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Thursday,
September 4, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
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Students’
protest gathers momentum Bhajan’s
visit to temple political: Sikhs High command notice to
Cong MLA China has a missile base in Tibet: Dolma
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Haryana govt office inundated Cases against 600 persons withdrawn, says MLA Police
plea to discharge accused dismissed Maulvi denies Avedna’s
nikah Rural
development programme to train workers Gazi
Baba’s death blow to militants, says Swami Sanskrit academy
invites entries for award Exhibition
on science begins Youth
Cong men gherao minister
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Students’ protest gathers momentum Hisar, September 3 The agitating students maintain that the new university at Sirsa lacks infrastructure to properly handle routine work concerning colleges and students. They also contend that unlike Kurukshetra University, the newly set up university has not yet been accredited by the NAAC. Another sore point is the weightage of five per cent marks given to students passing out of Kurukshetra University and seeking admission in other courses. Although the authorities have assured them that a uniform policy would be introduced in all four affiliating universities soon, the students are not convinced. The authorities have been trying to avoid a confrontation with the students who have been agitating for the past six days now. Mild force has already been used against agitating students at Siwani, Adampur and here during the past week. However, there is no sign yet of students ending their stir. In many colleges, students have been divided over the stir. The pro-INLD factions are opposed to the strike. They maintain that Congress and Haryana Vikas Party leaders are fuelling the agitation and that there is no justification for opposing the affiliation to the new university. The others, however, say the government is playing with their careers. Meanwhile, Mr Kuldeep Bishnoi a former Congress legislator and son of Haryana Congress President Bhajan Lal, said here today that the Chautala government was trying to crush the student unrest by using police force against
them. JIND: Agitation by students of local colleges, which they started about two weeks ago to protest against the affiliation of Jind colleges to Chaudhary Devi Lal University, Sirsa, continued today. The students boycotted their classes. Students of Hindu Kanya Mahavidyalaya staged a dharna in front of the college. Students of the local Government College also staged a dharna near the local Mini-Secretariat. The call for the agitation was given by the Students Joint Action Committee which was formed by various local students’ organisations. The committee has decided to organise a district-level rally of students on September 5 at Jind on the issue. A large number of students, today assembled on the premises of Government College for organising a demonstration. But a police party headed by Deputy Superintendent of Police Sahib Ram Nehra reached there and persuaded the students not to do so. Several political parties have supported the agitation of the students and opposed the affiliation of Jind colleges with Chaudhary Devi Lal University, Sirsa. A deputation of Congress workers, led by Mr Karambir Saini, met the Additional Deputy Commissioner and submitted a memorandum in this regard. The district unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), at a meeting held here today, also supported the agitation of the students and condemned lathicharge on them. The district committee of the CPM also condemned the lathicharge on students and registration of cases against them in connection with their ongoing agitation. The CPM also supported the demand of the students. SIRSA:
Girl students of Dabwali, to register their protest against the affiliation of their college to the newly established university at Sirsa, took out a protest march through the main markets and staged a dharna outside the SDM office for the second consecutive day today. Students of MP College boycotted their classes. They also submitted a memorandum for the Governor of Haryana through the local SDM, demanding their college’s reaffiliation to Kurukshetra University. Some students complained that the college authorities did not allow them to enter the college and only a few students, who were willing to fill their examination forms accepting the college’s affiliation to Chaudhary Devi Lal University, were allowed to enter the college. However, the Principal denied having prevented students from entering the college. |
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Cong MLAs to take up students’ stir Chandigarh, September 3 The students have been agitating against the government decision to affiliate the colleges of these two districts with the new Devi Lal University at Sirsa. The CLP, which met here today to draw up a strategy for the session, decided to take up the issue in the assembly. Sources said that the CLP also decided to oppose the government proposal for premature release of four convicts from prisons. The CLP, the largest opposition group in the state assembly, would also raise the fee hike in professional colleges and vocational institutions of the state. It would also demand that
Bajra must be procured by official agencies at a support price (MSP). The SYL canal issue would be also taken up by Congress legislators. As many as 17 of the 20 Congress MLAs were present. While Mr Bhajan Lal could not come, his son, Mr Chandra Mohan, MLA from Kalka, turned up. |
