DSP, Inspector face criminal case
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, May 9 — The Chandigarh Administration has ordered registration of a criminal case against two police officials, Mr Devinder Singh, a Deputy Superintendent of police, and Mr Pushpinder Kumar Dhawan, an Inspector, "for allegedly forging the file pertaining to the murder of Ghanpat Rai". The registration of the case has been ordered on the basis of an inquiry conducted by Mr Sanjiv Kumar, Legal Rememberancer of the Administration, in the "missing files case".

It may be recalled that the Chandigarh Administration has already ordered suspension of two DSPs, Mr Devinder Singh and Mr Subash Chander Sagar, besides Inspector Pushpinder Kumar Dhawan and Sub- Inspector Balihar Singh, following their indictment by the inquiry officer, who is a judicial officer.

The inquiry report has made some interesting and startling revelations. For example, Mr Pushpinder Kumar Dhawan had claimed to have solved the blind murder case of Ghanpat Rai whose body was found from a pond at Burail village.

According to certain documents available in the office of the Deputy Superintendent of Police, the murder was committed by a brother of the woman with whom the deceased had illicit relationship. He was assisted in the crime by four more persons from his village in Bareilly district.

The record shows commendation of this good work done by Mr Dhawan, who was then investigation officer and a Sub-Inspector. Later, warrants in respect of these four accused were also obtained from the judicial court and police parties were twice sent to Bareilly to apprehend the suspects. But what happened afterwards, no one knows. The case file mysteriously disappeared from the police record.

The "missing file" came to light only when the case property, recovered from the scene of the crime, was recovered from the malkhana of the police station in 1999. The columns in the register concerned were later found to have been left blank, while the FIR registers in other cases were found complete.

The FIR registers in the case of Ghanpat Rai and the murder of Inder Pal Gupta were found missing. These registers were subsequently found in the personal possession of a Deputy Superintendent of Police who could offer no explanation.

The case file, which mysteriously reappeared in the malkhana, reveals the inquiry report is a forged document. The inference of the inquiry officer has been faced on the opinion of the documents and hand writing experts who observed that the pen used in completing the file was not available in 1980s as the fibre tip pens came much afterwards. Further, overwriting and cutting of dates, colour of pages and repeated mention of 1993 instead of 1983 clearly proved that the file pertaining to the murder case of Ghanpat Rai was forged. It also does not mention anything about solving of the case and identification of five suspects, including obtaining of their arrest warrants.

Interestingly, the inquiry pointed out that this file even did not contain the post-mortem report of the deceased which is the most important document in such cases.

In the second case, which pertains to the murder of a BJP activist, Inder Pal Gupta, two persons, Mr Dharamvir Singh (August 28) and Hardeep Singh (September 30) were arrested in 1984, the year the murder took place. It was an act of terrorism. Both of the arrested persons were later released on bail. The further progress in the case was not known before the file disappeared. The file resurfaced soon after a DDR was registered at the Sector 26 police station. The resurfaced file has untraced report written by Mr Subash Chander Sagar in 1985 but again without explanation as to why this was not sent to the court. It is also not mentioned as what happened to those arrested in the case.

The inquiry officer examined 15 witnesses and reportedly gave the police officers concerned sufficient opportunity to explain their conduct and position.

Villagers resist sand removal
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, May 9 — A major clash was averted between the two rival groups over the contract for the removal of sand of a seasonal rivulet in Kansala village of Ropar district, about 15 km from here, today.

The high drama started around 8 a.m. this morning when Harmeet Singh, a close associate of the son of a top Akali leader, who had taken the contract for the removal of sand, along with over 15 armed men, forcibly tried to remove the sand the from the river bed. This was opposed by the villagers and over 100 persons, including women, stopped the trucks loaded with sand.

It may be recalled that there was a dispute over the ownership of about 96 kanals of the river bed land in the village, with certain villagers claiming that land belonged to them and was not the "shamlat" land.

