 |
|
|
|
|
||||
|
Cable operator shot dead by wife’s paramour Chandigarh , June 16 Meena, mother of two children from the deceased Om Prakash, and Jaswant Pal from Pratapgarh district in Uttar Pradesh, who was also a tenant of the deceased, were arrested for allegedly murdering Om Prakash, who had come to know about their illicit relationship. Meena has two sons with the eldest being eight years old. The relationship between the husband and the wife had soured when Om Prakash came to know that his wife had stayed with Jaswant Pal in Delhi for two days last month. Meena had gone to see her sister in Delhi and Jaswant Pal also reached there. They returned from Delhi together, which strengthened Om Prakash’s suspicion. The murder was planned by both Meena and Jaswant Pal. Meena tried to pass off the murder as an accident despite a bullet injury in Om Prakash’s neck. Meena had told the police that she did not want a post-mortem as she did not suspect anybody. She also told the police that her husband did not have enemity with anybody. Jaswant Pal was in the police station as well as the GMCH since the news of Om Prakash’s murder came. He had also been saying that the family wanted an early cremation of the deceased and there was nothing suspicious in Om Prakash’s death. However, Jaswant Pal stood out as a lone voice among hundreds of people of the locality who said it was a murder and not an accident. During the day, people were virtually prepared to lodge a protest and the Mayor, Ms Kamlesh, also supported them. The police registered a case of murder on the complaint of the brother of Om Prakash, Jagir Dass, after it was discovered that there was no evidence of an accident at the murder site. There was a deep hole at the back of the head of Om Prakash while his helmet was on. The motor cycle did not show any signs of having met with an accident. During questioning,
the
The police said Jaswant Pal had reportedly informed Meena that he had eliminated her husband at around 11 pm. Both of them talked to each other at least thrice till 1 am after the murder. Jaswant Pal told the police that when he expressed the fear of being caught by the police, Meena asked him to rest assured as she would avoid a post-mortem of her husband’s body. A newspaper hawker, who knew Om Prakash, told the Chandigarh Tribune that at around 4 am or 5 am he heard a telephone call on the mobile phone of Om Prakash who was lying on his motor cycle around 500 yards away from his house. The police said Meena had made a call to her husband at that time. Meena had also made a call to Jagir Dass at around the same time saying Om Prakash had not returned home since last night. The hawker also informed the family about the murder. The police said Jaswant Pal, last night, asked his brother, Dhanwant Pal, to ask Om Prakash to talk to Jaswant Pal. During the telephonic conversation, Jaswant Pal requested Om Prakash to accompany him to Panchkula for making a payment. Om Prakash refused saying that he was tired as he had come from Rajpura. Jaswant Pal again made a request through Dhanwant Pal. On the second request, Om Prakash agreed to take him to Panchkula on his motor cycle. Jaswant Pal kept on looking for an opportunity to kill Om Prakash in Panchkula but did not succeed. Suddenly, Om Prakash’s servant rang him up on his mobile asking Om Prakash to be careful as there was a heavy police arrangement. The servant was afraid that Jaswant Pal did not have a helmet and the police might catch both of them. After the phone call, Jaswant Pal asked Om Prakash to take a short cut through the railway bridge route. When they reached the destination, there was an argument between the two over the illicit relationship. Jaswant Pal whipped out the country-made pistol, procured a month ago from Pratapgarh, and shot him. The weapon was kept in the socks of Jaswant Pal. The police has recovered the blood-stained clothes and the country-made pistol from the house of Jaswant Pal in Ram Darbar. Jaswant Pal runs a cyber computer centre from the house of Om Prakash. He is a Java certified professional. Jaswant Pal is married and is issueless. Jaswant Pal had also told his wife to tell the police that he was at home when the incident is reported to have taken place. |
|
