Archives for March 2017

Jaipur: A leading coffee outlet chain has said that it would ascertain facts and take action after a video of a consumer being slapped by a lady staffer allegedly over the presence of a cockroach inside a refrigerator went online.

Earlier this month, a law student Arpan Verma was allegedly slapped by one of the female staff at an outlet here apparently because he tried to film a video showing a cockroach inside a refrigerator.

In the video, that has gone viral on Twitter, the woman employee is seen walking towards Verma and suddenly slapping him.

Cafe Coffee Day, the chain in question, took notice of the incident and tweeted that required action will be taken.

Café Coffee Day is owned by V G Siddhartha, the son in-law of former Karnataka chief minister and new BJP leader SM Krishna.

“We have escalated the recent issue at our Jaipur outlet and are in talks with the consumers and the internal team to ascertain facts,” the CCD tweeted.

Local police said that no complaint was lodged in this connection so far.

@CafeCoffeeDay @inconsumerforum @consaff @jagograhakjago A big slap to consumer and consumerism.#bhaagograhakbhago pic.twitter.com/eQQymkR5ad

— Nikhil Anand Singh (@nikhilanand88) March 25, 2017

Greater Noida: Four Nigerian students were allegedly attacked by residents who took out a candle-light march for a 17-year-old boy who had died last week due to suspected drug overdose.

Five people have been arrested by the police in Uttar Pradesh in connection with the attack.

The protest march was taken out after police released some Nigerians detained for questioning in connection with the death of the Class 12 student, Manish, in Greater Noida’s NSG Black Cats Enclave due to “lack of evidence”.

The boy’s parents had alleged that the foreigners had kidnapped him and given him drugs which caused his death.

Sujata Singh, Superintendent of Police, Greater Noida said the protesters became violent during the march and started beating up the Africans they saw on the road.

“They also went to Ansal Mall and caused havoc and beat up Africans there. Police then rescued them and moved them to a safe place,” she said.

“Police had to use force to dissuade people from attacking and arrested 5 people from the spot. Many of them who were there trying to play mischief have been identified as the entire event had been videographed. An FIR has been registered and action will be taken accordingly,” Daljit Chaudhary, ADG Law and Order, told reporters here.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said the central government was taking immediate action and that she had spoken to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath who had assured her of a fair and impartial investigation into this “unfortunate” incident.

The Greater Noida Superintendent of Police said the police had not yet given a clean chit to the Nigerian nationals accused by the victim’s parents.

(Agencies)

Bengaluru: II PUC students can heave a sigh of relief as the lecturers have temporarily withdrawn their decision to boycott the evaluation of answer scripts.

The II PU exams will end on Monday while the evaluation is scheduled to begin on April 4.

Earlier, the Karnataka State PU Lecturers’ Association had said that lecturers would boycott evaluation as their demands including salary increment were not met; but the decision to temporarily withdraw the boycott was taken after Primary and Secondary Education Minister Tanveer Sait gave a written assurance that he would meet members of the association between April 13 and 20.

However, the association has said that if the demands were not met, they would resume their boycott.

Minister Tanveer Sait has said that the state government would soon decide on making recommendations to the seventh pay commission to resolve issues with regard to differences in the salary of lecturers.

(Agencies)

Jodhpur: A 27-year-old woman was allegedly set ablaze by a group of villagers led by the sarpanch after she objected to the widening of a road adjoining her agricultural field in Borunda near here.

Police said the incident took place Saturday evening and the woman died at a hospital yesterday, after which her brother filed a complaint with police against the sarpanch of the village and nine others.

Additional Superintendent of Police (Jodhpur Rural) Narpat Singh Rathore said the villagers told police that when the road widening work was going on, the woman appeared with a can of kerosene, spread it on herself and set herself ablaze.

“We are investigating the matter,” he said.

On Saturday, the work on widening of the road in her area was taking place in the presence of officials and villagers.

The woman objected to felling of trees and widening of the road.

Her brother was also present at the spot.

She was rushed to a hospital from where she was referred to the government hospital in Jodhpur.

She succumbed to her burn injuries in Jodhpur yesterday.

“Considering the sensitivity of the matter, we have registered the complaint and have initiated an investigation,” Rathore said.

(Agencies)

Dubai/Islamabad: Mohammad Riaz, the father of Mohammad Farhan, appeared in the Al Ain appeals court on March 22 and submitted a letter of consent to pardon the accused Indians, a senior Indian Embassy official told Gulf News yesterday. Image for representation

Ten Indian youths in the UAE may escape the noose for murdering a Pakistani man in 2015 after the victim’s family accepted bloodmoney amounting to 200,000 dirhams and agreed to pardon the convicts, according to media reports.

