Panic in area after girl's burning
DHARAMSALA, Oct 14 — An eerie silence has descended on Saplet a small village. Villagers talk in disbelief about the burning of a young Harijan girl. Mother of Sunita (18), saw her young daughter engulfed in flames, in the field, behind her house.

2 killed in accident
SUNDERNAGAR, Oct 14 — Two persons died on the spot and one was seriously injured when a truck carrying goats fell into a gorge early this morning.

Strong protest over selection process
SHIMLA, Oct 14 — The Himachal Pradesh State Union of Health and Family Welfare Department has strongly protested against the procedure adopted by the department for selecting candidates for the posts of consultant under the World Bank project on reproductive and child health.

Youths ransack liquor shop
SHIMLA, Oct 14 — In a bizarre incident over 10 youths ransacked and damaged a liquor shop in the crowded lower bazaar this afternoon.

BJP gets MC chief's post
DHARAMSALA, Oct 14 — The BJP today managed to score over its rival, the Congress, when Mr Kamal Kant Minocha of the party was installed as president of the Dharamsala Municipal Council.

Dhumal may expand Cabinet
From Rakesh Lohumi
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, Oct 14 — Disturbing signals from those in the BJP who were expecting ministerial berths and mounting pressure from the coalition partner, Himachal Vikas Congress, may force Mr P.K. Dhumal, Chief Minister, to undertake yet another expansion of his ministry.

While party legislators like Mr Ram Das Malangar, Mrs Sarveen Chaudhary and Mr Des Raj are up in arms against the leadership over the denial of a place in the ministry during the recent expansion, the HVC is peeved at the failure of the Chief Minister to take it into confidence while undertaking the exercise. The non-inclusion of its legislator, Mr Ram Lal Markanday, has made things worse.

The rank and file of the HVC had urged Mr Sukh Ram to take a tough stand on the issue and even consider withdrawing support to the government.

However, the issue was amicably settled following talks between Mr Dhumal and Mr Sukh Ram who met at Delhi last evening.

As the HVC had made inclusion of Mr Markanday a prestige issue, the success of the talks between the two leaders has given rise to speculations that the ministry may be expanded shortly.

Mr Dhumal is under pressure from his own legislators and supporters who have failed to find a berth in the ministry. Supporters of Mr Ram Das Malangarh has threatened to resign en masse if he is not inducted into the ministry, Mr Malangarh has also announced that if his supporters desire, he will quit his assembly seat. He has refused to accept the chairmanship of a board.

Another ministerial aspirant, Mrs Sarveen Chaudhary, who defeated the powerful Congress leader, Mr Vijay Mankotia, has also reportedly threatened to resign from the assembly. Efforts to persuade her to accept the chairmanship of the state’s Women Welfare Board has not yielded any results. She has been summoned to Delhi.

Mr Des Raj, who represents Gangath the constituency in Kangra district, is also unhappy over the denial of a berth in the Cabinet. With the crucial byelection to the Baijnath assembly seat only a month away, Mr Dhumal is not likely to take the developments lightly. He would like his party to contest the election unitedly. This could be achieved by redressing the grievances of the disgruntled legislators. Thus, he may not only have to induct two or three more ministers but also appoint a few legislators and important party leaders as chairpersons of various boards and corporations.

During the talks, Mr Sukh Ram and Mr Dhumal, coalition partners, decided to contest the Baijnath election jointly. This means that either the BJP or the HVC will field a candidate. The HVC, according to Mr Sukh Ram, has not yet given up its claim on the seat and will take a final decision on the issue at the party meeting. Mr Dhumal has assured the HVC chief that the party will be given due representation not only in the ministry but also in various boards and corporations and other official committees.

Panic in area after girl's burning
Tribune News Service

DHARAMSALA, Oct 14 — An eerie silence has descended on Saplet a small village. Villagers talk in disbelief about the burning of a young Harijan girl. Mother of Sunita (18), saw her young daughter engulfed in flames, in the field, behind her house. She tried to put off the flames. Other family members too reached there. Within hours, Sunita breathed her last, with 85 per cent burns, even before she could be taken to the hospital.

The girl in her statement before death, is learnt to have said that there were four men, in black, who pushed her into the burning stack of maize. The Superintendent of Police, Mr K.C. Sadyal, said that the police was probing all aspects of murder as well as suicide. No certain could not be said at this stage.

The remote village of Saplet, near Rakkad, under Dehra subdivision, has 20 houses, with an equal number of Scheduled Caste and Brahmin families. The Panchayat Pradhan of Kuna, Mrs Kashmiro Devi, and the Uppardhan, said that Sunita's family had no land dispute or any other enmity in the village. The girl had studied up to class VII and now had stopped going to school. People in Saplet and the adjoining area, expressed resentment over unruly behaviour of certain boys of the area. "There have been a number of incidents where these boys have misbehaved with the local girls or have been involved in acts of violence", said a village in hushed tone.

In fact a recent incident, which took place on October 7, when some of the local boys misbehaved with a young girl of the village is being linked with the murder of Sunita. "Since Sunita's brother, Joginder, intervened and later gave a statement before the police regarding this incident, the murder could have some connection with this particular incident", said another prominent villager on condition of anonymity. Other people present in Sunita is house also mentioned this particular incident.

