New Delhi, March 16
Two incidents of murder were reported in the Capital today. In the first incident, a 30-year-old woman was allegedly stabbed to death by her son. While in another incident, a 40-year-old woman was strangled by her husband.

Illicit relationship of the woman has been cited as the reason behind the first incident reported from the Ranhola area of west district last night.

The accused are on run.

In the first incident, after the death of her husband the victim Sonu had been living in the area alone and ran a grocery shop for her livelihood.

“Sonu had been living with her son Rajender, who lives in a village, for a few days. Sonu was found murdered yesterday. Rajender was missing,” said a police officer.

The police suspects that Rajender might have killed his mother and fled.

The police believes that Sonu’s illicit affair could be reason behind her murder.

In another incident, Savitri Lata Rai was strangulated by her husband who suspected her having an affair with a neighbour. “The husband, Tapan, is absconding. Last night Tapan had an argument with Savitri, which took a violent turn. Tapan strangulated his wife and fled. Savitri was taken to a nearby hospital where she was declared brought dead,” said a police officer.

Tapan is a cable operator and has three children.

New Delhi, March 16
A 62-year-old woman and her two-year-old grandson were suffocated to death when a fire broke out at their central Delhi residence today evening.

According to fire officials, the incident was reported from Gurdware Gali in the Beandonpur area of Karol Bagh around 2.10 pm.

“The victims have been identified as Surinder Kaur and Harmant. They suffocated to death and there were no burn injuries on them,” said a police official.

The cause of fire is being investigated, but officials believe that short-circuit could be the likely reason.

“We found the gas cylinder intact and probably short-circuit could have led to the fire. Two fire fighting engines were rushed to douse the blaze,” said the fire officials.

According to information, there were two more persons inside the house when the fire broke.

“They were rushed to hospital and were discharged after treatment. Kaur and Harmant were declared brought dead,” police said.

New Delhi, March 16
Many general students have got admission into different courses at Jawaharlal Nehru University despite getting fewer marks than scored by several OBC students, said Forum for Defending and Implementing Reservations (FDIR) today after accessing information under RTI Act.

Seven students have sat on an indefinite hunger strike while nine others are on a relay hunger strike, terming the admission criterion for OBC students “arbitrary”.

After filing an RTI, the JNU students are now backing their argument based on the deficit in OBC reservation in each department of the university.

After the implementation of 18 per cent OBC quota last year, only three out of 22 seats meant for OBC candidates were filled up. Students who did not get admission claimed that the deficit of 19 seats could be filled if the university administration kept a static cut-off for OBC instead of “arbitrary cut-off” bar based on merit.

“By going down to the merit of 40 marks, which should be a fixed cut-off for this university’s courses, the seats could have been filled,” said Sucheta De, a student leader, adding that even a student with 59.5 per cent marks was denied admission.

According to the Para 10 and 11 of the MHRD directives, the central universities “may decide on the cut-off marks for the OBC category well in time, so that consistent with the standards of the education of the CEIs, sufficient number of eligible OBC candidates are available for selection on the basis of inter-se merit against the reserved seats”.

JNU’s admission process runs foul of this directive, FDIR said.

At present, the JNU cut-off marks are decided after evaluations of the entrance exams are complete. Once all the students have been awarded marks, the seats of the general category are first filled.Subsequently, the marks scored in the entrance by the last general category student selected are declared the cut-off. OBC students are then given relaxation of 10 marks.

The protesting students said it was “in clear violation” of MHRD directives.

The JNU administration, however, maintained that the interpretation of a committee formulated to look into the OBC implementation was given a nod by the Academic Council.

New Delhi, March 16
The 38-year-old priest arrested yesterday by the Saket police for allegedly raping a woman devotee at a Shiv temple in Pushp Vihar has confessed to have raped the victim on the premises of the temple.

“The accused, Santosh Tewari, is an assistant priest at the temple. On February 4, Shashi (name changed), a daughter of a gazetted officer of the central government, had gone to the temple along with her cousin to offer prayers. While her cousin, Priyanka, was busy praying, Tiwari, on the pretext of getting her help in preparing food, took Shashi to the residential portion of the temple. Thereafter, he forcibly took her to his room and raped her,” said H.G.S. Dhaliwal, DCP (South), adding that the accused has confessed to the crime.

