Friday,
March 1, 2002, Chandigarh, India
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File status
report on investigations, HC tells police New Delhi, February 28 Directing the SSP Ghaziabad to file the status report by 2 p.m. tomorrow, a Division Bench comprising Justice B A Khan and Justice V S Agarwal said: “In the interest of justice, this court is not bound by any boundary.” “Tell us what maximum you want from the court in the interest of justice,” the Bench asked Neelam Katara ‘s counsel Kamini Jaiswal, while issuing notices to the Centre, the Uttar Pradesh Government, the state Director General of Police, SSP Ghaziabad, Commissioner of Delhi Police and Rajya Sabha MP D P Yadav, whose son Vikas Yadav and Nephew Vishal Yadav are suspected to be behind the kidnapping of Katara, believed to be murdered. Directing the Delhi Police chief to provide security to Katara family with immediate effect, the court said: ``Justice should not only be done but should be seen to have been done,” when petitioner’s counsel charged that the persons suspected to be involved in the crime were quite “influencial and habitual offenders.” The petitioner, through her counsel Kamini Jaiswal, had sought issuance of a writ of Habeas Corpus to establish with certainty the identity of the charred body believed to be that of Nitish and that the police investigate the matter with exactitude, expeditiously, efficiently and meticulously. Jaiswal alleged that the victim was seen with Vikas at his father’s official residence in the Capital by the area watchman on February 17, a day after his kidnapping.” She also asked for protection for the other witnesses in the case and that Bharati, daughter of D P Yadav whose friendship with Nitish was disliked by Vikas Yadav, be located and her statement recorded. The petitioner also sought court directions that DNA testing of the charred body, believed to be that of victim Nitish Katara, be done expeditiously, protection be provided to all the other witnesses in the case and that Ms Bharati Yadav, daughter of D P Yadav, be located and her statement be recorded. Bharati Yadav is said to be absconding. |
VHP bandh hovers over CBSE exams New Delhi, February 28 What is causing additional concern to the authorities here is that the proposed bandh coincides with the board examinations. The Vishwa Hindu Parishad has threatened a “chakka jam” in the city and has claimed that a large number of traders’ associations and market associations were supporting their call. Essential services like hospitals, communications, electricity, water and fire services have been exempted from the purview of the bandh. Senior police officers had a long-drawn meeting with the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi, Mr. Vijai Kapoor, to review the situation and to make fool-proof arrangements, so that normal life in the city is not affected. Delhi’s Education Minister, Raj Kumar Chauhan, however said that the bandh would not be allowed to disrupt the examinations and the government will ensure that the examinations are held peacefully. He said the deputy directors of the education department in the 12 districts had been given a wireless set each. This decision, he said, was taken after consultations with the police commissioner. The police establishment, he added, had also been requested to monitor the sensitive areas, particularly in the vicinity of schools. Meanwhile, the Delhi Police has drawn up an elaborate mobile patrolling plan; it will have static pickets at sensitive points, particularly outside examination centres; there will also be heavy deployment in the markets and commercial areas. Senior police officers will personally supervise the deployment and maintain a close liaison with all districts in the Capital. “ No one would be allowed to disrupt normal life in the city”, a senior police officer said. At the same time, the police has launched an extensive exercise to identify anti-social elements and take them into preventive custody. Police sources said that at least 100-odd anti-social elements from all over the city had been detained. Additional vigilance was also being kept on border check posts to prevent entry of anti-social elements and other trouble makers. The station house officers of all police stations have been asked to convene a meeting of leaders of various communities in their respective areas to prevent rumour mongering and any buildup of tension in the aftermath of the Gujarat incidents. |
Board cannot postpone papers New Delhi, February 28 |
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Schools denying roll
nos to students? Faridabad, February 28 He said although every CBSE affiliated school in the town had received the roll number slips of the students, some of the schools had not handed over the roll numbers to some students who were weak and who could adversely affect the overall result. It is also alleged that some schools have tried to `debar’ some of the weak students from appearing in the exam on the ground that their attendance was short or that they should try to get good marks the next year. The Manch has warned such schools of legal action, if they fail to give roll nos to its students by tomorrow. |
A village where criminals are demi-gods Panipat, February 28 In fact, over 250 residents of the village have criminal backgrounds and a majority of them are serving terms in Ambala and other jails. To top it, the crime graph in the village shows no sign of let-up, given the attitude of the Panipat Police who seem to sleep away the nights. Besides the lax police administration, the porous borders with Uttar Pradesh and Delhi and unemployment among the youth are cited as the reasons for the resurgence of the criminal activities in the village. Money is not hard to come by to those with a criminal bent of mind when the affluent industrial community is a soft target. Ironically, ‘good’ records in crime only add to the ‘glamour’ of those who indulge in it. Hardened criminals, like Rohtash and Pradeep, who spread terror among the people and police alike, are considered to role models by the village youth. And with the police winking at their records, the principle of “once a criminal always a criminal” comes into play. It may be recalled that Rohtash, who headed