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Women security top priority: Gupta
Sajjan instigated mob: Witness
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Dip in fatal accidents
Cameras all around
Talwars hold rally; seek reinvestigation
No respite from chilly winds yet
CRIME UP 3%
Petty reasons enough to kill
Rise in cases of rape, molestation in city
Police to get new fingerprint unit
MCD seals four shops, razes three
Security wing cop shoots self in Delhi
Getting voter card easier now
Min wages for domestic helps sought
IGNOU brings courses for schoolteachers
Banker fined Rs 3 lakh for keeping vehicle papers
MCD schools shut till
Jan 13
Doc fined for botched sterilisation
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Women security top priority: Gupta
New Delhi, January 6 Addressing the annual press conference this afternoon, Gupta began his address by mentioning priorities for the year ahead and held crime against women highest on his agenda. "Stopping crime against women would be my biggest priority this year. Efforts are already being made in this regard. Three women DCPs have been appointed while four women SHOs are in charge as on today. These figures are likely to go up in the coming days as I believe a woman complainant is more comfortable in presence of a woman officer," said Gupta, adding that every police station would have a help desk of women. Besides providing relief in distress, the Delhi police is also concentrating on security initiatives, including self-defence classes for women, deployment of PCR vans in the vicinity of women educational institutes. "The Maurice Nagar police station in Delhi University is likely to be named North Campus police station while there would be South Campus police station with heavy deployment of women officers very soon. These measures are likely to check eve teasers and other crimes against women," said Gupta, adding that the request regarding the change of name has already been sent to the home ministry. Mentioning that the existing helplines on anti-stalking, anti-obscene calls will be further strengthened, Gupta said that the Delhi police now regulates the movement of cabs of BPO companies and other business houses. "Women beat officers patrolling the area on motorcycles would be a common site in the days to come," said Gupta. The city would soon see surprise checks in the buses during the peak hours in the morning and evening. "This would not only put an end to eveteasing but also pickpocketing and robberies," Gupta said. Tackling street crime is something which the police commissioner feels that Delhi police should take more seriously. He intends to tackle it by simple means of high police visibility and action against criminals. Gupta said that the cases would be lodged immediately henceforth. "The cases would be lodged promptly because unless there is case against criminals, how they could be arrested. And if they are not arrested, they would continue criminal activities," said Gupta that he has issued clear instructions to the station house officers not to fight shy of lodging FIRs. Group patrolling, highway patrolling by special police teams, identification of main criminals of the police station, updating criminal records, monitoring and surveillance of the criminals released from jail would be the norm in the city now, the commissioner added. |
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Sajjan instigated mob: Witness
New Delhi, January 6 Nirpreet Kaur (42), who was 16 years old when the incident took place, stated that Balwan Khokhar and Mahender Yadav pointed towards them and said, "Ise maron…ye saap ka bachcha hai (kill him…he is a snake's child)." "My father who was trying to explain to them that they were not responsible for the death of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was taken on a scooter and burnt to death," Kaur told Additional Sessions Judge Sunita Gupta. She added that the mob was not having a match box so a policeman butted in and said "Doob maro tum, ek sardar bhi nahi jalta (you should drown yourself if you cannot set a sardar on fire) and handed over a matchbox to Kishan Khokhar who then set her father on fire. Kaur even identified the policeman as inspector Kaushik. She continued saying that a few minutes after, when the mob went away, her father jumped into a drain. "When the mob saw that my father was alive they returned. Dhanraj gave ropes from his shop. Captain Bhagmal tied my father with ropes to a telephone pole. And my father was again set on fire," she pointed out. The witness also deposed how she saw Sajjan Kumar addressing a mob and allegedly provoking it to attack and kill the Sikhs. "No sardar (Sikh) should be left alive. Burn all their houses. Kill all the Sikhs as they have killed my mother," Kaur alleged to have heard Sajjan saying that. She also stated before the court that she was booked in three different TADA cases--two in Delhi and one in Punjab. "I was just 16 when my whole family was killed by the outraged mob. There was a feeling of anguish that injustice is being done to Sikhs and nobody is coming to their help so I joined the Sikh Student Federation after which I was involved in two false cases of TADA and remained in jail for many years," she stated in her statement. Later, she was discharged in both the cases. Sajjan, Balwan, Kishan, Mahender and Captain Bhagmal are facing trial relating to the killings of six persons and instigating a mob in the Delhi Cantonment area. On January 13, the CBI had filed two chargesheets against the former Congress MP and others before the court in two separate cases of allegedly making provocative speeches, leading to the killing of 12 persons in 1984 riots.
