New Delhi, January 1
Loud cries of "We want justice" continued on the first day of the New Year today at Jantar Mantar as hundreds braved the biting cold and gathered to demand justice for the 23-year-old gangrape victim and stricter laws in lace for women safety in the city.

"You will not be forgotten", Justice for Damini", "Dear daughter, we are sorry we could not save you", Chemical castration for accused" and "2013: Make India Safer for Women" were some of the banners that could be spotted at Jantar Mantar today as people staged a peaceful sit-in, lit candles as a sign of respect of the bravery of the victim and sat on fasts.

Simultaneously, an inter-faith prayer meeting was held at Gandhi Smriti for the gangrape victim who succumbed to injuries on Saturday. People from all faiths - Zoroastrian, Bahai, Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Sikh, Buddhism and Jainism - recited prayers for the peace of her soul. Around 200 people, including Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, wife of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Gursharan Kaur and Minister for Women and Child Development Krishna Tirath, attended the prayers organised by Women's Initiative for Peace in South Asia.

Also, many student groups and women associations who joined hands to finalise suggestions to submit to the Justice Verma committee, today said they were in the process of finalizing their suggestions. Following the severe protests on the streets, the Justice Verma committee was formed by the government to look into the laws dealing with crimes against women and make them stringent.

"Speedy access to justice, sensitisation of police and armed forces, lodging of FIR report in all rape cases and constant police patrolling are some of the suggestions that the All-India Progressive Women's Association (AIPWA) will submit to the committee, said secretary of AIPWA, Kavita Krishnan.

"In addition to 'Justice for Women Now' (the banner under which the organisation and other student bodies are clubbed for now), I am aware of, at least, five groups of the students which are not connected to any organisation but have been constantly involved in the process," said Krishnan, who led the protests at Jantar Mantar.

AIPWA national vice-president Jagmati Sangwan said a joint draft for legal intervention has been scripted which will be sent to the committee. At least 15 organisations, including Dalit Mahila Adhikar Manch, National Federation of Indian Women, and Young Women's Christian Association, have contributed to this draft.

New Delhi, January 1
The person arrested yesterday for allegedly planting a bomb outside Ram Singh's house, one of the key accused in the gangrape case of a 23-year-old medical student who died on Saturday, has been identified as Rajesh Panwar (40), said a police official today.

The police said that Panwar was alone when he allegedly tried to place a country-made bomb outside Singh's house yesterday. The official denied about the role of another three persons in the case.

"Rajesh had come alone to place the bomb, earlier we got a call that three persons were creating ruckus but we found that only Rajesh was there, who was caught by public," said the official.

Rajesh lives in Neb Sarai and runs a chemist shop. He was having a tiff with his wife and was in depression. "He made a bomb with the help of chemical and fire crackers," said a source in the police department.

The source further said that an FIR under Sections 4 and 5 of the Explosive Act was lodged against him.

The source said the residents of the area mistook him to a reporter when he asked about the address of Ram Singh. "He, after reaching Singh's house, told the neighbours that he had a bomb and asked them to vacate the place, but he was caught by them and handed over to the police," the source added.

Meanwhile, today, the Singh's neighbours approached the police and demanded security for them. "The people are planning to set his house on fire and can harm us as well. So, we are demanding security," said Satish Arora, a resident of Ravi Dass Colony.

New Delhi, January 1
Bone chilling cold and dense fog rang in the New Year in the capital today as mercury plummeted to the season's lowest of 4° C. Today, the minimum temperature recorded as three notches below normal and down from the yesterday's minimum of 5.5° C, which was the previous lowest for the season.

The condition improved a bit as the day progressed, but with maximum temperature dipping five degrees below normal to stay at 15.3° C, people were forced to wrap themselves up in more woollens.

Mercury at the lowest and icy winds made the city colder than usual in the morning.

Yesterday, the maximum temperature was recorded at 13.3° C, making it the coldest day of the season so far.

