The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Accused dumped girl, tried to mow her down: Police
Tribune News Service & PTI

New Delhi, January 1
The six accused in the Delhi gangrape case had allegedly tried to mow the girl down under the bus after dumping her in south-west Delhi but her male friend saved her from being crushed. As the Delhi Police is set to submit its chargesheet before the trial court on Thursday, more details of the horrific crime that has shaken the nation’s conscience are tumbling out.

The chargesheet is likely to highlight the main accused, Ram Singh, as a man who is an alcoholic and picks fights, according to police sources. It will reportedly mention that he is short-tempered. His wife had passed away in 2008.

From January 2012, Ram started driving a private chartered bus for a South Delhi school. Akshay, the last of the six accused to be arrested, was his helper. On December 16, Ram parked the bus at RK Puram. The juvenile accused and Akshay were with him, the chargesheet reportedly mentions.

On that day, they cooked chicken, consumed alcohol and planned to rob passengers. They robbed one Ramadhar. The bus then arrived at the Munirka bus stand in Delhi. Three of the accused were sitting at the passengers’ seat. The victim and her male friend assumed that they were passengers.

The victim’s friend was angered after the accused passed lewd comments at the girl. They allegedly asked the boy what he was doing so late in the night with her. The friend beat up a few of the accused. Then, Vinay, an accused, attacked him with an iron rod. The police have recovered the woman’s hair and blood from Ram’s nails. To destroy evidence, he had cleaned the white chartered bus at Noida. Police sources said that there are two eyewitnesses confirming this.

In the chargesheet, five of the six accused face charges under Sections 302 (murder), 201 (destruction of evidence), 365 (kidnapping), 376-2G (gang rape), 377 (unnatural offences) and 396 (dacoity), 397 (robbery or dacoity with attempt to cause death or grievous hurt) of the IPC.

Other Sections are 307 (attempt to murder) and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention).

The sixth accused is a juvenile who has not been included in the draft chargesheet.

bus owner booked

The Delhi Police has registered a case against the owner of the bus in which the 23-year-old woman was allegedly gang-raped. The police
claim that the bus owner, Dinesh Yadav, had submitted false information, including the address, to the state Transport Department to obtain
a registration certificate and permit for
the vehicle.

Delhi’s shame
Special task force to examine safety issues
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, January 1
Within a fortnight of the gang rape and assault on the 23-year-old Delhi woman, the government has constituted a special task force headed by Union Home Secretary to look into the safety issues of women in Delhi. It will also review the functioning of the Delhi Police on a continuous basis, a spokesperson said today.

Other members of the task force will be the Chief Secretary, Delhi; Commissioner of Police, Delhi; Special CP (Traffic), Delhi Police; Special CP (Law & Order), Delhi Police; Chairperson, Delhi Commission for Women; Chairperson, NDMC; Transport Commissioner, Delhi Government; Commissioner, East Delhi Municipal Corporation; Commissioner, North Delhi Municipal Corporation; Commissioner, South Delhi Municipal Corporation; Excise Commissioner, Delhi Government and Joint Secretary (UT).

Panel invites suggestions

In a separate development, the Justice (retd) Usha Mehra Commission will function from its office at Vigyan Bhawan Annexe here. The commission of inquiry has invited complaints/suggestions. It has been set up to enquire into various aspects of the shocking incident of rape and brutal assault of a young woman in Delhi on December 16 and to identify the lapses on the part of the police or any other authority or person that contributed to the occurrence and fix responsibility for the lapses or negligence.

The commission shall suggest measures to improve the safety of women, particularly in Delhi and NCR. Individuals can meet members of the commission at room number 331 and 331 (A) at Vigyan Bhawan Annexe. The phone numbers are 23022365, fax- 23022364 and the email address is: usha.mehracommission@nic.in

Convener SM Aggarwal will be working from Room No. 330, Vigyan Bhawan. His phone number is 23022363.

