Imphal airport to go international in June

IMPHAL, May 1, 2013[TNN/TimesofIndia]--- The Imphal airport will be converted into an international airport soon - probably by June - as the construction and improvement of necessary infrastructural facilities are underway at a fast pace there.

K Kemalatha, regional executive director, Guwahati, and her entire team of engineers and the technical team of the Airports Authority of India (AII) called on chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh at his office on Monday.

During the meeting, the progress of construction and improvement of facilities for customs, immigration and security inside the airport were reviewed, said a statement issued by the secretary to the CM. "This will facilitate the start of international operations from Imphal Tulihal airport shortly," the statement said, adding that the revenue minister, chief secretary, DGP and other senior state officials also joined the meeting. The government has already acquired the required land for converting the Imphal airport into an international airport. Currently, over a dozen flights land on a daily basis at the airport, located at the Malom village in Imphal West district.

Review of SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act, 1989

New Delhi, May 1, 2013 [PIB] --- The Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) {PoA} Act, 1989, extends to the whole of India except Jammu and Kashmir, and responsibility for its implementation rests with State Governments/Union Territory Administrations. The States/Union Territories are provided due Central assistance under a Centrally Sponsored Scheme, for effective implementation of the PoA Act. They are also addressed from time to time to, inter-alia, implement provisions of the Act in letter and spirit.  A Committee under the Chairpersonship of Union Minister for Social Justice & Empowerment, constituted in 2006 also reviews implementation status of the PoA Act in various States/Union Territories.  The Committee has so far held twenty meetings wherein implementation of the PoA Act was reviewed in 24 States and 4 Union Territories. The continuing incidence of occurrence of offences of atrocities against members of SCs and STs leads to an impression that the deterrent effect of the PoA Act is not adequately felt by the accused. Occurrence of such incidents also highlights the need for more effective precautionary and preventive measures. Such aspects called for an assessment to consider amendments in the PoA Act.  Accordingly, this Ministry, after due consultation process with the concerned agencies, has commenced the process of amendments in the Act. This information was given by the Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment, Shri P. Balram Naik in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha yesterday.

Delhi girl raped by friends in Gurgaon

Gurgaon, May 1, 2013 [Hindustan Times] --- A 23-year-old Delhi-based woman on Tuesday accused two property dealers from Mahipalpur of raping her in a car on the Mahipalpur-Palwal Road on Monday. The accused were apparently known to the victim and had picked her up from outside Sahara Mall on Monday. The victim filed a police complaint on Tuesday morning at Sohna police station, Gurgaon, after which one of the accused was nabbed. The police sent the girl for a medical examination on Tuesday afternoon, which confirmed rape. "The medical test was conducted at Gurgaon's civil hospital where rape was confirmed. One of the accused, Devendra Singh (28), a property dealer and a resident of Mahipalpur, was arrested on Tuesday," an officer said. He said the second accused had been identified as property dealer Raj Kumar (27). He is on the run. The victim had come to Sahara Mall in Gurgaon on Monday evening for some shopping. She was picked up by the two accused, her friends, from the mall later in the evening in a Mahindra SUV.

