Samalkha, August 27
A metropolitan magistrate, who was allegedly enjoying the hospitality of a call girl (alleged to be a minor) in a small rented room here last night, was rounded up by the police after neighbours informed it about the suspicious activities going on there.

After receiving a call from residents of the Punjabi Colony, the police raided the room that had been rented by Subhash Duhan and caught three persons and a girl there.

All accused were taken to the local police station. These included the metropolitan magistrate, a resident of Delhi; Subhash Duhan, son of Jeet Ram and resident of Sonepat; and Shamsher Singh, son of Surat Singh and resident of Bhiwani.

The police also rounded up the girl, who was alleged to be a minor and belonged to West Bengal.

It is learnt that the metropolitan magistrate was posted at the Tis Hazari Court complex in Delhi. He had come here in his Santro car that even had a name-plate highlighting his designation.

The Samalkha police registered an FIR against all accused, including the magistrate.

However, keeping in view the privileges enjoyed by a magistrate, he was not placed under arrest by the police. Samalkha DSP Wazir Singh Sheoran said the police had sought permission from the Delhi High Court to proceed against the magistrate.

He, however, refused to reveal whether the magistrate was being kept in police custody or had been let off.

Meanwhile, rumours were doing the rounds that the girl, along with whom the three persons had been rounded up, had been brought here by paying her Rs 20,000 a week and that she was a minor.

The police later took the girl along with the accused for medical examination to the Civil Hospital at the district headquarters to confirm whether she was a minor.

The report is yet to be received. She was at present putting up at Noida.

According to information gathered by The Tribune, the metropolitan magistrate was a friend of Subhash Duhan, who runs an NGO by the name of Lok Kalayan Foundation. Shamsher was said to a distant relative of Subhash. The NGO of Subhash runs computer centres and sewing training centres in the region.

The case against the accused was registered under Sections 3, 4, 5 and 6 of the Immoral Trafficking Act of 1956.

Later, Subhash, Shamsher and the girl were produced before a local court, which sent them to 14-day judicial custody.

Faridabad, August 27
The Haryana unit of the BJP today ended all speculations regarding its possibility of forging any kind of understanding with the HJC-BSP alliance for the Assembly elections.

President of the Haryana unit of the BJP Krishan Pal Gurjar asserted that no talks took place with either the HJC or the BSP for an alliance after his party parted ways with the INLD.

However, sources said the HJC wanted to form an alliance with the BJP to consolidate non-Congress vote bank. However, the HJC’s plans were scuttled by BSP supremo and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati.

It is learnt that the BSP vetoed the move for any kind of alliance with the BJP on grounds that it would have a bearing on its political prospects in the crucial state of Uttar Pradesh, where the two parties are daggers drawn.

Besides, any relationship with the BJP would act as a stumbling block on the Prime Ministerial aspirations of Mayawati as she and her party would lose credibility among the claimed “secular” political groups in the country as well as the non-Congress parties in the future.

Sources said the HJC leadership had offered 15 Assembly seats to the BJP from part of its quota in the HJC-BSP alliance.

Gurjar denied that the Haryana BJP was involved in any such talks with the HJC. He, however, said he was not sure if the HJC had made such proposal to the central leadership of his party.

Gurjar asserted that there was no question of the BJP forging any kind of alliance with any party. The BJP had decided to go to the polls alone.

Chandigarh, August 27
The INLD today made several promises to voters, if they elect the party back to power. The promises were finalised at a meeting of the political affairs committee of the party held here under the chairmanship of former Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala. Briefing mediapersons, Chautala said apart from these promises, the party would release its manifesto on August 30.

Chautala said when his party would come to power, it would waive loans up to Rs 1 lakh of all citizens. The party would provide free-of-cost cooking gas connection along with cylinder and burner to all families. They would also be supplied drinking water free of cost. Women employees would be given 13-month salary.

All unemployed graduates would be given Rs 3,000 per month as unemployment allowance, besides free education up to graduation in all streams. The party’s government would reserve 50 per cent jobs in the private sector.

Each poor family would be provided 25 kg of food grains every month free of cost. Girl students belonging to the poor families would be given two-wheelers free of cost.

Traders would be refunded 5 per cent of the sales tax deposited by them. Other promises included pilgrimage for 1 lakh persons to Nankana Sahib on government cost, additional subsidy to Haj pilgrims, compensation of Rs 1 crore per acre if land is acquired in the national capital region and Rs 50 lakh per acre elsewhere and raising of the maximum recruitment age to 45 years.

Chautala said he would contest the next Assembly elections from Uchana, the traditional seat of Finance Minister and senior Congress leader Birender Singh.

Chandigarh, August 27
The Haryana government today announced that university lecturers; lecturers (senior scale) and lecturers (selection grade), who had not completed three years of service on or before December 31, 2008, would be designated as assistant professors in the pay band of Rs 15,600-39,100 with appropriate academic grade pay (AGP) as per a notification of the Centre.

The lecturers (selection grade), who had completed three years of service on or before January 1, 2006, shall be placed in the pay band-4 with the AGP of Rs 9,000 with effect from January 1, 2006.

The lecturers (selection grade), who had completed three years of service after January 1, 2006, but on or before December 31, 2008, shall be placed in the pay band-4 with the AGP of Rs 9,000 with effect from the date on which he/she had completed three years of service.

These orders are subject to the further guidelines to be received from the UGC and other guidelines applicable in this regard, if any. The government said all other recommendations contained in the letter issued by the Union HRD Ministry on December 31, 2008, would be considered by a committee of officers in the light of the regulations and conditions to be received from the UGC and specific circumstances prevailing in Haryana. Chief Minister Bhupinder Hooda had assured a delegation of the teachers, which met him here last night, that all their demands would be accepted. 

