News across India, Month of July,2010

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http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...ee-comes-under-RTI-HC/articleshow/6207262.cms

Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee comes under RTI :HC
PTI, Jul 24, 2010, 02.00am IST

NEW DELHI: The Delhi high court has held that Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee (DSGMC) is a public authority making it mandatory to reveal information under the RTI Act.

Justice S Muralidhar dismissed the plea of the committee for not bringing it within the ambit of the transparency law.

The committee had approached the court after the Central Information Commission had directed it to reveal information sought under the RTI Act and set up the necessary infrastructure for the purpose.

"This court concurs with the view expressed by the CIC that DSGMC is a public authority under Section 2(h) of the RTI Act,'' justice Muralidhar said.

The committee contended that it should not be directed to comply with the provisions of RTI Act as it did not get any finance from government.

Rejecting its contention, justice Muralidhar said the public authority under Section 2(h) (a) to (d) need not be necessarily, directly or indirectly, substantially financed by funds provided by the appropriate government.
 

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http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...amily-drugged-by-help/articleshow/6207756.cms

Businessman, family drugged by help
Dwaipayan Ghosh & Indrani Basu, TNN, Jul 24, 2010, 02.44am IST

NEW DELHI: A domestic help, employed two weeks ago, allegedly drugged four members of a businessman's family and walked away with cash and valuables worth more than Rs 10 lakh from their house in the upmarket and guarded Civil Lines area on Friday morning.

Wall-clock manufacturer Anil Maheswari (51), his wife Urmila (46), their son Mannu (29) and his wife Tanish (26) were found unconscious inside their flat in Ganpati apartments at 6, Alipur Road, opposite transport minister Arvinder Singh Lovely's residence. Their domestic help, Shambhu (19), who was not verified, was found missing. Another servant, Ranjay, on whose recommendation the Maheshwaris had employed Shambhu, is also reportedly missing. This has led police to suspect that the two might have worked out an elaborate plan.

''The house was ransacked. Cupboards were open and personal belongings were strewn everywhere,'' said Sanjeev Aggarwal, a neighbour, who first informed the police and took them to the hospital. ''All the four are conscious but drowsy. One of the family members is still under observation. No one is in a condition to tell us the exact sequence of events. We are not even sure what poison was used and in what quantity. We have collected the vomit samples and other samples from their stomach,'' said Dr Sagar Rajagopal, director (medicine), Swami Parmanand Hospital.

Police have registered a case of attempt to murder and robbery. ''Though the servant is the prime suspect, we are investigating all possible angles,'' said joint commissioner (Northern Range) Karnal Singh.

The incident came to light at 11am when maid Rajbala, who works in the house, saw the door slightly ajar. ''She knocked on the door but after receiving no reply, she pushed open the door and saw Mannu lying unconscious on the floor. She alerted the neighbours, who rushed to the house and found other members too in an unconscious state. They rushed them to the hospital,'' said a police officer. Mannu's 8-month-old son, Arav, was crying and he too was admitted at the hospital where he is under observation.

A milkman had reportedly rung the bell of the victims' house early in the morning around 9am. On receiving no answer, he had left the milk can with the security personnel. Around 10.40am, the guard went up to give them the milk. A very drowsy Tanish had reportedly opened the door, taken the milk and shut the door immediately.
Neighbours reported that they had been hearing strange noises from Maheswari's residence since 12.30am in the night. ''I could not sleep till 2am because of the noise. As it was late night, we didn't go to their house,'' said Shikha, who stays on the first-floor in the same apartment. Sambhu and Ranjay lived in the servants quarters assigned to them on the roof of the building.

Anil and Mannu own a wall-clock manufacturing unit at Gulabi Bagh. They own a showroom too in Lajpat Rai market. They had been living in Alipur Road for the past 14 years. Anil's daughter Meetakshi is married and lives in Punjabi Bagh in west Delhi. The Maheswaris had initially bought two three-bedroom flats there but later sold one of them.

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http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...ted-for-beheading-boy/articleshow/6210733.cms

Tantric arrested for beheading boy
PTI, Jul 24, 2010, 04.27pm IST

RAMANATHAPURAM: A tantric was arrested today for allegedly sacrificing an 18-month-old baby, police said.

Abdul Yousuf was sleeping with his father Ghouse Basha at a Durgah in Goripalayam in Madurai district yesterday when the tantric Abdul Gafoor took away the child.

