Village council sentences ‘witches’ to death in Jharkhand

Village council sentences ‘witches’ to death in Jharkhand

5 Of A Family Killed, 5-Yr-Old Not Spared

Jaideep Deogharia & KA Gupta TNN

Buruhatu-Amtoli Pahar (Jharkhand):

Mathura Topno had “failed” his village. In four months, Buruhatu-Amtoli Pahar had lost eight people. Cattle were dropping dead. As the village priest and healer, he had not been able to save them. The least he could do now was point them to the source of “evil”. So, on the morning of February 23, dragged to the centre of the Gram Sabha with some 100 people around him, Mathura was asked for names. He gave them random names.

The next morning, an elderly man found the bloodsoaked body of Josfina Topno, 55, just outside her mud house. Inside, on a wooden cot, was the body of her husband, Nikodim, 60. And in the next room, piled on top of one another were three more corpses — that of their son Vincent, 35, their daughter-in-law Silvanti, 30, and their grandson Albin,

5. A bright yellow and pink toy truck and a cart fashioned out of a box lay next to Albin’s lifeless body.

The family had been hacked to death with axes at night about 10 hours after the gram sabha where Mathura had given the names. “It was all done in 3 minutes,” one of the killers, Salim Topno, boasted later.

When TOI visited the village, there was a dreadful silence. Those who did agree to speak said “black magic” had disrupted their lives. “The villagers believed Sarna (the presiding animist deity) has been angered,” Birendra Surin, mukhiapati of Sarita, the panchayat under which the village lies, said. “We knew some action would be taken,” said another man. Rebuked by another in Mundari, the tribal language, he added, “But we didn’t know they would be killed.”

Dotted with Pathalgarhi, or stone slabs, in honour of the dead, Buruhatu-Amtoli Pahar has been home to 80-odd families and their ancestors for over 500 years. Most families practise animism, seven follow Christianity, and some are Hindu. The village has a middle school, the neighbouring Titih village has a high school and the panchayat has five missionary-run schools. But just one family in the village has studied beyond Class X. Most have small patches of land and others were migrant labourers, many of whom are back with limited prospects and little hope.

Among those who returned was Amrit Topno, 30, Nikodim’s nephew. Amrit and his wife Wilmani live in the house across Nikodim’s. When the bodies were taken for autopsy, Amrit offered to accompany and help the police. Days later, he was identified as one of the killers.

Amrit is among eight who have been arrested so far, along with Soma (25), Sunil (30), Philip (55), Phirangi (45), Sawan (34), Daniel (40) and Salim (25). Seven years ago, Salim had been arrested for killing two women after branding them as witches, tying their bodies to a bike, dragging them to the railway tracks that run by the village and leaving the corpses there.

“All of them were inebriated that night,” Suleman said. Barring Daniel and Philip, the rest are distant relatives of one another.

But why were Josfina and her family targeted? In the villages of Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Odisha — the places that record the most “witch-hunt” cases — something as innocuous as taking a bath at night or praying at night can attract accusations. As of now, there seem to be no answers.

Full report on www.toi.in

The family had been hacked to death with axes at night about 10 hours after the gram sabha where the village priest and healer had given the names

No Gmail; govt employees told to use only official email

No Gmail; govt employees told to use only official email

KP.Saikiran@timesgroup.com

Thiruvananthapuram:  03.03.2021 

As part of allaying concerns about government data being shared to private hands and to ensure secure communication between officials, the state government has asked all its employees to switch over to government email services instead of using private ones like Gmail or Yahoo mail.

According to the circular issued by the electronics and information technology department in this regard on February 19 this year (accessed by TOI), the employees have been recommended to use emails under the domain “gov.in”. As per the circular, the National Informatics Centre (NIC) would create two different IDs, one based on the designation of the officer and the other based on the name, on the basis of the requests from the government organisations and departments. Designation-based IDs will be created for those officers who are dealing with the public directly. An officer will be designated for handling the email address in all the departments.

An officer will have to handover the designation-based IDs to his successor officer when he moves out of that post. However, the name-based IDs will remain with the officers during their entire tenure in the government service. Any email account inactive for 90 days will be deactivated after intimating the concerned department, and if it remains inactive without any communication for180 days, it would be permanently deleted. The electronics and IT department has specifically instructed that other than the government websites, the email IDs assigned under this domain should not be used to subscribe for any other service through any other entity. The NIC has also been asked to keep track of the email IDs assigned to each department so that the communication history can be tracked.

The state government’s latest communique is based on the email policy of the Centre issued on February 18, 2015, by which the use of private email services was banned for official purposes. The Centre had come up with email policy as a remedy to the concerns over the foreign servers of the private email service providers and allegations of email snooping by foreign countries.

The ministry of electronics and information technology had then made the policy applicable to all the employees under the union government, and also those states and union territories that choose to go by the policy in future. As per the policy, the domain email.gov.in of the NIC was decided as the official email of the government. This domain would be used for all official communications by all the government organizations, except those dealing with national security.

The state government’s latest communique is based on the email policy of the Centre issued on February 18, 2015, by which the use of private email services was banned for official purposes

Benched DU VC to Prez: Bid to remove me on flimsy grounds

Benched DU VC to Prez: Bid to remove me on flimsy grounds

Manash Gohain & Shradha Chettri TNN

New Delhi:03.03.2021 

Delhi University vice-chancellor YogeshTyagi, who is under suspension since October 28 last year over charges of dereliction of duty, has written to the institutional visitor, President Ram Nath Kovind, alleging that some “elements” from the Union education ministry were encouraging certain “extra constitutional” people to clamour for his removal on flimsy grounds.

