New Delhi, March 30
Jamia Millia Islamia today expelled three of its students in different cases of sexual harassment.

This move of the university follows the arrest of a Ph.D student who had allegedly been tormenting a professor with sexually explicit text messages.

The university issued a terse statement, “After carrying out investigations in the proctorial department, we found three students guilty of being involved in cases of sexual harassment. Taking note of this, the university has expelled them and a campus ban has also been imposed upon them.”

The statement further reads, “Jamia Millia Islamia as an institution has zero tolerance for elements found indulging in any case of sexual harassment on campus.”

Jamia spokesperson Simi Malhotra said, “At Jamia, we do not tolerate sexual harassment or eve-teasing, the university has taken stern action against students found indulging in this.”

A Ph.D student of the university was arrested last Thursday after a woman professor lodged a police complaint alleging that he was harassing her with long, romantic text messages for over two months. She described the messages as ‘intimidating’. The student was later released on bail.

However, the professor again approached the police on Monday alleging that he had again troubled her by coming to her department with a bouquet of flowers. The student was again arrested.

The accused student has been expelled from the university. According to sources, the university has also issued an enquiry into the matter.

New Delhi, March 30
The south district police has arrested seven persons involved in illegal slaughtering of cows this morning. The police also seized 3 tonne chopped parts of cows in a raid at jhuggis in Indira Market of the R.K. Puram area.

“The accused identified as Sazid (44), Sahzad (23), Md Arfin (25), Md Tayab (35), Zahid (20), Alam (24) and Salauddin (28) were arrested during a raid conducted by the police, the MCD and Delhi government officials,” said HGS Dhaliwal, DCP (south) adding that instruments used for slaughtering animals were also seized from them.

As the news about illegal slaughtering of cows spread, BJP activists led by the party’s Delhi unit chief O.P. Kohli blocked traffic at R.K. Puram Sector-7. A number of municipal councillors, including former mayor Arti Mehra also reached the spot.

The protestors also put parts of the slaughtered cattle on the road and raised slogans against the police and Delhi government. The BJP leaders alleged that the police was in connivance with illegal meat traders.

Leader of MCD Subhash Arya has written a letter to Lieutenant-Governor Tejendra Khanna demanding invoking of the National Security Act against the offenders. He has also demanded action against official of the Delhi police, Delhi government or MCD found involved in allowing such illegal activities.

Meanwhile, investigation in the matter is on.

New Delhi, March 30
Even as amendment was demanded from the BJP and Congress MLAs in the Delhi Industrial Development Operation and Maintenance Bill 2010, the government passed it after taking the views of Delhi minister of industries Haroon Yusuf.

The Bharatiya Janata Party MLA led by leader of opposition in Delhi Assembly, Professor Vijay Kumar Malhotra walked out after the Speaker announced that the Bill had been approved.

The Bill was passed after a debate in the House in which BJP MLAs – Ravinder Bansal, Surender Pal Ratawal, Jagdish Mukhi and Congress MLA Mukesh Sharma participated and appealed for an amendment saying that if the Bill was passed without a change, industries in Delhi would be ruined.

However, another Congress MLA Hari Shankar Gupta supported the Bill and said that it should be passed without bringing any change.

The BJP MLAs said that this was a draconian Bill for the industries. It does not allow change of trade that is against the nature of trade. The industrialists keep changing their products according to the market demand. It also has provision for confiscation of plots lying vacant for a certain period.

They also pointed out that the government wanted to curtail powers of the MCD by bringing out a change in the law. At present, maintenance work in the majority of industrial areas is done by the MCD. Once the Bill is passed and becomes law, the MCD cannot do the maintenance work in industrial areas.

Having listened to the views of the MLAs, the industries minister said that industrial activity would not be objectionable on any plot. Confiscation of plots would end the property dealers’ activity in the industrial areas. Many plots that are owned by property dealers have been lying vacant for many years. Those plots would be confiscated.

He said that the Bill was tabled before the House after getting clearance from the union ministry of home affairs, finance and other related ministries.

Thereafter all the Congress MLAs favoured the Bill and it was passed.

New Delhi, March 30
Agitating students at Delhi Technological University boycotted examinations on the second successive day today and simultaneously more than 500 students sat on dharna outside the Vidhan Sabha.

Those protesting were entirely from the first, second and third year. The fourth year students were sitting the examination as they did not want to lose lucrative job offers that had come their way after campus placements.

A third year student said, “We continued with the boycott of the examinations on the second day. Some 2,300 students boycotted the exams. Meanwhile, a delegation of students also held meetings with the OSD to the Chief Minister, Pawan Khera, but nothing substantive has come out of the talks so far.”

Students say they want the government to order an enquiry into the tenure of vice-chancellor P.B. Sharma.