The villagers alleged that the Sarpanch, Mr Kulwinder Singh, in connivance with certain officials of Majri block, had given land on contract for Rs 1.85 lakh to Harmeet Singh. The villagers approached a Kharar court which had stayed the removal of sand from the river bed till the next date of hearing on June 9, said Mr Bhagat Singh, General Secretary of the Periphery Milkmen Union, and a resident of the village.

Tempers ran high when Harmeet Singh, accompanied by over 15 persons, some armed with rifles, tried to forcibly load the sand into the trucks. They threatened to eliminate those who dared to oppose them, Mr Bhagat Singh alleged.

Over 100 villagers, including women, put up a spirited defence and foiled repeated attempts by truck drivers to take away the trucks. The Sarpanch was also manhandled by the irate villagers. They also gheraoed the contractor and his men for more than six hours.

Senior police and civil officers, including Mr Dhindsa, SDM of Kharar, and Mr Ashwani Kapoor, DSP, reached the spot, and pacified the two parties. The SDM assured the villagers that no lifting of sand would be allowed till an amicable solution was found.

Meanwhile, the SHO of Mullanpur Garibdass, Mr Sarbjit Singh Sidhu, claimed that timely action by the police prevented any untoward incident. No case has been registered.

Kids have narrow escape
'Best' HHB colony has poor quality houses
Tribune News Service

PANCHKULA, May 9 — Residents of the Housing Board colony in Sector 14 live under constant fear of being injured due to the poor quality of construction of their houses.Their immediate cause of provocation is the facade of the balconies, portions of which are falling off.

Yesterday, children playing in a block ( 87-88) of the colony had a miraculous escape when portions of the facade of a balcony peeled off and fell on the ground. The harried occupants say this is not the only cause of their worry.

Poor quality of construction of flats has been their bane. The quality of electrical equipment like junction boxes and wires is poor, thereby affecting the power supply.

The colony had been described as one of the best colonies built by the Haryana Housing Board (HHB), residents point out.

Mr Vijay Verma, a resident, said dampness had appeared on the ceilings and walls. The main cause of dampness in his flat was the missing section of the sewer pipe, leading to the seepage of sewage into the wall.

Mr S.P.Tarpial pointed out that the quality of the electricity wires was so bad that they get burnt. The main junction boxes had caught fire on a number of occasion and the power supply was disrupted.

The residents lament that the maintenance of the colony was suffering in spite of the board charging maintenance charges from them.

Adequate supply of water, a shopping complex and a nursery school have also been sought by the residents.

Phone subscribers a harassed lot
From Our Correspondent

MULLANPUR-GARIBDASS, May 9 — Non-availability of telephone sets at the local exchange to replace the faulty instruments has led to resentment among telephone subscribers here.

Frequent problems developed at the local telephone exchange cause inconvenience to subscribers in the area. The Mullanpur telephone exchange covers more than 15 villages.

Mrs Neena Thapar, a local resident, complained that her telephone stops functioning every evening. Despite several complaints to the authorities, nothing had been done, she said. Mr Bhag Singh, another subscriber, said his telephone set had some problem which had not been repaired despite complaints to the maintenance staff at the exchange. He had to exchange his instrument with one of his friends.

Mr Diwan Singh, Sarpanch of the village, said, “It is difficult to dial Chandigarh and particularly Panchkula as the dialling facility of 92 is not properly functioning here”.

The exchange here is in a poor condition. It has been functioning from a rented accommodation for the past more than 20 years. The building leaks during rains. There are only two members of the maintenance staff at the exchange to look after the connections numbering more than 300.

Mr Diwan Singh said some officials had visited the village about two weeks ago and suggested to arrange an accommodation or sight to construct the building for the exchange. He however assured that the village panchayat would soon provide space for the new building.

Mr Himmat Singh, Junior Telecom Officer (JTO), said on telephone that subscribers in the area are “habitual complainants”. He claimed that there were no problems regarding telecom services in the area.