In the letter sent on Monday, Tyagi claimed that the inquiry being conducted against him was not in accordance with norms and, hence, his suspension should be revoked. The chancellor’s nominee to the DU Executive Council, Raj Kumar Bhatia, has also written to the enquiry committee with a copy marked to the visitor seeking revocation of Tyagi’s suspension ordered by the President. Asked about the two letters, Bhatia told TOI, “I can’t vouch for professor Tyagi’s letter.” But he admitted to his communication, which is in TOI’s possession.

Tyagi is scheduled to complete his tenure as the VC on March 11. Prior to his suspension, Tyagi was on medical leave.

In his letter, Tyagi said, “The education ministry officials have grossly failed to place before you the various provisions of the Delhi University Act, statutes, ordinances and regulations in their legal (and I would plead, moral as well) perspective as far as they pertain to the role and responsibility of the vice-chancellor personally. Also, some crucial provisions of the Act, statutes and ordinances have been all together overlooked.”

Passenger dies on city bound flight

HEART ISSUES

Passenger dies on city bound flight

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Lucknow:03.03.2021 

A passenger apparently died of heart attack in a Lucknow bound IndiGo flight on Tuesday early morning while the plane was in Pakistan airspace.

The deceased was identified as Raza Habibur Rehman Ali, who was on wheelchair assistance and was travelling from Sharjah to Lucknow.

Sources said the flight left Sharjah around 1:50am on Tuesday with 158 passengers and had to reach Lucknow by 6:55am, but the pilots had to make medical emergency landing at Karachi airport around 3:20am when Raza fell unconscious apparently after suffering a heart attack.

“On arrival at Karachi airport, the passenger was declared dead.

Abhishek Jaiswal, PRO

of Lucknow airport, said, “The victim’s body was alighted at Ahmedabad airport and sent to a local government hospital. The entire aircraft was sanitised before leaving for Lucknow.”

The flight landed at Lucknow airport at 1:47pm

Delhi riots: Court says 100 suspicions don’t make a proof

Delhi riots: Court says 100 suspicions don’t make a proof

Aamir.khan2@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:  03.03.2021 

“From a hundred rabbits you can’t make a horse, a hundred suspicions don’t make a proof.” Quoting these lines from Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky’s novel, ‘Crime and Punishment’, additional sessions judge Amitabh Rawat discharged two men from the charge of attempt to murder in a north-east Delhi violence case on Monday. “Both the accused persons are discharged of the offences under Section 307 (attempt to murder) IPC and Arms Act,” said the order.

The court had earlier observed that according to criminal jurisprudence, there must be some material against the accused persons to frame a charge. “Presumption can't be stretched to take the shape of proof/ evidence,” it remarked.

The prosecution wanted framing of charges against the two men – Babu and Imran – for being members of an unlawful assembly which was armed with weapons and participated in the rioting on February 25, 2020, near Maujpur.

Alleged victim never seen by police: Judge

Despite the police’s warning, they refused to leave the area, flouting the prohibitory orders under Section 144 CrPC, it was argued. The accused said the charges were false. The court, however, found a prima facie case and sufficient grounds for presuming that both accused persons had committed rioting and other offences under sections 143, 144, 147 and 148 IPC being part of an unlawful assembly, armed with weapons and committing rioting.

When the court enquired if these offences were the reason why the accused were before it, the state denied it, adding that they had committed their act with the intention or knowledge to cause the death of a gunshot victim.

“The gunshot injury is stated to be caused to Rahul but where is he. His statement is not on record,” judge Rawat noted. His order also highlighted that the police had, after carrying out a long investigation, concluded that the Rahul, alleged to have been shot at by a mob, including the two men , had given a wrong address and a wrong mobile phone number in his medico-legal case (MLC).

“So, by the time, the police arrived at the hospital, the alleged victim, Rahul, had vanished. It is not as if Rahul gave any initial statement and then vanished. The state is categorical in saying that the police never saw Rahul. That being the case, who is going to say who shot whom and by whom and where? The alleged victim has never been seen by the police,” the court observed.

Life is too short, says 101-yr-old after jab

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi:03.03.2021 

Debunking all myths about the risks associated with the Covid-19 vaccine, super senior Delhiites led the way on Tuesday as the inoculation drive saw the participation of octogenarians, nonagenarians and a centenarian too.

“The vaccine brings hope of normal life being restored,” smiled Vedpal Sareen, 94. Though wheelchair bound, he arrived at Max Hospital in Saket with his son, Sanjeev. The Sareens, however, complained about the lag on the Co-Win portal, with Sanjeev saying, “This is mismanagement. There wouldn’t be the need for queues if the centres had to simply collect the data and feed it into the system later.”

Meanwhile, the directorate of family and welfare took to social media to announce that 101-year-old Harbansh Lal Mehra had received the jab. Mehra advised other elderly citizens to receive the shots. “There has been no medical problem so far. Go ahead, take the vaccine. Life is very short,” said the centenarian.

In east Delhi, Saraswati Manchandana, 85, who was accompanied by her caretaker, was inoculated on Tuesday. “I had a backache while waiting for my turn. The waiting time should be reduced for octogenarians,” she said.

