62-yr-old hammered to death, son suspect

Retired Govt Auditor Attacked With Pressure Cooker And Screwdriver

George Mendonca

Navi Mumbai:13.11.2018

A 62-year-old retired officer of the government’s audit section was found murdered at his fifth-floor flat in Koparkhairne on Monday afternoon. His son was lying injured outside their flat in New Krishna Society in Sector 14.

The police said that the deceased may have been hit on the head with a pressure cooker, a hammer and a screwdriver. Vijay Kumar Dahotre, who retired a couple of years ago, was almost bedridden after he fractured his limbs in an accident five months ago.

His son, Nikhil (31), a mechanical engineer, has sustained a minor injury to the finger. Nikhil, who has schizophrenia, had been taking medication until about eight months ago.

In his statement to the police, Nikhil has claimed that two unknown men had barged into their flat and assaulted him and his father, said an officer. Accordingly, a case of murder has been registered against two unidentified persons.

The police said they will examine footage from cameras installed in the building to corroborate Nikhil’s claim.

“Seeing the many gashes on his face, it appears he was slashed several times. Also, a blood-stained screwdriver has been found in the flat,” said the officer. “The pressure cooker and hammer had been washed in the basin, but strands of the victim’s hair were stuck to the base of the cooker.”

However, senior inspector of Koparkhairne police station, Shivaji Awate, said, “The son is the prime suspect, as he is also injured.” To bolster his suspicion about Nikhil’s involvement, senior inspector Awate said that the son was the only person in the house with the father around 1.30 pm on Monday afternoon when he was killed. Nikhil was being interrogated at Koparkhairne police station till the time of going to press.

But Nikhil’s mother, Meenal, and a neighbour had a different version about the young man. Meenal, who works for a bank, said that her husband did not have any enemies. “I don't think my son might have killed my husband,” said Meenal. “He never turned violent, though he sometimes argued with his father. But that is normal in every family.”

She said that some strangers had banged on the door of their flat at an odd hour two months ago. “My husband was scared as he had been bedridden after the limb injury,” said Meenal.

She added that her son had been under medication for schizophrenia for about seven months and he had discontinued the medication against the doctor’s advice.

“Nikhil used to work for a company for five years, but was jobless for the last two years. He started losing his temper after his father met with the accident. He was diagnosed as having schizophrenia and had been put under medication,” she said.

A neighbour of the family, Devendra Mehra, said that Nikhil was a “calm” person. “He kept to himself and we never saw him turn violent,” said Mehra.

Watchman of the society, Sukhdev Jagdale, said he has given the police a register with names and phone numbers of visitors.


Vijay Kumar Dahotre was killed in his fifth-floor flat in Koparkhairne

‘Drunk’ AI director loses licence for 3 yrs

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Mumbai:13.11.2018

A day after Air India director (operations) Captain Arvind Kathpalia failed the breathalyser test before he was to operate a Delhi-London flight, the civil aviation regulator on Monday suspended his pilot licence for three years.

A top Directorate General of Civil Aviation official said since Capt Kathpalia tested positive for BA (blood alcohol) on November 11, the privileges of his licence had been suspended for three years from that day. The 56-year old Capt Kathpalia is among ten directors on the board of Air India.

The aviation ministry is “contemplating appropriate action in view of his testing positive”, a top official said, adding that the ministry was considering whether it would be appropriate for Capt Kathpalia to continue on the AI board as director of operations. A final decision is expected soon.

Being the director (operations), Capt Kathpalia is in charge of overall management of Air India’s flight operations. He is in charge of ensuring safe and efficient flight operations. He was promoted to the post in March last year, while only a month before that, in February, the DGCA had suspended his pilot licence for 3 months for skipping pre-and post-flight breathalyser tests and tampering with medical records.

