The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) under the Ministry of Women & Child Development has brought relief to a child who was illegally detained and brutally tortured by the Haryana police for allegedly committing a petty crime.

The Commission took suo-moto cognizance of a report published in national English daily Hindustan Times on April 2, 2011. As per the report, the minor was arrested on 28th March 2011 on charges of stealing of a vehicle belonging to a person who had reported the loss and against which an FIR was registered with the Gurgaon police.

The arrest was shown on 29th March 2011 while the child’s family members alleged that the child was picked up from his house on 28th March 2011and illegally detained and tortured by the police.

A thorough inquiry conducted by the Commission established the fact that the child was illegally detained, physically abused and tortured in custody by the police. Under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection) Act, 2000 a child, who is in conflict with law, can only be apprehended and not arrested.

“The Commission in its recommendations to Chief Secretary and the DC, Gurgaon and other concerned departments had directed the state government to lodge FIRs against the erring police officials, pay an interim relief of Rs 25,000 to the child, ensure educational rights of the child to be restored at the earliest among many others,’’ informed Shri Vinod Kumar Tikoo, Member, NCPCR who led the inquiry team to probe into the case.

The Police Commissioner has been directed to pay the interim relief of Rs 25,000 to the child at the earliest. The government has reportedly decided to have lodged FIRs against the erring police officials.

“The case is indicative of a larger social malaise. We are happy that the child, who has been a victim of brutal abuse and torture at the hands of the police, is being provided with interim relief as per directions of the Commission. However, the mental agony that the child went through can never be compensated,’’ he commented.

Incidentally, a study conducted by the Ministry of Woman and Child Development in 2007, covering 12,500 children and 4,800 young adults across 13 states of India, had revealed that boys and girls were equally vulnerable to abuse and that over 53 per cent respondents had faced one or more forms of sexual abuse.

The study also mentioned that Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar and Delhi have almost consistently reported higher rates of abuse in all forms as compared to other states.

Former DMK minister KPP Samy was on Saturday arrested in Chennai in connection with a case relating to the abduction and murder of two fishermen in 2006.

Samy was taken into custody from his residence at Tiruvottiyur, police said. The former minister had come
under the scanner following suspicion that the two fishermen were abducted and murdered. Special teams were formed to investigate the case.

The two fishermen, said to be AIADMK supporters, were reported missing in September 2006. The family of the missing persons had complained that they suspected the involvement of Samy and his family members, police sources said.

Samy, fisheries minister during the DMK regime, was denied bail and two of his brothers surrendered to the police.

Samy is the fifth DMK minister to be arrested since the AIADMK robbed the party off power in Tamil Nadu elections in 2011.

Minutes after anti-corruption activist Anna Hazare ended his fast on Sunday, he declared that electoral reforms will be on top of his agenda next so that corruption can come down. “I have only deferred my fast, not given it up. Only when these reforms are complete will I really end my fast. I will not rest until all the changes that I look to are achieved,” he said to thunderous applause from thousands of his supporters waving tricolour and shouting slogans like ‘Anna Hazare Zindabad’.

Hazare broke his 13-days long fast on Sunday morning after Parliament adopted the Sense of the House resolution on the three key demands made by him.

Dismissing the charge that his campaign was against Parliament and Constitution, he said the change has to be through constitutional means.

Hazare said that his fight would now be for Right to recall and Right to reject as part of electoral reforms so that corruption can be reduced.

“While Right to recall would be for those elected, the Right to reject will be a column in the ballot paper which would ensure the voter has a right to say that he does not like the listed candidates.

“We have to reform electoral system. (we need) Right to reject. You should be able to reject your candidate in the ballot paper. We have to do that.”

“If the majority in a constituency says that they reject a candidate, even then the election should be cancelled. How much money they (candidates) will distribute? Once the candidate spends Rs 10 crore for one election and if the election is cancelled, then right sense will dawn upon them,” he said.

On the eve of Independence Day celebrations, an elaborate ground-to-air security apparatus has been put in place in the capital to pre-empt any terror strike. Thousands of Delhi Police and paramilitary personnel were deployed in and around the city, especially near the Red Fort from where Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will unfurl the tricolour and address the nation.

The Union Home Ministry has already issued a country-wide alert asking states to tighten security at sensitive locations and installations to thwart any attempt of terror strike.

Around 40 CCTVs will be installed in and around the Red Fort to ensure incident-free celebrations while sharpshooters of the NSG will be deployed on the high-rises near the 17th century Mughal monument. Security agencies are constantly reviewing arrangements at the Red Fort and have zeroed in on the ’safe houses’ where the Prime Minister and other leaders should be taken to in case of a terrorist strike.