Senior citizens after taking the first shot of vaccine in New Delhi

'From Hundred Rabbits You Can't Make A Horse, Hundred Suspicion Don't Make A Proof': Delhi Court Discharges 2 Accused In Delhi Riots Case

'From Hundred Rabbits You Can't Make A Horse, Hundred Suspicion Don't Make A Proof': Delhi Court Discharges 2 Accused In Delhi Riots Case: 'From a hundred rabbits you can't make a horse, a hunder suspicion don't make a proof' - Quoting lines from Fyodor Dostovsky's book 'Crime and Punishment', Additional Sessions Judge Amitabh Rawat on...

Plea to hike cash transport limit up to Rs 15 lakh quashed by Madras HC

Plea to hike cash transport limit up to Rs 15 lakh quashed by Madras HC

However, the counsel for the ECI contended that it would permit people to carry more than Rs 50,000 if they could prove that it was meant for business or other legal purposes.

Published: 02nd March 2021 03:56 AM 

Madras High Court 

By Express News Service

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court on Monday dismissed a petition by the Coimbatore Corporation Contractors’ Welfare Association seeking a direction to the Election Commission of India (ECI) to permit them to carry up to Rs 15 lakh, depending on the revenue, during the model code of conduct.

The petition, submitted before the first bench of Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy, stated the contractors had to pay wages once a week, and will have no other document but for the cash withdrawal receipt from the bank.

Hence, it is just and necessary that the ECI makes an exemption, by allowing contractors with a turnover of at least Rs 2 crore, Rs 5 crore, Rs 10 crore to carry Rs 2 lakh, Rs 5 lakh, and Rs 10 lakh, respectively, and those having turnover above Rs 10 crore to carry Rs 15 lakh.However, the counsel for the ECI contended that it would permit people to carry more than Rs 50,000 if they could prove that it was meant for business or other legal purposes.

Step-by-step guide to register for Covid-19 vaccination

Step-by-step guide to register for Covid-19 vaccination

As the second phase of Covid-19 vaccination commenced on Monday, here's how those who are willing to take the jab can register for it

Published: 02nd March 2021 04:05 AM 

Besides Covaxin, Oxford-AstraZeneca's Covishield is the other vaccine being administered in the country. (File photo | PTI)

By Express News Service

As the second phase of Covid-19 vaccination commenced on Monday, here's how those who are willing to take the jab can register for it

To register, log on to www.cowin.gov.in

Go to ‘register yourself’ option on the page

Enter valid mobile number. Click the 'OTP' button

OTP is sent to phone number via SMS

Enter the OTP and click the 'verify' button

Once the OTP is validated, the page to register for vaccination appears

Enter the details required on the page

Details required are photo ID proof, photo ID number, name, year of birth, gender, and comorbidities, if any

Enter all the details of the individuals to be included and then click the 'add' button

The registered person can add three more people linked with this mobile number by clicking 'add more' button at the bottom right side of the page

Once the registration is completed, the system will show the account details

The beneficiary will receive a confirmation message on successful registration

Once the details are entered, click the 'register' button at the bottom right

The beneficiary can delete the names of the individuals linked with his mobile number

Login with username and password, and navigate the dashboard

Click ‘delete’ button to delete a member

A confirmation message will appear on deletion

People can also schedule appointments from the account details page

Click ‘schedule’ button for booking vaccination appointment or click ‘schedule appointment’

System navigates to book appointment for vaccination page

Search the vaccination centre of choice by State, district, block and pin code from the drop downs

On clicking the ‘search’ button, the system will display a list of vaccination centres as per search criteria

The centre name will be displayed on the right panel of the page

On clicking any centre on the panel, the available slots (date and capacity) will be displayed

Once the ‘book’ button is clicked, the appointment confirmation page is displayed

Click ‘confirm’ button after verifying the details for final confirmation of booking

Once confirmed, the confirmation page with ‘appointment successful’ message will be displayed

In case the user has moved to another city, appointments can be rescheduled to the nearest vaccination centre in that city

Once vaccinated for the first dose, the beneficiary will be automatically scheduled for appointment for dose 2 at the same centre where they received the first dose

Once confirmed, the confirmation page with an ‘appointment successful’ message will be displayed

Can search for revised date. Once the date is selected, confirm by clicking ‘confirm’ the revised schedule

The beneficiary will be directed to book an appointment for the vaccination page

Click ‘reschedule appointment’ to reschedule an already booked appointment

For this, re-login to citizen registration module with the already registered mobile number

Once the appointment is fixed, it can be rescheduled at any later stage but before the vaccination appointment day

People should keep the confirmation details to show at the vaccination centre on scheduled date

Lab at Chennai airport conducting 1,000 Covid-19 tests per day

Lab at Chennai airport conducting 1,000 Covid-19 tests per day

The city airport’s Covid test facility at the T-3 arrival terminal has been bustling with activity as 1,000 tests are being conducted every day since its opening on February 2.

Published: 03rd March 2021 06:00 AM 

By Express News Service

CHENNAI: The city airport’s Covid test facility at the T-3 arrival terminal has been bustling with activity as 1,000 tests are being conducted every day since its opening on February 2.

A Chennai airport spokesman said that currently, the test facility ‘Hind labs’ set up by HLL Life Care has the capacity to handle 1,200 passengers. The spokesman said the lab is now catering to arriving passengers and it can soon be extended to departing passengers also.

Those arriving can undergo self-paid test (RT-PCR/TrueNat) at this facility. The RT- PCR test costs Rs 1,200 and results will arrive in five to seven hours. For the swifter TrueNat test, passengers have to pay Rs 2,500. The results will take less than four hours.

Meanwhile, the lab was inspected by Arun Kumar, Economic Adviser to Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and Dr J Radhakrishnan, State Health Secretary, along with State and Airports Authority of India officials, a release stated.

