New Delhi, September 9
In a bizarre incident of smuggling, the Delhi police today arrested three persons from the international airport for allegedly smuggling two baby monkeys of a rare species.

They were being smuggled from Bangkok to Dubai via India. The accused have been identified as Hamid, Mohammad and Rashid. They were arrested from the T3 terminal of the airport.

The incident was reported this afternoon around 1 by CISF officials who were checking them at the airport. According to the senior officials, the accused arrived at the Delhi airport from Bangkok last night and were scheduled to board a flight to Dubai this evening. The monkeys belong to one of the very rare species and were hidden inside their pants, said the officials. The accused have been booked under the Prevention of Cruelty Act.

The officials of People for Animals, an NGO, also reached the spot to rescue the animals. "These monkeys belong to Slender Lorif species which is very rare. We have taken these animals to the Sanjay Gandhi Hospital for check-up as they are newly born," said Saurab Gupta, Reading Officer of PFA.

"It is a case of international smuggling racket," he said.

During interrogation by CISF and PFA officials, the accused confessed that they were smuggling the animals to Dubai from Bangkok.

New Delhi, September 9
Over the last six years, the face of student union elections across Indian universities has undergone a drastic makeover with the Lyngdoh Committee guidelines coming into force.

Announced in 2006, the guidelines capped the expenditure limit for election campaign and also set requirements for successful candidature to preserve the sanctity of elections and ensure equal opportunity to all.

Even though the spectacle of student union elections has simmered down due to the Lyngdoh restrictions, student political outfits have found ways to continue with their extravagant campaigning tactics.

The Delhi University Student Union elections are a good example of it.

While the Lyngdoh Committee guidelines limit the campaigning expenditure by a contesting candidate up to Rs 5,000, nowhere does it mention anything about the promotion tactics by the political party to which he or she is linked.

As a result, while the candidates make sure that their expenditure remains within the Rs 5,000 limit, parent parties continue to give out freebies, organise get-togethers, offer movie tickets and conduct extravagant rallies to woo the voters. Late-night parties in hostels, delivery of booze cartons, non-vegetarian delicacies are some of the seamy realities of DUSU elections which are mostly kept under wraps.

The Lyngdoh Committee in its recommendations prohibits the use of vehicles for canvassing and bars the candidates from using printed material on campus. Back in 2009, all the ABVP and NSUI candidates were disqualified by the election commission for using printed posters and in the history of Delhi University, an independent candidate was selected as the DUSU president.

Since then, the parties have learnt their lesson and now make sure that all the posters for the candidate are handmade and none of the printed posters bears the candidate's name.

"Our concern is with the contesting candidate. We do not recognise any political party. Any poster with the candidate's name on the campus walls or on any campaigning car is billed to the candidate. We do extensive videography to make sure that no printed posters with the candidate's name are seen," said Prof CS Dubey, chief election officer for the DUSU elections slated for September 14.

"On the other hand, if there is a banner which says "Join an XYZ party, we cannot bill that to a candidate. Such posters, even if printed are not in violation of any guideline of the Lyngdoh panel. However, this time we have tried to contain the campaigning practices. Not more than four people can enter the college premises for campaigning for a specific candidate during these elections," he added.

Deputy Proctor, Prof Kadim said, "These parties know politics much better than us. Over the last three years, there hasn't been a case of over-expenditure by any candidate. They make sure that the bills amount to Rs 5,000. The candidates are required to submit their expenditure statement to the university within two weeks, once the results are out. The university is then required to publish it through a suitable medium for anyone to examine. In case of any discrepancy, the candidate is marked 'red' in the university file and an enquiry is set up to look into the matter."

"It is the discretion of the election commission to decide what to do if a violation is noted during the campaigning process. For example, rallies have been banned. If any candidate is seen in a rally on campus, he will be disqualified instantly. But again, if a party, be it ABVP, NSUI, AISA or SFI, organizes a rally, that doesn't constitute a violation," Prof Dubey added.

A Lyngdoh guideline objects to anyone who is not on the rolls of the university/college to participate in the election process. However, most of the campaigning team of any political group consists of college pass-outs or party representatives at the state level, who manage to observe the rules and still contribute to their candidate's publicity.

"We are not breaking any laws. Parties are playing by the rules. With the advent of social networking over the last few years, it has become much easier to reach students. None of the promotional activities includes the candidate. Once the students recognize the party, they will recognize the candidate as well. A lot of students have no interest in politics. And it is through these freebies, party invitations and other such means that we get them to listen to us. It isn't fair, but if it helps us win the elections, why not," said the state secretary of one of the leading political outfits in DU, requesting anonymity.

A party representative of another political group said, "These students who contest elections are inclined to politics in the longer run. Just like any other extracurricular option like sports, drama or dance, they put in their best in these elections as it is their performance at the university level that will determine their role in the parent political party in the future. And agree or not, both the fair and unfair means are a part of politics."

Prof Dubey added, "There was a time when lakhs of rupees were spent on campaigning. Parties were held, celebrities were called and the level of campaigning was nothing less than that of assembly elections. Today, all that has been curbed due to the Lyngdoh guidelines. The university has lost that roar of elections. They have become a low-key affair, but parties still manage to find a way around the rules. If the campaigning expenditure of any candidate and his parent party is put together, the amount will be much beyond what the Lyngdoh panel permits. But the mere dissociation of a candidate from his party is a flaw that cannot be checked by the university." 

