Rohtak, November 27
Three policemen, including an Inspector, have been placed under suspension for their alleged failure to provide proper security and escort to Mauritius President Anerood Jugnauth during his visit here yesterday. Saurabh Singh, SSP of Jhajjar district, said they were Inspector Rakesh Kumar, ASI Hem Chand and a Head Constable.

An inquiry has been ordered after reports that the visiting dignitary was left in the lurch for about 20 minutes near Bahadurgarh town, while on his way to Rohtak to attend a function here.

Cops had been deployed to provide security and escort to the VIP from the Tikri border to the entry point of Rohtak district. A police team from Jhajjar district had received the dignitary at the designated place and the cops were supposed to escort his car till the entry point of Rohtak district, but it is reported that due to some confusion and lack of coordination, the police escort vehicle did not maintain a proper distance and failed to guide the vehicle of the Mauritius President properly and the latter got stuck in traffic on the main road passing through Bahadurgarh town.

The situation turned grim when the vehicle of Jugnauth lost track and he had to stop near a hotel on the main road to ask local residents the way to Rohtak, it is learnt. This led to a serious lapse of security of a visiting VIP and could have posed a risk to his personal safety, claimed sources in the Police Department.

The police escort was able to trace the “missing VIP vehicle” after about 20 minutes when the cops were told that the vehicle they were supposed to provide security cover and escort to had been left behind. The President of Mauritius was travelling in a Mercedes car (DL-1-Z-2166) and the vehicle was accompanied by an SUV.

The escort was found near Asaudah village, about 35 km from here. The Mauritius President reached Rohtak around noon where he was received by Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda. He was awarded the first Ch Ranbir Singh Distinguished Parliamentarian Award at a function later in the evening. 

Sirsa, November 27
Students of Chaudhary Devi Lal University, who have failed to clear their examinations despite exhausting all chances, need not worry now.The university has decided to grant them a special mercy chance.

The university took this decision at a meeting of its academic council held here today. Vice-Chancellor KC Bhardwaj presided over the meeting.

Manoj Siwach, Registrar of the university, Anu Shukla, Dean of Humanities, Sultan Singh, Dean of Academic Affairs, Suresh Gahlawat, Dean of the Faculty of Life Science, Shamsher Singh, Dean, Faculty of Education, Parveen Agamkar, Chairperson, Physics, Brijpal Singh, Chairperson of the Law Department, Vikram Singh, Professor, and Dilbag Singh, Chairperson of the Computer Science and Technology Department, attended the meeting.

The council decided that in view of the interest of the students, a special mercy chance would be given to them in June 2011 and December 2011.

The council has also decided to send a proposal to the University Grants Commission (UGC) for opening a model degree college in the university.

The VC informed the council that the UGC had recently circulated a letter announcing its decision of opening 374 model degree colleges in educationally backward districts of the country.

Besides these decisions, the council also decided to create new posts in the departments of Education, Computer Science and Applications, Mathematics and Economics.

The council decided to transfer one lecturer from the Faculty of Social Sciences to the Faculty of Education. The council also decided to make a provision for conferring honorary degrees on renowned persons and academics by the university. 

Chandigarh, November 27
Allowing a petition by two revenue officers of Haryana, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has ruled that proceedings in a criminal complaint against them before a Panipat court have to be construed as “abuse” of the court process. Justice Ranjan Gogoi also quashed the order dated November 25, 2006, summoning them to stand trial.

Taking up the matter, Justice Gogoi asserted: “This application has been filed by accused-petitioners Ram Mehar and Jai Kishan for quashing of criminal complaint dated July 18, 2006, at present pending in the court of learned Judicial Magistrate 1st Class, Panipat.

“The two accused-petitioners are revenue officials of the state of Haryana. The case of the respondent-complainant, in the complaint petition, is that on the basis of a court decree dated June 1, 1990, his name was entered in the revenue record at Pasina Kalan village in Bapoli tehsil in Panipat district.

According to the complainant, the accused, in collusion with another accused, by order dated September 22, 2005, entered the name of the third accused in the revenue record without any notice to the complainant. Accordingly, it is alleged that the accused have committed offences under Section 420 read with Section 120-B of the IPC as well as Sections 466, 467, 468, 469 and 471 of the IPC”.

Justice Gogoi added: “After initial examination of the complainant on oath, the Judicial Magistrate 1st Class, Panipat, by order dated November 25, 2006, summoned all three accused to face trial”.

After hearing the arguments and going through the documents, Justice Gogoi asserted: It is crystal clear that the accused-petitioners had acted bona fide and on the basis of the court decree. No offence under any of the Sections of the Indian Penal Code as has been alleged, therefore, would be attracted in respect of the actions of the accused-petitioners in correcting the mutation register. The proceedings in criminal complaint, therefore, will have to be construed to be an abuse of the process of the court.

“Consequently, the proceedings in so far as the accused-petitioners areconcerned, including the order summoning them, shall stand set aside and quashed”.

Panipat, November 27
After passing through several stations in the state, the Red Ribbon Express today reached Panipat to spread awareness against dreaded diseases like AIDS.

