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Law student kills brother-in-law, himself
Woman kills mother-in-law, sets body on fire
A Tribune investigation
Contractors’ apathy leaves mandis choked
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91-yr-old freedom fighter seeks court’s help for pension
Mistaken identity proved costly for slain head constable
Act against hoarders: CPM
Appointment of VC stalled
Yamuna Accord
INLD to move EC against govt
Bypoll
3 held for dowry death
HJC Leader’s Murder
2 students die in mishaps; kin block NH
2 killed in accident
Newly-wed couple hurt in accident
Town planning director hurt
in accident
Punjab cops grill dera chief
Govt to hold talks with CITU to end standoff
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Law student kills brother-in-law, himself
Karnal, April 23 According to an FIR, Saranbeer shot dead his brother-in-law Namit Kalyan (30) and injured his elder sister Renuka. Later, he allegedly committed suicide by shooting himself, said Ram Kumar Kalyan, father of Namit, in his complaint to the police. The couple reportedly had strained relations and Saranbeer was apparently fed up with this. Renuka has been admitted to Apollo Hospital, New Delhi, where her condition is stated to be critical. Kalyan said Saranbeer had dropped his sister at about 11 pm and revisited the house after half an hour and opened fired at the family members. The police said Saranbeer, a final-year law student at Kurukshetra University, fired from a licensed pistol. Police officials were, however, reluctant to reveal the details of the post-mortem report conducted at the civil hospital here. It was not clear as to how many bullets were shot from the pistol. Also, the police was mum on whether all shot(s) were fired from from the same weapon. Interestingly, the case was registered against “Saranbeer and others” whereas the role of the “others” was not deatailed in the complaint. SSP A.S. Chawla and DSP S.S. Bhoria refused to take repeated phone calls on their mobile phones. Meanwhile, the family of Saranbeer has dismissed the theory put forward by the Kalyan family and has alleged a foul play in the entire incident. Dismissing the suicide theory, the family claimed that there were two bullet injury marks on the body of Saranbeer and the police was trying to the hush up the matter to protect the “politically well-connected family”. |
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Woman kills mother-in-law, sets body on fire
Kaithal, April 23 Ved Prakash, the woman’s son, in a complaint lodged with the police alleged that his wife, Babita, mercilessly butchered his mother Savitri Devi with a sharp-edged weapon and then set her body on fire to eliminate the evidences last night. His two daughters, Pooja (9) and Muskan (6), who were sleeping with her on the ground floor, were also killed as the fire engulfed the entire house. His little son, who was sleeping with his mother on the upper storey, however, escaped unhurt. Several household articles were destroyed in the fire. Prakash said he had gone to meet his sister when the incident occurred. He alleged that he suspected his wife of having an extramarital affair, which often caused tension in the family. Last night too, Babita had a heated argument with his mother, he added. Some villagers on seeing the house on fire informed the police which rushed to the spot along with an ambulance. A fire brigade was also summoned which extinguished the fire. Babita was rushed to the General Hospital here in an unconscious state. Babita, however, denied having committed the murder. She said she got up as she suddenly felt the heat of fire and felt suffocated by smoke. She picked up her son and rushed downstairs, she said, adding that she fell unconscious and when she regained consciousness, she found herself in the hospital. Kaithal SP Anil Kumar Rao said the police suspected it to be a case of murder as bloodstains had been found in the house. He said a case under Sections 302 and 201 had been registered. |
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A Tribune investigation
Rohtak, April 23 In fact, the MDU authorities seem to have devised a rather “foolproof” mechanism of giving the rules and norms the go-by by citing court orders according to their convenience. The university counsel plays a key role in the game. If you still find it too improbable to believe, sample this: The MDU executive council (EC) at its meeting(s) held on March 21/May 8, 2000, refused to consider certain faculty selections made in 1998 on the grounds that the recommendations of the selection committee had become quite old. It observed that need-based recruitment be carried out as per the revised workload in teaching departments. However, nearly eight years after the EC decision, the MDU counsel stated before the Punjab and Haryana High Court (CM No. 3511 of 2008 and CWP No.900 of 1999) that the