his own gang, was a terror for the police of Delhi, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. Wanted in several cases of murder, looting and dacoity, Rohtash evaded the police on countless occasions before being shot by the Uttar Pradesh in Sahibabad last year. After his death, Pradeep regrouped the Rohtash gang. His favourite pastime used to be snatching cars at gunpoint and repeatedly breaking the police cordons, thus openly challenging the effectiveness of the authority. He was arrested later last year along with Rakesh, a brother of Rohtash. He is now serving prison term in the Ambala Jail. Every criminal of Siwah wants to follow in the footsteps of Rohtash and Pradeep. It is the ‘glamour’ associated with criminals and their adventures that keep pulling the youth to crime, remarked a village elder. Moreover, the village is acquiring the dubious distinction harbouring persons involved in every major crime that is committed in the industrial town. For instance, the substantial number of about 20 accused in the infamous “kothi episode”, in which plush kothi of a retired teacher, Joginder Kaur, was raised to the ground by hooligans, were from the village. Later, she was gunned down in the district courts premises here in broad daylight on November 26 last year. She had gone there to plead before a court that three close relatives of the Haryana Speaker be also included in the kothi demolition case. Moreover, it appears that the police seem to have taken it for granted that the villagers would not change. Now the state government proposes to build a jail in the village. The construction of the Police Lines is already in progress in the village. |
CRIME New Delhi, February 28 The deceased, Mohanlal Bansal, resident of Tri Nagar, was returning home after withdrawing Rs 25 lakh from the Federal Bank in Padam Singh Road area, when he was reportedly intercepted by the unidentified youths who demanded the bag. When he resisted, the suspects shot him dead. Mukesh Sharma, Bansal’s friend who was also present inside the car at the time of the incident, escaped unhurt. Hundreds of motorists and casual visitors to the market were witness to the brazen looting, but no one apparently came to the aid of the victims. The incident created considerable scare in the congested area. The suspects, who sped away in the victim’s car, abandoned the motorcycle on the spot. The police said that efforts were being made to ascertain the if the motor cycle was a stolen one as the number on it was found to be fake. The Anand Parbat police have registered a case and have launched a hunt to trace the desperadoes who were described as young and ordinarily dressed. The description has been flashed to all the police stations. |
Reactions on B-Day New Delhi, February 28 For Ms. Kavita, who works in MTNL, “It is a mix of the good and the very bad”. She is happy that the petrol prices will come down, but is annoyed that she will have to pay more for LPG. “I don’t understand why LPG price has increased by Rs. 40. If at all there was a need to increase the price, they should have done so in phases. It is difficult for middle class people to shell out Rs 40 in one go for something as essential as cooking gas”. “It seems Mr. Sinha had the welfare of the husbands in mind rather than the wives. The cut in petrol is welcome news. Even though it is a small amount, we could have thought of saving a few rupees, but with the increase in LPG and kerosene prices we will be forced to cut corners,” pointed out Ms. Vidya Kumar, a school teacher. The price of diesel will come down by around 50 paise and petrol by around Re 1 per litre from tomorrow. The current price of petrol in the capital is Rs 27.54 per litre while diesel is pegged at Rs 17.09. Following the dip in prices, petrol and diesel in Delhi would cost Rs 26.74 per litre and Rs 16.59 per litre, respectively. The levy on sugar is also proposed to be reduced from 15 to 10 per cent, he said, adding that the retail price of Public Distribution Scheme (PDS) sugar will be Rs 13.50 per kg from tomorrow. “The budget spells bad news for lower middle-class homes. We cannot determine yet what effect the Re 1 cut in petrol price will have. In this budget many decisions are not based on correct assumptions, but on convenience. The cut in the interest rate is not justifiable,” pointed out Amitava Ganguly, a Chartered Accountant. He went on to add: “If the government goes by the Consumer Price Index (CPI), it will realise that there is no need to cut the interest rate. The government should first try to recover its bad debts, especially from big industrialists. There is no need to bother the masses with a cut in interest rates”. |
Only four corporators turn up for Mayor’s lunch Faridabad, February 28 The infighting of the local municipal corporation has come to a boil since the present Mayor took up the post. A majority of the corporators had been unhappy over the installation of Mrs Goswami as the Mayor on the directions of the Chief Minister. While Mrs Goswami is very junior to several elected members of the 25-member house of the corporation as far as the age and experience are concerned, her recent decision of disbanding and recasting of some of the committees and subcommittees of the corporation had angered many of them. Many members have been unhappy over the style of functioning of the Mayor, including some who have been associated with the ruling Indian National Lok Dal. It is perhaps one of the reasons all the ‘Open Darbars’ held by the Mayor so far had failed to find favour among most of the members. It is alleged that development works in various wards had not been going according to the plan and the members representing them were not taken into confidence. The proposed tour to Mumbai for a meeting on the municipal bodies could not take off due to the stand-off between the Mayor and several members, according to corporation sources. Besides, the poor financial condition of the corporation has been another reason why several development works in various wards in the town had been hanging fire or could not be taken up. This situation has also led to resentment among members who alleged that it was the inefficient handling of the affairs by the Mayor which had brought about such a fate.
