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THE TRIBUNE SPECIALS
50 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE

TERCENTENARY CELEBRATIONS
D E L H I   A N D   N E I G H B O U R H O O D

Patient’s friends assault doctors, one lands in ICU
Greater Noida, October 21
Relatives and friends of a student who died during treatment beat up a doctor so badly that he had to be admitted to the ICU of Sharda Hospital here. The student was injured in an accident and died during treatment.

Techie dupes man of lakhs, held
New Delhi, October 21
The economic offence wing (EOW) of the Delhi police today arrested a software engineer from Indira Gandhi International Airport for duping Vinay R.C. Iyer of Rs 23 lakh

MCD urged to de-seal units protected under Master Plan
New Delhi, October 21
In the wake of clarifications issued by the Supreme Court today on de-sealing of commercial establishments falling in the areas protected under 37 amendments made in Master Plan 2021, the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) today urged the MCD to initiate immediate proceedings for de-sealing of such establishments.


EARLIER STORIES




A Delhi policeman uses water cannon on Lok Janshakti Party workers who were protesting against the Maharashtra Navanirman Sena in New Delhi on Tuesday. Tribune photo: Mukesh Aggarwal

6 in fray for poll to JNU panel against sexual harassment
New Delhi, October 21
Along with the election of its student union representatives, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) would elect two representatives for its committee against sexual harassment on November 3.

Malhotra promises better education if voted to power
New Delhi, October 21
Vijay Kumar Malhotra, the Chief Ministerial candidate of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has identified growth and strengthening of education as key development issues. Delhi has a large population and access to quality education at all levels is the fundamental right of all. The Congress government has not paid any attention to it during the last 10 years, he alleged.

Third accused in NRI murder case held
New Delhi, October 21
The IGI airport police today succeeded in arresting the third accused, Anil, alias Kale, in the abduction and murder case of K.T. Shameer (NRI) and also recovered weapon used in the crime from him.


Delhi police commissioner Y. S. Dadwal salutes the martyrs of Delhi police who sacrificed their lives in the line of duty on the occasion of 'Police Commemoration Day Parade' at New Police Lines in New Delhi on Tuesday. Tribune photo

R.S. Sharma, CMD of NTPC and S.K. Tandon, pro-vice-chancellor, University of Delhi, and others during the inauguration of the Information and Communication Technology Centre which was set up jointly by NTPC Foundation and University of Delhi in New Delhi. Tribune photo

Cong to announce more candidates on Nov 9
New Delhi, October 21
Discontentment could be seen among members of the Congress screening committee as one of them walked out angrily.

Visually challenged get white canes
New Delhi, October 21
The Amway Opportunity Foundation (AOF) along with the All-India Confederation for the Blind celebrated International White Cane Day for the eighth year running on Saturday.

Farmers clamour for land compensation, Gandhigiri-style
Ghaziabad, October 21
Semi-clad farmers, whose land has been acquired for Peripheral Expressway, but have not been paid a single paise by way of compensation by the administration, held a demonstration in front of the collectorate in Ghaziabad on Monday.

Domestic help gets death for killing boy
New Delhi, October 21
A domestic help who killed the four-year-old son of his employer when he tried to resist his attempts to rape his sister in 2006 was today given a death sentence by a Delhi court here.

CBI catches 2 officials taking bribe
New Delhi, October 21
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) today arrested an under secretary, protector of emigrants in the ministry of overseas affairs, along with an assistant for demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 2 lakh.

Dasmunshi still in critical state
New Delhi, October 21
Information and broadcasting minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi, who was shifted to the Indraprastha Apollo Hospital yesterday, remained in a critical condition, hospital sources said today.

Youth killed in brawl
New Delhi, October 21
A 24-year-old youth was killed last night at Pankha Road near J.J. colony in the Bindapur area of West Delhi when he tried to stop two groups fighting in his neighbourhood. Four persons including a woman have been arrested in this connection.

