The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Chandigarh Stories

EDUCATION

Haryana students seek probe into PU financial crunch
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, April 25 —The Haryana Students’ Association in a press conference here today demanded a ‘high powered vigilance enquiry’ into the ongoing financial crunch at Panjab University.

Mr Chand Singh Madaan, chairman, said a ‘vigilance enquiry should be conducted into the income and expenditure fronts on the university budget. In spite of a heated discussion in the Senate at least 25 high positioned officials hired after retirement were still continuing .

“Controversy between the Finance Secretary and the Vice Chancellor for sanctioning of the university funds continued unabated. Allocation of funds in lieu of appointment of Finance Secretary’s wife in the campus is being rebutted strongly by the other party. Mr Chand Madaan said the Chancellor and the HRD Minister should immediately look into the matter.

Mr Bhupinder ‘Bhupi’, a presidential candidate of the HSA, pointed out the areas needing improvement in the library. This was examination time and there was a great rush at the library. Only 200 seats were available in the library against a sitting capacity of approximately 260.

Mr ‘Bhupi’ said that airconditioning facility in the library was made available last year following an agitation. This year, however, the AC refused regular supply. “Leave aside AC, even the fans were not available in adequate numbers. Toilets needed attention,” he added. Cases of termites spoiling books in the library were also put forward.

Another important issue highlighted on the occasion were problems related to the examination system. “Students had to wait in queues for results. In certain cases exams had already taken place while the result of the previous one was still pending. Examination cards are not available to candidates often on the first day of the examination. They have to part with an additional Rs 50 for duplicate numbers.Overall condition of the examination system is pathetic”, Mr Chand added.

Problems of poor students were also highlighted on the occasion. “The reality is that students hailing from backward classes and rural areas were discriminated on several fronts. According to UGC and HRD guidelines, students belonging to SC and ST categories are exempted tuition fee, and if charged, they are refunded after the session. No student in PU has been benefited by this”, Mr Madaan added.

It was also pointed out that the university office claimed that there were very few applicants for special schemes for SC and ST candidates. Students said that there was no proper information available in this regard.

Seminar on chemical accident
Tribune News Service

SAS NAGAR, April 25 — A two-day workshop on Management of Chemical Accident, sponsored by the Ministry of Environment and Forests, was organised by HRD Foundation, New Delhi, in coordination with the Mohali Industries Association, started here today.

Mr S.S.Channy, Labour Commissioner, Punjab, in his inaugural address, said due to rapid growth of oil, chemicals and other related industries, the hazard of accidents had increased manifold. He urged the participants to identify the hazards and take preventive measures to check occurrence of such accidents. Thirty entrepreneurs are participating in the workshop. Mr SS Sandhu, President of the association, Dr RS Hamsagar, Senior Consultant in Industrial Safety, and Mr K.P.Verma, Director of the HRD Foundation, also spoke on the occasion.

Department to be named after Vidyarthi
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, April 25 — Coinciding with the birth anniversary of illustrious indologist and noted philosopher Pandit Gurudatta Vidyarthi, the Chemistry Department of Panjab University is all set to name the department after him.

Addressing a press conference here today Prof Ramprakash, a senior fellow, gave detailed story of the first Punjabi Assistant Professor of Science at Government College , Lahore, in 1886.

The illustrious scientist did his FA in 1983, BA in 1985 and MA in 1986. The university at that time did not have science classes.These classes were carried on in colleges.

Pt Vidyarthi became the first Indian senior professor of science in 1887 in place of Prof J.C.Omen.He was instrumental in the opening of a science institution in 1887.

Pt Vidyarthi died in 1890.

Prof R.D. Anand, Ms Sneh Mahajan, Prof Charanjit Chawla and Prof I.M. Joshi were present at today’s media briefing.

Student Centre to be expanded
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, April 25 — The foundation stone of the Panjab University Student Centre extension was laid down by Mr Satya Pal Jain, a former Member of Parliament, here today.

