Written updates! - Page 4

13 and 14 April:
Accused arrested after cops found his whereabouts on Facebook
A 17-year-old IIT aspirant was detained by Delhi police on Tuesday for allegedly murdering a retired teacher in south Delhi's Vasant Kunj. The boy reportedly wanted to avenge his humiliation as the elderly man made his parents pay three lakh rupees after he stole jewellery and credit cards from his house, police said.

On December 19, 68-year-old Sanskrit teacher DK Joshi was found dead with a head injury caused by a blunt object and stab wounds inflicted by scissors on his neck. The incident came to light when his son asked his cousin to visit his father as he was not attending his calls from the US. Police found the body on the floor of the drawing room.

"We knew the names of the boys who had lived as Joshi's tenants. But we didn't have their addresses. We did an extensive search on facebook and got their personal details. We detained the boy from his uncle's residence in Gurgaon. His father is a businessman while his sister is pursuing second year MBBS," Deputy Commisioner of Police (south) HGS Dhaliwal said on Tuesday.

"The accused used to live as a tenant at the time. The deceased had a few more young tenants and bonded well with them," a senior police officer said.

According to Dhaliwal, the boy came to Delhi last Thursday, armed with a khukri (a Nepali short bent knife). He then procured a wig from a beauty parlour in Kalkaji, run by a friend.

"He told one of his school friends that he could arrange a job for him and went to his house to take his motorcycle. He also arranged some interviews for him. The teenager then took him to Vasant Kunj on the pretext of collecting some money," Dhaliwal said.

Joshi, who had gone out for shopping, found the boy outside his flat on his return. The teenager pushed his way inside the house and stabbed him with the knife.

"The khukri got damaged as the boy hit the teacher. Then he stabbed him with scissors. He also searched the house and laid his hands on whatever he could find.

He returned to where his friend was waiting for him with a laptop, three wine bottles and a mobile phone in a bag," Dhaliwal said. Joshi moved to his Vasant Kunj home seven years ago. He was living alone after his wife died in 2008.

Thanks.Edited by 394duo7 - 12 years ago

April 20 and 21: Bhubaneswar: The crime branch police today arrested accused number three in the Pipli gang rape case Premananda Nayak from village Orkal near Pipli. This was announced by the Odisha crime branch police.

Crime branch police said that accused number three in the Pipli gang rape case Premananda Nayak from village Orkal near Pipli. The medical examination of Premananda has been conducted and he would be produced in the court on Wednesday, crime branch police said.

While the key accused in the case, Prashant Pradhan alias Pasei, was arrested on Sunday from Jatni railway station, Gurna Swain alias Kala was nabbed on Monday, and the third accused, Premananda Nayak (22), was arrested on Tuesday. The latter two were nabbed from their hideouts in the vicinity of Pipili.

All the accused have been booked under Sections 341 (wrongful restraint), 307 (attempt to murder), 376 (punishment for rape), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 34 (common intention) of IPC along with Section 3 of SC and ST (Prevention of atrocities) Act.

On the other hand victim's parents refused to give their consent for shifting their daughter from the Cuttack Hospital to Delhi.

This decision of the victim's parents was given in writing by the victim's brother to Kakatpur tehsildar Abanikanta Patnaik who came here to meet the girl's parents. The tehsildar is supposed to file an affidavit in the Orissa High Court on Wednesday stating as to why the parents are refusing to send their daughter to New Delhi.

On the other hand Chief Minister Naveen Pantaik assures stringent action against the guilty in Pipli gang rape case. Patnaik said, he will review the case on Wednesday.

Apr 27: I smoked heroin for a long, long time but since two years I only inject. It's cheaper and somehow the same," said Darminder, his clothes and body marked by an seemingly endless life on the street, his eyes sad and tired by years of constant pharmaceutical drug abuse. A few hours later the 17-year-old boy from Bihar was dead. In an argument about money for more drugs, he was brutally beaten by supposed friends and was left to die in a dirty alley next to a waste picker colony. The police later had him dumped at the local hospital's morgue and he, as many others, disappeared far before his time. Darminder became a victim of a medicine actually produced for a different purpose; to ease pain, to heal, to help people.

While worldwide the numbers of heroin users is constantly increasing, another much more disturbing form of drug abuse is growing steadily, yet largely unrecognized. Pharmaceuticals, especially opium derivatives, meant for a totally different clientele, are on the rise to dominate the drug market in 3rd world and threshold countries. Either the medicine is copied from the original product and reproduced in underground labs or dubious agents of pharmacy companies strike deals they were never supposed to. In the end, the offered product is meant for one purpose only, to make money by exploiting the user's addiction.