Case watch

The State reported 462 Covid-19 positive cases and one death, taking the tally to 8,52,478 and toll to 12,502 on Tuesday

Chennai: 167

Chengalpattu: 33

Kancheepuram: 17

Tiruvallur: 21

50,209 Samples tested

50,051 People tested

Source: Directorate of Public Health

தடுப்பூசிக்கு கூடுதல் கட்டணமா?

தடுப்பூசிக்கு கூடுதல் கட்டணமா?

Added : மார் 03, 2021 00:12

சென்னை : ''கொரோனா தடுப்பூசிக்கு அரசு நிர்ணயித்துள்ள, 250 ரூபாய் கட்டணத்தை விட, கூடுதலாக வசூலித்தால் கடும் நடவடிக்கை எடுக்கப்படும்,'' என, பொது சுகாதாரத்துறை இயக்குனர் செல்வ விநாயகம் எச்சரித்துள்ளார்.

நாடு முழுதும், 60 வயதுக்கு மேற்பட்ட முதியோர்; 45 வயதுக்கு மேற்பட்ட நாள்பட்ட நோயாளிகளுக்கு தடுப்பூசி செலுத்தப்படுகிறது. அனுமதிஇதற்காக, அரசு மருத்துவ மனைகளில், 529 மையங்கள்; தனியார் மருத்துவமனைகளில், 761 மையங்கள் ஏற்படுத்தப் பட்டு உள்ளன. அரசு மருத்துவமனைகளில் இலவசமாகவும், தனியார் மருத்துவமனைகளில், 250 ரூபாய் வரையும், கட்டணம் வசூலிக்க அரசு அனுமதி அளித்துஉள்ளது.இந்நிலையில், அரசு நிர்ணயித்த கட்டணத்தை விட கூடுதலாக கட்டணம் வசூலிக்கும் மருத்துவமனைகள் மீது, கடும் நடவடிக்கை எடுக்கப்படும் என, சுகாதாரத்துறை எச்சரித்துள்ளது.

பொது சுகாதாரத்துறை இயக்குனர் செல்வ விநாயகம் கூறியதாவது: முதியோர், நாள்பட்ட நோயாளிகளுக்கான தடுப்பூசி செலுத்தும் பணி நன்றாக நடந்து வருகிறது. தேவையான தடுப்பூசிகளை மத்திய அரசு அனுப்பி வருகிறது. பொதுமக்களுக்காக, 'கோவின் 2.0' செயலி உருவாக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது. அந்த செயலியில் பதிவு செய்து விட்டு வரலாம். பதிவு செய்ய தெரியாதவர்கள் அடையாள அட்டையுடன் மருத்துவமனைக்கு சென்றால், அங்குள்ளவர்கள் செயலில் பதிவு செய்து, தடுப்பூசி செலுத்துவர்.சட்ட நடவடிக்கைநாள்பட்ட நோயாளிகள் மட்டும், டாக்டரின் பரிந்துரை சான்றிதழுடன் வர வேண்டும்.

அரசு நிர்ணயித்த, 250 ரூபாய் கட்டணத்தை விட கூடுதலாக, தனியார் மருத்துவமனைகள் வசூலித்தால், அவற்றின் மீது, சட்ட ரீதியான நடவடிக்கை எடுப்பதுடன், தடுப்பூசி போடுவதற்கான அனுமதியும் ரத்து செய்யப்படும்.இவ்வாறு, அவர் கூறினார்.

Retd principals wait for pensions

Retd principals wait for pensions

Ahmedabad:  03.03.2021 

As many as 15 principals, who retired from grant-in-aid colleges, have made a representation before the state higher education department, asking that their pension benefits be released, as they have been denied the benefit of this for the last year.

These principals have not been granted post-retiral benefits in the form of pensions because a circular issued by the finance department last year made it obligatory for retired teachers of grant-in-aid colleges to establish their continuity in service, in case of changing jobs with different institutions, to be entitled to pension benefits. This was earlier applicable for teachers at government colleges only.

These principals found it difficult to gather proof of service continuation and complained about other government departments not cooperating.

The principals’ association also raised this issue with the government. TNN

27-yr-old ‘dead’ man comes alive on postmortem table

27-yr-old ‘dead’ man comes alive on postmortem table

Bagalkot: 03.03.2021 

A youth, who was believed to be dead by health personnel, came alive and had a narrow escape from undergoing a postmortem in Mahalingapura town of Rabakavi-Banahatti taluk here on Monday.

Shankar Shanmukh Gombi, 27, of Mahalingapur, was severely injured in a road accident on Saturday and was admitted to a private hospital in Belagavi for treatment. Doctors at the hospital in Belagavi took him off the ventilator saying he will die soon.

“We brought him by an ambulance on Sunday night to the government hospital in Mahalingapur. Staff at the government hospital declared him dead and sent the body for postmortem. However, a senior officer in the postmortem room who was prepping for the procedure said that he observed movements. On closer examination, he found that he was alive,” said family members.

Taluk health officer Dr G S Galagali said that he was informed that the youth was dead. “As per request of his family members, we visited the hospital and found that he was shaking his hands and legs. When we examined him again thoroughly, we found he was alive. Now he has been admitted to a private hospital for further treatment,” he explained. TNN

Madras univ to double intake of foreign students

Madras univ to double intake of foreign students

Ragu.Raman@timesgroup.com

Chennai:03.03.2021 

Post Covid-19, University of Madras is planning to admit double the number of foreign students through collaboration with foreign universities and its alumni.

