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August 2, 2002, Chandigarh, India
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Shivani murder case: Major breakthrough New Delhi, August 1 Senior police officers, when contacted by the NCR Tribune, declined to give details of the arrest as the case was extremely sensitive and high profile. They requested for more time to come up with details as some more persons were yet to be arrested. Shivani Bhatnagar, a principal correspondent of the Indian Express, was found brutally murdered in her Navkunj Apartments flat in Inderprastha Extension of East Delhi on January 23, 1999. Wife of Mr. Rakesh Bhatnagar, legal editor of the Times of India here, Shivani was alone in her house along with
her infant son at the time of the incident. Crime Branch sources said that efforts were on to trace another suspect, Sat Prakash, a property dealer of Jhajjar and a distant relative of Shri Bahgwan. Shri Bhagwan is reported to have known Mr. R. K. Sharma, a senior Haryana cadre Indian Police Service Officer and one of the suspects in the case. These sources said that Shri Bhagwan’s father, Inspector Omkar Sharma, was at one time a station house officer (SHO) under R. K. Sharma while he was posted in the neighbouring Haryana district as Superintendent of Police. Mr. Sharma, who was earlier with Air India on deputation, is now posted in Chandigarh as IG Home Guards. R. K. Sharma was alleged to have been close to the deceased and was in constant telephonic touch with her even while he was posted in Mumbai at that time. Sharma had been questioned several times by the Delhi Police even as he had refused the lie detector test. Crime Branch sources said that Shri Bhagwan was produced before a metropolitan magistrate here on Wednesday and was remanded to 14 days’ police custody. He is being intensively interrogated to ascertain his role in the sensational murder which rocked the city three years ago. Meanwhile, these sources said that a team of the Crime Branch , led by the Deputy Commissioner of Police, M. S. Upadhaya, had conducted several raids in the neighbouring cities of Haryana and in several areas in South Delhi on the night of July 23 to arrest Sat Prakash. However, he managed to evade the police. The hunt was still on. |
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Ban orders around temple after mahant gets into caste feud Meerut, August 1 The whole drama started in the morning when residents of three localities - Jatav Gate, Kamah Ali and Jhaterwala - went to the temple complex to complain against the indecent behaviour of the head priest and his followers. Residents charged that the mahant, K S Brahamchari, was bringing caste into religious affairs. Infuriated by the charge, the mahant, along with his seven followers, assaulted the complainants with a big spade and a Rampuri knife. The word spread like wild fire and a mob of about 1,000 persons from the three localities gathered near the temple and shouted slogans against the priests. The mob soon went on a rampage and ransacked the temple complex and pelted stones on the priests. A Sub Inspector and three constables of the police post just opposite the temple complex realised that they could not control the mob and informed the district authorities. Senior officials of police and district administration, including City Magistrate Satish Kumar and SP City D. K. Chaudhry rushed to the spot. Heavy stone-pelting was still on when the officials reached the spot. Residents, especially women, complained to the City Magistrate about the conduct of the mahant and his associates. Women alleged that the priest and his associates passed lewd comments on them and their daughters. The residents also accused the priests of prohibiting the entry of people of Jatav caste, saying that the temple was his personal property. Senior officials tried to pacify the residents, but failed. Then, the police resorted to a lathicharge to disperse them, but they would not go. They demanded the arrest of the priest and his followers. Residents were also furious over the casteist remarks made by the priest. At least 12 persons were injured in the whole drama. The spade and the Rampuri knife used by the mahant and others were later seized by the police. Grasping the gravity of the situation, the authorities decided to investigate the matter and meet the demands of the residents. Later, the station house in charge convened a meeting of the residents and requested them to maintain harmony. The SHO and City Magistrate also summoned the mahant and his followers to the police station where the former insisted that the temple was his personal property and that it was his prerogative to bar entry. But when SHO Arun Kumar Sharma questioned him before local mediapersons, he failed to establish his ownership rights. Authorities then decided to impose Section 144 in the area. The priest and his followers have been booked under Section 294 of the IPC for indecent behaviour in public while some residents have been booked under Section 107/116 of the