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HVP offers support Chandigarh, September 3 Mr Narpinder Singh, President of the youth wing of the HVP, said earlier the party did not want to politicise the student agitation. But now it had realised that it would be injustice with the agitating students if the HVP did not lend them political support. A party meeting had been convened in Rohtak tomorrow to finalise the shape of support to the students. |
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Bhajan’s visit to temple political: Sikhs Karnal, September 3 Lashing out at Mr Bhajan Lal, leaders of Sikh organisations said they were not against the Congress as a whole. “We are against Mr Bhajan Lal as a person as Sikhs cannot forget the atrocities they faced during his rule in the 1980s,” said the leaders. The Haryana Sikh Sangat, the Haryana Gurdwara Parbhandak Committee (ad hoc), the Sukhmani Sewa Society, the Haryana Sikh Forum and many other organisations of gurdwaras situated in the state met here yesterday to discuss the politico-religious consequences of Mr Bhajan Lal’s recent visit to the Golden Temple and later his appeal to the Sikhs “to forget the past”. Talking to TNS, Mr Surinder Singh Sandhu, executive member of the Haryana Gurdwara Parbhandhak Committee, lashed out at Mr Bhajan Lal and said the Congress leader was still wanting to divide the Sikhs of Haryana. He also condemned the “design” of certain Sikh leaders of the Congress in honouring Mr Bhajan Lal with a siropa from the hands of Sant Sukha Singh of Punjab and gain publicity by giving an impression that Sant Sukha Singh of Dera Kar Sewa (Karnal) had given the siropa. “Sant Sukha Singh of Dera Kar Sewa has high esteem among the Sikh community of Haryana. Therefore, the move to get political mileage out of his name has jointly been criticised by all Sikh organisations”, said Mr Joginder Singh Oberoi, another Sikh leader. Jathedar Surjit Singh, president of the Haryana Sikh Sangat, said certain close confidants of Mr Bhajan Lal at Karnal were trying to develop “cracks” within the Sikh community. He said local Congressmen had even threatened certain mediapersons of dire consequences at the behest of Mr Bhajan Lal. After having failed to gain support of the local Sikhs, a few Congress leaders had misled the media by issuing fake press notes in the names of Sikh leaders, he added. Mr Rajinder Singh Sandhu, president of the Gurdwara Singh Sabha, Ramnagar, said the Sikhs would not tolerate the designs of certain Congressmen to divide the community along political lines. Mr Sukhwant Singh, president of Gurdwara Manji Saheb, said anybody could visit the Golden Temple and pay obeisance but getting political mileage out of it and dragging the name of Baba Sukha Singh of Dera Kar Sewa (Karnal) for giving siropa to Mr Bhajan Lal was condemnable. |
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High command notice to Cong MLA Chandigarh, September 3 Dr Kadian has been asked to explain why disciplinary action should not be taken against him for allegedly making allegations against Mr Bhajan Lal. Dr Kadian had alleged (without taking the name of Mr Bhajan Lal) that a “Lal” of the Congress was in league with the Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala. According to informed sources, instead of taking action against Dr Kadian, Mr Bhajan Lal had sent a complaint against him to the AICC General Secretary, Mr Nawal Kishore Sharma, who is in charge of the party affairs in Haryana. The complaint was supported by newspaper clippings. |
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China has a missile base in Tibet: Dolma Ambala, September 3 Talking to mediapersons before delivering a talk on “Indo-China relations and Tibetan identity” at SD College, cantonment Ms Dolma Gayri said long-range missiles had been positioned in Tibet which can target entire India. “There are DFO missiles with a range of 4800 km at Chedan Besan. These missiles can hit any part of India. The CSSO missiles have a range of 12,800 km which can hit the entire Asia and parts of Europe,” he said. Besides the missile bases, China has set up a big nuclear academy in Tibet. It is referred as the ninth academy. Ms Gyari said Tibet was illegally invaded by China in 1949 and in 1951, a 17 point agreement was signed. In 1959, His Holiness, the Dalai Lama sought help from the Government of India and escaped from Tibet. “Since then, Tibet has suffered under the Chinese. There has been genocide and monasteries have been destroyed,” she said. Ms Dolma Gyari said India and Tibet had his historical ties. “Buddhist religion is a gift from India and Tibetan script has origin from Sanskrit. We have enjoyed friendly relation. There has never been any bitterness between India and Tibet,” she said. She stated that in 1914, a treaty was signed between Lhasa and British Raj referred to as the McMahon line treaty. China was also a party to the treaty. “We still stand by the McMahon line treaty. However, the Chinese government nullified the treaty. Then, Panchsheel agreement took place between India and China which showed Tibet as part of China,” she said. She added that in 1962, China invaded India and Aksai Chin is still under Chinese occupation. Ms Gyari said there were a number of Tibetan political prisoners. She alleged that forced sterilisation had taken place in Tibet. She said the period from 1959-1979 was a dark period in Tibet. She said more than 1.2 million Tibetans were killed during this period. “Tibetans have become a minority in their own country. There has been genocide and special family planning,” she said. “We demand that we should be given self-rule. Tibet should be declared a zone of peace,” she said. “We shall return to Tibet so that the struggle for the preservation of culture can be sustained,” she added. |
