Sonia to visit Sonepat
CHANDIGARH, June 6 — The Congress President, Mrs Sonia Gandhi, will address a public meeting at Sonepat on June 26.

Woman, paramour kill husband
KAITHAL, June 6 — In an unusual incident a woman allegedly murdered her husband with the help of her paramour and buried the dead body in a pit in her house at Keorak village a few days ago.

Civic staff hold protest
YAMUNANAGAR, June 6 — Hundreds of employees of the Nagar Palika Karamchari Sangh, Haryana, today demonstrated here today in the home constituency of the Local Bodies Minister, Dr Kamla Verma.

Six booked in dowry case
FARIDABAD, June 6 — The police has registered a case against six persons, including three women, on charges of dowry death.

Oppn is feeling uneasy: Bansi
Power plant to be set up at Yamunanagar
From Our Correspondent

YAMUNANAGAR, June 6 — The Chief Minister, Mr Bansi Lal, today claimed that the opposition leaders in Haryana were feeling uneasy as the target date of June 30 for providing round-the-clock power supply throughout the state was approaching.

Addressing a public gathering at Devdhar village, 15 km from here, after laying the foundation stone for the Pathrala dam at Dadupur, he said there was no threat to his government but to the people as the Opposition did not want the dream of 24-hour power supply to be realised.

He claimed that all preparations to meet the target of uninterrupted power supply had been made and some parts of the state were already receiving electricity round-the-clock. He asked the people to lodge complaints in their respective police stations if they got inflated power bills. At the same time, he also urged the people to help the government in checking power thefts.

He suggested to the villagers to constitute societies for the distribution of power supply. For this, the government was ready to install a transformer and a collective meter outside every village but it would be the responsibility of the village society to ensure the payment of electricity bills.

The Chief Minister announced that a 500 mw super thermal power plant, costing Rs 2,500 crore, would be set up here. Tenders for the project were being finalised and construction would start by the year-end. Later, tenders for a power plant of similar capacity at Hisar would also be invited. The Hathnikund Barrage, costing Rs 219 crore, would start functioning by June 30.

In this district alone, a 66 kv substation was set up at Chandpur and the 66 kv Basantpur substation was augmented. A sum of Rs 48 crore would be spent on strengthening the power transmission system in this district during the next two years. He also announced that Rs 1 crore would be spent to strengthen the embankments along the Yamuna to prevent flooding during the monsoon.

The Chief Minister said the state government had raised the ex gratia for defence personnel who laid down their lives for the country. He clarified that no ban had been imposed on the recruitment of teachers, doctors, compounders etc.

Dr Kamla Verma, Local Government Minister, said that 781 schools were upgraded and 12,000 teachers recruited during the past three years in the state. Development works worth Rs 7 crore had been undertaken in her constituency, (Yamunanagar), she claimed.

The Minister of State for Irrigation, Mr Harsh Kumar, said the new Pathrala dam, costing Rs 18.50 crore, would be completed by December, 2000.

Following a demand by Mr Mohammad Akram Khan, the local MLA and Chairman of the Haryana Housing Board, the Chief Minister announced a matching grant of Rs 5 lakh for Gurjar Kanya Vidya Mandir and said that a Rs 8.96 lakh grant had already been sanctioned for this institute. He also upgraded the Kharwan school to the senior secondary level.

The Speaker of the Haryana Vidhan Sabha, Mr Chhattar Singh Chauhan, the Minister of State for Environment, Mr Subhash Chaudhary, the Chairman of the Haryana Agricultural Marketing Board Mr Ved Pal , the Chairman of the Haryana Khadi Board, Mr Jagir Singh and the President of Kanya Vidya Mandir, Mr Multan Singh, also addressed the meeting.

Bansi Lal should quit: HPCC
From Our Correspondent

SONEPAT, June 6 — Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda, a former MP and President of the Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC), claimed here yesterday that the Chief Minister, Mr Bansi Lal, had lost the confidence of the people and a majority of his legislators and thus, had no right to remain in power.

Talking to mediapersons, he demanded that Mr Bansi Lal should resign on moral grounds immediately.

He also assailed the Indian National Lok Dal supremo, Mr Om Parkash Chautala, for siding with the BJP at the Centre and opposing the HVP-BJP alliance in Haryana. Mr Chautala was responsible for the fall of the Vajpayee Government at the Centre, he alleged.

The AICC President, Mrs Sonia Gandhi, would launch the election campaign in Haryana on June 26 from this town. He declared that the Congress would contest all 10 Lok Sabha seats in Haryana and not enter into a poll alliance with any other party in the state.