Mr Jain asked the students to be conscientious and work for excellence. He talked about various development activities initiated by him. Prof M.M. Puri, the Vice Chancellor, and Mr D.P.S. Randhawa, president of the Panjab University Campus Students Council, were also present on the occasion.

There was, however, some silent protests against the construction work. A research scholar said that ‘‘these shops would kill the beauty of the spacious centre’’. A girl student said that the centre had a tea shop and a card shop, so there was no need for other shops.

Summer camp in music, dramatics, painting
Tribune News Service

SAS NAGAR, April 25 — A 15-day summer camp in music, dramatics, spoken English and personality development , drawing, painting, clay modelling, collage making and aerobics is being held at Cherry Angel school in Phase X here starting from June 1.

The Director ( Administration), Ms Kamaljeet Kaur, said the camp would provide an opportunity to the children to undertake extra curricular activities alongside the academics to ensure their balanced mental and physical growth.

COURTS

Human rights lawyer seeks exemption
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, April 25 — Claiming to have been threatened by Jagtar Singh Hawara and two other accused in the jailbreak case, human rights lawyer Daljit Singh Rajput, also an accused in the case, has asked for exemption from personal appearance.

In a petition filed before UT Additional District and Sessions Judge, Mr. R.C. Godara, Mr. Rajput has stated that the accused, including Hawara, Jaswant Singh and Balwinder Singh had threatened to kill him and his family if a petition earlier filed by him before the Punjab and Haryana High Court here was not withdrawn.

He added that the High Court, on a petition challenging the sanction order in the case, had stayed the proceedings before the trial court.

The alleged conspiracy was reportedly unearthed by the Chandigarh Police with accused Satnam Singh’s arrest on June 11. According to the prosecution, PETN explosive, to be smuggled into the jail complex, was recovered from his possession. More explosives were allegedly recovered from his residence in Salimpur village in Ropar district.

The explosive, the prosecution had added, was to be employed for blowing up a portion of the jail complex for enabling former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh’s alleged assassins, Jagtar Singh Tara and Hawara to escape. The allegations have been denied by the accused in their statements before the court.

Several complaints, it may be added, have been filed before the district courts here seeking the registration of first information report against the investigation officer in the case, Sub Inspector D.S. Chandel. The complaints are still pending.

Lawyers to boycott magistrate’s court
From Our Correspondent

KHARAR, April 25 — An emergency meeting of the local Bar Association was held here yesterday and it was unanimously decided to boycott the working in the court of Mr Sanjay Agnihotri, Judicial Magistrate, in protest against the registration of a “false” case against a senior advocate, Mr Amrik Singh.

According to a copy of the resolution, the boycott period has been fixed for a week. Copies of this resolution is to be sent to District Judge, Ropar, and the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

A case under Sections 224, 225-B and 120-B of the IPC was registered by the Kharar police against Jaswinder Singh, Amrik Singh and another person on April 21, when Jaswinder Singh ran away from the court of Mr Sanjay Agnihotri. The accused had appeared in court in connection with a case registered against him and others.

The Judge ordered that the accused should be taken into custody and he was handed over to the Naib Court. According to the FIR, as the Naib Court was preparing custody warrants, the accused ran away.

The Judge, after recording the statement of the Naib Court, ordered that the police should take appropriate action against the accused and other persons, as per the statement of the Naib Court.

Meanwhile, delegation of local advocates met Mr Maghar Khan, District and Sessions Judge, Ropar, today and informed the Judge about the matter.

Constable charged with theft, gets 18-month RI
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, April 25 — In a significant judgment here today, UT Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate H.S. Madaan convicted a Chandigarh police constable with having committed a theft in the police lines area of Sector 26 and sentenced him to undergo rigorous imprisonment for a period of 18 months.

Mr Gurmeet Singh, a constable with the city police, who was booked here on June 3, 1998, for breaking a wash basin and removing taps from the police lines area while he was on duty, was further ordered by the court to pay Rs 500 as fine and undergo RI for three months in case of default of payment of the same.