17 kids rescued
New Delhi, October 21
Their parents were paid a paltry Rs 500-Rs 1,000 with the promise that they would be sent to schools in the city. But these 17 children were instead being taken to agricultural farms to work as bonded labour when they were rescued by child rights activists and police. In two separate raids by the Bachpan Bachao Andolan (BBA), NGO, and police, 17 trafficked children were rescued from railway stations in the flood hit districts of Bihar.

AIT students awarded
New Delhi, October 21
Michael P. Macy, counsellor for Cultural Affairs at the US embassy, here gave away awards to 125 meritorious students of the Ansal Institute of Technology in Gurgaon yesterday. Macy was the chief guest at the function organised to honour students for excellence in various professional programmes.

Mutilated corpse found in Noida
Noida, October 21
A mutilated corpse—almost a skeleton—was found in Noida on Tuesday, police said.

SP firm on probe into shootout
New Delhi, October 21
The Samajwadi Party today expressed firmness on its demand of judicial probe into the Jamia Nagar shootout, in which two suspected terrorists were gunned down on September 19 and a police inspector was killed.


 





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Patient’s friends assault doctors, one lands in ICU
Our Correspondent

Greater Noida, October 21
Relatives and friends of a student who died during treatment beat up a doctor so badly that he had to be admitted to the ICU of Sharda Hospital here. The student was injured in an accident and died during treatment.

According to sources, Dr Ravindra Srivastava was assaulted by over two dozen students in presence of policemen who apparently chose to look the other side. The students entered his room and thrashed him. They also beat up two other doctors and three hospital employees who had rushed to rescue Dr Ravindra Srivastava. Besides they damaged the equipment and furniture in his room. They broke the glass panes of an ambulance too.

Dr Ravindra Srivastava has lodged an FIR against the students for assaulting him and for indulging in vandalism.

On October 13 at around 2 p.m. two students Alok Gupta, 19, and Bhanu Pratap had gone to a market on a bike from IIMT College to get something photostated. About 100 metres from the college their bike collided with R.N. Shukla’s WagonR car. Alok Gupta and Bhanu Pratap were taken to Sharda Hospital with serious injuries.

Late on Sunday Alok Gupta succumbed to his injuries. His classmates along with other students reached the hospital premises on Monday and barged into the cabin of neurosurgeon Dr Ravindra Srivastava and rained kicks and blows on him. When Dr Satinder, Dr Zahid Khan and hospital employees Promode Kumar, Rahul and Vinode rushed to Dr Ravinder Srivastava’s help they were also beaten-up.

By the time the police reached the spot, the students who were assaulting the doctors and hospital staff, damaging the equipment and ambulance glass panes managed to flee.

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Techie dupes man of lakhs, held
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, October 21
The economic offence wing (EOW) of the Delhi police today arrested a software engineer from Indira Gandhi International Airport for duping Vinay R.C. Iyer of Rs 23 lakh

Vivek Bhatt, 40, of I.P. Extension had promised Iyer of arranging a loan of Rs 32 lakh from Interworld PTY Ltd, an Australian company.

EOW DCP K.K. Vyas said that the complainant Vinay R.C. Iyer, CEO of A&A Capital, was introduced to Vivek Bhatt who had assured him of arranging $ 7.8 million (Rs 32 crore). Bhatt was introduced as the agent of Interworld PTY Ltd.

“An agreement was signed between them. According to the agreement, Vivek Bhatt had to arrange the amount by November 17, 2007. The complainant had paid an advance of Rs 23 lakh to Vivek through two cheques. However, Bhatt could neither arrange for the loan nor returned the advance,” said Vyas.

In order to lure Iyer, Vivek Bhatt also sent a contract signed between A&A Capital and Interworld PTY Ltd. Despite several reminders, the loan never came.

Vivek Bhatt kept assuring that the amount would come soon.

At last, to deceive Iyer, Vivek issued a cheque of Rs 22 crore drawn on Dena Bank, Okhla, which was dishonoured on presentation.

