The cops on duty were just starting their day at Tilak Nagar on Saturday and it was the last thing that they were expecting.

A teenager with blood spots on her clothes came rushing in. She was crying incessantly and was not able to answer the questions of the cops. A woman constable then assured her all help and calmed her down.

Mamta, 18, (name changed) told the police that her cousin raped her four months ago. But her uncle and aunt stopped her from registering a complaint and assured her that they will marry her to the same cousin. However, allegedly they did not keep their promise and Mamta got pregnant.

Four-months pregnant Mamta got suspicious on Saturday when she felt immense pain in her stomach and then started bleeding from her private parts. Instead of going to see a doctor, she rushed straight to the Tilak Nagar police station.

"My uncle and aunt want to kill my baby. They must have given me abortion pills which is why I started bleeding," Mamta told MiD DAY.
Mamta, an orphan, lives with her maternal uncle in Dhaula Kuan. She started working as a maid in neighbouring houses when she was 17.

"She claimed that she was given some abortion medicine without her knowledge. But no foul play was found during a medical examination. Her uncle and aunt took her to their house and rejected the charges. Even Mamta retracted and refused to get an FIR registered in the case," the officer added.

Mamta's uncle refused comment, saying it's their family matter and he would not like to share it with the media. 
 

(malathi)

Couple defies panchayat and family diktat; ties knot

They are not sure how are they going to sustain in days of killing inflation but for now Sandeep and Kavita vow to live on a generous diet of love.

The lovebirds belonging to different castes, come from the khap heartland of Jhajjar and Rohtak and have dared to realise their dreams of being together despite opposition from their respective families.

While Sandeep Bansal, 28, belongs to the Baniya community, Kavita, 23, is from a Scheduled Caste. Love blossomed when they were 14 and 15 years of age respectively. The affair went from strength to strength and as soon as they attained the legal age to marry, Sandeep and Kavita had decided to enter the wedlock.

However, they were fully aware of the consequences because as soon as their romance went public, Kavita's mother threatened suicide while Sandeep's father told him that he would disown him and leave him at the mercy of the khap diktat.

But no amount of coaxing could have made the couple change their plans. The fear of the khap was nonetheless playing out on their mind. They knew that they could end up dead, if they went ahead with their plans. But, the MiD DAY report on Love Commando (dated July 5), came as a blessing in as direct form as it could be.

Buoyed by the fact that there were people who could help him, Sandeep - who works for a private firm in Jhajjar - eloped with his ladylove on July 6.
The couple were married at the Arya Samaj Mandir at Jamuna Bazar in old Delhi under the auspices of Love Commando.

"Had it not been for the MiD DAY report, I could have never dared to go ahead with making my dream of marrying Kavita, a reality. It made me reach Love Commando. I am really thankful to both. It's a great partnership and I think it will help break the barriers for young couples like us," Sandeep told MiD DAY.

When asked how he was going to sustain, as the company for which he used to work has not agreed to give him a transfer, a confident Sandeep said: "I will figure it out. I am happy and ready to face all hardships since now I have Kavita by my side."

A blushing Kavita only nodded her head in agreement, refusing to say anything.
The couple has, for now, decided not to return to their native towns but they are sure that some day their parents will accept them.
The Love Commando has informed the parents of couple and the local police about their marriage through telegram.
 

(malathi)

Kashif Ali, the suspected Pakistani spy who was arrested here two days ago, had duped government departments and banks during his over two-year stay here. He had a driving licence, voter ID card and even a PAN card - all procured on the basis of fake documents, police said on Monday.

Ali's rented accommodation in Sector 44, from where he was arrested Saturday, was raided and police seized various documents and a digital camera. Ali, 24, a resident of Faisalabad in Pakistan's Punjab province, is suspected to have sent vital defence information from India to his country.

"We have recovered a driving licence that was issued by a New Delhi transport authority, a voter identity card with a Chandigarh address, PAN (permanent account number) card and a high school certificate issued by the Punjab School Education Board (PSEB)," a police official said.

"We have also recovered a receipt of the Regional Passport Office, Chandigarh. Ali admitted that he had entered India through Nepal. He had stayed in New Delhi and at Bikaner before coming to Chandigarh. He had bank accounts in Axis Bank and at Union Bank of India," he added.

The seizure of these documents highlights the loopholes in the intelligence wing of police in Chandigarh.

"We are looking into all aspects of this matter and trying to ascertain the links of Ali with other people in Chandigarh and in other states. We will also check how he managed to procure all these documents on the basis of fake papers," Inspector (crime branch) Amanjot Singh said.

