New Delhi, May 17
Anguished over social boycott and repeated threats of further attacks, 70 Dalit families of Mirchpur village in Haryana’s Hisar district migrated to the national Capital today.

They say an atmosphere of fear continues to prevail in the village after people from the Jat community allegedly torched nearly 26 Dalit houses four weeks ago and killed a polio-stricken 17-year-old girl, Suman, and her father, Tarachand.

Led by the Haryana Dalit Bachao Sangharsh Samiti, the Dalit families, along with several humanitarian and Dalit organisations, are all set to stage a “vishal dharna” on May 20 in the Capital.

Most families alleged that some Jat leaders were already holding a meeting for a second attack.

“They told us that last time they torched our homes during daylight. This time it will be during the night and they will not let even a single person escape,” said Harikishore, one of the migrants who came to Delhi today.

“These families earlier staged a dharna outside the Deputy Commissioner’s office in Hisar, demanding a separate rehabilitation colony away from Jat supremacy, but the authorities have been silent. As a result the families have now come to the Capital as their last resort,” said OP Shukla, convener of the Haryana Dalit Bachao Sangharsh Samiti.

Even as local police officials have repeatedly maintained that the situation is under control in the village, these families strongly voice that this is just a cover-up.

“Cops are hand in glove with them. Where are we supposed to go? Jat men encircle Dalit women in the village and ridicule them by opening their dhotis and roaming around naked in front of them.

“They utter endless abuses. Women and young girls are scared to walk out of their homes. We cannot even complain to anyone,” said Sona Devi while speaking to The Tribune.

“Despite claims of compensation and providing security, such atrocities continue to happen in the village. What surprises us is the silence of the National Human Rights Commission.

“Our effort will be to act as a medium so that the voice of the people reaches the government,” said Udit Rai, president of the Indian Justice Party and the All-India Confederation of SC/ST Organisations.

“There are nearly 250 Dalit households in the basti, many of whom have already fled the village due to fear. Already nearly 70 families have come to the Capital and more are expected to reach within the next couple of days. These families are in no mood to go back and demand rehabilitation away from the village,” he added.

“We have grain, but we cannot go to flour mills. We go days without eating proper food. We cannot buy vegetables in the village. “We have been socially outcast; it is almost like house arrest. Our children cannot go to the school anymore. They are beaten and threatened.

“We are barred from using public toilets,” said Rama, another affected person.

Kaithal, May 17
Hundreds of members of the youth wing of the Sarvkhap SarvJatiya Mahapanchayat held a procession and burnt an effigy of Union Law minister Veerappa Moily here today. They were protesting against the statement of the minister that no amendment could be made to the Hindu Marriage Act..

The protesters, led by Rajinder Dhull, assembled at Nehru Park here and then proceeded towards Pehowa Chowk in the heart of the town, where they burnt the effigy. Various speakers said the minister was not aware of the prevailing traditions. The Mahapanchayat was against honour killing but if the government was serious on checking the menace, it should amend the Hindu Marriage Act. Tradition helped maintain social order and as such conventions should not be ignored, the speakers said.

They said that they were agitating to “save their culture and honour”. They pointed out that panchayats had never issued diktats on honour killings.

Chandigarh, May 17
A petition to prevent the same-gotra marriage controversy, the Punjab and Haryana High Court today directed the petitioner - a resident of Bhiwani - to approach the Union of India and other respondents for amendment to the law or enactment of a new law.

The respondents have also been asked by the Bench of Chief Justice Mukul Mudgal and Justice Jasbir Singh to decide the representation as expeditiously as possible.

In his petition filed in public interest, Kapoor Singh Jakhar of Charkhi Dadri asked for the framing of a “fresh law” or amendment to the existing Hindu Marriage Act for “prohibiting marriages among girls and boys of the same gotra or clan”.

Directions have also been sought for annulling such marriages “because medical science has proven time and again that marriages among close relatives might lead to genetic disorders in the offspring”.

The petition, filed through counsel RK Handa, says “allowing such marriages to exist would play havoc with the fabric of society.

Referring to the khap mahapanchayat held on May 2, the petitioner said at the conference it was assured that an amendment to the Hindu Marriage Act would be carried out.