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Dip in fatal accidents
New Delhi, January 6 "People who are caught for traffic violations just throw away Rs100 at the policeman and walk off without a pinch. It is too low a fine these days. We hope that the Motor Vehicle Act which is being amended would increase the fine amount," said the police Commissioner B.K. Gupta said a smooth flow of traffic without jams and violations would be the top agenda of the police while also checking drunken driving. This year, the city traffic police will also ensure that motorists follow the lane restrictions, besides installing 1,700 cameras by March-end at all intersections. "The cameras would not only curtail traffic violations, but also street crimes," believes Gupta. Last year, the number of fatal accidents declined to 1,978 from 2,182 in 2009, while the number of simple accidents decreased from 2,366 to 2,169. Another highlight for the traffic police last year was prosecution of drunk drivers. Last year, over 10,161 people were fined for driving under the influence of alcohol. Out of these, driving licences of 580 were suspended while 710 people were imprisoned for up to ten days. In 2008, a total of 7,579 people were prosecuted for drunken driving while the next year saw a steep increase in challans on this front to 12,109. The figure in 2007 for the
same offence was 3,748. The recent drive against drunken driving, which started on the Christmas Eve, is showing tremendous results. According to Satyender Garg, joint commissioner (traffic), while on an average, four to five cases of fatal accidents were reported per day, it has come down to one to two ever since the drive was launched. |
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Cameras all around
New Delhi, January 6 "We have the sanction, and in fact, 18 markets and two border check-points are already under camera's eye," said Gupta. According to him, the video footage received from the CCTV cameras is being linked with the Integrated Command Control Coordination and Communication Centre (C4i) stationed at the police HQ. "The technology will also help us at night when there are lesser police personnel on the roads. The footage will give us detailed access to any crime committed in the areas under surveillance. It will, in a way, compensate the shortage of policemen," said Gupta. The city police will also be acquiring new Hyundai Accents or Maruti Suzuki Dzire cars for patrolling. These cars will be assigned to sub-inspectors as against the current practice of assigning patrolling vehicles to constables and head constables. The logic is that senior officers are likely to be more courteous and can speak English and can go for the assistance of anyone in distress faster in these vehicles. An advanced version of ZIPNET (Zonal Integrated Police Network) used by the police to identify dead or missing persons, stolen vehicles and data on criminals will be connected to the neighbouring states.
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Talwars hold rally; seek reinvestigation
New Delhi, January 6 The Talwars slammed the CBI's closure report in the case and demanded that the case be reinvestigated.During the march, friends of Aarushi, whose murder at her house in Noida on the intervening night of May 15 and 16, 2008 remains shrouded in mystery, lit candles before a large photograph of the teenager in which she is sporting a winning smile. Aarushi’s domestic help Hemraj was also found murdered along with her in the same manner. The case riveted the nation as first the UP police and then the CBI kept bungling following different clues, none of which could prove to be decisive. "They say the CBI is the best crime investigation agency. But they have failed in finding the murderer of our friend. It's a shame that they have now given up," said two of Aarushi's former schoolmates. A few relatives and friends of Talwars were also present at the rally and expressed anger over CBI naming Rajesh Talwar as the only suspect in the case even as it had no conclusive evidence against him. "They have been condemned for life even as the Central Bureau of Investigation has no proof," said Dinesh Talwar, a relative of the Talwars.The protestors demanded that the government should order further investigation in the case to ensure that the accused are identified and nabbed.
