The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Delhi and neighbourhood

Crime File
4-day-old boy kidnapped
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, November 13
A four-day-old boy was allegedly kidnapped from his house in the New Ashok Nagar area of East Delhi yesterday afternoon. According to parents of the baby, the kidnapper had come to their house along with other relatives to convey good wishes on the occasion. He even gave Rs 50 to the mother of the boy and offered sweets to the other people present in the house.

However, the man vanished with the boy when the mother was busy in some work. According to eye witnesses, the kidnapper was in the age group of 24-27 years.

Manju, mother of the kidnapped boy told the police that she had not seen the kidnapper earlier but can recognise him. Manju said that the man claimed to be a friend of her husband Vikram, who was not in the house then. In a statement before the police, Manju told that she had gone to dry clothes when the stranger escaped with the boy.

The police has lodged a case of kidnapping against unknown person and has launched a manhunt on the basis of the information provided by Manju. However, no arrest has been made so far.

Shankar Dash, DCP (East) told that a sketch of the alleged kidnapper is being prepared and in all likelihood it will be released by evening. He informed that police forces of other states have also been intimated and assured that investigation in the case would soon bear fruit.

The kidnapped boy was born on November 8 at Lal Bahadur Shastri Hospital in East Delhi. The mother and baby had come home to their rented accommodation in New Ashok Nagar a day later and both were healthy and fine. Lots of people have been pouring in to convey good wishes, which gave the kidnapper an opportunity to come pretending to be a friend.

Vikram, a resident of Pauri Garhwal works as a security guard in a Noida guest house. He was married to Manju about 4 years ago. The couple also has a two-year-old daughter.

Guru Nanak Jayanti celebrated with fervour
Tribune News Service

Sikhs donate blood at Gurdwara Rakab Ganj on the eve of Guru Nanak Jayanti in New Delhi on Thursday. Tribune photos: Manas Ranjan Bhui

New Delhi, November 13
“Celebrate the truth of one God, eternal and timeless” taught by the Guru Granth Sahib. The Capital echoed with the recital of hymns and prayers singing Asa-di-Var today to celebrate the 539th birthday of the founder of Sikhism, Guru Nanak Dev.

Guru Nanak Dev was born in the Hindu month of Kartik (October-November) in AD 1469 at Talvandi, almost 30 miles from Lahore. Sikhs celebrate the birthdays of all the ten gurus. These gurus were responsible for shaping the beliefs of the Sikhs.

Guru Nanak Jayanti marks the culmination of the ‘Prabhat Pheri’ —the early morning procession that starts from gurdwaras and goes around localities singing ‘shabads’ or hymns. Community members from the Sisganj, Rakabganj and Bangla Sahib gurdwaras joined the main procession that began from Gurdwara Rakabganj. The first celebration of the day began with an early morning procession headed by five-armed guards commonly known as the “Panj Pyares”.

The procession also carries the holy book, Guru Granth Sahib, on a float decorated with flowers along with the Sikh flag called the Nishan Sahib.

Teams of singers singing hymns, brass bands playing tunes, ‘Gatka’ teams (martial arts) displaying their swordsmanship, and devotees singing the chorus remained the attraction of the festival. The birthday celebration lasts three days. It begins two days before the birthday with the recital of Akhand Path (a 48-hour non-stop reading of the Guru Granth Sahib) at gurdwaras.

“I am not a Sikh but I love coming to the gurdwara during this festival because it is celebrated in a very traditional manner which gives me immense pleasure and I enjoy eating langar,” says Sakshi Bansal (17).

Starting from the gurdwaras, today’s procession poured on to the streets of the Capital. A casual trip across the residential localities witnessed colourful lights hung outside the houses of Sikh families.

All the Sikh shrines were beautifully lit and decorated to mark the occasion. Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Mangement Committee (DSGMC) had made special arrangements at major gurdwaras to manage large crowd of devotees.

Not to be ignored is the delicious langar, and the traditional karah prasad, served at gurdwaras. On this occasion, hundreds of devotees got together and prepared prasad and langar to serve people, unmindful of any caste or community difference. The idea is to offer food in the spirit of seva and bhakti, said a member of gurdwara committee.

