HC seeks govt’s reply on convict’s parole plea

NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court Friday sought response of the AAP government on a plea by Balwan Khokhar, who along with former Congress leader Sajjan Kumar was sentenced to life imprisonment in a 184 anti-sikh riots case, seeking parole to file an appeal.

Justice Najmi Waziri issued notice to the AAP government on the petition in which the convict said he wanted parole for a month to file a special leave petition in the Supreme Court against the Delhi High Court’s December 17, 2018 verdict.

The high court on December 17, 2018 had set aside the trial court’s verdict which had acquitted Kumar in a case related to killing of five Sikhs in Raj Nagar Part-i area in Palam Colony in south west Delhi on November 1-2, 1984, and burning down of a Gurudwara in Raj Nagar Part-ii during that period.

The riots had broken out after the assassination of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on October 31, 1984 by her two Sikh bodyguards.

The high court had also upheld the conviction and varying sentences awarded by the trial court to the other five -- Khokhar, retired naval officer Captain Bhagmal, Girdhari Lal and former MLAS Mahender Yadav and Kishan Khokhar.

It had also convicted them for criminal conspiracy to burn down residences of Sikh families and a gurdwara in the area during the riots.

The trial court in 2013 had awarded life term to Khokhar, Bhagmal and Lal, and a threeyear jail term to Yadav and Kishan Khokhar.

Following the high court verdict, life term of Khokhar, Bhagmal and Lal has been upheld and the sentence of Yadav and Kishan Khokar has been enhanced to 10 years in jail. The high court in its judgement had said that the riots were a “crime against humanity” perpetrated by those who enjoyed “political patronage” and aided by an “indifferent” law enforcement agency. NEW DELHI: The air quality in the national capital improved on Friday to ‘poor’ category after remaining ‘very poor’ over the past few days. Light rain and strong winds helped wash away the pollutants. It is expected to improve further on Saturday, said Safar, union government’s air quality forecasting system.

“Rain helped mitigate the particulate matter suspended in the air. The air quality is likely to fluctuate between ‘poor’ and ‘moderate’ till February 17,” said, a statement issued by Safar.

The air quality index (AQI) was recorded as 245 at 4 pm against yesterday’s 340.

Meanwhile, officials in the India Meteorological Department (IMD) have predicted dense fog on Saturday morning.

The impact of rain a day before could be seen as maximum temperature was recorded as 22 degrees Celsius, two degrees below normal. Minimum temperature settled at 11.8 degrees C, a notch below the season’s average.

“Another Western Disturbance is expected around February 19, which is likely to bring light and scattered showers again,” said, Kuldeep Srivastava, head, regional weather forecasting centre (RWFC), IMD.

“I was shocked at how it happened so quickly. Just two minutes before, Pradeep was talking to me. He was asking about our younger daughter Manya, but before I could tell him, the line got disconnected,” an inconsolable Neerja said on Friday.

Neerja was among the many people across India who mourned the death of their loved ones in the car-bomb attack, whose victims ranged from Himachal Pradesh in north India to Assam in the north-east and Tamil Nadu in the south.

In Kehrai village of Agra, residents gathered at the house of Kaushal Kishore Rawat, 48. His 80-year-old father couldn’t speak because of the grief. “Enough is enough. Now it is time to act. If terrorists can claim responsibility of a cowardly act, why can’t the government go on the offensive?” asked Apoorva Rawat, 23, daughter of the soldier.

In Bihar’s Bhagalpur, Ram Niranjan Thakur was waiting for his son, Ratan, to come home for Holi and start making arrangements for his sister’s wedding. “I am ready to send my other son to the border and fight, I am ready to go myself but Pakistan must be taught a lesson,” he said between sobs.

In Odisha’s Cuttack district, constable Manoj Behera’s family fondly remembered how he spent two months at home before joining duty, and a phone call a few hours before the attack inquiring about his one-year-old daughter.

“He had come to his village in November to celebrate the first birthday of his daughter on January 16. He wished how his daughter would soon start addressing him as ‘Bapa’ (father). Early Thursday morning, he had called up his wife Itilata to tell her that he was travelling to Srinagar. He had promised to call back after reaching. This morning, we had no courage to tell her that he is no more,” said Behera’s brother-in-law Debashish Behera.

“What we need is infection control measures used to contain any other infections, such as tuberculosis,” said Dr Guleria, who is a professor of pulmonology at AIIMS and a member of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Scientific Advisory Group of Experts on influenza vaccination for emerging markets.

“Instead of focusing on testing and treating one seasonal viral strain, India now needs to focus on classifying the severity of illness, as the treatment for severe illness from all four viruses infections remains the same – vaccinating people within 48 hours of infection, using anti-virals and giving ICU and ECMO support, when needed,” Dr Guleria added.

ECMO, or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, provides heart-lung bypass support by pumping oxygenated blood into the body to people undergoing bypass surgery or for those in acute respiratory distress.

