New Delhi, July 7
Congress leaders today tried to gherao the Parliament House in protest against the price rise and rail fare hike, but the heavy security arrangements in the area prevented them from doing so.

Congress leaders and workers, led by Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee president Arvinder Singh Lovely, shouted slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Sansad Marg near Parliament Street police station.

Several senior leaders Jagdish Tytler, Sajjan Kumar, Haroon Yusuf, Sharmistha Mukherjee, Mukesh Sharma and other former MLAs were among those who staged the protest.

The police, which had made elaborate security arrangements at Sansad Marg, prevented the leaders from going towards the Parliament House by erecting barricades.

"Delhiites have been facing price rise of essential commodities. Before elections, the BJP had promised 30 per cent cheaper electricity. People are feeling cheated as the discoms are trying to hike the tariff now. The Congress would continue to fight for people's welfare," said Lovely.

Slamming the Modi-led government, DPCC chief spokesperson Mukesh Sharma said, "It is doing nothing to control prices of essential commodities. Everything is getting expensive during this government's regime. BJP's slogan 'Acche din aane wale hain' was just eyewash. People have started getting 'Bure din'."

Tytler, a former MP, said the common man wouldn't forgive Modi for reneging on his poll promises. "We will not sit silent till the government takes effective steps to control price rise," he said.

New Delhi, July 7
The Delhi government has decided to make pulses available at various outlets across the city at reasonable rates in collaboration with the Delhi Grain Merchants Association (DGMA), said Commissioner Food and Supplies S.S. Yadav.

It was decided today in a meeting of the office-bearers of the DGMA and Lt. Governor Najeeb Jung.

"The LG has directed us to carry out further discussion with the association and work out the modalities so that pulses can be made available to the people at highly subsidized rates, said Yadav.

The DGMA office-bearers informed the LG that the prevailing prices of rice and pulses are much below the prices of last year and the production in the country is also higher than the last year. The association had also joined hands with the Delhi government in the past to supply pulses at highly reasonable rates.

The LG assured them of quick redressal of their grievances and said that the government will provide them facilities and conducive environment for their business.

Meanwhile, a high-level meeting chaired by Dr. M.M. Kutty, Principal Secretary, Finance, also reviewed the measures to control the prices of essential commodities.

In the meeting, Kutty solicited cooperation of all the departments in the efforts to control the prices of essential commodities. He directed the Development Commissioner and Commissioner (Food and Supply) to immediately increase the number of areas from where onions and potatoes are being sold at reasonable rates.

Presently, these commodities are being sold at 70 government premises at the rate of Rs 22 per kg. This is in addition to the 70 mobile vans which are in operation and cover more than 250 locations every day. Mobile vans are also selling these commodities at Rs 22 per kg. All the heads of departments were directed to provide suitable space and necessary manpower for this purpose.

Manoj Parida, Administrator, National Co-operative Federation of India (NFFC), who was also present at the meeting, said that NCCF will run three mobile vans and also open shops at five locations for sale of onions and potatoes.

Kutty directed the Commissioner (Food and Supplies) to step up the efforts for the sale of onions and potatoes at the wholesale rates through Fair Price Shops.

"It was told that more than 288 Fair Price Shops have already been identified for this purpose and more shops are being identified," said a senior government official.

New Delhi, July 7
The Delhi government has tightened the noose around the private security agencies which are engaged in providing personnel such as supervisors and security guards to various establishments and offices.

The government has made mandatory for all such agencies to furnish on-line information to the Department of Home with regard to deployment of security personnel and also fixed time for submission of the said information.

"The Department of Home has asked all the private security agencies having a valid licence issued by the department under the Delhi Private Security Agencies (Regulation) Rules, 2009, to furnish certain on-line information to it by July 21," said a senior Delhi government official.

He said that by requiring the on-line information about the deployment of security personnel, the department will be able to maintain the data with regard to activities of the security agencies. The department will be aware as to how many supervisors and guards have been deployed by the agencies at various establishments and offices. The department will also be aware as to how many of these guards have got licensed firearms.

Additional Secretary, Home, Controlling Authority G.P. Singh, said that all such agencies have been asked to upload the information about deployment of the staff to various establishments.

New Delhi, July 7
Three juveniles have been apprehended for allegedly raping a seven-year-old girl at a park in west Delhi's Paschim Vihar locality. They lured her there on the pretext of giving her a particular variety of mango she loved.

The juveniles aged nine, 12 and 14 had allegedly forced the victim to indulge in unnatural sex. The incident took place on July 4, according to Ranvir Singh, Additional Commissioner of Police (West District).

The accused have been apprehended by the police today.

The accused and the victim are neighbours, who live at a slum in Meera Bagh, Paschim Vihar. The three men were allegedly aware that the girl liked Dussehri mangoes and had bought a few for her.