university would have no objection in considering the case of one of the candidates. Here, the question is, when the MDU executive council - which is considered the supreme decision-making body of the university - had said in 2000 that the selections could not be considered, then how can a university lawyer give a contradictory statement regarding the matter on behalf of the university authorities in a court of law? On top of it, MDU registrar S.P. Vats, who was a petitioner in the said case, officially told the court that he had been selected (as reader), but not appointed. This, despite the fact that the sealed covers bearing the selection results had not been opened by then. Eventually, the registrar emerged successful in getting his selection as reader approved on the basis of court’s orders obtained after misinforming the court regarding the matter. This is not an isolated instance. In a bid to authenticate their decision of starting a special MEd session, the MDU authorities had officially maintained that they had been directed to do so by the Punjab and Haryana High Court. Contrary to their claim, the High Court has never directed the university administration to start a special academic session. The university had conducted an entrance test for admission to the MEd (regular) programme in the MDU department of education and other colleges of education affiliated to the university for the academic session 2007-08. The university also organised central counselling for MEd from November 19 to 22 for the colleges which had given their consent. However, some affiliated colleges of education of the university did not give their consent for centralised admissions. Two such colleges — the Dayawanti Memorial College of Education, Pada, Gurgaon; and the Deen Dayal College of Education, Khandewala, Gurgaon - approached the Punjab and Haryana High Court. During arguments, the counsel for the university stated that the petitioners could be included in counselling if they gave in writing their willingness to do so. The petitioners agreed to do so and the case was disposed of. The case was disposed of on November 17, 2007, while the counselling was scheduled from November 19 to 22. However, despite having stated in the court that they would give their willingness in writing to the university, the petitioners failed to do so till the last date of the counselling. Though the claim of the said colleges had ended there, the MDU authorities proposed to hold a second counselling for these two colleges as late as on January 17 and 18. In this case as well, the MDU authorities tried to justify their decision - taken against the norms - by quoting High Court orders. A novel way of bypassing the law, isn’t it? |
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Contractors’ apathy leaves mandis choked
Chandigarh, April 23 Last year, the private parties made their own arrangements for lifting the wheat stocks purchased by them. Since this year almost the entire wheat coming to the mandis is being purchased by the government agencies, the contractors appointed by them to sew the bags and transport these to the warehouses of the agencies, are supposed to do so. However, no contractor does his job. It is not that the genesis of the problem is not known to those who matter. But thanks to vested interests, the authorities come out with excuses like shortage of labourers. When a contractor takes up the job, ostensibly through tenders, he has to make arrangements to fulfil his part of the contract or to face action. However, it is the commission agents who have to pay for the contractors’ apathy. According to reports received here, in many mandis along the GT Road, the commission agents are paying Rs 300 per tractor-trailer of wheat lifted by the contractors. The arhtiyas have to even pay for the sewing of bags. But the contractors collect their payments from the agencies for the work which they never do. The arhtiyas take this trouble because unless the plinth in front of their shops is empty, no new stocks can be brought there. Since most of the contractors enjoy political patronage or are the front men of some influential politician, officers do not take action against them. Sources say the officers have another reason also for not taking action against the contractors or for not suggesting improvements in the system. They get their cut from the contractors. An old-timer arhtiya suggested that the law should be amended to give the responsibility of lifting the agriculture produce from the mandis to the arhtiyas, who should be reimbursed by the Marketing Board. At present since the law has no provision to reimburse expenses on the lifting of stocks to the arhtiyas, the board officials express their helplessness. The system of political appointments of the contractors started during the INLD regime and still continues. During the paddy season, since a large quantity of the crop is purchased