Delhi girl’s ashes immersed in Ganga; school to be named after her

Ballia (UP), January 1
The ashes of the Delhi gang-rape victim were today immersed in the Ganga at Bharauli ghat here as hundreds of people, including women and children, bid adieu to the braveheart with teary eyes.

A primary school in girl’s native Medwar Kalan village will be named after her, village head Shiv Mandir Singh said. The decision was taken in accordance with the wishes of the village and girl's family members, he said.

This morning, the family members started from the house at around 8 am to immerse the ashes at Bharauli ghat. As the crowd swelled with people pouring in to pay their last tributes to the girl, it took family members almost three hours to cover a distance of 8 km.

At Bharauli ghat, the family members, including father and brother, accompanied by local MLA Upendra Tiwari, immersed the ashes in the Ganga.

After immersing the ashes, both father and brother of the girl broke down. — PTI

Mumbai trains to get CCTVs, alarms
Shiv Kumar/TNS

Mumbai, January 1
Mumbai’s local trains will soon have closed circuit televisions (CCTV) in every compartment and emergency buttons installed in ladies’ coaches as part of new security measures.

Two cameras will be installed in each compartment of the train and their footage monitored in a control room to be set up for the purpose. In addition, an emergency button will be installed in ladies' compartments to improve security for women commuters.

"When this button is punched, it will allow for footage in the compartment to be monitored quickly and also alert the nearest train station," said an official of the Central Railway. Railway officials feel that such a system will gradually be adopted by the country's rail network as part of measures to enhance passenger safety.

Over the past few years, the Railways have adopted a number of measures to improve safety of women commuters. Apart from the installation of wire meshes on windows to prevent chain-snatching and stone-throwing, a policeman each is deployed in every ladies' compartment during late nights.

Test run

These features are being installed on a pilot basis in the suburban section of the Central Railways

The trials of the new system are expected to start later this month

Depending on their success, these could be standard fixtures in all trains

Girl, woman raped in and around Bangalore

Bangalore, January 1
A seven-year-old minor girl was allegedly raped by an unidentified person in Devarajeevanhalli here, according to a top police official.

An unidentified person whisked the girl, who was playing in a street, to a remote place and allegedly raped her after promising her some chocolates last night, DCP (East) Krishna Bhat told reporters here.

The victim had come to her grandparents' house to celebrate New Year, he added.

In another case, a 17-year-old mentally-challenged teenaged girl was allegedly raped by her neighbour at Machanayakanahalli here, the police said today. The accused Prakash, a lorry driver, was arrested today after he allegedly raped the girl yesterday after taking her out of the house. — PTI

UK travel advisory has ‘zero’ impact on foreign arrivals
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, January 1
The UK has issued travel advisory to its citizens to avoid central Delhi but that has not affected the flow of foreign tourists in India, the government today said.

Tourism Secretary Parvez Dewan said there have been enquiries (after the Delhi gang rape) but the impact on the tourist inflow has been “zero” so far.

“So far, there has been no adverse impact on tourism. Since the advisory, not a single cancellation of booking has taken place according to tour operators,” Dewan said at the launch of ‘Incredible India’ Calendar today.

Fearing large-scale protests following the death of the Delhi gang-rape victim, the police had announced that much of the city's centre would be out of bounds for general public. The UK on December 29 issued the advisory asking its citizens to avoid central parts of Delhi until the situation became clear.

Dewan said the development was discussed at great length at a meeting that Tourism Minister Chiranjeevi held with representatives of travel trade associations yesterday when an approval was given to the setting-up of a multi-lingual helpline to provide general information and assistance to tourists.

“We had an extensive meeting with tour operators and they told us that no one has cancelled the bookings yet. So I am sure it is not going to affect the footfall in the country,” he said.

The Tourism Ministry has written to 14 offices abroad, asking them to explain the situation to people there about the gang rape and the protests that followed --incidents that were followed closely in most foreign countries.

