New Delhi, August 30
After a sting operation carried out by the victim, the Mukherjee Nagar police station sleuths have arrested a 72-year-old man on charges of extortion and threats.

According to complainant Bhupinder Singh, P.P. Singh and his son Pammi had been demanding some money and a flat in his under-construction builder’s society. Singh threatened him that otherwise he would get the project sealed by the MCD.

According to SHO Mukherjee Nagar, S.N.Yadav, while Singh was arrested on Friday, his son Pammi was arrested the next day.

According to information, the Old Gupta Colony resident P.P. Singh had been pestering Bhupinder Singh for the last few months. He kept asking for money and allotment of a flat in his upcoming builder’s society at Shakti Nagar and Hudson Lane.

The septuagenarian threatened that he had lots of contacts in the MCD and it would cost Bhupinder Singh dearly if he did not oblige. After consulting friends, Bhupinder Singh decided to do a sting operation on the father-son duo and called them for sorting out the issue.

“The CD has been shot with a hidden camera in which P.P. Singh is boasting of his links—from the Qutub Minar to Panipat. No builder can construct a single room without his wish! He also demanded a flat in the society,” said a police official close to investigation.

The CD also shows Singh claiming that he had earlier got a building made by another builder Ramesh sealed by the MCD when he failed to meet his demands.

According to Bhupinder Singh, he initially went to the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) of Delhi government, but was told that they dealt with the corruption charges against the government officials only.

He was advised to contact the police.

“I then approached the police with the CD and gave the complaint against P.P. Singh and his son. A vigilance inquiry was conducted and after finding the truth in the matter, a case was lodged at the Mukherjee Nagar police station leading to the arrest of P.P. Singh,” said Bhupinder Singh.

According to him, he also provided clips of recorded conversation between Singh and himself in which the former was making his demands.

Singh was arrested on Friday under section 384 (extortion) and 506 (threat) and 34 (criminal intimidation) of the IPC. A raid was conducted at his residence whereupon the police seized his laptop and the letterhead.

“His laptop is being checked for any incriminating evidence. As of now Singh is in police remand and we are investigating the matter further,” said the police.

New Delhi, August 30
The Crime Branch of Delhi police has arrested a notorious interstate gangster Shokat, alias Pasha, involved in over 50 cases of robbery, murder, attempt to murder, including a daylight murder in the area of Jamia Nagar, Delhi.

A cash reward of Rs 50,000 had been declared on his arrest by the commissioner of police, Delhi. According to Neeraj Thakur, DCP (Crime), he was arrested on Saturday night from near Kalindi Kunj parking after police had received a tip-off about his movement. “At about 8 pm, the accused got down from a bus and proceeded towards the Kalindi Kunj parking area when the police team began to close in on him. Sensing the presence of police, he whipped out a revolver, but was overpowered after a brief scuffle and the revolver loaded with three live cartridges was also recovered,” said the DCP.

Accused Shokat (49), resident of Jyoti Ba Phule Nagar (UP) got sucked into the crime world in 1980 when he had a property dispute and political rivalry in his village with one Bhura who was the pradhan of the village. After a series of crime, including train robbery and extortion in 1995, Shokat committed the murder of his old enemy, the village pradhan, Bhura, to avenge the land dispute. The UP police declared a reward of Rs 50,000 on his arrest.

He also committed a house dacoity in Kardam Puri and was arrested by staff of the Shahdara police station in the same year. In 1997, while he was being taken to district courts Moradabad, UP, he escaped from the custody of UP police with the help of his accomplices.

Again he committed a daylight murder of an advocate Khalid Iqbal on the premises of the Moradabad court complex.

“Advocate Khalid Iqbal used to oppose him in the cases pending against him at Moradabad, being the nephew of slain village pradhan Bhura. This was a sensational murder of an advocate on the premises of the court complex and the Bar Association of Moradabad staged demonstrations against the brutal killing. A cash reward of Rs 1 lakh was declared by the UP police on his arrest,” said DCP Thakur.

He was arrested by Bareilly police after some time and in 2007, after his release, he contested assembly elections from Amroha constituency of UP, on the symbol of National Loktantrik Party, but lost. After losing the election, he returned to Delhi and formed a gang which included Rizwan, Abdul Hafeez, Akbar, Anwar, Matru and others. As he was leader of the gang, he got his share from the gang members even without participating in their criminal activities.