At present, the university has 22 students from Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Indonesia, Vietnam, South Africa and other countries. Due to the pandemic, the university had only seven new foreign students in 2020-21.

The university plans to start admission process in March and complete it before June 15.

“Courses like music, Bharatanatyam, psychology, sociology, public administration, MBA and MCom are popular among the foreign students. We are targeting to double the strength of foreign students in postgraduate and research programmes,” said vice-chancellor S Gowri.

The university has a foreign students’ hostel at Taramani that can house more than 100 occupants.

“We have identified areas and faculty members to collaborate with foreign universities. We are planning to sign MoUs for student and faculty exchange programmes. Our university alumni can help in bringing more students,” said professor Rita John, director of University of Madras’s International Centre.

The university will focus on south east Asian countries and African nations for the next academic year.

A majority of foreign students used to come through Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR).

“To have more foreign students, the ICCR decided to allow the students to directly contact the universities for admission,” said K Mohamed Ibrahim Khaleel, regional director of ICCR, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.

Tamil Nadu and Puducherry used to attract more than 200 students every year through ICCR that will provide scholarships to the foreign students.

“Due to Covid-19 pandemic, we had almost no admissions during last year. ICCR is planning to attract more foreign students. We have asked the universities to share details of popular courses, infrastructure, NIRF ranking with us. We will share it on our website,” he said.

In a bid to attract more students, Indian universities were asked to open applications for foreign students from March 15 for the next academic year, he said.

REACHING OUT: University of Madras could admit only seven foreign students last year

In central TN, ECI officials tighten grip to prevent voter bribery

EYE ON POLLS

In central TN, ECI officials tighten grip to prevent voter bribery

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Trichy: 03.03.2021 

The district election officers (DEO) in the eight districts in the central region of the state have laid a slew of guidelines to the marriage halls, pawn brokers, printers and cable TV operators to cooperate with the Election Commission of India (ECI) to ensure a free and fair election.

The district collectors-cum-DEOs have convened a series of meetings with the owners of the four industries.

ECI has imposed a lot of restrictions on marriage halls to prevent the political parties from bribing voters in the name of conducting any functions. The administration of the marriage halls should intimate the returning officers of the constituency if they rent out their premises to politicians.

The commission has clarified that a certain monitoring process has been put in place to stop political parties from greasing the palms of the voters by giving them gift articles or offering feast to the voters.

The marriage hall administrations have been asked to collect the invitations and the identify proof, which should be communicated to the election official concerned in the constituency. The ECI has also tightened the grip over the pawn brokers. Raising apprehensions about political parties closing the jewellery loans of people as a way of bribing, the commission has ordered the pawnbrokers to intimate the commission in case of anyone making bulk closure of loans.

The printers have also been brought under the scanner. They have been asked to submit the required documents to the election officials with regard to printing posters and other advertisement materials by the political parties. The local cable TV operators have also been advised to telecast political advertisements vetted by media certification and monitoring committee (MCMC). The commission has also warned them of action in case of any violation in the guidelines.

Death-row convict shifted to another jail

SHABNAM ONLINE PHOTO ROW

Death-row convict shifted to another jail

Maria Khan TNN

Bareilly:03.03.2021 

A woman, 38, awaiting death sentence for killing seven members of her family has been shifted to UP’s Bareilly jail from the Rampur prison, where she was lodged for the last two years, after her photos with some fellow inmates surfaced on social media platforms recently. Two guards of Rampur prison were placed under suspension on Monday after jail authorities found that they had clicked the photos with their phones and later circulated them. The death row convict, Shabnam, was brought to Rampur district jail in 2019.

Jail administration officials said that the pictures were most likely taken on January 26 this year inside the jail premises. “It is a breach of security and violation of the jail manual,” an official said. Another inmate — who was also seen in photos — was also shifted to Bareilly prison.

Rampur jail superintendent PD Salonia said, “Rampur district administration had issued the orders to shift both the convicts to Bareilly district jail. They were taken to Bareilly on Monday.” Salonia added, “An inquiry revealed that a male prison guard and a woman guard deputed in the jail had taken the photos of the convicts. A report in the matter was sent to the divisional prison Moradabad which ordered suspension of the two guards.”

Confirming the development, Bareilly jail superintendent P Singh said, “Shabnam and another convict were shifted from Rampur to Bareilly district jail for security reasons.”

Rajah Muthiah med students protest again

Rajah Muthiah med students protest again

Bosco.Dominique@timesgroup.com

Cuddalore: 3.3.2021 

Students of Rajah Muthiah Medical College Hospital (RMMCH) and allied institutions at Chidamabaram in Cuddalore district are back on protest mode from Sunday after the government, which had earlier issued an order reducing the fees for medical and dental education on a par with other government medical colleges, insisted they pay the old fees.

The students said the government on February 1 had passed an order fixing ₹13,610 per annum (pa) as fees for MBBS course and ₹30,000 pa for MD/MS courses on par with other government colleges in the state. However, the college issued instructions a couple of days ago directing the students to pay ₹5.4 lakh pa for the MBBS course and ₹9.6 lakh pa for MD/MS courses, fees collected before the order was passed.

"The Tamil Nadu government conceded to our demand after our 60-day protest and passed an order reducing the fees for medical, dental and paramedical programmes on par with other government colleges in the state. We called off the protest on February 4 after the government passed the order. But the college has now issued instructions to pay ₹5.4 lakh pa for the MBBS course and ₹9.6 lakh pa for MD/MS courses. We feel we have been fooled by the government," said a member of the students' council.

