Yamunanagar, September 24
Even after four days, residents of many villages situated along the Yamuna river and on the other side have not got any help. Houses of many villagers are still filled with water due to the swollen Yamuna since Saturday.

Though the water level of Yamuna has receded significantly, villagers’ condition has worsened in Powari, where none of the administrative officials have so far visited the area.

Powari is situated about 40 km from here and boat is the only way to commute to these villages. Several villagers have taken shelter on rooftops of heir houses. The water level of the Yamuna reduced to 27,000 at 6 pm today.

Villagers have been living in miserable conditions in the absence of food and other basic amenities. Powari village was worst hit as besides agricultural land, at least 50 houses were washed away by the Yamuna. Villagers were also forced to take shelter in 35 “deras” situated on mounds. However, many of these are still inaccessible.

The condition of 76-year-old Shahin has deteriorated in the past three days. She was in dire need of medical aid. “Life has become miserable for us. Much of agricultural land has been washed away due to the rise in the water level. However, no one reached here to provide help us help,” rued Sudhesh Rana.

“Many of us, especially children, are in dire need of food, milk, firewood and kerosene oil. We have lost everything,” said Naushad and Aslam.

“As water-level of the river came down, we made an attempt to check the condition of our relatives. However, many areas are still not accessible,” said Shiv Kumar, a resident of Sanghali.

Meanwhile, 100 houses in Gumthala village are still filled with water.

“We had requested for kerosene oil and firewood, but nothing has happened so far,” complained Rajbir, sarpanch of Gumthala.

“Besides damages to houses and agricultural land in Jatalana, crops spread over 250 acres of residents of villages situated along the other side of Yamuna suffered major damages,” rued sarpanch of Jatlana village.

Additional deputy commissioner Narender Singh said officials would check the villages to find out the damages. Besides, a report had been sought from XENs of the district about the damages suffered or breach surfaced. All possible help would be provided to the villagers, he added.

SDM R.K. Singh claimed that much of area on the other side of the Yamuna river belonged to UP.

Rohtak, September 24
Owing to higher rates of bajra being offered in Haryana as compared to neighbouring states, it is being “smuggled” into the state, especially from Rajasthan.

Traders reportedly purchase bajra in other states and come to sell it in Haryana mandis at higher rates. Some farmers from other states also bring their produce to the local mandis. They dump the bajra brought by them in the local mandis allegedly in connivance with local arhtiyas and market committee officials.

However, in the process, the interests of the local farmers are hit as they do not get a fair chance to sell their produce to the procurement agencies. In view of the situation, the district administration has tightened the noose around persons indulging in the practice.

Talking to The Tribune here today, deputy commissioner R.S.Doon said Section 144 had been imposed to check the unfair practice and safeguard the interests of the local farmers.

He said from now on, the farmers wishing to sell their produce would have to produce a copy of their jamabandi and a verification certificate issued by the patwari concerned. The payment to the farmers would be made through account-payee cheques to avoid bungling, he added.

On being questioned about the harassment caused to the farmers in obtaining the said documents, the deputy commissioner admitted that some inconvenience would be there. He, however, maintained that to solve this problem, a survey of the entire district was being conducted for alternative verification.

Doon asserted that any vehicle found bringing bajra from other states would be impounded and its contents confiscated, adding that the district authorities had launched a drive in this regard.

The deputy commissioner appealed to the local farmers to keep a vigil on the persons coming from other states to sell their produce in the local mandis. He also advised them to bring their produce after properly cleaning and drying it.

Karnal, September 24
Business transactions worth Rs 100 crore were affected and banking services were crippled in the state as public sector bank employees went on a two-day strike here today in response to a nationwide strike call given by the United Forum of Bank Unions, a confederation of employees’ unions of public sector banks.

The strike evoked an overwhelming response and was near total in the state.

Bank employees were protesting against privatisation and merger of banks, unrestricted entry of FDI in the banking sector, deletion of Section 12 (2) of the Banking Regulation Act and implementation of MoU signed with bank employees’ associations on February 25.

They were also demanding rejection of Raghuram Rajan committee recommendations, which they alleged were detrimental to the interests of employees.

