Chandigarh, November 9
Congress workers, finally, did some plain-speaking, today. Non-cooperative members of Parliament, a government that ignored the grassroots worker and poor administrative control were some of the reasons listed by party workers for the poor performance of the Congress in the assembly elections.

They poured their heart out to state unit president Phool Chand Mullana, who gave them a patient hearing and assured them that these “mistakes” committed in the last term would not be repeated.

The workers were particularly sore that all through the term, the ordinary Congress worker was most neglected with leaders in power showing acant respect to their opinion.

Sources said presidents of the district and block committees expressed their resentment at the bureaucracy’s indifference to requests put up by them. Claiming that the bureaucracy was functioning “unbridled” without an iota of respect for party workers, they recommended that the government control on officers be tightened at the field level and at the headquarters.

Later, Mullana, accompanied by Prof Sampat Singh, addressed a press conference, admitted that infighting within its ranks had cost the party dear. "We suffered due to infighting within the party. I lost my seat, Mullana, essentially due to sabotage and also because we could not make inroads into the BSP vote bank. I think we were a bit over-confident," he said. Mullana said a meeting with workers had already been held to identify the reasons for the poor performance. “There are complaints against leaders who indulged in anti-party activities. We will serve a show-cause notice to them and action will be initiated against the guilty. We have noted complaints about anti-party activities coming from Bhiwani and a number of other places. These will be forwarded to the high command,” he held.

Mullana said soon the Haryana Congress would convene a state-level general body meeting, which would be followed by another meeting at the district level, all with the aim to strengthen the party.

A membership drive was on and would continue till the year-end and organisational elections would be held in March next. On the HPCC press secretary, Surender Hooda, resigning yesterday, Mullana said he was only a sympathiser of the party. “His working was unsatisfactory but if somebody wants to impose himself on us, there is little we can do,” he said.

Chandigarh, November 9
President of the HJC Kuldeep Bishnoi has expelled Satpal Sangwan, MLA from Dadri, from the party for “anti-party activities”.

Bishnoi has written to the Election Commission of India and the Haryana Speaker in this regard. The issue was discussed at a meeting of the working committee of the party on November 6, which reduced the notice period to 24 hours in the light of the exigency of the matter.

A show-cause notice was served on Sangwan in person at a meeting of the Janhit Legislative Party the same day.

The notice asked Sangwan to explain within 24 hours as to why he should not be expelled from the party and why his disqualification from the assembly should not be sought.

Bishnoi said since Sangwan had failed to furnish any explanation to the notice and in view of his activities, which warranted disqualification under the 10th Schedule and Articles 102 and 191 of the Constitution, the working committee had decided on November 8 to expel him (Sangwan) with immediate effect.

Bishnoi urged the Chief Election Commissioner and the Haryana assembly Speaker to disqualify Sangwan from the membership of the assembly.

The letter, dated November 8, was released to the press today.

Chandigarh, November 9
Twenty-two Haryana police personnel deployed with the telecommunication wing have been held blameworthy for dragging feet on performing their duty.

Taking up a petition filed by constable Ram Mehar and others, Justice Ranjit Singh said: “It is seen that the petitioners are primarily shirking to perform their duties for which they have been enrolled. A simple direction to provide telecommunication cover to a battalion at Jammu has been given a colour of change of cadre to file this writ petition.”

The petitioners had earlier sought directions for quashing the order directing them to proceed for duty to Jammu with their battalion.

The counsel for the petitioners contended they were directed to report at police complex, Bhondsi, Gurgaon. After completing 15 days training, they were directed to proceed for onward duty to Jammu with their battalion. Claiming that they belonged to separate cadre of telecommunication, the petitioners impugned their attachment with IRB, paramilitary force deputed to perform duties in Jammu.

The respondents, on the other hand, pointed out the petitioners were detailed at Jammu to perform telecommunication duties with their unit, a call which was in the interest of nation.

It was disclosed employees of Haryana police telecommunication were being deputed with general police and other units for providing uninterrupted communication, as and when required. They were not required to perform any patrolling or arduous duties like the general police.

After hearing rival contentions, Justice Ranjit Singh asserted: “The state has justifiably pointed out that telecommunication cadre is one cadre in the state and merely on being deputed to perform duty with IRB Battalion would not mean that they have been transferred to the said force.

“It is stated in the reply that the petitioners have just been detailed to perform duties with the battalion. This duty is a call in the interest of nation and the rules would permit such a detailment. This cannot be construed as transfer, as is being made out…. There is no merit in the writ petition and the same is accordingly dismissed.”

Kaithal, November 9
Partap Singh, Advocate and Chairman of the Bar Council, Punjab and Haryana, said here today that a separate high court for the state should be set up at the earliest as it was a long standing demand of the advocates and the people of Haryana.

Addressing members of the District Bar Association in Bar room in local judicial complex here, Partap Singh said it was a matter of right that a separate high court be created for Haryana which had been carved out as a separate state decades ago.

He said he was hopeful that the Centre would take a positive decision in this regard at the earliest. He said the Haryana Advocates Welfare Act on the Punjab pattern would be soon introduced in the state.

He called upon the lawyers to help in getting speedy justice for the litigants in the larger interest of society. He also urged young lawyers to put in hard labour and work with dedication to have a bright future in legal profession.

Karnal, November 9
Additional District and Sessions Judge NP Dewak today convicted two sisters identified as Bhagwanti and Avinash Kaur for sacrificing their three-and-a-half-year-old nephew in Kheri Sarfali village on April 22, 2007. He sentenced them to 10 years of imprisonment.

