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Woman murdered in Panchkula,
Panchkula, September 22 The victim has been identified as Meena, a native of Nepal. The police suspects that she had been raped, as her body was found in a semi-nude state. Later, a post-mortem was conducted to ascertain if she had been raped. The murder came to light around 8.30 am, when some rag-pickers found the body lying near the school wall. They raised the alarm and the police was called. The blood- stained marble slab was also recovered from the spot. For almost an hour, the victim remained unidentified and the efforts by the police to identify her by calling people from a nearby slum failed to yield any results. It was only when a PCR Gypsy arrived at the spot that police personnel identified her as a resident of Azad Colony. Two months ago, the PCR vehicle had found her in an inebriated state in the Industrial Area II. She was in a semi-nude state and she was given clothes and taken to the General Hospital for a medical examination. She was later dropped at her hutment in Azad Colony. After she was identified, a police team rushed to Azad Colony and one of her neighbours, Phool Chand, was brought to the spot. The latter said she was an alcoholic and for the past over two months had been staying with Raj Kumar, a tea stall vendor. Raj Kumar had said he had married her, Phool Chand told the police. He also said Phool Chand and Meena had been missing for the past 10 days. Later during the day, Raj Kumar came back to the hutment and was picked up by the police for questioning. He reportedly said Meena had eloped with another person, Jai Ram, 10 days ago. The police has rounded up Jai Ram. The SP, Mr Balbir Singh, said: “We have been able to identify the suspects and this case would be solved soon.” Rape suspects Sharvan Kumar and Sajjan Kumar in police custody in Chandigarh
on Thursday. — A Tribune photograph
Two of the alleged rapists were, subsequently, taken into custody by the police. A massive combing operation has been launched to apprehend the third accused. “Somehow, the medical examination of the victim has not revealed signs indicating the use of force,” sources said.
The matter came to light when the victim, a resident of Khuda Ali Sher village near Chandigarh, called up the police from her mobile at about 00:40 am last night that she was allegedly dumped by three youths after they raped her in a house in Burail village. Acting on her complaint, the police took the victim to Burail village to identify the spot of incident, but she reportedly failed to identify the house. Addressing mediapersons DSP (Central) P.K. Dhawan said the victim, serving with a Mani Majra-based property dealer, had claimed that she came to ISBT in Sector 17 by a local bus from Mani Majra and was waiting for a vehicle opposite Gurdial Singh Petrol Pump in Sector 22 at around 8:30 pm last evening. At around 8:40 pm, an Indica car, occupied by three youths, came to a halt near her. One of the occupants asked her the about the way to Sector 26 but all of a sudden, other person sitting in the car pulled her in the car. She reportedly tried to call for help, but in vain. An autorickshaw driver tried to intervene in the matter, but was stubbed by the alleged abductors. After gagging her, they allegedly took the victim to Sector 15 before allegedly raping her in a house in Burail village. After registering a case of rape and abduction, the police constituted a team headed by Sub-Inspector (SI) Kuldeep Kaur and launched a massive operation to trace the accused. The police added that later in the day the victim identified the house, which ultimately helped in trying to establish the identity of one of the accused. The police team, comprising SI Dilsher Singh Chandel and SI Dalbir Singh, besides SI Kuldeep Kaur, managed to trace the accused later today. Elaborating on the credentials of the accused, the sources said they had been identified as 27-year-old Sharvan Kumar alias Lambu and 25-year-old Sajan Kumar, both residents of Burail village. The police said Sharvan Kumar is a taxi driver while Sajan Kumar is a labour contractor. Sharvan Kumar was booked by the police in a rape case in August, 2001. The DSP further added that the accused confessed to the crime. About the victim, the police said she hails from Bihar and has been living in the city for past five years. Brought up in an orphanage in Bihar, she is ignorant about her parents’ identity. She also stayed in Nari Niketan in the city for a short duration before she married in 2001. She has been living separately from her husband for the past two months and has two daughters. Both are living with their father.