In the India of the 21st century, this kind of drug abuse has become a disturbing phenomenon leading to catastrophic consequences. While the homeless people of every age tranquilize their daily struggle other clients have entered the stage a long time ago: from simple day laborers earning a small living for their families while working at the nearby, gigantic, vegetable and fruit wholesale market, to municipal employees easing their responsibilities in the job with a little injection here and there. What was once unimaginable, especially in a life full of social and religious responsibility, has become a sad reality.

The choice of drugs available is vast and offers everything, for everybody, for every circumstance of life. Purchasing these drugs is as easy as buying cough syrup at the supermarket and one just has to pass by at one of the many pharmacies spread all over the big cities and small villages to purchase whatever one feels like. The medicine, not supposed to be given to anyone without prescription from a doctor, is sold for a price even the poor can afford. An ampule Buprenorphine (a semi-synthetic opioid actually used to treat opioid addiction), an ampule Diazepam (a benzodiazepine derivative drug also known as Valium), an ampule Avil (a antihistamine which lessens the side effects of the two other drugs) and two disposable syringes are sold for 50 Rupees, a little less than 1 USD.

18 may:  Yet another gory murder shocked Mumbaikars when at least 13 teenagers clubbed to death a 17-year-old boy who had allegedly used expletives against the mother and girlfriend of one of the attackers, police said Thursday.

While police have nabbed three of the attackers, including the prime conspirator, a manhunt has been launched across the city for the others, around 10 college-going youngsters, who are absconding, an official from MIDC Police Station said.

The incident occurred around 11 p.m. Tuesday near a hotel in Saki Naka, Andheri east when a group of youngsters, aged between 16 and 22, waylaid and attacked Ansh M. Agarwal.

The gang, led by 17-year-old collegian Siddhant Ghosalkar, living in the posh Shere-e-Punjab Colony, allegedly hammered Agarwal with sticks, iron rods and smashed his head with cement paver blocks near Kohinoor Hotel before disappearing.

A profusely bleeding Agarwal was noticed by pedestrians and some friends who rushed him to hospital where he was later pronounced dead.

Police, who have started searching homes in and around the vicinity of the quiet Sher-e-Punjab Colony, said the murder was a conspiracy hatched by Ghosalkar, whose mother and girlfriend were allegedly 'abused' in filthy language by Agarwal. The victim had allegedly also sent an offensive SMS to the girlfriend.

Ghosalkar's co-conspirators are said to be Rudransh S. Azad, 17, and Anandkumar Bahadur Singh, alias Monu, 17.

Police have arrested the trio, all studying in local colleges, and are now on the lookout for at least 10 friends, who are believed to be in hiding somewhere in the vicinity.

The incident comes barely six months after two youngsters, Keenan Santos and Reuben Fernandes, were assaulted and stabbed to death outside a restaurant in Andheri west, after some goons teased their girlfriends.

NEW DELHI: On Thursday, a metropolitan magistrate convicted Shamsuddin Fakruddin of theft, making it the happiest day of his life. As his lawyer explained to him that the court had just declared him guilty, Shamsuddin's boyish face broke into a smile. He was finally free.

For 12 months now, Shamsuddin (19) has been lodged in Tihar Jail despite the fact that his alleged crime, that of stealing Rs 200, would usually carry a sentence of three months' imprisonment. After being denied bail once, he was granted bail three months ago, but did not have the Rs 10,000 in property needed for a bail bond.

Shamsuddin changed his initial not-guilty plea to a guilty plea when he learnt that his father had passed away two days ago. "I'll say I am guilty. I just want to get out. I just want to go home to my village," he whispered to his lawyer.

After migrating to Delhi four years ago from his village in Uttar Pradesh's Bahraich district on the border with Nepal, Shamsuddin sold vegetables at a street corner near Okhla mandi. On August 5 last year, Shamsuddin was picked up by the Amar Colony police on charges of taking a wallet containing Rs 200 and an ATM card from the pocket of a complainant.

Shamsuddin maintains that he did not commit any theft, and that the wallet in his pocket was his own. He was arrested and charged under sections 379 (theft) and 411 (dishonestly keeping stolen property) of the IPC, and sent to Tihar Jail for judicial custody. Boy jailed for a yr for .

