Kangra, November 11
Ngawang Jangchub, 28-year-old monk died under mysterious circumstances reportedly following patriotic education campaign in Drepung monastery in the first week of October 2005 in his quarter, Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD) sources said here yesterday.

Mr Tenzin Norgay, spokesperson of the TCHRD, in a statement said here that he was found dead a day after he had a heated argument with work team officials conducting the patriotic education campaign in the monastery.

The work team officials had arrived in the monastery in the beginning of October 2005 to conduct the campaign. As stipulated by the campaign guidelines, the monks in the monastery were required to condemn the Dalai Lama as a splittist and to pledge their loyalty to the Chinese government, Tenzin Norgay in his statement disclosed.

He said that some of the monks refused to be educated and an argument followed between them and the officials. During the argument, Ngawang flatly refused to comdemn the Dalai Lama calling him saviour for the present and the next life. Tenzin Norgay said that he told the officials that he had no regrets, even if he was to be expelled from the monastery.

The statement said that Ngawang further refuted the Chinese officials’ claim of Tibet being a part of China and added: “Tibet has never been a part of China historically and I dismiss your claim over Tibet.”

In response, the officials verbally abused him and threatened him with dire consequences, the statement further added. He said that following the argument, Ngawang furiously returned to his quarter and did not come for the next day’s session. When the other monks went to check on him, they found him dead in his room. The exact cause of his death is unknown although the monks speculate suicide due to extreme psychological trauma.

Kangra, November 11
Poverty has forced parents to leave their 11-year-old son in lurch and fled away after leaving him in Dadaseba village falling under the Dhera police station on this district this afternoon, the police said here today.

Mr Bhramoo Ram, Investigating police officer of Dhera police station said a village Pradhan of Badaltrod village near Dadaseba brought an 11-year-old boy to Dhera police station today saying that his parents have left him there.

The police said the child who calls himself, Chotoo, seems to be son of a labourer couple who have left him at Dadaseba today.

The child told the police that his sister was living at Dadaseba but following verification by the police the information was found to be ‘false’. The child was produced before the SDM Dhera.

The police suspect that poverty could be the reason for leaving the child in a lurch by the parents. The police, however, did not rule out the possibility that the child must have slipped from the clutches of some contractor where he would have been working as a child labourer.

Mr Bhramoo Ram said it seemed that the child belonged to Shimla district of the state.

Chandigarh, November 11
To put the fear and speculation among residents of Ravana village, 35 km from Rajgarh, in Sirmaur district to rest regarding the “eruption” of a volcano in the area, a team of scientists visited the village on Wednesday.

The team, comprising Dr R.K. Sood, Joint Member-Secretary, Himachal State Council for Science and Technology, Shimla; Mr Deepak Sethi of the council; and Prof Ravindra Kumar, Chairman, Department of Geology, Panjab University, Chandigarh, informed villagers that there was no need to panic as this was a natural process.

Professor Kumar says the village, located on the eastern banks of the Giri river, has steep slopes of carbonaceous shale. The area is known for landslides for the past many years. Every year after the rain, landslides occur.

This year, in addition to landslides, a few fissures developed on the surface of the affected area. He says the emission of vapours and hot water was only noticed in some area. The whitish vapours have a smell of sulphur like the hot-water springs emitting pungent smell in Manikaran and Tattapani. The gas was escaping though crevices in the middle portion of the sliding mass and is non-combustible.

Regarding the landslides, Professor Kumar says: “The survey suggests that the area has been experiencing an active landslide. Villagers say the landsliding has been taking place for the past many years. This year the magnitude of the landslide was high. The fissures have provided channel for the escape of vapour and hot water. The cause of landslide on the basis of the preliminary study could be linked with the neo-tectonic movements that are taking place in the Himalayas.”

The geologist says the Himalayas are a complex, uplifted and deformed mountain range, brought about by tectonic activities, culminating in a series of plate collisions, most of which are still active.

He says there is no danger to any of the nearby areas, but suggests that the area should be studied to ascertain whether the phenomena observed at Ravana village is linked to the October 8 earthquake that had hit the northwestern part of the Himalayas in Jammu and Kashmir.

Nahan, November 11
While presiding over a public function organised on the occasion of 22nd anniversary of Shamsher Government Senior Secondary School here in the historic Chowgan today, Mr Virbhadra Singh, Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh, announced opening of a Degree College at Sangrah.

The Chief Minister said if the local people would make temporary arrangement of a building it would be made functional from the next academic session. He also said a building would be constructed for the college at Sangrah after the selection of a site there.

The Chief Minister also announced that a new complex would be constructed for the present Post Graduate College here in the Villa Round and for this purpose land in the area was shortly being acquired by the government. He announced the sanctioning of Rs 1 crore for the construction of the college building and Rs 1.65 crore for the construction of the college hostel.

The Chief Minister lambasted the BJP for making false promises with the people of HP and taking out the vishwash yatra and vikas yatras in the state instead of doing development works. He claimed that his government had fulfilled most of election promises and the rest would be fulfilled in the remaining period of the present government.

Mr Virbhadra Singh said the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, had given special grant for the state. Out of this money Rs 500 crore would be spent on providing potable water to every village in the state and Rs 200 crore on the road connectivity for every panchayat during the next two years. He said these works would be completed during the tenure of the present government.

The Chief Minister said during the tenure of the present government Rs 17,500 crore had been invested in the industrial sector which had generated employment avenues for over 2.25 lakh of people. The Chief Minister categorically said employment for the Himachali youths was his first priority. He added that after assuming the charge of the Chief Minister of the state for the fifth time the present government had created job opportunities for over 25,000 persons in the government sector. He charged that the opposition could not digest the success of the government on all fronts and was trying to create hindrances in the pace of development.

The Chief Minister also announced that identity cards would be issued to all industrial workers in the state within the next one month. He also announced that Nahan Foundry would be revived and some new products would be added in the production of the foundry.

Renuka Ji (Nahan) November 11
Mr Virbhadra Singh, Himachal Chief Minister this evening inaugurated six-day long state level Shri Renuka Ji fair.

He arrived here this afternoon and worshipped palanqiun of Lord Parshuram and other deities in the Dadahu school ground and took part in the Shobha Yatra of Lord Parshuram.

More than 50000 people participated in the yatra which was taken out with traditional fervour.

On the occasion of Devothaan Ekadashi more than two lakhs devotees are estimated to take holy dip in the Renuka lake tomorrow. On November 12 Kartik Purnima Sanan would be on November 15. The six-day long fair religious and cultural festival of Sirmaur district on the evening of Kartik Purnima after performing Purnima puja on the bank of Renuka lake. More than 10 lakh people visit Renuka fair every year to witness pious meeting of son (Parshuram) and mother (Bhagwati Renuka Ji). Lord Parshuram on the occasion of Devothan Ekadashi comes here from Jamu Koti hill in a silver palanquin to meet his mother Renuka Ji.