The train was received by Minister of State for Health and Education Geeta Bhukal, who said awareness was the only way that could save people from HIV and AIDS. “It is a joint social responsibility to spread awareness in this regard,” she added.

The train, which is an exhibition train spreading awareness on HIV/AIDS and health-related issues as part of the National Rural Health Mission, was conceived by Rajiv Gandhi Foundation and National Aids Control Organisation. As per statistical data, around 23 lakh persons in the country were affected with the disease.

The Health Minister said the state government was committed to provide affordable and world-class health facilities to its citizens. Setting up of medical colleges across the state had been approved, she said, adding that besides, various scheme to the tune of over Rs 1,500 crore had also been initiated for the purpose.

Speaking on the occasion, Minister of State for Transport and Tourism Om Prakash Jain said the state government was responsive towards the health needs of the masses and there was an urgent need to deal with deadly diseases like the HIV and AIDS.

Karnal MP Arvind Sharma said the state still faced a number of challenges as far as overall development was concerned, including the problem of HIV and AIDS.

It is to be mentioned that the Red Ribbon Express had covered over 6.2 crore persons in the first phase that had commenced in December 2007.

In the second phase, it had passed through 22 states and covered 160 districts to spread the message of prevention against AIDS.

The train would end its journey in Delhi. 

Gurgaon, November 27
Strange are the ways of the University Grants Commission. The UGC had declared that admission to the PhD course would be made on the basis of an entrance test.As per the regulations laid down by the UGC, the PhD aspirants who hold an MPhil degree in the relevant subject would be exempted from the entrance test.

However, for reasons best known to the authorities concerned, a large number of aspirants who had obtained MPhil degrees through distance education were denied this exemption; as only regular degree holders were exempted from the test.

This, despite the fact that the MPhil (distance education) course, duly recognised by the UGC, was offered by a number of state universities. But thanks to the UGC move, thousands of such candidates were left in the lurch.

Taking up the cudgels for the aspiring research scholars who were denied exemption in a discriminatory manner, Prof SPS Dahiya of the Department of English and Foreign Languages at Maharshi Dayanand University (MDU), Rohtak, sought clarification from the UGC authorities in this regard.

In an application under the RTI Act addressed to the UGC’s Central Public Information Officer (CPIO), Professor Dahiya asserted that the said regulation made a clear demarcation between MPhil (regular course) and MPhil (distance education), since only persons holding MPhil (regular course) had been exempted from the entrance test for the PhD course.

Pointing out that the said regulations came into effect from July 11, 2009, the MDU don asked the CPIO to clarify whether there was any regulation similar to the one referred to above prior to July 2009.

The letter asks to clarify whether a candidate who obtained the MPhil degree through distance education prior to July 2009 should not be exempted from the entrance test for PhD as has been done in the case of MPhil (regular) candidates.

It also questions whether a provision made in 2009 can be made effective retrospectively, depriving the MPhil (distance education) degree holders of opportunities equal to their regular-mode counterparts.

In response to the RTI application, UGC Deputy Secretary and PIO BK Singh informed Professor Dahiya that the issue of MPhil/PhD degree completed prior to the coming into effect of the UGC Regulations, 2009, was under the consideration of the UGC and any additional information was not available on the subject matter.

Taking exception to the “evasive reply amounting to non-supply of the required information”, Professor Dahiya has now appealed to the UGC Joint Secretary to direct the PIO to supply clear and specific information on the said points. 

Sirsa, November 27
The police arrested five persons and seized 2 kg of opium from their possession at Ellenabad town today.A police spokesperson said the narcotic cell of the state crime bureau and the local police stopped a jeep on the Nohar road today.The police seized 2 kg of opium from the back seat of the jeep.

The police has arrested Sanwar Mal and Dhan, both residents of Rajasthan, and Ramesh, Shanti Lal and Kalu Ram, all residents of Madhya Pradesh, in this connection.

The accused told the police that they had brought the contraband from Rajasthan and had to supply it in Ellenabad. 

Kurukshetra, November 27
Governor Jagannath Pahadia has called upon the people to follow the teachings of Baba Shrichand Maharaj and maintain peace and brotherhood among all mankind.Pahadia was addressing the gathering after inaugurating a blood donation camp organised to mark the 516th birth anniversary of Baba Shrichand Maharaj at Maandi village, about 30 km from here, today. He said Baba Shrichand Maharaj worked for the upliftment of mankind and welfare of society by following the teachings of Guru Nanak Dev. Eradicating social evils, he worked for the unity of society, the Governor added.

Pahadia also urged upon religious and social organisations to organise more blood donation camps.

He also blessed 21 poor girls whose marriages were solemnised on the occasion. The Governor appreciated the administration for its contribution to the noble cause.

Earlier, Vidhan Sabha Speaker Harmohinder Singh Chatha welcomed the Governor and his wife on the occasion. Pahadia also honoured Deputy Commissioner Pankaj Aggarwal, district police chief Sultan Singh, state Red Cross Society secretary GP Taneja, ADC to Governor JP Dahiya, SDM Baljeet Singh and DSP Bhupender Singh by presenting a memento and a shawl to each of them.

About 500 persons donated blood on the occasion.