Despite his alleged crime typically carrying a sentence of three months, Shamsuddin was first denied bail on February 26, 2011, because of the "seriousness" of his crime. He had by then already completed six months in judicial custody.

Then two months later, he was granted bail by metropolitan magistrate Mona Tardi Kerketta, provided he furnished a bail bond of Rs 10,000 and that someone could stand surety for him.

By this time, lawyers of the Human Rights Law Network, an NGO that fights human rights cases and represents the poor pro bono, had met Shamsuddin in Tihar Jail, and started representing him. However, Shamsuddin's family could not be located, and he did not have property or savings that he could show as collateral against the Rs 10,000 bail bond. So, he was forced to remain in judicial custody.

On Thursday morning, police officers brought Shamsuddin to the magistrate's court. Just over five feet tall, he wore a cream-coloured shirt and black trousers and looked holloweyed, casting nervous glances at his lawyer. He had hurt his leg, he said, and asked if he could sit as he awaited his turn, a request that was turned down. Half an hour after he was produced in court, metropolitan magistrate Kerketta heard Shamsuddin's lawyer's plea. They had decided to plead guilty as the surest way of getting released.

The magistrate convicted Shamsuddin and ordered his release. He did not understand what had just happened until it was explained to him by his lawyer. "She is releasing you," his lawyer said. Shamsuddin was taken back to Tihar Jail by the policeman who had brought him there.

After a copy of the order reaches jail authorities, Shamsuddin will be released. "Tell him not to do something like this again," the policeman told Shamsuddin's lawyer as they waited for the lift. "But I didn't do anything in the first place," Shamsuddin said to no one in particular. Unfortunately, Shamsuddin's case is not rare. HRLN is currently handling 17 other cases of petty theft where the accused is between 18-22 years old and has been in judicial custody for over six months.

In most of the cases, bail has been granted but the accused remains in custody either because he is unable to show property or savings for the bail bond, or because the police have not been able to verify his correct address for his release on a personal bond.

may 26: New Delhi, Oct 9 (IANS) 
A married woman was severely burnt at her home Sunday, police said, adding her parents alleged her in-laws had set her on fire.

"The incident was reported around 12 p.m. in south Delhi's Sanjay Colony," said a police official.

"Neelam, 19, was rushed to Safdarjung hospital. She has received 75 percent burn injuries," a police official said.

She is married to Jaipal, 22.

Neelam's family alleged she was set afire due to some dispute, but police did not confirm it, saying they were yet to record the victim's statement.

6/1-6/2

Bhopal: The special task force (STF) is learnt to have solved the mystery behind the sensational murder of journalist Chandrika Rai and his family in Umaria following arrest of five persons, who were allegedly involved in the kidnapping of a PWD officer's son.

The accused, said sources, are residents of Shahdol and were involved in kidnapping of SDO Hemant Jharia's son Anant (7). The accused murdered Chandrika on suspicion that he was in possession of the ransom money given by SDO for his son's release, said sources.

On last Sunday, when the accused approached Chandrika demanding the ransom money, he denied. This allegedly led to an altercation between Rai and the kidnappers. They attacked Chandrika with iron rods and other heavy objects, killing him on the spot.

"After killing Rai, the accused eliminated his wife and two children to ensure no witnesses were left," said a police officer wishing anonymity.

"It's clear that these five were involved in kidnapping and the murder but whether or not Chandrika was involved, is yet to be confirmed. We cannot simply rely on what these criminals claim" the officer said. Investigation is still on to collect corroborative evidences.

Director General of Police (DGP) SK Rout is likely to make an official announcement of the case on Friday evening. After SDO Hemant Jharia's son Anant was released by abductors on February 18 , the Umeria police had called a press conference to announce this, and gave a clean chit to the two suspects they had rounded up. They had also said that the release was made without ransom. The murders took place a few hours after the press meet.

"We hope to soon solve the mystery behind the murder which was committed by professional persons," STF additional director general of police (ADGP) Sanjay Choudhry told reporters in Umaria.

He reached there to inspect the murder site and visited the house of the slain journalist before leaving for Nourojabad in connection with the incident.

PCI team to visit Umaria: The three-member team fact-finding team of the press council would be headed by Kosuri Amarnath and include Rajeev Ranjan Nag and Kalyan Barooah, a council statement said. All the three are members of the council. The task before the team is to investigate into the murders and submit a report to the council at the earliest.

The council sought the cooperation of the state authorities on behalf of its team.