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City unsafe for women
Chandigarh, September 22 Ask them and they say “it’s impossible to move out late in the evenings. For, the local police has miserably failed to prevent hooligans on bikes and cars from raping Chandigarh’s chaste image. Also from zipping off with a woman’s dignity in the dark of the night”. Nothing else can explain the alleged abduction and rape of a woman by three persons late Thursday evening, agitated girl students of Panjab University and other students insist, adding that no one is secure in the city. “I have been to Hong Kong and Singapore alone on business trips unaccompanied by a feeling of apprehension and insecurity,” says Neerja, a young business executive with a multi-national organisation. “But I dread going alone from my office in Sector 9 to my residence in Sector 37 late in the evenings”. She adds: “Things are particularly bad in the evenings for girls in Sectors 35, 26, 17, 15, 11, 9 and 8. Besides this, it is almost impossible for girls without escorts to go to bars and pubs in the city, along with discotheques. Cases of guys pulling revolvers have also been reported at discotheques and other party joints”. The police admits that such cases of kidnapping, molestation and rape are on the rise in the city. Fortyone cases of kidnapping and abduction have been registered by the police from January till August this year, against a total of 54 last year. Last month alone, eight such cases were reported to the police. In a substantial number of these cases, the dignity of women victims was violated. Otherwise, 18 cases of rape were registered by the police last year. As many number of FIRs were registered the year before that. Sources in the Police Headquarters agree that “statistics do not provide the real picture”. For, a large number of cases involving outrage of modesty and eve-teasing go unreported because so many women prefer not to talk about it. Describing it as “conspiracy of silence”, a city-based socio-psychologist says that taboo topics like incest and sexual abuse are rarely talked about, leave alone reported.” He says: “Even in a modern city like Chandigarh girls prefer not to discuss
such incidents with their parents, even brothers. You may find it hard to believe, but girls I know have justified bruises sustained in molestation bids by saying `I-fell-in-the bathroom’”. Continuing with the explanation, he adds: “Maybe, some of them are so used to being misused and abused that they learn to maintain silence. In any case, the ravishers take advantage of the situation and continue to act in an unfair manner against the fair sex.” Back to Panjab University, some of the girls putting up in the hostels say they have stopped going out without their boyfriends, specially in the evenings. “For, you never know when someone is going to catch hold of you,” they say. Quoting an example, Tamana says she and her two friends were harassed only recently. “We were coming out of a fast food joint in Sector 35 at around 9 pm when three guys tried to act fresh with us after descending from an open jeep with a Punjab registration number.” Wiping beads of perspiration from her forehead, she adds, “We had to literally run for our honour from the joint to our scooters parked some 50 yards away, even as two policemen looked around indifferently. The guys passing vulgar comments tried to stop us thrice. We nearly fell prey to their lust... Luckily, we managed to lose ourselves in crowded Sector 23 market”. Tamana adds: “They are the guys who drink in the open, create ruckus in the discotheques and fight over girls in the fast food joints. They just cannot understand that real life is so different from the kind they see in remix videos”.
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IT raid at plantation company’s office
Chandigarh, September 22 Claiming that the searches were part of a nation wide drive, a senior IT official said the same had no connection with volatile movement in
the stock market. “These searches have nothing to do with the current situation in the stock market. The timing is a coincidence and these are separate matters,” the officer said. He, however, did not divulge details of the searches and the alleged irregularities the IT officials were looking for. The searches, he said, were carried out on the basis of a specific information.
