Meanwhile, a large number of Sikhs started assembling in the gurdwara at Odhan under Sukhwinder Singh Khalsa of the Shri Guru Granth Sahib Satkaar Sabha, at Dadu Sahib Gurdwara under Sant Baljit Singh Khalsa and at Desu Malkana under Daljit Singh Bittu of the Ek Noor Khalsa Force.

All these places are situated at a distance of 10 to 15 km from Jalalana village. Heavy police force has been deployed around these gurdwaras by the district authorities.

Sukhwinder Singh Khalsa alleged that Giani Balwant Singh Nandgarh, Jathedar of Takht Damdama Sahib, who was coming towards Odhan with his followers, was stopped by the police at Desu Malkana. The police virtually detained the Sikhs, he alleged.

“The district authorities have decided to decline permission for holding the congregation in view of the developing tension and have informed the dera management of the decision,” Deputy Commissioner SK Goyal said here today.

The decision had been taken following a report submitted by the district police, the Crime Information Department (CID) and the Information Bureau (IB), Goyal added.

He said a number of Sikh organisations had met the district authorities during the past few days and demanded denial of permission in view of the looming tension.

The panchayat of Jalalana and kin of Shah Satnam Singh were also against the holding of the congregation, he added.

However, some village panchayats had demanded grant of permission to the dera and had said that those opposing the congregation were mischievous elements and had nothing to do with the religion.

The authorities had taken the decision after weighing all pros and cons. However, the police has made all arrangements to maintain peace and tranquility in the area, Goyal added.

“Prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the CrPC have been promulgated throughout the district, which will remain in force till January 13. Seven companies of the police have been deployed and 14 Duty Magistrates have been assigned duties to meet any eventuality,” he added.

Reacting to the orders of the district administration, Pawan Insan, a spokesperson for the Dera Sacha Sauda, said it was unfortunate that the authorities had chosen to ban the congregation under pressure.

The naam charcha organised by the dera was meant to reform people and guide them to shun addictions and social evils, Insan claimed.

“The Dera Sacha Sauda is now concentrating on its congregation at Kolayat (Bikaner) on January 14 and Gurusar Modia (Sri Ganganagar) on January 18,” he added.

Nuh, January 11
A panchayat was organised at Yasin Meo Degree College here today in protest against two incidents of police atrocities on poor labourers, rickshaw-pullers and workers to plan the future course of action.

The panchayat was held under the leadership of Sapat Khan and was presided over by Zakir Hussain.

It is to be mentioned that a police team of 40-50 members led by ACP Krishan Murari had entered Jama Masjid in Gurgaon on December 23, 2008, and had beaten up and detained 150-odd persons.

Another police team of 200 members led by CIA Inspector Sunil Kadiyan had entered Alawalpur village last week claiming that they were searching for a stolen truck. Villagers alleged that the police beat up innocent elderly women and children too.

It was unanimously decided that a mahapanchayat would be organised on January 21. They also gave an ultimatum to the Congress government demanding suspension of ACP Krishan Murari and CIA inspector Sunil Kadian and registration of criminal case against guilty police officials.

They also demanded transfer of the Mewat SSP and compensation for victims.

“In case the government did not meet our demands by January 20, a mahapanchayat will be organised and it will include people of all communities from Gurgaon and Mewat. Invitations would be exclusively send to all communities of Mewat spreading in Rajasthan, UP, MP and Delhi,” said Hussain.

A Congress leader on the condition of anonymity said top Congress leaders in the Haryana government had asked its leaders to refrain from criticising police action.

INLD MP Ajay Chautala has also criticised the Haryana police for Alawalpur brutality. The move of political leaders not attending the panchayat was severely criticised in the panchayat.

A police officer said certain police officers helped finance companies’ goons to recover such vehicles. However, such practice had been banned by the court and it had strictly ordered the police to register FIR if any company used muscle power to recover debt.

Gurgaon, January 11
Instead of providing merely lip service on the grave and sensitive issue of terrorism, the country’s rulers should categorically tell the Pakistani regime to dismantle the terrorist-training network on its soil within a stipulated time. And if it fails to do so, India should go in for a military attack on Pakistan after taking the international community into confidence and mounting diplomatic pressure on Islamabad.