According to the EOW, the bank transaction has proved that Rs 23 lakh was transferred from the account of A&A Capital to the account of Interworld PTY Ltd.

Meanwhile, Interworld PTY Ltd. has also categorically stated that it does not have any representative/ agent in India and that it has not authorised Vivek Bhatt or anyone else to solicit business on its behalf.

The firm has stated that the master loan agreement, loan approval letter, apology letter, which Vivek Bhatt had forwarded to A&A Capital were fake and were not issued by Interworld PTY Ltd.

Vivek Bhatt’s E-mails and other relevant documents have been seized which prove the connivance of other co-accused.

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MCD urged to de-seal units protected under Master Plan
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, October 21
In the wake of clarifications issued by the Supreme Court today on de-sealing of commercial establishments falling in the areas protected under 37 amendments made in Master Plan 2021, the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) today urged the MCD to initiate immediate proceedings for de-sealing of such establishments.

The CAIT has further asked the MCD to also de-seal the shops which were wrongly sealed in colonies which enjoy protection of the Master Plan 2021.

In a communication sent to Vijender Gupta, chairman, Standing Committee of MCD, CAIT secretary general Praveen Khandelwal said that “clarificatory orders” made by the

apex court today while hearing the sealing case categorically pave the way for de-sealing of shops enjoying protection of the Master Plan.

Khandelwal further said that while reading the intent of the apex court from the orders issued, it is very clear that any property or establishment that remains beneficiary under the provisions of Master Plan 2021 should not be deprived of the benefits.

He also urged that the MCD should publicise a list of the areas protected under Master Plan or any law or act of the government and establishments sealed in such areas should be de-sealed immediately.

He suggested that if need be, special camps may be organised by the MCD for de-sealing the shops.

Khandelwal has also sent a communication to DDA vice-chairman Ashok Kumar Nigam urging him to de-seal the properties under DDA charge, which remain sealed for a long time but enjoying protection of Master Plan 2021 or other act or law of the government.

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6 in fray for poll to JNU panel against sexual harassment
Akhila Singh
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, October 21
Along with the election of its student union representatives, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) would elect two representatives for its committee against sexual harassment on November 3.

One of its kinds in the country, the Gender Sensitisation Committee Against Sexual Harassment (GSCASH) was constituted in JNU after intensive students’ struggles on April 16, 1999. It is also the first committee against sexual harassment in the country that was constituted strictly on the guidelines issued by Supreme Court in the case of Vishkha vs State of Rajasthan, 1997.

Since then two students’ representatives are democratically elected for the committee every year when the university goes for its annual JNUSU elections.

Even though the committee is not a political forum, the political student wings back their candidates for the representatives.

This year, two main contenders for the posts of GSCASH representatives are AISA-backed Radhika Krishnan and SFI-backed Rebecca.

“Sexual harassment has nothing to do with sexual attraction or desire; it usually asserts and reinforces existing hierarchies in society. So, challenging sexual harassment will mean ensuring that the guilty are punished and also challenging all the existing social hierarchies and dominant patriarchal practices,” said Radhika, an M.Phil student.

Radhika said, “I view the GSCASH as part of a broader women’s movement, a larger and on going struggle for gender justice and only such perspective can equip the GSCASH to deliver justice even in complaints of sexual harassment.”

Another contender, Rebecca feels that the GSCASH needs to be revitalised. “There are two principal jobs of the GSCASH. One is to sensitise society towards gender issues and the second is the redress of individual cases of sexual harassment,” said Rebecca.

She said the GSCASH was not delivering expected results while dealing with the individual complaints of the girl students. “It is the second job that GSCASH would need to perform with much more efficiency to reinstate the faith of students in the institution,” she said.

A total of six candidates have filed nominations for the two posts of GSCASH representatives this year.