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Akalis spoiling for fight as suspended teachers simmer in anger New Delhi, August 1 The Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal), during whose tenure these appointments were made, has come out in support of the suspended employees and threatened to move the Delhi High Court. The party has formed a Sikh Institution Staff Action Committee (SISAC) with Kuldip Singh Bhogal as the convenor to take up the cause of these suspended employees. Other members of the committee are Mr Sunit Pal Singh, Mr Rajinder Singh Techno, Ms Ranjit Kaur and Ms Raminder Kaur. “We will move the high court tomorrow and plead for a stay on the arbitrary action being taken by the newly formed DSGMC, headed by Shiromani Akali Dal Delhi president, Mr Paramjit Singh Sarna,” said the convenor of the SISAC, Mr Kuldip Singh Bhogal. Alleging that the action of the new committee was similar to the ‘witch-hunt’ launched by the Punjab Chief Minister, Capt. Amrinder Singh, in Punjab against the SAD (Badal) leaders, Mr Bhogal said “The party would resist all attempts by the newly formed DSGMC to victimise those who have no role to play in the political tussle between the Akali factions.” On the other hand, the DSGMC president, Mr Sarna, told the NCR Tribune that the committee has only suspended the employees recruited during the past two years as they prima facie appear to have been wrongfully recruited without adhering to proper procedure. He said a grievance redressal committee has been formed in each DSGMC institution, beginning with the schools and colleges, where the teachers can plead their case. “If they can prove that they had been recruited by proper procedure – in response to an advertisement for a vacancy in the newspapers and after appearing before an interview panel – then they would be reinstated,” he said. Mr Sarna said: “Our aim is not to antagonize the DSGMC employees, including the teaching staff, but to set the house in order. The previous committee had arbitrarily recruited persons for extraneous consideration. The DSGMC cannot carry the burden of such appointments.” However, hundreds of persons, rendered unemployed by a stroke of the pen, are agitated and spewed venom against the present committee for jeopardizing their future. “I have been teaching since 1998 as PGT Economics. Suddenly, I find myself unemployed, even though I was a permanent employee. I do not know what future holds for me, how will I survive,” said Mr Satya Kumar. Mr Rajwant Singh, employed in the school since 1996, also received a terse note indicating his suspension from service. Flabbergasted, he said: “Proper procedure should have been followed before taking any action.” Mr Bhogal said the DSGMC had not followed any procedure. It has been vindictive. The employees should have been served a show-cause notice and and given an opportunity to explain their position. Moreover, the autonomous Education Council and, not the DSGMC, should have taken action. The suspended employees held a meeting today to discuss the future course of action. Apart from moving the court, they decided to hold a protest march from Gurdwara Bangla Sahib to DSGMC office on August five to express their anger. The agitated employees claimed that the arbitrary action has affected classes in schools and colleges and functioning in hospital and gurdwaras. Mr Sarna claimed that there was surplus staff, which was being paid hefty and inflated salaries. |
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Should private players nurse egos or their sick transformers? New Delhi,
August 1 An exasperated
Mateen Ahmad, MLA, tells private power distributors "Officials
who used to (pre-privatisation) do my bidding now ask me who I am !
They just don’t listen to me anymore." Amrish Gautam,
MLA "What will happen to the money I have released from the
MLAs fund to install transformers in my constituency ?" Arvinder
Singh ‘Lovely’, MLA from East Delhi It was intended to be an
interactive session on power that turned into power play! Elected
representatives, invited to voice their concerns and suggest solutions
to improve the supply of electricity, instead chose the Forum to nurse
their bruised egos and get even with private distributors Tata Power
and Bombay Suburban Electric Supply (BSES.) "Does stopping
pilferage mean slums will have to go without power ?" Kiran
Walia, representing Hauz Khas, wanted to know from JP Chalasani of
BSES. Another legislator Brahmpal wanted a categorical response to an
equally categorical query : "Stealing electricity is wrong
alright but what can slum dwellers in my constituency do anyway ? Will
you be lenient with them ?" His colleague from East Delhi Naseeb
Singh wanted to know when power cuts will ever end. The pangs of
having to seek the public mandate in a little over a year’s time
when Delhi goes to polls was evident as legislators fired questions at
the representatives of the private distributors of electricity. It was
finally left to Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit to "extract"
certain commitments from Tata Power’s Anil Sardana and JP Chalasani
of BSES and she did not disappoint her ilk. So, the private
distributors in consultation with the Government of NCT of Delhi will
now come out with a policy that will outline the norms for
regularising the supply of electricity to unauthorised colonies, slums
and JJ clusters. Meetings will be held with the elected
representatives and a time table drawn up for organising camps in
their respective constituencies where people could get a regular
connection. Also, no raids to penalise errant consumers; instead, an
amnesty scheme for "settling matters of consumer grievances
without talking too much about past issues" will be given an
impetus. As a ‘quid pro quo,’ private distributors will have
their way insofar as metering and billing is concerned. Also enactment
of an anti-theft legislation. "Give us an anti-theft legislation
so that we don’t have to indulge in harsh steps to control
theft" was the terse message from Anil Sardana of Tata Power.