Vendor held for woman’s rape, murder Chandigarh, June 16 Addressing a press conference, the DSP (East), Mr S. C. Abrol, told reporters that the alleged murderer had confessed to his crime to a “respected” person of his area. The alleged murderer and rapist, Om Prakash, was handed over to the police by the person in whom he confided to have committed the crime. The woman, who was generally seen begging in Gwala Colony, has not yet been identified. The police has called other beggars of the area to find out where she lived and who her family members were, but the effort failed. According to the police, Om Prakash, who works in Grain Market, allegedly lured the woman and took her to the murder spot. He raped the woman and then strangled her. But he was not sure if the woman had died after strangulation. To ensure that the woman was dead, the vegetable vendor repeatedly hit her with a stone. The police have recovered a blood-stained stone from the murder spot which was allegedly used to kill the woman. Om Prakash (28) is a bachelor. During interrogation, he revealed to the police that he strangulated the woman with her scarf after raping her. The police, yesterday, suspected that the murder could have been linked to rape as the woman was found half naked. The suspect has been remanded in judicial custody after the case was “solved” and recovery of the murder weapon was made. The police said the “respected” person of the locality first approached the police and narrated the events as disclosed to him by the suspect. Then he brought the suspect to the police station in Mani Majra where the latter narrated the entire story corroborating the one already narrated by the “respected” person of the area. The police said confession was strengthened with the recovery of the murder weapon. The police denied that it had recovered any condom from near the murder site. |
|
Five killed in accident, 20 hurt Chandigarh, June 16 Two out of the 20 injured are reported to be in serious condition in the surgical emergency while the rest of them are said to be out of danger. Meanwhile, two persons were killed in separate accidents during the past 24
hours. Hukum Chand of Darshani Bagh rammed his scooter into a stationary truck at the Railway light point. He succumbed to his injuries in the PGI today. A cyclist,
Rizwan, was crushed to death by a truck at the Sector 28 light point. |
|
Appointment of Chief Engineer held up again Chandigarh, June 16 Sources in the Chandigarh Administration said the Administrator had returned the file for appointing a full-time Chief Engineer with remarks to reconsider Mr Sharma’s plea, who was presently working as Superintending Engineer holding current duty charge (temporary charge) of the post of the Chief Engineer Municipal Corporation. Besides working as the Chief Engineer he was also discharging the duties of the Superintending Engineer, Roads. About two weeks ago the Adviser to the Administrator, Mr Lalit Sharma, had recommended the name of a Haryana cadre Superintending Engineer to be appointed as the corporation’s Chief Engineer. The Haryana engineer was to be taken on deputation to Chandigarh. The Administration had received a panel of six names, three each from Punjab and Haryana. In the Punjab panel, the Superintending Engineer rank officials had only two to three years of experience thus the names of Superintending Engineer from Haryana were considered. One of them on the panel was already a Chief Engineer and had now been promoted as the Engineer–in-Chief in Haryana, a very senior post for engineers. Thus he opted out of the race. After seeing the records and the Annual Confidential Reports the Adviser cleared one name and sent it for the approval of the Administrator. It was seen as a mere formality. However, Mr
K.B. Sharma in a representation to the Administrator said he was promoted as Superintending Engineer about 12 years ago in 1992 and a person who was junior to him should not be appointed ahead of him. He had also raised several other issues like who all were eligible to be on deputation to Chandigarh. Mr Sharma was posted to the Municipal Corporation in October 2003, when Mr
V.K. Bhardawaj was given charge of the Chief Engineer, Chandigarh Administration. The sources in the Administration said the representations of Mr Sharma had been considered before also and dismissed. |
|
Indian-Americans to support Democrats, claims leader Chandigarh, June 16 On a goodwill visit to India, a Democratic leader from California, Mr Vikram J.S. Bajwa, spoke to The Tribune about the factors behind the anti-Republican stance of the Asian immigrant community in the USA. He added that the Indo-Americans, who had funded both Democrats and Republicans in the previous Presidential elections, had now chosen to work for the Democratic Party. “Last time we had give $ 6 million to Al Gore and another $ 3.5 million to George Bush. But now the Indo-Americans have decided to support the Democratic Party with about $ 9 million reserved for its candidate, John Kerry.” Also on a mission to motivate the Indian immigrants to vote during the forthcoming US elections, Mr Bajwa said last time the voting turnout among Indo-Americans was below 35 per cent. “This year we are expecting over 60 per cent turnout. The Asian-Pacific immigrant community in the USA forms 10 per cent of the total voting population,” he said. Pointing to George Bush’s Iraq policy and the outsourcing issue as key factors behind the enhanced political consciousness among the Indo-Americans, Mr Bajwa said, “the first problem is the way the world