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Harvesting season raises border villagers’ hackles Faridabad, February 28 The Yamuna which forms the natural border between the two states, often creates problems due to its changing course in some of the villages. Chandhut is a village where tension rises as the crop season comes to an end. The farmers of Kanigarhi village on the UP side recently opened fire on the residents of Chandhut village over a dispute regarding the ownership of about 150 acres. According to a report, the firing incident took place a few days ago when the farmers of Chandhut had gone to collect the sarson crop from the fields which also form the border between UP and Haryana. Soon some residents from the adjoining UP village bandied words over the ownership of the fields. Some of the residents of Chandhut, identified as Sohanlal Nathi, Shivram, Vikram, Kuka, Deviram and Phoolchand alleged that the farmers from UP stopped them from harvesting their crop, claiming that it was on their side of the village and hence, the crop belonged to
them. They said they had to run for cover when someone from Kanigarhi village on the UP side of the border opened fire. They alleged that this was an annual feature and anti-social elements from UP have often tried to harvest their crop at gun-point. The villagers alleged that while a complaint had been lodged with the police, no official had visited the disputed site. According to reports, the district authorities of Mathura and Faridabad had met several times to resolve the issue but in vain. The incident of crop burning on the border villages had been reported in the past also. There was tension in the border villages during the sowing season. Repeated pleas to the authorities by the farmers of the region to solve the seasonal tension have failed to draw the attention of the administration. The people of the region fear that the apathy of the administration may lead to periodic violence. Moreover, it will also lead to drop in production if no improvement in the situation is brought about soon. |
Anti-encroachment drive ‘praiseworthy’ Sonepat, February 28 They said that the district administration had taken bold steps for the removal of encroachments on public and municipal lands. The senior citizens also spoke highly of the authorities’ attempt to remove the stray animals from the city. In a communication sent to the Deputy Commissioner, the senior citizens, including Dr K. S. Balain, former Managing Director of Hartron, Dr S. S. Hooda, Mr Roop Chand and Master Gian Singh have claimed that an all-out anti-encroachment drive by the district administration has been appreciated by and large. The traffic flow in the city, particularly in the crowded areas and the crossings, has become smoother now. Moreover, the traffic hold-ups outside the general bus stand, Mamoon Bhanja Chowk, railway crossing near the Hindu College and the Subhash Chowk have come to an end, thanks to the widening of the roads. The communication hailed the promulgation of the prohibitory orders under Section 144 Cr P C for capturing the pigs in the city as well as in the towns of Gohana, Kharkhauda and Ganaur. This order, it claimed, has yielded good results and the number of pigs roaming there has been decreased considerably. The owners of the pigs had been fattening their animals at the cost of the public health and hygiene for the past few years, it added. The communication also appreciated the move of the district administration to shift the dairies outside the city limits. It said that the presence of pigs, cows, buffaloes and monkeys had created a nuisance in the city and there was always a possibility of an outbreak of diseases. Expressing concern over the menace of monkeys, the communication says that the monkeys were destroying the plantation and property. The cases of monkey bites were increasing and the people had to spent more money on the anti-rabies treatment. Apart from a health hazard, it had spread terror in the city. The communication hoped that the district administration would continue its campaign for the beautification of the city. |
NCR BRIEFS Rohtak, February 28 According to police sources, a police party raided a Hanuman mandir located near the local bus stand following a tip off. One of the six youths, who were allegedly conspiring to loot passengers, opened fire on the police party. One of their accomplices managed to escape under the cover of fire. However, the police managed to arrest the five suspects. They also seized a country-made pistol, two live cartridges and three knives from the youths.
