Karnal, May 19
Apprehending serious threat to their lives and personal property due to the ongoing tension in the state, a number of followers of Dera Sacha Sauda have started leaving their houses temporarily for a “safer place''.

Fearing violence after Sunday's deadline set by the Sikh clergy for action against the dera head, a number of followers in the adjoining districts too have opted to remain underground till the normalcy returns.

Sources said “premis”, as the dera followers are called, were going to the dera headquarters at Sirsa and other places.

Meanwhile, agitated Sikhs burnt the effigy of the dera head at Nissing in Karnal this afternoon. Amid heavy deployment of the police, the protesters breached the law and gathered in a large number and burnt the effigy of the dera chief.

They were carrying weapons in the presence of the authorities, but no action was being taken against them, alleges middle-aged trader.

The authorities have failed to implement Section 144 CrPC and the followers apprehend worst reaction by the protesting community, they said.

“Despite police security at ‘naam charcha ghars’ (as dera ashrams are known), we feel insecurity to our property in the town and villages,'' said a farmer. He, along with two other families, has decided to visit a shrine for a few days.

In the last three days, Karnal, Kaithal and Kurukshetra districts have witnessed several demonstrations where the protesters were not only assembling in a large number but also carrying kirpans, barchis, lathis and raising provocative slogans without any resistance by the authorities, allege the residents.

Kaithal, May 19
After yesterday’s tension at Pundri in which the police had to use force and lob tear gas shells to disperse protesters, the situation remained calm and peaceful in the district today.

Rajinder Kataria, DC, and Navdeep Singh Virk, SSP, and Sanjeev Verma, ADC, camped at Pundri till late night yesterday in view of the prevailing tension.

However, the police registered a case against 32 persons, who had been named in the FIR, and 13 have been arrested. The police was making efforts to nab the remaining 19, who were part of the crowd which violated prohibitory orders and organised a procession.

Meanwhile, a meeting of Sikhs was held at Gurdwara Neem Sahib here and the prevailing situation was discussed .

The police staged a flag march in the town to instill confidence among the people. The SSP said the police had been deployed at all venurable points and special vigil was being maintained in the vicinity of religious places. — OC

Fatehabad, May 19
Two companies of paramilitary forces have been deployed in Fatehabad to meet any eventuality in view of the fast approaching deadline given by the Panthak Committee on the Dera crisis.

Two companies of the Indo- Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), comprising 80 jawans each, reached here this morning to help the police.

The SP said the jawans of the ITBP had been deployed in villages adjoining Punjab and those considered to be sensitive.

Chandigarh, May 19
The deadline is drawing near and all eyes are set on the CBI. The agency had been ordered by the high court on April 16 to complete probe into the cases related to Dera Sacha Sauda by May 25.

The Division Bench, comprising Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel and Justice H.S. Bhalla, had castigated the CBI for its laxity and observed that the bureau director should assign the job to suitably competent and sincere officers.

In fact, the order also spoke about contempt proceedings against some persons who had violated the earlier directions of the court and led to the delay in the probe. The court had stressed that a period of almost five years had expired and the matter cannot be allowed to linger on any further.

Taking strong exception to the CBI’s dilly dallying, the court had said: “Expeditious investigation is the constitutional duty of an investigating agency and no agency can claim immunity from accountability for indefinite delay. Such gross delay in investigation can create doubt about sincerity and competence of the officers, who had been assigned the responsibility of carrying out the investigation.

Reflecting strongly on the intentions of the agency, the Bench observed that there was no tangible material which could justify the long lapse of time in concluding the investigation.

Incidentally, on April 16 only, the CBI counsel had informed the court that initially the Haryana police had filed challan before the Kurukshetra court while the CBI had filed the challan before the Special Judicial Magistrate(CBI), Ambala. He requested the court to transfer proceedings pending before the Kurukshetra court to Ambala. The request was accepted by the court.

It all started in 2002 when the high court took cognisance of a complaint regarding alleged sexual exploitation of girls at Dera Sacha Sauda, Sirsa, and ordered the CBI on September 24, 2002, to investigate the matter and submit its report with in six months.

