New Delhi, April 24
The massive protests and candlelight marches by parents and students following the death of Modern School student Akriti Bhatia due to asthama attack while she was in the school has drawn criticisms for principal Goldy Malhotra.

She has been accused of “gross negligence” that caused the student’s untimely death.

According to sources, the school board met today and a decision on the resignation of Goldy Malhotra is on the cards. Rumors abound that she might be forced to resign. The school will remain closed for the next two days as the school administration tries to grapple with the anger and protests of parents and students.

Meanwhile, numerous probes have been ordered in the case. The school management is conducting an internal inquiry to find if there was any lapse on the school’s part.

Women and child development minister Renuka Chowdhry has called Akriti’s death a ‘systemic’ failure on the part of Modern School and has demanded that action must be taken against those responsible for the incident.

The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) and the Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights (DCPCR) have also sought a report on the incident from the Delhi government within a week.

The DCPCR has set up a 10-member probe panel. Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit has assured that stringent action would be taken once the probe is completed. Delhi education minister Arvinder Singh Lovely, who met the anguished parents, has also ordered a probe.

New Delhi, April 24
With the promise of providing shelter and free education to the family of Shanno Khan, the girl who died last Friday allegedly as a result of corporal punishment by her teacher, Zakat Foundation of India (ZFI), a voluntary organisation engaged in social work, today claimed to adopt the family.

Shanno’s father Ayub Khan works as a caterer with a tent house in Gurgaon and has two daughters and wife. “We have gifted a plot in Bawana to the family and will build a dwelling for them,” said Wadood Sajid, media advisor, ZFI.

Wadood said ZKI had also offered place to Khan’s siblings at their orphanage in Okhla and would provide free education to them.

Meanwhile, the police is yet to make an arrest in the matter, although a case under Section 304A of the IPC (causing death due to negligence) has been registered against the accused teacher Manju.

The police said the autopsy report of the girl hinted at epileptic attack as the likely cause of death, rather than the injuries related to corporal punishment. “There was no mention of any external injury in the report, which hinted at an epileptic problem as a possible reason for her death,” a senior police officer said, adding that detailed chemical and viscera reports of the girl were still awaited.

While her family is demanding Manju’s arrest. Manju’s colleagues are protesting for the revoke of her suspension.

The MCD suspended the teacher and the principal of the school soon after the case came to light. An internal enquiry is being conducted by the MCD to know the teacher’s role in the death. 

New Delhi, April 24
The Delhi High Court on Friday issued notices to the Delhi government and an unaided public school here over the plea of a school teacher challenging the deduction in his salary while he was on paternity leave.

Justice V.K. Shali issued notices to N.K. Bagrodia Public School, Seth Sagarmal Bagrodia Charitable Trust and the director of education (DoE) seeking an explanation within four weeks as to why paternity leave was denied to Chandramohan Jain.

Counsel for Jain, Ashok Aggarwal argued before the court that Jain’s wife had delivered a pre-term baby through a caesarean operation in December 2008 after which she as well as the baby were hospitalised.

Jain had stayed away from work to take care of his wife. The school deducted his salary on the ground that it had no provision for paternity leave.

In his petition, Jain said that every unaided school in the Capital was bound to provide paternity leave for a fortnight within 60 days before or after delivery.

He submitted that the Delhi Education Act and Rules say that the staff of unaided public schools shall be given salary, allowances, leave and other benefits equivalent to their counterparts in government schools.

The central government had in 1999 notified that all its employees would get paternity leave for a fortnight. Following that, the Delhi government also notified the same for its employees as well as for the staff of unaided public schools.

The petitioner urged the court to issue a declaration that the facility of paternity leave also applied to the staff of unaided public schools. — IANS

New Delhi, April 24
Joining BJP’s ‘IT revolution’, party candidate from New Delhi Lok Sabha constituency Vijay Goel today launched his online campaign.

Accompanied by his fashion designer friend Ritu Beri, Goel inaugurated his website www.vijaygoel.in to impress the net-savvy voters comprising largely the youth of the city.

“This is a cost-effective way of reaching out to maximum people in minimum time. Six months of research has gone into combining the facts for the website,” said Goel.

He added, “Through the website, I can listen to the views of the voters of my constituency and respond to them individually.”

Talking about his association with Beri, Goel said they had in the past worked together on several social initiatives.

“I think it is important to make an effort towards choosing the right person for our country. I know Goel, and I believe that he thinks ahead of the time. He initiated a campaign to plant saplings around the Lal Quila and I could not stop myself from being a part of the effort,” said Ritu Beri.

