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He “grills out” with a homemade solar oven, which heats up to 350 degrees. This solar oven gets hot enough to bake a killer batch of scones—and in the summer, it can whip up brownies in a brownout.

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By William Gurstelle

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No power? No problem.

This afternoon project will let you cook off the grid with a sun-fueled oven hot enough to raise some dough.

1) Find Parts

The project makes use of scraps (or full 4 x 8 sheets) of ¾-inch and ½-inch plywood. It also requires 4d trim nails, a 6-foot length of 1½-inch-wide flat wood trim, 36 inches of ¼-inch-square molding, a half-sheet of ½-inch rigid foam insulation, a half-sheet of ½-inch drywall, two white ceramic knobs, eight 3-inch mending plates, construction adhesive, high-­temperature flat black spray paint, heavy-duty aluminum foil, No. 8 bolts, washers and nuts and a piece of ¼-inch plate glass cut to 13 x 14½ inches, with the edges sanded smooth.

2) Build the Box

Construct an open-top box using ¾-inch plywood for a 14 x 15½–inch bottom. Use ½-inch plywood to make four 7-inch-tall sides. With a vise and pliers, bend the mending plates to 135-degree angles. Fasten two plates to each box side with 1-inch No. 8 bolts, washers and nuts. Cut pieces of rigid foam insulation to line the box interior. Glue the foam to the plywood using construction adhesive. Cut and glue drywall panels to fit on top of the foam. Paint the interior black.

3) Prep the Top

Nail wood trim over the edges of the foam and drywall. Cut the molding into four 9-inch lengths. Center the glass pane over the opening. Put the moldings around the glass perimeter. Nail them down to steady the pane. Glue the knobs to the glass.

4) Make Reflectors

Cut rigid foam to four 12 x 24–inch panels. Wrap the foam in aluminum foil. Bolt the panels to the plates.

5) Bake It Up

Prep food in a black enamel­ pot with a lid; set the pot in the box. Replace the glass. Prop up the oven at an angle so the sun and reflectors shine directly on it. Use an oven thermometer to gauge the heat.

Note: This oven does not bake as quickly as a regular one, but our scones, with butter and lingonberry jam, were still delicious. Wear oven mitts to handle the ceramic knobs—they get hot!

Re-posted from Popular Mechanics

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• sun ovens (sustainapedia.com)
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 . By T.V. Antony Raj .

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The Punjab Police suspended four constables for brutally assaulting of a 22-year-old woman and her father in Tarn Taran district in Punjab, India on Sunday, March 3, 2013. The young woman said while returning from a wedding party some taxi and truck drivers harassed her near the marriage venue by teasing and articulating vulgar comments about her. On learning about this incident, her family members approached the police constables they spotted on the road to complain about the harassment by the drivers. She alleged the policemen instead of helping beat her in full public view. The policemen also beat her father and pushed him to the ground, and his turban thrown away.

Despite the video footage recorded by a bystander on his mobile phone and aired on TV news channels, Sukhbir Singh, a senior police officer who heads the local police station, defended the cops involved. He said: “I don’t think our cops did anything (wrong)… They were actually trying to intervene and stop the fight between two sides.”

However, reports say that on Monday evening Punjab Police had placed two cops Davinder Singh and Saraj Singh under suspension and initiated a departmental inquiry about the incident.

Sumedh Singh Saini, Director General of Police, Punjab

Two days after the incident, the Punjab Director General of Police (DGP) Sumedh Singh Saini told media in Chandigarh: “Whatever the facts may be, whatever the provocation, it was wrong to raise a hand or lathi (cane baton) on a woman.” He made an even more shocking statement that he is still to see the video of the policemen thrashing the woman. “Honestly, I haven’t seen the video … But I have spoken to the concerned officer … I have seen pictures in print medium,” he said.

Saini said the two police personnel, would remain under suspension pending the magisterial inquiry ordered by Punjab Chief Minister. Defending the police personnel, Saini said that “they also have their point of view. The fight was between two groups and police had responded to that. There are different versions of the incident. We are examining them.”

The girl abused by the policemen spoke to the media and demanded strict punishment for her tormentors. She said: “I have been humiliated and beaten in public by them. I appeal to the government to investigate the matter. Where are our politicians when we need them? They come to us only when they need votes. Why is the chief minister not coming to my rescue now?” She also said the police was trying to offer her a bribe to take the case back. “They are trying to bribe us, but this is not going to happen,” she said.

Parkash Singh Badal, Chief Minister of Punjab

On Tuesday, Parkash Singh Badal, Chief Minister of Punjab, ordered a magisterial inquiry into the incident. He directed the magistrate of Tarn Taran district to find out the causes and circumstances which led to this incident and send his report within three weeks, an official spokesperson said. Badal termed the incident as an unpardonable offense and anyone connected with this grave crime, would not be spared and brought to book according to the law.

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Related articles

• Punjab policemen beat up woman after she complains of sexual harassment (ibnlive.in.com)
• Four cops suspended after woman beaten on camera (ndtv.com)
• Wrong to hit woman: Punjab DGP (vancouverdesi.com)
• Magisterial probe into woman’s thrashing in Punjab (indiavision.com)

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 . By T.V. Antony Raj

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Justice K. Chandru

In India and elsewhere, when a High Court Judge retires, it is usual for all the judges of the High Court would to assemble a meeting in the Court of the Chief justice and the Advocate General would deliver a farewell speech followed by a photo session, high tea and dinner in a five-star hotel. However, Justice K. Chandru, who served as a judge of the Madras High Court for the past sevens years, did not want this ritual farewell. In a letter to the acting chief justice R K Agrawal, dated February 8, 2013, Justice Chandru requested him not to order the farewell ritual for him as he would like to leave office quietly.

The last time a judge declined a farewell function was in 1929, when Justice Jackson told the Advocate General, “I have done my job; where is the question of a farewell for me?”

Friday, March 8, was the last day in office for Justice Chandru. He submitted a copy of his ‘voluntary declaration of assets’ to acting Chief Justice R K Agrawal. After returning to his chambers, he signed a few documents. From there he went to the press room and e spent a few happy moments with the journalists who had assembled there,  answering their queries.

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Justice K. Chandru on his way to MRTS station. — (Photo: Deccan Chronicle)

After leaving the court premises, he walked up to Sangeetha Restaurant across NSC Bose Road. A group of friends was waiting there, and he had coffee with them. From there he walked up to the Beach Station and boarded a suburban MRTS train bound for Velacherry.

Posted as an Additional Judge of the High Court on July 31, 2006 , Justice K. Chandru became a Permanent Judge on November 9, 2009. He had disposed of nearly 96,000 cases, both at the Principal Seat and at the Madurai Bench. He is altogether a different kind of Judge. Known for his simplicity, he shunned some of the accoutrements that usually accompanied a Judge. He disliked pomp and pageantry. He was a role model for others.

• He dispensed with the practice of his duffedar carrying a mace while escorting him to the court and returning to his chamber.
• He did not have a gun-toting personal security officer (PSO) beside him.
• He did not have official servants at home.
• He did not approve lawyers calling him “my lord”.

Justice Chandru would be remembered for several of his landmark judgments including a ruling that women could become priests in Hindu temples.

Regrettably, the websites of Madras High Court that carry the bio data of its judges has no links to details about Justice K. Chandru. For example, the page, “The Honourable Judges of the Madras High Court,” lists the name of 48 judges, but Justice Chandru’s name though listed does not link to any page with details about him. With his retirement, the strength of the Madras High Court has come down  to 47 judges while the sanctioned strength is  60.

A notice displayed at the entrance to his chamber declared:

“No deities – no Flowers
No one is hungry – no Fruits
No one is shivering—no Shawls
We need only best wishes”

Related articles

• Author of several landmark judgments calls it a day (thehindu.com)
• People’s judge takes train home after last day at work (timesofindia.indiatimes.com)
• Justice Chandru says no to farewell (deccanchronicle.com)

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 . By T.V. Antony Raj

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Earlier this week, the headquarters of the State Bank of Travancore (SBT) in Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala, India, received an anonymous letter written in English stating that one of their employees named Raghav Rajan working in their Madai branch in Kannur district was in fact the fugitive rape convict Bitihotra Mohanti alias Bitti wanted by the police on a charge of raping a 26-year-old German student in Alwar in Rajasthan in 2006.

Ranji Thomas, SBT Chief Manager (Public Relations) said that they scrutinized the details in the original application form submitted by Raghav Rajan who posted as a probationary officer since June 2012 in their Madai branch in Kannur district. He had applied for the post using the name ‘Raghav Rajan’ son of ‘Rajeev Rajan of Ananthapur in Andhra Pradesh’. He had named two people from Andhra Pradesh as referees. One of them was a caretaker of the building where Rajan lived, and the other declared that he had no direct contact with Rajan, and at the request of a friend had agreed to his name being used as reference. So, his office alerted the branch and advised them to contact the police. The bank approached the Kerala DGP who, in turn, referred the matter to the district police in Kannur.