by the private millers or they lift it on behalf of a government agency for custom milling, the mandis are comparatively less choked as compared to the current wheat season. For lifting the paddy from the mandis, the millers pay, while the contractors collect payment from the agencies. In the coming paddy season, the millers would be reluctant to spend on the lifting of stocks because the government has recovered transportation cost from them for the last five years on the plea that this amount was paid to the contractors. Senior Haryana Janhit Congress leader Satpal Kaushik has criticised the Hooda government for “continuing” with the wrong practice of giving transportation contractors to its favourites on the pattern of the Chautala government. He said despite agitations by the farmers in various parts of the state, the government had failed in disciplining the contractors. |
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91-yr-old freedom fighter seeks court’s help for pension Chandigarh, April 23 In his petition against the state of Haryana and Sirsa’s district collector, Ravel Singh said directions should be issued to the respondents for the grant of freedom fighters honour’s pension. Hailing from Multan, now in Pakistan, Ravel Singh said as a part of his struggle for the country’s freedom, he was sent to the prison several times. In an attempt to substantiate his contentions, he also placed on record the copy of jail warrants issued in Pakistan against him way back in 1943. The translated versions of several others documents were also annexed with the petition placed before a High Court Division Bench, comprising Justice M.M. Kumar and Justice Sabina. Appearing before the Bench, Ravel Singh’s counsel Sanjiv Gupta claimed the petitioner had participated in several other agitations also, including the one with Mahatma Gandhi. The counsel added the petitioner had even joined the Congress. The counsel said the petitioner was initially unaware about the grant of freedom fighters’ pension. After he came to know of it, Ravel Singh represented to the Deputy Commissioner concerned in 2007. He added, all attempts for the release of pension were made, but there was little response from the authorities concerned since then, compelling him to move the high court by way of filing the writ petition. As the matter came up for hearing before the Bench this morning, the Judges listened to the counsel at length before directing the issuance of notice of motion to the respondents. The Judges also fixed May 26 as the next date of hearing in the matter. Taking up a similar petition, another Bench, comprising Justice M.M. Kumar and Justice T.P.S. Mann, had earlier ordered the restoration of pension to Gurcharan Kaur, the widow of Bose’s bodyguard-cum-soldier in the Indian National Army Surjan Singh. The Bench had also directed the payment of Rs 1 lakh as special costs to her.
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Mistaken identity proved costly for slain head constable
Fatehabad, April 23 The assailants, according to the latest version put forth by the police, took the cop for some adversaries, whom they were looking for in the town. Sarjant Singh lost his life when some armed miscreants, whom he was chasing, opened fire on him from a point-blank range. DSP (city) Naripjit Singh today said the accused had revealed in their interrogation that they were 11 persons in the Mahindra Max vehicle and not seven as reported earlier. All accused were from Karsola village of Jind district. The accused revealed that their gang leader Ravinder Fauji had received a call from Anil Fauji of the same village that Ravinder’s associate Anil, a car dealer, was in his custody as he owed him Rs 50,000. He allegedly asked Ravinder to come to Fatehabad with the money in case he wanted to see his friend alive. Ravinder Fauji came to Fatehabad with his accomplices, Ajmer Singh, Pawan Kumar, Ashok Kumar, Sandeep, Jatinder, alias Nanta, Sonu, Jeetinder and Shoki, along with the driver of the vehicle, Jaidev, and conductor Monu. Meanwhile, someone informed the police about their suspicious looking activities and the police reached there to round them up. While five of the accused were arrested by the police others managed to escape. It was when the runaway miscreants called their accomplices in police custody on their mobiles that it was known to the police that they were somewhere around the bus stand. Head constable Sarjant Singh wore civil clothes to avoid being identified and went towards the petrol pump with one of the accused, where they were accosted by Sandeep Singh and Jeetender. The DSP said on seeing Sarjant Singh in civil clothes, the miscreants took him for Anil Fauji’s man and fired a shot at him aiming at his neck. The police had arrested Ravinder Fauji, Ajmer Singh, Pawan Kumar, Monu and Jaidev on the night of the crime itself while two others Ashok Kumar and Sandeep were nabbed today. |