The All-India vice-president of PNB, M.L. Bagga, alleged that the government was strangulating public sector banks by not filling up the vacant posts.

He said more than 50 banks were closed in Karnal and over 1 lakh persons were facing hardships. He said the government, which was callous towards the demands of bank employees, was responsible for the problems faced by the people due to the strike.

A local businessman said: “I had to make a payment of Rs 1.5 lakh by this evening but everything has gone haywire.”

When regular bank transactions are obstructed due to strikes by bank employees, ATMs are a big relief for harried customers. While the banks wore a deserted look, long queues of customers were seen outside ATMs for drawing cash. However, the situation may not be rosy tomorrow, as the available cash in ATMs will be exhausted due to customers’ pressure.

Besides, several people in the country, especially rural areas, are not accustomed to e-banking.

KURUKSHETRA: All local public sector bank employees under the banner of the United Form of Bank Unions demonstrated in front of the State Bank of India, Thanesar branch, here on Wednesday. They also raised slogans in support of their demands.

The striking employees announced that they would observe the strike on Thursday also and if their demands were not fulfilled, they would go on an indefinite strike in November.

Rohtak, September 24
The All-India Federation of University and College Teachers Organisations (AIFUCTO) has demanded an impartial probe into the serious accusations of sexual harassment levelled against the president of the local Jat Education Society.

The reaction follows a news report on the issue published in these columns today. In a press statement issued today, Prof Pawan Sharma, zonal secretary of AIFUCTO, also condemned the management of the local Jat College for putting a senior lecturer, C.V.S. Ahlawat, under suspension on the basis of “false and frivolous charges”.

Elaborating on the issue, Professor Sharma said Ahlawat had not violated any service rules or regulations, but was an innocent victim of the “ugly politics of the college management”.

“The whole episode has also exposed the unholy designs of the society president to treat the educational institutions as his fiefdom,” he added. He urged the said government, especially the Chief Minister, to intervene in the matter to put an end to the harassment of college teachers.

Professor Sharma also warned that in case justice was not ensured immediately, teachers' organisations would be forced to adopt an agitational path; and the responsibility of vitiating the academic atmosphere of the institution would entirely be that of the management.

Meanwhile, some lecturers and a head clerk of the local MKJK College have stated that the news report was baseless and there was no substance in allegations levelled against Jat Education Society president Dharamvir Hooda.

Jind, September 24
A 32-year-old labourer died after he was allegedly thrown into a well by two persons after a quarrel over a payment of money in the fields of Alewa village here last night.

The deceased identified as Vibhishan Das of Motihari district of Bihar had been here for the past couple of weeks in connection with paddy harvesting.

The accused reportedly worked with the victim. The police has registered a murder case, but no arrest has been made so far.

According to the police, the incident took place around 11 pm last night when some persons mostly labourers working on the fields of Gulab Singh were having a discussion over the payment of labour.

They had liquor, following which heated exchanges took place between Vibhishan and Baleshwar Das. The victim accused Baleshwar of holding up his payment of Rs 80 for work during the day claiming that he was due to get Rs 150 while he got only Rs 70. The argument turned violent, following which Baleshwar and his friend Bundan Das allegedly assaulted Vibhishan and then allegedly threw him into a well, claimed Ashish Das, father of the deceased. Vibhishan died before he was pulled out from the well.

This is the sixth murder case in the district in the past five weeks. Meanwhile, the police has arrested some persons in connection with thefts, including one at a temple, in the past few weeks.

Bhiwani, September 24
Local members of the Indian Medical Association staged a dharna at Ghantaghar Chowk here today. They said all clinics and private hospitals would remain closed until the killer of Dr D.S. Chaudhary was arrested. The local doctors have not been attending any OPD at their respective clinics or hospitals since yesterday.

Dr Chaudhary was shot dead two days ago by an unidentified assailant, when he was attending patients at his private hospital.

Police teams had been constituted and raids were being conducted to nab the culprit, said a senior police official. The police had released the sketch of the suspected killer and a reward of Rs 50,000 had been announced for giving any information about the killer.