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Malhotra promises better education if voted to power
Tribune News Service


V.K Malhotra

New Delhi, October 21
Vijay Kumar Malhotra, the Chief Ministerial candidate of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has identified growth and strengthening of education as key development issues. Delhi has a large population and access to quality education at all levels is the fundamental right of all. The Congress government has not paid any attention to it during the last 10 years, he alleged.

Malhotra said the number of admission seekers in college was increasing every year.

Students from other states also come here to seek higher education. But not a single college had been added in Delhi University during the Congress government’s tenure, he alleged.

The BJP government had established 18 colleges in Delhi.

Today the situation is so grim that a student with even 70 per cent marks in CBSE is denied admission and is forced to opt for expensive courses.

Addressing a conference, Malhotra said that he would persuade Delhi University to establish at least 50 colleges and create evening shift in the existing ones.

The aim would be to facilitate eligible candidates to get admission.

Indra Prastha University of Delhi was created in April 1998 when the BJP was in power. It had also established an engineering college, Mahila Institute of Technology (MIT) under public domain.

All that the Sheila Dikshit government has done is to rename IP University as Guru Govind Singh Indra Prastha University and MIT as Indira Gandhi Institute of Technology, he alleged.

Malhotra claimed that the Delhi government had not created four engineering colleges but had just hurriedly upgraded the exiting polytechnics and converted a three-year course to a four-year one.

Neither an additional infrastructure has been provided nor any teacher has been appointed, he said.

He said that if the Bharatiya Janata Party was voted to power, it would try to fulfill the needs and aspirations of youngsters to receive the best education in fields like science, arts, commerce and professional courses.

Delhi would be made a beacon of excellence in education soon, he said.

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Third accused in NRI murder case held
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, October 21
The IGI airport police today succeeded in arresting the third accused, Anil, alias Kale, in the abduction and murder case of K.T. Shameer (NRI) and also recovered weapon used in the crime from him.

The two accused, Monu and Manish, were arrested by IGI airport police yesterday.

Sanjay Kumar, DCP, IGI airport, revealed that police teams were fanned out to suspected hideouts after Anil’s involvement in the murder had come to light.

A resident of East Mehram Nagar, Anil was arrested from Mahipalpur bus stand on a tip-off, when he was returning from Riwari after visiting one of the relatives.

During interrogation, Anil revealed that it was he who had shot K T Shameer. The countrymade pistol used in killing of K.T. Shameer has also been recovered from Anil. 

Besides this, one knife, one of the two mobile phones of the deceased and cash worth Rs 1.60 lakh withdrawn by the accused persons from the debit card of the deceased from different ATMs in Delhi has also been recovered.  

The body of K. T. Shameer, a native of Kerala, was found dumped on National Highway No. 8 at Bilaspur in the neighbouring Gurgaon two days after he went missing. Shameer, a Saudi Arabia-based NRI, had arrived in Delhi by a Spice Jet flight on October 10 evening and engaged a taxi outside the domestic airport to go to his friend’s house.

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Cong to announce more candidates on Nov 9
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, October 21
Discontentment could be seen among members of the Congress screening committee as one of them walked out angrily.

According to sources, candidates for 25 assembly constituencies were being decided in the meeting. The names of candidates for 45 seats have already been finalised.

Seeing the discontentment, chairperson of the committee Mohsina Kidwai accepted the names of all candidates. One hundred and fifty names have been accepted for 25 seats. The central election committee (CEC) of the All India Congress Committee will take the final decision.

The list containing the names of the candidates will be submitted to the CEC tomorrow. The names of the selected candidates are expected to be announced by the party high command on November 9.

According to sources, today’s development in the state Congress suggests that deserving candidates will be deprived of tickets and those having contacts in the party high commend will manage tickets.

Therefore, local leaders can be seen at the residences and offices of senior Congress leaders. Ticket seekers are seen requesting to their political bosses. This attitude of the Congress will benefit the BJP that is already very cautious in selection of candidates, the sources said.