According to WHO, 98.3% flu infections are caused by influenza A, of which H1N1 accounts for 77.7% infections, and H3N2 for 22.3%. In India, people with flu are tested only for H1N1, with H3N2 testing done for only research purposes.

“H1N1 is no more deadly than the other three influenza viruses — H3N2, B Victoria lineage, and B Yamagata lineage — causing seasonal flu in 2019; it’s just more feared because it’s the only flu virus people hospitalised with flu-related complications are tested for,” said Dr Anil K Prasad, former professor of virology at Patel Chest Institute and chairman of the Influenza Foundation of India.

With dominant strains changing almost every year, WHO tracks global flu outbreaks and recommends a new vaccine each year against the most dominant strains. For 2018-19, WHO has recommended the quadrivalent vaccine, which protects against A/michigan H1N1, A/singapore H3N2; B/colorado (B/victoria lineage), and B/phuket (B/yamagata lineage).

While several developed coun- tries recommend everyone get vaccinated against the dominant flu strains, Dr Guleria recommends prioritising vaccination to protect people most at risk. These include pregnant women, where vaccination protects the mother, the foetus and the newborn up to six months after birth; people with who are immune-compromised because of chronic medical conditions such as respiratory diseases, heart disease, diabetes, cancer, renal failure, liver cirrhosis and neurological conditions; and health professionals in transplantation and oncology wards.

“All health workers must get vaccinated as they risk infecting immuno-compromised patients. I ensure everyone in my department gets vaccinated every year, I got my flu shot while I was treating patients in OPD,” said Dr Guleria, who is a professor of pulmonology at AIIMS and a member of the World Health Organization’s Scientific Advisory Group of Experts on immunization and influenza vaccination for emerging markets.

Seasonal flu outbreaks have two peaks in India, once post winter from January to March, and the second from July to September.

“Most people have no complications, but the ones at risk must be protected with vaccination,” said Dr Prasad, who advocated a single vaccine for the world, instead of two different ones approved by the WHO for the northern and southern hemisphere.

“With growing population, rapid urbanisation and mass transport, viruses travel across hemispheres within a few hours. Infection is no longer seasonal and people are at risk 365 days a year. I recommend annual flu vaccination for people at risk all through the year,” said Dr Prasad.

There’s snow and slush, they added, and the blast was so powerful that mangled human remains and auto parts are all they have to work with. However, officials said they have found what they believe are parts of the axle of the vehicle used in the suicide bombing, and that they are hopeful that they can piece it together, perhaps even use it to trace its provenance and ownership.

None of the remains of the bomber, who drove a vehicle laden with explosives into a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) bus, have been found either.

According to the officials, Umair is currently operating in the Pulwama area, where Talha Rasheed, son of Abdul Rasheed Kamran, Azhar’s brother-in-law, was killed in an encounter with security forces on November 7, 2016.

Officials said Umair was trained in terror operations in Afghanistan and moved into the Pulwama area after the death of his brother Usman Haider in a police encounter in Tral last October.

The JEM, which is behind recent terror strikes in India, including the Uri headquarters and Pathankot air base, is run in India by Rauf Asghar, the younger brother of ailing Masood Azhar.

A high-level National Security Guard’s bomb team visited the spot and initial investigations suggest that the bomb was made of 100-150 kg of RDX.

The NSG team could not find traces of any other explosives as the spot. There is no clarity as to how RDX in such quantities reached Pulwama and then was fitted into the vehicle.

“On 13 February, 23 hotels were inspected by the fire department. Of these, 13 were found violating fire safety norms. Next day, 17 hotels out of 22 were found to have violated rules. We have written to the North Delhi Municipal Corporation and the police to take steps to seal them. But, technically, these hotels are deemed shut as they cannot operate without a fire NOC,” the minister said.

The hotels that will be shut are small, budget hotels that cater to backpacking tourists.

North MCD commissioner Varsha Joshi said the civic agency is yet to receive a letter from DFS.

“Yes, if we get a letter from DFS stating that fire NOCS have been cancelled, the MCD will have to cancel the kitchen license in all these buildings as per the rules,” she said.

Karol Bagh’s hotel and restaurant association criticised the move, calling it a “knee-jerk reaction”, and said they seek an appointment with chief minister Arvind Kejriwal or lieutenantgovernor Anil Baijal to put their point across.

“Why have the authorities woken up only after this fire incident? First, the DFS suspended NOCS and then they sent the same info to the police. Today, from 7pm onwards, the licensing office’s teams have been asking owners to turn away even existing customers and not accept any new booking,” said Balan Mani, vice-president of the Delhi Hotel and Restaurant Association.

DFS chief GC Mishra said that the department was considering the “suggestions” given by the minister to amend the rules. “Currently, the fire rules do not lay down anything about materials that cannot be used in buildings or the adequate width of passages. The amendments would include making carbon monoxide detectors mandatory in hotels, standardising dimensions of ventilation, passageways, doors, gates and so on,” he said.