This was stated by BJP president and former Union minister Rajnath Singh while addressing a gathering at the NDA’s “vijay sankalp” rally, jointly organised by the BJP and the INLD here today.

In an apparent bid to woo the farming community ahead of the coming Lok Sabha elections, Rajnath Singh promised to provide agricultural loans at an interest rate of 4 per cent. Talking about a magical formula of putting India among the developed nations, the BJP leader said strengthening the rural infrastructure and financial position of the farmers were key to a robust economy of the country.

Former Haryana Chief Minister and INLD commander Om Prakash Chautala appealed to the people to wipe out the “capitalist” Congress regime from power in the state as well as the country. Claiming that all sections of society were fed up with the Congress “misrule”, Chautala asserted that the NDA would form the next government at the Centre. He maintained that the economy of an agriculture-based country like India could not be improved without ensuring the welfare of the farming community.

Senior BJP leader and former Union minister Sushma Swaraj also lambasted the UPA regime at the Centre for not adopting a firm stance on the serious issue of tackling terrorist activities in the country.

“It is shameful that on getting proof about terror network on Pakistani soil, our government rushes a minister to the USA, as if it (the USA) was our headmaster,” she said, adding that the country needed a strong government with “a sense of self-respect”.

Sushma Swaraj blamed the UPA government for the rising prices of essential commodities. Senior BJP and INLD leaders, including Sampat Singh, Vijay Goel, Atam Prakash Manchanda, Ashok Arora, Trilochan Singh and Ram Bilas Sharma also addressed the rally.

Chandigarh, January 11
In this on-going protest season in Haryana over the Sixth Pay Commission, the latest to join the bandwagon are the employees of the Forest Department. To protest against the “discrimination” meted out to them in fixing their pay scales, they have decided not to accept the new pay scales.

At a meeting held last evening, various employees’ unions, which met under the banner of the Van Karamchari Sangh, said they would not accept salaries according to the new scales and would take home the amount being given to them till December.

Sources said some of the employees submitted affidavits to this effect and pledged to intensify their stir in the coming days by holding sit-in protests and proceeding on mass casual leave if the anomalies committee failed to redress their grievances.

The employees maintained that they had parity in pay scales with the police from top to bottom barring the two ranks of Ranger Officer and Assistant Conservator of Forests, which was done away with in the Sixth Pay Commission recommendations by the state government.

While Indian Forest Service officers have been given salaries on a par with the IPS, and the guard (forest), the lowest rank in the Forest Department, has been given a salary corresponding to a constable in the police, the middle order has been left out.

“The three ranks of Deputy Ranger, Ranger and Assistant Conservator of Forests have been ignored completely. Our academic qualifications are more than the cops at a similar level and range officers and ACFs even undergo a two-year training capsule. The ACF has been placed at the level of an inspector and the allowances, too, are uniform down the ranks,” an employee maintained.

The issue of medical reimbursement, too, came up for discussion. The employees expressed their resentment over the fact that the employees at the tail-end of the chain in the hierarchy were not given the full amount they spent on treatment.

The fact that Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda had promised Class II status to range officers and Class I status to ACFs and did not fulfil the same, has not gone down well with the employees.

“Our Minister for Forests Kiran Choudhry pleaded our case and has even sent three letters, but the file continues to be buried in the Chief Minister’s office. Though we do not doubt the intentions of the Chief Minister, the bureaucracy’s role is under a cloud. We will meet our minister again with regard to the anomalies and then decide how we need to proceed,” an official spokesperson for the union stated.

Doctors, nurses, teachers have already expressed their displeasure with the salaries fixed under the Sixth Pay Commission by the Haryana government while the government, on its part, has asked the employees’ unions to given their representations to the anomalies committee constituted to look into their grievances.

Gurgaon, January 11
The district administration has decided to provide certificates to the differently abled on the eve of World Disability Day on January 14. A camp will also be organised for them at the Civil Hospital the same day.

NGOs working in the district had requested the administration to provide certificates to the differently abled.

The movement for the welfare of special children is being spearheaded by the Spastic Society of Gurgaon. Deputy Commissioner Deepti Umashankar has issued orders to the Chief Medical Officer and the District Social Welfare Officer concerned to make arrangements for providing certificates to the differently abled on the same day.