Police said Ghafoor beheaded the boy and drank his blood before burying the head at Tiruchendur in Tuticorin district. The torso was buried at a Durgah in Ervadi in Ramanathapuram.

Police today exhumed the head and the torso. They said Gafoor had told them he had a dream in which he envisoned getting "extraordinary powers" if he drank the blood of a male baby.
 

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http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...ts-firm-hospitalised-/articleshow/6211414.cms

Over 200 workers of electronics spare parts firm hospitalised
PTI, Jul 24, 2010, 08.14pm IST

KANCHEEPURAM: Over 200 workers of an electronic spare parts company near Sriperumpudur have been hospitalised reportedly after inhaling some pesticide sprayed to disinfect the unit, which recently opened after a year.

All of them are out of danger, hospital sources said. FoxCon an outsourcing company providing Boards and chips for electronic equipment had remained closed for a year due to lack of orders and had reopened recently.

Police said about 120 workers in the day shift yesterday complained of nausea and were put under observation,while an equal number in the night shift were hospitalised.

Police suspect that pesticide sprayed during cleaning and also some fault in the airconditioning mechanism, preventing fumes from being sucked out, must have caused the sickness, as the assembly hall is fully closed.
 

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http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...bilitation-centres-HC/articleshow/6212119.cms

Shut illegal drug rehabilitation centres: HC
TNN, Jul 25, 2010, 12.45am IST

CHENNAI: Expressing serious concern at the lack of a proper mechanism to regulate de-addiction centres in Tamil Nadu, the Madras high court has asked the government to close down all unrecognised centres dealing with drug and alcohol abuses.

A division bench comprising Justice Elipe Dharma Rao and Justice KK Sasidharan gave the direction while disposing of a writ petition filed by two persons, who said de-addiction units had become centres of humiliation and money-making. Besides seeking closure of two specific centres at Semmencheri and Neelankarai here, they wanted a direction to the authorities to regulate the functioning of all such centres in the state.

On April 29, the bench had directed the Chennai city police commissioner to file a report about the two centres. Though he filed a report, the bench found it sketchy and hence asked the official to furnish a detailed report. On July 12, the government pleader said a general direction had been issued for the closure of all unrecognised de-addiction centres in the state.

He also furnished a February 12 circular issued by the commissioner of social defence, which called upon all the district collectors to take immediate action to close all such centres in their respective districts.

Echoing the commissioner's serious concern at the huge number of unrecognised and unregulated de-addiction centres in Tamil Nadu, the judges said: "Ill-equipped de-addiction centres would run counter-productive. It is the duty of the district collectors as well as the police to inspect such de-addiction centres and take appropriate action. Mushrooming of such de-addiction centres would not be in the interest of the state. The details furnished in the writ petitions expose the very sorry state of affairs in the de-addiction centres."

The bench also referred to a scheme framed by the Union ministry of social justice -- Prevention of Alcoholism and Substance (Drugs) Abuse 1994, which was revised in 2008. As per the eligibility criteria laid down by the ministry, centres dealing with drug and alcohol abuses should have a properly constituted managing body with clearly defined powers, duties and responsibilities, besides resources, facilities and experience.

The scheme also envisages rehabilitation facilities, medical officers, counsellors, yoga therapists, nurses/ward boys and project coordinators in such centres. Describing these amenities as the primary requirement for opening new centres, the judges said, "It is for the administration and the police to take appropriate action to see that such unrecognised de-addiction centres are not functioning in Tamil Nadu."
 

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http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...anic-at-Kochi-airport/articleshow/6216885.cms

Smoke from cargo triggers panic at Kochi airport
TNN, Jul 26, 2010, 03.21am IST

A possible disaster was averted at the Kochi ariport on Sunday when a baggage containing "Boric acid powder and detergent solution" was found in a cargo baggage just minutes before a Kingfisher flight was to leave for Chennai.

Cochin International Airport Ltd PRO T Rameshan said, "The flight with 36 passengers on-board was scheduled for take off at 9.10am. The passengers had already taken their places and the cargo was about to be loaded when ground staff notice smoke rising from a baggage. They immediately took the baggage away from the aircraft and alerted the airport security and fire force."

The smoke subsided within minutes, he said, adding that the security found that it had arisen from a packet inside the baggage.

"The packet was found to contain Boric acid powder and detergent solution. The solution had spilled over and fallen on the powder causing the smoke. Within 10 minutes the flight was cleared and it left for Chennai at 9.20am," Rameshan added.
 

