AAP workers stage protest outside Kejriwal’s residence
New Delhi: A group of disgruntled AAP party workers staged a protest outside Arvind Kejriwal’s residence at Tilak Lane here on Sunday. “We wanted to meet Arvind Kejriwal, but were not allowed to do so, which is why we protested. We are not satisfied with the way tickets are being distributed in the party. When the party talks about swaraj, it doesn’t implement the same in its party” said Ashwini Upadhyay, a member of AAP’s National Council. “When you talk about swaraj, you dont implement the same in the party. Four to five people are running the show, so where is swaraj in the party? We wanted to keep all these issues before Arvind (Kejriwal),” Upadhyay, who held a protest along with 10-15 AAP workers, said. He also took a jibe at party’s Chandi Chowk candidate Ashutosh and East Delhi candidate Rajmohan Gandhi for “parachuting” in these constituencies. He said there should have been a cooling period for new candidates of at least six months before they were given party tickets. (PTI)
UP CM suspends 3 excise officials
Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday suspended three excise department officers for alleged financial irregularities. The then District excise officer (DEO), Kanpur, Vinod Kumar, DEO, Agra, SP Singh and DEO, Kanpur, Mubarak Ali have been placed under suspension, official sources said. The officers have been accused of financial irregularities and preparing fake data for beer sale to the department, they said. A departmental probe has also been ordered against these officers, the sources said. (PTI)
NHRC asks UP govt to pay Rs 5L to families of shooting victims
New Delhi: NHRC has directed Uttar Pradesh government to pay a compensation of Rs 5 lakh each to the families of two children killed during a celebratory firing by a man using the service revolver of an SHO during a wedding function in Muzaffarnagar district. Two children – Shivam and Affaque, both 10 years of age – were killed in the incident in February 2010 when the accused allegedly used a service revolver of an SHO, who was also present in the ceremony. Acting on a complaint, the National Human Rights Commission, in a letter to the Chief Secretary, UP Government, said the victims’ families should be paid a monetary relief of Rs 5 lakh. The NHRC had earlier in 2012 served a notice to the state government asking it to answer why it had not granted financial compensation to the families of the victim. It had also rejected the response filed by the chief secretary in this regard and recently ordered the government to pay the monetary relief to the next of the kin of the deceased. The commission has also ordered the government to submit a proof of payment within 6 weeks. (PTI)
Kejriwal says he doen’t require any kind of security
New Delhi: AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday rubbished reports that he had accepted ‘Z’ plus security and stated that he doesn’t require any kind of security. “Some media say I have ‘accepted’ security. This is completely false.I wud urge them to show me the letter of acceptance.I have given to them in writing so many times that I don’t need any security,” Kejriwal tweeted, reacting to the media reports that he had been provided with ‘Z’ plus security. “I have always maintained that God is my biggest security. Whenever govt offered any security, I strongly opposed it,” he said. The AAP leader said that a section of the media was running a “mischievous campaign and false stories against him.” Kejriwal has consistently refused to take security cover, from both the Delhi and Ghaziabad police. (PTI)
Poll booths in Cuttack to be disable-friendly
Cuttack: In a bid to make polling booths “disabled-friendly” Cuttack district administration has decided to put all facilities in place at booths to enable physically challenged people to cast their vote in the ensuing twin polls on April 17. In a review meeting here, district collector Girish S N instructed the block development officers (BDOs) to ensure that database of all physically challenged voters of their respective blocks was prepared immediately, official sources said today. The Collector instructed that all 2,171 booths of the district would have ramps and wheel-chairs to facilitate the movement of physically challenged voters, they said. Sign-language experts would be appointed at the polling booths to help the hearing impaired voters to understand the process of voting. Similarly, the visually challenged voters would be assisted with Braille ballot papers, the sources added. (PTI)