Local IMA president Dr Bhupender Bhardwaj said all members of the state IMA would observe a strike tomorrow. He said the further course of action regarding their agitation would be decided thereafter. All private hospitals run by IMA members would remain closed tomorrow.

Addressing the dharna, Dr Bhardwaj said had the police taken timely action after the murder of Dr Chaudhary, the accused could have been arrested immediately. He said the murder had revealed the deteriorated law and order situation in the city.

Dr Karan Punia said the doctors would not bear more if Dr Chaudhary’s killer was not arrested within the next two days. Besides IMA members, members of the NIMA and nurses’ association, ex-MLA Satpal Sangwan and HJC leader Kamal Singh also joined the dharna.

AMBALA: Condemning the murder of Dr D.S. Chaudhary, members of the National Integrated Medical Association (NIMA), Haryana, have called for a statewide strike on Thursday.

In an emergency meeting of the executive body of the NIMA, Ambala branch, held on Wednesday, Dr R.M. Markandey, president of the NIMA, Haryana, mourned the murder of his colleague.

“All integrated practitioners of Haryana have been asked to close their private practices, clinics and nursing homes on Thursday in protest against the killing,” Markandey added.

Sirsa, September 24
A sex maniac is on the prowl in the local Khairpur locality and surrounding areas for the past four days.

The man, in his early twenties, has visited at least four houses in the area after midnight or in the early hours of the day.

He goes to the bed where some young girl or woman is sleeping and starts cuddling them.

In one case, he stealthily entered a bedroom where a six-year-old girl was sleeping. He runs away once the panic-struck victims raise the alarm.

The police has rounded up one person on suspicion and is verifying his identity from the victims.

The first incident happened on the night intervening September 21 and September 22 when the man entered the house of a local social activist.

The woman was sleeping alone in her house, while her husband was attending to his ailing mother at his parents’ home in the neighbourhood.

While in sleep, she felt someone was trying to touch her. When she woke up and opened her eyes, she found a man, who looked like a labourer, sitting on the bed with a kitchen knife in his hand.

The man, according to the woman, threatened her to keep quite or he would kill her.

The woman showed courage and held the knife from the sharp side and hit the man with the other hand. The man ran away by scaling the wall, when the woman raised the alarm. The time was about 3 am.

The same day, the maniac went to another house belonging to a property dealer and went to the room where his 11-year-old daughter was sleeping. He disappeared when the girl raised the alarm.

Four houses in the area were found burgled on that night and the police registered an FIR of housebreaking as no one complained about the activities of the person for fear of stigma.

The next day the man went to a house in Guru Nanak Nagar situated on the other side of the national highway opposite Khairpur.

He went to the bed where a six-year-old girl was sleeping. Sensing something wrong, the girl

told her mother sleeping near her cot, who immediately switched on the lights.

To her shock, a person in his twenties ran out and hid himself under the stairs outside the room.

By the time the woman woke up her husband, the accused ran away. The man visited another house on the same night.

SP Amitabh Dhillon said the police had rounded up a man from the area. “He seems to be mentally unsound and his identity is yet to be verified from the victims,” he added.

Chandigarh, September 24
The expulsion of three leaders, including a “heavyweight”, from the Haryana BJP has shocked the party rank and file.

Among those who have been expelled from the party for “anti-party activities” are former MLA P.K. Choudhry, who was once very close to Rajmata of Gwalior Vijayaraje Scindia, a former national vice-president of the BJP.

The others who have been expelled are Yogesh Bidhani, media “pramukh” of the Haryana BJP, and Bhushan Chugh, office secretary of the Haryana BJP Yuva Morcha.

According to party sources, Choudhry has been expelled because he had openly opposed the possible alliance of the BJP with the Indian National Lok Dal of Om Prakash Chautala. Interestingly, Choudhry had become MLA from Hansi in 1987 with the support of former Deputy Prime Minister Devi Lal, founder of the Lok Dal.

However, a senior party leader, who did not want to be identified, said Choudhry had been expelled not because he opposed the BJP’s alliance with the INLD, but because he defied a directive from the high command.