Defence ministry rejected Army chief General VK Singh’s claims on his date of birth and decided his year of birth will be taken as 1950. Singh will now retire next year.

Singh had earlier claimed his year of birth is 1951.

There were two different dates of birth for Army Chief General VK Singh in official records, one with the Adjutant General’s branch in Army Headquarters that lists May 10, 1951 and the other at the Military Secretary’s branch that shows the date as May 10, 1950.

The age controversy had put the Army’s succession plan in a suspended animation all these months.

The Delhi High Court today rejected the interim bail plea of Bollywood producer Karim Morani, an accused in the 2G telecom scam. Rejecting the plea for bail Justice Ajit Bharihoke who has been hearing the case ordered “No case for interim bail, move regular bail as and when you want.”

The Delhi High Court had earlier rejected bail pleas of other accused in the scandal involving allocation of 2G telecom licenses allegedly at throwaway price costing the government exchequer a hefty revenue loss.

The trial is at present ongoing before a special judge hearing the case on a daily basis. Judge OP Saini the presiding judge at the trial court had also rejected the bail pleas of all accused.

Morani is currently lodged at Tihar jail. Other accused in the case includes former union telecom minister A. Raja and DMK MP Kanimozhi.

The Delhi government is planning to impose “heavy” fine and tougher punishment on those involved in heinous practices such as sex determination in violation of the Preconception and Prenatal Diagnostic Techniques Act, 1994.

On the occasion of World Population Day on Monday, chief minister Sheila Dikshit said, “The government is mooting heavy fine and strict punishment for those involved in sex determination.”

She said the government would come down hard on those involved in this crime, adding that female foeticide was causing imbalance in the city’s gender ratio. Any ultrasound clinic can be closed down if it conducts pre-natal sex-determination test.

“We will have to intensify our efforts to save the girl child at any cost. Society will have to intensify campaign to make the ratio of girls and boys even,” Dikshit said. The CM had expressed the need for urgent measures to prevent female foeticide soon after the Census 2011 provisional data report was released in April.

As per Census data, the sex ratio of 866 in the capital is fourth lowest among all the states and Union territories. Daman and Diu has the lowest sex ratio of 618 females per 1000 males followed by 775 in Dadra and Nagar Haveli and 818 in Chandigarh.

Raising their pitch on the Lokpal Bill, the Anna Hazare team today alleged the government version of the ombudsman was not aimed at fighting corruption but to target those who complain against the menace.

The Hazare team felt the exclusion of a large chunk of the bureaucracy from the ambit of Lokpal was not proper. They have also questioned the provision to hear corrupt officials first before filing a case and chargesheet against them.

They wondered how most public servants can be left out of the Lokpal’s purview while bringing NGOs even at village level within its ambit. They expressed apprehension that Lokpal would be able to haul up activists from any of the organisations representing farmers, labourers and tribals or movements related to anti-corruption, land and other issues.

In a shocking incident, a 14-year-old girl was allegedly raped and killed in a police station in Lakhimpur in Uttar Pradesh.

The victim, Sonam, according to her parents, Tarranum and Intezam Ali, allegedly went missing on Friday morning after she had taken the cattle for grazing. When she did not return till late afternoon, her mother went out looking for her and saw that her cattle had strayed near the police station.

She later found the girl’s body next to a tree inside the police station compound.

According to her mother, the girl had injury marks on her body and was bleeding. The cops posted at the police station claim that the girl committed suicide, but her family has alleged that she was first raped and then murdered by the policemen.

“I have spoken to the SP and have come to know that the body was found hanging from a tree. The SP has already visited the location. A complaint has been registered against three people. We are looking into the matter very closely. The family has said its a matter of murder and rape but we can’t confirm yet,” said Brij Lal, Special DG, Law and Order, Uttar Pradesh.

Eleven cops including the Station House Officer (SHO) have been suspended and the girl’s body has been sent for an autopsy to confirm the cause of her death and the allegation that she was raped.

Condemning the police action against Baba Ramdev, Bharatiya Janata Party leaders said on Sunday that the party would now take it upon itself to move the protests forward.

Vijay Goel, All India General Secretary of the party, said, “The BJP was not directly involved with the protest earlier but we will make this a national issue now. It is not just about corruption anymore, but also the attitude of the government.”

Comparing the situation to the Emergency, Goel said the BJP will call for a Delhi bandh, date of which would be decided in the next two days. The party also asked Delhiites to wear black bands as a mark of protest.

Slamming the government for its double speak, Delhi BJP president Vijender Gupta said this proved that the authorities were not serious about corruption and bringing back black money.