Delhi Underground: No magic stick

Where is the news?
Last week, the Indian Society of Clinical Research called a press conference at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) on the subject of clinical trials. But this is what the journalists attending it took away with them: Confusion and no news. A senior doctor from a leading private hospital tried explaining why sponsors of a trial he was a part of withdrew after uncertainty in government policies, but he was interrupted by an AIIMS professor, who said such sponsors should not be allowed in India.When the former tried to complete his point, the latter again stopped him, saying he “would not allow such a discussion”.
Again, when the doctor from the private hospital, in response to a question, said investigators felt uneasy with the stringent rules which was discouraging trials, the professor interrupted him yet again.There was more.A patient and two relatives of patients, who were to take part in trials or were part of trials that were stopped, were asked to “speak briefly” and “hurry up”. At the end of the conference, an AIIMS professor said for “these success stories, there are hundreds who face problems due to trials”. Finally, when journalists asked the reason for calling the conference, two of the experts said it was “just a gathering, this was never a conference” and “there is no news”.

An oversight?
Delhi University’s decision to form a committee to look into the implementation of the Choice Based Credit System (CBCS) just a day before the beginning of the academic session has not gone down well with teachers, who said the name of the committee should be changed from CBCS Oversight Committee to CBCS Overnight Committee.

Plant selfies
Inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “#SelfieWithDaughter” campaign, a group from DU undertook a “SelfieWithPlant” campaign and planted 100 saplings in Kamla Nagar, north Delhi. It said the initiative was to promote afforestation.

Late & happy
Arriving late on the first day of college proved lucky for some students, who were greeted by celebrities, among them MTV Roadies host Raghu Ram, at the gates. “Here I was, cursing myself for getting late on the first day of college, when guess who walks towards me, shakes my hand and says, ‘Welcome to DU’. None other than Raghu Ram. I was as surprised as happy for getting late. If the first day of college was like this, I’m pretty sure the three years will be a great roller-coaster ride,” exclaimed a student.

Ad war
In the ad war being waged by the AAP government in the capital, most amused are those who are part of the government. An official pointed out that as the government came out with ads on Meenakshi, the woman who was murdered in Anand Parbat, the Delhi Police, which has come under criticism for not being able to safeguard women, launched ads on the Himmat app that alerts police when a woman is in danger.Likewise, the official said, the moment the government faces charges of creating an unnecessary controversy, it comes out with ads on its “achievements”.