The government, in January, had handed over RMMCH and its allied institutions affiliated to Annamalai University to the health and family welfare department from the administrative control of the higher education department. The government also announced that RMMCH would be treated as a government medical college for Cuddalore district.

The government asked the director of medical education to send a detailed proposal on taking over the properties and liabilities of the RMMCH and allied institutions. The value of the movable and immovable properties of the institutions on 113.21 acres is estimated at ₹249.99 crore. The pending liabilities, including salaries, pension, stipend, PF, and loans, is ₹840.93 crore.

The government had also asked the director to initiate efforts to bring the colleges under the Tamil Nadu Dr MGR Medical University.

NO RESPITE: Students of Rajah Muthiah Medical College Hospital in Cuddalore protest after the college authorities asked them to pay the old fees

No nervous 90s for these super seniors

No nervous 90s for these super seniors

Aditya Dev, Meenakshi Sinha & Akanksha Gupta TNN

02.03.2021 

Om Prakash Bhutani lost no time in getting the vaccine shot he had been waiting for. He also made sure someone was around, not so much to escort him as to take a picture. It was for his sons.

“My children were very concerned. As soon as the schedule was out for senior citizens, they got me registered online,” said the 92-yearold, a former Uttar Pradesh police chief who lives by himself in his Noida house, with a helper. On Monday, he was among the first to be vaccinated in the city, at the District Command Hospital.

Both his sons are abroad — one in the US and the other in Australia — and visiting them is an annual ritual for Bhutani but the pandemic has confined him to his home. Pramod Tyagi, the SHO of Film City, accompanied him.

Dr Satya Prakash, who is 90 and has diabetes and cardio-vascular problems, was accompanied by both his sons at the District Combined Hospital in Ghaziabad on Monday afternoon. Ashwani (62) took the vaccine along with his father. Ashish, who is a doctor, had received it earlier.

Dr Satya Prakash was a regular at his clinic in Navyug market before Covid broke out. In November, he lost his wife (88) to post-Covid complications. “The vaccine is effective and everyone should take it when their turn comes,” he told TOI. Another 92-year-old who turned up for the vaccine was Col D P Mehdiratta (retd). But he had to return disappointed after waiting for two hours at a session site in Gurgaon because the registration process moved slowly. “I waited since noon because there was some trouble with the system. The hospital staff did their best. I will come back tomorrow as I was feeling restless,” he said, adding, “There is no fear at all in getting vaccinated.”

OLD IS BOLD: O P Bhutani and Dr Satya Prakash

My children were very concerned. As soon as the schedule was out for senior citizens, they got me registered online

O P BHUTANI

Former police chief, UP

Air travel to soar, AI cancels pilots’ leave

Air travel to soar, AI cancels pilots’ leave

Saurabh.Sinha@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:  02.03.2021 

Air India has cancelled the leaves of its pilots with immediate effect, in a signal that more flights, perhaps even international, could be allowed soon. The airline sent an order to its pilots on Monday, saying “all leave for cockpit crew stands withdrawn with immediate effect. However, leave may be granted in extreme cases depending on the urgency on a case-to-case basis”.

Senior AI officials say the airline has taken this step as the number of flights operated by the divestment-bound Maharaja are going to increase soon. The government has allowed airlines to operate up to 80% of their pre-Covid levels of domestic flights and has indicated that the cap may be removed in the coming summer schedule if the Covid situation continues to remain in control.

Scheduled domestic air travel is reviving after being allowed to resume on May 25, 2020 following a two-month suspension. Aviation minister Hardeep Singh Puri said on Monday that February 28, 2021 saw 3,13,668 domestic passengers on 2,353 flights — the highest single day number since resumption of domestic flights.

If this trend continues then the summer schedule that gets into force in Marchend could see the 80% cap on domestic flights and fare bands withdrawn. Scheduled international flights, that were suspended on March 23, 2020, continue to remain suspended. However, India has allowed international flights to and from air bubble countries and on Vande Bharat Mission operations. So far bubbles have been created with over 25 countries. In India, AI has the largest fleet of wide body aircraft used for passenger flights followed by two twin aisle Boeing 787 Dreamliners of Tata Group’s Vistara.

TAKING OFF AGAIN

Schools can’t bar students from exam over fees: Govt

Schools can’t bar students from exam over fees: Govt

‘Action Against Schools Forcing Fee Payment For Covid Months’

Suchandana.Gupta@timesgroup.com

Bhopal:  02.03.2021 

No student can be denied appearance in examinations if his or her school fee were not paid during the Coronavirus-induced pandemic period. This was specified by minister of state for school education Inder Singh Parmar while answering a question by BJP MLA from Mahidpur constituency Bahadur Singh Chouhan in the state assembly on Monday.

Parmar also said that district collectors will once again be sent an order on Monday to take action against schools that are forcefully taking fees from parents of students for the months during which schools were shut.

The minister of state said, “Whether CBSE or state board, the government has given orders that if online classes have been held then only tuition fees can be taken. No other additional fee can be charged. We will send a letter to all district collectors again today for action against such schools that are forcefully extorting fees.” During Question Hour on Monday, Bahadur Singh Chouhan raised the issue of two schools in his constituency — Ji Maa Vaishno Convent School in Jharda and Bharatiya Madhyamik Vidyalaya in Banbana. The MLA asked the minister to end recognition of the schools because the parent of a student was beaten-up since he could not pay the fee. “Not only was he beaten, he was also locked up,” the MLA alleged.

