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Monday,
August 5, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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SHIVANI MURDER CASE Crops
wither as tubewells go dry Remains of
1100-year-old temple found
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Grand
reception awaits Bhajan Lal Ex-IAS
officer to file 5 more civil cases Scribe’s
body found on rly track
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SHIVANI MURDER CASE Ambala, August 4 An advocate and legal adviser to the Estate Officer, Ambala, Mr Bhatnagar, who is Shivani’s elder brother-in-law, said they had to face harassment when the investigations were initiated in the case. “The investigators even went to our farm and spoke to work,” he said Shivani Rakesh Bhatnagar in New Delhi. The Bhatnagar’s ancestral home is located near BD High School in Ambala Sadar. The happiness on the recent significant developments can be felt the moment one enters the house. Following the arrests by the Delhi Police, the Bhatnagar household phone has been ringing ever since. “We have been getting a large number of phone calls by our relatives, friends and acquaintances,” he said. “People known to us have heaved a sigh of relief with the arrest of the culprit,” he added. Mr Bhatnagar said his brother-in-law, Mr B.S. Bhatnagar, who was the first person to notice heinous crime, was also questioned. “It was a harrowing period and we are thankful that at least two persons have been arrested and the other culprits have been
identified by the police, he said. Rakesh Bhatnagar is the youngest of nine brothers and sisters. Incidentally, even Rakesh’s school and college friends were questioned by the police in Ambala several times after the incident. Mr Bhatnagar pointed out that a retired Deputy Superintendent of Police had tried to intervene on behalf of the IG (Prisons), Mr Ravi Kant Sharma, who is alleged to be involved in the incident. “We are sure that no person who is found guilty will be spared, even if it means that the person is from the corridors of power,” he said. |
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Crops wither as tubewells go dry Yamunanagar Shortage of power supply and delay in monsoon has badly affected crops in Sadhaura, Bilaspur, Mustafabad and Chhachhrauli blocks. Cattle are also not getting adequate fodder and quite a few tubewells have stopped yielding ground water. Agitated farmers said they had left their cattle at the mercy of god. ‘‘Chari’’, the green fodder, becomes poisonous if sufficient water is not given to standing crops. Twentythree animals have died after consuming poisonous
chari. ‘‘Those alive are surviving on dry fodder only’’. Mr Shiv Kumar, a former sarpanch of Machrauli village in Bilaspur block said out of 90 acres of land of sugarcane crop in his village, 10 acres had suffered total damage. Due to shortage of water the condition of the remaining crop is going from bad to worse. He had 30 acres of land under paddy cultivation but did not sow any paddy due to shortage of water. ‘‘To sow sugarcane on 1 acre of land the cost comes to around Rs 5,000’’, he added. Mr Kaka Singh of Maheshwari village in Mustafabad block had sown sugarcane in 8 acres and paddy in 14 acres, but due to shortage of water his crops had suffered extensive damage. A number of villages in the same block, including Nangla Jagir and Pinjora, were also found to be suffering from dry spell. In Tumbi village on the Sadhaura-Bilaspur highway certain farm fields were totally parched and had developed huge cracks. Crops like chari, sugarcane and paddy had suffered damage. Tubewells in these areas had gone dry because of the fall in the water table. Although there is a drought-like situation in the district and the water level of the Yamuna is also low, yet the river banks are green due to the moisture in the soil. The poor farmers have been the worst hit as in the absence of money they are not able to procure expensive tools and instruments to bore tubewells and hence are unable to save their crops. Crops in Tejli village situated between Yamunanagar and Jagadhri have also been damaged. The sugarcane crops in the fields of Balbir Singh and Hari Ram of the same village have started to rot due to shortage of water. Mr Satpal Kaushik, General Secretary, Krishak Samaj, Haryana, alleged that officers of the Meteorological Department had failed to give the correct prediction. Had they given the correct picture the farmers would not have gone in for sowing conventional crops and thus would have saved crores of rupees. |
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Remains
of 1100-year-old temple found Rampur Jangi (Pinjore), August 4 The temple, it is believed, was built more than 1100 years ago. The excavations found dismantled pieces of what appears to be the main gate as well as pillars of the temple, which are similar to the excavations of the 9th century Bhima Devi temple in Pinjore. A visit to this village by TNS revealed that the remains of the temple, including certain columns of stones, parts of the pillars of the temple, stone carvings, some statues of