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Rain hits preparations
for PM’s visit
Chandigarh, September 22 Carpeting of the newly built six-lane road to the Rajiv Gandhi
Chandigarh Technology Park (CTP), hitherto known as the IT Park, has been delayed, but the workers continued to work even in the rain till late hours. The ‘pandal’ that has nearly been completed had leakages at several places with water dripping onto the carpets and chairs in the evening downpour. New patches are being put to plug the leaks in the arena. The Special Protection Group (SPG)-led teams of the Chandigarh police today conducted mock drills with a nearly 24-vehicle convoy on the route the Prime Minister will take to various venues during his overnight visit to the city tomorrow. After arrival at the Chandigarh Airport, the Prime Minister will leave for Ludhiana, only to return back to the city in the evening after inaugurating the Satguru Partap Singh Apollo Hospital there. The mock drill was carried out on all routes leading to the Punjab Raj Bhavan, the PGI, where he will participate in The Tribune Trust’s 125 year celebration function, CTP that he will inaugurate and the Chandigarh Press Club where he will lay the foundation stone of a ‘Media Tower’. The PGI is the only indoors venue, whereas at the CTP and the Chandigarh Press Club the functions will be held outside in a covered ‘pandal’. The Chandigarh police has taken over the IT Park venue with the officials of the Chandigarh Administration’s various wings trying to give a completion report tonight. Hotel Mountview and Hotel Parkview, have been asked to do the catering for the same venue. The food prepared by a Hotel Mountview chef will be served to the VVIP including the Prime Minister, while the other guests will be served eatables and beverages prepared by Hotel Parkview staff. One of the serious most concerns of the organisers in view of the prevalent weather conditions is the parking lot, especially at the CTP venue. The entire area is freshly levelled fields that have turned into slush. Any vehicle parked at the designated parking is bound to get stuck. Apart from the provision of parking around 50 odd VVIP vehicles on the ‘pucca’ area, most people are bound to find parking to be a nightmare, especially those in self-driven vehicles. Those persons who would be attending the Chandigarh Press Club function are going to face a similar problem. Meanwhile, hospitals like the PGI have been alerted for any emergencies. The Chandigarh police has identified potential trouble makers and issues that may come up during the visit and has taken appropriate remedial measures.
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PM’s food habits no chef’s delight
Chandigarh, September 22 The Prime Minister relishes vegetarian food with light spices and practically no oil. He does not have a sweet tooth, and is very fond of fruits, especially bananas. Though, he savours chicken and fish delicacies occasionally, his staple diet is dal,
roti, vegetables and rice. He doesn’t mind soup but it has to be clear. He has become careful about his food, especially after he underwent a bypass surgery prior to the last Lok Sabha elections. The Prime Minister is a tea and not a coffee drinker. He prefers tea with milk and Marie Gold biscuits. His wife, too, has similar eating habits. At Raj Bhavan, he will be served an
upma, papaya, cereals and a toast with unsalted cheese. The egg would be served without yolk. Raj Bhavan has been alerted about the long walks the Prime Minister likes to take at night and early morning.
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PM’s stay may be extended by an hour
Chandigarh, September 22 He is now expected to address a gathering at the Punjab Congress Bhavan in Sector 15 at about 12.25 pm after addressing a function at the IT park. As a result of the change in plan, the Prime Minister is expected to depart for Delhi at about 6.15 pm. Sources say the Prime Minister will land at Chandigarh airport at 4 pm on Friday and take off for Sahnewal in Ludhiana after about 5 minutes. He return to Chandigarh at 5.30 pm and leave for Punjab Raj Bhavan within minutes of his arrival for over-night stay. On Saturday, he will reach PGI’s Bhargava Auditorium at 10 am for the inauguration of The Tribune’s 125th anniversary celebrations and leave for the IT park at 11.30 am. In the evening, he will address a function at the Chandigarh Press Club in Sector 27. Even though senior officers of the Chandigarh police maintain that traffic flow will not be disrupted due to the Prime Minister’s visit, the sources in the Police Headquarters say the commuters should avoid Madhya Marg on Saturday if they wish to save time. For, the Prime Minister is expected to commute on the road at least four times during the day. The sources say parking could also prove to be a problem on the Madhya Marg with the Chandigarh police leaving nothing to chance. They add that the police may just ask the frequenters to leave their vehicles in the lots behind the showrooms. The sources said: “We actually plan to stop the traffic for brief spells for allowing the Prime Minister’s motorcade to pass through the Madhya Marg and other roads,” the sources maintain. “The commuters will not have to wait for over five minutes at any spot for allowing the Prime Minister to pass.” Meanwhile, a mock drill was organised by the police, the intelligence agencies and the Special Protection Group. They went from venue to venue making sure that every thing was in order. On the road leading to the IT park, the antecedents of the shopkeepers and jhuggi dwellers were also verified by the police. They also conducted massive operations to flush out anti-social elements from hotels,
dharamshalas, railway station and bus stands. Leaving nothing to chance, the Chandigarh police has decided to deploy around 1,500 personnel snipers belonging to the operation cell and Home Guards jawans at the venues of different functions. Though the police claims they have not received information about any plan to disrupt the functions, they add that the exploding of a crude bomb in the Sector 17 Inter-State Bus Terminus had forced them to be on high alert.