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Act against hoarders: CPM
Sonepat, April 23 The demands include streamlining the public distribution system, action against hoarders, making 15 essential commodities available through the PDS and a reduction in the excise duty on diesel and petrol. Addressing the protesters, Solanki said the spiralling prices of essential commodities had made life difficult for the poor. FATEHABAD: “The UPA government at the centre has failed to check the spiralling prices of essential commodities and has been taking piecemeal measures only without working on a comprehensive package to deal with the situation.” This was stated by Inderjit Singh, state secretary of the CPM, while addressing party activists during a dharna organised by the party against the rising prices of essential commodities at the local Ambedkar Park on Wednesday. The CPM leader added the steps must include controlling the agriculture crisis by providing remunerative prices for the agriculture produce. Inderjit Singh said the hike in oil prices had a cascading effect of the prices of other commodities. He said his party would field its own candidate for the Adampur assembly bypoll while the CPI would contest the Indri seat. The decision regarding contesting the Gohana assembly byelection was yet to be taken, he added. Former CPM MLA Harpal Singh and district secretary of the party Ram Kumar also addressed the agitating party workers. The CPM activists later held a demonstration in
the town. |
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Appointment of VC stalled
Chandigarh, April 23 With the date for the byelections in Haryana announced and the model code of conduct coming into force, the state government will have to sit over the recommendations of the screening committee, which has shortlisted three names. According to sources, the screening committee, at a meeting held on March 14, had finalised the names of Dr Pankaj Mittal, joint secretary, University Grants Commission, Dr Sunita Pathania, professor and former head of the department of history, Kurukshetra University, and Dr H.K. Chauhan, joint director, UGC. Sources said Mittal had emerged as the front-runner for the post, which was reserved for a woman vice-chancellor only, a condition laid down by the government at the time of commissioning the university. The screening committee, which made the recommendations, comprised two members nominated by the university’s executive council, Prof R.P. Hooda and Prof R.P. Bajpai, and the Haryana Governor’s nominee, Alok Nigam. This panel sent its recommendations to the Chief Minister for selection. The file is presently pending with the government and will be forwarded to the Haryana Governor, Dr A.R. Kidwai, who is also the chancellor of the university, for his stamp on the appointment. However, the Election Commission had set the poll process rolling on March 16 by announcing the date for bypoll in the three constituencies of Indri, Gohana and Adampur in Haryana. In view of this development and since the university is in Gohana, which is also witnessing a byelection, it is learnt that the government has stalled the process for the time being and the appointment will be made only after May 25, once the results for the three assembly constituencies are declared and the model code is lifted. With the appointment being kept in abeyance and news of the panel doing the rounds in the state’s universities, academicians in Haryana are critical of the inclusion of two members from the UGC. Maintaining that the Congress government has been professing appointment of academicians to such posts, they said non-academicians should not be taken at their cost to run the show in a university. It maybe recalled that BPS University was made into an institute of higher learning in November 2006 after the very mahasabha of the Gurukul urged the Haryana government to take over its reigns and upgrade it to a university. The first academic session of the university began in July 2007 and Promilla Issar, a senior bureaucrat, was made the first officiating vice-chancellor. Subsequently, the charge was handed over to secretary, women and child welfare, Anuradha Gupta, who is still holding the post. Health secretary Navraj sandhu, too, held the charge during the leave period of Gupta. |
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Yamuna Accord
