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Delhi Sikhs asserting their political identity? New Delhi, October 30 Ahead of the assembly elections here, senior DSGMC leaders Manjit Singh, Jatinder Singh Sahni and Dalvinder Singh Ayur, among the top Sikh vote-earners in the committee’s general election last year, quit SAD yesterday, accusing Mr Badal of religious neglect and step-motherly treatment towards the community in Delhi. ‘’Their resignation from the party has given strength to the voice of Delhi Sikhs who want to have their exclusive political identity without any Punjab influence,’’ DSGMC general secretary Harbhajan Singh Matharoo, a close lieutenant of former Akal Takht Jathedar Ranjit Singh, said on the sidelines of a seminar here. Echoing his views, new DSGMC chief Prahlad Singh Chandok appreciated the three men’s decision to extend issue-based support to the religious administration and said he would be looking forward to their suggestions aimed at community welfare. Mr Chandok, a close associate of the late President Giani Zail Singh, became committee chief last month in a move that ended SAD’s sway over Sikh religious affairs in the Capital. Also, his election, observers say, has weakened SAD’s case and it cannot now demand seats of its own choice from the BJP, its alliance partner. Mr Chandok’s party is led by his predecessor Paramjit Singh Sarna who has accused SAD of neglecting the Delhi Sikhs. However, Mr Manjit Singh has ruled out any compromise with Mr Sarna whom he had opposed in the elections. Out of the 70 Assembly constituencies in Delhi, Sikhs have a strong presence in 25 and are a decisive force in at least five seats. In the 1998 elections, the Congress, statistics show, had been again able to make inroads into Sikh voters who dissociated themselves from the party after the events of 1984 and Operation Blue Star. Action sought against those acquitted in ’84 riots case:
He alleged that the prime suspects, Congress leaders Sajjan Kumar, Jagdish Tytler and H.K.L. Bhagat, were acquitted by the court as evidence against them was not produced at the time of hearing. The government had ample evidence to prove them guilty in the court, he added. A delegation of about a hundred people, including widows and children, assembled at Patel Bhawan to lodge their complaints with the commission. |
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Woman sacrifices boy, bathes in his blood Meerut, October 30 According to some sources at the zonal police office here, Popin, brother Murti, wife of Madan, kidnapped Monu in the morning. The boy was then taken to a nearby sugarcane field where Murti and her brother slit his neck. They stored the little boy’s blood in a pot. They then disposed of the body in the eastern Yamuna canal. According to information available here, Murti was married 20 years back and was the mother of a girl and a boy. Later, her son died. She then sought the help of tantriks of the village and a nearby area to bear a baby boy. The two tantriks advised her that she could bear a son if she sacrificed a boy and then bathed in the blood of that child. The evil foursome selected Monu for the gruesome act. Incidents of human sacrifice in which family members and tantriks are involved have suddenly increased in western UP. A girl child was sacrificed in Chandpur in Bignor district on Monday on the advice of some tantriks. She was also killed in keeping with the desire to have a son. |
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QUIRK
OF FATE New Delhi, October 30 The contractor was identified as Munim. The two labourers were Dinesh, 28, and Pappu, 25. The hand of another labourer, Kuber, has been crushed and he is being treated at a local hospital. The bodies have been sent for post-mortem examination. The police said that a case of causing death by negligence had been registered and further investigations were on. According to the police, the incident occurred around 11.30 a.m. when the truck carrying the marble slabs arrived at the construction site. The deceased labourers were engaged in unloading the marble slabs from the stationary truck. However, because of the load, one of the springs of the vehicle suddenly snapped . As a result, the loaded truck veered to one side and the marble slabs fell on the labourers, crushing them to death. Munim, the contractor who was present at the site, apparently could not bear the sight of the crushed labourers and suddenly collapsed. He was rushed to a nearby hospital where he was declared brought dead. The incident in the congested east Delhi colony caused a flutter among the residents who thronged the site. Senior police officers also visited the spot. The residents alleged that the constructions in the area were illegal and they had repeatedly requested the authorities to take action but nothing was done. Senior police officers said that the concerned authorities in the corporation were being informed of the incident. |