Incidentally, a report from District and Sessions Judge, Sirsa, dated September 11, 2002, on the alleged harassment was also received by the court. The CBI filed an application before the high court on April 9, 2003, and sought time for six months.

In the meanwhile, FIR no 685, was lodged in police station, Sirsa, alleging firing at journalist Ram Chander Chhatarpati by the people of Dera Sacha Sauda. Chhatarpati died November 22, 2002. A petition was filed before the high court alleging that the investigation was not fair.

Another FIR was lodged at Sadar police station, Thanesar, alleging murder of one Ranjit Singh at the instance of head of Dera Sacha Sauda. In this case too, a petition was filed in the high court seeking fair investigation.

The matter was considered by the court and investigation was transferred to the CBI. The agency was directed to file its reports in all the above cases, including supplementary challans, wherever necessary, before the courts of competent jurisdiction within a period of six months from the date of order i.e. November 10, 2003.

Thereafter, the matter remained pending before the Supreme Court and on March 1, 2005, the high court gave extension of six months to the CBI for completion of investigation. The agency got another extension of three months on September 16, 2005 and on May 18, 2006, the court directed it to file monthly reports of progress.

A top CBI official, when contacted, kept his fingers crossed and refused to comment on the matter. His advice was: “Wait and watch till May 25”.

Chandigarh, May 19
Pradeep Kasni, chief administrative officer of the Haryana Dairy Development Cooperative Federation, was transferred last evening with immediate effect. Kasni has not been given any other posting as yet, nor anyone has been appointed in his place.

It is learnt that absence of the HCS officer in a lunch hosted by the federation for its board of directors led to his unceremonious transfer. — TNS

Gurgaon, May 19
Unknown assailants bludgeoned to death three persons of a family here, the police said today.

Vinod Chahal (38), his wife Saroj Chahal (32) and their son Tanu (7), were found murdered in their Sector 23-A house this morning, Senior Superintendent of Police Hanif Qureshi said.

The victims were hit with baseball bats and stone slabs, the SSP said adding, the blood near the bodies had dried on the spot, making the police believe that the three might have been murdered yesterday.

The cause of the triple murder was still a mystery as the gold ornaments that the three were wearing were untouched and no valuables and cash were found missing from the house, Qureshi said.

The servant of the house, Lallan (19), is untraceable, he added. The servant, who is from Patna, had been with the family for the last six months.

Police are investigating the case from all angles, the SSP said.— Agencies

Kaithal, May 19
An alleged assailant, who gunned down two brothers at Geong village yesterday, was killed late last night in a drama enacted by his accomplices to involve family members of the deceased in a counter-criminal case.

Police sources said the five assailants planned to cause pistol injury to one of them so that they could get a counter FIR registered against the deceaseds’ family members and show that they had also been fired.

It was decided among themselves that Ved Parkash, an assailant, would fire a shot at the legs of another assailant, Krishan Lal. Krishan Lal. He was reportedly shot at and rushed to the civil hospital. Doctors diagnosed the injury to be fatal and referred him to the PGI, Chandigarh. But he succumbed to the injury

However, Ved Parkash, fearing trouble for him and his family members, reportedly surrendered before the police, along with his pistol.

Ambala, May 19
An engineering student of MM Engineering College, Mullana, committed suicide, yesterday evening.

Vikas, a second year student, committed suicide by hanging himself from the ceiling fan in his hostel room. He was under stress as he had failed in two papers in the semester exam. Vikas belonged to Gohana in Sonepat. Two years back, another student from Mullana had committed suicide.

Kaithal, May 19
A state-level function on the martyrdom of former Prime Minister Rajeev Gandhi will be held at Sonepat on May 21.

AICC general secretary Janardan Diwedi will be the chief guest, while Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda will be the guest of honour and Dr Ram Parkash, working president, HPCC, will be guest of honour.

This information was given to mediapersons by Shamsher Singh Surjewala, president All-India Kisan-Khet Mazdoor Congress during a press conference here today.

Surjewala said sewing machines to about 1100 widows and other poor women would also be distributed.