Chandigarh, April 23 Majra had described the committee as “an inquiry committee” constituted by the state government. Expressing surprise at the “ignorance” of the INLD leader, Yadav said the committee was constituted by the Vidhan Sabha when its Speaker Raghubir Singh Kadian had made the suggestion keeping in view the sentiments of the house after a prolonged discussion on the issue of the Yamuna accord, which was signed by the then Chief Minister Bhajan Lal for the sharing of the Yamuna waters and construction of the Renuka and Kisau dams. Haryana Congress president Phool Chand Mullana said Majra, who was the chief parliamentary secretary during the INLD regime, was expected to know the difference between a committee of the Vidhan Sabha and an inquiry committee of the government. He said Majra had in fact committed a breach of privilege of the Vidhan Sabha by calling a committee of it an inquiry committee of the government. Independent MLA Radhe Shyam Sharma, who is also a member of the committee and supports the Hooda government, said five meetings of the committee had been held so far but no member of the INLD had attended any meeting nor had the party conveyed its desire for a change of its representative. It showed utter indifference to this vital issue involving the interests of the state. He said the INLD leaders were issuing irrelevant statements at a time when the Hooda government had raised the issue. He said during the Chautala regime, this issue was neither raised in the Vidhan Sabha nor taken up with the union government. He said 20 per cent water of the state had been reduced under the accord, jeopardising the interests of southern Haryana with which Chautala had no sympathy. |
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INLD to move EC against govt
Chandigarh, April 23 Addressing a press conference here today, INLD secretary-general Ajay Chautala said the party would seek action on the announcements by the Bhupinder Singh Hooda-led government, made after the Cabinet meeting on April 21 despite the code of conduct being in force for the byelections to three assembly constituencies of Adampur, Gohana and Indri on May 22. Terming the sops as “luring tactics”, he said the government had announced its decision to revise the terms and conditions for the allotment of 100 sq yard plots free of cost to BPL families. He added that the setting up of an engineering college in Khanpur Kalan village in the Gohana assembly constituency and the laying of foundation stones for power stations in Sirsa district also amounted to a violation. “We will take press clippings with our complaint to the Election Commission against the Congress government, which is resorting to unfair means ahead of the assembly byelections. These violations have been committed by not only the Chief Minister, but power minister Randeep Singh Surjewala who made some promises in Sirsa,” he added. |
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Bypoll
Chandigarh, April 23 The Congress has also finalised its candidates for the Gohana and Indri assembly byelections. The party has nominated former minister Jangbir Singh Malik from Gohana and former minister Bhim Sen Mehta from Indri. Ranjit Singh, who is the younger brother of INLD supremo Om Prakash Chautala, will face, besides Bhajan Lal, a veteran INLD leader Sampat Singh, who has been nominated by Chautala as his candidate. |
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3 held for dowry death
Jhajjar, April 23 Anita (19), daughter of Ramkumar, a resident of Matanhail village, got
married to Vikas, son of Ramniwan in Luharheri village, in February. The
father of the victim said after marriage, the husband and other family members raised demand for more dowry, even as he had given enough dowry at the time of marriage. He alleged that they strangulated his daughter yesterday night and then set her ablaze to give a suicide colour to the murder. The police has registered a case against four persons, including husband and three other family members, of which three had been arrested. GURGAON: In the dowry death case, in which a newlywed woman hailing from Sirhind, Punjab, had been found hanging in her rented house here, the police has booked her husband and in-laws on her father’s complaint. The body of the deceased on Wednesday was handed over to her family after the postmortem examination. Pawan Kumar said his daughter, Ranju (27), who worked as an assistant manager in HDFC bank here, got married to Parvir Singh of Panipat about two and a half months back. The marriage was solemnised in Sirhind. The accused works as a software engineer with HCL in Gurgaon. The family of the deceased had given sufficient dowry as per their financial capacity. The deceased’s father said
yesterday he got information that his daughter allegedly committed suicide by hanging herself from the ceiling fan
in her rented house in Sector 7 extension here. He alleged that his daughter was killed by her husband. The complainant said
he was informed that his son-in-law was away to his office when the incident took place. But he got suspicious when he found that the body of his daughter was lying on the floor of her house when he reached there. The police has started
investigations but no arrest has been made so far. |
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HJC Leader’s Murder