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http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...cused-held-at-airport/articleshow/6216790.cms

Key Koda scam accused held at airport
Pradeep Thakur, TNN, Jul 26, 2010, 02.14am IST

NEW DELHI: Diamond merchant Manoj Punamia, one of the key accused in the Koda scam, was arrested on Saturday night at the Mumbai airport when he was returning from a foreign trip.

Though Punamia was not facing arrest, he was picked up as he was barred from travelling abroad. He had left the country last week giving immigration officials the slip despite a lookout notice issued against him. Investigators believe he may have gone to Dubai to eliminate transaction trails being probed by sleuths.

The Mumbai-based bullion trader holds the key to the multi-crore Koda scam probe. He had, during his interrogation in March, given vital details to ED. Koda, with the help of Punamia and other associates, is alleged to have invested in high-end properties in Dubai worth a few hundred crores.

Immigration officials detained Punamia and handed him over to the Enforcement Directorate (ED). He was later flown to the Delhi office of the agency where he is being questioned.

Punamia's foreign trip has come as a shock to the investigators who are yet to receive a response to the letter rogatories they had sent to authorities in Dubai and Bangkok, among half-a-dozen other countries, to verify information about his dubious investments in these places. Bank transactions in these countries were also being verified and the LRs had specifically sought seizure of any balance remaining in the accounts belonging to the accused.

Considered the key player in the scam, Punamia used his Balaji group of companies to launder dirty money of politicians, income tax and ED officials claim. His association with former Jharkhand CM Madhu Koda was established when a few of Koda's associates were found to be directors in the Balaji group.

Some of these companies were found to have made hawala and legal money transfers to the tune of $110 million to other front companies of the cartel based in Dubai. Punamia had also told investigators in March that he had been negotiating with a Swedish law firm to make investments in that country. He had paid $15,000 to the law firm in question to set up a business entity in Sweden.

One of the tainted firms, Balaji Universal Trade, had transacted Rs 640 crore in the Union Bank of India at its Zaveri Bazar branch between November 2006 and December 2008 which was perceived by investigators as circular trading and it was alleged that money was transferred to foreign jurisdictions through hawala channels. This was, however, denied by Punamia.
 

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http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...-yr-old-for-cellphone/articleshow/6208361.cms

Haryana: 14-yr-old 'beheads' 12-yr-old for cellphone
TNN, Jul 24, 2010, 05.34am IST

ROHTAK: In a spine-chilling incident in Rewari town of khap-ravaged Haryana, a 14-year-old boy allegedly beheaded a 12-year-old before dumping the body on the roadside and quietly walking away from the scene of crime.

The police, who found the dismembered body in the bushes on Friday morning, suspect the victim, identified as Manoj alias Tinku, was killed in cold blood for his mobile phone. They have registered a case against the now absconding teenager on the complaint of Tinku's father, Kanhaiya.

"The victim had accompanied the accused to a shop in the morning with his mobile phone for uploading some songs. When the accused returned there in the evening and found it closed, he sent his eight-year-old brother to Tinku, with a message that he come to their house with the mobile phone," SHO Rewari City police station Jagdish Rai said.

The two young boys — both sons of migrant labourers staying in Anand Nagar Colony of Rewari — had later left for the shop, with Tinku, a class III student, leaving his phone at the accused's place. The absconding student is a student of class VIII.

Police suspect that the victim was attacked with a sharp-edged weapon and inflicted a deep wound in the neck. "Some stray dogs may have found the victim, injured or dead, later and snapped his head from the torso," the SHO claimed. The postmortem has confirmed death due to grievous injury and excessive bleeding, he added.
 

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http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...rt-in-20-UP-districts/articleshow/6208565.cms

Heavy rains ring in flood alert in 20 UP districts
TNN, Jul 24, 2010, 07.00am IST

LUCKNOW: Heavy rainfall in many parts of the state and hills of Uttarakhand and Nepal are now posing threat of floods in 20 districts of UP. While the state government on Friday issued a flood alert and released Rs 6 crore for relief measures, weatherman forecast that monsoon activity is expected to slow down in the state, but it would remain active in the hills. Rains also claimed three lives in 24 hours, taking the toll to 57 this monsoon.

According to reports reaching the state capital, swelling Ganga has cut off Delhi-Pauri highway in Bijnore. In Pilibhit, water-level of the river has come down but over a dozen villages are still flooded.
District officials claimed to have initiated relief measures in the flood-affected areas, but people said that they are facing acute shortage of food and fodder. The Ganga was also on the rise in Kanpur, Allahabad and several eastern UP districts.