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Man hacked to death
Mohali, September 22 The victim’s family alleged that he was murdered by Sukhvinder Singh of the same village who had developed differences with Darbara Singh over the issue of his marriage. According to the police, Darbara Singh was a bachelor and had been living in Dubai for over 25 years and had returned to his native village some years ago. He lived with his brother in the village and was said to be involved with a widow. Sukhvinder Singh reportedly wanted to get married to the daughter of the widow but it was being objected to by Darbara Singh. Sukhvinder Singh was absconding, the police has said. Mr Rajbachan Singh Sandhu, DSP, Kharar, said the
murder took place last night after 9 pm. Darbara Singh was awake and in his room when the assailants entered the house. His brother Gulzar Singh was sleeping in the outhouse while his wife and their son Sarabjit Singh, along with his wife and children, were inside the house. “The assailants found Gulzar Singh’s wife and pushed her into the room where Sarabjit Singh was sleeping with his family. They locked the room and then went to Darbara Singh’s room and hacked him to death,” Mr Sandhu said. Though Gulzar Singh had woken up when he heard screams, he was too scared to come into the house alone and rushed to the village to get help. By the time he reached with the villagers, the assailants had murdered Darbara Singh and left, said the police. The police said other than the family, no one in the village heard or saw anything. It said the knives used to kill Darbara Singh had also not been found. While the family of the deceased blamed Sukhvinder for the murder and the police has booked him, sources in the police said investigations were on to find if the allegations were true.
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How do you consider the rank of your company in terms of stiff competition in the insurance segment? If we count the national figures, Bajaj Allianz is number two in the life insurance sector but we are number one in South and East India. Any new policy of Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance being introduced for the public in near future? It is a health product plan for three years which will be the first of its kind in our industry. Our mahila health rider is already a hit which caters to women with medical problems. What is the other USP of Bajaj Allianz? We have an online request system and most of the claims are settled at the branch level, saving the time of our customers. How about your strength in Punjab? We now have 39 offices in Punjab and have also introduced franchisee system for the convenience of our customers. What brings you to Chandigarh? We will be opening another branch office in Sector 34 here tomorrow. We will be the first private insurance company to have two offices in Chandigarh. We have a regional office in Chandigarh catering to various states of the north. — Arvind Katyal
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MC staff threat to intensify stir
Mohali, September 22 The employees have been protesting against the behaviour of a municipal councillor since September 15. The protesters held a rally and appealed to all unions of the council to get together on one platform. Representatives of the Joint Action Committee said the allegation levelled by the councillor, Mr Manjit Singh Sethi, that most of the employees of the council were corrupt was baseless. They said that Mr Sethi should either prove his allegation or apologise for making such a statement failing which they would be compelled to file a defamation suit. Mr Avtar Singh Kalsia, general secretary of the committee, said that councillors, who would come to the office tomorrow to attend the monthly meeting of the civic body, would be welcomed by employees wearing black badges.
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Committed to restoring natural heritage
The legacy of our rich heritage and cultural traditions has given us something of eternal value to hold on to, in the diverse forms of customs, traditions, folk arts and monumental treasure capturing the life during the ages. In the depths of our heart we still seek the eternal glory of the past in the ephemeral and ever changing world, opined Intach Chairman S.K. Mishra, the pioneer crusader dedicated to the restoration and conservation of the cultural and natural heritage of India.