Dense fog enveloped the city in the morning hours affecting road and rail traffic as well as operations at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport here. The visibility dropped to near zero level.

About 60 flights were delayed, 38 cancelled - either due to poor weather at destination or due to operational reasons, while four international flights had to be diverted to Jaipur and Mumbai after visibility dropped to less 50 m, an official at IGI airport said.

Flight operations were also affected yesterday due to which schedule of around 60 flights were affected.

The previous two New Year days were generally 'warm' for the capital with minimum temperature at above normal levels. Last year, the minimum was 8.4° C, one degree above normal and in 2011, it was 11° C, four degrees above normal.

"The icy winds are making it worse. I didn't feel like coming out of the house today," said Sharmista Mathur, an executive with an accounting firm.

The weatherman, has predicted mainly clear skies with mist or fog in the morning for tomorrow. "The maximum and minimum temperatures would be around 16° and 5° C, respectively," an official at the MeT department said. 

New Delhi, January 1
The Delhi police made 574 drunken driving challans at the national capital on the New Year eve, while the total number of prosecutions is 844.

According to the traffic police, the drivers of 294 cars were challaned for drunken driving and 232 drivers of two-wheeler vehicles were challaned during the New Year eve.

Drivers of 11 auto-rickshaws and 10 other vehicles were also prosecuted for drunken driving. A total of 167 vehicles were impounded.

Sources in the police department said that 100 teams consisting of, at least, eight officials were deployed across Delhi to check drunken driving. Most of the people prosecuted for drunken driving will be possibly be imprisoned, besides the revoking of their driving licence and a hefty fine.

Five hundred and seventy-four people were challaned for drunken driving between 10 pm and 4 am. Last year, the figure was 620.

The number of drunken driving prosecutions is less this year, as many people did not come out due to the heavy security.

The south district had 221 drunken driving prosecutions, higher than any other district. The east district had 73 prosecutions, while central had 44 and north had 125.

New Delhi, January 1
As admission to nursery opened today, anxious parents lined up outside the schools early morning to buy forms. Endless queues were witnessed for several hours on the first day of sale of admission forms for the coming academic year, outside most city schools.

The Delhi government has announced a fixed schedule for this year's nursery admissions to more than 1,200 private, unaided schools in the city, unlike the more flexible calendar last year that could be changed at the request of individual schools. Hence, the schools will sell and accept forms for the next 15 days, a schedule that schools will have to abide by. Last date of submission of the forms is January 15.

This year too, distance will form the major criterion and hence, applying for admissions in a school in the neighbourhood will prove to be the best bet for parents.

Other factors that will carry significant weightage during admissions include having a sibling in the same school, parents as alumni of the school and being the first child.

Several schools have already revealed their point-based allotment for this year. Shri Ram School in Vasant Vihar allotted 35 points under the sibling criterion and 20 points to children of alumni or staff members. Five points each will be awarded to adopted children and wards of single parents.

More points will be given to children who live close to the school, may be about 20 points.

Children living between 12 and 15 km from the school will only get five points under the category.

New Delhi, January 1
The Delhi government today launched a scheme of Aadhar enabled direct cash transfer in respect of Centrally sponsored schemes being implemented in the city.

The beneficiaries of the Central government's four schemes - 'Post-metric Scholarship for SCs', Post-metric Scholarship for OBCs, Indira Gandhi Matritava Sahyog Yojna and Janani Suraksha Yojna - have been brought under the direct cash transfer scheme, in which money to the beneficiaries shall be transferred straight into their bank accounts through Aadhar payment mode. The bank accounts have been opened on the basis of Aadhar numbers allocated by UIDA.

Around 12,000 beneficiaries have been identified for these four schemes in the two districts. It would make the payment system faster and smoother, said Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit. The scheme of direct cash transfer would be extended in other districts also.

While elaborating the scheme, Dikshit stated that it eliminates chances of any delay and irregularities in delivery of the benefits to the needy. It also overcomes duplication of beneficiaries.

