Badhra (Bhiwani), December 19
The row over the marriage of a boy of Poonia gotra of Jevali village to a girl with maternal links to Sheoran gotra on December 10 took a serious turn today with villagers putting up nakas around the village to prevent any member of the boy’s family from leaving or entering the village. Although the entire family of Hawa Singh, the boy’s father, has already migrated from the village to an unknown place after last Sunday’s panchayat which expelled the Poonia family from the village for life, the panchayat members feared the Poonias might enter the village in a police vehicle.

A police picket continues to guard the locked house of the Poonias in the village. Police parties also patrolled the village and its surrounding areas. Villagers checked every police vehicle passing through the nakas around the village.

The villagers set up nakas following the registration of a criminal case against eight villagers following the panchayat meeting. They were booked under Sections 147, 149, 323, 324, 541 and 506 of the IPC. The incensed villagers, fearing arrest, threatened to court arrest if any of the eight were picked up by the police.

The row erupted after the marriage of Hawa Singh’s son Ombir Singh to Saroj on December 10. The bride hails from a family in which a close female relative belongs to Sheoran gotra. The villagers met Hawa Singh on November 28 to urge him to cancel the marriage. Despite agreeing to do so, Hawa Singh went ahead with the marriage.

The villagers are now planning to take the issue to a gathering of Sheoran 25 - a khap panchayat of 25 villages dominated by the Sheorans. They are reported to be planning a meeting of the khap on or after December 25 to avoid any complications in the court where an old khap panchayat issue is to come up for hearing on December 23.

Meanwhile, the Poonias are planning to approach the Punjab and Haryana High Court to seek directions to the district administration to provide them security and curb illegal activities of the panchayat.

The area has become notorious for raking up such issues. Over the past year or so, similar problems were created for at least two couples under similar circumstances. These couples continue to be under siege despite relief from the court.

However, the court intervention has failed to check panchayats from expelling villagers on defying their diktats. 

Fatehabad, December 19
The Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (DHBVN) has provided another opportunity to defaulting consumers to avail of the bill arrears waiver scheme.

A spokesman of the DHBVN told mediapersons here today that these consumers could make payment for their bills issued after June 2005. They would not have to pay any surcharge but Rs 180 as late fee.The scheme was meant for domestic and agriculture and consumers in villages. The facility for restoration of power connections would be available up to December 31.

Under the scheme, the permanently disconnected domestic and agriculture consumers in rural areas as on June 16, 2006, could apply for a connection by depositing advance consumption deposit (ACD), meter cost and reconnection fee.

Such consumers, he said, would not be charged minimum monthly charges for the period of disconnection prior to June 16.

The spokesman said in case of tubewell connections, those with power disconnected less than six months ago would have to pay Rs 1000 and those more than six months would be charged Rs 2000.

Where high-tension or low-tension wires were to be provided for reconnection, fifty per cent of the cost would have tp be borne by the consumer. 

Chandigarh, December 19
Infighting in the Haryana Congress has reached new heights with supporters of the Chief Minister, Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda, reacting sharply to the statements of Mr Kuldip Bishnoi, MP from Bhiwani, who leaves no opportunity to embarrass the state government.

So far the Hooda camp had been more or less ignoring Mr Bishnoi’s statements.

However, today the convener of the Media Cell of the Haryana Congress, Mr Pawan Jain, described Mr Bishnoi’s concern for farmers as an “eye wash”. In a statement issued here Mr Jain said Mr Bishnoi should not forget that it was during the days of his father’s regime when the farming community turned against the Congress because of various policies of the then government, including the police firing on the 
farmers.

Mr Jain said Mr Bishnoi did not know that a large number of farmers in Jhajjar and surrounding areas, which fell in the National Capital Region, were themselves offering their land to promoters of special economic zones (sez) because the price they were being offered was much more than the market price. By opposing the sez Mr Bishnoi was in fact harming the interests of the farming community.

He said if Mr Bishnoi was convinced of the righteousness of his stand, he should quit the Lok Sabha and contest again.

A spokesman for the Haryana Congress, Mr Ved Prakash Vidrohi, accused Mr Bishnoi of sheding crocodile’s tears when he expressed his concern over the denied of the party ticket to a veteran party leader, Mr Tara Singh, in the last elections. Mr Vidrohi said the fact was that when Mr Bhajan Lal was the party President, he ensured that Mr Tara Singh was denied the ticket.

Fatehabad, December 19
A local court has awarded life imprisonment to eight persons, including a woman, for killing a couple in a property dispute.

The District and Sessions Judge, Mr Lachhman Sharma, today awarded life imprisonment to Prithvi Singh of Nadori village, Hawa Singh, Rajesh Kumar and their mother Maina Devi, Sahib Ram and Surender Kumar, all from Mohammadpur village, and Pala Ram and Devi Lal from Ratta Khera village.

The judge also ordered them to pay a fine of Rs 10,000 each.