Calendar launched

The “Incredible India” calendar launched online by Tourism Minister Chiranjeevi focuses on the theme “Find what you seek and go beyond”. According to Tourism Secretary Parvez Dewan, the calendar is an attempt to showcase India as a complete destination for all reasons and seasons

Compulsory judo training for Andhra girl students
Suresh Dharur
Tribune News Service

IN PURSUIT OF JUSTICE: Activists of the North-East Girls Students Association stage a protest in Guwahati on Tuesday demanding death penalty to rapists. — PTI

Hyderabad, January 1
Sharing the nationwide outrage over the Delhi gang rape tragedy, the Andhra Pradesh Government is contemplating a series of measures to check crime against women.

It has been proposed to introduce training classes for girls in self-defence techniques like karate and judo. “If everything goes according to plan, karate, judo and other martial art forms will be made part of the curriculum from the next academic year,” state Home Minister P Sabita Indra Reddy said.

Sabita, the first woman in the state to handle the Home portfolio, said she had put forward the proposal before Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy who readily agreed to make it mandatory for the schools to introduce training in self-defence.

All upper primary and high schools will be asked to train girls in self-defence as part of measures to equip them to deal with eve-teasing in public spaces.

“I have suggested that along with sports and physical education, there should be compulsory training in self-defence forms,” the minister said.

She has also proposed that the women's safety helplines be made more effective. The numbers are 1091, 108 and 100. She said that the 108 service would enable the public to register complaints of eve-teasing, stalking and other forms of sexual harassment.

“These measures will boost the confidence of girls and encourage them to report any form of sexual harassment instead of suffering humiliation silently. A moral science class will also be part of the daily time-table from elementary school level,” Sabita said.

Meanwhile, the Higher Education Department has already issued a memo to all the colleges to appoint counsellors in their institutions to identify and address behavioural disorders in the early stages. Counselling officers will be designated in all the police stations to deal with cases of domestic violence. “The objective of this exercise is to sensitise the people about gender issues,” she said.

Chemical castration only causes reversible dip in male sex hormones: Experts
Aditi Tandon
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, January 1
Performed mainly on patients of prostate cancer who require their male sex hormone levels to be kept low, chemical castration has been tried without much success by countries such as Saudi Arabia to punish sex offenders. In India, it has virtually no takers in the expert field.

Dr Atul Gogia, renowned consultant in the Department of Medicine, Ganga Ram Hospital, told The Tribune today that chemical castration is actually a temporary process wherein the supply testosterone, male hormone, is curtailed in the body.

"The effect of the procedure lasts temporarily for a month or three months or half a year. You also require regular follow up of the person on whom castration is done to ensure the desired result has been achieved. In a country like India where you don't have doctors for simply healthcare delivery, it would be a distant dream to think that specialists would actually be available for follow ups. The suggestion is no deterrent to rape and entails a huge economic investment," Dr Gogia said.

In the West, chemical castration has been used on people with extremely aggressive sexual behavior but it has not yielded much success. "You can at best use it in juveniles but even to do that you would require some survey and mapping of their behavior. This procedure is purely physical whereas you need psycho social counseling of perpetrators of sex crimes. Most such crimes are more about exercise of dominance and power than about sexual gratification," said Gogia.

Constitutionally, castration cannot be allowed as it involves the element of force and invasion of a person's right to exercise his choice. "Chemical castration amounts to outright torture and the state cannot be allowed to inflict torture on people. The Constitution allows only death by hanging in certain circumstances. It does not allow use of force on people and infliction of painful procedures on them. Anger on rape is justified but we must not lose sight of rationale," said Colin Gonsalves, Head, Human Rights Law Network and a top Supreme Court lawyer.

