Students hold relay hunger strike to protest mixup of questions
A group of students have started a relay hunger strike at Delhi University to protest an alleged mix up of MPhil and PhD entrance exam papers at the Buddhist Studies department. Students say almost 70% questions asked in the MPhil entrance exam were allegedly repeated in the PhD entrance exam, which was held hours after the first exam on the same day.
The group of students, who are members of Forum to Save University of Delhi, have demanded that the head of the Buddhist Studies department be suspended, and have asked for an inquiry committee to be set up to question the HOD and the irregularities that happened during the exams.
They have also demanded that the entrance exams that were held for the MPhil and PhD programmes at the department be cancelled and fresh tests be held for the department.
“We will continue our strike until our demands are met... With 37 out of the 50 questions repeating in the PhD paper, this is almost equivalent to a paper leak,” said Ashish Singh, a member of the central committee of the forum.
KTS Sarao, the HOD, however alleged that the students may have been motivated by political interests of others and that they would not be holding the exams again. “Re conducting the exam would be wasteful. Instead, we will exclude the repeated questions, as these may have given some advantage to the 20 odd students who may have appeared for both exams. All the 75 to 80 students who have appeared for PhD entrance tests will also be called in for interviews before selection,” he said.
The students, who appeared for the PhD entrance, had given a written complaint to the university on Friday alleging that they have learned that around 36 of the 50 questions asked in the PhD paper were same as the MPhil paper.
The court also took a swipe at the petitioner for invoking Article 14 (right to equality) in the case. The petitioner had contended that while a convicted bureaucrat and judicial officer lose his or their jobs, the same principle should apply to convicted politicians.
“Are you espousing the cause of public servants, complaining of discrimination on the ground of Article 14,” the bench told the petitioner, fixing July 19 to hear the matter again.
Under the Representation of the People Act, a politician convicted and sentenced to a jail term of two years or more shall be disqualified from contesting polls for six years from the date of his release from prison after conclusion of the term.
The poll panel had said in its affidavit it was “alive to the issues that concern the conduct of free and fair elections and functioning of healthy democracy and as such asserting for bringing in electoral reforms which further the cause of free and fair elections.”
Records were not what she aimed for when she embarked on the journey that has taken her to the pinnacle of the game.
“People questioned me a lot about it in press conferences, but it (the record) wasn’t my intent or purpose of playing this World Cup,” Mithali said after her innings. “As a young kid, it was just important for me to take it series by series. Didn’t think I would last this long.”
Mithali may not have thought her career would last this long but people who have known her since childhood knew her work ethic would one day see her on top. Her father Dorairaj remembers the focus and hard work Mithali has put in over the years.
“I am very happy for her,” he said. “She works very hard. She is always focused on the game... Mithali religiously follows a daily routine aimed at improving her game and fitness.”
“I have done nothing wrong as the deputy chief minister and have worked relentlessly for the state’s development. How can I be in a scam when I had nothing, not even a moustache, when it allegedly happened?”
His belligerent stand, however, belied the sombre mood at the cabinet meeting that he attended with elder brother Tej Pratap Yadav, the health and environment minister.
“There was hardly any discourse between the CM and his deputy and the meeting was over really fast,” said a top JD(U) cabinet member who didn’t wish to be named.
Congress ministers described the mood as normal and everyone “had tea thereafter”.
The Congress is apparently trying to prevent the crisis escalating into a break-up as the chief minister is said to be upset because his clean image is sullied by the allegations.
Industries minister and JD(U) leader Jai Kumar Singh said his party won’t compromise on its zero-tolerance policy on corruption, but refused comments on calls to sack Tejashwi.
Senior RJD leader and minister Chandra Shekhar said Tejashwi is clean.
“The JD(U) and RJD came together with the Congress and formed the government despite knowing the charges against Lalu Prasad. Why a different norm when the charges (against Tejashwi) are fake?”
BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi challenged the RJD’s stand.
“Tejashwi should say whether the property in the CBI FIR is in his name or not. Saying that he should not be charged for a past irregularity is like saying I can murder but should not be answerable if I am a minister,” he said.
This led to a spurt in petitions, prompting the counsel to seek early hearing of the main case. Venugopal told Khehar it would be in public interest to hear and dispose of the petitions early.