Declining to grant probation to the accused, the magistrate held that ‘‘the accused being a police official indulged in theft. I can’t grant the benefit of probation to him.’’

Gurmeet Singh was apprehended after a Sub-Inspector on duty, Mr Darshan Singh, received information that he had broken a wash basin and had removed taps and stop-cock from the bathroom. Two constables reached on the spot and found Gurmeet Singh present there. His hand was bleeding.

The prosecution examined five witnesses to bring home guilt of the accused and the Judge held that the prosecution had been successful in proving the said charge. It was added: ‘‘The accused has not been able to furnish a plausible explanation which can cast doubt in the mind about the truthfulness of the prosecution story.’’

Sanjay Narwal on bail for brother’s wedding
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, April 25 — The Sanjay Narwal case became fresh to the memory here today with a city court passing orders on the interim bail application of Sanjay Narwal who is facing the charge of murdering his “wife” Geeta Narwal.

The interim bail plea was put up before the court of UT Additional District and Sesions Judge, Mr S.S. Lamba, who held that the accused could proceed on interim bail for a period of 15 days, from April 29 to May 13. Sanjay had asked for a bail for a period of one month citing his brother’s wedding as the reason.

The defence counsel, while arguing in favour of interim bail, submitted that all prime public witnesses in the infamous case had already been examined and now only the police officer who investigated the case remains to be examined. It was added that Sanjay, in his capacity as the elder brother, was required to perform various duties, including personally going to invite his sisters (one of whom lives in Itanagar and the other at Ludhiana). The applicant further submitted that he had to help the family in making purchases for the marriage.

The Judge granted 15-day bail to Sanjay on grounds that all main witnesses in the case have been examined. Meanwhile, further proceedings in the case will be held by the UT District and Sessions Judge on May 3.

Sanjay, it may be recalled, was chargesheeted here on March 18, 1998, by the then Sessions Judge Amar Dutt. He is facing the accusation of committing the murder of his ‘wife’ Geeta Narwal in Surya Motel on November 4, 1997. It was alleged that aluminium phosphide was used to poison Geeta in a room of this Sector 22 motel from where her body was recovered.

During the course of trial, however, Sanjay denied that Geeta was his wife.

CULTURE

Mahatma versus Gandhi
By Suparna Saraswati

IT has to distinction a commendation letter from none other than the President of India, Mr K.R. Narayanan. Yet. from the first day of its having being performed, this theatre production managed stirring hornet’s nest in the arena of performing Arts. According to New York Times, it is “one of the finest English language plays to emerge from India in a long time”. The highly acclaimed Feroz Khan’s Mahatma Vs Gandhi is going to be performed in Chandigarh on April 30 (at Tagore Theatre). The event, a sponsored one, is organised by People for Animals, Chandigarh, as yet another fund-raiser for catering to serious animal welfare projects. To many of us infallible image of Gandhi as Bapu or the provider of India’s Independence, is all that matters to idolize or historically pay homage to.

Feroz Khan, one of the very few dynamic theatre Directors of the country, has managed to portray the not-so-accepting nevertheless extremely vulnerable and human side of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. The play, Mahatma Vs Gandhi is based on the Gujarati Novel ‘Prakashno Padcchayo’, accounts of events drawn from newspaper clippings, the correspondence between the father and the son, scholarly contribution from Gandhian intellectuals and most of all the biography of Harilal Gandhi. The theatre depiction revolves around a turbulent relationship that the Mahatma and his eldest son shared. It mirrors the anguish of a politician who transformed the soul of the nation and the angst of his own ‘uttaradhikari’.

The play’s lead performers are Actor Boman Irani ( as the Mahatma). Actress Jayati Bhatia (as ‘Ba’) and Actor-Director Feroz Khan as Harilal Gandhi. There is going to be only one play at the Tagore Theatre on April 30 at 5 p.m.. Tickets and Passes are available on first-cum-first-served basis.