Bitihotra Mohanti arrested by the Kerala Police.

Police arrested Raghav Rajan on Friday night, March 8, in Kannur. On Saturday, a local court remanded Bitti to judicial custody until February 23, after charging him under IPC sections dealing with cheating and forgery.

A police officer said that before his arrest Bitti was planning to flee Kerala, and a scar recorded in 2006 as an identification mark by the Rajasthan jail authorities before Bitti jumped parole had been found on the arrested person. Deputy Superintendent of Police D. Sudarshan, who is investigating the case, said the arrested convict confessed that he is Bitihotra Mohanti. ”We have informed the Rajasthan Police about his arrest and a team from there is expected,” Sudarshan said.

According to the police, it was the December 16 Delhi gang rape that led to Bitti’s cover being blown. In the wake of the Delhi gang rape, his photo was among the photographs of sex offenders that were repeatedly displayed by social media and TV channels. A person residing in Palayangadi in Kannur District on noticing Raghav Rajan at the bank resembled Bitti Mohanti alerted the bank. The police department feels happy for having nabbed the rape convict who had until now been absconding. However, they wonder how he had managed to give them the slip all these years while living so publicly.

On March 21, 2006, police arrested Bittihotra Mohanti son of B. B. Mohanti, former DGP of Odisha on a charge of raping a 26-year-old German student in Alwar in Rajasthan in 2006. In one of the fastest rape trials in the country, a fast-track court sentenced Bitti to seven years’ rigorous imprisonment. However, on November 20, 2006, while on a 15 day parole granted to meet his ailing mother in Cuttack, Bitti jumped parole and had absconded ever since.

While on the run, Bitti joined Chinmaya Institute of Technology in Kannur in 2007 for the two-year MBA course. He then worked for a few months as faculty member in a management institute in Kannur and at an e-learning institute in Kollam.

Dr. Falgunan, Director of Chinmaya Institute of Technology said the person they knew as Raghav Rajan was a brilliant student who scored high marks in MAT (Management Aptitude Test). He also said that he remembers Mohanti’s father who came to give a declaration at the time of admission. “I can’t say whether it was his father or not,” he said.

Related articles

• After seven years on the run, rape convict Bitti Mohanti held in Kerala (indianexpress.com)
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• Kerala: Bitti Mohanty, convicted of raping a German tourist, arrested (ibnlive.in.com)
• Ex-employer says Mohanty was frequently visited by father (ibnlive.in.com)
• Bitti Mohanty, rape accused on the run for six years, arrested in Kerala: sources (ndtv.com)
• Rape convict Bitti Mohanty arrested (thehindu.com)
• 6 yrs on run, rapist Bitti Mohanti finally nabbed (hindustantimes.com)
• Bitti Mohanti arrested in German woman rape case (newindianexpress.com)
• Bitti Mohanty, convicted for rape of German tourist, arrested in Kerala (indianexpress.com)
• German woman rape case convict Bitti Mohanti taken in custody (timesnow.tv)
• Bitti Mohanty, absconding rape convict, arrested from Kannur in Kerala (articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com)

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 . By T.V. Antony Raj

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On Monday, March 11, 2013, Ram Singh the first of the accused in the December 16 Delhi gang rape was found dead in his cell in the high-security Tihar Jail situated about seven km from Chanakya Puri, to the west of New Delhi, India. Sunil Gupta, spokesman for the Tihar jail told the BBC that Ram Singh appeared to have hanged himself at about 05:00 local time, with an improvised rope made from a blanket.

Jyoti Singh Pandey

It all began on the fateful day – December 16, 2012. Around 9:30 pm, on that day, Jyoti Singh Pandey, a 23-year-old physiotherapy intern and her 28-year-old friend Awindra Pandey, were on their way home after a movie. At Munirka, in South Delhi, India, they saw a parked chartered bus inside which were six men, including the driver. One of them, a minor, called them and said the bus was going towards their destination – Dwarka in south-west Delhi. So, they boarded the bus.

Jyoti and Awindra were perturbed when the bus deviated from its normal route. The men in the bus including the driver taunted the couple, asking what they were doing alone at such a late hour. The young man objected. They beat him with an iron rod until he fell unconscious on the floor of the bus. After gagging him, the men dragged the young woman to the rear of the bus. She attempted to fight off her assailants. She bit three of the attackers that left bite marks on them. Then, they raped her while the bus driver continued to drive. Later, the driver of the bus also raped Jyoti.

Two hours later, the gang threw both their victims from the moving bus. The bus driver then tried to drive the bus over the woman, but her male companion saved her by pulling her away in time from the path of the tires.

Around 11 pm, a passerby found the partially clothed victims on the road and phoned the Delhi Police, who took the couple to Safdarjung Hospital, where Jyoti was given emergency treatment and placed on mechanical ventilation.

Jyoti Singh Pandey

The young woman had injury marks all over her body – on her abdomen, intestines and genitals. Only 5% of her intestines remained inside her abdomen. Later, after examining her the doctors said the ruffians had used a blunt object for penetrating her genitals. The police suspect that it must have been the rusted iron rod which they initially used to beat Awindra. A doctor at the hospital later said that the “rod was inserted into her and it was pulled out with so much force that the act brought out her intestines as well. That is probably the only thing that explains such severe damage to her intestines.”

Here is a timeline of some of the events that I gathered from the media:

December 18, 2012: Public anger spilled over on the roads as youngsters, politicians, social organizations began their protests condemning the brutal incident.

The police impounded the bus. Within hours of the breakthrough they arrested four men: the bus driver Ram Singh, his brother Mukesh, gym instructor Vinay Sharma, and fruit seller Pawan Gupta. The police said that Pawan and Vinay confessed to being part of the gang that raped and brutalized and beat up the young woman and her male friend, and their statements would be used to convict the other accused as well. The police revealed that on the night of the attack, the suspects had gathered at Ram Singh’s house for dinner and drinks before taking the bus for a joyride, fooling travelers who mistook the vehicle for genuine public transport.

Earlier in the day the police arrested the fifth accused. They did not reveal his name because he claimed he was a juvenile. “His age is being verified before giving details. If [he is a] minor, we have to hold back his particulars as per law,” said Delhi police chief Neeraj Kumar.

December 21, 2012: Jyoti gave her statement to a Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM), which corroborated the statement given by her friend Awindra Pandey.

Delhi Police arrested the sixth accused, Akshay Thakur from Tandwa area in Bihar’s Aurangabad district.

December 22, 2012: Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde announced the government would take immediate steps to amend the criminal law for enhanced punishment in the rarest of rare cases of sexual assault.

Protests demanding justice for the victim and women’s security reached Raisina Hill, and Rashtrapati Bhavan. Students clashed with police near Parliament. They were water cannoned and baton charged. Several people were injured. The Delhi Police closed four Delhi Metro stations: Patel Chowk, Central Secretariat, Udyog Bhawan and Race Course stations – as a precautionary measure.

December 23, 2012: A three member commission with Mr. Justice Verma as the Chairperson was set up to suggest changes required in the existing laws to offer better security to Women in India. The other two members are Mr. Gopal Subramanian and Mrs. Leela Seth. Subsequently, Justice Verma said he received 80,000 suggestions from India and abroad after he set January 5, 2013 as a deadline for comments from jurists, women’s groups and other forums to revamp the existing legislation to deal with sex offenders.

December 25, 2012: The Metropolitan magistrate recorded Jyoti Singh’s statement under section 164 of CrPC. Even though unable to speak she preferred to write herself the answer to questions. Investigators said that her answers were consistent on both occasions and matched with the statement provided by her male companion. She correctly scribbled the names of four of her assailants that she remembered hearing during the assault: Ram Singh, Mukesh, Vinay and Akshay.

December 27, 2012: Under a secret operation, the victim was transferred from Safdarjung hospital to the Palam Air Force station, before being flown to Mount Elizabeth Hospital in Singapore for further treatment.

December 29, 2012: Jyoti lost the battle of life and died of severe organ failure in the hospital in Singapore.

December 30, 2012: Jyoti’s body was flown back to India from Singapore for cremation.

From then on the violent protests turned into peaceful candlelight marches to mourn her death.

Peaceful Protest against December 16 Delhi gang rape.

January 2, 2013: Lawyers of the Saket District Bar Council refused to defend the accused.

January 3, 2013: 18 days after the horrific gang rape, police filed a 33-page charge sheet against five accused: Ram Singh, 33, his brother Mukesh, 26, fruit seller Pawan Gupta, 19, gym instructor Vinay Sharma 20, and bus cleaner Akshay Thakur, 29. All five adult suspects pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The accused were formally charged in the Saket fast-track court. They face 13 charges that include murder, gang rape, attempt to murder, kidnapping, unnatural offenses, dacoity, hurting in committing robbery, destruction of evidence, criminal conspiracy and common intention under the Indian Penal Code. If found guilty they could face the death penalty.