When a meeting of the core committee of the Haryana BJP was held in Delhi a few weeks ago, BJP prime minister-designate L.K. Advani had directed that no party leader should publicly criticise any such party with which the BJP could enter into an alliance for the Lok Sabha elections. Choudhry defied that directive and went on to publicly criticise the INLD.

However, the rank and file of the Haryana BJP construes the expulsions as a strong message from the high command that no leader should oppose the party’s possible alliance with the INLD. Still, reports from the state suggest that while senior leaders of the party do not make any comments in public over the issue of alliance, the grassroots workers at many places are not shy of making their opposition to any tie-up with the INLD public.

When BJP president Rajnath Singh had come to the native village of veteran Haryana leader Ram Bilas Sharma to mourn the death of his father early this month, several party workers minced no words in conveying him their strong opposition to the BJP-INLD alliance. The party chief pacified them by promising that their sentiments would be taken into consideration while taking a final decision on the alliance issue.

Kaithal, September 24
Additional deputy commissioner Ramesh Verma was injured after he was allegedly attacked by a person in a mob, which had blocked traffic on the Chandigarh-Hisar National Highway in Kalayat town here late last evening.

Verma sustained fractures in fingers of his hands and head injuries. He is reported to be out of danger and is stable.

The mob had been resorting to a “rasta roko” agitation in protest against the alleged failure of the administration to rush divers to the spot, where a 15-year-old boy had drowned. The boy identified as Ashok was reportedly bathing in flood waters accumulated on the Kalayat-Balu road. He was swept away by strong currents of water.

The mob alleged that the administration had not made any efforts to drain out the accumulated water, which resulted in the tragedy.

The ADC and DSP (headquarters) Ram Rattan along with a police force reached the spot to supervise the rescue operation. Ashok’s body was finally fished out by two residents.

The ADC alleged that the attack on him seemed to be pre-planned. He said a woman came to him and asked him to come to the spot where the mother of the deceased was sitting. When he came near her, a man identified as Pona allegedly attacked him with a metal stick.

Verma said there seemed to be no provocation for the attack as he had already accepted the demands of the agitators. The residents were demanding the repair of the Kharak drain and construction of a nullah for proper drainage of water.

A case has been registered against Pona an unidentified woman. Another case has been registered against the mob. The DC said there was no laxity on part of the administration.

Sonepat, September 24
The All-India Jat Mahasabha yesterday urged Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda to provide 50 per cent concession in fares of Haryana Roadways buses to senior citizens of the state.

In a press note issued here, spokesman for the mahasabha Tara Chand Mor said the Chief Minister had been liberal in granting concessions to freedom fighters, ex-servicemen, war widows and people from the weaker sections of society.

Meanwhile, in support of their demand for reservation for Jats in government jobs, the mahasabha would organise a Jat mahasammelan at Hisar on October 1, he said, adding that Dara Singh, MP and national president of the mahasabha, would preside over it.

Rewari, September 24
A teenaged girl (17) was allegedly abducted by a student of an engineering college of Kurukshetra from a market place here on September 18. The victim is a student of class XII and resident of Mohalla Chhipatwara here.

The alleged abductor hailing from Narnaul was then joined by his friend, following which the girl was kept in confinement in Rewari, Kurukshetra and Narnaul, where she was allegedly raped by the duo for four days.

The duo reportedly took snaps of the girl in compromising positions and threatened her that if she opened her mouth in this regard, her photographs would be made public.

Meanwhile, the girl’s father, Jai Prakash, made inquiries from a female suspect here, at whose residence the girl was allegedly kept for one night and then taken to Kurukshetra after allegedly administering some drug.

Jai Prakash reportedly contacted his daughter’s alleged abductor on his cell phone whose number he had secured from the suspect. However, nothing concrete emerged from his talks with the suspect as well as the alleged abductor.

Meanwhile, the girl somehow escaped from there and reached home on September 22, after which she divulged the matter to her parents.