Assembly Poll Scene
BSP a threat to Congress: BJP
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, November 13
Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati will hit the campaign trail for three days at the fag-end of electioneering for Delhi assembly polls, with party supporters lining up a series of public meetings and rallies in the Capital.

According to sources, the party will hold five huge rallies on November 23, 24 and 25 in the Capital. Besides public meetings will also be held where party chief Mayawati will address people of Delhi. The BSP chief is likely to visit Chattarpur, Mehrauli, Badarpur, Mangolpuri, Deoli and Trans-Yamuna areas.

Karan Singh Tanwar, the richest man in the fray with Rs 150 crore assets is contesting from Chattarpur, while Ram Singh Netaji, a former Congress leader and two times MLA is the BSP candidate from Badarpur. He recently quit the Congress and joined the BSP after being denied party ticket.

“We are still preparing for the rallies and public meetings. There might be some more places to be covered in behenji’s meetings,” said a senior party leader.

The rallies will mainly focus on reservation for Muslims and economically weaker sections among upper caste people as part of the BSP’s Sarvajan Campaign. With Dalits already forming a solid vote bank, the BSP’s election strategy has shifted to other castes and communities to increase the vote share.

“The party’s appeal is growing and it is no more confined just to Dalits. We are focusing on other castes as well,” he said.

The party is seen as a great threat to both the BJP and the Congress in the coming assembly polls, after it garnered four per cent votes in the MCD elections.

BSP is contesting from all constituencies in the city.

Errors galore in voter cards
Sandeep Yadav
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, November 13
The confusion over photo identity cards for the forthcoming assembly elections in the Capital continued, as many registered voters complained of errors in their cards. While some claimed that their sex had changed others realised that their spouse had some other name as well. Some were shocked to receive two documents bearing the same photograph but different details regarding name, ag, and address.

One such case came to light when Burari resident Durga Devi, 60, received two voter identity cards. While one card (AZK0387316) carried correct information, the other (AZK0387076) had her photograph but contained wrong information about her name, age and husband’s name. Both voter cards carry the facsimile signature of electoral registration officer for 2-Burari assembly constituency Yogesh Pratap.

Durga Devi, a housewife said that she had received the first identity card from the electoral registration office a few days ago. However, she was shocked when a neighbourhood boy collected the other card from the office after seeing her picture on a card. “He had gone to collect his identity card and saw the other card with my picture. In order to save me from the trouble of collecting the card, he collected the card on my behalf. It was only when he gave me the card, I realised that though it had my photograph and address, the other details as my name, age and husband’s name were incorrect,” claimed Durga Devi.

However, officials at the electoral registration office 2-Burari maintained that they were taking utmost precaution in making the cards and there was no possibility of any discrepancy. “We have not received any complaint so far but if we do we will look into the matter,” said an official.

Thanks to the Election Commission of India, Durga Devi, wife of Kishan Singh, now has two legal documents which give her two different identities.