The DFS report on the Arpit Palace stated that the fire inside the hotel was so intense and the temperature so high that the firefighting team had to use artificial breathing equipment to move along the passageways of the hotel.

“The spread of fire was vertical and horizontal due to the presence of wooden/foam panelling and false sealing in staircases and corridors. Considerable amount of combustible material was also present near the rear staircase, which added as fuel to the fire,” the report had said.

“Due to these materials, flames and dense poisonous smoke spread very fast in entire building including common areas and exits. These flames and smoke blocked he means of escape,” it added.

Home minister Rajnath Singh flew to Srinagar to take stock of the security situation in J&K, and national security adviser Ajit Doval met security forces and agencies to discuss the aftermath of the Pulwama attack.

Investigators from New Delhi too reached Pulwama on Friday, recovering vital new clues that now suggest a van or a small car may have been used in the bombing and the explosive may have been a mixture of RDX and Supergel-90. The latter is a blasting agent permitted for civil use such as in quarrying.

Opposition parties, cutting across political lines, and overseas governments condemned the terrorist attack for which JEM, a United Nations-designated terrorist group founded by Masood Azhar, claimed responsibility. Jaish said the suicide bomber was a 22-year-old school dropout from Gundibagh village of Pulwama in south Kashmir, a hotbed of insurgency.

Anti-pakistan protests took place in several parts of he country. In Jammu, the winter capital of Jammu and Kashmir, a curfew was imposed as a precautionary measure following massive protests and stray incidents of violence over the Pulwama attack.

The army has been requested to help the administration in maintaining law and order and conduct flag marches, officials said.

“There is much anger among people due to this terror attack. People’s blood is boiling. I understand this. The nation has some expectations at this moment... Security forces have been given free hand and we have full faith in the bravery of our soldiers,” PM Modi said.

He didn’t say what shape the retaliation could take. I n response to a September 18, 2016, terrorist attack on an Indian Army brigade headquarters in Uri, near the Line of Control, that left 19 troops dead, Indian soldiers carried out retaliatory surgical strikes on terrorist training camps across the de facto border just days later.

On Friday, foreign secretary Vijay Gokhale summoned Pakistan high commissioner Sohail Mahmood to the external affairs ministry and handed him a demarche (diplomatic note) protesting against Thursday’s suicide bombing and demanding that Islamabad take “immediate and verifiable action” against JEM.

Within hours of Thursday’s attack, New Delhi issued a strong statement that accused Pakistan of giving “full freedom” to the terror group to operate and expand its terror infrastructure to carry out attacks in India and elsewhere.

Islamabad responded with a two-line statement that said it had “always condemned heightened acts of violence” in Kashmir. Pakistan also said it will “strongly reject any insinuation by elements in the Indian government and media circles that seek to link the attack to the State of Pakistan without investigations.”

Foreign secretary Gokhale rejected the statement

After the CCS meeting, the government said it will take all possible diplomatic steps to ensure the “complete isolation” of Pakistan on the international stage. Finance minister Arun Jaitley, who resumed charge of his ministry on Friday after recuperating from treatment for an ailment, told reporters that as the first step, India was stripping Pakistan of the most favoured nation (MFN) status, which offered that country certain trade privileges.

“The ministry of external affairs will initiate all possible steps, and I am here referring to all possible diplomatic steps, which have to be taken to ensure the complete isolation from the international community of Pakistan,” he said.

Ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) general secretary Ram Madhav said withdrawal of MFN status was an important “tactical step” and more diplomatic initiatives would ensue. To be sure, given that the size of bilateral trade, impeded by the often fractious relationship between the neighbours, is just around $2 billion, taking away Pakistan’s MFN status wouldn’t hurt Islamabad too much.

India also reiterated its appeal to all members of the international community to support the proposal to list JEM chief Masood Azhar as a designated terrorist under the 1267 Sanctions Committee of the UN Security Council, and to ban terrorist organisations operating from territories controlled by Pakistan.

China, while joining other nations in condemning the Pulwama terror attack, again declined to back India’s appeal for Azhar to be designated a global terrorist by the UN.

Modi indicated that more action was to come in remarks directed at Pakistan-based terrorist groups.

The PM said: “I want to tell the terror groups that you have committed a grave crime. The perpetrators of terror will pay a heavy price. I assure the nation that we will punish the perpetrators of terror.”

The terror strike caused a lull in the campaign for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls as political parties put electioneering on hold in mourning for the CRPF troopers.

An Indian Air Force C-17 was due to fly to Srinagar from Hindon to bring the mortal remains of CRPF personnel killed in the Pulwama attack to New Delhi.

CRPF mourned its dead. “We will not forget, We will not forgive. We salute our martyrs of Pulwama attack and stand with the families of our martyr brothers. This heinous attack will be avenged,” the force, which has ordered a court of inquiry into the attack, wrote in a tweet.