Wrongfully held, diplomat's daughter sues NY for $1.5m May 07, 2011 05:45
NEW YORK/NEW DELHI: The Indian government on Wednesday came out in full support of 18-year-old Krittika Biswas, daughter of an Indian diplomat, after she sued the New York City government for $1.5 million for being arrested on false charges, handcuffed and confined with criminals. Krittika's harrowing experience began after she was accused of sending anti-semitic emails to her school teachers sometime in December 2010 — a charge that she repeatedly denied. She was arrested on February 8 and kept in jail for 24 hours before the Indian consulate and the embassy in Washington swung into action to secure her release from prison. Thereafter, despite the Queens district attorney dropping the charges and expunging her arrest from the record, school officials sent Krittika to a suspension centre. There, Krittika told Times Now, she was treated like a criminal and forced to spend time with "HIV patients and sex workers". Her arrest and confinement have raised questions of racial bias in the New York Police as well as the school authorities. The teenager told Times Now that when she told the cops to contact the Indian consulate, they asked her, "Are you a diplomat?" On Wednesday, lawyer Ravi Batra said Krittika, whose father Debashish Biswas is vice counsel at the Indian consulate here, has sued the New York City government claiming $1.5 million in damages. Indian consulate general Prabhu Dayal said Krittika deserved the compensation from the US government as "she has undergone mental and physical torture. This has scarred her mind for the rest of her life." Official sources in the Ministry of External Affairs told TOI, "We have taken this issue up with the US government. We have conveyed our anguish at the incident." They even said that the school's decision to not charge the real culprit, an "Asian" boy, spoke volumes of their "double standards". She alleged that she was not allowed to use the bathroom when she was in custody at the 107th precinct. "Eventually, I had to go in front of everyone," she said, referring to a small toilet in the cell occupied by other people.s Batra said that her more than 24-hour arrest violated international, federal, state and city laws. Batra said neither Krittika's father nor the consulate general were informed of her arrest on February 8. "They (the school) based my arrest on basically nothing," Krittika said, adding that the school did not suspend the Chinese student who sent the emails. "I don't know why he wasn't arrested... the principal pushed for my arrest." She said a cop told her that if she didn't confess, she would have to spend time in prison with prostitutes and people with HIV. She couldn't drink water from a water fountain because it had another person's vomit, and although it was really cold, she could not use the blanket because it stank. The New York Police Department is not responding to calls and an email seeking a response. Dayal later said that the incident would have no bearing on Indo-US relations. "This is an aberration... a wrongful act of local officials," he said. In addition to compensatory and punitive damages, Batra suggested that Mayor Bloomberg could perhaps give "a key to the City to Krittika as a token of heartfelt sorrow for the unbecoming pain inflicted upon her."
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Indian-origin student drowns in Canada May 07, 2011 05:45
Recalling their ordeal after their boat capsized, one of the survivors told the paper, "We were all struggling. The water was freezing. The canoe tipped over and I knew if we didn't call someone it would have been over for all of us." The survivor said he and Srinivasan tried to save their third friend who was struggling to stay afloat despite being the only one wearing a life jacket. He said that between shouts for help, he and Srinivasan took turns to prop up their sinking friend. But by the time neighbours in nearby cottages arrived in motorboats to save them, Srinivasan drowned. Gunjan Gite, Srinivasan's girlfriend of four years, told the newspaper that he was "completely selfless. His personality just shines out. You meet him once and you feel like you can open up to him... He cares so much for everyone around him". Recalling their ordeal after their boat capsized, one of the survivors told the paper, "We were all struggling. The water was freezing. The canoe tipped over and I knew if we didn't call someone it would have been over for all of us." The survivor said he and Srinivasan tried to save their third friend who was struggling to stay afloat despite being the only one wearing a life jacket. He said that between shouts for help, he and Srinivasan took turns to prop up their sinking friend. But by the time neighbours in nearby cottages arrived in motorboats to save them, Srinivasan drowned. Gunjan Gite, Srinivasan's girlfriend of four years, told the newspaper that he was "completely selfless. His personality just shines out. You meet him once and you feel like you can open up to him... He cares so much for everyone around him". - The University of Waterloo is a favourite institution with Indian students. Hyderabad-born Prem Watsa, who is known as the 'Canadian Warren Buffet', is the chancellor of the university.