The inauguration coincides with the launch of Aadhar enabled direct cash transfer pilot scheme from today by the Union government in 20 districts of different states in respect of 34 Centrally sponsored schemes, said Dikshit. Out of 34 schemes, only nine are relevant in Delhi. To begin with, the state government has brought four Centrally sponsored schemes under direct cash transfer mode after creating necessary IT infrastructure.

"The application of IT in making governance more smooth, effective, result oriented, accurate and transparent, has been widely accepted across the world. This also ensures delivery of benefits direct in the bank accounts opened on the basis of Aadhar numbers, of the beneficiaries," she said.

She also distributed certificates in respect of the scheme among around 50 beneficiaries.

"The scheme will ensure delivery of benefit to the beneficiaries to the vulnerable sections of the society. Delhi has already implemented this scheme in respect of its Annshree Yojna launched recently," said Vandana Jena, Senior Advisor Planning Commission.

The city government has already been disbursing the benefits under its various social sector schemes through ECS mode. This include disbursement of pension for handicapped, widows and disabled. Further, the government has been providing one-time assistance of Rs 30,000 to widows for marriage of their daughter.

New Delhi, January 1
A motorcyclist was crushed to death by a luxury car late last night in Amar colony, south Delhi, said a police official today. The victim, Ashok Kumar (43) died when his motorcycle was rammed by an over-speeding Ford Fiesta car, said the official.

He was taken to AIIMS Trauma Centre where doctors declared him brought dead.

The incident took place around 11.30 pm when Kumar was returning from his grocery shop in Govindpuri to his home in Srinivaspuri. As he reached near Captain God Marg in East of Kailash, a speedy Ford Fiesta car rammed into his bike, said the police. The victim died on the spot.

When the police reached the spot, it found the driver of car absconding.

The car has been seized, said a senior police official. He said that during investigation, the owner of the car said that his driver, Sachidanand, had dropped him, along with his family, in Holiday Club in Panchsheel Enclave and left the place without any information. He said that Sachidanand was driving the care when the incident took place.

A case under suitable sections of the IPC has been registered.

New Delhi, January 1
A 53-year-old owner of a placement agency, accused of raping a girl looking for a job, has been let off with a court here finding her testimony untrustworthy.

Additional Sessions Judge Yogesh Khanna acquitted Bihar native and placement agency owner M.P. Singh of rape charges after it emerged that there was some monetary dispute between the two parties.

"The deposition of prosecutrix does not appear to be convincing, trustworthy and as admitted by the prosecutrix herself, there were some dues pending against the accused and she visited the office of the accused due to the money dispute," the court said.

The prosecution case was that the alleged victim visited Singh's office on July 27, 2008, and told him that she was looking for a job in Delhi.

Singh took her to his hostel, where he used to house job-aspirants, and offered her a cold-drink laced with alcohol, said the police, adding that after taking the drink, she got intoxicated and went to sleep and Singh raped her in her sleep.

Another girl who too had met Singh for a job, however, deposed as a defence witness and testified that she, along with her aunt, had come to Delhi in search of work on July 26, 2008. She said there were eight other job aspirant girls and some boys staying in the hostel maintained by the accused.

The girl told the court that she stayed at the hostel till July 30, 2008, and no incident of rape ever took place during her stay there and also that the accused never came to the hostel while she was there.

During her cross-examination, the victim had told the court that she had worked in Singh's office earlier also but he did not pay her following which she had left his office.

She said that there were other girls in the hostel and Singh had treated all of them with cold-drinks.

The court noted that "while in her complaint to the police, the girl was silent about presence of other girls in the hostel, in the court she deposed that she found many girls in the hostel of the accused and that he gave alcohol-laced drinks to all the girls. This, in fact, is a material contradiction which goes against the prosecution."

The court noted that a combined study of the deposition of the prosecutrix and the defence witness reveals that there were many girls and boys staying in the hostel on the day of the alleged incident and "thus the allegation that the accused had committed rape in presence of so many girls appears to be non-plausible." — PTI