Convict in 1984 anti-Sikh riots assaulted by BJP MLA on court premises
New Delhi, Nov 15: One of the convicts in a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case was Thursday assaulted by BJP MLA Manjinder Singh Sirsa in Patiala House Courts moments after a court reserved its order on the quantum of punishment to be awarded to two persons for killing two men.
The convicts were being taken by policemen to the lock up on the premises where Tihar or other jail inmates are kept when they are brought for court hearings.
Sirsa and his supporters, who claimed to have come in the solidarity with the victims of the riots and their families, had gathered around the courtroom and while both the convicts -- Naresh Sherawat and Yashpal Singh -- were taken out after the court hearing, the BJP leader barged into the police ring around the duo and slapped Yashpal.
The police personnel were quick to separate the convicts from Sirsa and his supporters. However, both the sides hurled abuses at each other.
Thereafter, more police personnel were called in and the convicts were taken to the lock up in their presence.
Sirsa filed a complaint at the Tilak Marg police station alleging some "unknown persons(hooligans) abused" Sikhs and threatened him.
"It's been 34 years. Sikhs await justice. Goons of @INCIndia rub salts on our injuries and threaten us of repeating #1984SikhGenocide. We will not tolerate injustice anymore. I have filed a criminal complaint against the goon elements present in Delhi Patiala Court today(sic)," he tweeted later.
Senior advocate H S Phoolka, who appeared for the victims, condemned the incident, saying "these kinds of incidents are likely to adversely affect the case of the victim. Everyone should control their emotions and maintain peace within the court premises".
Both the convicts were taken into the custody on Wednesday after the Additional Sessions Judge Ajay Pandey held them guilty of killing Hardev Singh and Avtar Singh in Mahipalpur area of South Delhi during the riots.
The court Thursday heard the arguments on the quantum of the punishment for both the convicts and reserved its order for November 20.
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Maharashtra sets up state vaccination task force to strengthen immunisation programme
Mumbai (PTI): The Maharashtra government has set up a State Vaccination Task Force to strengthen the regular immunisation programme and review the progress of related campaigns, a health department official said on Monday.
The State Vaccination Task Force will comprise at least 29 members and will be headed by the administrative head of the health department, he informed.
The government has also constituted separate district-level and municipal vaccination task forces to improve implementation and address challenges at the grassroots level, he said.
Municipal task forces, chaired by respective civic commissioners, have been constituted in view of the vast urban population in Maharashtra and the role of civic bodies in implementing different health programmes.
The district-level task forces will function under the chairmanship of collectors.
"Complete immunisation of children at the appropriate age is an extremely simple, cost-effective and highly effective measure to reduce child mortality and the prevalence of diseases among kids. Immunisation is a powerful tool for reducing illness in children," maintained the official.
To ensure full vaccination of all children, the state government implements various campaigns from time to time as per the central government guidelines, he pointed out.
"Active participation and cooperation of other relevant government departments are essential (in making these campaigns successful)," according to the official.
The state-level body will review the regular immunisation programme, associated campaigns and vaccine-preventable diseases in detail. It will also conduct focused assessments of high-risk districts and municipal corporations, including vacancies at district, municipal and sub-district levels, availability of cold chain equipment, resource gaps and training requirements, he noted.
The state task force will review allocation and utilisation of funds for immunisation and ensure timely action by officers concerned based on reports from district and municipal task forces and state-level monitoring mechanisms, the official said.
It will also ensure active coordination and participation of other government departments in immunisation drives, while district and municipal task forces will carry out similar functions at their respective levels, the official added.