Ali, who was sent to police custody by a local court, had moved an application in court seeking permission to talk to his family through two Pakistan phone numbers.

The court granted him permission to talk to his family members in the presence of the investigation officer and also directed police to record the conversation.

Police had also detained two of Ali's friends here - Santosh, 24, and Rajeev, 23, - who were in close contact with him.

"We also questioned Ali's landlord about people who came to meet him. We have found that two women who are working in a beauty parlour here were coming to meet him at regular intervals. He did not talk to his neighbours and had told his landlord that he was into the real estate business," the police official said.

Inspector General of Police Pradeep Srivastava had earlier told reporters: "Ali admitted that he had taken weaponry training from Pakistan. He was collecting vital information regarding (the army's) Western Command headquarters at Chandimandir (in neighbouring Panchkula town) and the air force station here and was passing it to Pakistan."
 

(malathi)

A Sharjah court has sentenced an Egyptian to 10 years in jail after founding him guilty of raping an Indian housewife.

The man, identified only as AO, acted as a municipality employee to enter the house of the woman in Sharjah, where he beat up and raped the female resident.

The Sharjah Sharia Court of First Instance sentenced the 25-year-old accused to 10 years in jail to be followed by deportation. However, the victim was not identified.

According to police, the culprit, who is now in Sharjah Central jail, will appeal the sentence, which is now being reviewed by the Appeals Court.

The man was arrested a few days later after he allegedly committed a similar crime. He denied that he raped the woman but was convicted on the basis of the scientific evidence against him.
 

(malathi)

An 18-year-old boy called Richard is planning to undergo sex-change in order to look like glamour model Katie Price.

The boy, who lives in Leeds with his mother, has already changed his name to Cindy and plans to become a model like Price once he becomes a woman, reported Mirror online.

"To me she is the perfect woman. Not only does she have an amazing face and figure, she is strong and focused. My wall is covered in her photos and I probably have over a thousand cuttings about her," said Richards.

(malathi)

Panaji, July 11 (IANS) Goans and hundreds of thousands of tourists visiting the state annually may soon have to pay a premium to sink their teeth into a fried mackerel or slurp their way through thick prawn curry. Mackerels, sardines and prawns could well be the first in the line of casualties of a fish famine in the near future.

A brazen overkill by the state's burgeoning fishing trawler industry, pollution and climate change have formed a potent combination which might soon push Goa and other coastal areas towards a 'fish famine', warn exerts.

Baban Ingole, chief scientist at the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO), says strict implementation of fishing norms and thorough observance of the no-fishing ban is needed to ensure that the fish population, which is under constant onslaught off the coast of Goa, can be restored.

"It is both due to natural causes like climate change, decreased dissolved oxygen (in the seas) as well as manmade. Like in the case of overfishing, increased level of pollutants, etc," Ingole, a marine biologist and a deputy director at the Goa-based oceanography institute, told IANS in an interview.

Ingole also said the famine was specifically affecting those breeds of fish which were in high demand in the state, where a lot of the marine harvest is diverted towards tourism and export.

"It is related to some of the quality fish which are in high demand and are sensitive to environmental changes," Ingole said, calling for "regulations for fishing on the size and seasons, with strict monitoring" so that the dwindling fish breeds are allowed to restore their populations.

The scientist said tourism is one of the factors taking Goa towards a fish famine scenario. "Demand for fish is increasing every day, both due to domestic consumption and tourism and the supply is surely reducing," he said.

Ingole also said Goa should look to aqua culture to counter the threat of fish famine.

"Some of the species like shrimps, mussels and oysters from aquaculture are already in high demand. If the technology is developed/extended for marine fish culture, Goans need not alter their food pattern.

"However Goans may have to pay more for fish in future," he said.

Goa has seen a gradual decline in its fish catch over the last decade.

But state fisheries director S.C. Vernekar said there was "no scientific reason why the fish harvesting has taken a downturn".

While the catch in the last financial year was 88,771 tonnes, the number slipped down to 80,687, a dip of more than 8,000 tonnes this year. In 2005, Goa had netted over 100,000 tonnes.

There are nearly 1,200 fishing trawlers in Goa - a large number of which are owned by politicians or their kin, who have been accused of blatantly violating the fishing ban that begins June 15 and ends July 30, coinciding with the fish breeding season.

Karwar, July10, DHNS:In the small port town of Belekeri, 280 kilometres from the mining zones of Bellary where people are more likely to fall prey to respiratory diseases, the quality of air and residents’ health are in jeopardy. 