The sixth accused is a juvenile and the Juvenile Justice Board has taken up the proceedings against him.

It is alleged that out of all the six persons who took part in the rape, Ram Singh, the bus driver and also the main accused in the case, was the most brutal. However, the juvenile was the most barbaric for he had abused the woman twice sexually and ripped out her intestines with his bare hands. According to the Hindustan Times, he is the one who suggested throwing the injured woman and her companion from the moving bus. However, because of his age, he will be tried in a juvenile court and the maximum sentence he can receive under existing law is three years.

January 5, 2013: The Mirror News reported that Badri Singh Pandey, the father of the 23-year-old victim of the horrific gang rape had chosen to release her name to the public. Hitherto, the media referred to her using  various nicknames since her brutal attack.

Badri Singh Pandey

“I want the world to know my daughter’s name is Jyoti Singh,” he told Sunday People, one of Britain’s oldest Sunday newspapers, founded in 1881. By revealing his daughter’s name he hopes it will give courage to other women who have survived such attacks.

March 8, 2013: At a function held by the US State Department to honour women across the globe, Jyoti Singh was posthumously presented with the International Women of Courage Award by the United States. Nirupama Rao, the Indian Ambassador to the US, accepted the award, on behalf of the victim’s family. US Secretary of State, John Kerry, said: “Her bravery inspired millions of women and men to come together with a simple message: No more. No more looking the other way when gender-based violence happens. No more stigma against victims or survivors.”

March 11, 2013: Ram Singh the first of the accused in the December 16 Delhi gang rape was found dead in his cell in high-security Tihar Jail. Sunil Gupta, spokesman for the Tihar jail told the BBC that Ram Singh appeared to have hanged himself at about 05:00 local time, with an improvised rope made from a blanket. He said Ram Singh had not been on suicide watch, and had been able to make a noose and attach it to a metal grille while his three cell-mates were asleep. His body would be taken for a postmortem examination later on that day, Sunil Gupta added.

Ram Singh

Ram Singh, who had migrated from Rajasthan, was the first of the accused to be arrested. He was the driver of the private bus that was normally used to ferry schoolchildren. He was a drunkard with a volatile personality and was known among his close friends as a “mental case” who reportedly started picking up fights at the slightest provocation after the death of his wife two years ago. An accident case was also registered against him. According to his close friends Ram Singh was not remorseful about what he did to the 23-year-old female physiotherapist and her male friend on the fateful night of December 16.

Inspector Anil Sharma, who headed the team investigating the rape case, found Ram Singh a cold and remorseless man. During the investigation, Ram Singh told the Delhi Police that he took pleasure in assaulting women. He also said that he went berserk after the young woman bit him when he assaulted her. The alcohol he had consumed earlier and the defiance by the victims made him angry. He picked up a rod and hit the two badly, and his accomplices also followed suit. He had washed the bus to destroy evidence and had told his gang not to worry and had asked them to lay low for some time.

Mange Lal, Ram Singh’s father said that he had examined his son’s body and found “multiple injuries” including marks on his chest, face, an injured eye and had a badly injured hand and so could not have hanged himself. He also said other inmates had raped his son in prison, and he was constantly threatened by other prisoners and guards. “My son has not committed suicide. He was murdered by the three inmates in his cell,” he shouted at the hospital before being ushered away by policemen.

Ram Singh’s lawyer V K Anand repeated hits allegation. “There has to be some foul play here,” he said. “There were no circumstances which could have led to Ram Singh committing suicide. There was no mental stress. He was very happy … The trial was going on very well.”

Hospital staff and relatives load the body of Ram Singh.

Amid allegations from his family that he Ram Singh was killed, the government ordered an investigation. The postmortem is crucial in determining whether it was a suicide as alleged by jail officials. “Can’t conclude yet that Ram Singh’s death was suicide,” said Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde. He agreed that the death of the bus driver who led the gang that fatally attacked and raped Jyoti Singh is a “grave lapse” and “not a minor incident.”

“All the investigations conducted by us show it is death due to hanging,” said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, adding that three doctors at the state-run AIIMS hospital had conducted the autopsy.

Two accused, Pawan and Akshay are held in Jail No. 4 while Vinay and Mukesh are in Jail No 7 of Tihar Jail.

Media reports quoting Vimla Mehra, the chief of Tihar prison say there were 18 deaths in the jail last year, of which two were cases of suicide.

 Mehra, the chief of Tihar prison say there were 18 deaths in the jail last year, of which two were cases of suicide.

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RELATED ARTICLES

Related articles

• Delhi gangrape accused Ram Singh was under threat in jail, say police (ibnlive.in.com)
• Suicide – or murder? ‘Delhi bus gang-rape leader’ Ram Singh is found dead in his cell (independent.co.uk)
• Delhi Gang Rape: Youngest Attacker ‘Ripped out Victim’s Intestines with Bare Hands’ (m.ibtimes.co.uk)
• India gang rape victim’s father: I want the world to know my daughter’s name is Jyoti Singh (mirror.co.uk)
• Ram Singh’s death is due to hanging, says autopsy (gulf-times.com)
• Delhi gangrape: Ram Singh’s death will not affect case, say police (m.ibnlive.com)
• Delhi gang-rape case accused commits ‘suicide’ (thehindu.com)
• Delhi gang-rape: other suspects say shoot us, but don’t send us to Tihar (ndtv.com)
• #DelhiGangRape – Defeating Justice (kractivist.wordpress.com)

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 . By T.V. Antony Raj

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On Friday, March 15, 2013, six men attacked a Swiss woman aged about 40 and her husband. The Swiss couple were on a three-month holiday in India. They had visited the temple town of Orchha in Tikamgarh district of Madhya Prades. On their way to Agra to visit the Taj Mahal, the couple had stopped to camp for the night in the forest near a village in Datia district, Madhya Pradesh, India.

A local police official told the media the gang beat up the husband, tied him to a tree before raping the woman. The gang after assaulting the husband, tied him to a tree before raping the woman. The couple was not sure of the exact number of assailants since it was dark. The gang robbed them of their cellphone, laptop, and 10,000 rupees ($185).

On Monday, March 18, 2013, police paraded five men before television cameras.

On Monday, March 18, 2013, the police produced in court six farmers from nearby villages. Dilip Arya, the deputy inspector general of police of the area, told reporters that the accused had confessed to the charge of gang-raping the Swiss woman tourist. They also face other charges such as robbing the Swiss couple. Police said they recovered the laptop and the cellphone from one of the suspects.

Reacting to the unfortunate incident, the Swiss embassy in India said the health and treatment of the victim was a priority for them at the moment. Distraught over the rape, the Swiss foreign ministry in Bern released a statement on Saturday expressing deep shock at the ‘tragic incident’. They sought a “swift” investigation into the incident so that the victim gets justice.

Last month, the Swiss government issued a travel notice for India that included a warning about “increasing incidences of rape and other sexual offenses in India.” The latest incident could prompt other countries to issue similar warnings as regards to travel within India.

This attack comes just three months after the fatal gang-rape of 23-year-old student Jyoti Singh on a bus in New Delhi in December 2012, which spurred outrage over how the Indian society treats its women, and the way the Indian judicial system meets out punishment for rapists.

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Related articles

• Five confess to gang raping Swiss tourist in Madhya Pradesh: Police (deccanchronicle.com)
• 6 Indians accused of raping Swiss appear in court (sify.com)
• India shocked by another gang rape, this time a Swiss tourist (theglobeandmail.co)
• Six held over rape of Swiss woman (bbc.co.uk)
• 6 Indians accused of raping Swiss appear in court (foxnews.com)
• Five men admit to raping Swiss tourist, say Indian police (guardian.co.uk)
• Tourists putting themselves at risk of rape, India minister warns after attack on Swiss woman (telegraph.co.uk)
• Five admit gang-rape of Swiss tourist in India (thetimes.co.uk)
• SWISS WOMAN GANG RAPED IN INDIA – AS THE USUAL SUSPECTS ARE ROUNDED UP (bonjublog.com)
• News: Main Delhi Gang Rapist Dead. Was It Suicide or Murder? (tvaraj.com)
• News: The Re-Arrest of Bitihotra Mohanti, the Fugitive Rape Convict (tvaraj.com)

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By Pramila Krishnan

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

(Excerpt from “Alarm bell rings for ground water” – Deccan Chronicle)

Botany Prof S. Saravana Babu of Chicka Naicker College, in Erode, and his team have been propagating a traditional three-pot, water purifying system among many villages in Erode district.

Even now many families prefer using this native purifier, which is much cheaper and just as good, if not better, compared to the modern UV/reverse osmosis purifiers.