Rohtak, August 27
The Haryana Federation of University and College Teachers Organisations (HFUCTO), spearheading a statewide agitation regarding revision of pay scales of teachers, could not decide the future course of action in view of the final nod from the state government that was awaited regarding their demand.

The federation held a massive demonstration here today in support of their demand of implementation of the Ministry of Human Resources and Development (MHRD) notification in toto and without any changes regarding the revised pay structures of teachers of universities and colleges in the state.

“We have been waiting for the fresh notification from the state government in this regard and the future course of action will depend upon the move of the government which has sent positive signals today and assured to issue a new order by this evening,” claimed a spokesperson of the HFUCTO.

Today was the third day of the statewide strike by the teachers.

According to Dr NS Kaushal, president of the HFUCTO, the federation would take a final decision regarding their agitation only after studying and analysing the fresh notification likely to be issued soon. He said the matter had been discussed with the Chief Minister last night and it was assured that a favourable decision would be taken by the state government.

He alleged that the bureaucracy had played truant in the matter. In the meeting today, members of the federation were unanimous about the decision to extend the strike indefinitely in case the state government did not accept the demand of revising the notification.

He said the federation was informed later in the afternoon that the state government had made a move to accept and implement its demand and was likely to issue a notification by this evening.

“We were awaiting the government decision and the strike will end only if our demands are met,” claimed a spokesperson.

Karnal, August 27
While university and college teachers observed a strike for the third day today in support of their demand for the implementation of UGC scales in toto, engineers from various departments like the PWD (B&R), Irrigation, Public Health and Panchayati Raj proceeded on two days’ mass casual leave to protest against the “injustice” meted out to them by denying them legitimate pay scales.

The call for mass casual leave given by the coordination committee on August 25 evoked an overwhelming response as engineers across the state kept away from their offices and held meetings at the district headquarters. The federation decided to hold a meeting of the coordination committee on August 30 to decide the future course of action.

The federation members were agitated over the “partisan” attitude of the bureaucracy which, they alleged, had modified the pay scales given by the 6th Pay Commission to their own advantage at various levels and disturbed the parity with other categories of officers like engineers.

The pay scales of all categories had been diluted, whereas the bureaucracy not only got higher scales but also better career prospects with time-bound promotions.

The engineers were unhappy over the decision of the government to release revised pay scales to them from September 1, 2009, while the scales of other categories of employees had been revised from January 1, 2006.

While the engineers would not only lose on enhanced increments for the past three years they would also be deprived of the arrears.The engineers who retired between January 2006 and September 2009 would be left in the lurch and not gain from the pay revision.

Hisar, August 27
A monkey deserted by his pack has bitten over 100 residents of Urban Estate II and nearby colonies here in the past two months.

The ageing monkey was alpha male in his pack till sometime ago when he was ousted from the pack by a younger opponent. Since then the monkey has been biting morning walkers in parks in this area.

Interestingly, the monkey has developed a knack for biting his earlier victims again and again. More than 10 residents of these colonies have been bitten twice.

Early this morning, Sanjeev Gupta, a businessman, was bitten by the monkey in the HUDA park in Urban Estate II. He had been bitten by the same monkey less than two months ago necessitating hospitalisation and vaccination. Sanjeev was walking in a group of more than 10 persons.

Chandigarh, August 27
When it comes to investigation of criminal cases, the prosecution in Haryana can show different limbs as amputated in the photographs and medico legal report (MLR) of a murdered man.

Taking on record the snapshots and the report, and satisfied that the murder case of Palwal resident Mohit Manchanda requires probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation, Justice Augustine George Masih of the Punjab and Haryana High Court has transferred the investigations to the premier investigating agency with the state of Haryana’s consent.

Manchanda’s body was found in Faridabad and a first information report was registered in the matter on May 1, 2006, under Section 302, 201 and 34 of the IPC at the GRP police station in Faridabad.

As the matter came up for hearing, petitioner’s counsel contended the bare perusal of the MLR would show how “scantly the case has been dealt with by the prosecution”. He added the “photographs which have been attached with the petition clearly indicate that the amputations as shown in the MLR of the limbs are diametrically different from what is apparent from the photographs that have been taken by the prosecution itself during the investigation”.

Counsel Dr Surya Parkash added the real culprits were not being brought to book, and the investigation in the case had been handled without any care and caution. Elaborating, he said the police had left out the accused named in the FIR during the investigations; and no result was forthcoming.

As the case came up for hearing before Justice Masih, state counsel said Haryana “consents to and does not have any objection, if the matter is referred to the CBI for proper investigation.

“In the light of this, the court is satisfied that the matter requires to be investigated by the CBI, and since the state of Haryana has also consented thereto, a direction is issued to the state of Haryana to take necessary steps in accordance with the law.”

Justice Masih directed an officer not below the rank of a DSP would conduct the investigation. The case will now come up for further hearing on November 10.

Rewari, August 27
Sunil Devi (32), along with her son Rohit and daughter Asha (8), ended her life by reportedly consuming celphos in Suma Katopuri village, 16 km from here, last night. Sources said the woman first administered the poison to her two children and then took it herself.

While the woman died on the way to a local private hospital, Rohit and Asha died in the hospital.

On a complaint filed today by Mahender Singh Yadav, father of Sunil Devi and resident of Makhariya village, 10 km from here, the Jatusana police has registered a case of abetment to suicide against Sunil’s husband Rajiv Yadav, father-in-law Lila Ram Yadav, mother-in-law Om Wati and her husband’s uncle Ashok Kumar Yadav, all residents of Suma Katopuri village.

The complainant alleged that his son-in-law was a liquor addict who, in connivance with other members of the family, used to torture Sunil, which forced her to take the extreme step along with her two children.