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Haryana
govt office inundated Chandigarh, September 3 There was in fact a snake slithering in one of the office rooms, which had more than six inches of water on the floor. The store, having goods worth more than Rs 35 lakh, was flooded by water and some of appliances kept in the lowers slabs of racks were damaged. Water also found its way through to the iron safe in the cashier’s office and drenched the currency notes kept in the safe. While work came to a standstill in the section, the staff managed to send a car to the CM’s residence following a telephonic order from the higher authorities. Sources said the state government had recently acquired 18 Hyundai Sonatas and distributed all but one among ministers and officers. The remaining car, which had triggered off much speculation regarding its possible recipient, was allotted to the Chief Minister. Interestingly the Leader of the Opposition, Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda, is without an official car for more than a month now and the allotment of the Hyundai Sedan to the Chief Minister, who already has three Mercedes Benz, a couple of bulletproof Ambassadors and one Baleno at his disposal, is likely to attract criticism from the Opposition quarters. The sources said that while the Hyundai was sent to the CM’s residence today, the written order regarding the allotment was still awaited. The Baleno, now at the CM’s residence, was originally made available to the secretariat establishment which transferred the car, the sources here said adding that a similar process could be adopted regarding the Hyundai as well. Mr Hooda, who is also perturbed about a move of the state government to change his existing official residence, had returned two cars to the government saying that these were not fit for use. |
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Cases against 600 persons withdrawn, says MLA Chandigarh, September 3 Releasing a list of 275 persons, against whom the government had withdrawn criminal cases till December, 2001, Mr Dalal said these hardened criminals would be used by the ruling party to spread violence during the next elections. The most glaring case related to the disproportionate assets owned by Chief Minister, Om Prakash Chautala. The case was registered in 1997 in Dabwali police station on the complaint of Mr Chautala’s brother, Mr Pratap Singh. However, the case was withdrawn a few months after Mr Chautala became the Chief Minister in July, 1999. Mr Dalal said many persons were facing trial for heinous crimes like murder. He urged the Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court to treat his statement as public interest litigation and issue notice to the state government. It was surprising that the government had withdrawn these cases when public interest litigation was already pending before the High Court on the same issue. He also urged the Governor to summon the record of the cases withdrawn by the Chautala Government. He said he would soon release the complete list of the cases withdrawn by the government. |
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Police plea to discharge accused dismissed Tohana (Fatehabad), September 3 It may be recalled’ that Tarsem Singh, who possesses the citizenship of the United Kingdom, had allegedly made an attempt on the life of Narinder Kaur on August 8. In the FIR lodged immediately after the commission of crime, Narinder Kaur had accused Tarsem Singh of firing at her with an intention to kill her. She said Tarsem Singh, who is maternal uncle of her estranged husband Ravinder Singh, had earlier threatened to kill her as the two were engaged in a legal battle over some property. Narinder Kaur was married to Ravinder Singh, an NRI, on April 5, 1995. The boy and his family then went back to England with a promise to call Narinder Kaur as soon as possible. But they went on postponing the matter on one pretext or the other. Later, they told Narinder’s parents that Ravinder Singh had married another girl in England. Narinder Kaur then lodged an FIR against her in-laws, including Tarsem Singh, who acted as a mediator in the marriage. The police arrested the accused on August 8 and also seized the gun used in the crime. The police, meanwhile, arrested another person, Baldev Singh, and charged him for firing in the air on the same day. The police also tried to arrest Narinder Kaur, her younger sister Inderjit Kaur and their father Laskhar Singh, charging them of trespass on the property of Ravinder Singh. The police later moved an application in the court, requesting to discharge Tarsem Singh of the charge of attempt to murder. The police move was opposed by the counsel of Narinder Kaur. The counsel alleged that the police had been colluding with Tarsem Singh ever since an FIR under sections 498 A, 406, 506, 420 and 34 of the IPC was lodged against him by Narinder Kaur. The police, alleged Narinder Kaur, had not taken any action on the FIR also though nearly one year had elapsed. Narinder Kaur, who is still recovering from the bullet injuries, was present in the court to oppose the discharge of Tarsem Singh. She alleged that such was the partisan attitude of the police that it had yet not taken into possession the clothes worn by her at the time of the incident. The clothes were later handed over to the police under directions of the Magistrate. Her counsel alleged that the police had arrested Baldev Singh only to provide an escape route to Tarsem Singh, who was an influential and a resourceful person. Mr Prasad, who heard the arguments of the counsels of both sides on Monday had, deferred his decision till today. The judge today disallowed the application of the police. He also rejected the bail applications of Tarsem Singh and Baldev