“This pot purifier is nothing new. When I studied the quality of water from the Cauvery river in Mettur-Erode for a research project, I learnt that its fluoride content was very high and the water had traces of pesticides,” said Prof Babu.

With his teammates, he observed that some families there purified water using clean sand as a filtration agent. The team then got down to working on a model that could address the problem of water pollution.

The three-pot water purifier.

“After several rounds of discussions, we came up with the three-pot purifier model. The first two pots will have three small holes through which water would pass through the filtration agents and reach the third pot. The first pot will have ‘activated carbon’, which could be prepared easily by burning coconut shell.

The second pot will have pebbles. The third one will have a tap. If you fill water in the first pot at night, the water would pass through the two filters and you will get clean, purified water from the tap in the morning,” explained Prof Babu.

His pots steeply cut down on fluoride and pesticide contamination to make available pure water for consumption “even by the aged and kids”. He said the pebbles and coconut shell carbon pieces should be changed once a fortnight.

The entire ‘device’ could cost about Rs 100 and there are plans to arrange for mass production, which could reduce the cost further.

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Related articles

• Alarm bell rings for ground water (deccanchronicle.com)
• IIT-M develops low-cost nano water purifier (thehindu.com)
• Is Your Water Making You Healthier or Sicker? (inspiredlivingcarol.wordpress.com)

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By V.P. Raghu

March 20, 2013 – Deccan Chronicle

Chennai: The attacks by fringe groups on Sri Lankans arriving in Tamil Nadu, in the name of protests against human rights violations against island Tamils, has drawn criticism from rights activists in the state.

At least five cases of attacks on visiting Lankans were reported in the state in the last one month. This is apart from the attack on Sri Lankan institutions in Tamil Nadu. “I condemn such acts. Such kind of violence cannot be justified. These acts of terror against individuals should not be tolerated,” noted Dr. V. Suresh, national general secretary, PUCL.

Echoing Suresh’s views, another human rights activist, A Marx, said nothing could be gained by attacking visiting tourists and Buddhist monks. “While students are taking the protest in the right direction, some groups are indulging in violence,” noted Marx. These violent groups fear that the students will push them out of the protest arena, he said, adding, “So, to stay in the picture, they indulge in violence, which is highly condemnable.”

Tamilnadu Police accompanying Buddhist monks and pilgrims from Chennai Central railway station up to Gudur in the state of Andhra Pradesh to ensure their safety. (Photo: dinakaran.com)

Pointing out that all Sri Lankans of Sinhalese origin, are not anti- Tamil, Suresh said many Sinhalese human rights activists had been fighting for the Lankan Tamils’ cause for years. “The house of senior lawyer J. C. Weliamuna was bombed for supporting Tamils in Lanka,” he recalled.

A senior official from Tamil Nadu police said almost all the accused in these cases had been arrested. “11 persons were arrested in the case of February 21 attack on Sri Lankan MP’s vehicle in Nagapattinam.

In connection with the attack on the Lankan monk on March 16 at Thanjavur, 12 persons were arrested. All the three persons connected with the attack on the Buddhist monk at Chennai central station on Monday, were secured,” the official pointed out.

In Trichy on February 26, the police had to intervene when a bus carrying Sri Lankan nationals was targeted. Similarly on March 3, vehicles carrying Sri Lankans from Chennai airport to Egmore were blocked on GST Road by a group. The police had to escort the Lankans to their destination.

Re-posted from Deccan Chronicle

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Related articles

• Rights activists hit out at attacks on Sri Lankans (deccanchronicle.com)
• Politically Motivated Activists Bring Shame to Tamils of Tamilnadu (tvaraj.com)
• Mindless solidarity (thehindu.com)
• Protests in Colombo over attacks on Sri Lankan monks in TN (thehindu.com)
• Solidarity Sri Lanka’s Tamils can do without (thehindu.com)
• Sri Lanka cricket officials raise concerns over players’ safety in India (nzweek.com)
• Tamil Information Centre Condemns Attacks On Buddhist Monks In Tamil Nadu (oneislandtwonationsblogspotcom.typepad.com)
• Sri Lanka’s national airline cuts flights to south India (nzweek.com)

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 . By T.V. Antony Raj

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On Wednesday, March 20, 2013, a person assaulted and knocked unconscious a 35-year-old Dalit woman returning home from the field around 9:30 pm. This incident happened in Karan Chapra village in Deoria’s Bankata area in Uttar Pradesh, India. On regaining her senses, she found herself raped. On reaching her home she informed her husband about it.

The following day, the woman and her husband went to the Bankata police station to lodge a complaint alleging that Santosh Kumar Singh of their village had molested her. The officer in-charge of the police station registered a case of eve-teasing and nothing more.

Keshav Chandra Goswami, ASP, Deoria.

Dissatisfied with the Bankata police, the couple approached Keshav Chandra Goswami, Additional Superintendent of Police, Deoria, seeking his intervention.

After she narrated her ordeal to the ASP, he asked the people accompanying her how old she was and the number of children she has. On being informed that she was a mother of four children and that her eldest son was 17 years old, the insensitive officer, caught on camera, humiliated the rape victim by retorting: “Itni purani aurat se kaun balatkar karega (who will rape such an old woman)?”

When media people met the ASP, he said the woman’s husband had lodged a complaint at Bankata police station yesterday alleging that a person named Santosh Kumar Singh had molested her when she was returning home from the field around 9:30 pm on March 20th. The accused is still not arrested. He also said that the complainant had levelled a charge of eve-teasing and then gave a second complaint mentioning rape. The ASP added that medical examination of the woman did not confirm rape.

Women organizations of the district have condemned the police officer and have demanded action against him for his “insensitivity and insulting remarks”.

Meanwhile, A.C. Sharma (IPS) Director General of Police, Uttar Pradesh, has offered an apology. He has sought an explanation from the ASP and has ensured strict action against him.

In Lucknow, R.K. Vishwakarma, Inspector General (IG) Law & Order apologised on behalf of the ASP. He referred to the statement of the ASP as unfortunate and said that the officer has to submit his explanation within two days. “The DGP also expressed regret over the hurt caused to the woman because of the insulting remarks,” the IG said adding the police have registered the case.

The IG added that the DGP Headquarters will hold a workshop on public relations for officers who have been recently promoted to Additional SP rank. Goswami was a deputy SP, promoted to Additional SP rank last month and posted in Deoria on March 11, 2013.

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Related articles

• Uttar Pradesh cop asked to explain insulting remark against woman alleging rape (ndtv.com)
• Police officer’s shocking comment on rape draws fire (thehindu.com)
• UP cop who insulted rape survivor transferred to Kanpur (ndtv.com)
• UP: Who will rape a mother of four, police officer asks victim (ibnlive.in.com)

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 . By T.V. Antony Raj

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Cricket: Pepsi IPL (IPL 2013; IPL 6) Tournament Schedule

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Last season (Season 5) nine teams participated in this popular Cricket carnival. This season too, the number of teams participating remains the same; however, on September 14, 2012, at an emergency Governing Council meeting of the Indian Premier League, the BCCI terminated its contract with the cash-strapped Deccan Chargers and floated tenders for a new IPL franchise. Sun TV Network purchased the team by placing a bid substantially higher than that of PVP Ventures, and changed the name of the team to SunRisers Hyderabad.
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Match #1
Wed April 3: 20:00 local | 14:30 GMT
Teams: Kolkata Knight Riders vs Delhi Daredevils
Venue: Venue: Eden Gardens, Kolkata

Match #2
Thu April 4: 20:00 local | 14:30 GMT
Teams: Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Mumbai Indians
Venue: M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore

Match #3
Fri April 5: 20:00 local | 14:30 GMT
Teams: Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Pune Warriors
Venue: Rajiv Gandhi Int. Stadium, Hyderabad

Match #4
Sat April 6: 16:00 local | 10:30 GMT
Teams: Delhi Daredevils vs Rajasthan Royals
Venue: Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi

Match #5
Sat April 6: 20:00 local | 14:30 GMT
Teams: Chennai Super Kings vs Mumbai Indians
Venue: MA Chidambaram Stadium – Chepauk, Chennai

Match #6
Sun April 7: 16:00 local | 10:30 GMT
Teams: Pune Warriors vs Kings XI Punjab
Venue: Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium, Pune

Match #7
Sun April 7: 20:00 local | 14:30 GMT
Teams: Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Royal Challengers Bangalore
Venue: Rajiv Gandhi Int. Stadium, Hyderabad

Match #8
Mon April 8: 20:00 local | 14:30 GMT
Teams: Rajasthan Royals vs Kolkata Knight Riders
Venue: Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur

Match #9
Tue April 9: 20:00 local | 14:30 GMT
Teams: Mumbai Indians vs Delhi Daredevils
Venue: Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai

Match #10
Wed April 10: 20:00 local | 14:30 GMT
Teams: Kings XI Punjab vs Chennai Super Kings
Venue: Punjab C.A. Stadium, Mohali

Match #11
Thu April 11: 16:00 local | 10:30 GMT
Teams: Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Kolkata Knight Riders
Venue: M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore

Match #12
Thu April 11: 20:00 local | 14:30 GMT
Teams: Pune Warriors vs Rajasthan Royals
Venue: Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium, Pune

Match #13
Fri April 12: 20:00 local | 14:30 GMT
Teams: Delhi Daredevils vs Sunrisers Hyderabad
Venue: Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi

Match #14
Sat April 13: 16:00 local | 10:30 GMT
Teams: Mumbai Indians vs Pune Warriors
Venue: Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai

Match #15
Sat April 13: 20:00 local | 14:30 GMT
Teams: Chennai Super Kings vs Royal Challengers Bangalore
Venue: MA Chidambaram Stadium – Chepauk, Chennai

Match #16
Sun April 14: 16:00 local | 10:30
Teams: Kolkata Knight Riders vs Pune Warriors
Venue: Eden Gardens, Kolkata

Match #17
Sun April 14: 20:00 local | 14:30 GMT
Teams: Rajasthan Royals vs Kings XI Punjab
Venue: Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur

Match #18
Mon April 15: 20:00 local | 14:30 GMT
Teams: Chennai Super Kings vs Pune Warriors
Venue: MA Chidambaram Stadium – Chepauk, Chennai

Match #19
Tue April 16: 16:00 local | 10:30 GMT
Teams: Kings XI Punjab vs Kolkata Knight Riders
Venue: Punjab C.A. Stadium, Mohali

Match #20
Tue April 16: 20:00 local | 14:30 GMT
Teams: Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Delhi Daredevils
Venue: M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore

Match #21
Wed April 17: 16:00 local | 10:30 GMT
Teams: Pune Warriors vs Sunrisers Hyderabad
Venue: Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium, Pune

Match #22
Wed April 17: 20:00 local | 14:30 GMT
Teams: Rajasthan Royals vs Mumbai Indians
Venue: Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur

Match #23
Thu April 18: 20:00 local | 14:30 GMT
Teams: Delhi Daredevils vs Chennai Super Kings
Venue: Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi

Match #24
Fri April 19: 20:00 local | 14:30 GMT
Teams: Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Kings XI Punjab
Venue: Rajiv Gandhi Int. Stadium, Hyderabad

Match #25
Sat April 20: 16:00 local | 10:30 GMT
Teams: Kolkata Knight Riders vs Chennai Super Kings
Venue: Eden Gardens, Kolkata

Match #26
Sat April 20: 20:00 local | 14:30 GMT
Teams: Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Rajasthan Royals
Venue: M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore

Match #27
Sun April 21: 16:00 local | 10:30 GMT
Teams: Delhi Daredevils vs Mumbai Indians
Venue: Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi

Match #28
Sun April 21: 20:00 local | 14:30 GMT
Teams: Kings XI Punjab vs Pune Warriors
Venue: Punjab C.A. Stadium, Mohali

Match #29
Mon April 22: 20:00 local | 14:30 GMT
Teams: Chennai Super Kings vs Rajasthan Royals
Venue: MA Chidambaram Stadium – Chepauk, Chennai

Match #30
Tue April 23: 16:00 local | 10:30 GMT
Teams: Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Pune Warriors
Venue: M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore

Match #31
Tue April 23: 20:00 local | 14:30 GMT
Teams: Kings XI Punjab vs Delhi Daredevils
Venue: Punjab C.A. Stadium, Mohali

Match #32
Wed April 24: 20:00 local | 14:30 GMT
Teams: Kolkata Knight Riders vs Mumbai Indians
Venue: Eden Gardens, Kolkata

Match #33
Thu April 25: 20:00 local | 14:30 GMT
Teams: Chennai Super Kings vs Sunrisers Hyderabad
Venue: MA Chidambaram Stadium – Chepauk, Chennai

Match #34
Fri April 26: 20:00 local | 14:30 GMT
Teams: Kolkata Knight Riders vs Kings XI Punjab
Venue: Eden Gardens, Kolkata

Match #35
Sat April 27: 16:00 local | 10:30 GMT
Teams: Rajasthan Royals vs Sunrisers Hyderabad
Venue: Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur

Match #36
Sat April 27: 20:00 local | 14:30 GMT
Teams: Mumbai Indians vs Royal Challengers Bangalore
Venue: Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai

Match #37
Sun April 28: 16:00 local | 10:30 GMT
Teams: Chennai Super Kings vs Kolkata Knight Riders
Venue: MA Chidambaram Stadium – Chepauk, Chennai

Match #38
Sun April 28: 20:00 local | 14:30 GMT
Teams: Delhi Daredevils vs Pune Warriors
Venue: Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi

Match #39
Mon April 29: 16:00 local | 10:30 GMT
Teams: Rajasthan Royals vs Royal Challengers Bangalore
Venue: Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur

Match #40
Mon April 29: 20:00 local | 14:30 GMT
Teams: Mumbai Indians vs Kings XI Punjab
Venue: Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai

Match #41
Tue April 30: 20:00 local | 14:30 GMT
Teams: Pune Warriors vs Chennai Super Kings
Venue: Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium, Pune

Match #42
Wed May 1: 16:00 local | 10:30 GMT
Teams: Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Mumbai Indians
Venue: Rajiv Gandhi Int. Stadium, Hyderabad

Match #43
Wed May 1: 20:00 local | 14:30 GMT
Teams: Delhi Daredevils vs Kolkata Knight Riders
Venue: Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi

Match #44
Thu May 2: 16:00 local | 10:30 GMT
Teams: Chennai Super Kings vs Kings XI Punjab
Venue: MA Chidambaram Stadium – Chepauk, Chennai

Match #45
Thu May 2: 20:00 local | 14:30 GMT
Teams: Pune Warriors vs Royal Challengers Bangalore
Venue: Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium, Pune

Match #46
Fri May 3: 20:00 local | 14:30 GMT
Teams: Kolkata Knight Riders vs Rajasthan Royals
Venue: Eden Gardens, Kolkata

Match #47
Sat May 4: 16:00 local | 10:30 GMT
Teams: Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Delhi Daredevils
Venue: Rajiv Gandhi Int. Stadium, Hyderabad

Match #48
Sat May 4: 20:00 local | 14:30 GMT
Teams: Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Kings XI Punjab
Venue: M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore

Match #49
Sun May 5: 16:00 local | 10:30 GMT
Teams: Mumbai Indians vs Chennai Super Kings
Venue: Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai

Match #50
Sun May 5: 20:00 local | 14:30 GMT
Teams: Rajasthan Royals vs Pune Warriors
Venue: Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur

Match #51
Mon May 6: 20:00 local | 14:30 GMT
Teams: Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Sunrisers Hyderabad
Venue: M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore

Match #52
Tue May 7: 16:00 local | 10:30 GMT
Teams: Rajasthan Royals vs Delhi Daredevils
Venue: Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur

Match #53
Tue May 7: 20:00 local | 14:30 GMT
Teams: Mumbai Indians vs Kolkata Knight Riders
Venue: Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai

Match #54
Wed May 8: 20:00 local | 14:30 GMT
Teams: Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Chennai Super Kings
Venue: Rajiv Gandhi Int. Stadium, Hyderabad

Match #55
Thu May 9: 16:00 local | 10:30 GMT
Teams: Kings XI Punjab vs Rajasthan Royals
Venue: Punjab C.A. Stadium, Mohali

Match #56
Thu May 9: 20:00 local | 14:30 GMT
Teams: Pune Warriors vs Kolkata Knight Riders
Venue: Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium, Pune

Match #57
Fri May 10: 20:00 local | 14:30 GMT
Teams: Delhi Daredevils vs Royal Challengers Bangalore
Venue: Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi

Match #58
Sat May 11: 16:00 local | 10:30 GMT
Teams: Pune Warriors vs Mumbai Indians
Venue: Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium, Pune

Match #59
Sat May 11: 20:00 local | 14:30 GMT
Teams: Kings XI Punjab vs Sunrisers Hyderabad
Venue: Punjab C.A. Stadium, Mohali

Match #60
Sun May 12: 16:00 local | 10:30 GMT
Teams: Kolkata Knight Riders vs Royal Challengers Bangalore
JSCA International Cricket Stadium, Ranchi

Match #61
Sun May 12: 20:00 local | 14:30 GMT
Teams: Rajasthan Royals vs Chennai Super Kings
Venue: Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur

Match #62
Mon May 13: 16:00 local | 10:30 GMT
Teams: Delhi Daredevils vs Kings XI Punjab
Venue: Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi

Match #63
Mon May 13: 20:00 local | 14:30 GMT
Teams: Mumbai Indians vs Sunrisers Hyderabad
Venue: Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai

Match #64
Tue May 14: 20:00 local | 14:30 GMT
Teams: Kolkata Knight Riders vs Pune Warriors
JSCA International Cricket Stadium, Ranchi

Match #65
Wed May 15: 16:00 local | 10:30 GMT
Teams: Chennai Super Kings vs Delhi Daredevils
Venue: MA Chidambaram Stadium – Chepauk, Chennai

Match #66
Wed May 15: 20:00 local | 14:30 GMT
Teams: Mumbai Indians vs Rajasthan Royals
Venue: Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai

Match #67
Thu May 16: 20:00 local | 14:30 GMT
Teams: Kings XI Punjab vs Royal Challengers Bangalore
Venue: HPCA Stadium, Dharmasala

Match #68
Fri May 17 : 20:00 local | 14:30 GMT
Teams: Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Rajasthan Royals
Venue: Rajiv Gandhi Int. Stadium, Hyderabad

Match #69
Sat May 18: 16:00 local | 10:30 GMT
Teams: Kings XI Punjab vs Mumbai Indians
Venue: HPCA Stadium, Dharmasala

Match #70
Sat May 18: 20:00 local | 14:30 GMT
Teams: Pune Warriors vs Delhi Daredevils
Venue: Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium, Pune

Match #71
Sun May 19: 16:00 local | 10:30 GMT
Teams: Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Chennai Super Kings
Venue: M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore

Match #72
Sun May 19: 20:00 local | 14:30 GMT7
Teams: Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Kolkata Knight Riders
Venue: Rajiv Gandhi Int. Stadium, Hyderabad

Match #73
Tue May 21: 20:00 local | 14:30 GMT
Qualifier 1 – TBC vs TBC (1st Placed Team vs 2nd Placed Team)
Venue: MA Chidambaram Stadium – Chepauk, Chennai

Match #74
Wed May 22: 20:00 local | 14:30 GMT
Eliminator – TBC vs TBC (3rd Placed Team vs 4th Placed Team)
Venue: MA Chidambaram Stadium – Chepauk, Chennai

Match #75
Fri May 24: 20:00 local | 14:30 GMT
Qualifier 2 – TBC vs TBC (Winner of Eliminator vs Loser of Qualifer 1)
Venue: Eden Gardens, Kolkata

Match #76
Sun May 26: 20:00 local | 14:30 GMT
Final – TBC vs TBC (Winner of Q1 vs Winner of Q2)
Venue: Eden Gardens, Kolkata Super Kings

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 . By T.V. Antony Raj

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Who designed the Indian flag? This is a perennial question.

It is not proper to name any single person as the designer of the national flag of India. Though India’s constituent assembly adopted the decision on the national flag of India on 22nd July 1947, the idea for the flag evolved even before India attained independence from the British yoke. It evolved through various stages from 1905 onward.

Flag of India hoisted in Calcutta on August 7, 1906

The first Indian national flag hoisted on August 7, 1906, in the Parsee Bagan Square (Green Park) in Calcutta, had three horizontal stripes of red, yellow and green. The red stripe at the top had eight white lotuses in a row representing eight provinces and flowers represented princely states. The yellow stripe had the words Vande Mataram inscribed in deep blue in Devanagari script which meant “Salutation to Mother India”. The green stripe had a white sun on the left and a white crescent and star on the right indicating Hindu and Muslim faiths.

In 1907, Madame Bhikhaiji Rustom Cama and her group of exiled revolutionaries hoisted the second Indian national flag in Paris.

Madame Bhikaiji Rustom Cama (born Bhikai Sorab Patel)

Bhikhaiji Rustom Cama was born on September 24,1861 into a large, affluent Parsi family in Bombay (now Mumbai). Her father Sorabji Framji Patel – a lawyer by training and a merchant by profession – was an influential member of the Parsi community.

Alexandra Native Girls’ English Institution, Bombay (Mumbai) Building 1890′s

She was a diligent, disciplined child with a flair for languages attended Alexandra Native Girl’s English Institution.

Vintage Photograph of a Class in the Alexandra Native Girls’ Institution at Bombay (Mumbai) – 1873

On August 3, 1885, Bhikhaiji married Rustom K.R. Cama, a wealthy lawyer who aspired to enter politics. Her marriage was not a happy one because she and her husband were ideologically poles apart. He adored the British and loved their culture, whereas she believed that British fleeced India and practiced the worst form of imperialism.

She devoted most of her time in social work and philanthropic activities.

Waldemar Mordecai Wolff Haffkine, born on March 15, 1860 in Odessa, Russia Empire, was a Jewish bacteriologist. His career came to and end in Russia when he refused to convert to Russian Orthodoxy. He emigrated and worked at the Pasteur Institute in Paris, where he developed an anti-cholera vaccine that he tried out successfully in India.

In October 1896, an epidemic of bubonic plague struck the Bombay Presidency and the government asked Haffkine to help. He worked on a vaccine in a makeshift laboratory in a corridor of Grant Medical College, Bombay. During the three months of persistent work one of his assistants experienced a nervous breakdown, two others quit. However, on January 10, 1897, Haffkine came up with a vaccine for human trials and tested it on himself.

Bhikhaiji joined one of the many teams working out of Grant Medical College, to care for the afflicted. Subsequently, she contracted the plague herself, but survived.

Severely weakened, she went to London in 1902 for medical care. There she met Shyamji Krishna Varma, well-known in London’s Indian community for his fiery nationalist speeches he gave in Hyde Park. Through him, Bhikhaiji came to know Dadabhai Naoroji, president of the British Committee of the Indian National Congress, and worked as his private secretary. In February 1905, together with Dadabhai Naoroji and Singh Rewabhai Rana, Bhikhaiji supported the founding of Varma’s Indian Home Rule Society.

While in London, the British government warned Bhikhaiji that she would be prevented from returning to India unless she signed a statement promising not to take part in nationalist activities. She refused and relocated to Paris, where together with Singh Rewabhai Rana and Munchershah Burjorji Godrej, she co-founded the Paris Indian Society.

Together with other notable members of the movement for Indian sovereignty living in exile in Holland and Switzerland, Bhikhaiji wrote, published and distributed revolutionary literature for the movement, including Bande Mataram launched in response to the ban on the poem Vande Mataram by the British, and later Madan’s Talwar launched after the execution of Madan Lal Dhingra who assassinated William Hutt Curzon Wyllie, an aide to the Secretary of State for India. These publications outlawed in Britain and India, were smuggled into India through the French colony of Pondicherry.

The Saptarishi flag unfurled by Madame Bhikhaiji Rustom Cama.

On August 22, 1907, Bhikhaiji Cama attended the International Socialist Conference in Stuttgart, Germany, where she described the devastating effects of a famine that had struck the Indian subcontinent. In her appeal for human rights, equality and for autonomy from Great Britain, she unfurled what she called the “Flag of Indian Independence” and said:

“This flag is of Indian Independence! Behold, it is born! It has been made sacred by the blood of young Indians who sacrificed their lives. I call upon you, gentlemen to rise and salute this flag of Indian Independence. In the name of this flag, I appeal to lovers of freedom all over the world to support this flag.“

This flag was a modified version of the Calcutta Flag, except that the top strip had only one lotus and seven stars depicting the Saptarishi. It was co-designed by Vinayak Damodar Savarkar and Shyamji Krishna Varma.

Later this flag served as one of the templates for creating the present national flag of India.

In 1914 when World War I broke out, France and Britain became allies. This prompted all the members of Paris India Society except Bhikhaiji and Singh Rewabhai Rana left France. A fellow-socialist Jean Longuet advised her to go to Spain with the Indian nationalist, M.P.T. Acharya, a key member of India House, and one of the founding members of the Communist Party of India. However, she preferred to stay in France.

In October 1914, the French government arrested Bhikhaiji and Rana when they tried to agitate among Punjab Regiment troops that had just arrived in Marseilles on their way to the front, and ordered them to leave Marseilles. Bhikhaiji moved to Rana’s wife’s house in Arcachon, near Bordeaux. In January 1915, the French government deported Rana and his whole family to the Caribbean island of Martinique, and interned Bhikhaiji at Vichy. Released in November 1917 due to deteriorating health the government permitted her to return to Bordeaux and ordered her to report weekly to the local police. At the end of World War I she returned to her home at 25, Rue de Ponthieu in Paris.

Bhikhaiji remained in exile in Europe until 1935. Earlier that year she suffered a stroke. Paralysed and gravely ill, she petitioned the British government on June 24, 1935, through Sir Cowasji Jehangir to allow her to return home. She acceded to the order that she renounce sedetionist activities. Accompanied by Cowasji Jehangir, she arrived in Bombay in November 1935. Nine months later, on August 13, 1936, she died at Parsi General Hospital aged 74.