"We will computerise billing and payment and offer better
service. At the same time we expect consumer discipline," JP
Chalasani of BSES had to say, "because without that the technical
weaknesses in the system cannot be overcome." The technical
weaknesses, he was to explain earlier in his presentation, include
inadequate planning of network capacity and upkeep of network
condition and reducing the dependence on grid so that more of demand
is met by "load centric generation." The idea, according to
him, was to drive manufacturers of "inverters, power back-up
systems and voltage stabilisers" out of business ! "In
Mumbai, distribution loss is only 11.6 per cent and reliability of
power is 99.98 per cent which means inverters are alien to Mumbaikars.
We want to replicate the same in Delhi." |
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MIDNIGHT FRACES Gurgaon, August 1 According to Mr Grover, the incident occurred after he and his hotel staff did not allow six youths, allegedly associates of the BJP youth leader, to have liquor last evening. The youths had come to the hotel at about 9.30 pm. When they were not allowed to have liquor, they hung around at the main entrance of the hotel. When Mr Grover was leaving the hotel for the day at about 11 pm, the youths tried to stop his car at the main gate. Sensing danger, he did not stop, following which one of the youngsters allegedly fired at him. The shot went astray. He then headed for the City police station, 2 km away from the hotel. The youths followed him on motorcycles. He met the officer on duty at the station and narrated the incident to him. The SHO was informed. Immediately, the DSP City, Mr Sukhvir Singh, also arrived on the scene and went to the spot where the alleged incident occurred, Mr Grover added. This morning several notable persons from the BJP and the Congress held a panchayat to affect a compromise between the two parties. Significantly, one of the brothers of the BJP activist is associated with the Indian Youth Congress (IYC). All the brothers are said to be having clout at the local level with all the political parties. The two brothers and their relatives were also present in the panchayat. After reported assurances of good conduct in future given by the brothers and their relatives, the panchayat reportedly put pressure on Mr Grover to compromise. Mr Grover agreed and submitted to the police that the “complaint be kept in abeyance”. Some of those who participated in the panchayat also testified to this fact.
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HC wants exam hall entry time to be
eased New Delhi, August 1 Giving the verdict, Justice Manmohan Sarin said that the board may consider increasing the permissible time limit suitably. He added that it could be half an hour extendable to 45 minutes in bona fide cases, subject to discretion of the Examination Superintendent. Justice Sarin was disposing of a petition filed by a student Vipin Kaul who was denied permission to sit for the board’s Chemistry paper this year because he reached late due to a sudden illness. The CBSE allows a student to take the examination if the delay is up to 15 minutes. The court pointed out that a further relaxation of 15 minutes could be considered by the CBSE keeping in view the inadequate public transport system and the congestion in metros. It was, however, pointed out that no student would be allowed to leave the examination hall for 45 minutes after the start of the exam. The court, however, rejected the plea of Vipin Kaul that he be granted special permission to appear for the Chemistry exam again. The petitioner had claimed that he was rushed to the hospital just before he left for the exam centre. |
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KINGSWAY CAMP New Delhi, August 1 As per the master plan the road at Kingsway Camp should be 100ft wide. Shopkeepers had to keep 40 per cent of the area in front of the shops for reserved parking. But shopkeepers encroached upon the parking place, leaving the area congested and jammed. Till date, the area continues to remain jammed during peak hours. To cure the problem the DDA recently allotted 60x10 ft space to the shopkeepers in the same place and asked them to shift to the place allotted to them. The DDA started the demolition process and also served a notice to the shopkeepers two months before the demolition. Many shopkeepers received the notice three days before the destruction of their dreams. Surjit Singh, owner of Relaxo Shoes, said, “The DDA has not done justice. All shops have not been shifted. We are the ones who are adversely affected. Many people have not shifted and the DDA has not done anything about it. They have demolished our premises. My business has also been affected. I had to transfer my child from a private school to one run by the government . The DDA should not show any bias. We have been harassed unnecessarily.” A few shopkeepers filed a petition in the lower court and got a stay. M r Sitaram Aggarwal (name changed), said, “The DDA has harassed us. As per the master plan the road should be 100ft wide. Our shops are not on the road. The road is wide enough and congestion is due to thelas and vendors, not because of us.” The Kingsway Camp area is a 99-year-old leasehold property under rehabilitation scheme. Another garments shop owner, who refused to be quoted, said, “All shops are constructed within the 100 ft range. We are suffering due to the nexus of the DDA with some property dealers. They played smartly and demolished the shops that were rented. Then they targeted the shops whose ownership was disputed because of family squabbles. Most of the shopkeepers here are those who earn from hand to mouth daily. No one can afford to sit at home and eat.” Many people also claimed that the DDA had not left enough space in residential premises. Only 10ft of walking space had been left. The owner of Samrat Restaurant, an authorised hotel, has lost the case in the high court. He has been allotted an alternate place but he is not ready to budge. Kuldeep Singh, president of the market association, has a different view. He said, “We have been allotted double the space that we had. For instance, we had 30ft space. Now we have 60ft space. We had to pay little amount for it. We paid Rs 514 for 3ft. I paid approximately Rs 22,000. Now we can construct basement, first floor and even second floor. Also, the place has been beautified. Many of us are quite contented.“ Though the demolition has left the shopkeepers jittery but the drive can help in reducing the congestion only if the road is widened from 100ft to 120ft. |