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Visually challenged get white canes
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, October 21
The Amway Opportunity Foundation (AOF) along with the All-India Confederation for the Blind celebrated International White Cane Day for the eighth year running on Saturday.

On this occasion, more than 3000 white canes were distributed to visually challenged at multiple locations all over the country. The AOF has partnered with the All-India Confederation for the Blind to celebrate the day at Jaipur, Jodhpur, Dehradun, Ludhiana, Chandigarh, Jaipur, Mumbai, Patna. Pune, Amravati, Ahmedabad, Baroda, Bhopal, Hyderabad, Ernakulum, Trivandrum, Lucknow and Delhi.

The foundation distributed 150 white canes to visually challenged persons at a function organised at the Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit’s residence.

“I am happy to celebrate International White Cane Day where we are committing ourselves to inclusive development. I am extremely happy to give away canes to blind children today under the aegis of the Bhartiya Netraheen Kalyan Parishad in coordination with AICB,” said Dikshit.

“While we have an on-going project to ensure that all blind school-going children in the country have access to Braille textbooks, the White Cane day function ensures that a large numbers of blind people are assured of greater mobility,” said William S. Pinckney, chairman, AOF.

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Farmers clamour for land compensation, Gandhigiri-style
Parmindar Singh

Ghaziabad, October 21
Semi-clad farmers, whose land has been acquired for Peripheral Expressway, but have not been paid a single paise by way of compensation by the administration, held a demonstration in front of the collectorate in Ghaziabad on Monday.

Former vice-chief of Army, General Malik flagged off the farmers’ rally by waving a green flag.

Farmers clad in loin cloth with caps on their heads carry out the procession demonstrating in tune with Gandhigiri style.

A few clashes took place between protesting farmers in Gandhigiri style and the police and administrative officers.

A large number of farmers whose land has been acquired gathered in Duhai village earlier from where they proceeded in tractor trolleys to the Ghaziabad collectorate on Hapur Road.

The police and district administration tried to stop the farmers from entering the collectorate complex.

But farmers demanded that the district magistrate should personally come to receive their memorandum.

As the additional district magistrate came to receive it, the farmers refused to hand over their memorandum to him.

Before dispersing, they gave an ultimatum to the authorities asking them to settle compensation for the farmers’ land acquired latest by November 20, 2008.

The farmers warned the authorities that no government official or contractor will be allowed to work on the site till land compensation is paid to them.

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Domestic help gets death for killing boy
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, October 21
A domestic help who killed the four-year-old son of his employer when he tried to resist his attempts to rape his sister in 2006 was today given a death sentence by a Delhi court here.

Additional sessions judge Babu Lal awarded the capital punishment to Sanjay Das, a resident of Bihar, after holding him guilty under Section 302 of Indian Penal Code (IPC).

“I award you death sentence for murdering a four-year-old child. You can file an appeal in 30 days before the High Court, the court said.

In this case, Das killed the boy as he had resisted the servant’s attempt to rape his sister on the fateful day of October 19, 2006. Das, who was hired by his employer just three days before the incident, had brutally killed the boy and fled from the employer’s residence at Roop Nagar in North Delhi. He was subsequently arrested from Haridwar a day after the incident.

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CBI catches 2 officials taking bribe
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, October 21
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) today arrested an under secretary, protector of emigrants in the ministry of overseas affairs, along with an assistant for demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 2 lakh.

Under secretary Navin Jamulkar had allegedly demanded bribe from the complainant for settlement of an enquiry against him in the CBI.

The complainant had lodged a complaint against the accused after he demanded bribe from him.

The CBI laid a trap following the complaint and the accused along with an assistant and two other private persons were allegedly caught redhanded while accepting a bribe of Rs 2 lakh from the complainant.

Post-arrest, the CBI has launched searches at the offices and residential places of the accused persons and the incriminating documents recovered during the searches are being scrutinised.