“We have provided the government with enough proof of the highhandedness of vice-chancellor. We have been talking with the government on major issues concerning the students at DTU. We will continue the agitation till our demands are accepted,” the students say.

Meanwhile, some 636 students appeared for the mid-semester examination on Tuesday. The majority of these students were from the final year which comes to about 604 students while 21 students were from the first and third year and just nine from the second year.

Ravi Sekhar, the president of the students’ union, says, “All of us, including myself, in the final year sat the examination today. The agitation has passed into the hands of the juniors—students from the first, second and third year. Some 2,300 students boycotted the examination today and students have also been holding talks with the government.”

New Delhi, March 30
Two infants were burnt to death in a major fire which broke out after a cylinder exploded in the Shalimar Bagh area of north-west district this afternoon.

Police said that the incident was reported around noon from BG Block in the Shalimar Bagh slum area.

“The deceased, identified as Kajal (2) and Raju (1), brother and sister, died on account of the injuries. They were rushed to Babu Jagjivan Ram Hospital with 90 per cent injuries and declared brought dead. The fire broke out due to LPG cylinder explosion in the area,” said the police adding that no other person was reported injured in the incident. Jivesh, father of the deceased, has been living in the area for quite some years and works as mason. “The parents were not in the hut when the fire broke out. While Jivesh was out of the slums and had gone to work, his wife had left the hut a short while ago to attend some work in the neighbourhood,” said police.  

According to information, apart from the death of the two siblings, around 65 to 70 huts were gutted and it took 12 fire trucks to control the flames.

“Twelve fire trucks were rushed to the spot which took around four hours to douse the flames,” said a fire officer. The local police is investigating the cause of the fire.

Ghaziabad, March 30
D.C. Tiwari, former SHO of Vijay Nagar Kotwali in Ghaziabad, has reportedly gone underground and his department has declared him an absconder.

A resident of Vijay Nagar had accused Tiwari of taking a bribe of Rs 70,000.

According to police circle officer Kalyan Singh, on orders from IG Zone, Javed Akhtar, a case was registered against Tiwari on November 14, 2009 in the Vijay Nagar police station.

He has since been suspended from service, the circle officer said.

Tiwari was found prima facie guilty in the enquiry. Efforts are being made to arrest him, Singh said. The police has also started action under Sections 82 and 83 (for attachment of property).

According to the inquiry officer, Hari Om Sharma under the Vijay Nagar Kotwali area had complained to the IG Zone that his truck carrying iron rods had been stolen from Neelam Dharam Kanta in August last year. To lodge a complaint, he had to make many rounds of the Vijay Nagar police station.

After taking a bribe of Rs 40,000 from him, SHO D.C. Tiwari registered a report for the theft of truck. The former SHO, Hari Om Sharma alleged, had taken another Rs 30,000 for arresting the suspected thieves. After a few days, his truck was found abandoned in the Bulandshahr area. But iron rods worth lakhs loaded in that truck have not been recovered so far.

The police has since obtained court orders for the attachment of property of D.C. Tiwari. His property is likely to be attached in a day or two, the circle officer said.

New Delhi, March 30
Sita and Gita, sounds familiar, but these are no on-screen characters of Bollywood, but twins from Bihar, who have successfully struggled for over 18 months and currently doctors at Batra Hospital have taken the task of separating the conjoined twins.

Daughters of daily wage labourers—Subhash Mukhia and his wife Nirmala—both are joined at the waist and share a common faecal and urinary tract, but the exact anatomy of the fusion is yet to be assessed that would eventually go on to decide the severity of the surgery.

Conjoined twins are identical twins and their occurrence is estimated 1 in 50,000 to 1 in 100,000 live births. As per available medical records, globally over a period of 500 years, there are 600 such surviving cases.

“The overall survival rate for conjoined twins is around 25 per cent. However, depending on the extent of fusion and the number of organs the twins share, survival rates may go up or down,” said Dr Rohit Nayar, plastic surgeon, Batra Hospital, one of the many specialists who’ll be closely involved with the separating surgery.

According to paediatrician and CEO of Batra Hospital and Research centre, Dr Sanjeev Bagai, surgery in such cases is always a risky proposition. “We need to make a proper assessment before taking a final call on how to go about it. Investigations are already on. Once we have the results, we’ll have a clearer picture,” he underlined.

Paediatric surgeon from Batra, Dr Arvind Sabbarwal said that the twins are undergoing a battery of tests and it would take a couple of days to ascertain the nature and extent of the fusion. After we have done that, we will know exactly what the risks involved are.

“Separating the two would require a multidisciplinary team of specialists—paediatric surgeons, orthopaedicians, plastic surgeons and others. We hope to have a successful outcome,” he added.

If the operation turns out to be successful, then both Sita and Gita would be able to lead normal lives.

