Yamunanagar, February 1
A case of “honour killings” has come to light in a Brahmin family here. The family living in a village located on the Bilaspur-Chhachhrouli road, near here, killed its daughter Rani (17) and Sunil (24), not their real names, after the two were allegedly found in a compromising position.

Sunil was a Brahmin and lived in her neighbourhood. The two were beaten to death. The girl’s family could not be contacted while no one from Sunil’s family was ready to comment. Sources said both families were said to be under pressure as they did not want to malign their reputation.

Both families reportedly agreed to a “compromise” and did not inform the police. No one in the village was also ready to speak on the issue.

The police had no information about the incident as both bodies were cremated without postmortem in the village.

Sunil died in a private hospital here today while the girl had died on Tuesday. Sunil was cremated in the village this evening while the girl was cremated on Wednesday.

The girl’s family found the two in a compromising position on Tuesday night in its house. Though the exact sequence of events is not yet known, the sources said the family members took hold of the two and started beating them up. The girl reportedly died after a few hours. The family thought that Sunil, too, had died and threw his body in nearby fields.

Sunil was, however, found unconscious by his family. They kept Sunil indoors on January 30. However, his condition worsened and they brought him to a private hospital here on January 31.

He had visible injuries, but the hospital did not report the matter to the police as the family told the authorities that he was first taken to the civil hospital, Yamunanagar, which referred him to the PGI, Chandigarh.

But they wanted immediate treatment as Sunil was very serious. At around 10.30 am today, Sunil died. Records of the hospitals revealed that he had injuries in both his both legs and a CT scan was also performed.

The family took the body away from the hospital on the pretext of taking it for a postmortem to the civil hospital. Interestingly, the father’s name mentioned in the hospital record was wrong. 

Karnal, February 1
The police today found three chopped fingers from a vacant plot behind Mela Ram School in the township. It also seized a sharp-edged weapon and a hammer from the crime spot.

Karnal district police chief A.S. Chawla, who visited the spot, said the police was primarily focusing on the human sacrifice angle.

He said the fingers were of an adult and no other body part was found from the spot.

Experts from the forensic science laboratory, Madhuban, who accompanied the police team, said the gender of the victim could be ascertained only after chemical tests.

The fingers were found in a corner of a secluded plot near a residential area.

Chawla said a labourer, who had gone to the plot this afternoon, noticed a blood-stained knife and a hammer. After noticing the chopped fingers, he raised the alarm.

Ruling out the possibility of a murder bid, he said preliminary investigation revealed that at least two persons were involved in the incident and that the incident took place at this spot only.

Sources said it was surprising that no one in the residential area heard shrieks of the victim.

Surajkund (Faridabad), February 1
With artisans all around, clay moulded huts, traditional village aroma and alpana on the door step, the 22nd Surajkund Mela, with West Bangal as its theme state, kicked off today after external affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated it here.

The minister praised Haryana for introducing the concept of ‘highway’ tourism in the country. He said the trend had caught up and other states were replicating the model and concept of Haryana.

The Surajkund Mela had become a calendar event and was significant at national and international levels.

Hailing the artisans and craftsmen, he said they were the ones who silently built up a civilisation. Hence, they should be recognised and honoured by the society. The fact that the Haryana and union governments were giving them institutional opportunity of exposure was praiseworthy, he added.

Chief Minister of Haryana Bhupinder Singh Hooda said the mela had become a forum for the craftsmen of the country to meet in a free and fair atmosphere to exchange thoughts.

According to him, the artisans and craftsmen were feeling alienated in the rural India on account of modernisation of the villages. Opportunities like Surajkund Mela provided them an opportunity and purpose to keep up their interest in crafts alive.

Haryana’s minister for tourism Kiran Chaudhary said the mela was a brainchild of former premier late Rajiv Gandhi. Haryana was the first country to promote tourism in a big way. She also hoped that the public-private participation would go a long way in promoting tourism in the state.

Tourism minister, West Bengal, Manabendera Mukherjee said Bengal was rich in culture.