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Wrongfully held, diplomat's daughter sues NY for $1.5m May 07, 2011 05:45
NEW YORK/NEW DELHI: The Indian government on Wednesday came out in full support of 18-year-old Krittika Biswas, daughter of an Indian diplomat, after she sued the New York City government for $1.5 million for being arrested on false charges, handcuffed and confined with criminals. Krittika's harrowing experience began after she was accused of sending anti-semitic emails to her school teachers sometime in December 2010 — a charge that she repeatedly denied. She was arrested on February 8 and kept in jail for 24 hours before the Indian consulate and the embassy in Washington swung into action to secure her release from prison. Thereafter, despite the Queens district attorney dropping the charges and expunging her arrest from the record, school officials sent Krittika to a suspension centre. There, Krittika told Times Now, she was treated like a criminal and forced to spend time with "HIV patients and sex workers". Her arrest and confinement have raised questions of racial bias in the New York Police as well as the school authorities. The teenager told Times Now that when she told the cops to contact the Indian consulate, they asked her, "Are you a diplomat?" On Wednesday, lawyer Ravi Batra said Krittika, whose father Debashish Biswas is vice counsel at the Indian consulate here, has sued the New York City government claiming $1.5 million in damages. Indian consulate general Prabhu Dayal said Krittika deserved the compensation from the US government as "she has undergone mental and physical torture. This has scarred her mind for the rest of her life." Official sources in the Ministry of External Affairs told TOI, "We have taken this issue up with the US government. We have conveyed our anguish at the incident." They even said that the school's decision to not charge the real culprit, an "Asian" boy, spoke volumes of their "double standards". She alleged that she was not allowed to use the bathroom when she was in custody at the 107th precinct. "Eventually, I had to go in front of everyone," she said, referring to a small toilet in the cell occupied by other people.s Batra said that her more than 24-hour arrest violated international, federal, state and city laws. Batra said neither Krittika's father nor the consulate general were informed of her arrest on February 8. "They (the school) based my arrest on basically nothing," Krittika said, adding that the school did not suspend the Chinese student who sent the emails. "I don't know why he wasn't arrested... the principal pushed for my arrest." She said a cop told her that if she didn't confess, she would have to spend time in prison with prostitutes and people with HIV. She couldn't drink water from a water fountain because it had another person's vomit, and although it was really cold, she could not use the blanket because it stank. The New York Police Department is not responding to calls and an email seeking a response. Dayal later said that the incident would have no bearing on Indo-US relations. "This is an aberration... a wrongful act of local officials," he said. In addition to compensatory and punitive damages, Batra suggested that Mayor Bloomberg could perhaps give "a key to the City to Krittika as a token of heartfelt sorrow for the unbecoming pain inflicted upon her."
