Hisar, April 12
Telu Ram Jangra, a member of the Haryana State
Backward Classes Commission, which had submitted its report to the government recommending quota for Jats and some other castes a few days ago, is now on the run in a criminal case registered against him.

The Hisar police had raided his hideouts in Hansi, Panchkula and some other places, but without any success, SP B Satheesh Balan said. Jangra and 12 others were booked for kidnapping and rape, after a girl from his community lodged a complaint against them.

While Subhash, a resident of Jamawari village, was accused of rape, others, including Jangra, were charged with kidnapping.

The victim had alleged that she was in love with a Dalit youth and wanted to marry her.

But Jangra and some other members of her community allegedly blackened her lover’s face and paraded him.

They later allegedly sold her to an elderly man, Subhash from Jamawadi village, in the name of marriage.

The girl alleged that she was made to sign a complaint against her lover.

Later, the girl appeared in front of a Magistrate and alleged that Jangra and others had kidnapped her and Subhash, whom she was sold in the name of marriage, raped her.

The police has already arrested six persons, including Subhash.

However, Jangra and six others were evading arrest, the SP said.

Meanwhile, a court has rejected Jangra’s application for an anticipatory bail. Balan confirmed that the police was raiding his hideouts and Jangra would be arrested soon. 

Gurgaon, April 12
A city court today granted bail to Sports Minister Sukhbir Kataria, who appeared to answer the charges of forging documents to obtain voter cards for his relatives in 2009.

The issue has triggered a fresh political storm as the BJP has now put forth the demand of Kataria's immediate resignation on moral grounds.

Umesh Aggarwal, state spokesperson of the BJP, who had lost the 2009 Assembly election to Kataria by nearly 2,000 votes, said being a legislator, upholding the election process was his prime duty.

“When he dared to meddle with the most sacred duty of a legislature, he has no right to be there. He should resign on moral grounds. We shall intensify this demand to upkeep the sanctity of all the legislators,” Aggarwal said.

Additional District and Sessions Judge SK Khanduja had ordered Kataria to appear before the trial court while hearing his plea for an anticipatory bail. Kataria's regular bail was accepted on a personal bond of Rs 50,000.

A city-based NGO, Matdata Jaagrookta Manch, in its petition filed in 2009 had alleged that Kataria got 17 of his relatives from outside Gurgaon to acquire forged documents to obtain multiple voter cards from different booths in his constituency.

It was on April 1 that the minister's kin had “assaulted” two men reportedly associated with the petitioner NGO soon after a court official went to his house to serve the summons. 

Chandigarh, April 12
A sum of Rs 369 crore has been approved for five districts of Haryana — Bhiwani, Panchkula, Mewat, Jhajjar and Hisar — under the 13th Finance Commission during 2012-13 for the implementation of schemes of the Public Health and Engineering Department.

Public Health Engineering Minister Kiran Choudhry said here Rs183 crore had been approved for Jhajjar town and adjoining 17 villages, Rs 112 crore for Hisar district, Rs 6.02 crore for the Morni area in Panchkula district , Rs 37 crore for Bhiwani district and Rs 30.76 crore for Mewat district.

The Public Health Engineering Minister said the National River Conservation Directorate had also approved two projects costing Rs 129.51 crore and Rs 88.36 crore for augmentation of sewerage, including sewerage treatment plants in Panipat and Sonepat towns on the 70:30 funding pattern during the same period.

Apart from this, projects costing Rs 95 crore for the improvement of water supply in Sonepat town on Ranney wells had also been approved, Choudhry said.

These works would be completed by March, 2015, the minister added. 

Fatehabad, April 12
The health authorities in Fatehabad have finally taken action against its officials responsible for the April 7 incident when a poor woman had to deliver baby on the road outside the General Hospital after she was allegedly shown the door by the doctors.

Civil Surgeon Dr Suraj Bhan Kamboj today sent a woman doctor from the General Hospital, Fatehabad, on deputation for two weeks to the Community Health Centre, Bhuna. While ordering Dr Veena Batra’s deputation, who allegedly referred the woman to Maharaja Agarsen Medical College, Agroha, instead of facilitating her delivery at Fatehabad, ignoring the fact that she was bleeding and crying in pain, the Civil Surgeon said this was the maximum punishment he was entitled to award to a doctor.