The Sadar police had registered a case against nine persons for killing Hans Raj and his wife Bimla of Ratta Khera village on June 2, 2001. Bimla’s brother Rajinder had alleged in his complaint to the police that his sister and brother-in-law were issueless and had adopted his son.

The convicts, who were related to the victims, were against the victims bequeathing their land to their adopted son.

The convicts murdered the couple by cutting them into pieces with axes and “gandasas”.

Raja Ram, the ninth accused, died during the pendency of the case.

Yamunanagar, December 19
A couple of Ghaziabad has been booked by the district police for allegedly purchasing a minor girl of Delhi for slavery. The couple were arrested and sent in judicial remand by a local court today.

The girl was taken to Delhi by the police in the evening.

As per police sources, Bhupinder Singh and Rani have also been booked for allegedly running away with a minor girl. The Jathlana police has registered a case under Sections 370 and 366-A of the IPC.

The couple along with the girl (12) roaming suspiciously in Gumthala here was spotted by villagers. Mr Waryam Singh, president of the Haryana Anti-Corruption Society, and others caught hold of the couple. The villagers suspected that the couple had purchased the girl for the purpose of marriage or selling the girl further. On persistent questioning the couple told the villagers that they had brought the girl for household jobs.

The girl told the police that the couple had brought her here on the pretext of hiring her as a “maid”. She said that her parents did not know anything about her going with the couple. However, after reaching here she was being pressurised by the couple to marry a brother of Bhupinder Singh. The couple denied the allegations.

Chandigarh, December 19
The Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (UHBVN) has decided to launch a voluntary disclosure scheme for unauthorised loads of domestic, non-domestic and tubewell consumers. The scheme will be started from tomorrow and continue up to January 20.

A spokesman for the nigam said here today that the consumers in the domestic and non-domestic categories, who were willing to declare their loads, would be required to apply with agreement forms giving details of the load to be extended. The consumer would also give an undertaking that he would abide by all terms and conditions.

He said the nigam had also simplified the procedure for these categories as the applicants were not required to submit a test report up to an extension of 20 kw of load. In the case of extension beyond 20 kw, a test report would be required to be submitted by the applicant. They would have to deposit the consumption security. The extended load would be considered as automatically regularised.

No penalty would be levied on extended load under the scheme. Similarly, the load of agricultural tubewell consumers would be regularised after getting an application and agreement form from the applicant. The applicant would be required to submit a test report for the extended load along with the consumption security. 

Rohtak, December 19
Newly elected Haryana Bharatiya Janata Party chief Atam Parkash Manchanda today nominated Mr Kailash Chand Sharma Narnaul, former MP Rattan Lal Kataria, Mr Jagdish Chopra of Sirsa, Mr Jai Narain Khundia of Rohtak and former Chandigarh Mayor Gian Chand Gupta as vice-presidents of the party.

According to a party spokesperson, former MLA Kanwar Pal and Capt Abhimanyu of Rohtak who has contested Lok Sabha election twice would be new general secretaries.

Former MP Sudha Yadav, Nirupama Rani, Subhash Barala, Dashrath Singh Chauhan and Dev Kumar Sharma will be secretaries.

Mr Manchanda has also constituted an executive committee.

Yamunanagar, December 19
In view of increasing accidents and traffic congestion, the Haryana police has started setting up special traffic police stations. It has also acquired hi-tech traffic interceptors.

These police stations would be responsible for overseeing accident cases on roads, besides patrolling. A senior police official informed that the police stations would also help ease traffic on roads and check traffic jams.

The official said that one hi-tech traffic interceptor had been provided to every zone of the state. The interceptors, mounted on Maruti Versa cars, are equipped with alcohol sensitisers and speed radars.

The traffic police stations have become operational in Panipat, Kurukshetra, Ambala and Yamunanagar districts. Superintendent of Police (Yamunanagar) K.V. Ramana informed that a Sub-Inspector had been made in charge of the traffic police stations. About the traffic interceptor, the Ambala zone has been provided with one.

SP Ramana also informed that a system would be made operational soon in which the mobile numbers and landline telephone numbers of senior police officials and police stations and police posts in charge would be made toll free.

Jhajjar, December 19
The Additional District and Sessions Judge here today sentenced three persons to life imprisonment in a case of kidnapping and subsequent killing of seven-year-old boy in Kanonda village.

According to information, a boy, Sumit, a son of Surender, was kidnapped by three persons, Amarjeet of Baliana village, Karambir of Kanonda village and Ramesh from Aligarh in Uttar Pradesh, on January 16, 2005. Ramesh was employed as domestic help in the family.

The accused demanded a ransom from the boy’s family but when their demand was not met, they killed the boy and buried the body in the fields outside the village. A girl from the neighbourhood of the victim was reportedly witness in the case who had seen the accused when they buried the body in the fields. The court today indicted the three accused. The accused were also fined Rs 15,000 each, besides undergoing life terms. — UNI