Fatehabad, February 1
An assistant project officer (APO) and a steno working in the office of the additional deputy commissioner here have been transferred after some record of the office pertaining to the Member of Parliament Local Area Development (MPLAD) Fund and some court cases went missing from the office.

The Tribune had revealed on January 17 that the record had been missing and some employees of the office were suspected to be behind it.

Additional deputy commissioner C. G. Rajnikanthan has transferred APO N.P. Singh to Ratia and steno Manjit Kaur to Tohana.

The ADC has also sacked motivators working in 
the total sanitation campaign (TSC).

According to reports, some cases against two APOs of the ADC are pending in the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

When Rajnikanthan summoned some office record, which was to be produced in the High Court last month, it was missing.

Later, record pertaining to the MPLAD Fund was also not traceable.

The ADC took a serious view of the lapse and initiated a probe into the matter to fix responsibility for the lapse.

The officials, who have been transferred, came under the scanner in the case.

The ADC has also sacked 12 motivators working under the TSC after they allegedly refused to help the authorities in the BPL survey.

Rajnikanthan confirmed that the two officials had been transferred.

However, he said they had been transferred to assist the SDMs at Tohana and Ratia.

He said stern action would be taken against those responsible for the missing record once the responsibility was fixed.

On the dismissal of the motivators, he said they had been appointed on a contract and their contract had been terminated as they were no more required by his office. 

Karnal, February 1
Under a giant poster of Kalpana Chawla with the words “The whole universe is my native place” scrawled across, students sat whispering to each other before falling silent at the entry of an elderly man with a stern visage.

Banarasi Lal Chawla had been to his youngest daughter Kalpana’s alma mater - Tagore Bal Niketan Senior Secondary School - where she was a student over 20 years ago. Today, he was the chief guest at a small function there to mark the day she died five years ago.

Her school and her college, Punjab Engineering College, had organised the event to keep alive the memory of the Indian-American astronaut.

“She asked me once, have you gone on a plane? Are you scared of going on a plane? I didn’t answer, but she laughed uproariously thinking that her teacher was afraid of flying,” 74-year-old Daljit Madan, who was Kalpana’s teacher for most of primary school, said smilingly.

Madan, who was also her immediate neighbour, remembered Kalpana as the tomboy who could only make paper airplanes during the school craft hour and throw them into the air.

Her life and death had been extraordinary.

Kalpana rose from her small town roots to take part in two space flights of US space agency NASA.

It was during her second trip that the Columbia space shuttle she was in disintegrated into small fiery pieces and plunged into the earth, just 16 minutes before landing. She was 41.

In contrast to the effusive praise for Kalpana at the function, her father was self-effacing.

The asceticism that seemed to mark him was also a trait in his daughter - the youngest born in 1961 after two sisters and a brother.

“She used to pay more for getting her shoes repaired in America, instead of buying a new shoe that would have cost less.

Kalpana told me that it meant an extra income for a person, while a new shoe would have meant the death of an animal,” Banarasi Lal, now in his late 70s, said.

Her father lives in a single room in a charitable institute in Karnal run by his eldest brother that includes an old age home, a vocational institute and three schools, all of them free of cost. — IANS

Chandigarh, February 1
The Haryana Janhit Congress (HJC), floated by disgruntled Congress leader Bhajan Lal and his MP son Kuldeep Bishnoi, continued to play hide and seek with the Congress establishment with none of the elected Congress legislators finding any mention in the list of its state office-bearers and district presidents released by general secretary of HJC Mangat Ram today.

As a matter of fact, the state office-bearers in the list are not the president or vice-president or general secretary of the HJC. It was the chiefs of its frontal organisations whose names were announced today. “The list of state vice-presidents and general secretaries will be out on Monday,” the statement said.

Mangat Ram said nothing of the HJC’s president. It is, however, obvious that Kuldeep Bishnoi is occupying the position. Ram had no hesitation in mentioning in his statement that “Ch Kuldeep Bishnoi ji” selected the office-bearers.

The route of running a party without becoming its office-bearer has been adopted by Bhajan Lal and his associates as a safeguard against the anti-defection law. This is despite the charges of disqualification from the Assembly being faced by Bhajan Lal and his associates, Dharampal Malik and Rakesh Kamboj, for floating a new party.