66 SCs get govt houses
From Our Correspondent

DERA BASSI, May 9 — The Punjab Government would provide 12,000 pucca houses worth Rs 60 crore under various schemes for the poor and Scheduled Castes, said Capt. Kanwaljit Singh, Finance Minister, Punjab, while addressing a mass convention at Sundran village of this subdivision on Sunday.

According to the scheme, 92 such houses would be constructed in Dera Bassi subdivision. Sixty six have been completed and 10 would be completed in Sundran village soon.

Capt. Kanwaljit Singh presented the documents to the owners of 66 such houses built at a cost of Rs 35,64,000, in the village. Poor residents of Sundran, Jaura Kalan, Nagla and Humaonpur, belonging to Scheduled Castes are the beneficiaries.

He criticised the Congress, saying that it had uprooted the BJP-Akali government for the greed of the "chair". The Congress has imposed the mid-term poll upon the citizens, he alleged.

The minister said that the Congress lacks an Indian personality fit for the Prime Minister's post. He alleged that by giving the command in the hands of foreigners, the country would again be enslaved.

An atmosphere of friendship and brotherhood was developed after the formation of BJP-Akali government in Punjab, and the state is at an inclining graph of development and progress since then, he said.

Earlier, Capt. Kanwaljit Singh laid the foundation stone of a 3-km Sundran-Haripur Hinduan link road which would come up at a cost of Rs 28 lakh. He also declared open a Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) office at Mubarikpur where the residents of this area could deposit their electricity bills.

10-day Gram Shree mela ends
Tribune News Service

PANCHKULA, May 9 — A number of people thronged the Gram Shree mela, an exhibition-cum-sale of rural handicrafts and artefacts on the concluding day of the 10-day fair here today.

The mela, in which more than 100 rural artisans from 20 different states participated, proved to be a favourite with the local crowds as the sale of more than Rs 20 lakh was registered by different stalls.

On the concluding day function, the Chief General Manager of NABARD, Mr N.R. Kannan, was the chief guest. The Additional Deputy Commissioner of Panchkula, Mr Anurag Aggarwal, was also present on the occasion.

Mr Vinod Kaushik, Zonal Coordinator (North India) of the ANAARDE Foundation, said that encouraged by the success of the mela organised by the ACIL- Navasarajan Rural Development (ANAARDE), Gurgaon, in collaboration with the Council for Advancement of People's Action and Rural Technology (CAPART), an autonomous body under the Ministry of Rural Areas and Employment, such mela would be organised each year in the town.

Meanwhile, the stalls selling terra-cota products, leather items, bamboo items and jute products attracted a number of people. While joyrides and swings put up in one corner of the mela were favourite with the kids, cultural items by Rajasthani and Haryanvi artistes enthralled all.

Later the Project Manager of the ANARDE Foundation, Mr Kumud Kumar Barua, disclosed that the main objectives of holding the Gram Shree mela was to provide an opportunity to artisans supported by the CAPART and the DRDA's to sell their products in urban markets. To provide a chance to the rural producers to negotiate with bulk buyers and to eliminate the middle man were also among the objectives of the organisation.

Electoral roll revision-II ends
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, May 9 — The second phase of the revision of electoral rolls for the Chandigarh parliamentary constituency concluded here today.

The response of people residing in colonies and villages particularly in Colony No. 5, Mauli Jagran complex and Kishangarh village, was overwhelming going by the numbers who visited the polling booths in these areas for inclusion and alteration of their names in the voters list.

In the urban areas, the turnout was better at the polling stations in Sectors 22, 32, 34 and 46.

The poor turnout in some other areas can be attributed to the confusion which prevailed due to lack of awareness among the residents about the location of booths for enrolment. The residents of Mani Majra and Burail areas had a tough time locating the booths in which their areas fell.

At the end of the second phase, the forms submitted will be scrutinised and after necessary verification, the exercise of preparing the final voter list, which will be displayed in July, undertaken.

Traffic disrupted on national highway
From Our Correspondent

ZIRAKPUR, May 9 — The traffic on the National Highway remained disrupted for more than four hours following a collision between a truck and a tractor-trolley at the Bhankharpur bridge, over the Ghaggar river, today.