“In the circumstances, the petitioners seek direction from this court to the respondents to constitute appropriate legislation by way of framing a fresh law and amending the Hindu Marriage Act, so as to prohibit marriages among girls and boys of the same gotra”. — TNS

Sirsa, May 17
The sudden decision of the University Centre for Distance Learning (UCDL) of Chaudhry Devi Lal University to close its examination centres at Karnal and Gurgaon has put several students in a quandary.

The annual examinations of students pursuing various courses from the UCDL of this university are beginning on June 1.

The students, who had filled their examination forms five months ago, had opted for the examination centre of their choice from the list of centres provided in the handbook of information supplied by the university.

The university has now decided not to hold examinations at the Karnal and Gurgaon centres, putting the students who had opted for these centres in a dilemma.

“I had opted for Karnal as this station was comparatively nearer to my place. However, I received a letter from the university two days ago intimating me that the university had closed its centres at Karnal and Gurgaon. Now, I have been asked to send my option between Sirsa and Rohtak, both of which are very far from my place,” said a student from Ambala, requesting anonymity.

He said the university should honour its commitments made in the handbook of information, whatever the circumstances.

Students of the UCDL have also complained that the university has not been providing proper notes to its students.

“My annual examinations are to be held in less than two weeks from now, but I am still to get any notes from the university,” said a final-year student of MA (mass communication).

She said the university authorities maintained that they had notes in the Hindi medium only while her medium of instruction was English.

Conversely, a first-year student of MA (mass communication) alleged that his medium of instruction was Hindi but the university authorities had supplied notes in English.

Dr Dilbag Singh, Director, Public Relations, of the university, maintained that the UCDL had already mentioned in its handbook of information that any of the examination centre mentioned in it could be closed if the number of students was not sufficient.

He said a majority of the students who had earlier opted for the Karnal and Gurgaon centres had already intimated their new choice of examination centre to the university in response to the letters sent by the UCDL.

He said as far as the notes were concerned, the university could provide material only up to 70 per cent of the syllabus and that too in one medium, either in Hindi or in English, depending upon the availability.

Gurgaon, May 17
A delegation of the All-India Federation of University and College Teachers Organisations (AIFUCTO) today met Union Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Kapil Sibal and apprised him of their concerns.

The delegation also gave a representation to the minister.

Talking to The Tribune after the meeting held in New Delhi, AIFUCTO general secretary Asok Barman and vice-president Vazir Singh Nehra said the minister assured them of sympathetic consideration and prompt action on their demands.

In the representation, AIFUCTO expressed concern over the delay in the notification of UGC regulations without which the complete implementation of the revised pay scales is not possible.

“New appointments have been held up and career advancement is denied for want of notification of regulations…these regulations with the final endorsement of the UGC have been under the active consideration of the HRD Ministry since January,” the representation says, adding that these should be notified without any further delay.

“The quantification and point system proposed in the regulations do not take into consideration the ground reality prevailing in most of the institutions,” it maintains, requesting the minister to do away with the unrealistic point system.

Chandigarh, May 17
The Union Cabinet’s decision to set up country’s first defence university in Haryana is in a way victory of Haryana over Punjab and Andhra Pradesh, which were strong contenders for the same.

The university was mooted in 1967 but the need for a strategic institute was felt immensely after the 1999 Kargil conflict. It took 11 years for the Centre to take the final plunge. What eventually tilted the balance in favour of Haryana was its proximity to the Capital and lobbying by the Chief Minister.

To be known as the Indian National Defence University (INDU), it will be the affiliating university for various defence institutions like the National Defence College, New Delhi; the College of Defence Management, Secunderabad; the National Staff College, Wellington; and the National Defence Academy, Pune. It is, perhaps, a coincidence that its acronym, “INDU”, is the name by which former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was called by her father Jawaharlal Nehru.

The university in Binola village, 20 km from Gurgaon, is to come up over about 200 acres at an estimated cost of Rs 300 crore. The Centre has sanctioned Rs 100 crore for acquiring land for the university. Fully autonomous and constituted under an Act of Parliament, the university would promote policy-oriented research on all aspects of national security and help in strategic futuristic planning.

