Yamunanagar, June 19
Pleading for a transparent investigation into the molestation case registered against former IG MS Ahlawat, the complainant, Arvinder Kaur, today sent a letter, to be treated as a public interest litigation, to the Chief Justice of India in this connection.

She urged the apex court that in cases related to the sexual harassment of women and children, the court should also issue a notice to the victims whenever any accused approached the court for bail.

She requested the Supreme Court to ensure protection to all victims of sexual harassment cases.

Highlighting her plight, she said in the letter that victims of sexual harassment cases were often not aware of when the accused applied for anticipatory bail. “In my case, I have came to know only through the media that the accused has filed for anticipatory bail in the court. If the victims are aware of accused’s bail application, and are asked to attend the court hearing, they will be able to know what the police has done in the case. Many a time, the police does not represent the case properly and the accused get bail easily,” she said.

Demanding the arrest of Ahlawat, she said he was booked under Sections 354, 323 and 506 of the IPC. She, however, alleged that “relevant sections” had not been added in the case.

She said though the DGP had assured that the case would be thoroughly investigated, the police had failed to arrest the accused.

“I have been fighting for justice for the past eight years. However, the accused has not been arrested so far,” she said.

The complainant also wrote to the chairman of the Bar Council of India, pleading that advocates should on moral grounds restrain from fighting cases of those involved in sexual harassment cases. 

Sirsa, June 19
The University Grants Commission has changed its rules for the marking of papers for the Junior Research Fellowship and the National Eligibility Test (NET) for appointment as lecturers. The national-level test is scheduled to be held on June 27.

A notification issued by the UGC said there would be no negative marking for paper-I and paper-II (objective type) to be held on June 27 and onwards.

Earlier, while inviting applications for the test in April this year, the UGC had said the candidates would have to appear in three papers, out of which the first two will be of the objective type carrying 100 marks each.

It said both these papers would have 50 questions each carrying 2 marks each for the correct answer, adding that a wrong answer would invite deduction of half a mark.

The candidates have to get a minimum of 40 marks in each of the two papers and an aggregate of 100 in the first two papers to ensure that their third paper, which has subjective type questions, is taken up for marking. The UGC has introduced negative marking from last year only and the recent notification of changing the rules has been well received by those appearing in the test on June 27. 

Hisar, June 19
Tension continues to grip the Surya Nagar locality here which saw a Dalit-Jat clash here earlier this week with the Jats seeking the arrest of the culprits who attacked their houses. On the other hand, the Dalit youths named in the police reports continue to evade arrest.

Congress legislator Sampat Singh today visited the area and met members of both communities in a bid to resolve the situation and restore peace.

Sampat Singh spent over three hours discussing ways to break the deadlock. He said members of both communities wanted to restore harmony in the area. The Jats complained that the authorities had not been sensitive to their concerns. They pressed for the immediate arrest of the culprits to give them a sense of justice.

He said he assured them that the government was aware of their concerns and was doing everything to bring about peace and ensure that the guilty were brought to justice.

The former minister said the Dalits, too, were equally keen to restore harmony and peace in the area while blaming some wayward youths for creating trouble. He said he advised them to ensure that those responsible for the violence were handed over to the police so that no one dared to brew trouble again.

Sampat Singh said he asked representatives of both communities not to allow any outsiders to fish in troubled waters since the elders of the two communities alone could restore peace. He said he would continue to hold dialogue with members of both communities till the matter was resolved. 

Gurgaon, June 19
Failure to attend a training programme organised for the returning officers (ROs) and assistant returning officers (AROs) in connection with the panchayat poll in the district cost the absentee officials dear.

The district authorities have ordered registration of FIRs against 40 ROs and AROs who did not come to attend the training programme organised for Pataudi, Sohna and Farrukhnagar blocks of the district today.

Class-II government officials are also assigned duties in the panchayat elections. Most of the officials against whom FIRs have been ordered include school lecturers and principals, who had been made ROs and AROs for the panchayat elections.

District Electoral Officer-cum-Deputy Commissioner Rajender Kataria asserted that the officers in charge of the police stations concerned had been directed to lodge FIRs against as many as 22 ROs and 18 AROs, who had failed to turn up for the training programme that was part of their election duty.

“Strict legal action will be taken against the officials who did not turn up for poll duty despite specific instructions,” he said.

“In the initial phase, the ROs and AROs are being trained in the process of filing nomination papers,” he said, adding that the training programmes for three blocks in the district had been organised today.

However, as many as 10 ROs and nine AROs of Pataudi Block, 11 ROs and four AROs of Sohna and one RO and five AROs of Farrukhnagar Block failed to attend the training sessions. 

Jhajjar, June 19
A youth was allegedly set afire following an altercation over a missing mobile phone by five youths here on Thursday night. The victim, identified as Sandeep of Gawalisan village here, has been admitted to the PGIMS, Rohtak, with burn injuries.

Jhajjar SSP Sourabh Singh has assigned the investigation to the DSP in this regard.

The incident took place at the venue of Raagni competition programme being organised at Kakra wala peer here. A village youth, Debi Singh, accused Sandeep of stealing his mobile phone.

When Sandeep denied having any information about the phone, Debi Singh started quarrelling with him.

Four other youths joined Debi Singh and started thrashing Sandeep. Later, they set him on fire. Debi Singh and his friends managed to flee from the spot. He was rescued by some Raagni listeners and rushed to the Civil Hospital from where he was referred to the PGIMS, Rohtak. A case has been registered against Debi Singh and his friends.