On medical futility of chemical castration which the Congress Party and now J Jayalalithaa, Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, has backed as a punishment for rapists, Dr AK Bhansali, Head, Endocrinology, PGI, Chandigarh told TNS, "Chemical castration is a reversible process and anyone can overcome it through exogenous (external) testosterone therapy to maintain his libido and sperm levels. Follow up is essential to see that sperm level remains low and the desired result is achieved. For that, you need to subject a person to semen analysis. How can you do that forcibly when you cannot even force a suspected criminal to undergo narco analysis tests?" he asks.

The result of chemical castration last for less than a month and it cannot be a permanent solution because it entails side effects like bone and muscle loss. "Why not recommend surgical castration if the issue of deterrence," asks Dr Gogia.

But the point is that the Indian Constitution does not allow the state to force procedures on human bodies. It guarantees freedom.

No deterrent

In the West, chemical castration has been used on
people with extremely aggressive sexual behavior but it has not yielded much success

The result of chemical castration last for less than a month and it cannot be a permanent solution because it entails side effects like bone and muscle loss

Constitutionally, castration cannot be allowed as it involves the element of force and invasion of a person's right to exercise his choice

1 held for planting ‘bombs’ near accused’s home

New Delhi, January 1
A 37-year-old man was arrested here for allegedly planting two ‘bombs' made of simple explosive material used for making crackers near the house of one of the accused in the gang rape of a 23-year-old girl.

Rajesh was arrested from Ravi Dass colony in south Delhi's RK Puram last evening when he was trying to flee from the spot after planting the explosives. His two friends managed to flee from the spot.

They were seen loitering in the area by locals in a suspicious manner and had allegedly threatened to blow up the house of one of the accused in the gang-rape case Ram Singh.

One of the accused was overpowered by the crowd but two managed to escape and police was informed. — PTI

Jaya demands harsher punishment for rape

Chennai, January 1
Pitching in for harsher punishment for rape, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa today said her government would request the Centre to make necessary changes in the law to provide death penalty and chemical castration to those involved in such crimes.

Expressing grief over the death of the 23-year-old Delhi gang-rape victim, Jayalalithaa announced a 13-point action plan to ensure women's safety. "The Centre will be requested to amend the laws to ensure death penalty and chemical castration for those responsible for rapes. — PTI

School to be named after braveheart

Ballia (UP), January 1
A primary school in the native Medwar Kalan village of the Delhi gang-rape victim will be named after her as a mark of tribute to the braveheart.

Announcing this today, village head Shiv Mandir Singh said the decision was taken in accordance with the wishes of the village and girl's family members.

The girl's family members have also demanded construction of a memorial for her, besides initiation of other development works in the village. — PTI

Maharashtra sets up SIT to probe irrigation scam
Tribune News Service

Mumbai, January 1
Under fire from the Opposition for “hushing up” enquiries into the awarding of multi-crore rupee contracts by the irrigation department, the Maharashtra Government has set up a Special Investigation Team to probe the matter.

According to an announcement by the government, the SIT will be headed by well-known irrigation expert Madhav Chitale and will have three former bureaucrats on board. It will submit its report in six months. The names of the other members of the SIT have been given as former ACS (Finance) AKD Jadhav, former irrigation secretary VM Ranade and former Agriculture Commissioner Krishna Lavhekar. The SIT will be headquartered in Aurangabad, the announcement said.

Allegations in the awarding of contracts by the irrigation department came to light when a whistleblower provided documents to senior government officials and investigating agencies. These later found their way to the media because of which Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar resigned from his post last September. He was subsequently re-inducted into the Cabinet in December after a White Paper by the irrigation department gave the government a clean chit.

Undaunted, the Opposition parties are demanding a judicial probe into the matter. However, with Pawar's backing, the government has announced the setting up of the SIT to probe the matter.