Gurgaon, April 23 “We have identified both killers and hope to arrest them soon,” said joint commissioner of police Manjit Singh Ahlawat who declined to reveal their identity at this stage. It is yet to be confirmed whether both were hired killers or not. However, sources said both were henchmen of a gangster who was at present in jail. He is believed to be behind the murder that took place over a disputed property worth crores. The police today questioned a rich builder-cum-real estate dealer of Gurgaon in connection with the case. During the investigation so far, the police has recovered a Maruti Zen bearing registration number DL 4 CH 4488 as well as six cartridges. Their examination revealed that these were fired from two different weapons. The car used in the murder had a broken registration number plate. The number was inscribed on the glass of one of its windows. It belonged to Daya Ram Sharma, a resident of Upkar Nagar, Delhi. The investigation showed that he had been missing from the house for past one and half years as he owed money to several people but did not seem to have any involvement in the crime, added Ahlawat. The car seemed to have been sold out by him. It was recovered from village Bandwari, about 10 km from here. The deceased was a police constable and had started property business about six years ago after resigning from the police service. He had become financially strong and started taking part in active politics. He was in the Congress but later joined the HJC floated by former Chief Minister Bhajan Lal and his son Kuldeep
Bishnoi. |
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2 students die in mishaps; kin block NH
Jind, April 23 The girl, who had been identified as Samita (11), daughter of Sardari Lal of Bishanpura village, was on her way to school when the accident took place. Sources said the girl, a class VI student, was trying to cross the highway when a car hit her at 7.45 am. The girl died on the spot. Kin and residents of the village blocked traffic on the NH-71, which connects Jind with
Rohtak, for about an hour in protest against the death of the girl. The villagers sought arrest of the accused driver, who was later nabbed by the police near Uchana village. The traffic was restored at 10 am when senior district and police officials reached the spot and pacified the agitators. The residents asked the authorities concerned to either provide the facility of an underpass near the village or construction of speed breakers to keep a check on occurrence of such incidents. In another accident, an 18-year-old student,
Anuj, was killed after he was hit by a tractor-trolley near the grain market in Safidon town this morning. |
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2 killed in accident
Rewari, April 23 The deceased have been identified as Umed Singh Yadav (30) of Pali village and Ajay Kumar Sharma (40) of Dahina village. The seriously injured person identified as Sunil Kumar Verma, a resident of Mohalla Balluwara here, was admitted to the local Civil Hospital, from where doctors referred him to Safdarjung Hospital, Delhi. The deceased were on different motorcycles while Sunil Kumar was sitting behind Ajay Sharma. The accident was so severe that both the motorcycles got damaged. The mishap occurred when Umed Singh was returning from Rewari to Pali while Ajay and Sunil were reportedly going from Rewari to Kund, whereas the truck was on its way from Narnaul to Rewari. |
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Newly-wed couple hurt in accident
Faridabad, April 23 Rahul, a resident of Sangam Vihar in Delhi, and Pooja, had got married at a ceremony in Aligarh yesterday. Tragedy struck them when the car they were travelling in rammed into a dumper on the Agra-Mathura national highway near Jharsethli in Ballabgarh area near here. Rahul, Pooja and Rahul’s brother, Sanjay, who were injured, have been referred to AIIMS in Delhi. |
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Town planning director hurt
in accident
Sonepat, April 23 After giving preliminary treatment at a private nursing home near Murthal, he was sent to the PGIMS, Chandigarh, for further medical check-up in a special vehicle arranged by the district administration. The accident took place when Dhillon was going to Faridabad from Chandigarh for an official assignment. In another incident, the district vice-president of the Scheduled Caste Cell of the INLD, Vijay Singh, died on the spot when he was allegedly run over by a tractor-trolley in front of the gate of Gohana anaj mandi here today. |
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Punjab cops grill dera chief
Sirsa, April 23 |
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Govt to hold talks with CITU to end standoff
Gurgaon, April 23 Satvir Singh said the meeting would touch issues like the police lathicharge on protesting workers on April 15 and the alleged anti-worker policies of the firm. |
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