Sarabjit 'clinically dead' in Pakistan; family to return Wednesday

Amritsar/Lahore, May 1, 2013 [IANS] --- The distraught family of Indian death row prisoner Sarabjit Singh, who was brutally assaulted in a Lahore jail last week, is likely to return home Wednesday after doctors have reportedly indicated that he was "clinically dead". Raj Kumar Verka, vice chairman of the National Commission for the Scheduled Castes, said in Amritsar Tuesday that he spoke to Sarabjit's sister Dalbir Kaur who told him that doctors have told her that Sarabjit was "brain dead". "I think that Sarabjit had died earlier. Why did the Pakistan government have to do this drama (of allowing the family to visit him in Lahore) when he was already gone? They sought her permission to remove him from the ventilator," Verka, who was instrumental in securing visas for four members of Sarabjit's family from the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi Saturday, told media. Sarabjit's lawyer Awais Sheikh told a news channel from Lahore that Sarabjit's sister had expressed the family's desire to return to India. "After the doctors told her about Sarabjit's condition, she first told me that they wanted to go back today (Tuesday). But later, in their hotel, they said that they will go back tomorrow (Wednesday) morning," Sheikh told the channel. Sarabjit Singh, 49, was admitted to a Lahore hospital in a critical condition after a vicious attack on him by fellow prisoners at the Kot Lakhpat Jail April 26. He has been on ventilator support ever since. India Monday appealed to Pakistan for Sarabjit's release even while a medical board in Pakistan said that he would continue to get treatment in Pakistan and not shifted out. The ministry of external affairs in New Delhi had asked Pakistan to take a "sympathetic and humanitarian" view on Sarabjit. Dalbir Kaur, Sarabjit's wife Sukhpreet Kaur and daughters Swapandeep and Poonam, crossed from the Attari-Wagah border checkpost into Pakistan Sunday afternoon to visit him in a Lahore hospital. He has been on death row in Pakistan since 1990 after being convicted by Pakistani courts for bomb blasts in Lahore and Multan, which left 14 people dead. Sarabjit's family claims he is innocent, and that he crossed over to Pakistan in August 1990 in an inebriated state and was arrested there. Police in Pakistan, however, claimed that Sarabjit Singh, known there as Manjit Singh, was involved in terrorist strikes.

4-yr-old rape victim dies in Nagpur

Nagpur (Maharashtra), April 30, 2013 [ANI] --- The four-year-old rape victim from Ghansor in Madhya Pradesh's Seoni District, who was battling for her life, has died of cardiac arrest at the privately-run Care Hospital in Nagpur. Doctors said that the child died at 7.45 p.m. on Monday night after all efforts to revive her through cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) had failed. They said the child's body was sent for a post mortem an hour after her death to the Government Medical College and Hospital as it was a medico legal case. The girl was in coma ever since she was airlifted from Jabalpur on April 20. The victim had suffered a severe damage to her brain and was on life support system and drugs. The Madhya Pradesh Government bore all of her medical expenses. "Her haemodynamic parameters which at least were stable until a few days back were deteriorating. Her blood pressure was very low in spite of best possible medication," Dr Ashok Tank had said on Monday, adding that she was pronounced dead at 7.45 p.m. The girl was kidnapped from her residence on April 17 in Ghansor and was apparently abandoned in the fields after being raped. She was found by some villagers on the morning of April 18. One of the two accused, Firoz Khan (28) - who was a friend of the girl's uncle - was arrested from Bihar's Hussainabad area in Bhagalpur district. The other accused Rakesh Chaudhary (24) was arrested earlier. The girl's father was a labourer and was not in Ghansor at the time of the incident. Her mother is a farm hand.

Journalist arrested for rape attempt on six-year-old girl

YAVATMAL (MAHARASHTRA), APRIL 29, 2013 [PTI] --- A 50-year-old journalist of a local vernacular daily was arrested for his alleged attempt to rape a six-year-old girl in Maharashtra, police said today. The accused, Pradeep Laxman Deshmukh, was caught on Sunday by a youth from an isolated spot near Arni state transport bus stand while he was trying to rape the girl studying in first standard. The journalist was handed over to police by the youth and his friends, Arni police station official Girish Bobade said. "The accused was in an inebriated condition and confessed to have committed the crime," he said. A medical examination conducted on the victim at Yavatmal Medical College confirmed attempt to rape. Pradeep works for a local Marathi daily and is married. He has an 18-year-old daughter and a 16-year-old son, Bobade said, adding that the accused happens to be the victim's neighbour and often used to take her on his bicycle after promising her chocolates or other eatables. The accused was produced on Monday before a local court, which remanded him in magisterial custody, police said.

Dr HH Mate Honoured with National Award in Delhi

New Delhi, April 29, 2013 — Dr. Houlim Hemkholun Mate, popularly known as HH Mate, a versatile personality with notable contributions in education, science and technology, and social work, has been honoured with a prestigious national award today at the Constitution Club in New Delhi.