Iron ore-laden trucks rumbling through Belekeri and its nearby towns and villages, trailing dust clouds that carry fine particulate matter, have caused a disturbing trend: Five years ago the number of people suffering from asthma was only 29; today, the total number of asthma patients in and around Belekeri has shot up 120 times to over 3,500.

Reports prepared by the office of the district health officer (DHO) in Karwar clearly reveal that iron ore dust, which hundreds of trucks haul from several mining operations in Bellary, has transformed the air quality for the worse, leaving an increasing number of people in villages like Belekeri, Hattikere, Bavikere and Aversa in Ankola taluk with several respiratory ailments, including asthma.

According to former Uttara Kannada DHO Dr S D Auradi, who was instrumental in undertaking studies that established the causal relationship between iron ore dust and asthma, the reports reveal the number of reported cases in government primary health centres. While the total population of the four villages is about 12,000, as many as 30 per cent of the people have been stricken by asthma over the past five years.

Concerned over the quantum jump in the number of asthma patients, health officials in the district are now planning conducting a house-to-house survey to assess the real impact of iron ore not just on the people but also the ambient air quality. Asthma and other associated lung problems are caused by high concentration of pollutants in the air.

Speaking to Deccan Herald, Dr M M Sayed of Canara Medical Centre in Belekeri said he feared that the number of asthma patients would be far more than the reported 3,500 cases since, according to him, several more might be undergoing treatment in private hospitals.

Sayed, who attends to about 10 asthma cases everyday, said: “The residents of Belekeri continue to suffer because of the export activities.”

The cases he has diagnosed suggests that the patients suffer from sleeplessness.
“How can people sleep when trucks pass down the single-lane road that cuts through the villages 24/7? Only the monsoon brings some respite because truck movements remain suspended at that time,”  Sayed said.

Scientific study

Stressing the need for a thorough scientific study to know the cause of the ailments,  Sayed disclosed that over the past year, no less than ten people living close to the road underwent surgery after complaining of serious cardiac problems.

The consignments of ore carried by the trucks are not properly covered. The trucks track ore, mud and debris on the road where they dry and turn to dust that is stirred by other vehicles.

That dust coats houses and is thought to cuase respiratory and other ailments.
Karnataka State Pollution Control Board regional environment officer Gopala Krishna S said: “Because of high humidity, dust is less in coastal belts, but the situation in Belekeri is not so.

Air quality tests

Tests show that the concentration of particulate matter in the air is alarmingly higher than the permissible limit”. The ambient air quality tests conducted by the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board at Belekeri show that the concentration of respirable suspended particulate matter (RSPM) and suspended particulate matter (spm) in air is high (see box).

Gopala Krishna said that besides affecting humans, ore dust may potentially cause death of sea fish.

Villagers’ demand

After the export of iron ore via Belekeri port began in 2004, there has been sporadic resistance to the heavy movement of trucks along the belt. The villagers have demanded that the exporters lay a by-pass off National Highway-63 so that trucks do not ply through the villages.

The exporters, of course, paid no heed. Nearly 4,000 trucks carry iron ore to Belekeri port every day during October and May. But the trucking and export activities remain suspended between June and September when the region experiences heavy rains.

Following complaints from the public and the Pollution Control Board, which voiced fears that ore particles could settle on the sea surface, the Karwar deputy commissioner suspended export operations during the monsoon.

A few Belekeri residents told Deccan Herald that the exporters buy the silence of some residents who live on the road the trucks follow to reach the port.

“These people get about Rs 3,000 to Rs 5,000 a month and if others refuse to accept money they are branded enemies,” one Belekeri resident said.

Mumbai, July 11 (IANS) The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) Sunday endorsed the views of Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray and said Marathi songs should be played on private FM radio channels in the state.

'Bal Thackeray has rightly taken up this sensitive and urgent issue which is of great relevance to all the Marathi lovers in the state. The channels that air in Maharashtra should give equal importance to Marathi and Hindi songs,' MNS vice president V. Saraswat told IANS.

Thackeray Saturday asked private FM radio channels to broadcast Marathi songs within a week or 'face a Sena-style agitation'.

'It has been noticed that many FM channels do not play Marathi songs. They should start airing them in a week or Sena would launch an agitation,' he said in a statement.

Saraswat also mentioned that priority should be given to employing Maharashtrians in these organisations. 'It is not about reserving employment opportunities for Marathi Manoos. It is about giving them priority,' he said.