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PUBLIC
ANGST Sonepat, October 30 According to a report, the shopkeepers also resisted the demolition of the tin sheds and other structures in front of their shops and raised slogans against the officials and the police. The demolition squad consists of Mr Hanuman Singh, Naib Tehsildar, Mr Sham Singh Kohli, secretary of the Kharkhauda Municipal Committee, and Mr Raj Kumar Saini, president of the Kharkhauda Municipal Committee. A large contingent of the police and JCB machines were accompanied by officials of the demolition squad. The officials of the demolition squad swung into action on the orders of the Naib Tehsildar. They acted immediately by pressing JCB machines into service to demolish the tin sheds and other structures built by the shopkeepers in front of their shops. The officials also removed the wooden stalls near the bus stand. Thereafter, the officials reached the Kharkhauda-Thana Kalan road where they demolished the unauthorised structures. In this process, two telephone poles fell down and many telephones went out of order. When the officials declined to demolish the unauthorised structure of a shopkeeper affiliated to the ruling party other shopkeepers lodged a strong protest and raised slogans against the officials and the police. The angry shopkeepers demanded the suspension of the officials and a high-level probe into the alleged discrimination adopted by them in removing the encroachments. They also threatened to launch an agitation if no action was taken against these officials. The irate shopkeepers also demanded immediate transfer of the Naib Tehsildar who, they alleged, had been harassing them on some pretext or the other for a long time. |
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Suffering families rapped by Khap Rohtak, October 30 This was alleged by Mr Ranvir Singh Bohar, president, Aathgama (eight villages), and Mr Ram Phal Sunarian, president, Satgama (seven villages), in separate statements here today. The khap leaders claimed they had made every possible effort to trace the missing youths and assist the affected families. They said it was unanimously resolved at the panchayat of Ahlawat khap (comprising 17 villages) and Chaugama khap (comprising four villages) held under the presidentship of Mr Bhim Singh Ahlawat that immediate efforts be made to trace the missing youths and give financial assistance to the affected families. However, they alleged the affected families, influenced by the political parties, had rebuffed the overture made by the khap to provide financial assistance. The khap leaders categorically stated that the panchayat believed in justice based on social mores, which should be far removed from politics. They questioned the reason why the affected families had sought help from the khap if they were only interested in getting their grievances highlighted through political parties. They also alleged that the political parties, which had been making a hue and cry over the issue, had never bothered to trace the missing youths during the past one year. |
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Hunt for motive in Jor Bagh murder New Delhi, October 30 Preliminary investigations revealed the woman who had lost her husband was strangulated to death but the jewellery and cash remained intact in the house. Her body was discovered by the guard who then informed the police. The police are now probing the angle of personal enmity between the victim and the suspects. Businessman held for cheating bank of Rs 2.7 cr:
Based on a complaint from the bank, the sleuths during investigation found out two bogus firms, Lakshmi Agencies and Abhinand Commercial Corporation, had been created and bogus invoices were raised on these fictitious firms to the tune of Rs 2.05 crore and bills presented to the bank for discounting. The goods were transferred from Mumbai and the delivery was taken by the accused in cahoots with the transporters while the original invoices, consignee copies of GR were with the bank. 6-yr-old raped by teenager:
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Talks on with SP: Third Front New Delhi, October 30 Mr Bidhuri said the Left parties were not a part of the Third Front but an agreement had been reached among them to support each other’s candidates in the poll. He said the heads of all the constituents of the Third Front would decide the names of the candidates. The names of as many as 55 candidates have already been decided. He said the Third Front had decided to contest all the seats in the December 1 Assembly election and welcomed all non-BJP and non-INC parties into the grouping. The decision, Mr Bidhuri said, was taken in the meeting chaired by former Prime Minister Chandrashekhar and attended by former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda. Lok Janshakti Party president Ram Vilas Paswan, Bharatiya Republic Party president Prakash Ambedkar and representatives of Sharad Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party were also present. Mr Bidhuri said NCP president Sharad Pawar, who was scheduled to attend the meeting, could not be present as he was to attend another meeting. The Front will meet again on November 1 to finalise its campaign. |
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Charles savours idlis, phirni at Dilli Haat New Delhi, October 30 On his arrival at the food and craft bazaar, the Prince was treated with the litchi squash after which he sat with Navdanya’s founder Vandana Shiva for the main course. The fare comprised Rajma ke Kabab, Ragi idli, Navrang sprout solid rice, Kuttu ke Roti, Besan chilla and Suji dhokla. The dessert comprised Ragi tartlets and Amarnath muffins. The royal guest then took a stroll at the Haat and visited eight to nine stalls, mostly selling silk from various parts of the country. “He bought Benarsi silk with Buddha motif, Bihar silk with Madhubani painting and Karnataka silk with gold thread,” Managing Director of Delhi Tourism and Transportation Development Corporation (DTTDC) Rajiv Talwar said. The prized possession for the Prince was Kashmir Pashmina, which was passed through a ring to show its thinness. The DTTDC, which runs the Dilli Haat, proposed holding a fair of Indian food, art and craft in the UK and the Prince readily agreed to inaugurate it when organised. Mr Talwar said he would initiate the proposal with the Union Government and the Government of NCT of Delhi. The Heir to the British throne is known for his love for the organic food and eco-friendly lifestyle. He is the patron of the Soil Association and the UK Organic Movement. At the Navdanya stall at the Haat, the Prince was shown organic merchandise like wild honey from Bastar, apricot oil and unpolished rice from Uttaranchal. “We are happy to have the Prince as our special guest since we share the same joy of nature’s goodness,” an elated Ms Shiva said. |
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SPECIAL
FOCUS ON ROHTAK Rohtak, October 30 Mr Joshi said that organisation like the VHP were embarking on a dangerous path of creating fear psychosis and insecurity among the citizens as part of a divisive strategy. He ridiculed the myth that Hindus would be reduced to a minority as totally absured and based on manufactured and concocted demographic statistics. Mr Prabhash Joshi reminded the audience about the rise of dictatorships in Europe, which were organised on the basis of racial hatred. Quoting exhaustively from the Vedas, Mr Joshi said the kind of Hindutava being propagated has nothing to do with the Hindu religion. He said that Bhakati and Sufi tenets have been targeted by forces of fundamentalism. The Bhakati and Sufi tenets imbibe tolerance and brotherhood and negate all kinds of identities like caste and creed as its core component. Mr Joshi drew attention towards the interlinkages between imperialism and the forces of religious fundamentalism. Answering questions regarding the role of the media, the veteran journalist acknowledged the important position taken by the media on crucial issues like the demolition of the Babri Masjid and the Gujarat carnage. At the same time, he emphasised that the media was fast succumbing to the market forces and was motivated by commercial interests. Summing up his address, Mr Prabhash Joshi highlighted certain crucial dimensions of the strategy to combat the communal threat. He said the socio-religious space should not be left vacant for people like Togadia, who were posing as the spokesmen for the Hindus. Apart from this, he said that the anti-communal fight must have social justice as its central theme. He said even to achieve the lofty goal of socialism the unity of the people will have to be safeguarded from the communal onslaught.