Market fee The market committee of Rohtak has recovered Rs 1.94 crore in the form of market fees till January 2002 during the current financial year as against Rs 1.02 crore collected during the corresponding period last year. A spokesman for the district administration said the market committee deposited a sum of Rs 2.12 crore with the marketing board for the development work.
Soldier cremated The body of Pradeep Singh (21), a gunner of the 218, Medium Regiment, was cremated with state honours at his native Rattanthal village, about 30 km from here, on Wednesday. Prior to the cremation, Mr Raj Kumar Garg, Sub-Divisional Magistrate, Kosli, Mr Udai Singh, DSP, Kosli and several others placed wreaths on the body. Mr Pradeep Singh, son of Mr Ram Singh, along with his three other colleagues, had died in a landslide somewhere in Jammu and Kashmir on February 23. He was a bachelor.
Five hurt in mishaps Sonepat Suicide
attempts A 15-year-old girl, Sukrita, reportedly made an attempt to commit suicide by swallowing poison in her house in Sector 15 here on Thursday. According to a report, she was rushed to the local civil hospital where she is stated to be out of danger. According to another report, a youth, Balwan Singh, also tried to commit suicide by taking insecticide tablets in his house in the West Ram Nagar area here the same day. He was also rushed to the local civil hospital where from he was shifted to PGI, Rohtak for further treatment. The police have registered cases and further investigations are in progress. |
Delhi Police allocation up only marginally New Delhi, February 28 Rs 49 crore has been kept for construction of residential accommodation for police personnel, an increase of Rs 19 crore from Rs 30 crore last year. Also, the budgetary allocation for construction of buildings for the police has been raised from Rs 27 crore to Rs 30 crore. The allocation for installation of traffic signals has been raised marginally from Rs 0.5 crore last year to Rs 1.5 crore. Law and order in Delhi is a reserve subject that has been retained with the Central Government. Expenditure of the Delhi Police, which was earlier being met by the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi, is being borne by the Central Government effective from August 1, 1996. |
Budget to hit middle class, says Saathi
New Delhi, February 28 Commenting on the proposed reduction in subsidy on fertilisers by five per cent and raising of excise duties on 40 items, he said no provisions had been made to give an impetus to industrial growth. In all, he added, the Budget was not likely to reduce fiscal deficit or boost economic growth. TNS |
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Conductor stabs student, mob smashes bus New Delhi, February 28 The police said that the three students, Maneesh, Rajinder and Pawan, were travelling in the bus (route no 511) and they reportedly had an argument with the conductor about buying tickets. Suddenly, the conductor whipped out a knife and with the assistance of the helper stabbed Maneesh. The two other students rushed to the college and informed the fellow students about the incident. By the time they returned with a group of students, all the conductor and workers had left the area leaving the bus behind. Infuriated students later pelted stones and smashed the bus. The police have registered a case and are efforts are being made to trace the suspects. |
Martyr’s wife wants more land for
memorial Sonepat, February 28 The widow of the martyr has pitched in for more land for the purpose and authorities have issued a notice to Swami Sukhdev Ji Maharaj directing him to vacate the ashram which is located on the land in which the memorial is proposed to be constructed. Residents of Rathdhanna village seem to be getting divided on the issue. Many of them have resented the authorities' move to issue notice to Swami Sukhdev Ji Maharaj. The sant has been asked to vacate the land within 24 hours. Residents of the village wanted to give a portion of the land of the ashram for constructing the samadhi of the martyr but the widow of Nanak Chand wanted to get the entire land for the construction of the samadhi, a reading room and a park on it. This has caused tension among villagers. |
Mystery shrouds girl’s death
Jhajjar, February 28 |
Decomposed bodies of father, son found in trunk New Delhi, February 28 The decomposed bodies of two persons, father and son, were found from their house (A-151, J.J. Colony) in the Shakurpur area in North-West district this morning. They were identified as Ram Murti and his son. The police received a call this morning from a neighbour of the deceased that foul smell was emanating from house. A team of local police reached there. Though there was nobody in the house, all gates of the house were open. The police entered and conducted a search at the two-bedroom house. When a huge trunk was opened, the cops found the bodies in a decomposed condition. The police said: “There are some injury marks on the bodies. They might have been murdered by some of their friends. All the gates of the house were open which suggested that the killers could have had a friendly entry. Robbery is not supposed to be the cause of the murder as the house did not bore signs