The government’s Aadhaar scheme is being challenged on the ground that the biometric details that people are required to give violated their right to privacy.
A vacation bench refused on June 27 to pass an interim order against the Centre’s notification making Aadhaar mandatory for people seeking social welfare benefits. The government assured no one would be deprived of their dues because of Aadhaar.
But on Wednesday, Union minister Jitendra Singh defended the state government’s response to the attack and praised Mufti’s handling of the situation.
He also sought to deflect criticism of the government and said it must be left to the security forces and experts to find out how the attack occurred.
“No political functionary, however highly placed, enjoys the prerogative to sit on judgement on security related matters,” Singh said.
The opposition Congress, however, accused the government of issuing contradictory statements. “Deputy chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir Nirmal Singh is conceding that ‘there was definitely a lapse in security’, while BJP general secretary in-charge of the state Ram Madhav sharply contradicted them and said ‘there was no security lapse’,” party spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi told reporters.
Kashmir has been on the edge for the past year as violent antiIndia protests have engulfed the region saddled with a decadeslong separatist movement. But most Kashmiris condemned the attack, saying the cowardly act hurt Kashmir’s ethos.
Mufti and Singh highlighted the outpouring of condemnation to say the Amarnath attack proves no one can kill Kashmiriyat. “I salute the people of the country for being patient,” the CM said, adding the militants failed in their motive to pit people against each other and provoke communal riots.
Singh said as much, as he congratulated the people of Kashmir “for the kind of resilience and discipline they have maintained over the past 25 years”.
Besides, he said hi-tech methods such as the use of warning gadgets were being discussed to secure the 40-day pilgrimage.
Jammu and Kashmir police have formed a special investigation team (SIT) to catch the people behind the attack amid a hunt to find Lashkar-e-Taiba commander Abu Ismail, a Pakistani.
“Investigations point to the role of Ismail. Two local militants are believed to be part of the team,” inspector general police (Kashmir Range), Muneer Khan, said. The banned outfit had denied its role in the attack.
Not much is known about Ismail, probably in his 30s, though he is said to be active in Kashmir for several years. He didn’t figure on the army’s latest list of 12 “most wanted” militants.
In the chaos, around 25 people gained entry to Sethi’s apartment and vandalised it.
“Nobody has been detained till now. It will take us time to ascertain the facts. We will examine CCTV cameras installed on the premises too,” said Singh, adding that cases of stone-pelting and rioting have been lodged.
Police said the matter would need a thorough probe because conflicting versions were being furnished by the two warring parties. Zora Bibi said she had only sought two months’ salary – amounting to ~12,000 – from her employers.
“But instead of paying what was owed to me, they accused me of stealing ~17,000 from the house. I was beaten up. I fled to the basement of the apartment complex in terror, and the guards brought me out early this morning,” her statement to the police read.
Police registered a case on the basis of Zora Bibi’s complaint at the Sector 49 police station. Later that evening, Sethi filed a counter-complaint with the police. “When I enquired about the money she stole, Bibi asked me to deduct it from her salary and not report the matter to the apartment management. We have footage to prove our case,” he said.
Zora Bibi’s husband, Abdul Sattar, told police that he and his friends had only gone to Mahagun Moderne to enquire about her. “But they beat us with batons, forcing us to throw stones in self-defence. They even threatened to kill us,” he said.
Police admitted that the maid was found inside the apartment complex in the morning, following which she was taken to a hospital. “Zora Bibi was brought here at 9.10 am. However, she was discharged within an hour after a medical test failed to find anything wrong with her,” said Dr Bindu, the emergency medical officer.
Parshuram, SHO of the Sector 49 police station, said they have procured footage proving that the woman was not being held captive at the apartment.
“Moreover, a woman in the society has told us that Zora Bibi stayed at her apartment. We have registered FIRs under different sections in both cases, and separate investigations are in progress,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Delhi Commission of Women sent two counsellors to Noida after reports of the incident poured in.
“They met the woman and helped her register the FIR. Noida is not in our jurisdiction, but we took the step on humanitarian grounds,” said Bhupinder Singh, media advocacy officer of the Delhi Commission for Women.