"The Madhya Pradesh authorities are being requested to give all cooperation to this committee so that it can discharge its duties effectively," the statement said. The Council has been taking the issue of journalists security with several state governments.
BHOPAL: A seven-year-old boy, the son of a sub-divisional officer (SDO) of the public works department (PWD), was allegedly abducted from Umaria town on Wednesday evening. The police have no clues about the child or the identity of abductors even 24 hours after the incident. It is the third incident of kidnapping in three days in the state. On February 13, a 14-year-old boy, the son of an industrialist was abducted from Bhopal. The next day, a son of trader was kidnapped from Ratlam.

The victim's family reportedly received ransom calls demanding Rs 6 lakh for the release of the child. Though tight-lipped about the case, the police admitted that calls were received from neighbouring Uttar Pradesh. The police have not succeeded so far in tracing the origin of calls.

"The case is under investigation. We are not in a position to reveal anything,'' SP Manohar Singh Jhamra told TOI. Sources in the police department, however, said a team comprising an additional SP and three investigating officers is being sent to Uttar Pradesh.

The kidnapped boy, Anant Jhariya, is a student of class II. The son of SDO PWD (electrical and mechanical) Hemant Jhariya, Anant, had gone to tutorial classes with a friend. After tutorials, the two boys walked together till the stadium before going their ways. Anant, who was last seen walking towards his home alone, went missing between 6 and 7 pm, the police said. When the boy did not reach home, his parents began looking for him.

6/8:Principal of an Army Public School, Jaipur, alleged to be perpetrator; Antony to institute probe

Up against a formidable line-up of Army officials who were members of an inquiry panel that ended up taking away her job, a victim of alleged sexual harassment by the principal of an Army Public School in Jaipur came knocking on Defence Minister A.K. Antony's door here on Tuesday seeking justice. She was accompanied by Communist Party of India (Marxist) Polit Bureau member Brinda Karat and Right to Food activist Kavita Srivastava who presented a memorandum to the Minister.

"Mr. Antony took a serious view of the matter. He said he would institute an inquiry into it," Ms. Karat told The Hindu.

Raising the larger issue of the Army not recognising Vishaka guidelines set by the Supreme Court on sexual harassment at the workplace, Ms. Karat said: "This girl had no place to go for six months. Why are the Army representatives on the management committee shielding this principal?"

OUTRAGE

Mangala Bhatt's eyes brimmed with tears as she recalled the outrage she felt when her tormentor, principal Rajiv Kumar Singh, touched her inappropriately and pushed her in full view of a maid, peon and others. And this was not the only time. This 30-year-old mother of a five-year-old alleged that she had been at the receiving end, over several months, of Dr. Singh's lewd comments and open invitation to meet him outside the school if she wanted to be made permanent in her contractual job.

Ms. Bhatt was accompanied by her husband Pawan, also a school teacher, her brother and Meena Devi, the office help attached to the principal's office, who too lost her job for standing witness against the principal.

"I myself, as also peons and safai karamcharis, saw the manner in which the principal pushed Madam Mangala. In fact, on several occasions he touched my fingers as I handed him a glass of water. The first time I thought it was a mistake. The second time again I thought it was a mistake, but it made me conscious of a pattern. But I could not tell anyone. We are poor people and have four children to bring up and need the job," Ms. Meena Devi told The Hindu.

EXEMPLARY COURAGE

Yet Ms. Bhatt and Ms. Meena have shown exemplary courage in fighting it out. Both women, in different ways, went through a horrendous time on the inquiry committees that were set up, more to break their spirit, than to provide them any relief. Far from following Vishaka guidelines that call for such a panel to be headed by a woman with majority members as women, these male-dominated committees made it worse for the victims with their lewd manner of cross-examination.

Ms. Bhatt was being consistently "advised" to withdraw her complaint or lose her job, while Ms. Meena Devi was being induced to accept a bribe or turn hostile. "Madam used to come to the tea room and cry and cry at the manner in which she was being questioned. Her eyes used to be swollen and red."

Both women were made to sign papers. Ms. Meena Devi said she was made to sign on blank papers, while Ms. Bhatt, who was also taunted on the inquiry panels for not being well-versed with English, was made to sign on papers with English text.

Finally, after the case became public, the services of Ms. Bhatt, an arts teacher, who was promoted TGT Arts and Craft before Dr. Singh became principal, were "terminated." Ms. Meena Devi, who was on contract was made a daily wager and sacked. Some others who spoke up are apprehensive of similar action.