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Dasmunshi still in critical state

New Delhi, October 21
Information and broadcasting minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi, who was shifted to the Indraprastha Apollo Hospital yesterday, remained in a critical condition, hospital sources said today.

“There has been no change in the medical condition of Mr Dasmunsi since yesterday. He continues to remain critical and is still on life support,’’ a statement by the Indraprastha Apollo Hospital said.

Dasmunsi was shifted from AIIMS to Apollo last morning.

Sources at AIIMS said Dasmunsi, who was admitted to the hospital after a complete left ventricular failure last Monday, was shifted to the Apollo Hospital at the request of his relatives.

Dasmunsi was brought to AIIMS after he complained of breathlessness due to lung congestion and complete left ventricular failure. — UNI

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Youth killed in brawl
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, October 21
A 24-year-old youth was killed last night at Pankha Road near J.J. colony in the Bindapur area of West Delhi when he tried to stop two groups fighting in his neighbourhood. Four persons including a woman have been arrested in this connection.

According to sources, the verbal duel between Paramjeet Kaur and Uma Kashyap turned violent when Paramjeet called her relatives who assaulted Uma and her family. Uma’s husband was badly beaten up by Paramjeet’s relatives. As the quarrel had turned very violent, Anand barged in to save Uma’s husband. This incensed Paramjeet’s relatives who assaulted Anand with sticks and rods. Three more persons were also injured in the fight.

“Anand had received injuries in the head and chest, leading to his death. We have arrested four persons for his murder,” said a police official from Bindapur police station.

According to neighbours, Paramjeet often abused Uma and her family and the two had fought a day earlier also.

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17 kids rescued

New Delhi, October 21
Their parents were paid a paltry Rs 500-Rs 1,000 with the promise that they would be sent to schools in the city. But these 17 children were instead being taken to agricultural farms to work as bonded labour when they were rescued by child rights activists and police. In two separate raids by the Bachpan Bachao Andolan (BBA), NGO, and police, 17 trafficked children were rescued from railway stations in the flood hit districts of Bihar.

The children, mostly boys, were about to be taken away from their home state by three middlemen when activists of BBA conducted a raid on Saharsa railway station and rescued them.

The rescued children hail from Madhepura, Supaul and Araria districts of Bihar and Nepal and have been sent back to their parents.—IANS

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AIT students awarded
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, October 21
Michael P. Macy, counsellor for Cultural Affairs at the US embassy, here gave away awards to 125 meritorious students of the Ansal Institute of Technology in Gurgaon yesterday. Macy was the chief guest at the function organised to honour students for excellence in various professional programmes.

Aika Moudgil received the Academic Excellence Award for securing highest marks in BBA under GGSIP University.

Among the other luminaries present on the occasion included S.T.Rao, director, Atmospheric Sciences Modelling Division, USEPA, USA and Ramesh C. Datta, director of Coca-Cola India University.

M.P.Singh, director, AIT and eminent academician, in his address urged the passing out students to excel in every field of life.

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Mutilated corpse found in Noida

Noida, October 21
A mutilated corpse—almost a skeleton—was found in Noida on Tuesday, police said.

According to the police, the corpse was found lying in a pit in a thickly vegetated area of Sector 42 at about 9.30 p.m.

The identification of the body was not possible, according to police officer Anil Samania.

The body had been sent for autopsy, the officer added.

“We are trying to find out whether he was murdered and how long back the body was dumped inside the pit,” Samania said.—IANS

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SP firm on probe into shootout

New Delhi, October 21
The Samajwadi Party today expressed firmness on its demand of judicial probe into the Jamia Nagar shootout, in which two suspected terrorists were gunned down on September 19 and a police inspector was killed.

The Samajwadi Party’s reiteration comes a day after Congress ruled out the demand.

“The Samajwadi Party is firm on judicial probe. This demand is to reveal the truth,” said Dharmendra Yadav, an MP and nephew of the party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav. “It is very difficult to understand what problem the Congress has in holding the inquiry,” Yadav said. — IANS

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