Bhapral (Hamirpur), November 28
Septuagenarian Brahmi Devi, who had been struggling to get back her prized possession George Cross, awarded to her posthumously for showing exemplary courage by her husband Naik Kirpa Ram during the great war and stolen from her hosue about seven years ago, has strongly refuted the claims that she had donated the medal to Kapil Singh or K.P. Singh, a resident of Moga, as claimed by the manager of auctioneers (DNW) in London.

Talking to The Tribune at her village she said, “I do not know any KP Singh and never donated the prized medal to him or anybody else.”

Shocked at such claims she said, “Since I do not know any person named as KP Singh, therefore, there is no question of providing services to her by anybody and definitely not the person claiming to be KP Singh.”

Wife of brave ex-soldier also denied ever having visited Moga or any other town in Punjab and said, “I have not visited Punjab, it was only on two occasions when she moved out of her village; once to receive the medal in forties and on another occasion to attend a ceremony of war heroes at Bhopal in 1997.”

She said, “Our court lies at Ghmarvien and we go there or to Bilaspur for all our revenue-related works, so there is no question of putting my thumb impression on any affidavit at Moga.”

Reiterating her claim of medal being stolen from her house, she said, “The medal was stolen from my house and I had filed an FIR at Bharari police station on February 3, 2002, and the police had not been able to trace the medal till now.”

She has also urged the government to help her get back the George Cross, since it has been traced there and find out the thieves, who had taken away this medal.

Shimla, November 28
Even as the police has detected certain discrepancies and incorrect information in the affidavit with the London-based auction house putting up the stolen George Cross for sale on December 2, the state High Court has issued notices to the Centre as well as the Himachal government to file a reply on the issue within four weeks’ time.

With just four days for the medal to go under the final hammer, efforts have been stepped up by the Himachal police to prove that the affidavit stating that the medal was gifted by Brahmi Devi, widow of martyr Naik Kirpa Ram to one Kirpal Singh of Moga was forged. Police teams have been dispatched to Moga, Delhi and some other places to verify the authenticity of the affidavit and establish the real identity of individuals.

Taking suo motu notice of the issue reported in media, acting Chief Justice R.B. Mishra and Justice Rajeev Sharma issued notices to the central as well as state governments to file their replies within four week’s time. The news of auction of the George Cross awarded posthumously to Kirpa Ram of the 8th battalion of 13th Frontier Force Rifles in 1946 created ripples as his widow had got a police compliant registered that the medal had been stolen on February 3, 2002.

Interestingly, the Bilaspur police has failed to establish the identity of one Sita Devi, identified as ward member, whose thumb impression is also on the affidavit. “Since no such ward member ever existed, it clearly points out that the affidavit is fake and the thumb impression indicated as her’s is also forged,” said a senior police official. He added that the police had been able to detect six such inaccurate contents in the affidavit which would be contested. The Himachal police has already been told by Scotland Yard that till they prove that the affidavit is forged, they can do little to stop the auction.

The Bilaspur police has, however, been able to verify from Basanta Ram of Ghumarwin that he had signed as a witness on a receipt given to an army personnel from Chandimandir who had brought some gifts from the unit of her husband. “Going by the statement of Brahmi Devi that she had never gifted the medal to anyone and that it was rather stolen, we presume that it is a forged document, whose authenticity we are trying to establish from various sources,” said Kuldeep Sharma, SP, Bilaspur.

“We have already sent an e-mail to the auction house to stop the auction and also sought the intervention of the Scotland Yard, intimating them that it was never gifted by the martyr’s wife but stolen from her house, so the affidavit is forged,” said ADGP (CID), I.D. Bhandari. He added that the CBI through Interpol had already asked the auction house to stop the sale of the medal.

Dharamsala, November 28
The Dalai Lama would meet US President Barack Obama in February next year. While speaking at a function organised by the Indian Federation of Working Journalists, the Dalai Lama said he would discuss the Tibet issue with Obama in the proposed meeting.

When asked as to why he failed to meet Obama during his recent visit to the US, the Dalai Lama said his visit was just before the proposed visit of US President to China. “There was a general viewpoint in the US administration that my meeting with Obama might create some problems during the visit. So, I decided against meeting the US president during the last visit,” he said.