Mohammad Riaz, the father of Mohammad Farhan, appeared in the Al Ain appeals court on March 22 and submitted a letter of consent to pardon the accused Indians, a senior Indian Embassy official told Gulf News yesterday.

“It was unfortunate that I lost my son. I appeal the young generation not to indulge in such fights. I have forgiven these 10 individuals. In fact, Allah has saved their lives. Lives of at least 10 people, including a wife and children, hinge [financially] on one person [who comes to work in the UAE],” Riaz said.

On behalf of the accused, an Indian charity organisation deposited the blood money in the court and the case has been adjourned for further hearing on April 12, said Dinesh Kumar, Counsellor, Community Affairs at the Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi.

“It is expected that the court may commute the death sentence,” Kumar said. On December 8, 2016, the murder allegedly occurred during a brawl over bootlegging in Al Ain in December 2015. Eleven men from Punjab were convicted in the case but one was spared the death sentence.
S P S Oberoi, Chairman of Sarbat Da Bhala Charitable Trust that donated blood money for the accused men, said it was a tough task to obtain pardon from the Pakistani family.

Oberoi, a Dubai-based businessman, said Riaz had been invited from Pakistan three days ago, with all arrangements, including a visa and accommodation being made by his trust.

“We somehow made him agree…and as per the Sharia law, have submitted Dhs 200,000 as blood money in the court,” Oberoi said. He said his Pakistani manager traveled to Peshawar and talked to the family and their relatives to secure the pardon.

All the convicted young Indian men are from poor families and worked in Al Ain as plumbers, electricians, carpenters and masons. Most of them in their twenties had paid huge sums to recruitment agents in India to secure a visa to reach the UAE.

(PTI)

Lucknow/New Delhi: Meat sellers across Uttar Pradesh go on an indefinite strike from today against the crackdown on illegal and mechanised slaughterhouses.

Fish vendors were also claimed to have resolved to join the stir which has seen non-vegetarian delicacies go off the menu in several parts of the state.

“We have decided to intensify our strike. All shops will remain closed. Fish sellers too have joined us and are extending support to us,” Lucknow Bakra Gosht Vypar Mandal office bearer Mubeen Qureshi said.

He said, in the wake of the crackdown, there was no question of the strike being called off anytime soon. “It will go on indefinitely,” he said.

Due to the strike, non-vegetarian food outlets, including the famous Tunday and Rahim’s have shifted to mutton and chicken dishes after buffalo meat became scarce. “The meat sellers are piqued over the crackdown on slaughter houses which has adversely hit the livelihood of lakhs of people,” Qureshi said.

After coming to power, the Yogi Adityanath government has ordered closure of illegal slaughterhouses and strict enforcement of the ban on cow smuggling to fulfil a key electoral promise.

As the mouth-watering kebabs went off the platter, the owner of another famous eatery said the situation might force the hoteliers to get mutton from Delhi. “But there will be no compromise on the quality of the food,” he said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

At the same time, he supported the closure of illegal and mechanised slaughter houses in the state, saying it was difficult for a common man to pass through a locality where the slaughter houses were operating almost openly.

He also alleged that the illegal abattoirs even indulged in slaughtering dogs.

Replying to a question, he said, “This is not a religious issue. In fact, it is directly linked to the health of people, who have the right to good quality of meat and fish.”

Meanwhile, BJP national spokesman Sambit Patra said in Delhi that the government was only following a court order as illegal abattoirs were contributing to UP’s ill health by getting ground water polluted.

He claimed those running meat outlets legally and in accordance with norms were not being victimised. “There has been a court order about illegal abattoirs which was not implemented by the previous government. The state’s Chief Secretary has constituted committees in each district headed by the Collector and comprising ten people each. The committee is visiting every slaughterhouse to see if they are being run legally and submitting a report every day,” he said.

About loss of livelihood and lack of meat in the market, Patra said,” If there is large-scale disruption, the state government will look at it and resolve the issue.

Senior UP Congress leader Akhilesh Pratap Singh said only small meat vendors were being targeted during the drive.

“How is it that the small shops are getting closed and meat exports are going up. The government should have made people aware of the laws and rules before launching the drive,” he said.

On Saturday, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had said abattoirs operating legally will not be touched but action will be taken against those run illegally.

“The government will not touch those (abattoirs) which are operating as per the provisions of law and have a valid licence. But those that are violating the orders of the NGT and playing with the health of the public would not be spared…,” he had said.

(PTI)