Dr. Mate received the Rashtriya Pragati Award from Dr. Bhishma Narain Singh, former Governor of Tamil Nadu and Assam, during a national seminar on “Individual Achievements on Economic and Socio-Development.” This award, recognizing his excellence in education, was instituted by the All India Business Development Association, Delhi. Among the 130 awardees, Dr. Mate stood out as a lone recipient from Northeast India.

Hailing from the conflict-ridden state of Manipur, Dr. Mate has added another feather to his cap with this honour. His impressive list of accolades includes 13 International Awards, 50 National Awards, 4 Global Awards, 6 Regional Awards, and 5 State Awards, totaling 78 so far. By May-June, he anticipates receiving six more awards -- two each in Bangkok, Hyderabad, and Colombo -- bringing his total to 84. If he garners another 16 awards between July and December, Dr. Mate’s tally will reach a remarkable 100.

Speaking to Zogam Today, Dr. Mate shared, “I have written over 700 articles, 30 research papers, and 13 books, and presented 33 seminar papers in India and abroad. I will continue to contribute in the days to come.”

A Journey of Perseverance and Excellence

Born in 1957 to Pu Holkhojam and Pi Deihat in Lamjang Village, Chandel district, Manipur, Dr. Mate is the eldest among five brothers and four sisters. His educational journey began at the age of five. Despite scoring only 38% in his HSLC exam in 1982, Dr. Mate persevered, later achieving 45% in PUC (Science) and 58% in BSc (Physics) from Churachandpur College, Lamka, in 1982 and 1985, respectively. He went on to earn a BE (Electronics & Telecommunication) with 63% from AMIETE, New Delhi, in 1989; MSc (Physics) with 73%, MPhil (Physics) with 75%, and PhD (Physics) with 78% from Osmania University, Hyderabad, in 1991, 1993, and 1999, respectively. Notably, Dr. Mate was the MPhil topper at Osmania University.

A Vision Inspired by a Dream

In July 1989, Dr. Mate experienced a dream that left a lasting impact on his life. While passing a 30-story building in New York City, he heard a voice calling his name. Turning back, he encountered an old man resembling Albert Einstein. In the dream, the man blessed him, saying, “I will lead you into lands where your forefathers never landed. Go peacefully, teach, show, and enlighten the children.” The dream revealed four areas -- education, science and technology, social work, and ornithology -- where he should focus his efforts. While he chose not to pursue ornithology, Dr. Mate committed himself wholeheartedly to the other three fields. He kept this dream private for many years before sharing it with Zogam Today.

Early Milestones and Recognition

Dr. Mate’s first significant recognition came in 1997, when he received the Bharat Excellence Award in New Delhi after publishing three books that took him 15 years to complete. This marked the beginning of his journey toward realizing his dream.

A Life Dedicated to Education and Social Work

Married to Kimjalam in 2000, Dr. Mate is blessed with five children. He attributes his success to hard work and honesty, saying, “There is no shortcut to success; hard work and honesty are my secrets.”

After working as a Junior Scientist at ISRO, New Delhi, for eight years, Dr. Mate left his job to fulfill his dream. In 2002, he founded the Dr. S. Radhakrishnan Foundation School in Tuibuang, Churachandpur district, Manipur, where he currently resides and oversees the school’s operations.

“Doing charitable work is the best service for mankind on earth. To uplift and educate poor children is my mission. Since the beginning, I have sponsored 35 orphans in my school,” Dr. Mate told Zogam Today.

Dr. Mate has dedicated his life to molding and transforming the lives of children, striving to make them true citizens and future pillars of the nation. His unwavering commitment to education and social service continues to inspire many.