Notices issued by the Assembly speaker were pasted on the residences of Malik and Kamboj yesterday. Bhajan Lal, too, finally accepted the notice at his Panchkula residence today. The stage is, thus, set for the removal of the three MLAs from the Assembly. It will be up to Bhajan Lal now to devise a stratagem to turn the situation favourable to him politically.

Coming back to the list of office-bearers, it contained the names of a large number of former legislators. Ran Singh Mann, Rao Narinder Singh, K.M. Hooda, Bantaram Balmiki, Giriraj Kishore, Maniram Kehrewala, Ram Rattan, named as office-bearers of the HJC, were all MLAs sometime or other.

While sitting MLA Dharampal Malik was not named as an office bearer, his wife Sudha Malik was the first to be mentioned in the list. She figured as president of HJC’s women wing. Satpal Kaushik, who is a secretary in the HPCC, has been named president of the HJC’s Yamunanagar (rural) district unit.

The list contained the names of office-bearers of seven state-level frontal organisations, chairmen of 23 cells and presidents of 23 district units. It was stated that while the term of the office-bearers would be ordinarily one year, it could be reduced in the interest of the party.

Chandigarh, February 1
Nemesis seems to be catching up with the Chautalas.

While their supporters are still reeling under the burden of the irregularities detected in the HCS examination conducted by the Public Service Commission when the INLD was in power, the CBI’s indictment of the Chautalas and their key men in the JBT scam today will further weaken their position in the state’s politics.

In between came the income tax raids on Gopal Goel, alias Gopal Kanda, chairman of MDLR Airlines, one of the close associates of the Chautalas.

The common factor in these three incidents is the firebrand Congress MLA from Palwal, Karan Dalal, who had been engaged in a constant campaign against the Chautalas since 2000. The HCS irregularities have been detected during the hearing before the Punjab and Haryana High Court on a petition filed by him. The income tax raids on MDLR Airlines are believed to be the result of a letter written by Dalal to Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh.

The CBI was asked to investigate the recruitment of about 3,000 JBT teachers by the Supreme Court on a petition filed by the JBT Youth Federation, an organisation having the support of Dalal. Of course, the matter reached the apex court after an IAS officer, Sanjeev Kumar, approached it in 2003 to save him from harassment by the Chautalas.

The CBI today indicated in the apex court that it had sought sanction from the Speaker to prosecute former Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala, who is a member of the Haryana Assembly.

The agency has also sought sanction from the Haryana government to prosecute two IAS officers, Vidya Dhar, the then officer-on-special duty (OSD) to Chautala, and Sanjeev Kumar, the whistle-blower, who was the director, Primary Education, when the JBT teachers 
were appointed.

Sources said some employees of the education department along with a non-official, who was close to the Chautalas, were also likely to be chargesheeted in the case by the CBI.

The JBT posts were advertised in 1999 when the HVP of Bansi Lal was in power. The candidates were selected by departmental committees, which made the lists in January 2000. By that time, the INLD had come to power.

Kumar alleged that on finding that their men had failed to make to the final selection, the Chautalas wanted the original lists to be destroyed. However, a woman IAS officer, Rajani Sekhri Sibal, who was heading the department at that time, refused to “cooperate”. After Kumar was posted in her place, the substitute list was allegedly made. Kumar claimed that he implemented the original list instead of the substitute list. This annoyed the powers, which started harassing him. He produced the two lists before the court.

Initially, the government denied the existence of two lists. But after a reprimand from the court, it admitted that two lists were prepared. It further claimed that the substitute list was prepared at the instance of Kumar.

The court asked the CBI to investigate. The agency took five years to submit its final report to the court.

Meanwhile, Dalal has demanded that all selections made during the INLD regime should be investigated. Talking to mediapersons here today, he said these incidents were a lesson to the politicians that the jobs should be given on merit. The officers should also learn not to do any wrong at the instance of the politicians.

Kurukshetra, February 1
Activists of the Haryana Janhit Congress (BL) demonstrated in protest against the unscheduled power cuts here yesterday.