He claimed there are many irregularities committed by the owners of these schools. He said one of the two schools is hardly nine feet away from a petrol pump. “There is only a boundary separating the petrol pump from the school,” Bahadur Singh Chouhan told the House. He said the petrol pump was set up much before the school. Hence, there should be action against officials who permitted the construction of the school.

Bahadur Singh Chouhan’s question was supported by MLAs from the Opposition Congress. Former finance minister Tarun Bhanot said, “In the whole of Madhya Pradesh, schools are forcing parents to pay fees for the Coronaaffected months.” Another former minister and MLA from Bhopal South-West constituency PC Sharma said, “Children are not being permitted to appear for examinations if their fees have not been paid.”

BJP MLA from Timarni assembly seat Sanjay Shah pointed out that even the big corporate schools are demanding fees for Corona affected months when the school was closed. Speaker Girish Gautam told the minister that many MLAs are concerned with the fee extraction of schools and asked the minister to look into the matter.

Regarding the two schools in Mahidpur, minister of state Inder Singh Parmar said that the department has found many irregularities in the schools.

Bahadur Singh Chouhan asked for suspension of the officials who gave permission for construction of the schools. The minister said action will be taken but the department will follow set procedure.

NO ONE LEFT BEHIND

M’lore varsity yet to register 1st-yr PG students

M’lore varsity yet to register 1st-yr PG students

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Mangaluru:  02.03.2021 

It has been more than two months since Mangalore University (MU) enrolled students to its various postgraduate courses, but their admission has not been confirmed. However, students, who have not been issued ID cards or assigned roll numbers, are being asked to pay examination fee.

Sources attributed the delay in the registration process to the shifting from a private firm’s software for conducting exams to in-house software. However, confusion persists among the management about proceeding with the migration to an in-house software, and are mulling over roping a private firm for the purpose.

A professor said: “The outsourced company would complete the process, and assign roll numbers in a few weeks. The university officials are planning on terminating the contract of the firm. But the registration process has not been completed but the varsity has already announced the timetable for the end-semester examination from the first week of April.”

A student questioned the rationale of setting a deadline for the payment of exam – March 8 – when they had neither been assigned roll numbers nor issued ID cards.

SC refuses to extend bail of prisoners freed due to Covid

SC refuses to extend bail of prisoners freed due to Covid

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi:02.03.2021 

Prisoners who were released last year to decongest jails in Delhi due to the outbreak of Covid-19 will now have to return to the prison as the Supreme Court on Monday refused to extend their bail.

A bench of Justices L Nageswara Rao and S Ravindra Bhat said the situation is now improving and the pandemic seemed to be under control and prisoners can go back to jail. It granted them 15 days time to surrender before the jail authorities.

There are over 2,600 prisoners who were granted bail by the Delhi high court or lower courts in view of the pandemic and their bail was extended from time to time.

Though the prisoners contended that jails in Delhi are still overcrowded as there are 17,000 inmates against the sanctioned strength of 10,000, the bench, however, said it would examine how to deal with the problem of overcrowding of jails in future while refusing to grant them relief.

The trial court had granted bail to 2318 under-trials and the high court had released 356 inmates last year on interim bail.

The apex court passed the order on a petition challenging the Delhi high court order which had in October directed the prisoners to surrender by November 13. Earlier, the SC stayed the HC order and agreed to hear the prisoners’ plea for more time to surrender.

HC: Woman accused of killing her husband can’t get custody of her child

HC: Woman accused of killing her husband can’t get custody of her child

Rajesh Kumar Pandey TNN

Prayagraj: 02.03.2021 

The Allahabad high court has held that a woman accused of killing her husband cannot be given custody of her minor daughter, considering the welfare of the child, unless she is acquitted in the case.

While dismissing a habeas corpus writ petition filed by Gyanmati Kushwaha and another person on Friday, Justice JJ Munir observed that if the mother is acquitted in the murder case by the concerned court, she would have the right to move court for her daughter’s custody, which would then be decided in accordance with law.

The court passed this order in a habeas corpus writ petition filed by a woman residing in Mumbai, who had alleged that on May 11, 2018 her husband came to his native place at Jhansi while she stayed back in Mumbai. Later, she received a call from Kamal Kushwaha, her husband’s maternal uncle, on May 13, 2018 that some unknown person had killed her husband. However, when she reached Jhansi with her daughter, she was falsely implicated in her husband’s murder case and was arrested while her daughter was taken away by her husband’s maternal uncle. Since then the child was in his custody.

Hence, she filed the present habeas corpus writ petition seeking custody of her minor daughter, Drisha Kushwaha, aged about two years. The court while deciding the petition considered the issue that whether in the interest of the child, mother can be denied her custody only on possibility that she might be involved in the murder of her husband.

No changes in NEET-UG pattern this year

No changes in NEET-UG pattern this year

Exams Will Be Conducted On Pen-Paper In June or July: Higher Education Secretary

Manash.Gohain@timesgroup.com

New Delhi: 02.03.2021 

The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET-UG) for admission to medical colleges will have no changes this year. The exams will be conducted on pen-paper between June-July. Amit Khare, secretary, higher education, said it would be unfair on the students to make any changes in such a short notice and delay in the holding the test would affect the new session.

The ministry of education wanted the medical entrance exam to be held more than once a year and on computers, but a consensus could not be reached with the ministry of health on time. With the success of conducting JEE (Main) multiple times in a year and close to 28% of the aspirants (based on the 2020 results) improving their scores in the second attempt, there has been a growing demand for the same for NEET-UG as well.

According to Khare, “In our view, NEET should be held more than once a year because at times it is possible that for some reasons, a candidates is not able to properly concentrate for a particular attempt.