The Ghaghra was in spate in Bahraich, Barabanki and Lakhimpur Kheri, flooding dozens of villages in the low-lying areas. The water-level in the Ghaghra is rising due to heavy rains in Nepal. The river was flowing a metre above the danger mark in Bahraich and touching the red sign in Barabanki.
 

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http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...-rain-highest-in-July/articleshow/6216875.cms

Pune gets 36.6 mm, highest in July
Vishwas Kothari & Prasad Kulkarni, TNN, Jul 26, 2010, 03.16am IST

PUNE: The city recorded 36.6 mm rainfall in the 12 hours between 8.30 am and 8.30 pm on Sunday, the highest for the month so far and particularly after the revival of rains since last Wednesday (July 21). There is more to come as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast intermittent rains with heavy spells at times in some areas for the next 24 hours.

The IMD's all-India weather bulletin has, in fact, forecast heavy to very heavy rains at isolated places in the Central Maharashtra belt — which stretches from Nashik at the northern end to Kolhapur down south with Pune at the centre — in the next 48 hours.

Sunday's intermittent spells were preceded by a similar pattern with the city registering 19.7 mm rains in the 24 hours starting 8.30 am on Saturday.

Pune has so far recorded 405.6 mm rainfall for this year's monsoon season, starting June 1. This is almost 110 mm in excess of the average rainfall of 280 mm for the period between June 1 and July 25. The city's average rainfall for the June-to-September monsoon season is 540 mm.

The revival of rain augurs well for the city, which has been reeling under the effects of what looked like an imminent water crisis that even prompted the Pune Municipal Corporation to begin water cuts.

The south west monsoon has been vigorous, among other regions, over the Central Maharashtra belt while it has been active over the Konkan and Goa belt, which includes Mumbai and the Marathwada region. A warning of heavy to very heavy rains at few places has been issued for the Konkan and Goa belt.

According to IMD officials, what has set off the ongoing pattern of rains is the weather systems over the Bay of Bengal that are conducive for rains, particularly in the southern peninsula. "The low pressure area over northwest Bay of Bengal and the neighbourhood now lies as a well marked low pressure area over Orissa and adjoining northwest Bay of Bengal," an IMD official said.

"Other systems that could help in increasing the rainfall include the off-shore trough which extends from the south Gujarat coast to the coast of Kerala and the cyclonic circulation over north Gujarat and the neighbourhood," the official said.

The rains already have had a good effect in terms of the water levels going up in the dams that provide water to the city.
 

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http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...choolkids-to-hospital/articleshow/6208423.cms

Mid-day meal sends 70 schoolkids to hospital
Radheshyam Jadhav, TNN, Jul 24, 2010, 05.58am IST

PUNE: As many as 70 children - most of them aged between six and 13 - were hospitalised on Friday after having lunch under the mid-day meal scheme at their school at Bopodi, which is run by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC).

Shockingly, dead insects, flies and even tiny pieces of magnets were found in the food served to the children, PMC school board chairman Sangeeta Tiwari told reporters after visiting the school. "The khichadi (rice and dal preparation) was foul-smelling We were shocked to see the quality of the food," she said.

"Of the 349 students of the Dr Zakir Hussain Urdu medium primary school who had the meal, 70 complained of abdominal pain and started vomiting. They were admitted to Sahyadri hospital at Bopodi. Fifty-seven students were still under observation by late evening and the remaining have been discharged," Tiwari said.

The mid-day meal in PMC-run schools is offered free to students, most of whom belong to the poorer sections of society. In this particular school, the food was prepared by a self-help group (SHG).

On seeing some of the children complaining of stomachache, giddiness and vomiting, the school authorities took six of them in a rickshaw to Sahyadri hospital. Parents living in the nearby Gandhinagar and Adarshnagar areas flocked to the school and took their wards to hospital.

Shabbir Khudawan, a labourer, said, "All my three children have been affected and have been admitted to hospital. I don't know what condition they are in."

The PMC school board has "suspended" the scheme for now and has asked municipal commissioner Mahesh Zagade to order the Urban Community Development (UCD) department of the PMC to provide fruits and other eatables instead of cooked food.

The school board also filed a police complaint in the case. DCP Sanjay Jadhav told TOI late in the evening that the process of registering a case was going on.

The PMC education board said it will bear the medical expenses of the affected students.