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RELATED ARTICLES

• Bhikaiji Cama (en.wikipedia.org)
• Bhikaji Cama: A Biography (kamat.com)

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By Dilnaz Boga

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On his recent visit to Mumbai, Nobel Laureate Dr John Byrne, Director of the Center for Energy and Environmental Policy, said that every society has to make a basic decision as far as use of nuclear power technology went.

“US has not ordered a nuclear plant in 35 years. There has been a record of incidents all over the world unanticipated by engineers and scientists, and that is why so many countries have had to rethink the viability of nuclear technology.”

But some Indian scientists feel otherwise, despite the fact that the ‘Interim Report on Tarapur’ has found indicators which show radiation-related problem among employees of Tarapur Atomic Power Station (TAPS) and villages close to it. The World Nuclear Association expects India’s nuclear capacity to grow fourfold from its present capacity of 5,000 MW to 20,000 megawatts by 2020, making it the third-biggest market after China and Russia.

Health impact of radiation

Public health care centres’ doctors, locals, physicians in the vicinity and the medical supervisor were interviewed by scientist Dr V Pugazhenthi from Tamil Nadu, who is renowned for this credible studies on the health impact of radiation around the Kalpakkam nuclear site. He is also one of the members of people’s expert committee in the ongoing anti-nuclear movement in Koodankulam.

Cancer, goitre, infertility, mental retardation common

“I found 100 cases of cancer in 2010 among TAPS employees. Local physicians said that incidents of cancer have been on the rise in the area in the last few years, particularly hepatoma, ovarian cancer, bone cancer, breast cancer and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. But there has been no intervention for the victims,” he added.

Cancer victims fear being ostracised so that they don’t tell anyone about it, he added.

“We are trying to decrease the exposure among workers at the plant,” said MoS Rajendra Gavit to DNA.

“Technologically, this system is out of sync, and it is economically less competitive if you switch to other energy sources,” Byrne explained.

Director Rajan Badwe of Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, where patients from Tarapur and its surrounding villages are directed told DNA, “Cancer cases are not on the rise. If at all if there is any rise, it’s a small one and it is similar to any other area.”

Goitre cases have also been found in the surrounding villages, local physicians corroborated in the report. “A casual walk through the villages helped me identify 15-20 Goitre cases. TAPS doctors had carried a survey on thyroid problems by the medical superintendent denied it,” said Dr V Pugazhenthi, who had conducted a survey in Chinchani village, 8km from the plant.

Back then, 40 cases of infertility were reported by a local doctor in the survey. “Spontaneous abortions, still births, hormonal imbalances in women in the form of excessive bleeding, decreased birth weight and birth defects on the rise,” elaborated Dr V Pugazhenthi.

RK Gupta, who worked for BARC for over 30 years in the fuel reprocessing division in the plutonium plant has been exposed to radiation, said, “Exposures are a regular affair. Workers have died of skin diseases and cancer. Despite this, international rules for workers are not fully implemented. There is a silence about this as people compromise because of their economic condition. Even contaminated tools that are stolen and scarp metal slow poison people. Just like people get poisoned from fish exposed to radiation very far from the site.”

Cases of mental retardation, including Down’s Syndrome, autoimmune arthritis, particularly rheumatoid arthritis, were found in villagers along with high instances of cataract and myopia at a young age.

No new health study has been commissioned in the area.

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Re-posted from dna

 

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 . By T.V. Antony Raj

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What is your say in this …

A Muslim girl in a classroom.. (Photo: A.M. Faruqui / The Hindu)
This photograph is for illustration only.

ALL INDIA PARENTS ASSOCIATION

Aggarwal Bhawan, G. T. Road, Tis Hazari, Delhi -110054

 M- 09811101923, 9810133325

05/04/2013

To
Prof. Ms. Kiran Walia,
Education Minister,
Government of NCT of Delhi
Secretariat, I.P. Estate,
New Delhi-110002

Sub: Muslim Girls want to study – Delhi Government School says NO

Dear Madam,

3 young girls in the age group 6-7 years belonging to Muslim Community have come to my office today morning complaining that they want to go to school to study, but a Delhi Government School at Patparganj is not admitting them in school on the excuse that the school does not have seats for them. It is all shocking that despite Constitutional Guarantee to these children, a State-run school has denied them admission. It appears that the Government is least interested in the education of the children belonging to the minority community like Muslim, otherwise it would not have happened.

Nasima Khatoon (DOB 26.01.2006) d/o Mohd Mustafa, Shenaj (DOB 07.08.2007) d/o Sadray Alam (M-9213982480) and Jasmeen (DOB 22.10.2006) d/o Aslam, all resident of E 77/224, Nehru Camp, I.P. Extension, Patpar Ganj, Delhi-110092 have been illegally denied admission by Sarvodya Kanya Vidyayala, Patparganj, Delhi-91. It is a very serious matter. Even after 65 years of independence and three years of RTE Act, 2009, the Government Schools are still not sensitive and child-friendly.

You are requested to kindly look into the matter and do the needful on urgent basis.

With regards,

Ashok Agarwal, Advocate
National President, AIPA
M-09811101923

On April 5, 2013, Manoj Padhi wrote in “Re: [pmarc] Muslim Girls want to study – Delhi Government School says NO“

Dear Mr. Agarwal:

Do you mean to say that there is no maximum seat limit per school and one school can admit any number of students ?

Your mail is not clear about
-what is the maximum seats in that school for that particular class ?
-whether all the seats are filled up.
-whether these 3 girls have applied admission on time ?
-whether they failed to meet the minimum selection criteria ?

If you are writing to a minister, please include the above details.

Just because the girls are from a particular religion – they don’t get automatically qualified if the admission is over and maximum number of seats filled up.

In India, any student can approach to any school. They should look for a school, where some seats are vacant.

Manoj Padhi

(Peoples Media Advocacy & Resource Centre – PMARC initiated with the support from a group of senior journalists, social activists, academics and intellectuals from Dalit and civil society advocates and facilitates Dalits issues in the mainstream media. The primary objective of the PMARC is to create proper and adequate space with the Dalit perspective in the mainstream media national/International on Dalit issues.)

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The Supreme Court on Wednesday took suo motu cognisance of media reports about detention of a 10-year-old rape victim by the police in Bulandshahr district of Uttar Pradesh recently.

The apex court has now sent notice to the state government, asking how the police put the rape victim in custody.

The callous response of police came to fore after the girl’s rape as she was put behind the bars by women personnel when she approached them to file a complaint along with her mother. The victim was rescued after several hours only after locals protested over the matter.

Two women constables have been suspended while two sub-inspectors, including the station-in-charge have been sent to police lines following the incident, SSP Gulab Singh said.

Re-posted from INDIATODAY.in

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By Kumar Chellappan

Posted on April 8, 2013 in the pioneer

ZiO-Podolsk Engineering Plant manufactures steam generators for NPPs of the Russian design.

Against the backdrop of the arrest of Sergei Shutov, a director of Zio-Podolsk, a subsidiary of Rosatom, on charges of corruption, fraud and supplying cheap Ukrainian steel blanks and steam generators in nuclear reactors, former chairman of Atomic Energy Regulatory Board Dr A Gopalakrishnan has demanded an immediate investigation into the safety of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant in India as it was Podolsk that had supplied components for the reactor.

He demanded constitution of an independent body of nuclear engineering specialists to ascertain the KNPP’s safety.

This is the first time in the history of the Indian nuclear establishment, a former chief regulator, who is respected all over the nuclear world for his no-nonsense approach, has questioned the claims of the Government that the plant is foolproof and “greener than even green”.

Gopalakrishnan, a nuclear power engineer with more than five decades of experience, said nothing was right with the 1,000 MW reactor built with Russian assistance. “The inordinate delay in the commissioning of the plant and the silence of the country’s nuclear regulator, Atomic Energy Regulatory Board, has substantiated our doubts about the safety and security of the plant,” said the country’s former chief nuclear regulator.

Addressing the delegates of the all-India convention on “approach to the power question in the country”, organised jointly by People’s Committee for Safe Energy (PECOSE, promoted by the Lefts) and Breakthrough Science Society, Gopalakrishnan, said the silence maintained by both the Department of Atomic Energy and Atomic Energy Regulatory Board, was disgusting and dubious. “The AERB chairman should have been here to address the doubts in our minds. But they are avoiding the people,” he thundered.

He said there were many corruption charges. “Remember, these charges were made by the investigating agency in Russia, their equivalent of India’s CBI. There are charges that inferior quality materials have gone into the crucial components of the reactor being built at Kudankulam.

These are not allegations raised by journalists or social activists. The Russian Government itself had declared the other day about the arrest of Shutov, director of Zio-Podolsk, a Rosatom subsidiary, which supplied the KNPP reactor,” said Dr Gopalakrishnan.