The action has been initiated after a three-member committee comprising Dr OP Dahmiwal, a senior medical officer, Dr Subhash Chander, the resident medical officer and Renu Bala, a medical officer, submitted its report.

While refusing to divulge details of the report, Dr Kamboj said he had already sent the report to the Director General of Health Services, Haryana, for action. He said besides this, a show-cause notice was also being issued to a staff nurse of the hospital for lapses on her part.

Meanwhile, the State Human Rights Commission, Haryana, will keep proceedings on the suo moto action taken by it in abeyance in view of the Punjab and Haryana High Court treating a letter written by a law student with a report published in The Tribune in this regard as public interest litigation.

“Once, the High Court has taken cognisance of the matter under Article 226 of the Constitution, there can be no proceeding in any other body in its jurisdiction during the pendancy of the litigation,” said GK Khanna, Registrar in the Haryana State Human Rights Commission.

Sirsa, April 12
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot is all praise for the development in Haryana in the last eight years of Congress rule.

Gehlot, who is on Congress sandesh yatra in Rajasthan in view of the assembly poll later this year, made a brief stopover at Sirsa last evening before flying to Jaipur.

Gehlot, accompanied by former Union Minister Mukul Vasnik, addressed a meeting here on Sirsa MP Ashok Tanwar’s request after completing his Congress sandesh yatra in neighbouring Hanumangarh, Rawatsar, Nohar and Bhadra in Rajasthan. Gehlot said the Congress governments always believed in development while the other parties served their own interests.

“Haryana has witnessed tremendous development in the last eight years. Rajasthan too has seen unprecedented growth during the last five years”, Gehlot said while addressing people at Parshuram Chowk in Sirsa.

Rohtak, April 12
A controversy appears to have sprung on the Maharshi Dayanand University campus following the harvesting of wheat crop in tghe official residence of the Vice-Chancellor, Dr R.P. Hooda, on Friday.

Though the VC denied that the activity resulted in any inconvenience to anyone on the campus, some girl hostellers and staff residing in the nieghbourhood claimed that it resulted in acute air pollution by the husk in the air.

“The VC seems to have turned a farmer with wheat being harvested in the backyard of his official residence," said a teacher residing on the campus. He said it was amazing that an official had grown and harvested wheat in his house without caring for the problems and disturbance caused to others.

"We were caught in a maze of husk pollution for over two hours as the dust flew towards the hostel for girls nearby," said a student on the condition of anonymity.

Another PG student said this was a kind of severe air pollution which could result in breathing problems to many suffering from asthmatic disorders.

Some local residents gathered at the spot to see what was going on and it was found that a harvester machine with a tractor had been hired to procure the wheat from the crop.

Ashish Pannu, a lawyer, said this activity was illegal in a residential area as it could cause severe air pollution and invite certain Sections of the IPC if a complaint was lodged.

The VC, Dr R.P Hooda, however, said wheat and vegetables were routinely grown in the backyard of the house as there was large space available. He said such produce could be used either at the official residence or in the university guest house. The harvesting today did not pose any problem to anyone, he added.

Chandigarh,April 12
The government has issued the posting and transfer orders of five IAS officers.

YS Khyalia, Director-General, Consolidation of Holdings, has been given additional charge as state Project Director, Haryana State AIDS Control Society.

Sanjay Joon,on promotion to the IAS, has been appointed Additional Secretary, Home II, and Joint Commissioner, Gurudwara Elections, Haryana, against vacant posts.

Vivek Attray, on promotion to the IAS, has been posted as Director , Supplies and Disposals; Managing Director, HARTRON, Additional Secretary and Director, Electronics and Information Technology .

Sanjeev Verma, on promotion to the IAS, has been posted as Additional Secretary, Cooperation Department, relieving SK Goyal .

Jagdeep Singh, on promotion to the IAS, has been posted as Additional Secretary, PWD(Band R) and Architecture Departments, relieving Ramesh Krishan.

Anita Yadav, on promotion to the IAS, has been posted as Officer on Special Duty, Office of Commissioner , Gurgaon Division, Gurgaon.