The activists carried lighted candles, lanterns and ‘mashaals’ on directions of president of the Janhit Congress and MP Kuldeep Bishnoi. After assembling at Birla Mandir Chowk here, party workers marched towards the old bus stand raising slogans against the present Congress government.

They alleged that the people of Haryana were suffering a lot because of unscheduled power cuts and it all started after Bhupinder Singh Hooda took over as Chief Minister of Haryana.

They said due to shortage of power, water crisis had also risen. Farmers, students and others were facing difficulties because of power cuts. They threatened to launch a vigorous struggle if the power supply was not regulated soon.

REWARI: Activists of the Haryana Janhit Congress took out a protest rally through the main markets of the town on Thursday.

Shouting anti-government slogans, they flayed the Hooda government for the extremely erratic power supply, which had made life miserable for citizens.

Prominent party activists, Rajender Singh Thekedar and Surender Yadav, led the demonstration. Such protest rallies were also held at Bawal and Berli, which were led by former minister Jaswant Singh Bawal and Satish Khol, respectively.

KAITHAL: To protest against the power shortage, activists of the Haryana Janhit Congress held a candle procession here on Thursday. The protesters led by former minister Surinder Madan submitted a memorandum to the deputy commissioner for forwarding it to Haryana Governor for appropriate action.

After assembling at Geeta Bhawan, activists after passing through Committee Chowk reached the office of the deputy commissioner. In the memorandum, the protesters alleged that they had been facing great inconvenience due to long power cuts. The Governor was requested to direct the state government to ensure sufficient power for all categories of consumers.

A similar procession took place in Kalayat town, 25 km from here, and Pundri town, 15 km from here.

The protesters marched on the main roads and shouted slogans against the government for its failure to fulfil its promise to improve power supply.

Fatehabad, February 1
Former Haryana minister Sampat Singh today held the government responsible for the power crisis in the state and said the problem might get worse due to the lackadaisical approach of the government.

Talking to mediapersons after leading a protest of Indian National Lok Dal workers at Baropal in this district, the former minister alleged that not a single unit had been added to the existing power generation of the state by the present government.

Sampat Singh said the then INLD government had entrusted the job of setting up of the Yamunanagar power plant to Reliance on October 14, 2004, and the plant was to be commissioned on March 30, 2007. But the company, he alleged, had been seeking one extension after another and the state government had been obliging it although the INLD government had refused to do so during its tenure.

He said the government had been claiming that it would provide power 24 hours a day within two years while the fact was that the proposed power plants at Jharli and Khedar could not begin generation before the end of 2010.

Meanwhile, the women wing of the INLD held a demonstration against the scarcity of power and LPG.

The INLD women workers led by district president Krishna Poonia gave a memorandum addressed to the Governor to deputy commissioner O. P. Sheoran. 

Hisar, February 1
Hundreds of women supporters of the Indian National Lok Dal staged a demonstration in front of the office of the deputy commissioner in the mini secretariat here today in protest against the shortage of cooking gas and power.

They were carrying empty LPG cylinders. At the mini secretariat they put up a stall and displayed empty cylinders. They alleged that the Congress was behind blackmarketing in cooking gas throughout the country.

They presented a memorandum to the authorities which was addressed to the Governor.

It demanded stern instructions to the government to streamline the supply of gas and electricity in the state.

JIND: Members of the women cell of the INLD took out a procession and held a demonstration on issues connected with the common man.

They submitted a memorandum addressed to the Governor after their march in the city which started from the old bus stand and culminated at Rani Talaab here. It was led by secretary of the state unit of the cell Sumitra Devi.

The women activists claimed that nearly every section of society was a victim of poor governance and the government had no moral right to rule in view of the issues left unaddressed. Claiming that while the rising prices of essential commodities had made the common man a hapless victim, the authorities were not able to provide the basic minimum necessities like water and power on a daily basis. It said alleged blackmarketing had resulted in an acute shortage of cooking gas in every part of the state. The power crisis had been taking a toll on every citizen, especially students who were to appear in examinations soon. The cell also criticised the law and order situation in the state.

Rohtak, February 1
Cultivating faith, inculcating compassionate values and humanism, abdicating unwanted desires and developing a positive attitude in life are necessary for happiness and good health.

