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Wednesday,
November 20, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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Tension in Sadar Bazar over girl burning Sangh Parivar spreading false propaganda: CPM Row over Mahabharata Utsav’s
title Kapal Mochan Fair concludes Tributes paid to Indira Gandhi |
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Kataria meets PM on Duleena
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Tension
in Sadar Bazar over girl burning Ambala, November 19 A girl,
Dhanwanti, was set on fire by three youths near the Kabadi Bazar area last night. The youths poured petrol on the girl and then set her on fire. They, however, managed to escape after the incident. The local people helped put out the fire and she was rushed to the Ambala Cantt Civil Hospital from where she was referred to the PGI Chandigarh. This morning, a group of persons, armed with lathis, tried to forcibly close different markets in the Ambala Sadar area. The group raised slogans demanding the arrest of culprits who had set the girl on fire. When the group reached Sarafa Bazar, a few persons in the group poured diesel in a shop. The shop owner, Ram Charan was manhandled by the group. After the other shopkeepers intervened, those who had poured diesel in the shop, went away. Ram Charan told the police that the youths had tried to set his shop on fire too. Following this incident, the shopkeepers closed their shops. They demanded that the law and order situation in the area be improved. “This incident reflects that there is a risk to our life and property. It is a very serious matter. The security should be immediately beefed up,” Mr Sudhir Windlas of Sarafa Bazar said. The shopkeepers of Sarafa Bazar, Kabadi Bazar, Halwai Bazar, Bazaza Bazar and other markets expressed unhappiness over the incident. They opined that the police should ensure that such incidents of a shopkeeper being manhandled and an attempt to set his shop on fire were not repeated again. The markets opened this afternoon only after assurances were given by the Superintendent of Police, Mr Hardeep Singh Doon. Mr Doon told the shopkeepers that the culprits will be brought to book. He said two persons, who were involved in the morning incident, have been held. “We will soon solve the case of the girl being set on fire,” he said. A posse of policemen were at the market place after the incident. Meanwhile, tension was palpable at the residence of Dhanwanti in Mochi Mandi. A large group of persons was at the girl’s residence. Congress persons led by the President of Ambala cantt unit of the Congress, Mr Ashok Jain, today visited the residence of
Dhanwanti. Mr Arjun Lal Kalra, Mr Hira Lal Yadav and Mr S.K. Sharma had accompanied Mr Jain. Mr Ashok Jain, while strongly condemning the incident, said the incident last night reflects the deteriorating law and order scenario. “Such an incident has taken place in Ambala for the first time. People no longer feel safe and it is a matter of concern, particularly for women. The anti-social elements seem to have lost fear of the administration,” he said. He demanded that the culprits should be immediately brought to book and a high-level inquiry be conducted into the incident. “A strict action should also be taken so that a similar incident is not repeated,” Mr Arjun Lal Kalra said. Haryana Vikas Party activists today visited the spot where the incident took place. The district youth President, Mr Jaspal Singh Raja, said the HVP had provided assistance to the girl after the incident. He further said that such an incident was unprecedented and that only it showed that crime against women was on the rise. The family members of Dhanwanti said they did not suspect anybody. “She had never referred any problem to us. We are disturbed over the incident,” Dhanwanti’s uncle Mr Neki Ram said. The police is working on several leads and the strong possibility of someone known to the girl being involved in the incident cannot be ruled out. |
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Sangh Parivar spreading false propaganda: CPM Fatehabad, November 19 Mr Inderjit Singh said during the past three years, as many as 23 elections had taken place in different parts of the country. But the BJP and its allies had been badly defeated in all of these elections, he said. He said it was for this reason that the Sangh Parivar was trying to spread false propaganda among the people in its efforts to befool them. But the BJP, instead of changing its policies, was trying to befool the public in the name of Hindutva. He said the Dulina incident, in which public lynched five Dalits was a direct result of the policies of the Sangh Parivar. He alleged that the Om Prakash Chautala government was trying to hush up the case instead of handing it over to the CBI. The meeting, through a resolution adopted by it, condemned the murderous attack on Sirsa-based scribe, Ram Chander Chhatrapati, and offered the party's support to the ongoing journalists agitation. The party also condemned attack on a Fatehabad-based lawyer, Mr Devi Lal, by parking contractor of mini-secretariat. The party also expressed its resentment at the action of the district administration in canceling the old age pension of certain senior citizens, who had been receiving the pension till now. The party also declared its support to December 1 rally of the Central Industrial Trade Union (CITU) and appealed to the people to participate in the rally. |
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Row over Mahabharata Utsav’s title