'It is a government rule that local residents should be given priority in employment, MNS is just following and abiding to that,' he added. 'We are just protecting the rights of Marathi Manoos.'

Thackeray in his editorial had mentioned that radio channels are bound to give importance to Marathi audiences.

'Betrayal of Marathi language in Maharashtra will not be tolerated,' he said.

'It should not be forgotten that the entire film and music industry is based in Mumbai, a part of Maharashtra. If radio channels can play songs in Punjabi and in other regional languages, why are Marathi songs not being played?' Thackeray questioned.

New Delhi:  A young couple was on Saturday found buried in a park in the national capital, police said.

The incident was reported from B-Block of New Friends Colony at around 8 am. The couple is in their early thirties.

"There were strangulation marks on the man's body while the woman's legs and hands were tied. Their bodies were covered by grass," a senior police official said.

The bodies were discovered by boys who were playing cricket in the park. "They were searching for the ball when they accidentally discovered the bodies," the official said.

Two SIM cards were also recovered from the spot.

"Prima facie, it appears that the couple was poisoned to death. However, murder due to strangulation is also a probability as handkerchieves were found tied around the neck of both the victims," the official said.

Investigators were trying to ascertain the identity of the victims.

In another incident, an unidentified man was found stabbed to death under a flyover in Ashram of south east Delhi.

The body bore marks of sharp weapon injuries and he was seemingly hit by stones as well, police said.

NEW DELHI: Continuing his opposition to the Women's Reservation Bill, Janata Dal-United (JD(U)) president Sharad Yadav says that 90 percent of MPs are against the bill that seeks to set aside a third of all seats in India's legislatures for women.

"If there is no party whip, 90 percent of the MPs will oppose the bill, whether they are from the UPA (United Progressive Alliance) or the NDA (National Democratic Alliance), whether they are from backward classes or upper castes, whether they are male or women MPs," Yadav claimed in an interview.

Will the women's bill, passed by the Rajya Sabha on March 9, be introduced in the Lok Sabha?

"You may ask that question to the UPA managers. It will face stiffer opposition in the Lok Sabha from us and like-minded parties such as the Samajwadi Party and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD)," Yadav told IANS.

"And I can tell you the bill will fall flat if there is no whip," said Yadav, 63, a seventh-time Lok Sabha MP and convenor of the NDA that is led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Differences had surfaced in the JD(U) when the women's bill was passed in the Rajya Sabha.

While most of the seven JD(U) Rajya Sabha MPs supported the bill, the 20 party MPs in the Lok Sabha led by Yadav opposed it. JD(U) leader and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar supported it, saying the legislation was one whose time had come.

Sharad Yadav joined the other Yadav duo - Samajwadi's Mulayam Singh Yadav and RJD's Lalu Prasad - to protest against the bill in the Lok Sabha. They received the indirect support of Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress, whose two MPs abstained from the voting, in the Rajya Sabha although the party is a member of the Congress-led UPA alliance.

The bill, which provides for 33 percent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies, was passed with an overwhelming majority in the Rajya Sabha. The BJP, other constituents of the NDA and the Left supported it.

The bill is yet to be introduced in the Lok Sabha.

As the Yadav trio and their supporters staged noisy protests in the Lok Sabha, Leader of the House Pranab Mukherjee stated that the bill would be introduced only "after wider consultations" with all parties.

The JD(U) and other parties want a sub-quota for women from other backward classes (OBCs) and minorities in the seats reserved for women.

According to Yadav, the bill in the present form will benefit only "a few elite women from the metros".

"It has only the support of some vocal Delhi-based NGOs. Not even from other cities," he said.

Then why are the Congress, the BJP and other parties supporting it?

"Let all parties allow a free discussion and withdraw the whip. The frank opinion of the MPs and the cadres will be heard then," the JD(U) leader said.

Yadav said the differences over the bill was not a major obstacle in his alliance with the BJP in Bihar.

"You may not agree on all issues in an alliance. Similarly, Nitish might not have personally agreed to opposing the bill. But we are all united in the JD(U) and the NDA."

Then why did the JD(U) members support the bill in the Rajya Sabha?

"Sometimes, as a party, you may have to make some tactical moves. But I can tell you that all our MPs in the Lok Sabha are united in opposing the bill."

If the JD(U) is for reservations for women from OBCs and minorities, will it nominate women from those sections in the coming elections to the Bihar assembly?

"We have been trying to empower women. But the selection of candidates depends on their winnability too," Yadav said.