However, in my proposed visit to the US in February, I would discuss the Tibet problem, he added.

The Tibet issue is acknowledged across the world now. “The recent proposal in which we have asked the Chinese government to grant Tibet a meaningful autonomy under Chinese sovereignty has been welcomed across the world,” the Dalai Lama said.

He also said during his presidential campaign, Obama had called him up and ensured full support for the Tibetan cause.

China’s policies were outdated and the country should adopt to the changing times, he said.

The Tibetan struggle has been drawing response from the Chinese scholars. During the protests in Tibet just before the Bejing Olympics, about 800 Chinese scholars wrote articles in favour of the Tibetan struggle.

“I am still looking for a favourable response from China for the bilateral dialogue,” he said.

The recent stance of the US government, including that of Barack Obama, regarding Tibet has ruffled the feathers of the Tibetans living in exile. US President Obama came in for severe criticism from various Tibetan activists after he did not meet the Dalai Lama during the latter’s visit to the country.

Later, Obama’s statement that Tibet was an integral part of China, also sent shock waves among the Tibetan activists who had being relying on the US support for their cause.

Prime minister of Tibetan government-in-exile Samdhong Rinpoche, in a statement issued yesterday, had termed the US and China as trader countries who were selling arms to warring factions in various countries.

Shimla, November 28
The road from Sansari nullah in the Pangi valley to Gulabgarh, bordering Jammu and Kashmir, will soon be upgraded to a double-lane highway.

This was stated yesterday by Pangi Resident Commissioner GR Bharti, after a meeting held at Tiyari in which Kishtwar Deputy Commissioner GR Bhagat, Officer Commanding of the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), Gulabgarh, Thomas Johnson, chairman, and other officers were present.

Johnson said at the meeting that the proposal regarding double-lane had been received by BRO and work would soon be undertaken on war-footing from three places.

Bharti said the road would be of great significance from defence point of view and would also facilitate the people during winters when the Rohtang Pass was closed due to heavy snow. It would serve as an alternate route for the people of Lahaul to reach other parts of the state, particularly during winter.

New Delhi, November 28
The Supreme Court has stayed an order of the Himachal Pradesh High Court in which the latter had stayed the approval given to a nursing institute run by the Modern Shiksha Samiti to start functioning with 40 students by the government through the Common Entrance Test.

An apex court Bench, headed by Chief Justice KG Balakrishnan, passed the order yesterday after counsel Anil Nag contended that the Indian Nursing Council had allowed
the institute to function after an inspection.

The HC had passed the interim order on October 5 after the commissioner, appointed by it, found that the institute had only 34,000 square feet of constructed area against the requirement of 64,000 square feet.

Nag, however, argued that the nursing council had given the approval as 64,000 sq ft was necessary only if the course was on for all four years and the available space was sufficient to start the course with the first year.

The HC had also subsequently asked the council on October 20 to reconsider its approval.

Nag said the institute at Annandale ground had already appointed teachers and professors following the approval given by the council. The apex court has also issued a notice to the respondents in the case.

Kullu, November 28
The process to recruit 673 college lecturers was in progress to fill vacant posts in all government colleges. This was stated by Chief Minister PK Dhumal while addressing a public meeting at Banjar in this district after inaugurating the newly constructed college building, built at at a cost of Rs 3.50 crore, yesterday.

Dhumal said out of 72 college cadre lecturers recruited in English, 48 were women.

Former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee had envisioned Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojna with a view to provide road connectivity to every village with motorable road. The programme proved to be a boon for the state as a large number of villages had been connected while the left out ones were in the process of getting road connectivity, he added. He said 52 km road stretch would be added in Banjar assembly segment during the current financial year.

The Chief Minister was accorded a rousing reception by a large number of people of the area

Earlier, Dhumal also paid obeisance in a temple at Loren.

Khimi Ram, local MLA and president, state BJP, welcomed the Chief Minister and thanked him for his visit to the area.

Bhuvneshwari Sharma, principal, Government Degree College, Banjar, welcomed the Chief Minister and apprised him of various educational activities in the college.