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MDU directed to issue duplicate degree Rohtak, October 30 In its reply, the MDU argued that the duplicate degree could be issued only after the original degree had been lost. The degree of the complainant, the MDU said, was not so badly damaged that it had to be replaced. However, the forum in its order said that after minutely examining the original degree of the complainant, it found that the said degree was badly damaged and cannot be used as it had already been torn from various places. The forum, therefore, directed the university to issue the duplicate degree at the earliest, but not later than seven days after the submission of the original degree with the university. |
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Parliamentary Committee on tour to increase export of Basmati rice Sonepat, October 30 The Committee consists of 13 Lok Sabha members and nine Rajya Sabha members. On the recommendations of this committee, an amended Bill will be put up in the Parliament for approval. The members of this committee will visit the different states and seek suggestions from the owners of the rice mills and other traders in this regard. The main aim of this process is to set up a common development fund for boosting the export of the Basmati rice from India. The owners of the rice mills submitted a memorandum to the members of the committee, pleading for the inclusion of spices, masalas, pulses, wheat, wheat flour and achar in the propose Bill if the Union Government wanted to encourage the Basmati rice industry. The memorandum also pleaded for the inclusion of the representatives of the rice industry in the committee so that the views of the owners of the rice mills could be forcefully taken up. The members of this committee were, by and large, satisfied with their visit to the rice mills of the area. No clue in petrol station looting case:
It is stated that the vehicle had been snatched by the culprits from a youth of Chamarian village in Rohtak district. |
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AHPCWU demands end to ‘victimisation’ Faridabad, October 30 At a meeting organised at old Faridabad unit office, the leaders of the union expressed their anger and concern over the alleged non-cooperative stance of the authorities. The state secretary of the union, Mr Roop Singh, said that the policy framed for the regularisation of part-time staff of the Power Department was hardly of any use due to the undue conditions attached with it. He alleged that instead of recruiting the staffs for the vacant posts (including technical ones), tenders were being floated through private contractors for employment. The vice-president of the union, Mr Nem Singh, said that they would raise the issue of recruitment and creation of new posts with the chairman of the Power Generation Corporation, Mr Anil Rajdan, in the next meeting.
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NCR
BRIEFS Jhajjar, October 30 According to information, Sunil, a resident of Ahari village, took the girl of the same village, a student of seventh class to the fields on the pretext of showing the shooting of a film in Jhajjar in February, 2002. With the help of his younger brother Navin and brother-in-law Manoj, he raped the girl for three days. The father of the victim Shamsher Singh lodged a complaint to the police on February 13. The police registered a case under Sections 363, 366A, 376 and arrested the three accused. However, the Fast Track Court of Mr D D Yadav sentenced the main accused Sunil for four years and three years’ imprisonment in different sections of IPC and acquitted the other two accused for lack of evidence.
Thieves strike in five houses Sonepat: Thieves are reported to have broken the locks of five houses and taken away cash and other household articles worth several thousands of rupees from them in Ram Nagar and Durga Colony areas of Biswan Meel village about 15 km from here last night. According to report, both these colonies are inhabited by the workers of some industrial units. The increasing incidence of thefts has caused panic among the workers and they are feeling insecure as the police have failed to intensify patrolling at night in their colonies.
Raid on petrol pumps The officials of the Food and Supplies Department, headed by Mr P K Sharma, District Food and Supplies Controller, conducted surprise raids on two petrol pumps at Ganaur town, 16 km from here yesterday. According to a report, the officials checked the weighing machines and took the samples of petrol and diesel from these petrol pumps. This caused panic among the owners of other pumps in the area. However, Mr Sharma left for Sonepat on receiving an SOS from the higher authorities.