She has asked the CMO to identify a suitable place in the Civil Hospital to establish a waiting hall exclusively for the differently abled, who have to come to the hospital on a regular basis.

Toilets will also be duly modified for their use. Umashankar said, “A nodal officer will be appointed to mitigate the grievances of the differently abled.”

More than 200 special children are expected to benefit from the camp. Transport arrangements will also be made for ferrying the differently abled to the hospital.

The camp will also give an impetus to the NIRAMAYA scheme launched by the National Trust, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India.

Under the scheme, a differently abled person gets a cashless medical insurance cover up to Rs 1 lakh. It will have a single premium across all age bands. Persons having a family income of Rs 15,000 per month are covered free under the scheme. For others, a processing fee of Rs 250 will be charged. The Deputy Commissioner has announced that the amount of Rs 250 will be met by the District Red Cross this time.

The district administration will ensure that the necessary identity cards are also issued to the differently abled to enable them to avail of certain concessions in travel and education.

Jhajjar, January 11
With a view to avoiding any discrepancy during the investigation of dowry death cases and monitoring the functioning of investigative officials, the Rohtak range police administration has made it compulsory for investigative officials to fill a form comprising 58 points at the time of the registration of a case.

A communication in this regard has recently been sent to the SSPs of five districts - Rohtak, Jhajjar, Panipat, Karnal and Sonepat - from the office of the Inspector-General of Police (IGP).

According to sources, the investigative officials have to fill the form according to the findings of the investigation and other vital information regarding the deceased, the accused and the circumstances leading to the incident. The officials are also required to mention the time taken by them for the investigation of the case.

In case any panchayat was held to solve the problem before the death of the victim, the officials are also required to engage those people in the investigation process who were present during the panchayat.

If the death has been caused by drowning, it has to be mentioned whether or not samples of water were taken and the depth of water measured. Likewise, in case of poisoning, the investigative officials are also required to state whether the wrapper of the poisonous medicine or an empty bottle, as the case may be, were taken in possession or not.

Raids would be conducted in all districts at regular intervals to check the working of policemen. If any policeman is found violating the order of filling the form, action would be initiated against him.

“The filling of the form will help improve the system, besides tightening the noose around crime investigative officials who are always on the lookout to get undue benefit from the accused in lieu of not making proper investigations into dowry death cases,” said V Kamaraja, IGP, Rohtak range, adding that the form would also be used in cases of dowry death which were already under investigation.

Ambala, January 11
Members of the Diploma Veterinary Association, Haryana, will bear black badges on January 19 in protest against the alleged ignorant attitude of the state government in implementing the recommendations of the Sixth Pay Commission.

President of the state unit of the association Jai Bhagwan Sharma here today said a convention of employees had been summoned in Rohtak on February 3 to finalise the strategy.

He said the employees would launch a statewide agitation if they were not offered proper pay scale and other allowances recommend by the Sixth Pay Commission.

The Haryana School Education Officers Association also expressed concern over the implementation of the recommendations of the Sixth Pay Commission in which the principals of government senior secondary schools were ignored.

President of the association Sudheer Kalra said the principals of the central government schools were given a pre-revised pay scale of Rs 12,000-16,500 along with grade pay of Rs 7,600, whereas in Haryana the pay revision committee had offered them a pay scale Rs 10,000-13,900 along with grade pay of Rs 6,000.

The Haryana Education Ministerial Staff Association has also demanded the implementation of the recommendations of the Sixth Pay Commission in a proper way.

One of the senior office-bearers of the association Kamaljeet Singh said if they were not offered proper pay scale they would hold a rally in Rohtak on January 31 to press upon their demand.

Gurgaon, January 11
A two-day cataract screening camp has been organised at the ophthalmology department by Columbia Asia Hospital, Palam Vihar, here. As many as 200 patients visited the camp.

The camp focused on diagnoses of cataract, cataract surgeries and in general helping patients overcome the fear of undergoing cataract surgery by educating them about the disease.

A comprehensive computerised eye check-up facility was used at the camp. Eye specialists conducted an interactive session on the disease. They also talked about various other eye problems and eye disorders.

About 75 patients underwent an eye surgery during the camp. A state-of-the-art phaco machine and an operating microscope were used to conduct all anterior and posterior chamber surgeries of the eye.