SIRSA: The HPCC Senior Vice-President, Dr K.V. Singh, has demanded that Mr Bansi Lal should either resign or call a special session of the Vidhan Sabha to prove his majority.

Addressing a press conference before a yuva sammelan held here on Saturday, he said when the HVP's coalition partner, the BJP, had already indicated its intention to withdraw support and more that eight MLAs had expressed "dissatisfaction" with Mr Bansi Lal, it become imperative for him to prove his majority.

The district President of the party, Mr Krishan Kumar Godara, replying to a question regarding the revolt in the Darba Vidhan Sabha constituency said no DCC member was present and they had not spoken anything against the Congress. However, Dr Mahender Partap, a former Chairman of the Haryana Ayurvedic Board, has been suspended from the party for six years for his alleged statement against the party leadership, Mr Godara added.

Regarding the revolt against him in his Darba constituency, Mr K.V. Singh asked, "where were they (rebels) when in 1989 I took special interest in the development of Darba?"

2 jawans cremated with full honours
From Our Correspondents

ROHTAK, June 6 — The body of Naik Samunder Singh of 18 Grenadiers of the Indian Army, who died while fighting the enemy in Dras sub-sector of Kargil, was cremated with full military honours at his native village of Sanghi near here today.

The body, brought in an ambulance from Delhi airport this morning, was accompanied by Col Ashok Kumar and other officials of the Army. Naik Samunder Singh was a member of a column led by Lt-Col Vishwananthan on the night of June 2, which came under heavy machine gun fire from the enemy. At least 10 personnel, including Colonel Vishwananthan and Capt P.V. Vikram were killed in the fighting.

The mortal remains of the Naik Samunder Singh were consigned to flames by his 65-year-old father Deep Chand. The police and Army jawans fired several rounds in the air to salute to the martyr and reversed their arms as a mark of the respect to the departed soul. A large number of persons from nearby areas paid their homage and laid wreaths at the body which was kept for some time in the ground of the local government school. Senior district officials, including the Deputy Commissioner, the SDM, Pradesh Congress chief and Lok Sabha member from Rohtak Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Mr Srikisan Hooda, Dr Virender Pal, Ms Kartar Devi (all MLAs) and former minister Krishan Murti Hooda were among those present at the occasion.

Naik Samunder Singh (31) is survived by his wife Saroj, a four-year-old son and a one-and-half-year-old daughter, besides his aged parents. The Naik, son of a farmer, had joined and Army getting motivated by his maternal uncle who retired a Colonel a few years ago. His another brother is also in the Army. He had been moved to Kargil about a month ago as a part of the operation launched by the Army to counter infiltration in the Kargil sector. He had decided to settle in his native village and had constructed a small house in the village.

BHIWANI: Thousands of people assembled in Devawas village in the district when bullet-riddled body of Havildar Ram Kumar was brought for cremation in his native village. The body reached the village at 5 a.m. and the cremation took place at 8.30 a.m. The body was wrapped in a Tricolour and a group of armymen brought it here.

The brave soldier breathed his last while fighting Pakistani intruders in the Kargil sector. The Havildar was cremated with full state honours in the presence of relatives, friends, the Deputy Commissioner and others.

Havildar Ram Kumar was born in 1966 and joined the Army in 1983. He was also part of the Indian Peace Keeping Force in Sri Lanka in 1987. He is survived by his wife, two sons and a daughter.

When on Saturday night Havildar Ram Kumar's father Charan Singh was informed about the death of his son, he said he was proud of his son who had sacrificed his life for the country. Charan Singh kept his cool when thousands of people came to mourn the death of his son.

A sepoy of Dhanasori village of the district belonging to 18 Grenadiers who accompanied the body of the Havildar, told the people that on the night of June 2 the Havildar and his companions killed about 18 Pakistani intruders in the Dras area before falling to the bullets of the enemy.

9 sentenced to life for murder
Tribune News Service

GURGAON, June 6 — Mr B.B. Prasoon, Additional District and Sessions Judge, Gurgaon, sentenced nine persons of Teekli village to life under Section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code. The convicted are Ram Krishan, Deshraj, Jagmal, Anil, Sunil, Srichand, Satish, Manohar Lal and Raghunath. They were also sentenced to undergo imprisonment for various terms for other offences.

The convicts armed with lethal weapons, attached Kundan and his wife, Premwati and his sons, Sumer Singh, Sher Singh and Sunder Lal. Indrawati and Munni, both daughters-in-law of Kundan were also injured in the attack.