Ritu Beri, after her association with Goel, had also adopted a government school.

Greater Noida, April 24
Chickenpox, which has spread its tentacles in Gautam Budh Nagar district, claimed the lives of two young girls in Javer late on Wednesday night. The deaths have jolted the health department in the district and have spread panic in the area.

About a dozen cases of chickenpox are being reported from Greater Noida hospitals almost daily. Special medical teams are being dispatched to various areas to deal with the deadly disease.

The victims— Hemlata, 13, a resident of Kachehrian Colony of Javer and Swati, 13, a resident of Nagarya—were suffering from fever for some days.

They were first taken to a primary health centre. But after their condition deteriorated, they were admitted to a private hospital, where they died.

Chief medical officer of the area, Dr M.L. Mishra, confirmed that both the girls died due to chickenpox.

“We will send a team of doctors to Javer after we get full reports of the girls,” said Mishra.

According to doctors, the virus causing chickenpox becomes very active during this season when the fluctuation in temperature reduces body’s immunity.

The viral fever can last from seven to 14 days. If not treated in time, water gets accumulated in the lungs and this causes breathing problem. When the fever starts affecting the heart, lungs and brain of the patients, the situation is said to be dangerous.

Doctors advise that pox patients should be kept separate from other family members. Proper cleanliness and hygienic conditions should be maintained around the patient. He/she should be given healthy food and boiled drinking water.

Faridabad, April 24
Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda will canvass for Congress nominees in various parliamentary constituencies in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.

While the first phase of the tour of the Chief Minister commenced today with his visit to Rajasthan, the party headquarters is giving final touches to his programmes in Rajashtan and Uttar Pradesh.

It is learnt that the Congress is also contemplating chalking out an election tour in Delhi, especially the areas of outer Delhi, which are dominated by the farming community.

With regard to Uttar Pradesh, the areas falling in the western party of the state which witnessed the success of the “Green Revolution” during the rule of late Indira Gandhi at the Centre are expected to be identified for the Chief Minister’s possible visit. There are demands from the Congress leaders of Uttar Pradesh to the party headquarters in favour of the Hooda canvassing for party nominees in that state

According to sources, the Congress’ election managers in the party headquarters especially want him to visit hinterland areas dominated by the peasantry class and the farmers in the two States.

As part of a strategy the Chief Minister would highlight the pro-farmers policies adopted by his government to give more zing to the party’s ongoing national campaign.

The steps taken by the Congress government in Haryana ,including waiver of Rs1,600 crores electricity dues of farmers, making it a rule for non arrests of farmers and auctioning of their land to recover the bank dues and the policy of fixing floor rates on agriculture land to preven farmers from getting exploited by middle men and private builders are some of the issues that they want Hooda to highlight in the public meetings.

The party think-tank is said to be laying much store by the Haryana government providing residential plots free of cost to members from the SCs and others economically deprived section of the society. 

New Delhi, April 24
Urdu was the language of common people during the freedom struggle, said senior journalist Kuldip Nayar. “National personalities of that time, including Mahatma Gandhi, wanted Hindustani to become the national language of India after independence,” said Nayar.

Nayar was delivering Kabir memorial lecture on ‘Urdu in post-independence India: present scenario and future prospects’ at the Centre for Indian Languages in Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) today.

Speaking in Urdu, Kuldip said the Constituent Assembly adopted Hindi as the national language with a difference of just one vote. “The Constituent Assembly of free India defeated Mahatma Gandhi’s favoured language, which could have become a real unifying factor for such a vast country,” he said.

Kuldip Nayar spoke about his close association with Urdu poet Faiz Ahmad. He said that Faiz was from his hometown Sialkot of pre-partition Punjab. He also referred to Iqbal, whom he considered worthy of the Noble Prize. Incidentally, Iqbal was also born in Sialkot.

“After migrating from Lahore, I started journalism with an Urdu daily of Delhi called Anjaam. I covered Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination in 1948. But seeing the bleak future for Urdu in the country, I later shifted to English journalism,” he said.

Kuldip Nayar expressed his anguish over the deteriorating condition of the secular ethos of the country that was affecting Urdu language, which has been tagged to Muslims. He underlined the need of linking Urdu to employment, as this would help in the growth of the language.

Urdu and Hindi writer Devinder Issar and chairperson of the centre Chaman Lal also spoke on the occasion.