looks at Americans now. In the past three months, America has been put on the Orange alert 10 times. No wonder everyone feels the USA is all for a war. An average American is unsafe at most of the locations in the world.” The NRI added, “we have learnt a lot from the Canadian experience. It is because of the hold that Indian immigrants enjoy in Canadian polity that Canada managed not to support the US invasion of Iraq. We feel it is important to enter the political system to clear the cloud over a number of issues. Even today Americans blame us for outsourcing and job scarcity. We need to tell them that we are as much Americans as they are.” Mr Bajwa also mentioned with regret that over 60 per cent Sikhs in the USA were not wearing turbans under the fear of American castigation. “They have to wear hats lest they are mistaken to be perpetrators of violence. A large chunk of Asian immigrants is for the Democrats this time, thanks to the flawed policies of the US government. Meanwhile, Democratic Party candidate John Kerry has declared in his speeches that he would review the US immigration policy with regard to South-East Asia. He is also a no-confrontation man.” For his part, Mr Bajwa has been advising the Lieut-Governor of California on the role which the Indian-Americans can play in the economy and education of the state. He added, “As NRIs, we also welcome the establishment of NRI/PIO Ministry in the Indian Government. Mr Jagdish Tytler has just assured that this ministry would have a Cabinet rank by the next year. Also we welcome dual citizenship.” |
|
Golden Forest scam: govts
bypass investors Chandigarh, June 16 Conservative estimates have pegged the quantum of the scam at Rs 3000 crore. At least 30 lakh investors were taken for a royal ride by Syal and his relatives and cronies. Syal and his relatives bought property worth hundreds of crores of rupees between 1987 and 1999. Most of the land that was bought in the name of Golden Forests (India) Limited or any of its almost 100 subsidiaries was bought in violation of rules. But, no government servant ever tried to put a stop to the illegal and highly irregular activities of the Syals. But, in the past over three years governments across the country, particularly Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Uttaranchal, have woken up to the scam and started taking remedial steps. The most prominent act of these governments has been to declare huge tracts of land owned by the Syals or their companies as surplus and acquire them. Without even once waiting for the over 30 lakh investors in the company to stake claim to the lands or offering to hand the same over to the provisional liquidator appointed by the Punjab and Haryana High Court to manage, control and sell the properties of Golden Forests (India) Limited. The Syals while collecting money from gullible investors had allotted land measuring 125 square feet for every investment of Rs 5,000. Thus, bigger the investment, bigger was the share in the land of the investors, who, incidentally, were referred to as "unit holders". "In such a case, the duped investors have ownership of the land. How can the governments simply acquire these lands? This is sheer injustice to the investors," says Justice R.N. Aggarwal (retd), the Provisional Liquidator. After being appointed Provisional Liquidator by the Punjab and Haryana High Court on June 18, 2003, Justice Aggarwal wrote to all state governments and top officials to locate property owned by Syals' companies and handover possession of the same to him for further action. However, most governments chose to ignore the request and declared major portions of the properties as surplus under land laws. The Punjab and Himachal Pradesh Governments were the major players in this chapter. "I made many requests to the governments that the properties belonged to the investors and hence their action in acquiring them was illegal. But, nobody listened. Isn't it strange that while these governments slept when Syal and his family cheated people and bought lands and built palatial buildings, they suddenly went into an overdrive and declared over 80 per cent of the land as surplus? Aren't the government supposed to be for the people?" wonders Justice Aggarwal. Investors also rue the fact that governments are helping the Syals in denying what is actually theirs. Incidentally, Justice Aggarwal has challenged many such decisions of the government in courts. |
|
GCM summons two former GOCs-in-C in Tehelka scam Chandigarh, June 16 Sources revealed that summons had already been issued to Lieut-Gen Surjit Singh Sangra and Lieut-Gen Shamsher Singh Mehta. The GCM, presided by Lieut-Gen C S Chima, is taking place at