Shimla, November 28
Chief Minister P.K. Dhumal today termed the affidavit filed by the UPA regime in the Supreme Court that Himachal was not entitled to 12 per cent free power from Bhakra as a great injustice and insult to the sacrifice made by thousands of people who were rendered homeless to pave way for the coming up of the project.

He said this clearly showed the indifferent attitude of the UPA government towards Himachal Pradesh, which was otherwise contributing a lot for the national cause by way of a complete ban on green felling. “Rather than providing adequate compensation to Himachal the Centre was even depriving the hill state of its legitimate right,” he remarked.

He demanded that the Congress must make its stand clear to the people of Himachal Pradesh on the issue. He added that the project had been executed by rendering thousands of families of the state homeless and landless. “The project is generating 1480.3 MW power and the state is getting only 2.5 per cent as an ad-hoc arrangement, which is very meager,” he said.

The chief minister said it was unfortunate that the interests of the state were ignored whenever there was the Congress in power at the Centre and the state. “It seems that the two union ministers in the Cabinet are unconcerned about the state’s interests though it is their moral obligation to protect the rights of the people of the state,” he said.

Solan, November 28
A youth Ravinder Pathania (28) was murdered last night at his Sandholi-based residence by another youth Ankush Pathania who was sleeping in the former’s room.

According to the police, Ankush, who hailed from Bhaniyal village near Nurpur in Kangra district, was a drug addict who squandered time uselessly and this had become a cause of concern for his father. He failed to mend his ways despite being repeatedly advised to do so by his father Gautam Pathania who worked as a security man in an industrial unit.

Ravinder asked him to sleep with him in his room last night so that he could prevail upon him to abandon his bad ways. However, peeved over his repeated pleas, Ankush got up at night around 3.15 am and, in a fit of rage, hit Ravinder on his head with a mini LPG cylinder and a platter. This caused grievous injury on his head, leading to his death.

Hearing the noise Ankush’s father, who also resides nearby, got up and seeing Ravinder bleed profusely, bolted the room from outside and ran to inform the police. He met a police patrolling party on the way and informed it about the incident.

The deceased hailed from Lohana village in Nurpur tehsil of Kangra district and was running a tea stall at Sandholi. Ankush had come to Baddi on Friday from his native place to live with his father for sometime.

The police has registered a case of murder and further investigations are underway. Meanwhile, Ankush was arrested last night.

In another case, body of a youth was recovered on the Baddi-Sai road from a vacant HPSIDC industrial plot, hidden behind bushes. The body was noticed by some locals who saw animals hovering over it. The police is investigating the matter.

Shimla, November 28
Troubles of Suraj Gupta, son of deceased IPS officer Jagjit Gupta, are far from over as a team of the Chandigarh police today raided his house to arrest him in connection with a cheque-bounce case he is facing in a UT court.

It was at 8 am today that a team of the Chandigarh police, assisted by local cops, raided the Kasumpti house of Suraj. They, however, found him absconding.

“Our men accompanied the police team from Chandigarh who were here to arrest him as the Chandigarh Chief Judicial Magistrate had declared Suraj as a proclaimed offender (PO) in a cheque-bounce case,” said Anand Dhiman, Additional SP.

He said a Rs 10.50 lakh cheque, given by Suraj to a raw material supplier, had bounced following which the latter moved the court. Suraj is even learnt to have got a bail but when he still failed to turn up for the court hearing, he was declared a PO.

Meanwhile, Suraj’s family members told the police that they too were not aware of his whereabouts. It was only two days back that the local police had registered an abduction, with the intent of murder, case against him. His father, an IG-rank officer, had shot himself on November 7 earlier this month.

The case has been filed on the complaint of brother of a woman, Pushpa, who is learnt to have married Jagjit Gupta in 2004 and has been missing since 2007.

Shimla, November 28
The Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Mountaineering and Allied Sports, Manali, will introduce “grass skiing” at the world famous Solang nullah’s gradual and ideal slopes by next summer season.

Stating this here recently, Chief Minister PK Dhumal said the institute was undertaking various adventure sports activities through experts in the field. “Grass skiing is a new adventure sport and will be introduced for the first time in the country and we are keen that Himachal also offers it to the visitors coming here,” he said.

He said alpine skiers would be able to undertake the new sport on the grass slopes at the high altitude, instead of snow.