Alcohol in pilots’ blood is not a criminal offence in India

In India, the relevant DGCA air safety norm states that “the level of blood alcohol compatible with safe flying is ‘zero’, which is also recommended by International Civil Aviation Organization’’. But reporting for duty with alcohol in blood isn’t a criminal offence under Indian aviation norms. The enforcement action is suspension of licence for 3 months for a first-time offender and suspension of licence for 3 years for a second-time offender. Pilot licence is cancelled after the third offence.

Capt Kathpalia came under the scanner on January 19 last year when he operated an AI Delhi-Bengaluru flight. Neither did he undergo the mandatory preflight breathalyser test in Delhi nor did he agree to a post-flight breathalyser test in Bengaluru, according to Air India pilots union, the Indian Commercial Pilots Association. Following an investigation, on February 15, 2017, the DGCA suspended Capt Kathpalia’s licence and he was removed for 3 months. March 31, the Appointments Committee of Cabinet approved his appointment as director (operations) . The ICPA moved the Delhi high court and a few months ago, filed an FIR against him and Lalit Gupta, former joint director, DGCA, as ordered by the court.

Wash your hands to beat the flu, but where’s the soap and water?

TNN | Nov 10, 2018, 08.57 AM IST

CHENNAI: The state public health department campaigns that washing your hands properly is one of the most effective ways of preventing viral infections including H1N1. Yet most public places such as schools, theatres, hospitals and workplaces, including government offices, do not have soap in washrooms.

“It may seem extremely simple, but hand wash saves lives. Dispensers with soap should be made mandatory in all public places,” said former director of public health Dr S Elango.


“We must have soap dispensers and posters on how to wash using soap in all washrooms, particularly schools. Children are more vulnerable to flu compared to adults. Teachers should spend time teaching children the right way to wash hands and the importance of hand hygiene,” he said.

Public health experts, who have been touring the state, say most people affected with viral infections such as H1N1 were the elderly or persons with co-morbid conditions who had gone on pilgrimages or to crowded public places.

“Sometimes, they bathe in common water sources, share toiletries and rooms. When they don’t wash their hands or scrub themselves with sanitisers they can fall ill and spread the illness,” said director of public health Dr K Kolandaswamy.

In most fever wards of public hospitals, doctors have left bottles of disinfectants for patients, relatives and visitors.

A poster on how to wash and scrub the hands has also been put up in most hospitals. “Most people, including adults, tend to rush through the hand wash. If they do not follow the right method, we teach them how to do it,” said Institute of Child Health director Dr A T Arasar Seeralar.

Police seize 6.5 tonnes of gutka in Chennai

TNN | Nov 10, 2018, 11.14 AM IST

CHENNAI: Five people were arrested and 6.5 tonnes of gutka seized by police from a godown in Poonamallee during a raid on Friday morning.

Police said the five were involved in running the business which transported tobacco items to various places in South India. Police had been keeping a close watch on the activities at the godown located at Steel City Bypass Road, Poonamallee.

Deputy commissioner of Adyar, Shashank Sai, along with a five-member team, conducted a raid in which they seized over six tonnes of gutka, ₹5.37 lakh and five vehicles from the spot.

Among the five, Senthil, 39, a buyer from Vellore who was at the godown, was held. Four others were identified as Muthulingam, 32, from Nazarethpet, Jabastin, 19, from Thirunelveli, Kumar, 19, and Issac, 20, from Tirunelveli. Police sources said that more such raids will be conducted.

CWC official escapes jail as Supreme Court sets aside HC order

TNN | Nov 11, 2018, 08.59 AM IST

CHENNAI: Eleven months after the Madras high court sentenced the chairman of Child Welfare Committee (CWC), Chengalpet, to two months imprisonment for contempt of court, the Supreme Court has set aside the order.

Allowing an appeal moved by CWC chairman R N Manikandan, a division bench of Justice S A Bobde and Justice L Nageswara Rao said: “Having gone through the record of the case, we find that in the facts and circumstances of the case the sentence of two months imposed was not warranted, particularly in view of the apology tendered by the appellant who was exercising the powers of quasi-judicial authority.”

The bench, however, made it clear that the order should not have any bearing on the merits of a connected writ petition pending before the high court.