	Arjun Singh to open children’s camp Tribune News Service New Delhi, November 13 Children’s Day celebrations in the Capital begin with HRD minister Arjun Singh inaugurating the National Children’s Assembly and Integration Camp here on November 14. The Children’s Assembly and Integration Camp will be under way from November 14 – 20 at the National Bal Bhavan. Minister of state for school education and literacy M.A.A. Fatmi will preside over the function. Arjun Singh will also release Bal Bhavan publications on the occasion. The publications to be released include four posters designed by children of Bal Bhavan. M.A.A. Fatmi will also release the children’s magazine ‘Akkar Bakkar’. The releases will be followed by a colourful cultural programme which will be presented by children on the theme of the assembly. The National Children’s Assembly and Integration Camp is an annual feature of the Bal Bhavan in which children from all parts of the country and abroad participate. “This camp promotes national and international integration, amity, brotherhood and goodwill amongst children of our country and children from the friendly countries who wish to know about the culture of India,” an official from the HRD ministry said. Further, 39 new Bal Bhavans, which have been opened recently in different states, will also participate in the camp. The theme of this year’s National Children’s Assembly is ‘Promoting Gandhian Values of Bonding for Truth, Peace and Non-violence.’ An international conference of children on the same theme is also being organized from November 14 – 16 here. Participants will put forth their views about human values at the conference. Children from different parts of the country as well as other countries will be participating in both these programmes. There will also be representation from different schools of Delhi. “The theme ‘Promoting Gandhian Values of Bonding for Truth, Peace and Non-violence’ has been chosen so that the values which are being progressively eroded may be revived and the children may be motivated to create a world which is not torn by differences of border, region and religion,” the official further said.
	Trade fair tickets to be sold at metro stations Tribune News Service New Delhi, November 13 The Delhi Metro has started selling entry tickets for the India International Trade Fair (IITF). These tickets are available at 62 metro stations apart from Pragati Maidan ticket counters. Good news for those using metro is that tickets can be purchased at all stations for Rs 10 less than the actual rate, which visitors will have to pay if they purchase the ticket directly at Pragati Maidan. The IITF general entry tickets at metro stations will be priced as follows: On weekdays Rs 20 for adults and Rs 10 for children whereas on weekends Rs 50 for adults and Rs 20 for children. It being the most awaited fair for Delhiites, the DMRC is expecting larger footfalls at Pragati Maidan metro station. Therefore, 40 ticket counters will be opened on weekdays during peak hours (2 pm to 10 pm) while 44 counters will be opened on Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 10 pm. To cater to the rush DMRC will run eight extra trains on Saturdays and 14 extra trains on Sundays. To facilitate easy handling of crowd during IITF, two customer care guidance counters will be started from where smart cards and pre-vended tokens can be purchased. Additional security staff and special security arrangements are made to ensure safety of people travelling through metro. Last year, 3,86,465 IITF tickets were sold through metro stations.
	Special buses for trade fair Tribune News Service New Delhi, November 13 Delhi Transport Corporation will run ‘Trade Fair Special Buses’ from various locations in Delhi and also neighbouring districts of other states like Ghaziabad, Faridabad, Gurgaon for the India International Trade Fair (IITF), 2008, which commences in the Capital from tomorrow. According to information, keeping in view the huge number of people that throng the fair every year, temporary D.T.C. terminals will function at Kasturba Gandhi Marg at India Gate and Bhairon Road. The geographical location of Pragati Maidan is such that it is surrounded by very important traffic corridors namely Mathura Road, Bhairon Road and Ring Road and in normal time, these routes carry 3 times more traffic than their capacity. With the trade fair activities, these roads are likely to witness additional vehicles and pedestrians and thus the Delhi traffic police advices people to use public transport such as Metro rail and DTC buses for convenience and avoid private vehicles. Visitors have been advised to avail Metro rail facility right upto Gate No. 10 of Pragati Maidan. “Motorists not destined for Pragati Maidan and around are requested to avoid Mathura Road, Tilak Marg, Bhagwan Dass Road, Purana Quila Road, Bhairon Road, Shershah Road and ‘C’ Hexagon for their convenience during the IITF-2008”, said a senior Delhi traffic police official.
	Dumper crushes engineering student Tribune News Service Faridabad, November 13 Students of Anangpuria Engineering College, a private institution, blocked the Sohna-Ballabgarh road for more than two hours this evening to protest the death of one of the students of the institute who was ran over by a dumper. The deceased, Sahil, was returning home from the institute when his two-wheeler was hit by the dumper, near the institute. Sahil died on the spot. The driver of the dumper escaped from the scene along with vehicle. As soon as the news reached students of the institute, they blocked the road demanding immediate arrest of the driver. The student community was also enraged over lack of traffic management on the road despite of the fact that it was a sensitive area with regard accidents. A number of accidents have taken place in the past in the area. At the time of the time of the writing of the report, the road blockade was eased due to intervention by the police, which has launched a manhunt to nab the driver. Anangpuria Engineering College, about 20 kms from here, is located near Dhoj, which has one of the biggest crushing zones. Hundreds of dumper move in and out of the zone carrying building construction materials.
	CRY to celebrate street theatre festival Tribune News Service New Delhi, November 13 Bringing colour, drama and verve together to focus on child rights, CRY (Child Rights and You) brings the ‘Bal Natya Utsav’, a street theatre festival at the Dilli Haat on November 15 from 4:30 pm onwards. Recognizing that the children are the decision-makers of today and tomorrow, CRY has been celebrating the spirit of childhood through street theater in the Bal Natya Utsav (BNU). An annual event, Bal Natya Utsav is now in its 10th year. The festival aims to generate awareness on social issues and is a novel way to sensitize and reach out to public. Here, performances by children and youths highlight issues like discrimination, lack of education, defunct government facilities and other problems affecting children. What sets it apart is the fact that it is a space where children express their understanding of rights in their language. The initiative is nurtured by Child Rights and You or CRY and echoes the belief that children’s rights are everybody’s responsibility. BNU is a space for the child’s voice to be heard. Here skits are planned, directed, scripted and acted by the children/youth themselves. It is not an adult voice directing them. It is children raising awareness for child rights.