~ Bruce K. Thangkhal, Joint Editor, ZOGAM TODAY

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Neighbour rapes married woman in Delhi; Minor girl assaulted

Faridabad, April 29 [PTI] --- A woman was allegedly raped by his neighbour in Ballabhgarh area here, police said yesterday. The woman, a resident of Trikha colony area, was allegedly raped by Rambabu yesterday, police said adding that he was arrested yesterday.  The victim's father has filed a complaint in this connection, police said. After committing the crime, Rambabu had fled the spot, who was later apprehended, police added.  In a separate incident in New Delhi, PTI reported that A 15-year-old boy was detained yesterday in connection with the assault on a six-year-old girl inside a public toilet even as doctors were awaiting a medical report to ascertain whether she was sexually assaulted.  A senior police official said they were questioning the teenager as they suspect that he was involved in the incident which took place in Gautampuri on Friday evening.  Delhi Police is yet to arrest the person who slit the girl's throat and inflicted other injuries on her two days ago. Police had earlier detained 22 people in connection with the incident but no one involved in the incident has been arrested.  "We are investigating the matter," a senior police official said. Doctors at the AIIMS Trauma Centre, where she is being treated, said the victim was stable and having semi-solid food. [PTI]

Plan Panel approves outlay of Rs 3,650 crore for Manipur

NEW DELHI [PTI/Economic Times] ---The Planning Commission today approved a Plan outlay of Rs 3,650 crore for Manipur for 2013-14, an increase of 4.3 per cent from the previous fiscal.

In 2012-13, the state government had received a Plan size of Rs 3,500 crore.

The plan size was finalised here in a meeting between Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia and Chief Minister of Manipur Okram Ibobi Singh.

"We had a very good meeting. Many members have complemented the Chief Minister that Manipur has performed very well in many dimensions. We have agreed for this year a plan size of Rs 3,650 crore, its a big increase over the actual achievement last year," Ahluwalia told reporters here.

"Actual achievement I think is only about Rs 2,100 crore. I had my doubts whether this was feasible, but the Chief Minister and his colleagues have assured me that the pace of work has really picked up," he said.

Appreciating the achievements of the state, Ahluwalia said Manipur has the lowest infant mortality rate in the whole country.

"Many other areas that we have reviewed, our assessment is that in the use of central assistance in the last year, Manipur government has done a very good job, particularly some of the irrigation projects that had been stuck for a long time," he said.

Ahluwalia also mentioned about the delay in getting the funds from the Centre and assured the Chief Minsiter to put in place a mechanism for speedy release of funds.

"I think this is a valid point and some other states have also said this. So we have assured him that we will put in place a mechanism knowing that the working period in Manipur is relatively short. We will put in place a mechanism that the funds that is being provided in the plan will not get held up and get released on time."

However, the Chief Minister of Manipur said that he was not fully satisfied by the plan size, but given the financial crunch the country is facing, he was happy.

"...we are not fully satisfied. But of course, seeing the entire country's financial crunch, we are happy. We are satisfied with this plan size of Rs 3,650 crore," Singh said.

Ahluwalia said that the Planning Commission explained the Chief Minister about the financial situation, as the overall increase in the Central Plan over the budgeted estimate was only about 5 per cent.

"I have explained to the Chief Minister that this is a year of financial difficulty and even in the central government, the overall increase in the Central Plan over the BE (Budget estimate) is only about 5 per cent. so there is no difference between Manipur and the Centre," Ahluwalia said.

He said this is a year in which there is a need to live within the resources.

DU approves syllabus for new courses

New Delhi, April 25, 2013 [PTI] --- Delhi University today announced the approval of syllabus for courses in Commerce and Mathematical and Applied Sciences even as a section of teachers continued to accuse the varsity of being "undemocratic" in its process.  A statement issued by the university said the faculties for Interdisciplinary and Applied Sciences, Commerce and Mathematical Sciences have approved the syllabus for these courses at their meetings today.  Unhappy with the approved syllabus, a section of teachers continued to cry foul that the departments were following an "undemocratic process to pass these courses under the pressure of the authorities".  Hem Chand Jain, a Commerce Professor in Deen Dayal Upadhyaya College, alleged select teachers were asked to prepare the syllabus for Commerce subjects with each paper being structured by a small group of 3-4 teachers. "The university seems to expect from teachers that they will pass a 200-page syllabus document in one meeting without reading it. This is a mockery of the democratic system," he said. Jain further alleged several important papers of the current course structure have been dropped for the four-year programme.