The officer revealed that the victim is a patient of epilepsy, and so was not physically strong enough to resist.

“The priest threatened to slit her throat if the matter was revealed to anybody. However, the victim confided with her mother on reaching home,” said Dhaliwal.

The incident took place at a Shiv Mandir in Sector 1, Pushp Vihar.

According to police, Tewari hails from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh and was married about 20 years ago.

“His wife and children live in his native village. He has three daughters and a son. The eldest daughter is studying in B.A. 1st year,” said Dhaliwal.

Tewari has been working as an assistant priest at the temple for the past six years and the said temple is headed by one Kameshwar Choubey.

Noida/ Ghaziabad, March 16
An 18-year-old girl was allegedly kidnapped and raped by a youth and his elder brother in a moving car. The victim was found unconscious in Noida’s green belt near Sector-12 and 22 crossing.

The Noida police rushed her to a government hospital.

The girl alleged that Dinesh Tyagi, his elder brother Mukesh and Mukesh’s wife kidnapped her from a market in Khora Colony, Indirapuram, on Sunday. The two brothers raped her in a moving WagonR car. The accused allegedly made her take sedatives and raped her.

Later the Noida police informed the Ghaziabad police.

The girl’s father has lodged a complaint with the Ghaziabad police. A case of kidnapping and rape has been registered against the two brothers.

The victim said she had gone to buy vegetables on Sunday when she was forced by Dinesh, Mukesh and Mukesh’s wife Sarita in a car. Sarita covered her mouth so that she could not shout for help, while Dinesh and Mukesh raped her. After that they brought her back to Noida and beat her. The girl further alleged that they even tried to strangle her.

Rajesh Tyagi, SHO of Indirapuram Kotwali, said Mukesh and Sarita have been arrested. Mukesh said in 2008 too Dinesh had raped the girl for which he had been sent to jail.

New Delhi, March 16
The staff of government hospitals have often come in for criticism for their apathy to patients, but things became so unbearable for Reena Sharma (23), who delivered a baby at Safdargunj Hospital on March 12 after a Caesarian operation, that her family decided to shift her from the hospital against medical advice.

“I won’t advise any expectant mother to get admitted here,” said the family, who prefers to take her to some private hospital.

Many patients admitted to the gynaecology ward number five joined Reena in levelling allegations against the nursing staff for not providing proper facilities on time.

An irate hospital management instead called the police to browbeat patients and their families into silence.

Reena’s family said they had to hear uncharitable remarks like “pata nahin kahan kahan se yahan marne ko aajate hain (God knows from where people come here to die)” when they called the nursing staff on duty for help.

“They were rude to my wife and mother (56) and even told my mother to bandage my wife instead. When complained to the higher authorities, the chief medical officer directed the staff to give a painkiller later in the night,” said Reena’s husband Surender Nath Sharma. The family is from Sagarpur near Janakpuri.

He said the nursing staff completely neglected his wife. “We were left with no option than to leave the hospital. Though doctors had asked us to keep her admitted till March 20,” he said.

And it seems almost every patient admitted to the ward and their families have some grievance against the nursing staff. Physically challenged Karan Singh, whose wife Mamta is admitted to the same ward; Pitambar Choudhary, father of Neetu, also in the same ward; and Sangam Vihar’s resident Jogender, being in hospital for the delivery of his daughter-in-law, had similar complaints of apathy against the staff.

“They don’t change the patients’ bedsheets and even the floors are not cleaned daily,” a patient said.

However, the nursing staff defended themselves and a senior nurse said their hands are always full. “We are responsible for checking the patients’ status and also public dealings. On an average, we are two persons for 50-odd patients,” said a nurse on duty. The gynaecology ward number five has 30 beds in total, but the number of patients admitted is 50.

New Delhi, March 16
The Delhi High Court today rejected the plea of outlawed Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) for de-sealing its premises here.

Terming SIMI’s plea as “untenable in law,” Justice S. Muralidhar refused to direct the government to de-seal house number 151-C, Lane 9, Zakir Nagar.

The premises could not be de-sealed as long as the ban on the outfit remained, the court clarified.

