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Mystery shrouds student’s death in Dwarka
New Delhi, September 6
A class nine student was found dead under mysterious circumstances outside his residential building in the Dwarka area of southwest Delhi on Wednesday night, said a senior police official.

Now boy attempts suicide at Metro station is critical
New Delhi, September 6
Within hours of a 20-year-old girl jumping to her death from Pragati Maidan Metro station yesterday, another Metro station witnessed a suicide attempt today.

DMRC takes measures
New Delhi, September 6
With instances of suicides on the Metro network cropping up every other day, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has set several preventive steps to avoid any of such instances in future.

List of notified illegal colonies tabled in House
New Delhi, September 6
Delhi Urban Development Minister Arvinder Singh Lovely today tabled the list of unauthorised colonies notified for regularisation before the Delhi Legislative Assembly.


EARLIER STORIES



Shelley was a victim of emotional blackmail: Dad
New Delhi, September 6
Tattoo artist Paras Bhasin's (23) father-in-law, Satish Mittal today claimed that his daughter married him as she had been emotionally blackmailed by him.

DUSU polls: Final list of 38 candidates on display
New Delhi, September 6
With the withdrawals to this year's Delhi University Student Union elections closing this evening, a final list of 38 candidates for the four main seats was displayed today.

ABVP candidates pose after filing nominations for DUSU elections at Delhi University on Thursday.
ABVP candidates pose after filing nominations for DUSU elections at Delhi University on Thursday. Tribune photo: Manas Ranjan Bhui

Congmen flay govt for poor medical facilities
New Delhi, September 6
Raising questions over poor medical facilities in Delhi government hospitals, Congress MLAs and a minister played a roll of the Opposition in the absence of the BJP members, asking questions from state Health Minister A K Walia.

Our education system is rigid: Pitroda
New Delhi, September 6
Foreseeing a model in higher education that focuses on innovative and conventional teaching methods, Delhi University's academic congress today opened its doors to parents, students and teachers to share their ideas and work modules.

JNU: ABVP candidate disqualified
New Delhi, September 6
What was supposed to be the day of declaration of the final candidates for the Jawaharlal Nehru Students Union elections (JNUSU) turned into a day of confusion today. A controversy over the disqualification of an ABVP vice-presidential candidate, Chanchal Kumar stalled the process.





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Mystery shrouds student’s death in Dwarka
Body found outside his apartment
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, September 6
A class nine student was found dead under mysterious circumstances outside his residential building in the Dwarka area of southwest Delhi on Wednesday night, said a senior police official.

14 year-old Vaibhav, a student of Bal Bharati Public School in Dwarka Sector 12, lived with his family at Skylark Apartment in Dwarka Sector 6. The incident came to light after he did not return home after attending tuition classes on Wednesday.

Footage retrieved from a closed-circuit television camera installed in the building shows the deceased, identified as Vaibhav Kumar, falling from the eight-floor building.

He was immediately taken to Ayushman Hospital in Dwarka Sector 12, where doctors declared him brought dead. Cops later shifted the body to Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital for a postmortem.

Cops are trying to ascertain if he committed suicide, but the family members have not ruled out foul play.

"He had left home at around 6 pm, but did not return until 7.15 pm. We got worried as he usually returned home on time and informed us if he had any other plan," according to Vaibhav's father, Sajjan.

The teenager's family members then tried to find him at his tuition centre and in the neighbourhood. They also contacted most of Vaibhav's friends and decided to inform the police after all their efforts had failed.

"At around 10 pm, we heard a loud noise near our building. When we went to see what had happened, we saw Vaibhav lying on the ground in a pool of blood," Narender, a close relative, said.

After the initial probe, the police suspects that Vaibhav died after jumping from the roof of the building. A crime team and Rohini Forensic Science Laboratory team examined the spot.

"We are investigating whether the incident was a suicide. Inquest proceedings under section 174 of the Cr.P.C. are being carried out," the senior police official said, adding that the postmortem was conducted on Thursday.

The police is awaiting the postmortem and forensic reports to confirm the cause of Vaibhav's death. Investigators are also trying to check the footage of CCTV cameras installed on the building.

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Now boy attempts suicide at Metro station is critical
Tribune New Service

New Delhi, September 6
Within hours of a 20-year-old girl jumping to her death from Pragati Maidan Metro station yesterday, another Metro station witnessed a suicide attempt today.

A 24-year-old boy got critically injured after jumping off the stairs leading to the entry of the Punjabi Bagh station. He was rushed to Sanjay Gandhi Hospital, where his condition is said to be critical.

Pradeep, who hails from Bihar, had reached the station around 11 am, according to Metro officials.