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Indian-origin student drowns in Canada May 07, 2011 05:45
Recalling their ordeal after their boat capsized, one of the survivors told the paper, "We were all struggling. The water was freezing. The canoe tipped over and I knew if we didn't call someone it would have been over for all of us." The survivor said he and Srinivasan tried to save their third friend who was struggling to stay afloat despite being the only one wearing a life jacket. He said that between shouts for help, he and Srinivasan took turns to prop up their sinking friend. But by the time neighbours in nearby cottages arrived in motorboats to save them, Srinivasan drowned. Gunjan Gite, Srinivasan's girlfriend of four years, told the newspaper that he was "completely selfless. His personality just shines out. You meet him once and you feel like you can open up to him... He cares so much for everyone around him". Recalling their ordeal after their boat capsized, one of the survivors told the paper, "We were all struggling. The water was freezing. The canoe tipped over and I knew if we didn't call someone it would have been over for all of us." The survivor said he and Srinivasan tried to save their third friend who was struggling to stay afloat despite being the only one wearing a life jacket. He said that between shouts for help, he and Srinivasan took turns to prop up their sinking friend. But by the time neighbours in nearby cottages arrived in motorboats to save them, Srinivasan drowned. Gunjan Gite, Srinivasan's girlfriend of four years, told the newspaper that he was "completely selfless. His personality just shines out. You meet him once and you feel like you can open up to him... He cares so much for everyone around him". - The University of Waterloo is a favourite institution with Indian students. Hyderabad-born Prem Watsa, who is known as the 'Canadian Warren Buffet', is the chancellor of the university.
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Chota Rajan ordered Dey’s murder June 28, 2011 12:37
Mumbai police, after claiming to have cracked the murder case of senior crime reporter of the Mid-Day tabloid Mr Jyotirmoy Dey, said today that it was a contract killing and the murder was committed on the orders of the underworld don Chota Rajan.Mumbai Police Commissioner Arup Patnaik however could not disclose the motive behind the murder. “We have an inkling of the motive and we will reveal it after making sure through proper investigations,” he told media persons at his office in Mumbai.The hit men conducted recces at Dey’s office and at his residence in Powai before they put their plan into action. The recces were conducted by Rajan henchman and main shooter Rohit Thangappan alias Satish Kalia who shot Dey with a sophisticated, foreign made .32 bore revolver. Kalia and his six accomplices received Rs 5 lakh totally for eliminating the journalist, said the officer adding that the shooters came to know that they have killed a journalist only after the act. “On the instructions of Rajan, the killers left for several places across India and the first arrests were made in Tamil Nadu.The arrested were produced before the criminal court in Mumbai and the court ordered them to police custody till July 4 for further questioning.
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Rave mania, police arrest 200 boys, girls June 27, 2011 10:47
Raigad police in Maharashtra have raided a rave party last night and arrested 200 boys and girls for consuming narcotics and indulging in obscene dances and objectionable deeds. A senior police officer said that the arrested included Mr Anil Jadhav of the special cell dealing with drug trafficking.Most of those detained are in the age group of 20 to 25 and have been taken for medical examination, said the police. The raid was conducted on a tip off that a rave party was going on at the resort of the hotel Mount View at Karjat, 100 km off Raigad on Mumbai-Pune highway.The young boys and girls were caught red handed by the police on a day observed as the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.While the raiding teams arrested the participants in the rave party, the organizers absconded. Among the girls arrested, 59 girls are from very rich families. Police said they have seized contrabands like ganja, charas, cocaine besides articles used for consuming drugs and Rs 3.08 lakh in cash.
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Indian diplomat faces forced labour case June 21, 2011 10:26
A 45-year old former domestic help of Indian Consul General in New York Mr Prabhu Dayal has accused him of treating her like a slave and making sexual advances towards her when she worked in his house.In a labor suit filed before the US District Court for the Southern District of New York, Ms. Santosh Bhardwaj, mother of four children, charged that Dayal had forced her to work for longer hours daily at $ 300 for month and confiscated her passport. She also accused him of letting her sleep in a storage room and making sexual advances towards her.Prabhu Dayal however rejected the charge as complete nonsense and described her statement as sheer lie.Bhardwaj said the Dayals brought her to the US promising an hourly pay of $ 10 and also overtime pay whenever worked. “But I was paid less than $1 per hour and he also confiscated my passport,” she complained.Dayal clarified that the lady had absconded in January 2010 following denial of permission to her to work out side the consulate as there was no permission under the terms of the Visa. He also said she always slept in a fifth floor room of the consulate which is equipped with phone and TV.When asked about the allegations, an Embassy staff member said she was bluntly lying. “Dayals treated her like their family member and with respect,” he said.
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