6.89 per cent from staircase, 4.59 percent from window, 1.72 percent from wall, 1.15 per cent from rickshaw or bicycle and 0.57 percent from tree. Maximum fatalities were reported in rainy season.

“Parents should take care of children when they play on rooftops or balconies or other places where chances of fall are high. Kids should not be allowed to visit such places alone,” said Neeraj Kumar, representative of an NGO looking after the safety of children.

Ghaziabad, October 14
Ghaziabad City superintendent of police has ordered inquiry into the complaint against the PCR van staff for letting the snatchers go scot-free and harassing the snatching victim instead.

SP (CITY) Vijay Bhushan, “It was very serious matter. I have ordered inquiry into the incident. Guilty policemen will not be spared. Strict action would be taken against them if found guilty.”

A youth Syed Ali Raza said in the complaint that on Monday evening near district hospital, a scooterist fell before his car. As he came out of the car and tried to lift him, some youths assaulted him and snatched his gold chain.

He chased the snatchers in his car and nabbed one of them near Jasssipura crossing. He then handed him over to the PCR van posted nearby. The behaviour of the staff was very insensitive.

They told him to go. Before he could go away, he saw the snatcher being released by them on getting a few hundred rupee notes from him.

When he went back and asked what they have done, they misbehaved with him and told him he can complain against them to anyone.