32 projects, Rs 25K crore

In 2009, when Ajit Pawar was state irrigation minister, he cleared 32 irrigation projects worth Rs 20,000 - Rs 25,000 crore without allegedly going through the procedures

Clearances to projects include Krishna Valley Development Corporation in Western Maharashtra with seven dams

After sanctioning, the project cost was increased and received approvals. In Vidharba alone, the cost of 38 projects was increased by 300% between June and August

Naxal camp unearthed in Chhattisgarh

Raipur, January 1
Security forces unearthed a Naxal camp and arrested two ultras following a gun battle with them in Chhattisgarh's Narayanpur district, police said today.

"The ultras were arrested in the forest area of Palarmeta of the district in a joint operation conducted by district police force and STF jawans last night," Inspector General of Police (Bastar) Himanshu Gupta said.

"The jawans mobilised on the basis of a tip-off about a Naxal training camp in the village. On seeing the security forces, Naxals opened indiscriminate firing on them following which jawans also launched a retaliatory attack, after which the ultras fled into jungle. However two of them were nabbed," Gupta said.

A 12-bore gun, one air gun and other Naxal related material were recovered from the camping site, he said. "Those arrested were identified as Som Sai Usendi (33) and Lakhmu Netam (31)," he added. — PTI

Anthem case: Tharoor moves high court for quashing proceedings

Kochi, January 1
Union Minister Shashi Tharoor today approached the Kerala High Court seeking to quash proceedings against him in a case of alleged disrespect to the national anthem pending before a lower court here.

Tharoor contended that the case, alleging violation of provisions of Prevention of Insult to National Honour Act, was solely motivated by "political consideration" and further continuance of proceedings will lead only to "intense harassment" for him.

A case was registered against Tharoor following a private complaint by activist Joy Kaitharath in a ACJM court stating the Congress leader had committed offences under Sec 3 of Prevention of Insult to National Honour Act, 1977, enacted to prohibit desecration or insult to the national anthem.

In the complaint, it was alleged that Tharoor had on December 16, 2008 interrupted national anthem at a function of Federal Bank at Kochi and had asked audience to sing the anthem by keeping the right hand on the chest like Americans.

Tharoor had earlier approached the High Court challenging the ACJM's order declining his plea to issue summons to the Federal Bank Manager to produce a CD of the function. The court had on November 14 declined to interfere with the proceedings of the ACJM.

He said filing of complaint and further proceedings were "gross abuse" of the process of court. No offence under the Act can be even be indicated and much less established. He also contended that the evidence tendered does not attract Sec 3 of the Act.

The petition is likely to come up tomorrow. — PTI

After insurgency, Assam faced with Maoists: Gogoi
Tribune News Service

Guwahati, January 1
Insurgency is on the wane, but Maoists are rearing their ugly heads in Assam. Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi today said that after tackling insurgency effectively over the years, his government was now faced with Maoists who are trying to establish roots in the state.

Interacting with the media on New Year here, Gogoi said, "Although insurgency is on the wane of late, Maoists are causing concern in the state.”

Gogoi, however, said that the government was determined to tackle the threat in coordination with the Central government. He said the problem posed by Maoists had already been taken up with the Centre. “All steps will be taken to contain Maoist activities," Gogoi pledged.

According to security sources, Maoists have made inroads into the region by setting up active cells in different parts of Manipur, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.

Maoists have already set up a network in five districts of Assam namely Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, Lakhimpur, Dhemaji and Golaghat.

Several Maoists cadres were killed in encounters with security forces in the Sadiya area of eastern Assam’s Tinsukia district last year when surveillance against Maoists activities was mounted in Assam following intelligence inputs.

The recent arrest of Anandji, a senior Maoist leader from Jharkhand, from a hotel in Tezpur town of north Assam indicates to the Maoists’ presence in the state.

A police source said that Anandji had come to Assam mainly to arrange the procurement of weapons besides consolidating their base in north Assam.

He was supposed to meet Assam-based Maoist leader Aditya Bora and another senior Maoist cadre Tingraj Orang somewhere along the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh boundary. But the meeting did not take place because of Anandji’s arrest on the day after his arrival in Tezpur.