This was stated by an eminent psychologist, Prof Vidhu Mohan, at the inaugural session of a two-day national seminar on “Positive perspectives of health and behaviour” at Maharshi Dayanand University (MDU) here today.

The national seminar is being organised under the aegis of the Department of Psychology of the university. Nearly 200 delegates from all over the country are participating in the seminar..

In her keynote address, Prof Vidhu Mohan observed that the idea of positivity was universal. She said psychology must be utilised for an individual’s self-growth, self-actualisation, pursuit of happiness, developing quality life and for the welfare of society.

She threw light on various types of stress prevalent today, its cause, consequent burn-out syndrome and various ways of coping with it. She emphasised the need for spiritual intervention for positive health.

In his presidential address, Prof Manas Kumar Mandal, noted psychologist and director, Defence Institute of Psychological Research, New Delhi, asserted that mental health stemmed from the ability to love and create.

“Psychologists must work towards making the lives of people better and nurturing their creative potential,” he said, adding that psychologists could play an effective role in developing positive human capital. He quipped that the world would be a better place with more smiles.

Earlier, the head, Department of Psychology, and director of the seminar, Prof Sunita Malhotra, delivered the welcome address. She maintained that psychology must focus on the pursuit of happiness.

The convener of the seminar, Prof Rajbir Singh, threw light on its background. The organising secretary, Prof Promila Batra, conducted the inaugural session.

The vote of thanks was proposed by Prof Nav Rattan Sharma.

A seminar souvenir was released on the occasion by Professor Mandal. A book,“Psycho Neuro Immunology --- A Behavioural Approach” (edited by Dr Rajbir Singh, Dr Radhey Shyam and Dr Sheodan Singh), was also released by Prof Vidhu Mohan.

Ambala, February 1
Irked over erratic power supply, residents of over dozen villages today seized the Saha powerhouse and locked its premises to register their protest.

A large number of villagers gathered outside the powerhouse and started raising slogans against authorities and the state government. Leaders of the BJP and the INLD and their supporters also joined them following which they seized the powerhouse.

One of the sub-divisional officers of the Haryana Power Generation Corporation tried to control the situation but failed to pacify the agitators.

The villagers alleged that for the past three days they had been living without power.

Local leader of the INLD Avtar Singh Gill said residents had been receiving power supply for merely one hour a day with interruptions. The state government had failed to provide power to the residents.

General secretary of the district unit of the BJP Satish Mehra said the Congress government had proved to be a complete failure as far as power supply was concerned. The party would raise the issue at the highest level to ensure that the residents were provided with uninterrupted power supply throughout the day.

Meanwhile, the villagers said they would continue the agitation till power authorities initiated some concrete measures. Harnek Singh, one of the villagers, said it had become very difficult to carry out their day-to-day routine without power. The government should now provide the much-needed relief to the residents.

Jind, February 1
Family members and kin of a 28-year-old married woman of Daeola village in the district staged a demonstration on the main road connecting Jind and Kaithal this morning.

They were protesting against the alleged failure of the police in tracing the woman, identified as Guddi Devi, who had gone missing while travelling to her in-laws’ house on December 8 last.

Her six-year-old son, who was accompanying her, was found at the Hansi bus stand about 25 days later.

The family members suspect that the victim has been kidnapped and kept at an unknown place by unidentified persons for “sexual exploitation”.

The protesters allowed traffic on the road only after the DSP (HQ) assured them of suitable action in this regard.

Guddi, wife of Ajit Singh, a farmer, had gone to her parents’ house in Masoodpur village in Hisar district on December 3 last. Accompanied by her minor son Gurmeet, the woman started back for her in-laws’ house on December 8, but did not reach her destination. Her son was found abandoned at the bus stand in Hansi town on January 5. The boy told his father that two women had left him there and he did not know the whereabouts of his mother.

The police, which had registered a case on January 19 against four persons, including a woman identified as Sunita of Joginder Nagar Colony, had rounded up at least six persons in this connection, but could not trace the victim. The family members of the victim alleged that the police had not taken up the case in a serious manner.