New Delhi, September 28
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) demands that the Delhi administration should immediately order a mandatory inspection of all the playschools in the national Capital.

Those not adhering to the safety guidelines for children should be closed immediately, it said in the wake of the sexual abuse of children reported from two playschools in Rohini and Hari Nagar over the past week.

Noting that the education department must ensure that the mushrooming industry of playschools be regulated in accordance with strict guidelines for children's safety, the AAP pointed out that political patronage and corruption cannot be allowed while demanding that the entire area in and around these playschools be brought under close circuit television (CCTV) surveillance.

A proper security check be carried out before employing teacher and non-teaching staff, full record of private vans and other modes of transport along with their drivers be verified and displayed before children are allowed to use these vehicles, the party stressed.

Calling for making these minimum standards of children safety mandatory for any playschool before it is allowed to admit children, it said if any school does not fulfil these, it must be shut down without delay.

In this respect, the AAP has asked its assembly incharge in the city to collect information about playschools, which will be provided to the Delhi administration to make it aware about the sorry state of affairs.

The party maintained that the education department needs to crack down immediately on such schools, which appear to have been opened with the intention of minting money under fancy names to mislead parents, who fall in the trap of allowing their children to spend some time in these playschools.

"The shocking incidents have exposed the unpardonable negligence of the education department in allowing unauthorised schools to mushroom, which are fast becoming a threat to society.

New Delhi, September 28
A 32-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly murdering his live-in partner in south Delhi's Durga Vihar locality last week, the police said today.

The accused has been identified as Pankaj Kumar Vishwakarma (32), who belongs to Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh. He was apprehended on Saturday from Munirka in south Delhi. He works as a welder. The victim, Seema, was his live-in partner, according to the police.

On September 17, the police were informed about a woman's body lying on the ground floor of a house in Durga Vihar. A foul smell was emanating from the house. A police team reached the site and found the body. They identified the woman as Seema. They learnt that Pankaj who was staying with her at rented accommodation had absconded. The police registered a case of murder .

The police learnt that Seema had been staying with Pankaj at the rented accommodation for the past five years.

"Further investigations revealed that their relations got strained. Fights had taken place between the couple on different occasions and they were witnessed by their neighbours. Pankaj wanted to get rid of her," said Prem Nath, DCP (South District).

Pankaj had not disclosed his permanent address or the details of his relatives to anyone in his neighbourhood, making it difficult for the police to trace him.

The investigation revealed that he was a native of Allahabad. The police conducted raids at Pankaj's possible hideouts in Allahabad and its nearby areas, including Itawa, Agra, Mathura and Vrindavan.

"The electoral records of these areas were also checked by us, but we found no clues. Finally, on Saturday, he was apprehended from Munirka, when he arrived there to take money from his employer," said Prem Nath.

New Delhi, September 28
The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) has roped in school students to promote the "clean India" message of the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi. Today, schoolchildren were seen offering flowers to people found littering, spitting during an awareness rally as part of the PM's "Swachh Bharat" campaign.

Among its initiatives, the NDMC has also created a Facebook page, "hohoshameshame" urging people to post photographs of all those littering or urinating at public places, said NDMC chairperson Jalaj Shrivastava. The best photograph of the day will be selected and the sender will be rewarded.

He also appealed to the Resident Welfare Associations, Traders Associations and Market Associations to make this drive a success.

Launched by Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan this morning, children have started taking out rallies in the areas to spread the message of cleanliness. Nukkad nataks and cycle rallies are also being organised by the NDMC staff.

The clean India campaign aimed at cleaning the country which will be officially launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 2 when he will inaugurate a modern toilet block here. He is likely to sweep the road leading to Valmiki Sadan to set an example, the officials said.

Union Ministers Venkaiya Naidu and Nitin Gadkari will also be visiting two jhuggi clusters and Kali Bari Marg as part of the campaign.

Indian mountaineer Santosh Yadav, who is the first woman to climb Mount Everest twice, has agreed to be the brand ambassador for the campaign of the NDMC.

New Delhi, September 28
A 45-year-old man was killed when he was hit by a speeding Range Rover SUV near the Kanhaiya Nagar Metro station in north-west Delhi today, the police said.

The victim has been identified as Jokhu Prasad, who belonged to Uttar Pradesh. He worked as a labourer and stayed at rented accommodation in Wazirpur JJ Colony. According to the police, his family was saved from the accident when they jumped aside after seeing the SUV coming towards them at about 2 am.

"They were walking on the side of a road when a speeding Range Rover SUV heading towards outer Delhi lost control and hit Jokhu from behind. His brother and cousin had a narrow escape," said a police officer.

The SUV was being driven by 23-year-old Sukreet Singh, a businessman's son. He was coming from Gurgaon and apparently lost control while driving near a turn on the road.

After the accident, Sukreet tried to flee, but was caught by the locals who beat him before handing him to the police.

The agitated mob also went on a rampage damaging the SUV and some other vehicles. A case under sections 304-A (causing death by negligence) and 279 (rash and negligent driving) of the Indian Penal Code has been registered at the Keshavpuram police station in north-west Delhi.

The police have impounded the SUV. Sukreet's medical examination has confirmed that he was not driving under the influence of alcohol. He had also managed to apply the brakes before the vehicle hit others.

Sukreet's interrogation revealed that his father had bought the car for him. On Saturday, he had gone to Gurgaon to get the papers for the vehicle and was on his way back. "Sukreet claimed that he was driving fast to rush back home on time," the officer added.

New Delhi, September 28
Four foreign nationals, all women, were arrested by the Delhi Police in three different cases which include carrying fake passports and live ammunition at IGI Airport in Delhi during the past week.

In the first case, the police arrested an Afghan woman, Ghafoori Seweta and her daughter, Tanya Angel Khorshid for allegedly trying to show themselves as Bulgarian nationals through forged passports. The incident took place on September 19. "A passenger named Ivanova Sonia Azimi and her daughter Ivanova Sana Azami arrived at the immigration counter with their fake Bulgarian passports to board a flight to Zurich. Their travel documents were forged. When they were questioned, they revealed their identities as Ghafoori Seweta and Tanya Angel Khorshid," said a police officer.

In the second incident which took place on September 22, an Israeli woman was caught for allegedly carrying a live cartridge at the airport. The woman identified as Rafaeli Efrat was going to board a flight to Kathmandu. The scanning of her baggage revealed that there was a live cartridge in it.

In the third case, a Nigerian woman, Arinze Fidelis, was apprehended for allegedly carrying a forged passport. The incident took place on September 25. "Upon examining her passport, we found that her Indian business visa was counterfeited. She had produced a letter issued by the High Commission of India, Abuja (Nigeria) as her supporting document for the authenticity of visa, which is a scanned copy and not the original. It is not a normal practise for the High Commission of India to issue this type of letter to a passenger," said the officer. — TNS