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No respite from chilly winds yet
New Delhi, January 6 The maximum temperature today settled at 14.5 degree Celsius, a good six degrees below normal while the minimum temperature rose a bit and settled at 5.3. The weatherman has predicted no relief for tomorrow with temperatures likely to be around 14 and 6 degrees. "Fog is expected in the morning while the minimum and the maximum are likely to oscillate between 5 and 14 degree Celsius. The cold winds are likely to continue," a metrological Department official said. "The weather today was pretty much similar to yesterday. Even as the minimum temperature rose a bit, it's the winds which are the main culprit. It's hard for the elderly and young children who have tough time even stepping out of their homes nowadays. Even indoors, heaters do not help much. We are just longing for some sun today. I just hope the sun comes back, it really makes a difference," said Saji Chaturvedi, housewife residing in RK Puram.
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CRIME UP 3%
New Delhi, January 6 "Crime in the city is more or less at the same level. Technically, one can say that there has been an increase in the crime rate, but if we calculate the crime rate after taking into account the population of the city, criminal cases per lakh population has been the lowest in the city in the past ten years," he said. While in 2001, crime cases per lakh population was 392.66, the highest in this decade, the figure for 2010 stands at 275.66," Gupta revealed. In 2010, the number of criminal cases reported in the Capital rose to 52,675 from the earlier year's 50,972, riding on an increase in the cases of rape, molestation, robbery snatching, motor vehicle theft and kidnapping. There was a downward trend in the number of cases of murder, dacoity and attempt to murder. This is for the first time since 2007 when the crime rate in the Capital has shown a rising trend. In 2006, the number of criminal cases reported was 84,484, while the next year saw 74,111 cases. The year 2008 saw a drastic drop to 53,072. Talking about the reasons behind the growing crime rate, Gupta said the trend could be attributed to the fact that the police is no more shying away from registering FIRs. Talking about the strategy of the police for future, Gupta revealed that 26 out of the 155 police stations, mainly in the outer and south-west districts like Rohini, Mangolpuri and Dwarka, account for about 50 per cent of the crimes reported in the Capital and efforts were being made to make these stations more equipped with men, weapons and vehicles. "We are identifying the vulnerable areas. We are redeploying our manpower in these areas and we will see results very soon," Gupta assured, adding that there will be a special emphasis on identification and arrest of criminals with the use of stringent MCOCA. According to the Delhi police statistics for the year 2010 (till December 15), snatching and vehicle thefts showed the sharpest increase. Vehicle theft cases accounted for 29 per cent of the total cases. There were 1,596 cases of snatching in the Capital last year as against 1,289 in 2009, while the vehicle theft cases rose to 13,794 cases as against 11,892. |
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Petty reasons enough to kill
New Delhi, January 6 The reasons for murders that took place in the city ranged from urinating in front of the house to burning firecrackers in a marriage. A youth was killed for playing a cricket match while a man was killed for refusing to give a cigarette to the accused. A man was killed in the Geeta Colony area for filling a water bucket while another was killed for refusing to serve a particular brand of whiskey. According to Delhi police crime statistics released today, there were 519 cases of murder reported this year compared to 527 last year. And the majority of these were committed by first timers with no crime syndicate or mafia involved. "As many as 93 per cent of the murders were committed by first timers while in 57 per cent of the cases, the murderers were in the age group of 25 years or below. Out of the total killings, 15 per cent were passion related, 19 per cent crime related, 15 per cent were due to sudden provocation, 13 per cent personal enmity and 10 per cent because of family disputes," says the statistics. Attempt to murder cases also showed a dip from 360 to 297 this year while the cases of robbery rose to 567 from 484. Kidnapping for ransom cases were 16 this year and, interestingly, in all cases the accused were first timers. Eighty-seven per cent of the 34 arrested in such cases were known to the victims. |
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Rise in cases of rape, molestation in city