apsaras, copper pots (kalash) etc. were excavated. These stones, which most likely formed the outer wall of this temple, have beautiful stone carvings reminiscent of the Gandharba sculpture. In fact, the architecture found on the stone excavations is quite similar to Khajuraho temple in Madhya Pradesh and Konark temple in Orissa, bearing carvings of various gods and goddesses, apsaras, etc. Stones bearing insignias of Trishul, shankh (a sea shell used by Lord Shiva) , aashtham were also found by the villagers here. This has created a feeling among the local population that this Panchayatan temple was dedicated to Lord Shiva as the main deity. They believe that further excavations would also reveal the prangan of the temple and the deities of four other gods/ godesses of the Shiva family. The excavations were done by the villagers on August 2. “We called a priest yesterday, assembled the temple pieces and with all the Hindu rites and religious customs, began worshipping in the temple,” informed Mr Ram Pal Mehta, a resident of the village and senior functionary of the Indian National Lok Dal. Mr Harbans Lal Mehta, another resident of the village, said these stones with the Gandharba carvings had been lying scattered in the village for many years. “Whenever the foundation of a new house was laid, these stones with
magnificent designs were unearthed. In fact, I had myself written to the State Archaeology Department and the Department of Ancient History in Panjab University, many a times to conduct a survey of the area, but to no avail. It was only yesterday that officials of the State Archaeology Department visited the site and took away the copper pots and some stone carvings with them.” A former Sarpanch, Mr Ram Nath Dronacharya, alleged, “If the rulers between the 13th and 17th century AD were responsible for the razing down of most temples in the area ( as is evident from historical documentation), there also seems to be total apathy on the part of the state government in trying to save the ruins.” Meanwhile, angry over the alleged indifferent attitude of the State Archaeology Department towards excavations of the temple here, more than a dozen villagers today began a hunger
strike. They are demanding that the department return the artefacts. “The discovery of this temple will bring good luck to all of us,” echo the villagers. |
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Grand reception
awaits Bhajan Lal Karnal, August 4 Congressmen led by Mr Dharampal Malik, former HPCC chief, will great him at the Haryana-Delhi border in Kundli. Receptions are being organised at Samalkha, Ganaur and Panipat. In Panipat, former minister Balbirpal Shah is mobilising party men to welcome Mr Bhajan Lal. In Karnal, a large number of party activists, including former MLAs and ministers, have joined to receive the newly appointed HPCC chief at the Namastay Chowk. Even supporters of Mr Bhoopinder Hooda, leader of the Haryana CLP, are reported to join the
reception. A random survey carried by this reporter in Gharaunda, Kurukshetra, Nilokheri and Karnal revealed that even staunch urbanites of BJP are unable to control their pro-Bhajan Lal emotions. The reason cited by them is that under his leadership, the Congress might be able to end one-caste domination in the administration as well as other walks of life. The urban people are upset with the present regime because it has administered a strong dose of taxation. Mr Ramesh Sachdeva, a plastic dealer, and Mr Parminder Singh, an advocate, maintained that the taxes levied by the Chautala regime were unbearable by the low income groups living in the urban areas. The new house rent is 15 times high on small hutments in some cases. The collectorate rates are mindboggling in some colonies. Inflated power bills, for which there is no remedy, are a common story. That was one reason that a preference was discernible for a leader like Mr Bhajan Lal who believes in keeping everybody happy. |
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Ex-IAS officer to
file 5 more civil cases Chandigarh, August 4 Mr Malik, who was talking to newsmen here today, said under the Bansi Lal Government these officers, who included former Chief Secretary R.S. Varma, former Principal Secretary to Chief Minister L.M. Jain, a former DG, Mr S.H. Mohan, and the DG (Prisons), Mr A.S. Bhatotia, had connived to register several cases against him and members of his family. In all these cases either the courts acquitted him or cancelled the cases or the final investigation proved that no case was made out. He said he and members of his family suffered a great loss as well as faced harassment for over five years in fighting out these cases. All these cases were registered because he had annoyed Mr Bansi Lal by writing to senior BJP leader L.K. Advani about the “misuse” of his constitutional powers by the then Chief Minister, Mr Malik said. Mr Malik said he had already filed a suit in a Chandigarh court for claiming the damages of Rs 6 crore from Mr Bansi Lal and five
officers. He said he would soon file five more civil cases for claiming damages and six criminal cases against these officers for fabricating false reports submitted to the courts in six cases registered against him and members of his family. |
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Scribe’s body found on rly track Kurukshetra, August 4 His body was first spotted by a Railway gangman, Mr Arjun Mandal, who reported the matter to Railway officers at the Kurukshetra junction. The body bore injury marks on the face, head and stomach. The head injury might be the cause of his death, the Railway Police said. The journalist could have fallen from the running train last night on the track and succumbed to head injuries, suspects the police. He used to travel by train from Kurukshetra, his hometown, to his workplace, Panipat. Last evening, after leaving his office, he was travelling to Kurukshetra by the local electric train. His body was first identified by journalists of the Bhaskar bureau here who brought it from the spot of accident. His body was sent for a post-mortem examination after which it was handed over to his family members. A large number of representatives of various social, political, religious and journalist associations have mourned his death. A large number of people attended the last rites at the Sthaneshawar cremation grounds.
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Ambala, August 4
