New Delhi, May 21
Many activists of the AAP, including MLAs, senior leaders like Yogendra Yadav, Sanjay Singh, Manish Sisodia, Jarnail Singh and Rakhi Birla, were arrested following chaotic scenes created by them outside Tihar Jail this evening in protest against their leader Arvind Kejriwal's arrest in connection with a criminal defamation complaint filed by senior BJP leader Nitin Gadkari.

The protestors were arrested from opposite Tihar Jail and taken to another spot. The police have also imposed Section 144 outside the jail premises.

Clashes broke outside on gate number three of the jail. Leaders like Yogendra Yadav, Manish Sisodia were dragged by the police and several AAP supporters were also detained.

The police cordoned off the area which was condemned by the AAP leaders. "We were merely expressing our solidarity with Kejriwal. We were not causing any obstruction to the traffic or the security of Tihar," said Yadav.

Sisodia said, "We are sitting on the footpath and protesting and that is not wrong."

This comes after Gadkari, a former BJP president, had filed the case before Metropolitan Magistrate Gomati Manocha in Delhi in mid-February. He said that Kejriwal has tarnished his image.

Kejriwal had alleged that Gadkari was one of the most corrupt leaders of India following which the BJP leader had moved court.

The AAP leader refused to submit a personal bond of Rs 10,000 and will remain in judicial custody till May 23 when the court will take up the case again for hearing.

New Delhi, May 21
Reacting to AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal's refusal to furnish a bail bond of Rs 10,000 in a criminal defamation case and instead preferring to go to jail, both the Congress and the BJP today termed it a "publicity stunt".

Kejriwal has been lodged in Tihar Jail following his refusal to submit the bail bond in a city court. However, AAP has defended his decision. "He has taken a principled stand," the party said.

Kejriwal was sent to Tihar Jail till May 23 after he refused to furnish the bail bond in a criminal defamation complaint filed against him by BJP leader Nitin Gadkari.

"It is a matter of principle and not of money. If Arvind Kejriwal furnishes the bail bond, that would mean he is guilty. He has given an assurance that he will appear before court anytime whenever called," senior AAP leader Manish Sisodia, who accompanied Kejriwal in the court, said.

But other parties were unforgiving in their criticism, insisting that the law is the same for everyone. Delhi BJP president Dr Harsh Vardhan has said that Kejriwal refused to furnish the bond to get the media attention as he had remained out of media focus for a long time.

"His decision indicates that the Aam Aadmi Party does not believe in the Indian legal and judicial system. These people adopt new tactics to mislead people," Vardhan said.

Hitting out at Kejriwal, the Congress said the former Chief Minister has even dared to challenge the judiciary.

"He has lost his mental balance following the Congress' refusal to support AAP in forming the government again. He hankers after power. Now, he does not care about Janlokpal Bill and other issues," said Delhi Congress' chief spokesperson Mukesh Sharma.

New Delhi, May 21
The Delhi University Teachers' Association (DUTA) today urged Prime Minister-designate Narendra Modi to intervene and roll back the Four Year Undergraduate Programme (FYUP) before admissions for the new academic session begin in the first week of June.

It reminded the ruling party of its resolve to roll back the FYUP and welcomed the recent statements made by newly elected MPs Dr Harsh Vardhan and Udit Raj in this regard. DUTA stated that the FYUP was introduced with a "shocking haste" last year.

Even as no permission was sought, the UGC approved the new programme which deviated from the National Education Policy for higher education. The previous ruling party ensured that the FYUP is "bulldozed" into acceptance at all levels, said DUTA president Nandita Narain.

"Till date, the UGC has not bothered to do a quality-audit of the FYUP. Neither has it committed any fund or infrastructure to help colleges and departments of the university to cope with the burden of the added year," said Narain.

Stating that the FYUP imposed a huge financial burden on the students from the families with modest incomes, she added, "There was no debate within the statutory councils of the university to reflect on its feasibility and the lop-sided structure of this new undergraduate programme has alienated a majority of students and teachers in the university and resulted in a marked decline in class-attendance."

According to DUTA, the pattern favours subjects and courses with instant commercial appeal over the more traditional subjects in thehumanities. It alleged that the teaching and learning of the Indian languages, especially Sanskrit, Tamil, Punjabi and Bangla, have been hit hard with few students seeking admission to these courses.

New Delhi, May 21
On a day when Delhi University (DU) started its "Open House" - a forum for students and parents to clear doubts about undergraduate courses and programmes offered by its colleges - on North Campus, around 200 members of DU from different colleges gathered at the Arts Faculty to condemn the arrest of Prof G.N. Saibaba.

The university community and activists representing as many as 19 social organisations resolved to intensify the struggle and approach democratic sections of society to put pressure on the government to release Prof Saibaba and ensure that he is not denied the basic Constitutional safeguards and that his rights as a disabled person are protected.

They demanded his immediate and unconditional release and that his suspension from Ram Lal Anand College be revoked without delay.

New Delhi, May 21
Two youths were stabbed to death allegedly by a juvenile after a brawl over using a public toilet in Maurya Vihar area of northwest Delhi.

According to police, the incident took place at around 11.30 am in GP Block area when a 17-year-old youth, Haseen and the juvenile accused, who also lives in a nearby colony, had a brawl over using a public toilet on roadside, police said.

"The fight turned ugly and Haseen was stabbed by the juvenile. Hearing the screams, Haseen's neighbour Vineet (20) rushed to rescue him, but the accused also stabbed him and fled from the spot," a senior police officer said.

The two were rushed to a nearby hospital where doctors declared them dead.

Some neighbours of the victims said that Haseen and the juvenile accused were not in good terms and had a several fights in the past also allegedly over a girl. Today, they again had a fight over using a public toilet, which led to the murders, police said.

"Police have launched a manhunt to nab the accused and further investigation is on," the officer added. — PTI