Explaining the mid-day meal scheme, PMC school board chief Ramchandra Jadhav said lunch is provided to about 80,000 students in PMC-run schools under the Shaleya Poshan Aahar Yojana (National Programme of Nutritional Support).

"The district food supply officer provides foodgrains to the UCD, which has assigned the task of cooking the food to 243 SHGs working under a consortium named Savitri Small Savings Group Federation. The SHGs have been providing the mid-day meals since the last three years."

Jadhav said that an SHG named Adarsh Dakva Savings Group had cooked the meal for the affected students of Dr Zakir Hussain school.

Tiwari alleged that the quality of meals provided by the SHGs was "very poor". "The school board has repeatedly complained to the UCD and the municipal commissioner to look into the matter. The UCD is responsible for the poor quality of meals provided to the students," she insisted.

Meanwhile, the school board and the UCD sought to pass the buck about the quality check mechanism. "The school board has no say in this exercise. In spite of that, we have asked the UCD and the SHGs to maintain the quality of food," Tiwari said.

UCD chief Vilas Kanade told TOI that the PMC school board chief had given in writing that the SHGs should be assigned the task of cooking the mid-day meal. "After the SHG cooks the meal, teachers and the headmaster of the school have to taste the food and register their observations in a register. Moreover, it is the responsibility of the health department and the food inspectors to check the quality of the meal," he pointed out.
 

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http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...dkari-led-Nagpur-unit/articleshow/6216863.cms

Congress-run union denies Gadkari-led Nagpur unit
TNN, Jul 26, 2010, 03.08am IST

NAGPUR: Embarrassed by the disclosure made by BJP president Nitin Gadkari to TOI that he was elected to head the Nagpur chapter of Intuc, a textile workers' union from the orange city, Rashtriya Mill Mazdoor Sangh (RMMS), issued a press statement denying Gadkari's claim, adding that he never got a chance to enter the union's office. But it agreed that Gadkari's influence helped the workers avail voluntary retirement scheme.

Gadkari, during his visit to TOI's Delhi office last week, had said he had won an election as president in the Nagpur branch of a Congress-affiliated mill workers' union, because of the allegedly extortionist traits of Intuc bosses.

Reacting to this, the RMMS said in a statement that "it was only a splinter group of 22 members that had formed a union with Gadkari as head. The elections through which the BJP chief claims victory were not held by the union but took place in an unknown hotel and that was the first and the last meeting held by this group," it claimed.

Giving the background, the union said Gadkari was only contacted regarding the VRS when a BJP government was at the centre since they hoped he would use his influence and get the scheme implemented.
 

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http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...us-on-missing-sailors/articleshow/6216865.cms

Family's ordeal puts focus on missing sailors
R Vasundara, TNN, Jul 26, 2010, 03.10am IST

CHENNAI: Lalitha Shrivastav of Hyderabad still does not know how her husband Sanjay, a third engineer working on a Panamanian ship, died. On September 1, 2009, Sanjay's recruiting agent called her to say he was missing from the ship, possibly he jumped into the sea off the coast of Africa.

Nobody from the company where Sanjay worked informed her about his death. "The recruiting agency informed me five days after he went missing," she said. When she contacted the company, they refused to explain how he died. After much effort, she could contact the ship's captain who claimed Sanjay had committed suicide, said Lalitha.

"After his night shift, he had breakfast and went to his cabin to sleep. Five minutes later, one of the ship's boys came looking for him due to a problem in the engine room. But he was missing. His life jacket wasn't there either. The captain told me they found his footprints near the ship's railings and concluded he committed suicide," said Lalitha.

But she found it difficult to believe that Sanjay jumped to death due to depression. A year later, Lalitha still doesn't know what happened to her husband.

Sanjay Shrivastav's case is not an isolated case. According to Manoj Joy, who runs Sailor's Helpline that helps bereaved families of men lost at sea, over 70 Indian sailors have been reported missing worldwide since 2005. The ministry of shipping has also recorded around 400 deaths among Indian sailors who died on duty during 2005-2008. "The primary problem is the sheer indifference of DG Shipping," said Manoj.

"It is the government's responsibility to conduct enquiry into cases of missing sailors aboard foreign vessels and international waters. There is not too much that a private citizen can do on their own in this matter. But they never go beyond promising to check records. Most of these families have also not received any compensation."

Fly-by-night recruiting agencies are a problem too. "Every agency is required to register with DG Shipping. But many of them don't. That makes tracking of sailors even more difficult," said Manoj.
A senior official from DG Shipping, however, said, "We conduct regular inspections on ships and enquiries among sailors. This is adequate to check on spurious agencies," he said. "As for missing sailors, we need to check our records for that."