Consequently, Jai Prakash yesterday filed a complaint, following which the city police registered a case of rape, abduction, seduction, administration of intoxicating drug, wrongful confinement, indulgence in obscenity and criminal intimidation against the accused - Pradeep Saini, Manoj Saini and a teenaged girl Yogesh Saini, at whose house the girl was kept by the duo on September 18. The girl was also medically examined at the Civil Hospital here last night.

Fatehabad, September 24
The CPM will hold demonstrations at the district level in Haryana tomorrow against the “sellout of national interests” by the UPA government by signing the nuclear deal with the US.

Talking to mediapersons here today after a meeting of the district committee of the CPM, Inderjit Singh, state secretary of the party, said the objections of the Left parties regarding the Indo-US nuclear deal had been vindicated by the recent disclosures made by the US administration.

The CPM leader alleged that Parliament and the people of the country had been misled by the Prime Minister on the issue. Indejit Singh condemned the recent terrorist attacks as well as attacks on Christian missionaries.

Chandigarh, September 24
Nearly 13 years after the Dabwali fire tragedy, Justice T.C. Garg Commission today submitted its report on the quantum of compensation to be paid to the dependents of 452 victims who had lost their lives. The report was submitted in a sealed cover to the high court.

The commission will now prepare and finalise the report on compensation to over 200 injured.

Granting further extension till December 31 to the commission, Chief Justice Tirath Singh Thakur and Justice Surya Kant directed it to provide copies of the interim report to all respondents and petitioner - the Dabwali Fire Victims Association.

Kurukshetra, September 24
Deputy Speaker of the Lok Sabha Charanjit Atwal, Haryana Vidhan Sabha Speaker Raghubir Singh Kadiyan along with 400 presiding officers and secretaries of legislative bodies in India visited various religious places, including the Brahamsarovar, here today.

Addressing a gathering in the auditorium of Kurukshetra University, chief secretary of the Vidhan Mandal, Madhya Pradesh, A.K. Paiyasee said they had not visited such a pious place before where they had been welcomed so affectionately.

He said Lord Krishna had delivered the immortal message of Gita on this holy land and whosever would adopt it sincerely, would be benefitted.

The party visited the Brahamsarovar and Purushotampura Bagh. They performed a puja at the Bhadrakalee temple and Sthaneshwar Mahadev Mandir and visited O.P. Jindal Park, where they were welcomed by Kurukshetra MP Naveen Jindal.

KU vice-chancellor R.P. Bajpayee welcomed them on the university campus, where they took a round of “Dhrohar” depicting Haryana culture. They also visited Kalpna Chawla Planetarium, Jyotisar Tirth, where Lord Krishna had delivered the immortal message of Gita, Sri Krishna Museum and Panorama. 

Chandigarh, September 24
A 1983 contempt of court case today culminated with the Punjab and Haryana High Court holding advocate M.L. Sharma guilty before sentencing him to one-month simple imprisonment. Pronouncing the orders in an open court this afternoon, a high court Division Bench of Justice K.S. Garewal and Justice Jitendra Chauhan, however, stayed the sentence for the time being for enabling the advocate to file an appeal in the matter. 

The case pertains alleged tampering of dates in a matter for bringing the appeal within the limitation period. An inquiry into the matter by District Judge (vigilance), Haryana, had been ordered by Justice I.S. Tiwana.

As the matter came up for hearing before the Bench, senior counsel appearing for the advocate drew attention to the provisions of the Contempt of Court Act, 1971, and the contempt of court Punjab and Haryana high court rules.

He contended that after the show-cause notice was issued, the accused appeared before the court in answer to it. He was required to be served with a chargesheet and given an opportunity to answer the charges and lead evidence through affidavit or witnesses, and to cross examine the deponents filing affidavits in support of the charge.

The counsel added that a formal charge had to be drawn up, served upon the advocate and his plea of guilty or non-guilty had to be recorded after hearing the arguments, the Bench observed in the open court that notice issued in March 1983 was served on Sharma in April 1983. 

He received the notice personally. Therefore, the provisions regarding giving an opportunity to answer the charge had been complied with.

The judges added that they were of the view that the interest of the advocate had been adequately safeguarded. He had, in fact, filed affidavits in May 1983 and in July 2008. His defence had already been considered in details.