Singh. |
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Maulvi denies Avedna’s
nikah Ambala, September 3 Zakir Husain and Avedna had filed an affidavit in the Punjab and Haryana High Court in which it was stated that Avedna had changed her religion to Islam and they got married in the Shahi Masjid, Pinjore around a few months ago. On this basis, the High Court had directed the SP, Ambala, to provide security to Zakir and Avedna whenever they visit Ambala. Newly married Avedna disappeared from Ludhiana railway station on July 15 when she was on her way to Vaishno Devi along with her husband. Later, the father of
Avedna, Mr Ashok Sharma, in a complaint lodged with the Mahesh Nagar police station had alleged that an officer of the Punjab Waqf Board Zakir Husain, kidnapped her daughter. It is learnt that the maulvi had disclosed to the police that the nikahnama of
his mosque produced by Zakir in the court was not an original one. He said his signature was also forged on the
nikahnama. He told that the nikahnama produced in the court by Zakir bear the serial number 16 whereas according to the record of Shahi Masjid, Pinjore the nikahnama of serial number 16 was issued to Karam Deen and Sakhia Begum on April 3, 2000. The maulvi told the police that a few months ago Zakir Husain, Mohammed Sardar Wani and Jamil Ahmed had come to him at Pinjore and asked him to issue a nikahnama of Zakir and
Avedna. They also pressurised to do so, but he refused to oblige them. |
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Rural development programme to train workers Nilokheri, September 3 The teams would comprise retired officials from the Rural Development and Panchyat Department, NGOs and university teachers. After getting training, the teams would embark on a massive scheme of training sarpanches, panches and gram sevaks in efficient governance. Disclosing this here yesterday, the Director, Haryana Institute of Rural Development, Mr Surat Singh informed that the training of panchayat officials of all 6759 villages would start from September 15 and last up to March 31, 2004. He said that training would be imparted to the Panchyati Raj functionaries at the block headquarters of various districts. |
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Gazi Baba’s death blow to militants,
says Swami Hisar, September 3 Addressing mediapersons here this evening, he said that the security forces had achieved a major success against terrorism by killing Gazi Baba. He said Pakistan was still supporting terrorism in India. Mr Swami said the Centre had provided Rs 80 crore to the state government for the construction of roads. He alleged that the Centre was providing many development grants to the state, but the Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, was trying to take credit by announcing development projects under ‘sarkar apke dwar’ programme. |
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Sanskrit academy invites entries for award Chandigarh, September 3 Dr Chander Trikha, Director of the academy, said prizes to Sanskrit books published between April 1, 2002 and March 31, 2003, would also be given. Grant-in-aid would be given for the publication of unpublished manuscripts of Sanskrit. The last date for applications is October 31. |
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Exhibition
on science begins Kurukshetra, September 3 He said the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) had emerged as a vibrant organisation with major accomplishments. The exhibition is showcasing the achievements of the CSIR. Sixty panels depicting the achievements are on display. The Kurukshetra Panorama and Science Centre, project coordinator, Mr S. Kumar, said the centre had joined hands with the CSIR in promote science. |
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Youth Cong men gherao minister Hisar, September 3 The protesters marched through the main markets of the town. On reaching the rest house, they staged a demonstration, alleging that the municipal body chief had committed several irregularities in the auction. A strong police posse was posted there to prevent any untoward incident. Mr Goyal met the protesting Youth Congressmen and accepted the memorandum. Later, Mr Goyal told mediapersons that the shops had been sold through open auction in the presence of senior officers and there was no bungling in the sale. |
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Work withdrawn from judge Hisar, September 3 The work of this court will now be looked after by Additional District and Sessions Judge D.S. Sheoran, who has taken over the charge.
— UNI |
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Haryana
docs back PCMSA on NPA Faridabad, September 3 The HCMS association has described the move as improper and unjustified as far as the interests of patients is concerned. At its state executive meeting held recently, it resolved that the NPA be restored immediately as the decision was anti-doctor and detrimental to society at large. |
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Exhibition
on science begins Kurukshetra, September 3 He said the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research had emerged as a vibrant organisation with major accomplishments. The exhibition is showcasing the achievements of the
CSIR. The Kurukshetra Panorama and Science Centre, project coordinator, Mr S. Kumar, said the centre had joined hands with the CSIR in promote science. |
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