Venkatraman Iyer, MD of Chennai-based recruitment agency Tradex Shipping Management Company said, "We can't blame the system for it. Most of these agencies operate out of the system. Sailors who approach them are usually ones whose documents are not entirely in order," he said.
 

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http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...ooks-for-midday-meals/articleshow/6216902.cms

Maya backtracks on dalit cooks for midday meals
Swati Mathur, TNN, Jul 26, 2010, 03.30am IST

LUCKNOW: After instances of midday meal (MDM) boycott by upper caste students as it was prepared by dalit cooks, the UP government appears to have suddenly gone soft on its pro-dalit, pro-Scheduled Caste agenda.

In a discreetly issued government order, on July 23, the authorities have changed the appointment rules of MDM cooks, replacing 'compulsory' appointment of SCs, STs and OBCs to the post according to the existing roster system, to "preference will be given" to members from these communities.

The new order, issued by secretary, basic education department, Jitendra Kumar, also says that widows, shelterless women and divorcees will be preferred in their appointment as cooks for the MDM scheme.

Interestingly, the new order also makes room for the appointment of male candidates to the post of MDM cooks. However, these appointments will also be subject to the existing roster — first preference to Scheduled Castes, then tribes, followed by OBCs and shelterless. The order has also withdrawn the clause, present in the earlier order of April 2010, that the women appointed must be related to wards studying in the said schools.

Though issued with the aim of putting to rest protests from upper castes, the order appears little more than careful wordcraft of the Mayawati government. Earlier, voices of protest emanated from students and their families in nearly two dozen villages in Kanpur Dehat, Etawah, Kannauj, and Kanpur. In some instances, parents allegedly stopped sending their wards to school as a mark of protest against the government's decision.

Certain sections have dismissed the move as nothing more than Mayawati's attempts to bridge the class divide ahead of the assembly elections scheduled to be held in 2012.
 

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http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Dawood-wants-to-kill-me-says-Salem/articleshow/6220608.cms

Dawood wants to kill me, says Salem
PTI, Jul 26, 2010, 10.05pm IST

MUMBAI: Underworld don Abu Salem, who was attacked inside the Arthur Road Jail last week, has said there was threat to his life from the Dawood Ibrahim gang.

Salem was attacked by Mohammed Mustafa Dossa, said to be member of the D-gang, with a sharp object on Saturday.

"In Taloja jail, there is threat to my life... In the Arthur Road jail, the Superintendent was asked not to put Dossa (in the same cell where I was lodged)... Despite that, he was put there", Salem told a TV channel.

Salem was shifted to Taloja jail in Navi Mumbai on Saturday after the attack on him.

Salem denied that he was attacked following an argument with Dossa.

"I had asked the Arthur Road jail suprintendent two months back to not keep Dossa with me. But my plea was ignored and he was lodged with me. The jail suprintendent had also warned me that an attack is possible. But even after that Dossa was kept with me," he said.

An FIR against Dossa and his accomplice was registered under section 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means) and further probe was on, police said.

Salem, who received injuries on his head, neck and shoulders was profusely bleeding when the cops reached the spot near barrack No.10 where Salem and Dossa are housed along with scores of other prisoners.

42-year-old Salem, a key accused in the 1993 serial bomb blasts, has been lodged in the South Mumbai jail since his extradition from Portugal in 2005. He is facing trial in nine cases, including two murders.

The attack on Salem has left the authorities worried as Kasab, awarded death penalty by the anti-terror court three months ago in the 26/11 case, is lodged in the same jail.
 

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http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...te-say-Andhra-parties/articleshow/6220289.cms

PM to intervene in Babhli barrage dispute, say Andhra parties
PTI, Jul 26, 2010, 09.06pm IST

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has assured an all-party delegation from Andhra Pradesh of intervening to try and resolve the problems concerning the Babhli barrage issue, a suggestion not welcomed by the Telugu Desam Party.

The delegation led by Chief Minister K Rosaiah and joined by TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu and PRP's Chiranjeevi also urged Singh to call a meeting of Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra to solve the impending issue.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Rosaiah hoped the Prime Minister would consider their demand and call a meeting of Chief Ministers of both the states to amicably resolve the issue.

"We are very much satisfied with the meeting. The Prime Minister assured us that he will discuss the issue with officials and then take it up at the political level. He assured us that he will intervene and try to solve the problems," he said.