The Maoists had a plan to set up a training base in some remote area in Tinsukia district, but it suffered a setback because of Anandji’s arrest.

Earlier, Maoists had signed a deal with the outlawed People’s Liberation Army (PLA) of Manipur to supply arms and in lieu of it had promised to supply ammonium nitrate which is used in explosives.

India, Pak exchange list of N-facilities, prisoners
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, January 1
India and Pakistan today exchanged the lists of nuclear installations and facilities and of nationals of each country lodged in the other’s jails. The exchange of list on nuclear facilities was done under an agreement on the prohibition of attack against nuclear installations in keeping with a practice the two countries have relentlessly followed for more than two decades. The lists, exchanged through diplomatic channels simultaneously in New Delhi and Islamabad, show the installations and facilities covered under the pact, the External Affairs Ministry said here.

The two countries signed the agreement on December 31, 1988 and it came into force on January 27, 1991. It provides that the two countries inform each other of the installations and facilities to be covered under the agreement on January 1 every year.

The pact is one of the best confidence-building measures (CBMs) between the two countries and has withstood the test of time regardless of the state of bilateral relations.

The exchange came four days after India and Pakistan considered a series of nuclear CBMs, including the possibility of Islamabad joining global talks on the Fissile Material Cut off Treaty (FMCT), at the seventh round of expert level talks on the issue between the two countries in New Delhi.

The exchange of list on prisoners was done under the provisions of the agreement on consular access between the two countries. The agreement which was signed on May 21, 2008, provides that a comprehensive list of nationals of each country lodged in others’ jails has to be exchanged twice each year, on January 1 and July 1.

crime against women
Mahila Congress draws up 7-point memo
Anita Katyal/TNS

New Delhi, January 1
With Congress president Sonia Gandhi taking personal interest in the ongoing debate on stricter laws for sexual crimes, the All-India Mahila Congress has drawn up a seven-point memorandum on behalf of the party for tackling crimes against women, including rape.

The suggestions, which include a proposal for capital punishment to rapists, have been sent to Sonia Gandhi who will fine-tune the recommendations. Contrary to initial reports, the memorandum does not mention chemical castration of the accused in rape cases.

The Congress will submit the final set of proposals to the Justice Verma committee that has been asked to recommend amendments to laws pertaining to sexual assault cases.

The Mahila Congress memorandum has suggested that apart from capital punishment for rapists, the law should be amended to provide for the attachment of the property/salary of the accused so as to pay compensation to the victim. In cases where such measures are not possible, the government should grant compensation to the victim.

These proposals were finalised at a meeting convened by AICC general secretary Mohsina Kidwai yesterday. It was attended by party MPs Renuka Choudhary, Girja Vyas and Santosh Chaudhary along with Mahila Congress office-bearers.

It has also been proposed that besides suspending a constable or a “few policemen” whenever a rape is reported, senior police officers should also be held accountable.

It has been also suggested that a rape case be registered at any police station, irrespective of the jurisdiction, where the victim is able to reach immediately. The memorandum has recommended that fast-track courts should be set up in every district to deal specifically with crimes against women. The proceedings should be held in camera, preferably by women judges, it added.

It has demanded that any complaint pertaining to women’s issues must be registered immediately and a copy be handed over to the complainant.

KEY PROPOSALS

z Capital punishment for rapists

z Attaching the property/salary of the accused

z Registration of rape case at any police station

z Fast-track courts in every district to deal with such case

z In-camera proceedings, preferably by women judges

BRIEFLY

Youth held for killing 3 minors
Raigarh: A youth was arrested today for allegedly strangulating three minors to death in Chhattisgarh's Raigarh district, a top police official said here. "Jaipal Yadav residing at Gahna Jhariya village of the district was apprehended for killing three minors,," SP Anand Chhabra said. — PTI