New Delhi, January 6 According to police chief Brijesh Gupta, in 2010, the city witnessed 489 rape incidents, including the infamous Dhaula Kuan rape and Mongolpuri, as against 459 in 2009. The figures for 2006 was 609 followed by a drop to 581 next year while in 2008, it further dipped to 466. Talking about the rising rape cases, Gupta held that although measures are being taken to halt the trend, it was still far less compared to various cities in the world. "While the rate of rapes in Delhi was 2.8 per lakh population, New York had 10.6, Washington 32.6, Cape Town 73 and Caire 87," said Gupta. Incidentally, Islamabad fared better than Delhi in this regard where the rate of rape per lakh population was 2.1. Similar trend was witnessed in regard to molestation cases this year which showed an increase to 585 from last year's 532. While 2008 witnessed 597 cases, there were 835 incidents in 2007 and 713 in 609. Of the molestation cases reported in 2010, neighbours were accused in 42 per cent cases while 4 per cent were friends and 6 per cent relatives. According to statistics, the rape per lakh population has shown an increase to 2.8 from last year's 2.65. The figure was 4.16 in 2005 and 3.82 in 2006, the highest in the last decade. Of the persons arrested for rape, 52 were relatives, 65 friends, 222 neighbours and 130 were other known persons. In only 20 cases, rapes were committed by strangers.
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Police to get new fingerprint unit
New Delhi, January 6 The Automated Finger and Palmprint Identification System will be installed by January 15, B K Gupta, Delhi police commissioner, told a press conference here. "We will be able to cross check the antecedents of a person arrested. All police stations will be covered by the system," he said. The finger and palm print of the arrested persons will be collected and fed into the system with relevant details of his previous involvement, a senior police official said. "The next time he is arrested, we will have all details about his previous involvement at one click," he said. The police is also waiting for the installation of Intelligence Traffic System which covers 265 kms of the capital. "It is on the technical evaluation stage," Gupta said. Under the ITS, 277 junctions will have signals and 1,687 cameras will be installed which will be connected to the headquarters. The police will also try to complete the project of connecting all the 58 major markets and 27 border posts through CCTVs. Till now, 18 markets and two border checkpoints have CCTVs.--PTI
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MCD seals four shops, razes three
New Delhi, January 6 MCD officials sealed the shops constructed illegally in Sector-7 of Rohini. The Building Department also took demolition action against three properties in Sector 7 and 11 of Rohini. The civic body has faced flak over failure to check growth of unauthorised constructions after a building with illegal floors collapsed in east Delhi in November killing 71 people. It has since been acting tough against misuse of properties and illegal structures across the national Capital. The civic body had yesterday sealed properties of a municipal councillor of the ruling BJP for alleged misuse of residential units for commercial purpose and demolished "illegally" built floors in the building.--PTI
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Security wing cop shoots self in Delhi
New Delhi, January 6 The police said Ajit, who was deployed with the security unit, shot himself around 7.30 am and succumbed to his injuries at the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital. The police said it had not found any suicide note on him and was investigating the reasons behind his extreme step. |
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Getting voter card easier now
New Delhi, January 6 Earlier, photo identity cards were issued by SDM offices in each district. For the benefit of people and bringing everybody in the electoral list, the government has opened election offices for photo I-card in each Assembly constituency. Announcing that a photo exhibition of election process will be held at Delhi Haat near INA Market to celebrate the diamond jubilee for the establishment of the Election Commission of India, the CEO said that to bring all the youths in the age group of 18 years, the government had decided to institutionalize the work by giving the responsibility to schools, colleges and universities. The school students will be asked to fill in form 6 for getting registered in the electoral role while filling in the annual examination forms of the CBSE for class Xth and class XIIth. The university and college students will be asked to fill in form 6 at the time of admission in May and June. DG, Election Commission of India, Akshay Rout said that voters in the age group of 18, 19 and 20 are declining as they are either ignorant or do not take interest in getting enlisted in the electoral list. A campaign will be started to make them aware of the significance of their votes in each state of the country. He said that an exhibition is being organized which would show the functioning of the commission since its beginning. There are a total of 716 million voters in India. This number is more than the total population of many countries. India's electoral system is the best in the world, Rout claimed. The exhibition will be inaugurated by the Chief Election Commissioner, S. Y. Qureshi tomorrow. The visiting time is from 1 pm to 7 pm. On weekends, it will be from 10 am to 7 pm. More than 30 officers, including district election offices and superintendents of police will give presentation of how elections are conducted.