The delegation met Singh at his 7, RCR residence and asked him to direct the Maharashtra Government to dismantle the gates installed at Babhli barrage, which Andhra calls "illegal construction".

Describing the meeting as satisfying, Chiranjeevi said the Prime Minister was receptive to the suggestion of convening a meeting of the Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra on the issue.

However, Naidu said he was not satisfied with the meeting as the Prime Minister did not "give any commitment on the issue."

"Neither the Chief Minister nor the Congress party nor the Prime Minister are serious about the (Babhli) issue. We will decide the party's future course of action tomorrow," he said.

Andhra accuses the Maharashtra government of carrying out illegal construction and installing gates at the Babhli barrage against a Supreme Court order, but Maharashtra disputes it.

"Babhli is an illegal and unauthorised terminal barrage of the series of 13 other unsanctioned barrages on Godavari, upstream of Sri Ram Sagar project of Andhra Pradesh," the leaders said in a memorandum submitted to Singh.

"While Babhli stands out as the most blatant violation, there are also several unauthorised and unaccounted for water retaining structures in the upper reaches of both Godavari and Krishna in the states of Maharashtra and Karnataka affecting our lower riparian interests adversely," they said in the memorandum.

The leaders said in the memorandum: "A strong controlling authority with necessary Constitutional backup and strong implementing teeth perhaps is the only way to prevent the 'prophecy' of water wars and needs to be in place urgently."

They also urged him to personally intervene and take all possible measures to protect the interests of the lowest riparian state -- Andhra Pradesh.

Noting that Maharashtra has constructed Jayakwadi Project across Godavari at about 262 km from the source or 502 km upstream of Pochampad Project, the leaders said Pochampad Dam (SRSP) is constructed across Godavari.

They said Singh should ask the Maharashtra Government that the construction of Babhli project, which falls within the water prism of Sri Rama Sagar and is being built without any permission from the Central Water Commission, may be stopped forthwith.

They said Singh should also ask the state government to stop other 13 projects, which are obstructing the flow of water and have been constructed without obtaining the permission of the Central Water Commission and consent of lower riparian states.
 

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http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...or-adjournment-motion/articleshow/6220081.cms

BJP, Left to give notices for adjournment motion
IANS, Jul 26, 2010, 08.26pm IST

NEW DELHI: Keen to put the government on the mat on the price rise, the opposition, including the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Left parties, have decided to give notice for an adjournment motion on the issue on Tuesday, the second day of the monsoon session of parliament.

Both the BJP and Left parties said Tuesday that they will give notice for an adjournment motion in the Lok Sabha on the government's decision in June to hike the prices of petroleum products.

The Samajwadi Party that supports the government from outside, also affirmed that it was with the opposition in its demand for moving an adjournment motion on price rise.

The BJP said it will give notice for an adjournment motion on hike in prices of kerosene and LPG effected after the budget session, as it did not want the government to oppose the move on the grounds that it was not a matter of recent occurrence.

The rules provide that an adjournment motion should be restricted to a specific matter of recent occurrence involving the government.

Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj said that the party will give a notice on Tuesday in the Lok Sabha for an adjournment motion on the rise in prices of kerosene and LPG cylinders which were announced after the budget session of parliament ended.

Communist Party of India-Marxist leader Basudeb Acahria told IANS that the Left parties will give notice for adjournment motion on price rise, particularly the hike in prices of diesel, petrol, kerosene and LPG.

The Samajwadi Party, which had not voted against the government during the cut motions in the budget session and had staged a walk out, said on Tuesday it will support the opposition's demand for an adjournment motion.

"We want the issue of price rise to be discussed under an adjournment motion," part spokesman Mohan Singh told IANS.

Apart from the BJP and the four Left parties, various non-United Progressive Alliance parties, including the Biju Janata Dal, Janata Dal-United (JD-U), AIADMK, Indian National Lok Dal, Shiv Sena, Janata Dal-Secular, Telugu Desam Party and Shiromani Akali Dal had joined the call for a nationwide shutdown on July 5 against the price rise.

JD-U leader Sharad Yadav said on Monday that the increase in prices of essential commodities was a major issue and the battle against price rise would continue.

Indicating larger opposition unity on price rise, he said: "We are determined to fight on the issue."

The opposition leaders also feel that the government's allies such as DMK and Trinamool Congress will find it hard to defend the government on price rise and hike in prices of petroleum products.
 