The truck, bearing the number HR-37-2081, hit the tractor-trolley (HR-01-A-1725) loaded with rice husk, near the bridge, while trying to overtake it, at about 2:30 pm. As a result, the husk spread over the road causing a lot of inconvenience to road users. The road could be cleared only after the intervention of the Deputy Superintendent of Police, Mr H.S. Bhullar.

The residents of the area alleged that trucks and tractors, overloaded with husk and other material, could often be seen moving at snail's pace on the highway, causing accidents at times. They further alleged that transport authorities were least bothered about this problem.

Poets enthral select audience
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, May 9 — The Punjabi Kavi Mandal today held its monthly meeting at the Punjab Kala Bhavan, Sector 16. It was attended by poets of the city, who recited their poetry in front of a select audience.

The titles of the poems ranged from the prevailing political situation in the country, to socio-economic problems and romance.

Punjabi poetess Sudarshan Walia, often seen and heard in most 'kavi sammelans' of the city, recited her well known poem, "Meley Zindagi De Sade Jadon Muk Jaden Hain". Other poets who participated in the programme included Joginder Singh, Manjit Singh Gill, Sarup Singh Saaqi, Jai Gopal Ashk, Pal Ajnabi and Kuldip Komal.

These poets also decided to publish a book which would be dedicated to the tercentenary celebrations of the Khalsa Panth. The book will include poems about the history of the Khalsa and the Sikh Gurus. The Punjabi Kavi Mandal publishes a monthly publication catering to the literary interests of the region.

It was decided that the next 'kavi darbar' would be held in the second week of June.

Sharma Chandigarh Club President
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, May 9 — Mr Chaman Lal Sharma defeated Mr Harish Dhawan by a big margin of more than 1,500 votes to be elected as President of the Chandigarh Club — the biggest social club in the city — for the second consecutive term today. During the last election in July, 1997, Mr Sharma had emerged victorious out of six candidates.

Voting to elect the office-bearers had taken place yesterday and the counting of votes was done today. Mr Chaman Lal Sharma polled 1,828 votes, while Mr Dhawan, a younger brother of former Civil Aviation Minister Harmohan Dhawan, could manage only 321 votes.

For the post of Vice-President, Mr R.S. Sachdeva defeated his nearest rival, Mr Vinod Gupta, by a margin of 54 votes. Mr Sachdeva polled 905 votes, while Mr Gupta got 851 votes.

The eight-member executive body comprises Mr Sunil Gupta ( 778 votes), Mr Sunil Khanna (754), Mr Inderjeet Bajaj (699), Mr Sanjay Ahuja (680), Mr Parveen Talwar (694), Mr Ashok Jindal (618), Mr C.M. Munjal (570) and Mr Gopal Gupta (588).

A close tie was witnessed between Mr Munjal and Mr Nitin Peshawari. Mr Munjal was declared elected after sustained calculations.

Campaign for 'Different India'
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, May 9—A campaign for 'Different India' was launched by the members of the Humanist Movement, at the UT Secretariat, Sector 9, here on May 7. The launch of the campaign coincided with the birth anniversary of Rabindra Nath Tagore.

The members of the movement, led by Ms Poonam Singh, Editor of 'Preet-Lari', met the IG Police, UT, Ms Kiran Bedi. Ms Bedi extended her whole-hearted support to the cause and welcomed the idea.

Later Ms Singh addressed a gathering of over 300 persons, comprising sarpanches and panches and police officials, to inform them about the movement. The members of the movement also launched their first regular weekly meeting, in which they discussed various social activities for the next year.

SNIPPETS

Question 'repeated' in sociology paper

CHANDIGARH, May 9 (TNS) — Students appearing for the undergraduate (II) examination for sociology paper ''A'' were surprised to find a 20-mark question repeated in two of the three sections of the question paper.

While a question on the topic of ``social structure'' was asked in section ''A'' of the paper, section ''B'' had an identical question based on the same topic.

Students allege that the topic is part of the course covered under section ''A''.