Ferozepore. A GCM summoning an officer of the level of an Army Commander, even if retired, is unheard of. General Sangra was the GOC-in-C, Western Command, in March, 2001, when the news portal tehelka.com released tapes showing senior Army officers, bureaucrats and politicians demanding and accepting bribes from fictitious arms dealers. The report of the court of inquiry instituted by the Army into the matter had been sent to General Sangra for his recommendations. It was on his directions on the court of inquiry that disciplinary action was initiated against some of the officers caught on tape. After General Sangra retired in March, 2002, General Mehta took over as the GOC-in-C and the disciplinary proceedings came under his purview. Meanwhile, the GCM trying Colonel Anil Sahgal at Chandimandir in the same case has fixed July 5 as the next date of hearing as three witnesses sought by the prosecution expressed their inability to appear before the court today. The court had re-assembled today after being adjourned on June 8, when editor of tehelka.com Tarun Tejpal, had deposed before the court. The court had summoned Major-Gen M.S. Ahluwalia, Lieut-Col B B Sharma and Mr T. Sashi, all three who reportedly figured on video tapes shot by tehelka.com through hidden cameras. The prosecution counsel submitted that the three witnesses had agreed to depose before the GCM but due to other developments related to the case, were unable to come to Chandimandir where the GCM is being held. The tapes containing footage were sent to the United Kingdom for forensic examination to determine their authenticity. The firm is sending one of its experts to India to depose before the Phukan Commission and the aforementioned witnesses would be required to examine and cross-examine the expert. The deposition before the Phukan Commission is scheduled to begin on June 21. Besides the witnesses, all those who figure on the tapes, including three officers facing court martial in the case as well as politicians, would be given a chance to cross-examine the British expert. Under Indian law, the report containing the firm's findings and observations cannot be admissible as evidence in court unless the accused get an opportunity to cross-examine experts concerned. The accused also sought leave to meet his father, who, he claimed, is critically ill. This request was turned down by the court, which has also not allowed the accused to have a defending officer of his choice. |
|
Badal visits Chautala in hospital Mohali, June 16 It is learnt that Mr Badal stayed for about 20 minutes at the hospital and had tea with Mr Chautala. Mr Chautala had been suffering from urinary tract problems that needed surgery. He was operated upon on June 14 by a former Director of the PGI, Chandigarh, Dr S.K. Sharma. Mr Amrik Singh Mohali, municipal councillor and senior vice-president of the Ropar unit of SAD, who was present at the hospital, said he had accompanied Mr Badal when the latter went to meet Mr Chautala. Mr Mohali said Mr Badal asked Mr Chautala when the Assembly elections would be held in Haryana. He said Mr Chautala told Mr Badal that his government had taken over on March 2 and efforts would be made to hold elections before the completion of his term. Mr Mohali said Mr Chautala asked Mr Badal about how long the Assembly session in Punjab would continue. To this, Mr Badal replied it would last for about seven days. Mr Mohali said no member from the family of Mr Chautala was present when Mr Badal visited him. Mrs Sneh Lata Chautala, wife of the Haryana Chief Minister, who inaugurated a Hero Honda showroom in the industrial area here today, told The Tribune that she had met Mr Chautala before coming for the function and he was feeling much better. She said doctors had advised him not to move about much. He would be discharged from the hospital tomorrow. According to the hospital authorities, Mr Chautala was responding well to the treatment and would be discharged in a day or two, subject to the approval of the doctor attending on him. |
CPI against purchase of lower-floor buses Chandigarh, June 16 According to a press note issued by Mr Devi Dayal Sharma, secretary, CPI, Chandigarh, the cost of previous buses is about Rs 9 lakh but lower floor buses cost around Rs 13.5 lakh. The engine of these buses is fixed on the back side which becomes hot due to lack of fresh air. Moreover, the body of these buses are made of fibre plastic and there is every possibility of damages to the body very
soon. For these reasons only Punjab, Haryana and Pepsu roadways did not purchase these buses. But the administration has decided to purchase 102 more buses. The CPI, Chandigarh, has urged the government to take immediate action and stop the Chandigarh administration to purchase such buses. The CPI has also requested the UT Administrator to call the meeting of the Chandigarh advisory board to discuss the matter. The CPI has decided to launch an agitation if the purchasing of these buses was not cancelled. |
|