Shutov was arrested on charges of corruption, fraud and for supplying cheap Ukrainian steel blanks and steam generators in nuclear reactors built by Rosatom. “The scope of this scandal could reach every reactor built and supplied by Russia over the past several years. This demands immediate investigation,” a spokesman of Russian security service had told the country’s media.

Gopalakrishnan pointed out that the initial agreement for building the nuclear plant was signed between India and the then USSR in 1988. By 1991 the USSR disintegrated. “The subsidiary units which were supplying the components for the Russian nuclear establishment too fell into undesirable hands. The arrest of the Zio-Podolsk executive in connection with the distribution of cheap and fraudulent materials to reactors is shocking because the same company had supplied components to the nuclear reactor at Kudankulam. Let the Russian authorities themselves come here, examine the entire components and certify that they are of good quality,” Gopalakrishnan said.

He described the claims of YN Dudkin, head of the Russian Specialists Group, that the Kudankulam reactors were the safest in the world as a ploy to hoodwink the people as well as the Centre. “It is the claim of a salesman. We want an official assurance from the Russian Atomic Energy Regulator. Then let’s constitute a body of independent nuclear engineering specialists and have a discussion on the thorny issues. The reactor should be cleared only after these formalities,” he said.

Dudkin had claimed that two Russian reactors, each of 1,000 MW are functioning normally in China. “Do you know that the Chinese are examining the entire reactor components following the arrest of the Zio-Podolsk executive,” said Gopalakrishnan.

The former AERB chairman was highly critical of the stance of APJ Abdul Kalam, former President, who declared the plant safer after a two-hour whirlwind tour in Kudankulam. “Who authorised Kalam to make such a statement? He is only a missile engineer and does not know anything about nuclear energy. How can such a person make a statement like that?” asked Gopalakrishnan.

According to Gopalakrishnan, more than the energy requirements of the country, what weighed in the minds of the people who lead the UPA Government was personal gains. “They have thrown to winds the well thought out Indian nuclear plan conceived and developed by Dr Homi J Bhabha and Dr Vikram Sarabhai. Dr Bhabha and Dr Sarabhai wanted India to be free from the shackles of the western world which controls the uranium reserve of the world. The Bhabha Plan was to build a network of nuclear reactors to harness the vast thorium reserve of the country. But we will never reach a stage where we can make use of the Thorium reserves if we import of nuclear reactors,” he said.

Gopalakrishnan pointed out that it is humanly impossible to meet 40 or 50 per cent of the country’s energy needs through nuclear power. “You require hundreds of reactors. Do we have the space for that? Remember that all the reactors we are planning to import run on enriched uranium. We do not have uranium resources. The companies selling these reactors to us will give fuel for two years which will be renewed subject to their satisfaction about our conduct. Our nuclear sovereignty has been surrendered to the western powers by the Manmohan Singh Government,” charged Gopalakrishnan.

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 . By T.V. Antony Raj

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Yesterday, April 16, 2013, at 15:14 p.m. IRDT (UTC+4:30), an earthquake struck the mountainous region between the cities of Khash and Saravan in Sistan and Baluchestan Province, Iran, 83 km east of Khash, close to the border with Pakistan. It lasted about 25 seconds. The Iranian Seismological Center listed the earthquake as 7.5 magnitude on the Richter scale.

Pakistanis evacuating nearby buildings following tremors in Karachi on April 16, 2013. (Photo: ASIF HASSAN/AFP/Getty Images)

The quake was felt throughout much of eastern Iran and southern Pakistan, and as far away as Riyadh, Manama, Doha, Abu Dhabi, Muscat, some areas in the neighboring state of Pakistan, and in New Delhi, India. The tremors destroyed many buildings in Iran. People evacuated buildings in far away places such as Delhi, India, and on the Arabian Peninsula. Pakistani news channels showed buildings shaking in the southern city of Karachi. People in panic evacuated their offices and homes.

This earthquake closely follows the 6.1-magnitude quake that struck the southwest coast of Iran near the port city of city of Bushehr on April 9, 2013. Saravan is about 600 miles from Bushehr, on the south-eastern border of Iran near Pakistan.

Overview map of the Arabian tectonic plate boundaries with the Eurasian, African and Indian plates (U.S. Geological Survey)

Iran is well-known for its long history of disastrous earthquake activities. Iran is one of the most seismically active countries in the world, crossed by several major fault lines that cover almost 90% of the country. The Iranian plateau is subject to most types of tectonic activity, including active folding, faulting and volcanic eruptions. Hence, earthquakes in Iran occur often and are destructive.

Yesterday’s earthquake was probably the strongest earthquake in Iran within the last 40 years, and possibly the strongest in the last half-century, equal in magnitude to the one that shook Tabas in 1978 killing 15,000.

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 . By T.V. Antony Raj

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The blast on Wednesday damaged two cars, a motorcycle and a van of the Karnataka State Reserve Police. (Photo: Hemant Mishra/Mint)

Yesterday, April 17, 2013, just a few weeks ahead of key elections in Karnataka state (scheduled for May 5, 2013), a blast ripped through the Malleshwaram area of Bangalore near the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) office. The blast gutted several vehicles including a police van parked near the BJP office and injured 16 people including eight police officers on duty.

According to several eyewitnesses on spot it was a “big explosion that shook nearby buildings.” Television footage showed several cars and two-wheelers at the blast site were badly damaged.

Television footage showed several badly damaged cars and two-wheelers at the blast site.

There are conflicting reports about the blast. Initial reports suggested that a gas cylinder had exploded. Raghavendra Auradkar, Bangalore police chief told reporters: “We initially thought it was a gas cylinder explosion. [Now] we believe it is a motorcycle blast – a motorcycle [has been] destroyed,” he said. BBC reported that “bombs had been planted on bicycles 150 metres (500 feet) apart near a crowded fruit market.”

Press Trust of India news agency quoted Lalrokhuma Pachau, Karnataka police chief: “Due to the blast, 16 people are injured – eight policemen on duty and eight civilians. Nobody is critically injured. All are being treated at hospital … As of now, we do not know what material was used in making the bomb.” Pachau added that officials of the anti-terrorism National Investigation Agency had reached the site.

This is the first major bomb attack in India since the September 2011 blast outside Delhi’s High Court that killed 13 people.

R.P.N. Singh, Federal junior Home Minister, said investigators were “looking at all possibilities” and requested the public not to “give credence to rumours.”

R. Ashok, Karnataka Home Minister, said it was a “terror attack”; however, he did not elaborate.

The Union home ministry has pointed to an Indian Mujahideen (IM) signature in targeting crowds.

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Mirror in conversation with Lt Kabdaula’s wife, whose allegations of wife-swapping have rocked the Indian Navy’s boat

By Gitanjali Chandrasekharan

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Three complaints in three cities make you wonder about their authenticity, especially since the 25-year-old complainant has accused Marine Commando officials (an elite unit of the Navy) of wife-swapping. “You can’t file the same FIR in two different police stations,” says the wife of Lt Ravi Kiran Kabdaula, refusing to be identified by her name. “Call me Mrs Ravi Kiran if you want,” she told this writer, speaking over the phone from New Delhi.

Kiran, the daughter of an IAS officer and the niece of a senior IPS official posted in New Delhi, says her complaint against her 26-year-old husband and his colleagues posted at INS Venduruthy, base station of the Southern Naval Command — she has accused them of beating, molesting, and illegally detaining her and forcibly cutting her hair — was lodged in Delhi on March 1.

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Re-posted from Bangalore Mirror

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By Suchandana Gupta

BHOPAL: At a time when the country has been outraged by the rape of a five-year-old girl in New Delhi, a Madhya Pradesh minister has claimed that the number of rapes in the state is “not that high” when the total population is taken into account.

“Evaluating the population of Madhya Pradesh, the number of rapes is not that high,” Manohar Utwal, minister of state for urban administration and development, told reporters in Jaora town in Ratlam district on Saturday. “In a state where the total population exceeds 7.5 crore, only 4,500 rapes have been reported this year.” Utwal said the rape figures were high because the police diligently recorded every complaint.

Women activists of BJP remove police barricade outside UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi’s residence during a protest against the rape of of the 5-year-old girl in New Delhi. (Photo: The Time of India)

Even as the minister spoke, a four-year-old girl from Madhya Pradesh was battling for life in a Nagpur hospital, five days after she was allegedly raped by a youth in Seoni district.

National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) figures show that the largest number of rapes is reported from the state. In 2011-12, NCRB records showed a total 3,406 rapes in the state. Its report for 2001-11 said that of the 48,338 child rapes recorded in the country, the highest were from Madhya Pradesh (9,465).

Utwal’s tactless remark came less than a week after state cabinet minister Vijay Shah was sacked for making sexist remarks against chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s wife while addressing a students’ gathering in Jhabua district.

Re-posted from THE TIME OF INDIA

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