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IN PARLIAMENT New Delhi, August 1 Excluding the UTs without legislature from the list, Delhi also has the highest per capita monthly consumption expenditure estimated at Rs 1,313.30 compared to the all India average of Rs 590.98, she said. The Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas, Mr Santosh Kumar Gangwar, informed the Lok Sabha that the Supreme Court had not passed any order to the Indraprastha Gas Limited to expedite the construction of a 23 km pipeline. He said the IGL has informed the Supreme Court, through an affidavit, about the construction, which is scheduled to be commissioned by November 2002. It was also pointed out that approval from the defence authorities and the Northern Railways, for laying pipeline through their land, has not been received and the Ministry as well as the Lt-Governor have taken up the matter with the defence authorities for expediting the approval for laying the pipeline. The DDA is funding the road over bridge at Palam, informed the Minister of State for Railways, Mr Bandaru Dattatreya, in the Lok Sabha. He said the work of the road over bridge at Pankha Road had been awarded in January 2002 but execution was obstructed due to non-closure of level crossing and non-shifting of two water supply pipelines of Delhi Jal Board and cables of MTNL. He added that the NCR planning board under the Ministry of Urban Development and Poverty Alleviation has made a proposal to introduce Rail bus Transit System in the region. The Ministry of Railways has agreed in principal to share one third of the cost of the scheme. In the first phase, the following three corridors have been identified, Shahdara-Sahibabad-Ghaziabad, Minto Road-Tilak Bridge–Sahibabad and
Dayabasti-Bijwasan-Gurgaon. |
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Entrepreneurs felicitated at seminar New Delhi, August 1 The seminar highlighted the contribution and efforts of many individuals and organisations in various fields including industry, commerce, health, education, technology, sports and tourism. The main motive behind organising this seminar was to bring together entrepreneurs and organisations so as to recognise and appreciate their achievements in their respective fields. The chief guest on the occasion was Mr Ashok Pradhan, the Minister of State for Labour. He highlighted the need for greater unity in the country so that the economic progress of the nation can be assured. The guest of the honour on the occasion, Mr B.S. Rawat, the Minister of State for Science and Technology, said the government has committed Rs 100 crore for the promotion of technology and similar other projects through the Technology Development Board. He said that the government was committed to provide a conducive environment so that the country benefits from the various science and development programmes initiated through its various departments. Later, Mr Pradhan presented awards to many individuals and organisations from different fields for their achievements and efforts. |
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Chemical factory gutted New Delhi, August 1 In the beginning, the fire seemed to be a minor one. However, when the chemical drums kept inside the factory started exploding, it soon became a major fire and engulfed the entire factory. The DFS took more than one-and-a half- hour to control it, the police said. |
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ROHTAK Rohtak, August 1 According to official sources, the Additional Deputy Commissioner had conducted an inquiry into the allegations levelled against the Sarpanch for committing irregularities during the construction of boundary walls of ‘Harijan chaupal’ and the cremation ground at the village and found him guilty. Site
inspection The Deputy Commissioner on Thursday visited Kaisthan and Pradhana mohalla and inspected the construction site of the booster having a capacity of 40,000 gallons water. The residents of these localities had taken out a procession in the town against the scarcity of potable water and submitted a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner on Wednesday. The Deputy Commissioner directed the officials of the Public Health Department to expedite the construction and enhance the capacity of the booster to 60,000 gallons to cope with the rising demand of piped water for the next 10 years. Scooterist
killed A scooterist was killed when an unidentified vehicle hit his scooter near Baland village on Wednesday evening. Mr Har Bhagwan, a resident of Baland village, stated in the FIR that he noticed a scooterist lying along the roadside while he was returning to his village on Wednesday evening. He said the deceased was identified as Mr Rakhan Singh, a resident of Shivaji colony here. He was probably hit by a speeding vehicle and succumbed to his injuries. The police have registered a case under Sections 279 and 304-A of the IPC in this regard.
