Police stations on high alert
Members of India’s security forces are on high alert across the country after the fatal shootings at a police station in New Delhi in the western state of Punjab. In addition to the fatalities reported it is now being reported that eight injured being treated in area hospitals. Security establishments around the country are concerned that the gunman was able to gain access to the police station and hold off security and military personnel for over 11 hours before the siege could be brought to a close. A junior minister expresses the government’s concern based not only on this event but also in response to intelligence received from across India’s borders.
There have been earlier reports of Pakistan infiltration and cross-border mischief in this area.
Wall of Shame to stop outside defecation
West Bengal’s Nadia district uses a ‘wall of shame’ to stop villagers from attending nature’s call in the open fields. Names and photographs of those who defecate in the open are pasted on a village wall. The district, which has a population of 5.2 million, strives to achieve the target of 100 per cent open defecation-free status by 2019.
This is being done to attach a sense of stigma and shame for those defecating in the open. We have constructed around 95 per cent toilets so far but this is not enough as people who have been going out in the open (to defecate) since generations cannot be expected to use toilets suddenly. Once they start using toilets their names would be restored.