However, each section comprises four questions and the students are required to do any two from each section.

Sarv dharma sammelan held

CHANDIGARH, May 9 (TNS) —Representatives from different religions participated in a sarv dharma sammelan organised by the Build India Group at the Raj Yoga Centre, Sector 33, here today.

Various speakers, including Father Joseph Kalathil SJ, Director, Good Shepherd, Dr Madhukar Arya, Dr Darshan Singh and Sister Asha and B.K. Amir Chand, both from the Prajapita Brahma Kumaris Ishwaria Vishvavi-dyalaya, Chandigarh, stressed that the creator of the universe was one and there was no reason for division on the basis of caste and religion. All religions inculcated the spirit of universal harmony and brotherhood, they added.

The president of the group, Mrs Meenakshi Saxena, stressed the need to follow the path of coexistence and mutual respect for all religions.

Homoeo doctors hold seminar

CHANDIGARH, May 9 (TNS) —Homoeopathic doctors held a seminar at CSIO Auditorium, Sector 30, here today. About 300 delegates from Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Himachal Pradesh participated in it.

Dr L.M. Khan of the National Institute of Homoeopathy, Calcutta, said doctors should pay full attention to the patient and not to the disease. He stressed on the basic principle of homoeopathy. He said doctors should be unprejudiced while taking the case.

The seminar began with the garlanding of a photograph of Dr Hahnemann, the Father of Homoeopathy, by Mr K.K. Bhatnagar, Principal Secretary, Medical Education and Research, Punjab. Ms Sudha Sharma, Mr R.P. Ojha and Dr S.S. Kahlon also expressed their views at the seminar. Dr Sunil Sethia thanked the participants.

Traffic awareness camp held

KHARAR, May 9 (FOC) — The local Rotary Club in association with the Transport Department, Ropar, organised a traffic awareness camp near Civil Rest House here yesterday. The aim of the camp was to have reflectors on tractor-trailers moving on the highway. The camp was inaugurated by Mr Ashwani Kapoor, DSP, Kharar.

Mr Kapoor said that 60 per cent of the accidents occurred due to tractor trailers moving without reflectors.

About 250 tractor-trailers were provided with reflectors on this occasion.

According to the project chairman of the club, Mr Balwant Singh Badwal, this camp would continue for another one week.

Cases of trespass, eve-teasing

CHANDIGARH, May 9 (TNS)— The police has registered a case of trespass and molestation against Gurcharan Singh, a resident of Phase III-B-I, SAS Nagar, on the complaint of a lady of a colony in Kajheri. He has been arrested.

Mukesh, a resident of Burail village, has been arrested on the charge of eve-teasing. A complaint in this regard was made by Shanti, a resident of Colony No 5.

Chattan Singh, a resident of Hallomajra village, has been arrested on the charge of molesting a girl of the same village.

The police has arrested another person on the charge of assaulting Mr Ashok Kumar, a resident of Panchkula, outside Las Vegas Den, a discotheque here.

Two persons,Vicky Bajwa and Pammy Bajwa, had already been arrested in the case.

Lecturers happy with pay scales

CHANDIGARH, May 9 (TNS) —The Government College Lecturers Welfare Association, UT , has expressed happiness over the release of UGC pay scales by the Chandigarh Administration with effect from January 1, 1996, for lecturers working in government colleges and institutions of the Chandigarh Administration, on the pattern of the Punjab Government.

Dr R.S. Brar and Dr Daljit Singh, President and Secretary, respectively, of the association, said more than 600 college teachers, librarians and DPEs would benefit from this notification and assured the administration of the full co-operation of its members.

PU Syndicate meets on May 31

CHANDIGARH, May 9 (TNS) — The next meeting of the Panjab University Syndicate had been scheduled for May 31, the Registrar, Prof Paramjit Singh, said here today. The meeting was to be held on May 21 as per the information received after the conclusion of the last meeting held on April 24. Prof Paramjit Singh said there had been a discussion on holding the meeting on May 21 but May 31 was the final date, the university had approved.