Kurukshetra, November 19 A controversary has raked up over the very title of the festival. Though a large number of people of the region are full of anguish over the title of the festival, a few even have taken the cudgels to register their protest with the district administration. The district administration has accepted the responsibility of organising the festival on behalf of the Central Government, clubbing it with the Haryana Government's annual festival of Gita Jayanti Samaaroh. All Zonal Cultural Centers, Haryana Tourism Department and the Kurukshetra Development Board have been roped in for organising this festival. The resentment on the proposed theme of the festival was witnessed during a citizens' meeting, convened by Deputy Commissioner, Abhilaksh Likhi. Freedom fighter and eminent literateur Bal Krishan Muztar questioned the justifiability of the theme of the festival as the Mahabharata-Utsav. Muztar, who has authored 18 books mainly on Kurukshetra and Haryana history, culture and religion, said the very term of the Mahabharata had always been used for chaotic and anarchical conditions in literary and behavioral language. He pointed out that the term Mahabharata had been used for the great war, which laid to rest 18 lakhs of armies of India of the day. Hence, the Mahabharata could never be an utsav, an anecdote or event to rejoice and celebrate, he emphasised. The controversy further heightened with the appearance of a poster entitled "Mahabharata-Utsav ka Auchitya: Ek Yaksha Prashan" published by Muztar. The poster gives vivid details of the impact of the epic war of the Mahabharata, indicated by Arjuna in the first chapter of the Gita from 31 to 46 shlokas. He has thrown an open challenge to the organisers of the Mahabharata Utsav to justify its thematic title, by saying that the Mahabharata was the end of India's science and technology, war techniques and strategies compelling the rulers of the day to ponder over the causes of wars and the reasons of defeats therein. He said: "If the Mahabharata was is a thing to rejoice over, after total doom it carried along, and the Union Government could afford to spend Rs 1 crore on its celebrations by way of dances, dramas, fireworks among other things, then invasions by Mehmood Ghazanvi and by others, including razing of Somanath temple in Gujarat after its loot in 12th century, the three Battles of Panipat in 1526, 1556 and 1761, and even Indo-Chinese war of 1962 and India's defeat in all of them, must also be celebrated in the same spirit. Muztar, in an interview with the UNI said, it would have been in the fitness of things had the national festival been named as Kurukshetra-Utsav like the Pushkar Utsav, Ajmer Sharif Urs, Benaras fair, Anand Sahib festival and other festivals in the names of cities denoting their religious, historic and cultural significance. The district administration claims that it would be yet another Mahabharata at Kurukshetra, ''not of the armies and cavalries of the battle, but assemblance of over 1,500 performers and artisans displaying their talent. UNI
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Kapal Mochan Fair concludes Yamunanagar, November 19 As per the belief of the people, taking a bath in Kapal Mochan sarovar washes away sins which are even as grave as ‘Braham hatya’. This dham is also known to have been the workplace of Maharshi Ved Vyas. He created the Mahabharata, Vedas and Purans here. This holy place has a great following among the Sikh community too, since in 1687 Guru Gobind Singh had rested here for 52 days after the Bangani war. A large number of Sikhs along with Hindus and Muslims visited the mela, presenting a picture of unity and amity. A cattle fair was also organised in which a number of animals of high breeds fetched a good price. The Mela Administration had made good arrangements for the benefit of the pilgrims. An exhibition depicting activities of the departments of the district was one of the main attractions of the fair. A cultural show was also organised by the Public Relations Department of Haryana with the help of the North Zone Cultural Centre and competitions held in the mela. |
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Tributes
paid to Indira Gandhi Ambala, November 19 Ms Jain, while addressing Congress workers, said the late Prime Minister would be remembered for her commitment toward the nation. Senior leaders of the party, including Mr Balwant Gupta, Mr Dharmpal Kalia, the Kastoori Lal Khanna, Mr Ramesh Singla, Ms Raj Rani, and Mr Devender Bajaj, were also present on the occasion. The District Youth Congress, led by its president Tarun
Chugh, distributed fruit to patients at the Civil Hospital. The Mahila Congress also organised a function on this occasion.
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Kataria
meets PM on Duleena Ambala, November 19 BJP Ambala unit media in charge Raj Singh said that Mr Kataria informed Mr Vajpayee about the Duleena incident in detail. He said that Mr Kataria and Haryana BJP in charge Harsh Vardhan had toured Duleena. Mr Kataria said that Mr Vajpayee was aware about the whole incident and he had spoken to Haryana Chief Minister O.P. Chautala in this regard.
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Bar Association building inaugurated Kaithal, November 19 |
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Youth killed in road mishap Hisar, November 19 |
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Gita Jayanti celebrations Kurukshetra, November 19 |
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2 women die
in fair Yamunanagar, November 19 The dead have been identified as Charanjeet Kaur and Bachno Devi, Mela Administrator Renu Phulia told reporters. The bodies have been sent for post-mortem.
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