The three accused had allegedly called the girl from her house, promised her the mangoes and asked her to meet them at a nearby park.

The girl agreed and followed them to an isolated corner of the large park. The presence of dense trees in that part of the park prevented anyone from listening to the girl's cries for help, according to the police.

"The boys first had mangoes with the girl and then allegedly raped her. When she fainted, they deserted her at the park and fled," said an officer, privy to the case's investigations. They had allegedly subjected her to unnatural sex.

The victim woke up sometime later and left the park crying in pain. Some locals noticed her and took her home where she narrated the incident to her mother. "Her mother, a daily wage labourer, approached the police station," said the officer.

The girl's statement was recorded after her condition improved. An NGO was called by the police to counsel her.

The three boys, whose parents do odd jobs to sustain themselves, returned homes after the incident. The police apprehended them this morning.

They have been booked for gangrape and under relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. 

New Delhi, July 7
Nine school students were injured when a mini bus transporting them crashed into a road divider at north east Delhi's Shastri Park locality this morning.

The vehicle was on its way to Swami Hari Anand Public school in Yamuna Vihar.

The incident took place at about 8 am today. The driver was allegedly overspeeding, which led to the accident.

"The bus driver lost control while trying to avoid hitting an autorickshaw, which suddenly came in front of it. The bus, carrying 26 students, rammed into a road divider," said a police officer.

After the accident, the accused fled the spot leaving the children in the bus. Locals informed the police. The children were admitted to a nearby hospital. "They were discharged after receiving first-aid," said the officer.

The children had sustained minor injuries on their legs and hands. The nine injured students are Prashant (Class 5), Naman (Class 7), Sahil (Class 5), Sandhya (Class 7), Neha (Class 6), Ishika (Class 9), Akshat (Class 3), Jatin (Class 3) and Apporva (Class 8). They are all in the age group of seven to 13 years.

The police are questioning the owner of the bus, Karan Singh, about the driver. "He had not verified the documents of the driver, therefore we are not able to verify his identity," said the officer.

New Delhi, July 7
Two men were killed when a truck ran over them in Sarai Kale Khan locality, southeast Delhi, during the early hours of today.

The men have been identified as Aman (24) and Rajesh (25). They were native of Bihar. They worked for a Noida-based private company.

The police said that the two men were returning to their accommodation at Noida on a Bullet motorcycle about 1 am today. They were on the Sarai Kale Khan road. When they reached a flyover, the front tyre of the motorcycle burst, causing Aman who was driving the vehicle to lose control.

Meanwhile, a speeding truck rammed into the rear of the motorcycle. "The motorcycle fell to the middle of the road and the two were crushed under the front tyres of the truck," said a police officer, privy to the details of the case.

The truck driver, who was identified as Dhani Ram (45), fled the spot, but was apprehended in Ashram. "A passerby at the accident site called the police. Two police teams were sent to the spot out of which one tried to chase the driver," the officer said, adding that a message about the absconding driver was sent to the other police teams in the area, which apprehended Ram.

Aman and Rajesh were admitted to a nearby hospital, where doctors declared them dead. "They had died from excessive bleeding at the accident site," said the officer. The victims had sustained grievous injuries on their heads and necks, the officer added.

A case of negligence and rash driving was registered at the Sarai Kale Khan police station.

The families of the victims have been informed and the police said that the bodies were handed over to them after the autopsy.

New Delhi, July 7
A 50-year-old jeweller was allegedly robbed of gold and cash worth more than Rs 55 lakh outside his shop, which is located a few metres from the local police station in north-east Delhi's Bhajanpura locality.

The incident took place at about 8.15 pm on Sunday, when the victim, Manoj Jain, was closing the shutter of his shop. Jain has told the police that the stolen gold is worth Rs 55 lakh and the cash is about Rs 25,000.

The police said that Manoj's jewellery shop is located at Thana Road in Bhajanpura. He had placed a bag filled with gold and cash near him, as he closed the shutter of the shop.

"Jain said that two men on a motorcycle came near him and tried to pick up the bag. When he saw what they were doing, he tried to pull the bag away from them, but they pushed him and he fell down. The robbers then fled," said a police officer, privy to the details of the case.

The officer said that the robbers were armed, but did not use their pistols during the crime. "Only after some locals began chasing them, they pointed their weapons at them," said the officer.

Manoj who is a kidney patient could not recover from the push and had to be helped by locals to reach the police station which is a few meters from his shop. He lives in the same locality with his wife and two daughters.

Manoj's 24-year-old nephew, Honey Jain, suspects that the robbers had planned the robbery well as they were aware of the closing time of the shop and that Manoj works there alone.

"My uncle generally keeps the silver jewellery in the shop and brings home gold and cash in a bag. The robbers were probably aware of this," Honey told reporters.

The police said that the robbers are yet to be identified.