Mr Mishra, former Principal Secretary to Prime Minister, is regarded as the father of tourism in Haryana. At present the Chairman of the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage, he was in in city to interact with the regional chapters of the organisation. Talking to The Tribune, the 1956 batch bureaucrat disclosed that although the organisation was set up in 1984 had generated a substantial awakening at the state and national level, more concerted efforts were required to be made. Still a tremendous job remains to be done, he added. The objectives of the Intach is not merely to creating awareness among the public for the preservation of cultural and national heritage of India but to associate every citizen in this mass movement. He said over 140 chapters comprising volunteers, held workshops and seminars on various issues relating to the historical and environmental conservation, heritage policy, critical heritage projects , mobilisation of resources for improvement of social and economic conditions, especially of the skilled community. At a sleepy village Raghrajpur in Orissa with 101 families where every inmate is either a painter, dancer or musician, the Intach conducted a three-month workshop for them to sharpen their skills and marketed their creations to the corporate world and tourist industry. Incidentally, the indomitable Oddissi dance icon, Padmabhushan Kelucharan Mahapatra, and another Padmashri awardee come form this village, he added. The restoration and conservation of the Qila Mubarak, Patiala, and Jagatjit Palace, Kapurthala, are the prestigious Intach projects.
OC
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PSEB staff stage dharna
Mohali, September 22 Mr Lakha Singh, circle president, said the dharna was organised to show unity with organisers of the protest that was being held throughout the country on September 29. Mr Vijay Kumar, circle secretary, said even though the government had postponed the move to unbundle the board by six months, fear still existed among employees that they would be retrenched. The work of microhydel projects and central workshops had already been handed over to private contractors. He said apart from employees the public would also be burdened as power would be provided at higher tariff by private agencies.
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Navratra fair arrangements reviewed
Panchkula, September 22 Officers from HUDA, Public Health, Health, Public Works Department (B and R) and Public Relations were present. Mr Parveen Kumar directed the representatives from all these departments to ensure that all adequate services were provided to the devotees who visited the shrine during the nine day fair, beginning from October 4.
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Milkfed sperm station gets BIS certification
Chandigarh, September 22 According to the Managing Director, Mr Vikas Pratap, Milkfed has become the first cooperative sector organisation in Northern India to get International Quality Management Certificate. The certification is for its sperm station providing frozen semen of elite bulls. With this certification, eight milk plants, along with two cattle feed plants at Khanna and Ghania-Ke-Bangar, have already been awarded IS/ISO: 9001-2000 certification.
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Kishangarh residents to question validity of CTP
Chandigarh, September 22 The whole project, according to the appellants, has been set up contrary to Ministry of Environment guidelines of January 1994 and subsequent amendment in July 2004 which clearly state that “no construction work, preliminary or otherwise, relating to the setting up of the project may be undertaken till the environmental and the site clearance is obtained.” “By granting clearance now, the Ministry of Environment has broken its own rules setting a precedent that will be difficult to reverse. No permission has been sought nor given all this time while construction was continuing unabated,” said Jyoti, a resident of the area.
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Villagers hold dharna against Admin move
Chandigarh, September 22 After the dharna, it was decided that a delegation of villagers would meet the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, during his visit to the city and submit a memorandum. Mr Didar Singh, Chairman of the Panchayat Samiti, said the outcome of the meeting with the PM would decide the future course of action.
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Fresh survey of tenements allotted to slum-dwellers
Chandigarh, September 22 The order was passed after it was noticed that the beneficiaries of various rehabilitation schemes were violating the terms and conditions of the scheme by misusing or subletting the premises. The survey teams have been asked to maintain registers and submit daily progress report to the officer concerned.
— TNS
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Readers Write
The Chandigarh Administrator makes surprise checks to curtail violations made by his official machinery. And the police too is not far behind for it has bought cameras to book traffic violators.