The court also imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 on them and in case of non-payment of fine they will be required to undergo an additional imprisonment for two months.

The court also convicted Jasbir Singh and Mohta Singh of the same village for destroying the evidence and sentenced them to three years of imprisonment.

As per the prosecution, Gurdev Singh, brother of the convicted, had no child. A tantrik advised him that he could have a child if he made a human sacrifice. This provoked them to indulge in such a heinous crime.

The victim has been identified as Harpreet, son of Jagir Singh.

A case under Sections 302 and 365 of the IPC was registered against the sisters and Section 365 was later converted into Section 364 while Jagbir and Mehato Singh were booked under Section 201 of the IPC.

Palwal, November 9
Some unidentified persons today forcibly took away an eight-year-old girl from her house in Softa village, 18 km from here, after beating up her relatives and allegedly murdered her later.

The girl’s body was found from the jungles near the village in the afternoon. Her mouth was gagged. The police has registered a case on a complaint filed by the girl’s father. The police has taken the maternal uncle of the deceased for interrogation.

The assailants also beat up the girl’s mother and two brothers - Rinku (10) and Sonu (2). They were beaten up as they tried to resist the criminals. They also tied the arms and legs of Gulab, maternal uncle of the victim. The mother and the siblings of the girl were referred to Safdarjung Hospital in Delhi. Sonu is said to have succumbed to his injuries in the hospital. The condition of the mother and Rinku is said to be critical.

Though the district police will not comment till the postmortem report comes, the general apprehension is that the victim was murdered after being raped. There were head injuries on the body.

The police has recovered a hammer from near the site that was allegedly used to murder the girl.

The girl’s father said when he returned home he found that his brother’s arms and legs were tied and his wife and children were seriously injured.

The victim’s family is from Etah in Uttar Pradesh. The father was employed in a factory in Palwal.

Sirsa, November 9
Close on the heels of his defeat in the assembly elections, former Haryana Minister LD Arora faced another setback.

The state government has removed his daughter Sunita Setia as Chairperson, Improvement Trust, Sirsa. In all, chairpersons of 16 improvement trusts have been removed from their post today.

They are Karnail Singh, Ajay Gupta, Shiv Narayan Yadav, Pyare Lal Khurana, Rahul Tayal, L.D.Behal, Rakesh Nagpal, Dr DR Taneja, Rajeshwar Garg, Mukesh Tuteja, Raj Kumar, Sita Ram Sachdeva, Sunita Setia, Anil Kumar, Jilesh Sharma and Naresh Sharma.

These chairpersons had been heading the civic bodies in Ambala city, Bhiwani, Gurgaon, Hansi, Hisar, Jagadhri, Karnal, Narnaul, Palwal, Panipat, Rewari, Rohtak, Sirsa, Sonepat, Thanesar and Yamunanagar.

The government in its orders issued today said they would cease to hold office with immediate effect.

Seventyeight-year-old Arora, who has represented Sirsa five times, had named his daughter as his political heir two years back when she was nominated chairperson of the Sirsa Improvement Trust.

Arora, who has not been well, had announced that he would not contest and field Sunita Setia instead. He started grooming her and she accompanied him to village meetings too. However, when elections were announced, Arora decided to enter the fray. This did not go well with the voters. Even his family was unhappy and his election campaign remained disorganised

.Arora has maintained all along that he wanted Sunita ‘s nomination but had to jump into the fray on the directions of the party.

Arora finished third after Independent Gopal Kanda and INLD’s Padam Jain.

A popular leader of Sirsa, he had retained his seat even during the INLD wave in 2000.His rival Gopal Kanda has been inducted in the Haryana cabinet.

Sirsa, November 9
Smog has enveloped Sirsa, Fatehabad and surrounding areas affecting visibility in the area. The smog started engulfing the area three days back and has been increasing by the day.

Residents venturing into the open have been facing difficulty in breathing and complain of irritation in the eyes too.

Experts link this phenomenon, which is rather unusual during this part of the year, with the recent fire at an oil depot in Jaipur. Jaipur is about 350 km from here.

“The visibility is very poor, particularly early morning and after dusk,” said Vijay, a taxi driver. This had resulted in several accidents in the past three days.

“People with breathing problem and symptoms of allergic cough have been pouring in since the past three days,” said Dr Dinesh Sanduja, an ENT surgeon in Fatehabad.

He advised people to keep indoors as far as possible.

Experts say the smog would remain until swept away by winds or washed by rains.

The smog, which was moderate till yesterday, increased today following moderate winds today. Perhaps, the wind brought in more smog.

“Certain other factors like burning of stubble by farmers and the dust raised from cleaning of the paddy in grain markets are adding to the people’s miseries,” said Dr Gulab Singh, a physician from Sirsa.

He warned that the smog was dangerous for those suffering from asthma and other ailments related to the lungs.

“I have not been able to go for my morning and evening stroll for the past three days,” said Virender Chauhan, a university teacher at Sirsa. He had people around him complaining of headache since the past few days, he added. 

Chandigarh, November 9
Haryana Education Minister Geeta Bhukkal today stressed the need to ensure that all incentives like free of cost books, notebooks and uniform should be given to the eligible students right at the time of admission.

Bhukkal, who attended her office here today for the first time after assuming the office of a minister, said emphasis of her initiatives would be to ensure 100 per cent enrolment, check drop-out rate and timely distribution of incentives to eligible students.

She said the CM had already taken certain new initiatives to make Haryana an education hub and several prestigious institutions had come to Haryana in the past over four years.She said she would take up the issue of the proposed Kalpana Chawla Medical College in Karnal with the Chief Minister.