As recorded by the CCTV cameras at the station, Pradeep climbed the over-20-foot-high stairs leading to the entry of the station.

"He looked down three-four times to judge the height of the stairs. He then kept his bag on the last step, crossed the railing and jumped," said officials of the Metro control room.

He was reportedly travelling alone and was carrying a red colour bag.

In yesterday's incident, the 20-year old girl had jumped off Platform No. 2 and fallen on the road, around 4.30 in the evening. 

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DMRC takes measures
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, September 6
With instances of suicides on the Metro network cropping up every other day, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has set several preventive steps to avoid any of such instances in future.

"Additional railings are being installed at six Metro stations on priority basis. These stations are Laxmi Nagar, Preet Vihar, Vaishali, Akshardham, Kaushambi and Nirman Vihar. Railing work at 19 other stations which are also identified as suicide prone are likely to be completed within a month's time. Some of them are Seelampur, Janakpuri West, Rajendra Place, Dilshad Garden, R K Ashram, Sultanpur, M G Road, Jahangirpuri, Kirti Nagar, Noida Sector 16, Govindpuri and Uttam Nagar East," said a spokesperson for DMRC.

The DMRC has also put up barriers on the platforms marking the area beyond which passengers are not allowed to go and the guards deployed at stations are put on vigil to keep an eye on platform areas.

Besides, the DMRC will soon be launching a public service initiative with the help of an NGO to sensitise its frontline staff (those sitting at customer care and manning the stations) to identify such people on the premises of stations and guide them to the volunteers of NGO for all possible help.

"We are also going to put up posters and distribute booklets highlighting the importance of life and how the people under depression or suicidal tendencies can contact on the NGO's helpline No. 011-23389090 which is working 2 pm to 10 pm on weekdays and from 10 am to 10 pm on weekends," the spokesperson added.

Currently, the NGO is also planning to make this helpline No. 24X7 for the help of such people.

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List of notified illegal colonies tabled in House
LG Tejendra Khanna yesterday notified 895 of the 917 illegal colonies proposed by Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, September 6
Delhi Urban Development Minister Arvinder Singh Lovely today tabled the list of unauthorised colonies notified for regularisation before the Delhi Legislative Assembly.

Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit had recently announced the regularisation of 917 unauthorised colonies in the city, but Lieutenant Governor Tejendra Khanna yesterday notified only 895 of them.

Lovely said that the residents of the colonies would soon be given ownership right and would be allowed to buy and sell their property. The revenue department would issue a directive for the start of the land registration work in these colonies within a few weeks, he said. The minister also said that the government would constitute a task force to start development work in these colonies and MLAs fund will be spend on development work in these colonies also.

Lovely assured that the remaining 157 colonies against which the Archeological Survey of India, forest department and other agencies have objections would also be regularised soon.

Speaking in the House, the minister said that the BJP had always been misguiding the residents of the unauthorised colonies by promising regularization, but it was the Sheila Dikshit government which had actually done it.

The Delhi Development Authority has been asked to change the land use of these colonies and the LG has asked the municipal corporations to finalise the layout of these colonies, according to the minister.

Land of these colonies has links with a number of departments and so the government has decided to constitute another task force to sort out the objections of all the departments.

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Shelley was a victim of emotional blackmail: Dad
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, September 6
Tattoo artist Paras Bhasin's (23) father-in-law, Satish Mittal today claimed that his daughter married him as she had been emotionally blackmailed by him.

Mittal is facing the allegations of Paras's murder, whose severed body was found from the Pandav Nagar railway tracks in East Delhi on Saturday. His parents alleged that he was murdered by the girl's family.

Paras's family alleged it to be an honour killing. Paras had secretly married Shelly in an Arya Samaj Temple against the wishes of her parents.

"We are being framed. The allegations are false," said Mittal. "Paras had a suicidal tendency. He had attempted suicide earlier also," he added.

Shelly had also provided police with a suicide note jointly written by her and Paras in August. However, the police yesterday said that it was probing the case from the murder angle and was in an initial stage of investigation.

While speaking to reporters, Mittal claimed that his daughter was told by him that he would commit suicide if she refused the marriage proposal. Mittal said that they asked Paras to get a proper job first.

"It was around August 23 that I came to know that Shelly had an affair with a boy. I did not oppose that but asked her to think again. We had already been looking for a groom for her. One day, Shelly told me that she was sitting on the track and was about to commit suicide. I pleaded with her to come back and promised to do whatever she asked. I met Paras only on August 29," he said, adding that she disclosed the marriage only recently.

"The case is still open. There is no point in rushing to a conclusion. We are treating it as a murder case. We have examined the girl. She has given us a suicide note. We will verify it and conduct an independent probe into the incident," DCP (Crime) Sanjay Kumar Jain had said yesterday.