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Min wages for domestic helps sought
New Delhi, January 6 Chairperson of the SEWA Manorama Joshi said at a conference today that millions of women, many of them in the Capital, worked as domestic workers and for small families where husband and wife both are working. They take care of their children and do all the household work, but the government has no law for their protection. They are not governed by the labour laws. The government has not fixed minimum wages for them. She pointed out that the domestic workers worked all the 30 days in a month. If they take leave, the house owner deducts their salaries. They are not given even weekly off. They are misbehaved and harassed and are suspected if any thing is lost in houses . She said that 90 lakh domestic workers are registered with the SEWA that is active in nine states. In protest against the government's apathy towards them, the domestic workers would wear black badges when they went to their workplaces tomorrow. They do chores like cleaning of floors, washing utensils, clothes etc. They work in three-four houses in a day and are under paid. If there is law, they can also live a respectable life, she said. General secretary Shikha Joshi said that the domestic workers have to pay a part of their salaries to placement agencies or middlemen. The government had made a policy and a task force to tackle the problems faced by the domestic workers. But just the policy is not enough, there should be a law, Joshi pointed out.
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IGNOU brings courses for schoolteachers
New Delhi, January 6 The two courses are: Postgraduate diploma in education management and administration (PGDEMA) and postgraduate diploma in school leadership and management (PGDSLM). An official from IGNOU said the two programmes were targeted at improving the performances of teachers. The programmes introduce an entire set of new skills to teachers in areas like interpersonal relationship, dealing with students, the best ways to get a lesson across to students, leadership training, strategic planning and decision-making. The official further added, "The programmes focus on the development of skills that are necessary for a teacher for dealing with students in classrooms. The idea is to train teachers to make teaching an unforgettable experience for students and leave an impact on their young minds." For taking admission in the courses, the candidate must be a graduate in any discipline. The fee for the coursesis Rs 5,000. Students should apply before the end of the month. The forms are available at the IGNOU head office and regional branch offices. |
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Banker fined Rs 3 lakh for keeping vehicle papers
Ghaziabad, January 6 Complainant Om Prakash took a loan of Rs 6.42 lakh from the bank for purchasing a car and paid Rs 35,000 for registration and insurance papers, but the bank kept these documents with itself. In the absence of papers, Om could not use the vehicle since its purchase in 2001. After nine years, the complainant finally got relief from the forum which also imposed a fine on the bank officials to be paid to the
victim.--PTI |
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MCD schools shut till
Jan 13
New Delhi, January 6 The schools were closed for winter vacation from Dec 25 to January 9. The situation of cold wave will be re-assessed on the eve of the opening date. |
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Doc fined for botched sterilisation
Ghaziabad, January 6 Parveen, wife of one Shamshad, underwent a sterlisation operation in February 2006, but she conceived later and delivered a baby in November 2006. She filed a complaint in the consumer forum against the doctor of a Muradnagar health centre. Forum chairman A.K. Srivastva imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh on the doctor.
--PTI |
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New Delhi, January 6
New Delhi, January 6