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http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...ollege-mate-in-Mumbai/articleshow/6219711.cms

17-year-old allegedly raped by college mate in Mumbai
PTI, Jul 26, 2010, 06.09pm IST

MUMBAI: A 17-year-old girl was allegedly raped at knife-point by her college mate with whom she had got acquainted with through a social networking site.

The victim lodged a complaint that Pankaj Mishra (20), a student of Bachelor of Management Studies in Vivekanand college, had raped her at his residence on July 21 after which he was apprehended yesterday, B B Rathod, Senior Inspector at Chembur Police Station said.

The accused was booked under sections 341 (Punishment for wrongful restraint), 342 (Punishment for wrongful confinement), and 376 (Punishment for rape) of IPC, he said.

According to police, Mishra and the victim became friends through social networking site Facebook in the second week of June and later learnt that they were from the same college.

"As they met in the college later, they became good friends. The victim told Mishra that she had to complete one project. Mishra offered to help and called her at his home on July 20 saying he had done similar projects when he was in the first year. She went to his house on that day," Rathod added.

The next day again she went to Mishra's house but this time he forced her to stay back when she wanted to leave in the evening and threatened to hurt her with a knife, police claimed.

At around 11.30 pm, Mishra sexually abused her and let her go home the next day, police said.

The victim narrated the incident to her parents and a complaint was lodged yesterday.

Mishra's father works in the same college, police said adding that the victim was taken to Nagpada police hospital for medical examination and further probe was on.
 

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http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...d-released-from-jail-/articleshow/6219767.cms

Minor's rape and murder accused released from jail
PTI, Jul 26, 2010, 06.29pm IST

MUMBAI: Over a month after he was granted bail, Mohammad Ajmeri Shaikh, accused of raping and murdering a minor girl in suburban Kurla, was released from the Arthur Road Jail after he provided the surety for his bail.

Ajmeri (29), a rickshaw driver, was arrested on March 9 this year for allegedly raping and murdering a nine-year-old girl, whose body was recovered from the terrace of a police quarters building at Nehru Nagar in suburban Kurla.

On June 7, a metropolitan magistrate had granted Ajmeri bail on surety after the police failed to file its chargesheet within the stipulated 90-days period.

"Ajmeri was released from jail on Saturday after he provided the surety as directed by the court," his lawyer Prakash Wagh said.

The police had last week conducted narco-analysis test on Ajmeri. The police had on July 7 sought permission to conduct narco on Ajmeri as the results of the brain mapping and polygraph tests were inconclusive.

Ajmeri told the court that he was willing to undergo the test to prove his innocence.

Three minor girls were raped and murdered in Nehru Nagar since February this year. On February 9, the body of a five-year-old was recovered from a drain and on June 19 the body of an eight-year-old girl was found in a dilapidated building.

The police had on July 1 arrested one Javed Rehman Shaikh (19) for the rape and murder of the eight-year-old girl.
 

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http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...ted-to-separate-jails/articleshow/6216839.cms

Salem, Dossa shifted to separate jails
S Ahmed Ali, TNN, Jul 26, 2010, 02.54am IST

MUMBAI: The motive behind the attack on jailed gangster Abu Salem by 1993 serial blast accused Mustafa Dossa on Saturday was a fallout from a heated argument. Sources said Salem had complained against Dossa consuming drugs inside the Arthur Road jail.

Salem, who was treated at JJ hospital on Saturday, was shifted to Taloja jail. Dossa has been transferred to Thane jail. Sources said the jail committee looking after the walfare of the inmates has also made a list of gangsters to be shifted to other jails. "We are now taking steps to ensure that members of one gang stay separately as in the melee they form a gang and rule inside," said a source.

Salem who has become a 'zero number' (informer) for policemen inside the jail, had twice allegedly complained to the jailor that Dossa was consuming charas inside the jail. The jailor had carried out searches of Dossa's cell. Dossa then threatened Salem.

However, Salem continued to pass on tips, which was the immediate reason for the attack on him on Saturday, according to crime branch sources. The home department has transferred the attack case to the crime branch. But sources said this could be just the tip of the iceberg as the policemen themselves are allegedly smuggling cash, cigarettes, pan masala, shaving razors, and some times, mobile and SIM cards.
Joint commissioner of police (crime) Himanshu Roy said: "We will first move the court to seek the custody of Dossa as he is already inside the jail and then we would go deeper into the case to know the motive behind the attack."

To ensure law and order, jail superintendents have deployed more staff near common places such as washrooms, canteen and the ground inside the Arthur road jail.
 

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