At A Glance: July 11, 2010

Scientist drugged, robbed

A young scientist on way to his hometown in Uttarakhand was allegedly drugged and robbed of his belongings and documents in New Delhi. Vikas Arya (24) boarded an auto-rickshaw from outside Hazrat Nizamuddin railway station on Tuesday evening along with a passenger. He was found unconscious by a sanitation worker near Raj Ghat on Wednesday, police sources said. His laptop, gold chain, cash and a bag containing some documents and contact details of scientists were missing.

On coming out of the railway station, Vikas was making enquires how to reach Kashmere Gate as he had to board a bus to Roorkee. Then a stranger came to him offering to share an auto-rickshaw. The stranger told Vikas he was going to Roorkee and the scientist got into an auto-rickshaw with him. After travelling some distance, the stranger got down to get a change for Rs 500. He also bought two sealed bottles of aerated drink and offered to Vikas and the driver.

Vikas fell unconscious after he had the drink. Wednesday morning, a safai karamchari discovered Vikas lying near Raj Ghat. Vikas, president of student chapter of Astronautical Society of India, has been admitted to Ram Manohar Lohia hospital.

CCTVs for Kanwar yatra route

In a step to ensure peaceful 'Kanwad Yatra' Uttar Pradesh police will soon install CCTV cameras along vital sensitive places enroute Haridwar, a senior official said. "CCTV cameras will be installed with the help of street lamp convenors on 24 different places which intelligence unit has declared as most sensitive," Akhil Kumar, DIG Police Meeru, said. Kanwads are Lord Shiva devotees, who arrive in Haridwar every year from different places to take a dip in holy Ganga and offer holy water to the God.

SC notice on BCI's plea

The Supreme Court has issued notices on the plea of Bar Council of India (BCI) seeking transfer of cases from various High Courts in which advocates body's rule fixing minimum marks for getting admission into law colleges has been challenged. A bench headed by Chief Justice S.H. Kapadia issued notices and sought response from several persons and entities, including educational institutions, on the plea of the BCI contending that all the petitions pending with various High Courts on the issue be heard by the apex court. "The grounds of challenge and the prayers made in all the writ petitions that are being sought to be transferred are substantially similar," the counsel for BCI said. BCI has come up with the rule making it mandatory to secure minimum 45 per cent of the total marks for general category candidates and 40 per cent for reserved communities at the +2 or the degree examination for seeking admission into 5 years' integrated course or 3 years' course, respectively. Petitions were filed in the High Courts of Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Chhattisgarh and Uttarakhand challenging the rule framed by the BCI in 2008.

3 held with leopard skin, bones

Uttarakhand forest officials have arrested three persons following the seizure of three leopard skins and bones allegedly from their possession in Dehradun. The accused have been identified as Ajab Singh, Jagat Singh and Mohan Singh, all residents of Vikas Nagar area in Dehradun. "They were arrested by the anti-poaching cell of the forest department. Bullet holes were found on the skins and it is believed that the animals were killed in the nearby forest areas of Vikasnagar and Kalsi. "One poacher, Gangu Singh who allegedly shot the animals is currently absconding," according to a statement by Wildlife Protection Society of India (WPSI) which assisted the state forest officials in seizing the skins. A case under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, has been registered against the accused in Kalsi forest division. If convicted, the accused will face imprisonment for a term between three and seven years with a fine not less than Rs.10,000. Poaching of leopards for their body parts has taken a toll on the animal's population as out of the total of 202 leopard deaths reported this year, fifty four per cent involved either seizure of its body parts or death due to poaching. 6As many as five leopard deaths, under different circumstances, have been reported this year from Uttarakhand alone, the WPSI statement said.