Umar Khalid attack: Kanhaiya questions Delhi's law and order ahead of I-Day

Kanhaiya also said it is the democratic right of a common citizen to be given security if they are facing a threat to life

Former Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union president Kanhaiya Kumarcalled the attack on fellow student Umar Khalid an attempt to "stop us from reaching out to the masses" to educate them about the current political agenda.

An unidentified man targeted the JNU student leader outside the Constitution Club and gunshots were heard but Khalid escaped unhurt, according to witnesses even as the police asserted it would verify the incident.

He also raised questions on the law and order situation in the national capital since the attack happened a couple of days before Independence Day.

ALSO READ: JNU student leader Umar Khalid allegedly shot at in Delhi; escapes unhurt

"August 15 is Independence Day and just two days before it, there is a deadly attack on a man in a high-security zone. This raises serious questions on the law and order situation," Kumar told PTI.

Khalid had gone to participate in an event when the attack took place.

"He had gone to an event which was about gaining freedom from fear. The attack was an attempt to create an atmosphere of fear. The incident shows that certain people are scared of those who talk about rights and justice," he said.

He also said it is the democratic right of a common citizen to be given security if they are facing a threat to life.

"Unfortunately, the government is protecting those who have mob lynch mentality. Those who raise their voices are not being protected," he said.

He said that they are "against intolerance" and will keep putting their views across and putting pressure on the government.

"A specific type of political agenda is being played out and there is an attempt to break those who talk about democracy and believe in non-violence. The social fabric is breaking and people should be told about it. Incidents like these are attempts to stop us from reaching out to common people," he said.

Woman shot dead in front of husband, son in Delhi

A 30-year-old woman was shot dead here in the early hours of Wednesday in front of her husband and two-year-old son, police said.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Milind Mahadeo Dumbere told IANS the woman, Priya Mehra, was travelling in a car along with her husband and son when she was shot at around 4.30 a.m. in Shalimar Bagh in north-west Delhi.

Her husband told police he had borrowed money from someone and alleged the lender was behind the killing as he was unable to pay the amount back.

He had borrowed Rs 5 lakh in a high interest rate and as the debt grew into Rs 40 lakh, he was finding it difficult to pay back.

"There were four assailants in a car, according to the deceased's husband, and she was shot at twice," the police officer said.

Dumbere said no one has been arrested yet and the body has been sent to Babu Jagjivan Ram Memorial Hospital (BJRM) Hospital for autopsy.

The family was on the way to their house in Rohini from Kashmere Gate, when the woman was murdered.

ACB officials question DCW chief Swati Maliwal

ACB officials question DCW chief Swati Maliwal

A team of Anti Corruption Branch (ACB) officials on Moday, questioned DCW chief Swati Maliwal in connection with a complaint of illegal recruitments in the women's panel.

A team comprising five ACB officers reached the office of the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) at 11 am to question Maliwal, a senior ACB officer said, adding the questioning is still going on.

The ACB had sent a notice last week to Maliwal informing her that she would be questioned on September 19.

The probe has been taken up by the ACB on a complaint by former DCW chief Barkha Shukla Singh. In her complaint, Singh had claimed that several AAP supporters were given plum posts in the women's panel.

Singh, in her complaint, listed names of 85 people who, she claimed, got jobs "without requisite credentials".

Earlier, Maliwal had rubbished the allegations, saying the staff is needed in her office considering the number of cases the women's panel handles.

"During her tenure of nine years in DCW, Barkha Shukla Singh handled only one case. During this period, the commission made no recommendation to the government and conducted only six visits despite having a staff of about 50 officers," Maliwal had said.

Also Read: ACB registers case against DCW chief Swati Maliwal

We are afraid to invest more in India: Toyota Kirloskar Motor

Toyota has been one of the worst impacted among automobile companies in the country after the recent ban on sale of Diesel cars with engines larger than 2,000cc in the National Capital Region (NCR). Such sudden changes in legislation are bad not only for it but for the overall sector, Akito Tachibana, the new managing director at Toyota Kirloskar Motor, tells Alnoor Peermohamed. Edited excerpts:

The recent ban on diesel cars with engines larger than 2,000 cc in Delhi/NCR has taken a toll on Toyota. How is the company looking at mitigating the impact?

The current impact is almost eight per cent of the total sales for Toyota in India. Not only have we and our suppliers been impacted but also the dealers in Delhi. They've lost 60 per cent of their sales because they can't sell the Innova or Fortuner; both models have only diesel engines. We hope that in the next Supreme Court hearing, this ban is removed. Automobile companies need long-term strategies, as it takes four years or more to develop a vehicle.Read more.

Does Dawood have gangrene, and will he escape being brought to justice?

Is India's most wanted criminal Dawood Ibrahim suffering from gangrene?

CNN-News18 reported on Monday that the dreaded Mumbai mafia boss-turned-terrorist has advancedgangrene at a stage where it is life-threatening, and that he might have to undergo an amputation.

Additionally, the report cites doctors, who are treating Dawood, as saying that the gangrene is at such an advanced stage that Dawood is immobile and an amputation might be required.

It adds that 

business-standard.com

Dawood Ibrahim is being treated at his residence in the "upscale Clifton neighbourhood of Karachi". According to the report, the doctors attending to him are from the Liaquat National Hospital, Karachi, and the Combined Military Hospital, Karachi.

The report is specific on Dawood’s medical condition, quoting the doctors treating the don as saying that high blood pressure and blood sugar are the causes behind the gangrene.

The Times of India, on the other hand, on Tuesday reported that senior intelligence officials and the gangster's deputy Chhota Shakeel have confirmed that Dawood is "fit".

The ToI report quotes Shakeel saying that the reports of a gangrene infection are results of rumours being floated to hinder Dawood's business.

If Dawood is indeed suffering from gangrene, and if the condition is indeed life-threatening, then it will have serious consequences for India's pursuit of justice for the Mumbai bomb blasts of 1993 that were exacted by Dawood and his gang in return for the communal riots in the city that followed the December 1992 demolition of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya.

Bringing Dawood back to India to stand trial for his role in the blasts has been a longstanding objective of Indian politicians and intelligence agencies, but one that has been met with little success, thanks to stonewalling by the Pakistani establishment.

In fact, the Pakistani government has consistently denied Dawood’s presence in that country, despite the fact that India claims it even knows the exact address of his residence in Karachi.

However, there have been reports of Indian intelligence having had at least four opportunities to nab Dawood in Pakistan, none of which worked out.

1) Dawood allegedly wanted to surrender in 1994:

According to a Hindustan Times report, a little over a year after the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts, Dawood was willing to surrender and "even spoke thrice to the then CBI DIG Neeraj Kumar".

According to the report, the agency, for unknown reasons, "didn’t take him (Dawood) up on his offer".

Speaking to HT, Kumar said: “I spoke to a jittery Dawood three times in June 1994… He seemed to be toying with the idea of surrendering but had one worry — his rival gangs could finish him off if he returned to India. I told him his safety would be the responsibility of the CBI.”

However, according to the report, Kumar's seniors abruptly ordered him to avoid any further contact with the gangster.Read More.