Chabeels mark martyrdom day of Guru Arjan Dev Chandigarh, June 16 They stopped vehicles to offer not only rose water, but also “parsada”. Heavy rush was witnessed in front of tents offering “parsada” all over the city, including Madhya Marg and the road leading to Sukhna Lake, besides Sectors 20, 21, 22 and 23. A large number of devotees also thronged gurdwaras on the day. Even before the sunrise, many visited Nada Sahib Gurdwara near Panchkula. In Chandigarh, rush was witnessed in gurdwaras located in Sectors 34, 22, 8 and 19. According to a press note, the National Congress Party also observed the day. Another note stated that staff and students of Sri Sukhmani Institute of Engineering and Technology in Dera Bassi organised a chabeel and langar outside the college premises. |
|
Residents seek action against cable operator Chandigarh, June 16 The cable operator has been charging Rs 150 per month for the past more than one year. Now, suddenly from the month of June he has started pressurising subscribers to pay Rs 200 month, which is not justified. |
|
Veteran
journalist dead Chandigarh, June 16 The Chief Ministers of Punjab and Haryana in their separate messages expressed condolences and sympathies with the members of the bereaved family. They described him as a dedicated, sincere and honest journalist who discharged his professional duties with utmost dedication. |
|
Man’s body found Panchkula, June 16 According to other vendors, he was not well and was under medication. He was reportedly lying near the wall of the SBI building around 2.30 and around 5 pm someone discovered that he was dead. The police was informed. |
|
Welfare assn seeks civic amenities Panchkula, June 16 They said residents were paying heavy taxes like house tax, stamp duty tax and power tax and were getting no facilities . It said last year rainwater entered many houses in Sectors 19, 15, and 21. It urged her to take steps to check the problem before the onset of rainy season. They urged her to remove unauthorised rehris from the roadside. |
Gang of auto thieves busted Chandigarh, June 16 The Crime Branch also recovered nine vehicles from them and has succeeded in solving 11 cases with the arrest of the kingpin of the gang, Vicky. Those arrested have been identified as Naresh and Balwinder of Ludhiana, Rajesh Kumar of Ambala and Manjit Kaur of Ganganagar in Rajasthan. They have been remanded in police custody till June 18. The gang was operating in the city for past
three months and was active in Sector 7, 19, 34, 35 and 36. Vicky is facing around 50 auto-theft cases. The stolen cars used to be either sold or kept in safe custody of a woman gang member in Punjab. Vicky was released from a jail in December, 2003. After coming out of the jail he joined a pimp of Pinjore and was involved in flesh trade. After three months, he left this trade and started stealing cars again. Manjit Kaur, alias Sapna, alias Manju, a member of Vicky’s gang is facing a murder trial in Ambala. She was instrumental in keeping the cars in safe custody. |
|
Physically-challenged man held for duping people Mohali, June 16 According to the police, Sidhu was caught collecting money from a resident of Nihalsinghvala village in Moga district, who had come to Phase 3B to deposit the money in a private bank. The complainant Darshan Singh told the police that Sidhu had asked him to deposit the money in an account of the bank. He would then receive a letter from the government granting an easy loan. The police also said Sidhu had cheated many others on the pretext of making them beneficiaries of the various welfare schemes of the government. |
4-day fair on user-friendly kitchens Chandigarh, June 16 The fair will be on from 11 am to 9 pm daily at the CII Convention Centre in the city, a press note issued here said. A special feature of the fair this year will be a display of modular kitchen systems. This year’s fair will have a variety of products to match the needs of a wide range of customers, starting from basic kitchen equipment to designer kitchen modules. Chimneys to dispel cooking fumes, gadgets to make chores-easier, stylish gas stoves, food processors, chore reducing inverters, glassware, ceramic crockery, wooden furniture as well as a host of accessories for modern kitchens will be showcased at the exhibition, as well as food and beverage products. Some of the companies exhibiting their products at Kitchen-2004 include LG, IFB, Samsung, Electrolux, Luminous, Planet, Padmini Impex, Eureka Forbes, Faber International, Ramdoor, Inalsa, Twinings Tea, Shri Industries, Technoplast and National Panasonic, among others, press note added. |
|
Furniture unit inaugurated Mohali, June 16 The unit, Manjeet’s Home Decor Industries, manufactures furniture, including door shutters, bars, antique pieces. It also deals in wooden flooring and modular kitchens. Mr Surinder Singh Sekhon, Chief Architect, Punjab, presided over the function. |
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Mailbag | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