Mother and daughter gang-raped in Bihar, 3 arrested

Patna, April 24, 2013 [IANS] --- Three people have been arrested in Bihar for abducting and raping the mother and sister of a youth as a revenge for his eloping with the sister of one of the accused, police said Wednesday. The attack took place in Sariswa village under Majhaulia police station of West Champaran district April 19, but came to light after a case was lodged with the police. "Three people were arrested after an FIR (first information report) was lodged on the basis of the statement of gang-raped victims," Superintendent of Police Sunil Nayak told IANS. "The gang-rape was committed by four people," Nayak said. He added that three accused identified as Subhash Yadav, Suresh Yadav and Rameekbali Yadav were arrested Tuesday, while hunt is now on to nab the fourth attacker. Police have recovered the torn clothes of the victims from the house of Suresh during an investigation. According to police, the victims were first kidnapped and then taken to the house of Suresh where "both were gang-raped by them". The youth, whose mother and sister were gang-raped, had eloped with Suresh's sister in January this year, a police official said.

Raped teen kills self after dirty clip threat

MUMBAI, April 24, 2013 [TOI] --- A teenager torched herself and succumbed to her injuries recently when her uncle, who had raped her after spiking her drink, turned her away when she became pregnant and threatened to make public an obscene mobile clip he had apparently shot of her. The uncle, charged with abetment of suicide, is on the run. The 19-year-old victim, who passed away on Saturday after suffering over 80% burns, was a college student and stayed with her parents and sister at Nalasopara (East). Her paternal uncle, Mohammed Sultan alias Raja, 27, also lived with his family in the neighbourhood. On February 14, the girl was alone at home when her father went to work because her mother and sister were out of town. Sultan came to her house, offered her the spiked soft drink and raped her. On April 15, she learnt she was pregnant and confided in her mother. The two confronted Sultan, who turned them away. A day later, Sultan called and told the teen he would circulate the obscene clip if she spoke about the rape to anyone. "The victim did not confide in her mother this time. Next day, she stepped into the bathroom, poured kerosene on herself and struck a match," said a cop. She succumbed to her injuries four days later in hospital. "We were informed a few hours before her death. Our personnel visited her at the hospital and recorded her statement," said a senior police official. Besides abetment, Sultan has been booked for rape, criminal intimidation and poisoning. His family is being quizzed about his whereabouts.

Dr Rajesh Talwar killed Aarushi and Hemraj: CBI

New Delhi, April 24, 2013 [TOI/TNN] --- A CBI officer on Tuesday placed on record his view of the motive for the Aarushi-Hemraj double murder and the manner in which the crime was committed. On the fourth day of his cross-examination, CBI's investigating officer AGL Kaul told the Ghaziabad court that Aarushi's father Dr Rajesh Talwar killed her and Hemraj after finding them in an "objectionable position on Aarushi's bed". Kaul's statement supports Noida police's theory of May 23, 2008. The two were killed on the intervening night of May 15-16, 2008. Kaul also recreated the sequence of events relying on circumstantial evidence. However, defence counsel Satyaketu Singh told TOI: "It is all Kaul's imagination. His theory negates the circumstantial evidence he has talked about so far. If Hemraj was attacked in Aarushi's room, how come there was no trace of his blood in that room?" He also said Kaul was unable to explain the mix-up of pillows taken from the rooms of Hemraj and another domestic help, Krishna. CBI had initially cited a CDFD-Hyderabad report to claim that Krishna's pillow had Hemraj's DNA on it. Later, it verbally informed the Allahabad high court that the submission was based on a typographical error. "For this, CBI also got a fabricated reply from CDFD and they never put anything on record. Kaul personally managed the whole frame-up," Singh alleged. Kaul told court on Tuesday that both the accused (doctors Rajesh and Nupur Talwar) and the victims (Aarushi and Hemraj) were present in the house. There was no forced entry or theft, and the accused could not give a clear account of what happened that night, he added. The postmortem report says death occurred between midnight and 1am on May 16, 2008. Kaul claimed that Dr Rajesh Talwar, who was awake in his room, heard a sound around midnight and came to Hemraj's room through the lobby to investigate. He didn't find the help there but picked up one of the two golf sticks kept there. He next came to Aarushi's room which was shut but not locked. "He opened the door and saw Aarushi and Hemraj in an objectionable state on her bed," Kaul said, adding, Dr Talwar then attacked Hemraj on the head with the golf stick. The second blow, he claimed, fell on Aarushi's forehead. By the time Dr Nupur came to the room, Hemraj had fallen off the bed. The Talwar couple checked Aarushi's pulse and found her dead. They got scared and made a plan to kill Hemraj and hide his body, Kaul told court. He claimed Hemraj was wrapped in a sheet and dragged to the terrace where his throat was slit. The Talwars placed a cooler panel on the body, and locked the stairs from inside, before rearranging things in Aarushi's room and slitting her throat to make the murders seem like the handiwork of one person. "Nupur cleaned Aarushi's private parts and changed her clothes. After that they cleaned the bloodstains and collected the bloodstained clothes to dispose of in the morning along with the weapon."

