Man held for Facebook posts denied bail

Agra, Feb 6 (IANS) A school chairman, arrested for posting "communal and inflammatory" material on Facebook, was denied bail and sent to judicial custody till Feb 18 Wednesday, police said.

Bail plea of the accused, Sanjay Choudhary, was rejected by the Agra chief judicial magistrate, Assistant Superintendent of Police Dinesh Kumar told IANS.

Choudhary, a civil engineer and chairman of Dev Public School here, was booked and arrested Monday under section 153A of the Indian Penal Code and 66A/67 of IT Act for "defamatory and inflammatory posts against a particular community", police said.

His laptop, SIM card and data card were also seized.

Police acted after some Facebook users complained against the posts.

However, Choudhary's lawyer said the Facebook account was hacked and someone else posted the material.

There were reports that Choudhary was held for defamatory posts against politicians. But a police source said he was arrested allegedly for the communal hatred he was inciting.

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Leaders, professionals call for police reforms

New Delhi, Feb 6 (IANS) Leading professionals Wednesday joined Defence Minister A.K. Antony and Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit to press for urgent police reforms in the country.

"Police reforms are the real need of the hour," Antony said on the occasion of a meeting on the subject convened here by formerCentral Bureau of Investigation (CBI) director D.R. Kaarthikeyan.

"Our policing system must change to be more sensitive and responsible to the people," he said in a message to the organisers.

Stressing that police reforms ought to be an integral part of good governance, Antony said the force must win the trust of the people through more and more accountability.

In her message, Dikshit said people at large had come to realise that "police should be more responsible, proactive and sensitive in order to ensure a sense of security and confidence".

Referring to the Dec 16 gang-rape of a young woman in Delhi who died, she said the outrage "has also made both the public and the government to join heads together to have fruitful interaction in this regard".

She demanded that training should improve professionalism in police forces and enhance their operational efficiency.

In his opening remarks, Kaarthikeyan warned that police would never be effective if they lost the confidence of the citizens.

Former Supreme Court chief justice R.C. Lahoti called for a return to the times when the beat constable was at the heart of the policing system.

Today, he said, ordinary people were afraid of approaching the police. This, he said, had to change.

Wajahat Habibullah, chairperson of the National Commission for Minorities, said while minorities were treated better in India compared to many other countries, there were times when they were at the receiving end of police.

Echoing Dikshit's view, he said "proper training" was a must to produce more professional policemen.

Former CBI director Ashwani Kumar, now with the OP Jindal Global University, complained that thousands of cases were pending in courts, puncturing police efforts to bring the guilty to book.

Prakash Singh, former director general of the Border Security Force, called for a bar on criminals from contesting elections if police reforms were to succeed.

Management guru Gurcharan Das said the Dec 16 gang-rape was the first time when a brutal incident had led to a fast-tracking of the entire administration.

"We need to extend this treatment to all brutal incidents," he said.

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Boy killed as balcony collapses in Mumbai

Mumbai, Feb 6 (IANS) An eight-year-old boy was killed when a part of a building collapsed in south central Mumbai Wednesday, a civic official said here.

"Masum Arif Khan, 8, was killed when the balcony of his fourth floor home gave away while he was standing there," an official from the civic disaster control told IANS.

There were no other casualties.

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Avalanche hits Kinnaur hamlet, seven rescued

Shimla, Feb 6 (IANS) Following three days of heavy snowfall, anavalanche hit a remote hamlet in the tribal Kinnaur districtWednesday, burying two houses. At least seven people, who were trapped under the avalanche, were later extricated by rescue teams, an official said.

Police and the locals laboured for over eight hours in a rescue operation and extricated all seven people, including four children, from the rubble. They were given first aid for injuries, Deputy Commissioner J.M. Pathania told IANS by phone.

The avalanche struck the remote hamlet of Kafnu in Bhaba Valley, about 70 km from district headquarters Rekong Peo, around 7 a.m., Pathania said.

The hamlet witnessed more than four feet of snow.

Officials said six families had vacated their houses sensing threat of the calamity in Kafnu.

The higher reaches in the state have been witnessing heavy snowfall for the past three days.

The government has advised people to stay indoors in Kullu, Lahaul-Spiti and Kinnaur districts, and Pangi and Bharmour areas of Chamba district. They have also been asked not to go out in avalanche-prone areas. Schools in these areas have been closed as a precautionary measure.

Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh Wednesday reviewed the situation after three days of snow and rain across the state.

He said the life in the state, particularly in the tribal areas and higher reaches, has been severely hit.

The chief minister also directed the authorities to ensure supply of electricity, water and other essential commodities to the people and clear roads that have been blocked by heavy snowfall.

The Met Office has forecast that western disturbance - storm systems originating in the Mediterranean Sea and moving across the Afghanistan-Pakistan region - will remain active over the state and higher areas are likely to experience heavy snow till Thursday.

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Mobile company manager commits suicide

New Delhi, Feb 6 (IANS) A mobile company manager committed suicide by hanging himself from a ceiling fan in his house here Wednesday, police said.

Nitin Bhardwaj, a resident of Uttar Pradesh's Agra, was found hanging in his rented accommodation in east Delhi's Madhu Vihararea around 12.30 p.m.

The 28-year-old worked as a manager in a mobile company in NOIDA.

"Bhardwaj was alone in his room. Neighbours who found him hanging informed police, who are yet to ascertain the reason behind his extreme step. No suicide note was recovered," said a police officer.

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Mock earthquake drill to hit Gurgaon traffic

Gurgaon Feb 6 (IANS) A mock earthquake rescue drill will be held here, including on the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway, Thursday and will affect traffic, an official said Wednesday.

The mock drill will affect the flow of traffic on Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway, causing long jams for a few hours, the official said on the condition of anonymity.

Organised by Gurgaon Disaster Management Authority (GDMA) and the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), the mock drill is aimed at checking the level of preparedness of officials and citizens to tackle natural calqamities.

It will start Thursday at 11 a.m. at the Government College in Sector 14 on Mehrauli-Gurgaon Road, Mini Secretariat near Rajiv Chowk on the expressway and at the General Hospital flyover on Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway near 32nd Milestone. All schools have also been asked to conduct the drill.

Deputy Commissioner of Police P.C. Meena will be in charge of the exercise.

Though Gurgaon's hundreds of high-rise buildings are believed to be sensitive to earthquakes, they have been kept out of the drill.

A mock earthquake of a hypothetical intensity eight on the Richter Scale with its epicentre in district Mandi of Himachal Pradesh, about 300 km from Gurgaon, has been planned for Feb 11 at 11 a.m., teh official said.

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Man, woman found dead in house

New Delhi, Feb 6 (IANS) A middle-aged man and a woman, who were in an extra-marital affair, were found dead at the woman's house here, police said Wednesday.

"The incident was reported Tuesday evening. Jaya Narayan, a labourer, had gone to Premlata's house in Mundka area in west Delhi. A neighbour spotted them in an unconscious state," said a seniorpolice officer.

They were taken to Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Hospital where they were declared dead on arrival, police said.

A bottle of poisonous substance was recovered from the house. No suicide note was found, police said.

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