Later, dispute arose between Shokat and Abdul Hafeez over distribution of booty ending in the murder of Hafeez.

Accused Shokat Pasha is involved in over 50 criminal cases, including nine cases of murder, dacoity and 23 cases of robberies. He had been declared a proclaimed offender in six cases by different courts.

New Delhi, August 30
The victory of Kishan Pahelwan in the municipal by-election yesterday, who allegedly has 27 murder cases against him, was celebrated with much fanfare by his family members and supporters.

However, his younger brother, Bharat Singh, who was made in charge of his election campaigning, said that Kishan has only two charges against him. Kishan Pahelwan, the newly elected councillor of Dichaun Kalan ward, will be released within a week, said Bharat.

“He wants to serve the people and nation through politics,” said Bharat Singh, who is also MLA of Najafgarh constituency.

Kishan’s brother Bharat was the incumbent councilor from the seat and vacated it after being elected to the Delhi Assembly from Najafgarh. He won as an independent candidate but was supported by the BJP in the last year’s state polls.

“He is a great inspiration for all of us. It was only because of his blessing and motivation that I was able to win the Assembly elections recently,” Bharat added.

He said that the alleged 27 cases of murder against his brother are all rumours. “The fact is that my brother has only two charges registered against him that too because of some family rivalries. One is under section 506 (threat) which was booked in 2003 and another of Arms Act booked in 1993,” he said

Kishan Pehelwan is currently in Tihar Central Jail and ran his campaigning from behind bars. But his family members are certain that he will be released within a week. They assured that he would be able to attend the MCD’s regular meetings and proceedings.

“All the court cases will be over and he would be able to come out of jail after a week’s time,” said Bharat.

Kishan is also reported to have carried a reward of Rs 1 lakh on his head. According to police sources, he was arrested from Rajasthan on charges of violating the excise law and brought to Delhi.

He is also reported to have property of worth Rs 50 crore in Delhi with flats in several housing societies in Dwarka and farms in Najafgarh.

Greater Noida, August 30
Razing illegal colonies has become a headache for the administration of Greater Noida.

On Friday, when some officials went to inspect an illegal colony near Chak Sabri, the residents and farmers pelted stones on them and forced them to return.

The Greater Noida Industrial Authority (GNIDA) has lodged FIRs against 102 illegal colonisers at Ghaziabad’s Vijay Nagar police station. The FIRs have been registered by Bhagwan Singh, a manager with GNIDA.

People who have built houses in the illegal colonies near villages adjoining Ghaziabad like Iteda, Yusufpur, Chak Sabri and Chipyana Khurd are putting up determined resistance against razing of their illegal houses.

Meanwhile, the officials of the GNIDA in a meeting with the district magistrate and SSP of Gautam Budh Nagar recently discussed the ramifications of razing illegal structures.

On the other hand, people of the area met at a temple in Bisarakh for a mahapanchayat.

The panchayat was held under the leadership of Congress leaders who met the CEO of Noida requesting them to legalise the illegal colonies.

New Delhi, August 30
Contrary to perceptions that Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) are not doing enough research, IIT-Delhi has earned over Rs 102 crore in a year from research projects — more than what the government gives it as annual grant.

Sponsored research saw a major growth in the number of projects as well as in revenue earning during 2008-09.

“The earning from sponsored research is growing year after year. Now our earnings are more than the government’s recurring aid of Rs 100 crore to us. This is a landmark,” said M. Balakrishnan, dean of post-graduate studies at IIT-Delhi.

He said the top technology school managed to earn Rs 102.81 crore last year up from Rs 28.2 crore in 2004-05 and Rs 84 crore in 2007-08.

“This is contrary to belief that we are very poor on research output,” Balakrishnan said.

The number of sponsored research projects has gone up from 87 in 2005 to 138 in the last fiscal. Similarly, IIT Delhi also helped corporate in nearly 700 consultancy jobs.

Balakrishnan said that during the 2008-09 period, the faculty undertook 27 international projects, including seven from US defence aircraft manufacturer Lockheed Martin.