That should not result in waste of one year. But multiple exams cannot be conducted on pen and paper mode. It will have to be computer-based.”

Khare said offering NEET-UG multiple times and on computers “requires consultation with all the stakeholders because there is a difference between JEE and NEET. JEE is not compulsory for all engineering colleges, whereas NEET is mandatory for admission to all medical colleges. Also suppose a biology student is not comfortable with a computer, they need to practise and learn. That is why for any changes, we will give six to eight months’ notice. Only then we will bring out a change,” he said.

The ministry is looking forward to bringing in changes in 2022.

Stating that the exams will be held in June or July by the National Testing Agency, Khare said: “This year, if we change the pattern, we will not be able to conduct it in June or July. Students have taken coaching, they have prepared in a certain fashion and obviously a sudden pattern change will be unfair.”

He said date for NEET-UG this year will be announced soon.

CHANGES ONLY IN 2022

CISCE announces exam dates

New Delhi/Kolkata: The Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) released this year’s examination date sheet on Monday. It will allow its classes X and XII boards candidates to take their seats in the exam rooms five minutes before the start.

Both ICSE and ISC 2021 theory papers will begin from May 5. While ICSE (Class X) will end on June 7, ISC (Class XII) will be completed on June16. “I waited for the Chief Election Commissioner to announce for the dates of the general elections in the states and thereafter, announced the ICSE and ISC schedule. We did not want any confusion. The candidates will have to get in touch with the school principals to know the date and time,” said chief executive and secretary of the council Gerry Arathoon. TNN

When doctors stood witness to confessions of dying patients

When doctors stood witness to confessions of dying patients

Amrita.Didyala@timesgroup.com

Hyderabad:02.03.2021 

What is a dying person’s last wish? Doctors at Hyderabad’s Gandhi Hospital got unique insight into this painful aspect of the Covid-19 pandemic which completed one year on Tuesday.

It was on March 2, 2020 that Telangana had recorded its first Covid-19 case. With Gandhi Hospital becoming the nodal healthcare facility in Telangana for the pandemic, doctors here were witness to many of the nearly 2,000 deaths in the state. Before dying many of the patients confessed to the doctors their fears and disappointments and also expressed their last wishes which the doctors tried to fulfil, sometimes unsuccessfully.

In fact, a yearning to correct a wrong they had done to loved ones often occupied their minds on the deathbed. A 45-year-old patient who knew death was awaiting him told his doctor he had not spoken to his brother in 10 years after a tiff over property. “The night before he died, he confessed that he had done wrong by misappropriating property and wanted to hand over a portion to his brother. He requested me to find his brother, but we were unable to trace him despite all efforts,” said Dr M Raja Rao, superintendent Gandhi hospital adding that he had shed tears almost every day during the pandemic.

Another young couple which parted ways on a bitter note last year, lay in two different isolation wards in different cities, one dying and wanting to find the other. “The patient had felt it was his mistake and had ignored all attempts for a reconciliation. He wept bitterly requesting us to find his partner and let her know his feelings. He died before he could tell us how,” said a post-graduate doctor who heard the confession. He had also been requested by a few to help them slip out of the hospital to meet their families one last time. Most confessions circled around property, money transactions, sharing of responsibilities, ego clashes and ‘wrongdoings’ that were not specified. There were other last wishes too, which included their favourite food and even a sip of their favourite tipple. “A VIP patient, who never adjusted to the facilities in a government hospital, requested for exotic dishes that he was used to at parties and was craving for these after having plain food,” said Dr Ajay Kumar Joopaka, assistant professor of psychiatry. He added that for some who wanted to meet their families, the doctors made video calls. But during the end stages a few could not recognize their own families as they had developed psychosis and were away from reality.”

ONE LAST TIME: Most confessions circled around property, money transactions, sharing of responsibilities, ego clashes and ‘wrongdoings’ that were not specified. There were other last wishes too, which included their favourite food and even a sip of their favourite tipple

SASTRA awards honour innovations in science

SASTRA awards honour innovations in science

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Trichy:02.03.2021 

Universities play a key role in building strong capabilities in research and innovation by nurturing young minds to move on the path of scientific excellence, said Renu Swarup, secretary, department of biotechnology, Government of India.

She was speaking on the ocassion of National Science Day at SASTRA Deemed University held virtually on Sunday.

Renu Swarup said the nation’s scientific growth is a reflection of the ecosystem and is evident from the surge in innovation index and the number of startups. She outlined the nation’s impetus on research, innovation, translation and delivery that has put the country in a position of exponential growth.

While touching upon international collaborations, she highlighted the transformation of the country’s role from consumers to co-developers of technology. “We are looking for exponential growth in research rather than incremental, and that’s where we want to position ourselves in the next five years. We have moved from single institutional projects to looking at clusters. DBT is working closely with many such clusters,” she said.

“It’s about coming together of disciplines, contributing and complementing the growth. We see the boundaries between different domains of science getting blurred,” she said.

S Vaidhyasubramaniam, vice-chancellor, SASTRA, outlined the legacy of SASTRA in honoring stalwarts in science. Swarup presented the SASTRA-G N Ramachandran award to Ajay Kumar Ghatak, former professor at IIT Delhi, the SASTRA-Obaid Siddiqi award to Gitanjali Yadav, National Institute of Plant Genome Research and SASTRA-C N R Rao award for chemistry and materials science to A K Ganguli, IIT Delhi and G Mugesh, IISc, Bangalore. The award is a cash prize of ₹5 lakh and a citation.