Activist Srivastava said a teacher had deposed before the second inquiry panel that she was present when the incident occurred and yet another spoke up about sexual harassment.

"In these inquiries, Ms. Bhatt was made to sit till late evenings and asked the same questions again and again. Ultimately she left the inquiry and complained to the police on April 5 which lodged an FIR against the principal for sexual harassment. Following this, her services were terminated. She later approached women's groups. The State Women's Commission also held that the Army School was not implementing Supreme Court guidelines relating to Prevention of Sexual Harassment at Workplace."

CHARGESHEETED

On November 11, 2011, the principal filed a writ petition in the High Court to get the FIR quashed but it was dismissed. Finally, on November 15, 2011, Dr. Singh was chargesheeted.

When contacted by The Hindu, a top management functionary of the school who did not want to be named said: "It was all building up. What happened was that the principal had questioned her on not attending an evening school function, which resulted in both shouting at each another. It is not correct that the principal pushed her... There are some disgruntled elements who have become witnesses. This has been blown out of proportion."

Asked why no action had been taken against the principal who has been charge-sheeted, he said: "Inquiry panels have found him innocent.''

He claimed Ms. Bhatt had been sacked for "inefficiency and indiscipline." Asked why she was promoted from an Arts teacher to TGT if she was inefficient, he fumbled: "Sometimes she was efficient, then she was promoted… if she is not efficient, reasons are there…''

JUSTICE FOR ALL

But Ms. Bhatt wants justice also for all teachers, helpers and peons whose services have been terminated. "With such a principal at the helm of affairs what will be the future of children? Other women should come up and speak out. I could, because of the support of my husband."

6/9: VARANASI: A homeopath practitioner and social activist, Amarnath Pandey suffered pellet injuries on his head in mysterious circumstances at Robertsganj area under the same police station in Sonebhadra district on Wednesday.

Pandey had been in the limelight in recent past for exposing the malpractice committed to allegedly grab the funds of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MNREGS) by mafia in Ghorawal block.

According to reports, he was returning home from the market on the night of Wednesday. When he reached close to his house some unidentified miscreants opened fire at him and fled from the scene. Pandey had a narrow escape as he suffered a minor injury on his head in this attack. He was immediately taken to district hospital. Later, Pandey alleged that the MNREGS mafia had engineered the attack on him. However, when SP Sonebhadra, Deepak Kumar, was contacted on Thursday, he said that Pandey had sustained pellet injury but the empty shell, which he claimed to have recovered from the incident site, was of .32 bore. This fact makes the episode sound fishy.

However, Kumar said, the allegations of Pandey have been taken seriously and a probe into the matter is on.

Meanwhile, in protest against the attack on Pandey, scores of social activists staged a demonstration in Badauli Chawk area. They demanded that the police arrest the assailants at the earliest.

As reported by ndtv.com on January 28, 2011:
Second attempt to kill RTI activist

Second attempt to kill RTI activist

Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh: A right to information activist Dr Amar Nath Pandey has been shot at in the Sonbhadra district of Uttar Pradesh reportedly for seeking information on corruption in the implementation of MNREGA schemes in the area and exposing district level corruption.

This was the second attempt on his life in the last one week when a jeep had tried to run him over.

The main suspect, the Block Development Officer, was suspended after his expose.

''I was coming back after consulting a child specialist regarding viral fever of my grandson. In the narrow alley near Bechu Halwai that goes up to Sonbhadra Pathologist centre through Samsuddin's house, a person came running from behind, fired and fled," said RTI activist Dr Amar Nath Pandey.

Pandey informed us that he was shot at. Prima facie, he is out of danger and was talking despite being fired upon. He said that he has been raising voice against Gharaulia block BDO (Rajesh Yadav), who attacked him in an act of immediate rage. FIR has been lodged against Rajesh Yadav, Rajesh Dubey and one more person," said Deepak Kumar Superintendent of Police, Sonbhadra.

Pandey's RTI query had revealed that local roads were being constructed under NREGA with a sanction of 24 rupees for each brick.

When in reality the bricks cost no more than four rupees apiece.

Money had been sanctioned to repair old roads, though on paper they were classified as new road constructions.

Also, NREGA money was being paid to job cards issued in the name of dead people.

Sonbhadra residents have mobilised in support of their hero but the lack of protection for whistleblowers means they have to fight the battle on many fronts.