The house was locked following the 2001-ban on SIMI for its alleged involvement in terrorist activities and the arrest of its president, Shahid Badar Falahi, under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act.

A Delhi High Court Tribunal lifted the ban in August 2008, but this was stayed by the Supreme Court.

The home ministry had informed the court that the house belonged to one Habibullah Siddiqui and as such neither SIMI nor its president had any legal claim over the property.

SIMI had approached the high court pleading that the house was in utter neglect and that all the articles on the premises had been stolen.

New Delhi, March 16
Over 3,000 Delhi Technological University (DTU) students continued to boycott their mid-term examinations on the second day today. Roughly 80 students sat for exams.

The DTU spokesperson said the university was holding examinations as per the schedule, but the attendance had been very low.

“Students willing to sit for the exam are being influenced by protesting students,” she claimed.

A group of students today protested outside Delhi Assembly. Nashun Ali, a student, said, “This is about restoration of college’s identity and status. Delhi College of Engineering was a recognised and well-respected college. But now, it has been reduced to a mere state university and this is not acceptable.” He added that the conversion would affect their future, as recruiting companies preferred its earlier status.

Meanwhile, negotiations were underway the entire day and a delegation of the students met Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dixit and presented its demands. The students also met the principal secretary, education, at the Secretariat to submit their list of demands.

According to sources, students are also talking with the university vice-chancellor P.B. Sharma. Students have demanded that Sharma should step down from his post and university’s earlier status be restored.

New Delhi, March 16
The wait for the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to formally shift to its new address at Minto Road seems get longer even after municipal leaders are busy brawling over issues related to it.

With the MCD passing the proposal of naming the new civic centre at Minto Road as ‘Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Nagrik Suvidha Kendra’ amid huge pandemonium today, it is ready to miss its fourth deadline.

The shifting of the MCD, said the civic body’s leaders, has been postponed to April now. Earlier, municipal leaders had said the MCD office would be shifted to the tallest building in the Capital on Ramnavmi on March 24.

“I think it may take some more time. We will be ready to shift by the second week of April,” said Mayor Kanwar Sain.

While the Congress, the opposition party in MCD, has threatened to appeal in court regarding the issue of naming the new civic centre.

However, the ruling BJP today gave the final nod to the proposal by formalising the name of the new building.

“The BJP is trying to saffronise a public property. How can a government building be named after a politician. We will challenge it in court,” said J.K. Sharma, leader of the opposition.

Town Hall, the MCD’s present headquarters, located in the congested Chandni Chawk area has already been declared a heritage building. It is very difficult for people to reach there. The new MCD headquarters will come as a relief to thousands who visit the municipal office to their get their work done. The new building will house all departments of the corporation under one roof.

New Delhi, March 16
A city court has pulled up the police for not paying adequate attention to the trial of serial killer Chandrakant Jha (43), accused of chopping of the heads of victims and dumping their bodies outside Tihar Central Jail. It pulled up the investigating officer and the SHO of Hari Nagar police station for not paying proper heed to Jha’s case.

The court has directed the DCP (west) to take steps for his expeditious trial.

The directions came after Jha, lodged in Tihar Jail filed an application before the court of additional sessions judge Sanjay Kumar for quick trial citing poor conditions in which his family, including his wife and five daughters, was living.

“I was the only bread earner of my family and am in judicial custody for the last two years. My wife is illiterate. To earn money, my oldest daughter quit her studies and works as a daily wager with my wife. I request the court for a speedy trial so that I can help my family,” Jha stated in his petition.

A few years ago, Jha, a native of Madhepura in Bihar, had come to the national Capital. He started working as a labourer at Adarsh Nagar subzi mandi. He then graduated into a small-time vegetable seller and employed labourers, mostly from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. He provided them with food and lodging facility. During the course of their stay, he allegedly took offence to their indulgences like drinking and womanising and brutally killed them.

Three murder cases are pending against Jha. The Delhi police arrested him on May 20, 2007, for his alleged involvement in as many as six murders.

The police said that Jha would get annoyed with his associates on petty issues and killed them. He would then challenge the police by putting letters on the dead bodies reading “Catch me if you can.”

The police had recovered the first body outside Tihar Jail on October 28, 2006, and three more bodies packed in a gunny bag on December 20, 2006, April 25 and May 18, 2007.