600 million Aadhaar card by 2014

Washington, April 23, 2013 [PTI] --- Nearly half of India's population would have the Aadhaar card by 2014 and nearly one in three Indians by the end of this year, Chairman of Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) Nandan Nilekani said here today.  The ambitious project - which has issued unique identification numbers to more than 380 million people, which is large than the population of several large countries in just a few years - would still take a few more years before every Indian resident is issued with this unique number and the card having the biometric information of the individual, Nilekani told a Washington audience.  Delivering the Eighth Annual Richard H Sabot Lecture 'Technology to Leapfrog Development: The Aadhaar Experience' organised by Center for Global Development - a Washington- based think-tank, Nilekani said UIDAI has leveraged the state of the art technology of the present days to provide unique identification number to every resident of the country.  "Today we have enrolled 380 million of the 1.2 billion people. Our daily processing is about a million people a day. Our goal is to reach 400 million this year and 600 million by 2014," he said, adding there are between 25,000 to 30,000 enrolment centers in the country.  Noting that this unique identification number is now becoming "an internal passport and gateway" to various services for Indians, Nilekani said by working with various regulators they have ensured that this ID is sufficient to get their services. It enables one to get services quick and hassle free, he said.  "People see this as a gateway to many services," he said, adding over the next few years he expects this to be used for different kinds of services including the ambitious direct cash transfer scheme of the Union government.

"Rape is like domestic terrorism" - Preity Zinta

Apri 23, 2013 [Times of India] --- Preity Zinta, the bold onePreity Zinta showstops for Surily at WIFWI'm scared of Delhi: Preity ZintaPreity Zinta shed glam image for cricketED quizzes Preity Zinta for FEMA violations in IPL-II. Known for her feisty spirit, Preity Zinta is very perturbed by the growing incidents of rape in the country. She attributes it to the fact that Indians have very short memories which is what leads to escalating crimes against women including rape.  The actress who is on a high after her team won the IPL match against Pune Warriors in Mohali on Sunday, is however critical of the social apathy towards crimes against women in the country.  After Nirbhaya, Preity reacted sharply to the brutal rape of the five-year-old girl in Delhi as she took to venting on social media and could not contain her angst even when she was conversing with people. She says, "We have this whole thing in India about reacting for a very short period of time. We have such short memories. When an incident happens, we react, create jams and protests and we forget about it all and go home and sleep."  Not stopping at that, Preity terms rape also as a form of terrorism. "This (crime against women) is also terrorism, it is domestic terrorism and these culprits unleash terror on women," she vents. Yet, Preity doesn't think the lapses for the escalating crimes are the onus of the government or the police alone. "Half the time we blame the police for lack of action. But that's not true.  The awareness for stopping these crimes has to come from within each one of us. We as citizens have to wake up to the fact that we have to take action to stop this. This really bothers me a lot. And somewhere even we as women have to take responsibility for saying this is enough," she adds.