The mother of the girl Seema, with whom those boys had misbehaved, disclosed that she had gone to the Jawalamukhi police station and a case had been registered in this regard. She too complained that it had become difficult for girls to move out as these anti social elements were misbehaving with them and threatening everyone. She said that a case had been registered under Section 354 of the IPC, and the police had visited the village in this connection.

A similar incident had taken place just 2 km away, three months back, when a Harijan woman Shakino Devi, had been burnt to death, till date the culprits have not been nabbed, leading to fear among the people. Sunita's death has added to fear among the people, who feel scared to go out in the evening alone. After the death of Sunita, women in the village do not go out alone even during day time to fetch grass, as a feeling of insecurity has gripped them. "We are all the more scared about the safety of our young daughters, who go to school, after crossing a lonely stretch to Kuna and Rakkad", commented another elderly woman.

People feel that the police has failed to check all these anti-social elements, who have now been emboldened to indulge in even bigger acts of violence. The demand of the local people for opening of a police chowki, at Rakkad, has not been taken seriously by anyone. The police station at Jawalamukhi is 25 km away, and there is little that the police can do.

With such acts like burning alive of young girls and women, which was unknown to the peaceful environs of Himachal, taking place here a sense of insecurity is growing among the people.

3 killed, 13 hurt as bus falls into gorge
From Our Correspondent

NURPUR, Oct 14 — Three passengers were killed and 13 injured seriously when a private bus fell into a 250-foot deep khud when the driver failed to negotiate a turn while giving pass to a truck coming from the opposite side near Sunahara village in Jawali subdivision yesterday afternoon.

According to Mr P.D. Chowdhary Subdivisional Magistrate, Jawali, the bus HP-38-3551 was on its way from Bhadukhar to Jassur on getting the information of mishap the police and civil administration rushed to the spot and undertook rescue and relief. Mr Rajan Sushant, who had been touring the Assembly constituency reached the accident spot. Two out of three deceased passengers had been identified as Milkhi Ram of Rey and Yaspal of Khunara the nearby villages. The seriously injured 13 passengers have been admitted in the Nurpur Civil Hospital and zonal hospital Dharamsala till late night.

Mr Rajan Sushant, State Revenue Minister who supervised the relief has granted Rs 10,000 to the next of kin of the deceased, Rs 5,000 to the seriously injured and Rs 1,000 to the passengers who received minor injuries.

Fire victims seek judicial probe
From Our Correspondent

CHAMBA, Oct 14 — Fire victims and local residents in a representation to the Chief Minister have sought a judicial inquiry instead of a magisterial inquiry in to the fire incident in Mohalla Chowgan of Chamba town on October 11.

Property worth crores of rupees was destroyed in the fourth such fire incident in the town.

Magisterial inquiries into the earlier fire incidents have not yielded any results. These did not critically examine the facts and failed to suggest remedies.

Fire victims told this correspondent that as the local authorities were themselves a party to the lapses the probe could not be impartial.

Residents have demanded that the fire fighting system must be streamlined as a single-line agency so that it could be held accountable.

Truck falls into gorge; 2 killed
From Our Correspondent

SUNDERNAGAR, Oct 14 — Two persons died on the spot and one was seriously injured when a truck carrying goats fell into a gorge early morning today.

According to the police the truck, which was coming from Bilaspur went off the road on the national highway about 14 km from here at Kangu village.

Owner of goats Ravinder Kumar of Suhra Muhalla and conductor of truck died on the spot. The driver has been referred to PGI, Chandigarh.

The police has registered a case and impounded the truck. Ten goats also died on the spot and 40 have been injured.

Strong protest over selection process
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, Oct 14 — The Himachal Pradesh State Union of Health and Family Welfare Department has strongly protested against the procedure adopted by the department for selecting candidates for the posts of consultant under the World Bank project on reproductive and child health.

The union alleged that the selection was being made to these highly paid posts purely on the basis of favouritism to oblige those who did not fulfil even the requisite qualification and experience. Some influential candidates even produced fake certificates of experience and qualification.

It warned that any deviation from the prescribed qualification approved by the Government of India would not only lead to unnecessary controversy but also affect the implementation of the project.

Youths ransack liquor shop
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, Oct 14 — In a bizarre incident over 10 youths ransacked and damaged a liquor shop in the crowded lower bazaar this afternoon.

They came in groups of three and four and assembled near the shop. Some of then entered the shop others started pelting stones and liquor bottles. Two persons, including a salesman, were injured in the attack. Besides damaging the shop they also took away some liquor bottles.

According to Mr A N Sharma, the Superintendent of Police, it was a planned attack to teach a lesson to the salesman with whom two of the boys had an altercation over the price of liquor yesterday.

BJP gets MC chief's post
Tribune News Service

DHARAMSALA, Oct 14 — The BJP today managed to score over its rival, the Congress, when Mr Kamal Kant Minocha of the party was installed as president of the Dharamsala Municipal Council.

Mr Nirmal Singh was elected vice president in elections which were held under the supervision of the ADM.

In the 11-member council, Mr Jagdish Pradhan, backed by the Congress, was president. However, some of the Congress councillors had turned against him and wanted fresh elections.