The Centre’s decision to set up the defence university in southern Haryana is an acknowledgement of the fact that this area sends a large number of its youths to the forces.

The defence university is an addition to the list of specialised universities and educational institutions which have come up in Haryana in the past few years. These are the medical university in Rohtak; technical university at Murthal; Rajiv Gandhi Education City in Sonepat; a women’s university and a central university at Mahendragarh. Also on the anvil is a veterinary university at Hisar.

Panchkula, May 17
Various Hindu organisations are up in arms against the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) for imposing restrictions on organising “langar” (community kitchen) during the monthlong annual yatra to be held from July.

Rajan Gupta, general secretary, Shri Amarnath Barfani Langar Organisation (SABLO), talking to the Tribune here today said they would be forced to launch a nationwide protest if the shrine board failed to maintain status quo on the matter.

The board had earlier earmarked separate land en route the holy cave, allowing only one organisation to operate at the site during the yatra. It had instructed the langar organisers not to move out till the culmination of the yatra.

Lashing out at the board, Vijay Thakur, president SABLO, said clubbing all community kitchen organisers at one place would endanger the lives of devotees.

This would result in more than 20, 000 to 25,000 devotees collecting at one place and in case of any untoward incident, there was a possibility of stampede, resulting in loss of lives.

Thakur said it was mandatory for the board to provide night shelter to the pilgrims at various points but it had failed to do so.

It was the the community kitchen organisers who had been providing food and night shelter to the devotees during the yatra for the past about three decades without charging anything for the service.

He said theboard should restore status quo for the smooth conduct of the yatra or else they would be forced to boycott the yatra, besides launching a nationwide stir.

The shrine board should also level the site allotted near the holy cave for the purpose of running community kitchen, he added.

Yamunanagar, May 17
The state Revenue Department has arranged 234 boats, 73 motorboats and life jackets to deal with any flood-like situation during the monsoon in the state. It has also arranged for other material for the safety of people living in districts situated along low-lying areas of the Yamuna.

This was stated by Chief Parliamentary Secretary, Revenue, Jaleb Khan after inaugurating a five-day training camp organised for officials to deal with any flood-like situation.

During previous years, the flooding of the Yamuna had caused damage in many districts, including Yamunanagar, Ambala, Karnal, Panipat and Sonepat districts.

If the officials would be well trained, they could cope up with any serious situation, he said.

He said this was the third training camp that they had organised here to train officials to save lives of people during floods.

A total of 25 officials, who were adjudged best in the last two camps, were being called for special training in the running water in Yamuna here. The last two camps were held in the still water - April 19 to 25 - held in Brahmasarovar in Kurukshetra and 125 officials of various departments were trained in the camp. Besides, a training camp was also held in Rohtak from May 3 to 6. This was the last camp that would conclude on May 21, he further said. “For Yamunanagar district, we have kept 13 boats, two motorboats and 75 life jackets,” he added.

Gurgaon, May 17
The entire exercise aimed at amending the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955, to get same-gotra marriages banned seems a case of much ado about nothing. Congress Rajya Sabha member from Haryana Shadi Lal Batra has sought permission to introduce the Hindu Marriage Act (Amendment) Bill, 2010, in the monsoon session of the Upper House.

The proposed Bill, aimed at prohibiting same-gotra and same-village marriages, is seen as a move to placate khap panchayats strongly opposed to such marriages. The issue is politically significant as the matter involves the Jat votes.

Though Batra has sought to move the amendment as a private member’s Bill, his closeness to the Chief Minister is well-known.

However, any eligible couple, irrespective of their religion, caste, creed or community, can get married under the Special Marriage Act, 1954. Section 4 of the Special Marriage Act clearly states that “notwithstanding anything contained in any other law for the time being in force relating to the solemnisation of marriages, a marriage between any two persons may be solemnised under this Act…”

Hence, a couple desirous of getting their marriage solemnised can do so under the Special Marriage Act, circumventing the provisions of the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955.

Section 4(d) of the Special Marriage Act mentions that the marriage can be solemnised only if the parties are not within the degrees of prohibited relationship (as per a custom).