Gharaunda (Karnal), April 12
In a daring act, three car-borne miscreants kidnapped two college girls, one of whom managed to escape by jumping from the running car.

The kidnappers came in a Duster car and dragged two college girls, walking along the national highway, into the car.

Some passersby who saw the miscreants dragging the girls into the car followed them and pelted stones to stop the car, but they escaped. However, one of the kidnapped girls managed to escape by jumping from the running car. She received minor injuries.

The dare devil act of goons in the broad daylight has sent shock waves in the area and cast shadow on the functioning of the police.

The police cordoned off the area and launched a manhunt to nab the accused.

Ajay Rana, local sarpanch, said he received the information on the phone that one girl had been kidnapped while the other had managed to escape. The girls are residents of Araipura.

The police has recorded the statement of the girl who escaped from the clutches of kidnappers. The incident also exposed the claims of the government regarding the steps being taken to ensure safety and security of women.

The DSP, Joginder Rathi, said he had received information about the kidnapping and that the area had been cordoned off to nab the culprits.

Sonu, an eyewitness, said that there were three persons in the Duster car who dragged the girls into the car. “We tried to stop the car, but they managed to flee,” he said.

Bhiwani, April 12
A Dalit minor girl was allegedly raped by three youths in the village school at Kharar Khurd in Bhiwani today.

The 13-year-old girl’s father has lodged a complaint in the Sadar Police Station, Bhiwani, that Chulbul, Rahul and another, all residents of the same village, lured his minor daughter to the village school in the morning today. He alleged that the three raped her in the school, which is closed due to harvesting vacation these days.

The girl somehow came home and narrated the incident to her family, who approached the police.

The police said that a case has been registered under Section 376 (D) of the IPC, SC and ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and efforts were on the arrest the accused.

Sister-in-law among 4 booked in gang-rape case

The police has booked four persons, including a woman, for gang- rape. The victim alleged that she was raped by a kin and two others at Kaluwala village in Bhiwani

The three men have been charged with gang-rape and criminal intimidation, the woman has been accused of helping them in the crime.

The woman, a resident of Singhnawa village, alleged that she had gone to Kaluwana village to meet her sister-in-law.

She alleged when her sister-in-law went out for some work, her husband and his two friends raped and threatened her with dire consequences, if she narrated the incident to anyone.

Hisar, April 12
The police booked a property dealer and some unknown persons after a doctor was found dead under mysterious circumstances at Gawad village in Hisar today.

The victim’s body was found in a pond in the village this morning. The victim, Dr Krishan Kumar, an ayurvedic medical graduate, practised medicine in the Azad Nagar area of Hisar town.

According to reports, some days ago, the doctor had sold his four acres of land near Hansi for Rs 70 lakh through Rajinder Sangwan, a property dealer of his ancestral village, Gawad. After that, he executed an agreement to sell his 11 acres of land near Balsamand for over Rs 1 crore.

The victim’s brother Rajbir Kundu, alleged in his complaint to the police that though the date of sale deed was fixed for April 15, Rajinder Sangwan made his brother sign the deed on April 4 on the promise of making the entire payment soon.

He said on Thursday morning, his brother left for Sangwan’s Siwani office to receive the payment, but never returned.

He said his brother's mobile phone went off around 10.30 and after that the family had no contact with him.

Krishan Kumar’s family members said when they spoke to Sangwan on this issue, he told them that he had met him on Thursday for a while.

The victim’s body was recovered from a pond from Gawad village. There were blood marks on the nose and ears of the body.

The police took the body in its custody. The victim’s relatives blocked vehicular traffic on NH 65, demanding the arrest of the property dealer.

The police said that a case of murder and causing disappearance of evidence had been registered against Sangwan and unknown persons.

Kurukshetra, April 12
The police has arrested Satish Kumar, a resident of Mustapur, for allegedly abducting a newly married woman. Virbhan of Gagadpur district, Kaithal, had lodged a complaint with the police alleging that Satish had abducted his newly married wife.

The accused has admitted to his crime.

The accused was produced in a court at Pehowa, which remanded him to judicial custody, the police spokesperson said.