Two youths attacked Two youths Rakesh and Satbir received injuries when they were assaulted with knives by some armed youths at Barauli village about 16 km from here last evening. According to a report, both the youths were immediately hospitalised and stated to be out of danger. The police are still investigating the case. However, no arrest has been made in this connection as the alleged assailants are at large. A hunt is on to apprehend them. |
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DELHI
DIGEST New Delhi, October 30 The demonstrators blamed the Delhi Police and the Union Government for ‘unscientific’ investigation. NAD president Paramjeet Singh Pamma said the police did not properly investigate. “Owing to the Delhi Police improper investigation, two of the accused were acquitted by the Delhi High Court. The police failed to collect evidence against them,” he said. Mother’s beatification
celebrated:
The president of the Sarva Dharma Ekta Chetna Manch, Mr Satnam Singh Uppal said that Mother Teresa and Bhagat Puran Singh were luminaries in the history of India and their lives were an example of goodness and humility. He added that the Mother saw God in each human being and dedicated her life for the uplift of the downtrodden. Voter card demanded:
Loadshedding:
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Canter carrying illegal liquor seized, 4 arrested Sonepat, October 30 According to a report, the arrested persons were identified as Joginder Singh of Thana Kalan village, Azad Singh of Kharak Kalan village in Jind district, Bhim Singh of Pillu Khera village and Mukesh of Devipura (Gohana). A case under the Excise Act has been registered against them. The canter (No. HYJ-612) has also been seized by the police. Giving details of the incident, a spokesman for the police said here today that smuggled liquor was discovered in a routine inspection by the officials of the Excise Department. All the arrested persons were produced before a Judicial Magistrate, who remanded them to police custody for five days for further interrogation. According to another report, a man posing as the new secretary of the market committee, Gohana, is reported to have taken away several boxes of fruits and vegetables worth thousands of rupees from the traders at Gohana town, 35 km from here yesterday. The man told the traders that he had assumed the charge of secretary a couple of days ago. Consequently, the traders offered him boxes of fruits and vegetables, which he readily accepted in took it away. The reality came to light when the real secretary visited the market after a few hours. The traders launched a hunt for the ‘fraud’ secretary but he was untraceable.
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Satta racket smashed New Delhi, October 30 The police also recovered a lap-top, printer, recorder, five mobile phones, three WLL phones, one colour TV set, calculator and notepads from the hideout in the Mayur Vihar Phase-II area. The accused Raju Arora, resident of Geeta Colony, Dinesh Kumar Gupta, resident of Gandhi Nagar and Amit Jain, resident of East Arjun Nagar were arrested. They used to receive phone calls of the clients and were recording the conversion on the parallel line with the hi-tech gadgets. Opium seized:
Bus robbers held:
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Sonepat: A young housewife Mrs Kavita (28) was reported to have committed suicide by hanging herself with a rope in her house at Harsana Kalan village about 5 km from here last night. According to a report, she took the extreme step following a family quarrel. The police have registered a case and sent the body for the postmortem examination. Adulteration in food stuffs: The officials of the Health Department has intensified its campaign to check the adulteration in food stuffs and aerated water bottles in this city and other parts of the district. OC
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340 fair price shops open in Sonepat Sonepat, October 30 Giving this information, Mr Balwan Singh, Deputy Commissioner told mediapersons here recently that there were 2,58,019 ration cards in the urban and rural areas of the district under the Public Distribution System (PDS). He disclosed that there were 1,80,441 card holders in the rural areas, including 1,54,421 APL, 21,733 BPL and 4,287 yellow ration card holders. Similarly, in the urban areas, there were 77,578 ration cards and these include 67,373 APL, 9,304 BPL and 901 yellow ration card holders. According to the DC, the Food and Supplies Department had released 300 tonnes of wheat flour for the distribution among the BPL families in the district during last month. It has also released 177.8 tonnes of wheat under the Antodaya Scheme and 824 kilo litre kerosene oil for distribution among the ration card holders under the BPL, he added. The DC further disclosed that there are 239 brick kilns manufacturing bricks in the district. These brick kilns have been directed to sell the bricks at the rate of Rs 1,350 per thousand (first quality) for development works and between Rs 1,350 and Rs 1,450 per thousand for other purposes. The rates of other bricks have been fixed at Rs 1,450 to Rs 1,650 per thousand. The DC also disclosed that there are 1,51,706 domestic LPG consumers in the district and these include 1,03,042 consumers, who have been provided two LPG cylinders and the remaining 48,664 consumers have only one LPG cylinder. |
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