Two minor girls raped in Uttar Pradesh

SITAPUR/DEORIA, April 23, 2013 [PTI/TH] --- A five-year-old was among two minor girls raped in different parts of Uttar Pradesh, police said here on Tuesday. A 14-year-old Dalit girl was abducted and raped allegedly by one Meraj (22) in Leharpur area in Sitapur district on Sunday night, they said. Police said that an FIR was lodged after which Meraj was arrested on Monday. In Deoria district, a five-year-old girl was raped allegedly by a 15-year-old in Bhatparani area on Sunday evening, police said. The victim's family members informed police about the incident on Monday after which the teenager was arrested, they said.

Justice Verma passes away

New Delhi, April 23, 2013 [The Hindu] --- The former Chief Justice of India, J.S. Verma, who recently chaired the panel that came out with recommendations on improving women's security, died on Monday following multiple organ failure. He was 80. Justice Verma was admitted to Medanta Medicity Hospital in neighbouring Gurgaon on Friday with a serious liver condition. His condition deteriorated rapidly. Justice Verma, who became the 27th CJI on March 25, 1997 and retired on January 18, 1998, was appointed chairman of the three-member committee to suggest legal reforms to deal with sexual assault cases in the wake of the December 16, 2012 gang-rape case in Delhi. The committee, which included the former Chief Justice of Himachal Pradesh High Court, Justice Leila Seth, and the former Solicitor-General of India Gopal Subramaniam, submitted its report within just 29 days following wide consultation with all stakeholders. It recommended the death penalty in the rarest of the rare rape cases and opposed lowering the age of a juvenile from 18 to 16. It also called for enhancing the minimum sentence for rape from seven to 10-year jail.

Nine-year old gangraped in Assam

Cachar (Assam), April 22, 2013 [ANI] --- A nine-year-old girl was allegedly gangraped by two unidentified persons in Assam's Cachar on Monday police said.

The victim who lives in Karimganj had gone to pay a visit to her grandfather in Pechachora village, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Kallain police station of Katigora sub-division when two unidentified persons with covered faces abducted her.

The girl was then taken to a house on the Kallain Tea estate and gangraped before being abandoned.

Tea garden labourers found the girl and rushed in a critical condition and moved her to a local hospital. She was later shifted to Silchar Medical College Hospital.

Injury marks have been found on her neck and police suspect that the rapists had attempted to kill her after raping her.

A massive search operation has been launched for the absconding rapists.

Myanmar engaging in ethnic cleansing against Rohingya Muslim

Bangkok, April 22, 2013 [PTI] --- Myanmar has waged a campaign of "ethnic cleansing" against Rohingya Muslims, a leading human rights group today said, appealing to India to press its eastern neighbour to put an immediate stop to the abuses.  "Burmese authorities and members of Arakanese groups have committed crimes against humanity in a campaign of ethnic cleansing against Rohingya Muslims in Arakan State since June 2012," Human Rights Watch said in a new report released today.  The 153-page report titled "'All You Can Do is Pray': Crimes Against Humanity and Ethnic Cleansing of Rohingya Muslims in Burma's Arakan State" describes the role of the Burmese government and local authorities in the forcible displacement of more than 125,000 Rohingya and other Muslims.  "The Burmese government engaged in a campaign of ethnic cleansing against the Rohingya that continues today through the denial of aid and restrictions on movement," said Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director at the HRW.  "Now that it is clear that crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing are being perpetrated in Arakan state, New Delhi must press upon the Burmese government to put an immediate stop to the abuses against the Rohingya and hold the perpetrators accountable," Meenakshi Ganguly, HRW South Asia director, said in a statement.  Ganguly also urged India to ask Myanmar to "amend the Citizenship Act to eliminate discriminatory provisions that have placed the Rohingya at risk of becoming stateless".  The HRW said that following sectarian violence between Arakanese and Rohingya in June 2012, government authorities destroyed mosques, conducted violent mass arrests, and blocked aid to displaced Muslims.  The "mobs attacked Muslim communities in nine townships, razing villages and killing residents while security forces stood aside or assisted the assailants," it alleged.  The rights group said it has uncovered evidence of four mass-grave sites in Arakan State – three dating from the immediate aftermath of the June violence and one from the October violence. "Security forces actively impeded accountability and justice by digging mass graves to destroy evidence of crimes," the HRW accused.  "The government needs to put an immediate stop to the abuses and hold the perpetrators accountable or it will be responsible for further violence against ethnic and religious minorities in the country," Robertson warned in a statement.