New Delhi, September 9
The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) will be organizing a five-day Management Development Programme (MDP) on rail-based urban transportation for the operators and regulators who aspire to know about the Mass Rapid Transit Systems (MRTS).

In order to share its experience with others who are involved in the urban transportation, the programme will be conducted at DMRC's Shastri Park Training Institute.

Scheduled to be conducted from October 15 to 19, this executive programme will be open to all those non-DMRC participants who want to enhance their knowledge with regard to planning, network design and other operational fundamentals of Mass Rapid Transit Systems (MRTS).

This programme will also be beneficial for professionals from the government and non-government sector, managers of urban transport organizations such as Metro, monorail, suburban rail, BRT, etc.

"Urban transportation is one of the major challenging issues which need to be addressed at very early stages of the urbanization process. There is an urgent need to promote public transport systems in Indian cities as these are not only affordable but also environment-friendly. Rail-based Mass Rapid Transit Systems (MRTS) hold the key to these prevailing urban transportation challenges," said a senior DMRC official.

So far, Delhi Metro has gained a rich experience in planning, execution, operations and maintenance of rail-based urban transportation system since its first train rolled out for the public on December 24, 2002.

New Delhi, September 9
Four youths and a juvenile boy were today arrested for allegedly murdering a 65-year-old man in Neb Sarai on Friday.

The main accused has been identified as Neeraj (20) while his accomplices are Irfan (22), Vishal (19) and Sandeep (19). They are all residents of the Tigri area of Khanpur.

"On Friday, Neeraj had allegedly attacked a Class XI girl at her house after she spurned his advances. Neeraj was angry with the 15-year-old girl as he had been stalking her for the past few months, but she had refused to establish any relation with him," a senior police official said.

The girl lives with her mother Kamla Devi and four sisters.

On Friday, around 7 pm, Neeraj, along with his accomplices went to confront the girl after they saw her returning home from her tuition with a male friend named Mohsim. At the house, Neeraj and the girl had a heated argument and he slapped her. The girl's mother tried to intervene and Neeraj allegedly stabbed her.

On hearing the commotion and seeing Kamla in trouble, neighbours-- 65-year-old Jagat Singh and his 60-year-old wife Prakash Devi-- tried to stop the accused. On this, Neeraj attacked them also.

Singh, a retired Air Force employee, took a stab on his chest while his wife was wounded in a shoulder.

"Singh was declared brought dead at Max Hospital in Saket while Prakash Devi is still battling for her life," the police official added. Kamla is undergoing treatment at the AIIMS Trauma Centre.

A case of murder and attempt to murder under Sections 302 and 307 of the Indian Penal Code has been lodged against the five accused at the Neb Sarai police station.

New Delhi, September 9
A 24-year-old LLB student was shot at by robbers as he caught them stealing his car in the Gokulpuri area of East Delhi last night, said a senior police official.

The victim has been admitted to the GTB Hospital and his condition is critical.

The police official said that hearing the sound of the firing, the neighbours gathered at the spot, but the assailants fled firing in the air.

"The victim has been identified as Safal Kil and he lives with his family. He is a student of LLB and was studying in his room when he heard a sound from outside his house. He peeped through the window and found that some persons were trying to break the lock of his car. He woke up his elder brother and went downstairs to stop the miscreants. As he tried to stop them from stealing the car, he was shot at," said the police.

He suffered a bullet injury in his stomach and collapsed on the ground writhing in pain.

New Delhi, September 9
A 21-year-old labourer allegedly hanged himself from a tree in the Nihal Vihar area of west Delhi today. The victim was reportedly under depression as he was jobless.

Hailing from the Hardoi district in Uttar Pradesh, the deceased has been identified as Mithlesh. However, no suicide note has been found.

The incident was reported to a police control room (PCR) around 1pm. Mithilesh was rushed to Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Hospital in Mangolpuri, but was declared 'brought dead'. "Prima facie, it seems that there is no foul play in the incident. But we are investigating the case from all possible angles," said a police official.

He was identified by making a call from the mobile phone recovered from his pocket. As no suicide note has been found, the police will question Mithlesh's family and friends to ascertain the reason for taking the extreme step. — TNS

New Delhi, September 9
In a shocking incident, a software engineer was brutally assaulted and robbed by unknown persons in the Kotwali area of Central Delhi last night, said a senior police official.

The victim identified as Mohit Shetty was thrashed in the public and no one bothered to save him. According to the police official, Mohit was heading towards Geeta Colony from the Daryaganj area. He was riding a motorcycle along with his wife.

"His motorcycle developed a technical snag at Yamuna Bridge. He tried to call up a mechanic who refused to come to the spot, giving an excuse that the area was crime-prone and asked him to bring the motorcycle to the workshop," said the official.

Mohit then called up his friend to take his wife home. While he was taking his motorcycle to a workshop, a group of armed assailants hiding near a flyover intercepted Mohit and thrashed him. They robbed his gold chain and Rs 10,000 in cash. Mohit said that he was shouting for help, but no one bothered to save him.

"We have lodged an FIR and are investigating the matter. We hope to make an early arrest," said the police official.