SCAM/CORRUPTION – 2010 - Indian Social Institute

Rickshawpuller burned to death for alleged theft
MUZAFFARPUR: Rambhajan Prasad, a rickshaw-puller, was burned to death at Aghoriya Bazar on
Kalambag Road here on Tuesday on charge of stealing a loud speaker from a junk yard. Although the
owner of the scrap yard, Dharmendra Singh, claimed before police that Rambhajan committed suicide
after being caught red-handed stealing the loud speaker early morning, the victim's seven-year-old son,
Jassu Kumar, told the media that his father was burned alive by four persons from the junk yard. Jassu
said the four men put his father into a gunny bag and set him on fire. While, the incident of theft was
reported at about 4 am, Ram was burnt at around 7 am. On the other hand, a labourer working in the junk
yard claimed that Rambhajan set himself on fire after inserting his face inside the gunny bag under the
influence of liquor he had consumed after being caught stealing. A severely burned Rambhajan was
shifted to S K Medical College Hospital by the yard owner himself. He died in course of treatment. His
wife, Kanti Devi and two other children, were at their village and rushed to the hospital after hearing the
news. Rambhajan's wife also has alleged that her husband was burnt to death. She stunchly denied that
he committed suicide. Kazimohammadpur police recovered the half-burned gunny bag from the street
and put it inside the room where Rambhajan lived with one of his sons. (TOI, 1/9/2010)
Haridwar Roadways employee dies in police custody
An employee of Haridwar Roadways workshop died in the custody of police on Saturday night. He was
taken into custody for questioning in connection to Rs 9.62 lakh theft which was committed in Haridwar
Roadways workshop on August 27. The family of the deceased alleged that the police had kept him in
illegal detention for five days, and in the police station they had given him third degree treatment, which
led to his death. The deceased Rajendra Singh Arora (50) was admitted in the district hospital on
Saturday night by the police. But after half an hour doctors declared him dead. On the incident, Senior
Superintendent of Police, Haridwar Sanjay Gunjyal said he had complained of sever chest pain after
which he was rushed to the hospital and he died during treatment. The SSP, however, have no answer to
his prolonged illegal detention of the deceased. Meanwhile, taking a serious note on the issue, Director
General of Police (DGP) Jyoti Swaroop Pandey initiated a CBCID inquiry. He said case of murder has
been lodged against the police personnel involved in interrogation of the deceased along with a senior
officer of the Haridwar Roadways against whom the family of the deceased has lodged complaint. DGP
said irrespective of case is being worked out or not, the police have to honour the human rights. A serious
note of this incident has been taken into the incident, he added. The post-mortem report is inconclusive
about the cause of death. It says that the deceased have congested heart valves. There was no internal
or external injury mark on the body, report says. Daughter of the deceased, Pooja Arora told
mediapersons that the police had picked his father from home on August 30 on the pretext of questioning
regarding a theft in the workshop. The police repeatedly told her that her father will be released soon. But
the police, however, did not allow him to go him even after four-days of custody and has detained her son
Mithun Arora too on September 3 and thereafter subjected both of them to third degree torture, she
added. She further said the policemen and senior officers of roadways who are responsible should be
terminated from service. It is pertinent to mention that the deceased was detained by the police after
some of the senior officers of the workshop had raised suspicion that he might be behind the theft of
Rs9.62 lakh occurred in the railway workshop about a week ago. Following the theft, police too had raised
suspicion that some one among the workshop employees is behind the theft. (Pioneer, 6/9/2010)
Irregularities in Govt schemes affect health of schoolchildren
In spite of the high rate of literacy, rich natural resources and several Union and State Government health
schemes, the majority of school children in Uttarakhand are found to be malnourished. The sole reason
behind is stated to be rampant corruption in execution of these schemes. According to a survey
undertaken by the Health Department, about 75 per cent of girls studying in schools of Uttarakhand are
suffering from anemia. Recently, a team from the Health Department visited schools and examined the
health of students. The team found that majority of the school children are suffering from malnutrition. The
malnutrition has negatively affected the immunity level of the school children due to which the students,
especially the girls are suffering from more serious ailments in comparison to the boys. The parents of
such students have been advised to provide wholesome food to their children to redress the malnutrition.
The Union Government had started the Mid-day Meal scheme in Government primary schools under
which wholesome meals are provided to school children. However, recently the anomalies exposed in the
execution of the Mid-day Meal in Uttarakhand have substantiated allegations to the effect that the scheme
has failed to prevent children from being hit by malnutrition. As the food being provided to school children
under this scheme has been of inferior quality, they are suffering from malnutrition in spite of eating meals
in school. Sources state that in schools where the Mid-day Meal scheme is being executed, the food
served is not fit to eat as a result of which it is having no nutritional benefit for the children. In spite of the