Delhi Rape Case: 2nd accused nabbed in Bihar

New Delhi, April 22, 2013 [PTI] --- The second suspect in the brutal rape of a five-year-old girl here a week ago was arrested from Bihar early today even as protests continued while police barricaded streets near Parliament to prevent December-like anti-rape protests.  Investigators tracked down the second suspect Pradeep, who was named by first accused Manoj Kumar, from his maternal uncle's home in Barahiya village in Bihar's Lakhisarai district late last night.  A Delhi Police team with the help of Bihar Police Special Task Force arrested Pradeep from his uncle's residence, where he was hiding, Bihar Director General of Police Abhayanand said.  "He will be brought to the national capital today after getting a transit remand from Darbhanga court," Delhi Police Commissioner Neeraj Kumar told PTI.  Three Metro stations -- Race Course Road, Central Secretariat and Udyog Bhavan -- close to Parliament, India Gate and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's residence were also closed anticipating anti-rape protests like the one witnessed in December last after the gangrape of a girl in a moving bus.  The issue figured in the Lok Sabha with Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde assuring agitating members that an inquiry has been ordered into alleged police lapses.  Protests were witnessed at Parliament Gate, Police Headquarters and Jantar Mantar for the removal of Commissioner Neeraj Kumar. However, the numbers were not as large as the December protests.  Manoj, who was arrested on Saturday from Muzaffarpur in Bihar, had told police during interrogation that one of his friends was also involved in the crime.  The girl was raped on April 15 in a building in east Delhi's Gandhinagar locality where the victim and accused Manoj lived and she was rescued 40 hours later on April 17.

5-year-old MP rape victim suffers brain damage, critical

Nagpur, April 22, 2013 [PTI] --- The five-year-old rape victim from Ghansaur town in Seoni district of Madhya Pradesh, who was admitted to a private hospital in the city, has suffered brain damage and continues to be in a critical state, hospital authorities said today.  "The girl is in a critical condition and has been kept on a ventilator. She has suffered brain damage and the supply of oxygen to the brain has stopped," Dr Ashok Tank, who is attending on her, said.  According to Madhya Pradesh police, the girl was allegedly raped by a 35-year-old Firoz Khan on April 17 in Ghansour town, after which he dumped her at a farm.  The girl's parents found her unconscious the next morning and she was taken to Netaji Subhash Chandra Medical College and Hospital in Jabalpur. However, the girl was brought to Nagpur by an air ambulance and admitted to Care Hospital in Ramdaspeth area shortly before midnight on April 20.

Delhi University online registration to include SC/STs

NEW DELHI, April 22, 2013 [TOI] --- The Delhi University online registration process is likely to be extended to SC/ ST and persons with disability (PWD) in the 2013-14 academic session. Even though the physical common admission form will be available for pre-admission registration to various undergraduate courses, the focus seems to be on the online registration this year. According to university officials, the application process - both offline and online — is expected to be simpler and student-friendly. Though online registration was introduced last year, it had a rough start and less then one fourth of the total applicants preferred the online mode. Many students faced issues regarding selection of courses and colleges. Moreover, it was limited to general and OBC category candidates. But the nine-member expert committee on admission, which submitted its report to the university earlier this month, recommended the continuance of the online registration and also extending its services.