Other foreign bodies who came to IIT-Delhi for help include Canada’s International Development Research Centre and departments of science and technology of Germany and Britain. Organisations from Sri Lanka, Kenya, France, Switzerland and Japan too got involved with the top engineering school for research work.

Among Indian organisations, Bharti Airtel, Aeronautical Development Agency, Indian Council of Agricultural Research and various central and state government ministries sought IIT-Delhi’s assistance to seek solutions. — IANS

New Delhi, August 30
An exaggerated importance to brands, pressure to perform and peer pressure have pushed up suicide rate amongst adolescents today—a case in point being the 19-year-old student who killed herself apparently after not getting admission to a prestigious Delhi college, say psychologists and parents.

Kritika Khanna, a bright student who scored 92 per cent in her Class 12 board exams, did not get admission to the sought-after Lady Shri Ram College and instead had to take admission in Jesus and Mary College under Delhi University. She was apparently depressed about it.

On Friday night she flung herself to death from her 11th floor residence in a Gurgaon high-rise.

According to psychiatrist Samir Parikh, suicide is an extreme step that may be triggered by one incident but the individual would have been suffering from depression for quite some time.

“Suicide is on the rise amongst adolescents. It may be triggered on an impulse, by an incident but for that the person must have been suffering from depression for quite some time, maybe five to six months,” Parikh said.

“In the case of Kritika, she must have been vulnerable for some time. All this is because of things like an exaggerated importance to brand names and being made to believe that getting into one particular institute can make you successful and, if not, it will mar your career,” he added.

Peer pressure, pressure from family and the media play a big role in building these perceptions, Parikh said.

Shocked at the incident, many parents said they are at a loss as to how to handle their teenagers.

It’s absolutely shocking. This madness over marks and cut off percentages can drive anybody up the wall—and these are just kids we are talking about. It’s actually scary that despite being such a good student, how the pressure of performance drove this girl to take the extreme step,” said Rashmi Jain, a mother of two teenagers.

Rajesh Agarwal, whose daughter is in Class 12, said that after hearing of the increasing number of cases of teenage suicides—the latest being that of Kritika’s—he is worried to bits.

“On the one hand, there is this tearing competition—scoring high marks to get admission in a good college, then crack entrance tests to get into a reputed professional institute, then getting placed in a good job... and on the other hand these cases of breakdown.

“As a parent, I want my child to do well. But is it enough that the child is not pressurised at home? What about peer pressure? Sitting at home, I can do only as much and these cases of suicide have really got me worried,” Agarwal said.

While counsellors said that parents must interact with their children as much as possible and assure and reassure them of unconditional support even while reprimanding them, counsellor Gunjan Doga said that the tell-tale signs of depression should not be ignored. “When a person has been upset for an unusually long time, shows withdrawal symptoms, doesn’t seem to enjoy things that she used to and doesn’t express any desire, one should get help,” Doga said.

“Unfortunately, most of us simply ignore such things and think that everything will be fine in some time. We don’t say that a person who is physically ill is right? Then why so when it comes to mental health?” she said. — IANS

Greater Noida, August 30
A man killed his wife by poisoning her in Phalauda village, Rabupura. The fault of the woman was that she had reprimanded him on being under the influence of liqour always.

The husband Kirpal, a retired fauji (armyman), is alleged to have first beaten up his wife Bina and later with the help of his family members forced poison down her throat.

Bina’s brother has filed a murder report against five, including Kirpal, in Rabupura Kotwali.

Kirpal’s drunken state was often opposed by his wife which would result in clash between them.

On Friday evening, Kirpal had reportedly beatan up Bina black and blue, and then with the help of his family members forcibly poured poison down her throat. Without informing her parents, Kirpal’s family cremated her as well.

Yesterday morning when Bina’s parents learnt about her murder, they informed the police. Bina’s brother Brijinder filed a report naming Kirpal, his father Udaybir and three others.

The in-charge of Kotwali said Bina was married 16 years ago and she was mother of three children also.

In another dispute in Chak Birampur, a father-son duo wounded a youngman with a sharp-edged weapon and damaged his bike.

Anil, the victim, lodged a complaint against Verinder and Brijraj with the police which is investigating the case.

New Delhi, August 30
Do you sit and perform complicated yoga postures day after day at home with only TV as your instructor? It may be time to turn the idiot box off, as experts warn that practising yoga through mass media without proper guidance can do more harm than good.

