A victim of trafficking

yet another girl....a victim of trafficking...rescued in delhi but no one to help her. despite the govt constantly amending laws to prevent trafficking of women and children.....t is largely because the police does not react on time...that thousands of these trafficking victims are lost in the population

((vt))

((shots of maneshwari))

Alone... and terrified...

No one to turn to... no one who can understand her

Thats the plight of this young woman...

The 22 year old was brought to Delhi on Monday...along with 2 other women....on the pretext of a job offer...

She soon figured out the job was a sham and she was about to be sold

She ran away... at the first chance.

But soon found herself lost... on the streets of an unsafe city.....speaking a language that many don't understand

Finally... someone brought her to assam bhawan.

Delhi police were alerted but they refused to touch the case....saying it was for the assam police to act.

Assam bhawan officials...wanting to get rid of her...gave her some money and asked her to take the next train...

until the national commission for women stepped in.

((shots of NCW commission shouting at police and bhawan officials))

((bite: Manju Hembrom, NCW))

"had the admin and police not caused so much of delay we would have been able to rescue the other two girls as well...these are things that states like jharkhand chhattisgarh and assam need to keep in mind."

The commission has now decided to file a complaint against the errant officials... and have ordered a woman constable to be with her till she is escorted back home in Assam.

((breathe NCW yelling...i want a letter from their parents saying the girl has reached home))

She is safe..for now....But the lack of response from the officials...may have ruined the chances of rescuing the two women with whom she began her journey

manu sharma sachdev... ndtv

MANEKA MAN IN MEAT SCAM

Former Union Minister and environmentalist Maneka Gandhi's close aquittance in Mumbai has been accused of extorting money from meat transporters... traders say they have proof... a conversation recorded with the man.. demanding money for letting trucks through city check posts ...though both Gandhi and her acquantaince deny the charges...

vo ((photographs of Maneka and Gathani in a public function))

This is an acquaintance .....that has made animal welfare activist and environmentalist....Maneka Gandhi .....slightly unpopular....

Bhavin Gathani.....who claims to be Gandhi's personal secretary....has been accused of collecting extortion money for slaughtering animals.... instead of saving them......

((cutaways of butchers and shots of letter))

The butchers allege that Gandhi has written several letters ....in Gathani's favour to the city police....seeking his cooperation to stop cruelty to animals.....

But Gathani allagedly misuses this support.....

I started driving since last two months. He was after me all the time to pay his hafta but I told him I cannot afford as there not much income in this business. He told me that if you wont pay I will get u arrested and finally he did that when i refused to pay him. Now hes telling me that i wont be able to do the business even if my vehicle is released by the police.

vo3

Most transporters....do not obtain all the licences required.....for transporting animals....

And Gathani....as a member of an animal welfare group....has the authority to stop trucks and

report the offenders to the police.......which he does not do .....in exchange for a large fee....

The transporters .....even recorded a telephone chat with Gathani.....to teach him a lesson....

((gfx//Transcripts))

Gathani: You have paid Rs 15,000 for one vehicle this month

Abdul Tahir: It is not 15,000, it's 25,000. I even have a written record for that. Please cooperate with me, since there is not much income in bringing buffaloes.

Gathani: Who is asking you to get buffaloes? Even I can't affort to get paid Rs 15,000. Pay me Rs 25,000 and import an ox, your margin will also be high.

Tahir: I don't want to deal in buffaloes since it's risky.

I was tired of his harrassment from last two to three months. I thught to give up the business and sold one vehicle. I have one more but am planning to sell that too. ((patch)) He takes away more than our income. Sometimes he threatens us with his contacts with Manka Gandhi... some times with his police contacts. Finally I thought to teach him a lesson....

PTC Bhupen

Some butchers allege that....they pay 12000 to 25000 rupees per month.....

On an average ....they can bring around 6 buffallos and ox in truck....with proper medical certificates of the animals....

They allege that the police are often misguided by these activists ....who intercepts the truck carrying even less than six buffallos....

If their goods are stationed at the police station ... they end up paying double the amount ....

So they choose the easier option .....of paying Gathani....

((gfx in))

But Maneka Gandhi.....told NDTV....that Gathani had booked many butchers for cruelty to animals....and that she had always supported him whenever he was in trouble with the police....she also said that she had asked the police to help him whenever possible

HEADER: MANEKA DEFENDS BHAVIN

// Bhavin has booked a number of butchers for cruelty to animals

// He has been hit with controversies in every case

// Whenever he faced problems with the police, I supported him

// I called the police and asked them to assist in every possible way

((gfx out))

Every month we intercept around 4 to 5 vehicles. There is beef, pork stuffed into vehicle and many times there are sheep and goats also. If we intercept the truck the butchers are at loss They come to us to offer bribes. They say that we give it to the police, then why not to you.

Bhupen Patel, from mumbai

save 12 year old

have great shots of the basti..the narrow lanes..and their one room "home" ..the crowded area ..harish's pics when he was 6..bday..etc ..the medical reports etc and harish lying down in his mothers lap..

VT

In these bylanes of Pillanji village in south delhi.....a 12 year old child struggles for life... Confined to his bed for nearly a year...Harish's cries of pain can be heard far away from the madding crowd ...

He has a rare medical condition.. aplastic anaemia.. His body cant produce blood cells .. so his haemoglobin is nearly negligible..