But what about the serious traffic violation, as reported by Chandigarh Tribune on September 20 in its report “Residents complain to Governor about road”, that the Administrator’s cavalcade made on September 19 on a busy road that connects the National Highway 21, while inaugurating a building in Sector 47. The creation of a new route to facilitate the flow of Administrator’s cavalcade failed to serve any security purpose as everyone had come to know about the route. Instead of ripping the median, only to close it later, a few traffic policemen could have stopped the traffic for a while during the Administrator’s visit and the cavalcade could have passed without a fuss. Since public money was involved in this temporary construction — the funds could have been utilised to repair the damaged road, the picture of which was published in the newspaper — I have decided to file a case in the court of law. I had in the past written to the Administrator to initiate repair work on the road particularly the one leading to Sector 32 hospital, which is used by people residing in Sector 46, 47, 48 and 49, but to no avail. Balvinder Blame game
Apropos of the news item “Dhawan guns for Bansal’s scalp” published in these columns on September 17, I feel that Pawan Bansal, Member of Parliament and chief whip of the Congress, does not believe in making false promises. But Harmohan Dhawan, president of the Chandigarh Vikas Manch, has rightly talked about Mr Bansal’s failure to solve the problems of over 90 per cent residents who are putting up in dwelling units, which have been purchased on power of attorney by them, allotted by the Chandigarh Housing Board, but who have been deprived of ownership rights for the past 25 years. He has even been giving assurances to the CHB residents’ federation from time for time. People want to see the houses in their name by removal of the clause of affidavit and allowing of need-based changes. It will be better if instead of blaming political parties or Chandigarh Administration officials, the work is done for the benefit of the people. Sunil Manocha Bhagat Singh’s sacrifice
This is in reference to news item “Peoples’ view on Bhagat Singh stressed” that appeared in Chandigarh Tribune on September 8. History these days is not just about the description of rulers and events that happened in the past. It now entails the effects of discernible and non-discernible political, social and cultural currents of thought prevailing during that period at a particular place that influenced the policy and behaviours of the rulers and also shaped the image of the events. Examining the martyrdom of Bhagat Singh, it becomes evident that nationalists and revolutionists of that period, with their conscious efforts, connected his sacrifice with their own ideology and struggle, which in fact was the hijacking of the benefits of the martyrdom of Bhagat Singh. No unbiased and objective view of the sacrifice was floated to the surface by the intelligentsia of that period. They perhaps, had become docile to either the rulers or the nationalists and revolutionists. It is now encouraging that an initiative has been taken by Dr I.D. Gaur, a teacher with the Department of Evening Studies, Panjab University, Chandigarh, in this direction. But it is to be seen to what extent he explores and explains the circumstances and the spirit behind the sacrifice with objectivity. Baldev Singh Kang Electric crematorium
A news item published in Chandigarh Tribune has amply revealed the working health of the electric crematorium here. People are not superstitious but are compelled to go in for conventional cremation as the crematorium never remains in working order. The electric crematorium system is praiseworthy. I attended a cremation in 1980 at the crematorium, but did not see any cremation take place there after that as it had remained out of order from time to time. The administration should ensure that the crematorium is made functional. Only then will people go for it. This is something worthy of being adopted by all. Kuldeep Rai Deep
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15-yr-old re-arrested
Chandigarh, September 22 Sources in the police said the accused, a resident of Mani Majra, was arrested from a road leading to Kishangarh village this afternoon. He had been lodged in the juvenile home in Sector 15 in connection with a theft case. He was later sent to the juvenile home till October 6, said the police.
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CNBC-TV18 camp coming to city
Chandigarh, September 22 The CNBC-TV18 Investor Camp, India’s biggest investor service initiative, travels across the length and breadth of the country, covering leading metros and mini-metros in India during the year, guiding investors to manage their investments effectively, says a
company statement. The camp provides a platform for direct interaction with the retail investors, industry experts, academicians, practitioners and representatives of regulatory bodies. The camp will offer investors investment insights, perspectives on the risk and return expectations of various investment options like stocks, bonds, mutual funds, insurance, real estate or commodities, the release adds. The key speakers at the camp will include Prithvi Haldea, who will speak on Prime Database - ‘Public Issues: Goldmine or minefield?’; Sudarshan Sukhani on ‘Technicaltrends.com - ‘Hidden Secrets in Market Opinion’; Shankar Sharma on ‘First Global - ‘The Art Of Hedged Speculation’; Atul Suri on Marathon Trends - ‘winner’s - Plan’ and Anand Tandon on ‘Gryffon Investment Advisors - Common Mistakes That Investors Make’.
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