“Yoga needs very close concentration and two-way communication is essential; so the best way to perform yoga is with an instructor. The asanas (postures) and prakriyas (processes) somebody is imitating from TV may not be suitable for them and can create trouble,” Yogi Shri Ashish Chatterjee, president of Satya Foundation, said.

Yoga is India’s traditional physical and mental discipline which is associated with meditative practices.

Yoga is a Sanskrit word which is derived from the Sanskrit root ‘yuj’, meaning to control, to yoke or to unite. However, in general yoga is typically associated with hatha yoga and its asanas or as a form of exercise.

Manoj Kumar, consultant orthopaedic surgeon at Moolchand Hospital, New Delhi, said: “There has been quite an increase in the number of people coming with injuries caused by doing yoga in inappropriate postures as they just watch it on TV and try to imitate it.”

“At least three to four patients come with such complaints every week,” Kumar said.

R.S. Bhogal, principal of prominent meditation and yoga institute Kaivalyadham in Lonavala, said: “Of course, practising yoga through TV or DVD can create lots of problems as the person cannot get proper feedback and he can either overstretch or have too much contraction.”

Bhogal added: “The best way to practise yoga is through one-to-one interaction, so that communication can be easy and efficient. However, it is not always possible to conduct a one-to-one yoga programme; so in my opinion the ideal ratio between instructor and student would be of 30:2 (one yoga instructor, one assistant and 30 students).”

Bhogal also feels it would not be right to practise yoga through mass media.

“The reason behind it is that these asanas have spiritual value. Though it looks like simple exercise, it is not. The different asanas lead us towards peace,” Bhogal said.

Rachna Rana, an MBA student who has practised yoga through TV, said: “I was thrilled to see yoga on TV and started practising it every morning, but in a few weeks I got my knee sprained and it took long to recover.”

Yash Gulati, senior consultant orthopaedic surgeon at Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, New Delhi, said: “One yoga posture cannot be beneficial for all kinds of people. So it is very important to consult an expert before practising, as the effectiveness of yoga depends on various factors like age, physical condition, etc.”

While Chatterjee admitted that TV has helped yoga gain popularity, he said: “TV is distorting the spiritual aspect of yoga and it is not doing any good to people; rather it is causing complications.” — IANS

New Delhi, August 30
“Looking for a slim, homely and fair girl for our son” - that is usually how most matrimonial ads read, the stress being on the word “fair”. Many say it is proof of our obsession with a person’s skin colour.

Twenty-five-year-old Anuradha Nigam (name changed) had to pay the price for being dusky when her boyfriend’s mother rejected her because she was “not fair”.

“It was a terrible feeling that skin colour was given preference over my love . He too succumbed to the pressure from his family and we parted ways,” said Nigam.

Samir Parikh, consultant psychiatrist at Max Healthcare in New Delhi, says: “Perception of what is desirable and not desirable in a prospective bride is to a large extent based upon the information that we receive and form our opinions on. As a result, a number of biases can creep into our way of thinking and the way we look at situations.”

Anup Dhir, senior cosmetic surgeon at New Delhi’s Apollo Hospital, says obsession with fair skin has something to do with the British colonial era.

“Indians are usually obsessed with fair skin as they acquired this legacy from the British era. As our rulers were fair skinned, we also run after fair complexion,” Dhir said.

According to experts, a fair skinned person is considered attractive regardless of whether that person has a symmetrical face or a healthy figure.“People are generally obsessed with a thing which they adore but do not have,” Dhir added.

Markets too are loaded with fairness creams that promise to turn your complexion fair.

“Over the years many Indians have been programmed to equate fair skin with beauty, success and happiness. In advertisements, it is always shown that in order to be successful, liked and approved by others, one needs to have fair skin,” said Chugh.

Dhir says he receives queries from around five to eight women every week who want to become “fair”.

Is it really possible to become fair?

“Well, all these fairness creams normally have sunscreens that protect your skin from harsh ultraviolet rays. But they can’t make you fair just like that. Even what we promise is that with chemical peels skin can become fairer and even toned to the extent of non sun-exposed skin,” Dhir said. “But one can’t achieve impossible results like becoming fair like foreigners,” he added. — IANS