of any ransacking.” The police have registered a case of murder and further investigations are on. In another incident, two bodies with bullet injuries were found today inside a tempo at Sector 23 of Budh Vihar in the Sultanpuri area. The police said that the beat constable found a truck parked near the area and found two dead bodies which were later identified as that of Chander Singh (30) of Khanna Market, Tiz Hazari and cleaner Madan Lal (16). The bodies bore bullet injuries. According to information, the victims had started from a factory in Sarai Rohilla and were to reach Pilakhwa in Uttar Pradesh with the truck loaded with clothes. The police have registered a case and have launched a hunt for the suspects. In yet another incident, two bodies of unidentified persons were found from a goods train, which transported coal to the power station in Indra Prastha Estate at ITO in Central Delhi. The bodies were found at the joint of two coaches. There were injury marks on both the bodies. A case of murder has been registered. 4 who stabbed cops held:
The police have recovered one knife and one razor (ustra) used for the crime from their possession. Besides, a torn shirt of accused Sunil alias Bhoma, whose pocket was torn in the scuffle with the constables. A massive hunt is on to trace another absconding accused. The accused, Sunil Kumar alias Bhoma (17), Ajay alias Lotia (19), Ravi (16), and Ashok Kumar Mandal, all residents of J.J.Colony in Madanpur Khadir, were arrested from the jhuggi. The police said that on the night of the incident, the duty constables, Mohd. Abdullah and Netar Pal, found five persons near DDA park, Sant Nagar in a suspicious manner. When the cops inquired about their antecedents, they fumbled in their reply. Later, the constables asked them to report to the police station. The criminals immediately whipped out knives and stabbed both the constables and fled from the spot. The constables were taken to the hospital in a critical condition. Since the accused were all residents of the jhuggi, the police questioned several persons and finally zeroed in on the five and arrested four of them from the area. All the accused were booked under the Arms Act. 4 stolen Marutis seized:
The two auto-lifters, Suresh alias Surinder (28), resident of Kheri Kalan, Haryana, Shokeen (27), resident of Budiana, Haryana, were arrested from near Lal Sai Market while going to Central Market, Lajpat Nagar to sell the stolen car (HR-51-A 8292). Acting on a tip off, two persons were nabbed on February 18. On sustained interrogation, they disclosed that the correct number of the stolen car as DL-4C-F 3505, which was stolen from Faridabad. They also confessed to have stolen a number of vehicles, which were sold in Punjab to Ajay alias Kali, resident of Abhor in that state. A team was sent to different places in Punjab and the four stolen vehicles were seized. Some fake rubber stamps of transport authorities of Gurgaon and Faridabad were also seized from one of the accused, Suresh alias Surjinder. All the seized cars had duplicate registration numbers of the Faridabad Transport Authority. They also disclosed that they used to steal vehicles from busy markets and crowded places. One of the accused, Shokeen, a mechanic by profession who was running an auto workshop, used to prepare duplicate keys and assist Suresh. Suresh was an expert in disposing the cars by changing the name and address of the original owners in the registration copies. Man foils robbery bid:
The incident occurred when the victims were on their way home. When the victims reached G-Block in Ganga Vihar, three persons accosted them and snatched the money. The victims raised an alarm. Hearing the commotion, one Mr Devender Singh chased the robbers and with the help of two policemen who were on patrol duty on a motorcycle nabbed the suspects. However, their third accomplice managed to escape, the police said.
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Six-month jail term to
HSEB SDO for taking bribe Rewari, February 28 However, the co-accused, Narain Singh, an assistant of the SDO, has been acquitted of the above charge giving him the benefit of doubt. According to the prosecution, SDO Sube Singh, along with his assistant Narain Singh, visited the Yadav Samaroh Sibal (a banquet hall) here on March 23, 1999 and demanded a bribe of Rs 1,000 from its owner, Dr Ishwar Singh Yadav, to render him a favour by way of submitting “correct” report of the hall’s electricity meter to the higher authorities. However, Dr Yadav, who was sure of the accuracy of the functioning of the meter, clandestinely approached the District Administration which constituted a squad comprising Mr Paramjit Singh, DSP, and Mr Naresh Sheokand, Executive Magistrate, who conducted a surprise raid on the above premises. During the raid, Sube Singh, along with his assistant, was caught red-handed in possession of currency notes worth Rs 1,000 which had been accepted as gratification. Both the accused were then put under arrest and a case under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act was registered. Later, the case was put up for trail in the above court which has now announced the verdict. |
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