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Bhajan supporters elated over his appointment Faridabad, August 1 He held a press conference and led a delegation of party activists to Delhi to convey their thanks to Mrs Gandhi for giving the reins of the HPCC to Mr Bhajan Lal, Talking to mediapersons, Mr Nagar, who is a known supporter of Mr Bhajan Lal, claimed the party would now be able to upstage the present government in the next elections. Stating that there was no groupism or factionalism in the Congress, he said there was a role for every leader in the party. |
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Youth crushed by
truck Faridabad, August 1 He succumbed to his injuries before he could be taken to the hospital. However, the victim had noted down the number of the ‘killer’ vehicle before it sped away. In another case, two youths have been booked by Mujesar police for stabbing another youth. Reportedly, the victim had objected to certain obscene remarks passed by the accused towards his sister. |
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Bull gets Ceremonial burial Rewari Ultimately, it was given a ceremonial burial; a memorial will now be raised at the site for which the villagers have raised funds.
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Hired killers arrested at Dhaula
Kuan New Delhi, August 1 During preliminary investigation, the police found that Pradeep Sharma, who deals in marble business, had hired the killers and paid them Rs 1.5 lakh for the murder. A secret information was received by the police that Rajeev and Dharmpal had planed to meet near Dhaula Kuan bus stop and then proceed towards Gurgoan to commit some crime there. The police team nabbed them and on interrogation they revealed that they were hired by Pradeep to kill Rakesh Kumar alias Bhura as he had an enmity with him. However, the hired killers mistakenly shot dead Rakesh’s brother Ashok. Both Pradeep and Satish are absconding and the police have launched a manhunt to nab both the accused. Car thieves arrested Acting on a secret information that the accused would be in Preet Vihar to dispose off the stolen vehicle, the police laid a trap to nab them. When the police approached them, they were unable to produce the documents of the vehicle. On sustained interrogation, they confessed to have been involved in more than seven cases of vehicle thefts. They informed the police that they sold the stolen vehicle to one Anoop gang of Najafgarh. Youth stabbed Brothers shot During the argument, another person intervened and shot at Varun, who sustained injuries on his back. When Varun’s brother Vivek, came to his rescue, he was also shot at by the same person. Both the brothers were admitted to the GTB Hospital and the local police have started investigation into the matter. |
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Criminals held after
encounter New Delhi, August 1 Instead of stopping their motorcycle, they tried to avoid the police. Subsequently, they fell down and tried to run away. When the police closed in on them, they fired at the police in desperation. The police fired back at them. Even though no one was injured in the firing, the criminals were subsequently nabbed by the police. The police claimed that nearly 20 cases of robbery, attempt to murder and extortion were solved with their arrest. |
Skin-friendly fabric launched by
Becker New Delhi, August 1 Speaking at the launch, tennis icon Boris Becker said, “India is known for its rich culture and heritage. It is an honour for me to be associated with Siyaram’s, which has always retained the Indian tradition and yet been innovative at all times. Body Care offers both comfort and international style, rolled in one.” Body Care is Siyaram’s latest fabric that endorses healthy living. The relaxed finish technology, RF 2000, in line with international trends keeps the skin fresh and rejuvenated all day long. Boris Becker was the ultimate choice for Body Care as he is an international legend and extends his energy, class and style to the brand. The most important aspect was to associate Body Care with somebody who has an international appeal and healthy outlook. Therefore, a sports personality. Besides cricket, tennis is the only sport, which is very popular all over India. |
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The police also conducted raids in several cities of Haryana to nab his distant relative and alleged accomplice.
The suspect was arrested from his house on Tuesday by a special police party consisting of senior police officers of the Crime Branch. The police said that he has been arrested for murder and conspiracy. However, whether the suspect was directly involved in the murder or was a corroborator is yet to be ascertained.