In the aforesaid Section, the word “custom” in relation to a person belonging to any tribe, community, group or family means any rule which the state government may, by way of notification in the Official Gazette, specify in this behalf as applicable to members of “that tribe, community, group or family”.

But for reasons best known to the state authorities, they have decided to get the Hindu Marriage Act amended instead of issuing a notification banning same-gotra marriages as per the provisions of the Special Marriage Act. Batra says his move to get the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955, amended is aimed at initiating a nationwide debate on the contentious issue of same-gotra marriages.

“Through the Bill, I seek to strengthen Haryana’s age-old customs and tradition, which are based on religious scriptures as well as scientific logic and intended at keeping the social fabric intact,” Batra added.

Rewari, May 17
Kosli Judicial Magistrate PK Lal passed an injunction restraining Vijay Pal Yadav of Guraora village, 27 km from here, from solemnising the marriage of his minor daughter Manoj Yadav (15), a student of Class IX, yesterday. Simultaneously, he also directed the SHO of the Rohrai police station to initiate legal proceedings in case family members of the girl acted in violation of the injunction.

The injunction was issued by him following an application filed by advocate and district protection and child marriage prohibition officer Neelam Sharma.

Earlier, on a tip off, she along with police officials reached Guraora and firmly told Vijay Pal Yadav that he could marry his elder daughter Renu Yadav (19). However, the marriage of his younger daughter Manoj Yadav (15), who was still a minor, would be in gross violation of the provisions of the Child Marriage Prohibition Act.

Thereafter, she approached the Judicial Magistrate of Kosli with the above application, who then passed the above injunction. Subsequently, Renu got married to Harish Yadav of Muradpuri village, near Rewari, while Manoj’s marriage to Harish’s younger brother Gajender Yadav, who too is a minor, was put off following the above injunction.

KAITHAL: The marriage of a minor girl to be solemnised in a village of the district was stopped at the intervention of the district administration. Protection officer Sunita Rani following directions of Deputy Commissioner Amneet P Kumar reached Pai village along with ASP Hamid Akhtar and other police personnel and stopped the marriage of Kusum shortly before the arrival of the barat.

The DC said she had received information that Nafe Singh of Pai village was going to solemnise the marriage of his two daughters, one of whom was a minor. The protection officer got the school certificate of Kusum from the school where she last studied. According to the school records, her date of birth was September 10, 1995, and thus she was just 14 years of age.

Faridabad, May 17
Two persons were injured in a fire that broke out in an industrial unit - Deep Chand Industry - here today. Short circuit is said to be behind the incident.

The industry located in Sector 27 here is in the business of processing raw chemicals and supplying the refined product to industrial units in the area.

The owner of the industrial unit identified as RS Grover, who along with an employee received injuries, have been admitted to the local Sarvodaya hospital.

Though the police is investigating the cause of the fire, leakage in the container in which nitrogen gas was stored may have led to the short circuit.

The fire was controlled after two hours. The authorities pressed seven fleets of fire brigade into service to control the fire.

According to the medical staff of Sarvodaya Hospital, the injuries were not serious.

According to Grover, though the exact amount of damage was yet to be ascertained, the unit had lost goods worth several lakhs. In another similar incident, fire broke out in industrial unit identified as United Flexible located in New Industrial Township in Ballabgarh area.

According to the owner of the unit, Pradeep, short circuit led to the fire. The authorities pressed two fleets of fire brigade and the fire was brought under control after two hours of operation.

No one was injured in the incident. However, goods worth several lakhs had been damaged, he added.

Fatehabad, May 17
Five persons were killed and two others injured when their car rammed into a tree after overturning near Dariyapur village here today.

The victims, members of a marriage party, were returning to Kharak Kalan village in Bhiwani from Hanumangarh (Rajasthan).

According to the police, a Maruti Zen car, which was being driven by Jitender (37) from Ahmedabad, overturned after a tyre burst and hit the tree. Five persons died on the spot, including the driver.

The other victims are Pardeep’s wife Suman (27), daughter Khushi (3) and son Kunal (1), and Asha (19), daughter of Nagar Mal.

Suman, daughter of Nagar Mal, and Bunty from Ahmedabad were injured . — TNS