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DUSU polls: Final list of 38 candidates on display
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, September 6
With the withdrawals to this year's Delhi University Student Union elections closing this evening, a final list of 38 candidates for the four main seats was displayed today.

After withdrawals and disqualifications from the 130 nominations that were filed on September 4, 13 candidates will be contesting for the post of president, seven for vice-president and nine each for both the posts of secretary and joint secretary.

Three candidatures were cancelled over the last two days due to violation of codes while a number of withdrawals were made as political groups finalized their candidates.

The main tussle for the presidential post is between the ABVP and NSUI, the two heavyweights who have been ruling the DUSU elections for the past many years.

While the NSUI has fielded Arun Hooda, a second year student of Buddhist Studies as their presidential candidate, ABVP's Ankit Dhananjoy Chaudhary of Buddhist Studies will compete for the prestigious post.

The election is on September 14. During the last elections, Ajay Chikra, the last president of the union, was affiliated to NSUI, while all the other three posts were held by student activists of the ABVP. 

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Congmen flay govt for poor medical facilities
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, September 6
Raising questions over poor medical facilities in Delhi government hospitals, Congress MLAs and a minister played a roll of the Opposition in the absence of the BJP members, asking questions from state Health Minister A K Walia.

The MLAs said that patients were not provided medicines free of cost in government hospitals. Even, sometimes they are asked to buy dressing items from the market.

Senior Congress MLA from East Delhi Naseeb Singh said that the government has policies to provide medicines free of cost to the patients, but they have to pay for it, if not, they are not given complete treatment. Sometimes the doctors refer the patients to private hospitals and get the commission from there.

The MLAs said that in some hospitals the department concerned do not have complete medical equipment.

State Transport Minister Ramakant Giswami said it seems that the government is not in favour of framing health policies for the poor.

Reacting to this, Dr Walia said that the government is providing better medical facilities that is why people of other states also come to Delhi.

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Our education system is rigid: Pitroda
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, September 6
Foreseeing a model in higher education that focuses on innovative and conventional teaching methods, Delhi University's academic congress today opened its doors to parents, students and teachers to share their ideas and work modules.

Participating in the inaugural session of the congress was Dr Sam Pitroda, advisor to the Prime Minister, via teleconferencing from Chicago, USA. Terming the education system in India as rigid, Pitroda stressed the need of more universities establishing innovation centres.

"In the 21st century, we cannot follow patterns of the 19th century. Flexibility in our degree courses should be given importance. The universities and colleges should be given freedom to award a student with a degree whenever they think the student is ready to be a graduate. Why follow a strict four-year module?" He asked.

"The National Knowledge Commission plan was to set up 40 new innovation universities with new ideas, which could offer degree in two-three years, but now the government is talking of forming just 14 universities or making desired changes in the existing ones," he added.

DU Vice-Chancellor Dinesh Singh said, "The university is an 'idea' that needs to be developed in accordance with changing requirements. An entire paradigm shift by redefining the way classrooms function and eradicating the burden of 'scoring a degree' is the need of the hour ."

Opposing the idea of the reform, several teachers' and students' organisations of the Left wing came together to protest against the "academic congress" which they said was being convened by the V-C in complete disregard of academic norms, statutory procedures and democratic practices.

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JNU: ABVP candidate disqualified
Jyoti Rai
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, September 6
What was supposed to be the day of declaration of the final candidates for the Jawaharlal Nehru Students Union elections (JNUSU) turned into a day of confusion today. A controversy over the disqualification of an ABVP vice-presidential candidate, Chanchal Kumar stalled the process.

Kumar, a student of PhD in Computer Science, was a councillor in the union that was dissolved last week to make way for this year's elections. It was this morning that the Election Committee informed him that his candidature stood cancelled as he had failed to formally put in his resignation as a councillor.

Confusion over whether the clause requiring resignation from a standing candidate stands valid in the present-day circumstances, led to a tussle between the party supporters and the election commission.

Some of the other candidates opined that earlier in the JNU constitution, there was a clause that required a person re-contesting the election to resign, but whether it would be applicable after the Lyngdoh recommendations, was a tricky question and was up to the election commission to decide.

"It's almost 10 pm, We have lost the day. We have to wait for the EC verdict while other parties have already begun campaign," said Sandeep Kuamr Singh of the ABVP.

"As per the Supreme Court order, these elections are not being held under the JNUSU constitution, but according to the Lyngdoh recommendations with four relaxations for JNU. No clause under these regulations requires a standing candidate from resigning formally when the last union has already been dissolved," he added.

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