On December 14, 2017 a single judge of the high court passed the contempt order after finding Manikandan guilty of wilfully disobeying an interim order passed by the court on June 7, 2017 to hand over the custody of five destitute children to the Franciscan Sisters of St Joseph who run two homes named after St Assisi, for destitute children at St Thomas Mount.

The five children, aged between nine and 12 years, were taken care of by the home since their birth and were being educated at Montford Matriculation Higher Secondary School at St Thomas Mount. Alleging that the home was not registered under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, Manikandan forcibly shifted the children to other private home at Tambaram.

Court stays order demanding student intake details from minority institutes

TNN | Nov 11, 2018, 09.03 AM IST

CHENNAI: In a reprieve to minority educational institutions across the state, including top city institutions like the Loyola, Madras Christian College and Stella Maris, the Madras high court has stayed the State Minority Commission order asking them to show records to prove that 50% of the seats were filled only with students from minority communities.

Justice S S Sundar granted the interim relief based on the undertaking provided by the institutions that admission would not be denied to any eligible minority candidate.

These institutions said, though they were minority educational institutions, admission was never denied to anyone on the ground of religion, caste or creed. Denial of admission to any candidate on the ground that such candidate does not belong to minority community would violate the right of the students to get admission.

On October 16, the minority commission issued a notice stating that the prime intention of minority educational institutions was to uplift the educationally backward minority people and sprinkling of non-minority students in the minority educational institution was to be only peripheral, either for generating additional financial source or for cultural courtesy.

It further added that it had been brought to its notice that the admission of non-minority students was not peripheral but large in number in some of the educational institutions and thus reservation of seats for minority communities was not followed in deference to the guidelines prescribed in the 1998 government order.

The commission further directed the principals of such institutions to appear before it with the details of students admitted for the past three academic years. On inquiry made by the institutions, the authorities informed that the commission was insisting upon the minority colleges to admit minimum 50% seats only with minority candidates, the petitioner said.

Claiming that the commission lacked authority to fix any such criteria in the matter of admission of students in minority institutions, the petitioners refused to provide the admission details and, instead, approached the high court saying the proceedings were arbitrary, illegal, unconstitutional and without jurisdiction.

“The Tamil Nadu Private Colleges (Regulation) Act and Rules do not empower the commission with any such power to direct the private minority educational institution to prescribe any percentage of admission in minority educational institutions,” the petitioners said.

Red alert issued as ‘Gaja’ may batter Chennai on Wednesday, Thursday

TNN | Nov 12, 2018, 05.52 AM IST

CHENNAI: The Met department on Sunday issued a red alert to coastal districts of Tamil Nadu, including Chennai, for Thursday as the deep depression over the Bay of Bengal, which intensified into cyclonic storm Gaja, may turn into a severe cyclone in the next 24 hours. The cyclone, which may move towards north Tamil Nadu and south Andhra Pradesh coast, is likely to make landfall between Chennai and Nagapattinam on November 15.

The cyclonic storm Gaja, named by Thailand, was currently located 840km off Chennai coast and 980km away from Sriharikota.

According to IMD deputy director S Balachandran, the system may bring “heavy rain to Chennai and coastal areas.” However, it may weaken as it nears the coast and makes landfall on Thursday afternoon, said the forecast.


The storm had moved west northwest at 13km speed over the past six hours.

“While heavy rain is likely to occur at isolated places over north coastal TN and Puducherry on Wednesday, heavy to very heavy rain with isolated extremely heavy rain is likely at a few places over north TN and Puducherry on Thursday,” said the forecast issued by the IMD.

City likely to remain cloudy on Mon, Tues

The city, meanwhile, may not get rain on Monday and Tuesday. “The sky condition is likely to be cloudy with the maximum and minimum temperatures likely to be around 32°C and 24°C,” says the forecast.

Private weather forecaster Skymet says the distance across the Bay of Bengal, warm sea surface temperature and low vertical wind shear may provide more strength to the system.