New Delhi, March 30
Delhi Assembly today witnessed allegations and counter allegations by the BJP and the Congress MLAs during discussion on price rise held today.

Initiating the debate, BJP MLA Jagdish Mukhi said that wrong policies of the government were responsible for the inflation. Instead of better governance, the government had a nexus with the wholesale dealers of various commodities. Selling pulses, flour and sugar on control rate from Mother Dairy and NAFED outlets is just a ploy to fool people.

Jai Bhagwan Aggarwal said that instead of taking steps to control prices, the government had levied taxes to collect revenue for the Commonwealth Games. Delhi women have no benefit of having a Chief Minister who has withdrawn subsidy on LPG, he said.

Congress MLA Mukesh Sharma said that with the decision of the government to sell pulses, flour, sugar on control rate from various outlets, the rates of these items in the open market have come down. Pulses which were sold at the rate of Rs 80 and more are being sold at Rs 60. Chana dal is being sold at Rs 12 per kg and rice at Rs 10 per kg.

Faridabad, March 30
The district administration has intervened in the battle between the management of Carmel Convent School, Ballabgarh, and parents of students whose fee for 2009-10 session have reportedly not been cleared. It has asked both the sides to abide by the law.

Faridabad deputy commissioner Praveen Kumar confirmed this to The Tribune this evening.

Both the parties had reportedly met Kumar after an alleged clash between parents and the school staff on March 25, as the school withheld the annual results of students whose fees were not cleared for 2009-10.

Kumar said he had directed the school to release the results and told parents to pay the fee as per the direction of the Punjab and Haryana High Court. The high court in a temporary relief had upheld the July 6, 2009, directive of the commissioner-cum-director general, school education, Haryana.

The directive stated that schools must meet the additional expenditure from their own funds and not by raising the tuition fee. The directive also said in case any school had financial problems, it could raise the fee in 2009-10 by only 20 per cent.

However, the directive also laid down that only those schools which had submitted their annual and mandatory statement of income and expenditure could raise the tuition fee.

Many parents, under the aegis of Haryana School Abhibahvak Ekta Manch, have been waging a struggle against most schools and the government for flouting of the July 6, 2009, directive.

With regard to the violence at Carmel Convent School, the school management today alleged that one of its senior staffer was brutally beaten by parents, while the latter allege that the staffer misbehaved with female parents.

The police has registered a case against parents. However, one person has been named in the FIR. The school management alleged that the police was not taking action.

Meanwhile, the Haryana Progressive School Conference, a body representing private schools, today came to the side of the management of Carmel Convent School cautioning that it would launch an agitation if the police did not take speedy action against parents who assaulted the school staff.

Greater Noida, March 30
A chartered accountant of a private company was shot at and wounded by three criminals on a bike who then sped away after robbing him of Rs 5 lakh.

The robbery took place in Bilaspur town of Dankore.

The victim, who had withdrawn the money from Oriental Bank of Commerce, Bilaspur, was shadowed by the bandits in the bank itself. The chartered accountant was later admitted to Kailash Hospital in Greater Noida.

Meanwhile, police said no bullet was fired and the man was hit with a revolver butt only.

The victim, Vikram Singh of Emalya village in Greater Noida, had gone to Bilaspur on his bike along with his father Kishori Singh and mother Bhagwati. The father-son duo took out Rs 5 lakh from the bank for registry of a plot in Noida. Near Dalel Garh culvert in the Dankore Kotwali area, three bandits on a bike overtook them, and tried to snatch at gunpoint the bag dangling from Vikram Singh’s shoulder.

When he and his parents tried to resist the loot attempt, the bandits fired gunshots, one of which just missed Kishori Singh’s head while the second one went grazing the back of Vikram’s head. One of the assailants then hit Vikram’s hand with the butt of the revolver and the trio sped away after snatching the bag.

The victim lodged a report in Dankore Kotwali. SP (Rural) Surinder Kumar Verma said Vikram was injured with a revolver butt and no gunshots were fired. Efforts are being made to nab the culprits, he added.

This is the fourth such incident of robbery since December 16, 2009 when the money withdrawn from banks had been looted in Greater Noida.

Ghaziabad, March 30
A criminal wanted in nearly a dozen cases was shot dead in a gunfight with the police here.

The incident took place in the Vasundhara locality of the city late on Monday night.

Two motorcycle-borne men robbed a motorcycle belonging to Avneesh, who immediately informed the police control room (PCR). The police chased the two men in Vasundhara locality near Hindon canal. The two men fired at the policemen, and in retaliatory fire by the police, one of the men was shot, while his accomplice managed to flee.

The criminal was taken to the hospital where he was declared dead.

On the basis of papers found in his pockets, the man was identified as Shamim, against whom a dozen criminal cases were pending and who was wanted by the Delhi and Ghaziabad police for trial in these cases. — IANS