	Two caught with illicit liquor Tribune News Service New Delhi, November 13 The Jaitpur police yesterday arrested two bootleggers – Farooq and Bhagwan Das from Mathura Road. According to DCP (South East), 70 cartons of liquor containing 3,360 quarters of Crazy Romeo were seized from them. A case under the Excise Act has been registered against them. They both are the residents of Faridabad. Farooq, 36, is the driver of Tata 709 while Bhagwan Das, 35, worked as his helper. Car thief nabbed The anti-robbery cell of the crime branch yesterday arrested Amit, 27, from Uttam Nagar bus terminal for stealing cars. Amit is a bad character in the Uttam Nagar area. Five Maruti cars, including a WagonR have been seized from him. 1 held for robbery The Paharganj police arrested Amir, 25, from Jhansi Road for robbing an autorickshaw driver last night. DCP (Central) said three men, including Amir had hired the autorickshaw of Santosh Kumar from Azad Market and asked him to go to Pahari Dhiraj. On the way, the three allegedly robbed him of Rs 1,100. Santosh Kumar raised an alarm. A police team was patrolling in the area. The police party with the help of some passersby caught Amir. However, Amir’s other two accomplices managed to escape.
	Robbed HCL cab seized Our Correspondent Noida, November 13 An Indica car plying as a cab for software company HCL was on Tuesday night looted on Expressway. However, it was found the same day. The cab, after dropping employees had just come out of the office premises in Sector-126 Expressway, when another Indica car carrying three men started trailing it. After some distance, the car overtook it and blocked its way. Two men came out of the car and forcibly took the driver, Jasbir, to their car. After driving for sometime, they threw him out. After being thrown out, Jasbir walked up to a police Tavera car standing at the Expressway and narrated the incident to the cops. The policemen flashed the message to the control room and the police immediately swung into action. The position of the looted car was located through electronic surveillance and the carjackers were arrested with the car. The Indica car (No.HR-55-1615) belongs to one Vinode Yadav of Faridabad who had given it to HCL on contract. Interestingly, the Indica car that stole the car is also attached with HCL. The police said that the car was robbed because Vinode owed Rs 18,000 to the owner of the other Indica car.
	World Diabetes Day Children to march to create awareness Tribune News Service New Delhi, November 13 The Delhi Diabetes Research Centre is holding a slew of functions to mark the World Diabetes Day 2008, tomorrow with the theme ‘Let’s Unite To Fight Diabetes’. A march will begin from Jantar Mantar and end at Parliament Street. More than 300 schoolchildren will hold a message urging people to unite for fight against diabetes. The Centre will also present 50 juvenile diabetics at one platform with sports personalities from cricket and tennis, to encourage kids to walk for the cause. A street play (nukkad natak) to create awareness on the increasing number of cases of diabetes among young and adolescent will also be staged. Information booklets specially made for children containing information about diabetes will be distributed free.
	Fire at Bata showroom in South Extension Tribune News service New Delhi, November 13 A Bata showroom in South Delhi’s South Extension market was today gutted in a fire, which completely destroyed all the goods and articles in the showroom. However, no casualty was reported. According to fire officials, the blaze in the two-storey Bata showroom in South Extension-II started late on Wednesday night and took them hours to control it. “The fire started from the warehouse and engulfed the two-storey building. About 20 fire tenders were rushed to the spot to douse the flames,” an official said, adding that they were trying to ascertain the cause of the fire. Goods worth crores are believed to have burnt in the fire. The police is investigating the cause of fire and is not in the position to say with confirmation about the cause of the fire.