Harish is weak ... pale and cannot breathe properly .. oxygen runs low in his body... His platelet count is zero...so his blood cannot clot...

Life has lost its colour ......and the world has slowly faded to black ....Harish cannot see

Lalita Bisht, HARISH'S MOTHER : about the symptoms ..how he has fever..starts bleeding ...unbearable pain in his ears ..

For the past 9 months ...harish has been admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences..once a week..for blood transfusions

Anil..his father works sells second hand clothes and his mother..Lalita works as domestic help ..

From their land in Uttaranchal to their savings ...harish's parents have exhausted all their funds..Today .. neck deep in debt...they cannot afford even that drop of blood that will infuse life into their child

Anil Kumar Bisht ,HARISH'S FATHER: about how there is no option..dont have money...what will life be without their child..

VO

The only "cure" for aplastic anaemia is a bone marrow transplant ....which costs 10 lakh rupees...The patient also needs a sibling for a suitable match...Harish's sister Poonam is just 4 years old

The Other option is a treatment that suppresses the immune system allowing the bone marrow to recover. ..but the success rate is just 50 percent and the cost ..2 lakhs...

Desperate ....Anil has written to the health ministry for help..but he is still waiting for a reply

PTC : Time is running out for 12 year old Harish here...He has already lost his sight to aplastic anaemia and with no help at hand the situtaion is bound to get worse ..Unable to afford his treatment ..his parents say that they can only hope and pray to see their son back on his feet again..but more than any prayer its money that could save his life.

In new Delhi... Priyanka Pruthi for NDTV

Obama apologises

Sen. Barack Obama has come forward to say that it was a mistake for his presidential campaign to issue documents that raise questions about Sen. Hillary Clinton's ties to India and Indian Americans. Obama has now issued a personal apology to Indian supporters.

VT
(Barack campaigning shots)
With his ratings in opinion polls rising day by day it seemed like Senator Barack Obama could do no wrong.

Until now.

In the face of mounting criticism from Indian Americans to a memo circulated by his campaign office that links rival Hillary Clinton's alleged support for outsourcing to the campaign funding she has received from the community, the Presidential hopeful has swung into damage control mode.

QUOTE GFX IN:
The senator issued a statement saying
“Our campaign made a mistake. Although I was not aware of the contents of the memo prior to its distribution, I consider the entire campaign – and in particular myself – responsible for the mistake. We have taken appropriate action to prevent errors like this from happening in the future.”

But some damage has already been done.

(TAKE SAFO SHOTS FROM MY STORY April 14:Indian Americans gear up for polls. Shots of dinner and drinking) Last month, spirits were high at the launch of the South Asians for Obama NY chapter. Today, the mood amongst the organizers was markedly different

BITE: Udai Tambar- Co founder, South Asians for Obama (SAFO) “I am so disappointed and shocked that some one would write something like that and he is affiliated with a candidate that we know can do much better than that”

((Obama shots))
As the son of a Kenyan immigrant, Obama has run his campaign portraying himself as a representative of immigrant communities of all origins, including Indian Americans. As the only African American member of the U.S. Senate, and the first African American presidential candidate with a serious chance of winning He is also considered a role model for minorities in American politics.

But this latest incident could be a costly “mistake”.

BITE: Rahul Manchanda, United States India Political Action Committee “As we saw with George Allen an apology is not enough. If you are running for the office of the president of the United States then every word you say is on the record and you should be aware of that. The reality is that there are no second chances if you are going to disparage an entire race and community of people you should be held accountable for that”

((Indian americans shots))
Whether the apology will be accepted by the Indian American community is uncertain but the quick response of Indian American lobby groups to the Obama campaign memo and the Senator’s prompt personal apology is perhaps testimony that the support of America’s wealthiest community cannot be taken for granted any more.

SARAH JACOB

Tripura flash floods

While parts of India have just started enjoying the monsoon , Tripura has already been hit by its fury...thousands of people are homeless...its an annual phenomenon...we have a spl report from the flood hit interior areas...

VO 1

A trail of destruction left behind by a cyclone on National Highway No. 44.... that connects Assam to Tripura...

(breathe shots of destruction)

Other parts of Tripura are cut off either due to landslides or flash floods...

With great difficulty we reached Teliamura.... where several houses have been swept away... More than 500 families have moved to a temporary shelter....

Vox Pop: Sheuli Bhowmik Flood victim in the vernacular

"Three houses on this side, two here and two there are all swept off..."

VO 2

The rain has subsided... the wind has lost its speed... but over 3000 families have been affected across the state...

As per initial reports... 2 persons have died... The government has declared an alert...

This man lost his home... but is grateful that his family is safe...

Vox Pop: Amrit Das Flood Victim in the vernacular

"All gone somehow saved my god hope he saves us now"

VO 3

Over 550 mm of rainfall has been recorded in the last three days.... Four districts have been badly hit.... 5 rivers are still swollen....

Many villages along the Bangladesh border in Bishalgarh have been innundated...

VoxPop: Farmer in the vernacular

"All crop gone...we had taken loans from moneylenders ..we are the worst sufferers"

Wiith Dipankar Sengupta in Teliamura, Kalyanpur and Khowai in ghy Kishalay Bhattacharjee for ndtv