Rejecting the plea of the accused, Anil, Sunil, Satish and Jagmal in their teens, as also of Srichand, Manohar and Raghunath — all above 65 years of age — to take a lenient view. The Court held that the "convicts", coming in a group armed with deadly weapons, had forced their entry in the house of the deceased at night time and spared none including the old and young ladies. The "convicts", went to the house of the victims after planning, "constituting an unlawful assembly, they had played havoc to life and property", the court observed.

Turning down the plea of the prosecution for death sentence to the accused, the court held it was not rarest of the rare cases, and felt that the ends of justice would be met by sentencing the accused inter alia to life.

The case relates to December 12, 1994 elections to the Panchayat were to be held the next day. Canvassing was going on. The deceased Kundan and his other family members were attacked by the accused and party killing Kundan and injuring all others when the house was set on fire.
Kundan had earlier contested the election of Sarpanch of Teekli against Manohar Lal, one of the accused in the 1994 election, Raj Singh, candidate of the complainant party, was pitted against Satbir, supported by the accused party.

Sonia to visit Sonepat
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, June 6 — The Congress President, Mrs Sonia Gandhi, will address a public meeting at Sonepat on June 26.

According to a spokesman of the Haryana Congress, this will be Mrs Gandhi's first visit to Haryana on the invitation of the state party unit, after agreeing to continue as party chief.

The spokesman said here today, that the Haryana Congress President, Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda, would undertake a whirlwind tour of the state from June 10 to mobilise people for Mrs Gandhi's rally.

A meeting of the office-bearers and executive committee of the HPCC, party legislators, AICC members from Haryana, presidents of the DCCs and heads of frontal organisations and state-level PCC cells has been called for June 14. It will be held in UT Guest House, Sector 6, here.

Meanwhile, Mr Hooda has paid tributes to Havaldar Samunder Singh, who laid down his life while fighting the intruders in the Kargil sector.

Woman, paramour kill husband
From Our Correspondent

KAITHAL, June 6 — In an unusual incident a woman allegedly murdered her husband with the help of her paramour and buried the dead body in a pit in her house at Keorak village a few days ago.

The police have arrested the woman Manju (28) on the charge of murder and registered a case under Sections 302, 201, 34 IPC against her.

Her paramour Sunil and two of his friends Prem and Dharam Pal of Keorak village were also arrested and decomposed body of the victim recovered yesterday.

According to a complaint lodged by Sat Pal a relative of the victim Lal Chand (52) Manju told Shakuntla, her neighbour, that her husband had left the house after a quarrel with her three days ago. Shakuntla told her husband Sat Pal, who in turn made enquiries from Manju. After some initial reluctance she reportedly broke-down and admitted that she had murdered her husband with the help of her lover Sunil and his two friends on June 3.

Manju who was much younger than her husband had developed illicit relations with a village youth, Sunil. Her husband became aware of the affair and objected to it. Following this Manju decided to eliminate her husband with the help of her paramour. The victim leaves behind three children.

Civic staff hold protest
From Our Correspondent

YAMUNANAGAR, June 6 — Hundreds of employees of the Nagar Palika Karamchari Sangh, Haryana, today demonstrated here today in the home constituency of the Local Bodies Minister, Dr Kamla Verma.

The employees, who took out a procession in the scorching heat, were stopped by the police. The employees had planned a dharna in front of the house of Dr Verma. Later, they gave a memorandum to the City Magistrate in the presence of the DSP (HQ) for being forwarded to the Minister.

The entire area around the Minister's house was cordoned off by the police.

Mr Punam Chand Rati, State President of the sangh, in the memorandum claimed that civic employees had been deprived of the benefits of the Fifth Pay Commission report.

He said the employees had pleaded to the Financial Commissioner, Director of Local Bodies and the Minister several times, but nothing had been done so far. In March, 1999, they lodged a protest with Dr Verma, but again no action was taken, he alleged.

Mr Rati said the agreement between the sangh and the government had not been implemented as yet. Besides, the cases under ESMA and other cases against the sangh employees had not been withdrawn.

The employees’ demands should be accepted immediately or they would be forced to intensify their agitation.

Six booked in dowry case
From Our Correspondent

FARIDABAD, June 6 — The police has registered a case against six persons, including three women, on charges of dowry death.

Mr Manohar Lal reported to the police at Ballabhgarh that his daughter Hansa was poisoned to death by her in-laws for not bringing sufficient dowry. He said she was used to be harassed by her in-laws and not allowed to visit her parents’ home.

The police has registered a case under Section 304-B/34, but no arrest has been made so far.