H A R Y A N A   E D I T I O N

Teacher booked for rape shown the door
No inquiry to spare girls of further agony
Chandigarh, May 4
Ten days after a government schoolteacher of Sirsa was booked for raping a minor, the School Education Department, Haryana, finally got cracking and terminated the services of the accused.

Major Relief
Centre gives the nod to rice millers’ demand
Yamunanagar, May 4
In what may come as a relief to over 1,000 rice millers of the state, the Union Food Ministry has allowed them to sell rice with broken percentage up to 28 per cent to the FCI.

Bail plea of kidney scam accused refused
Chandigarh, May 4
The Punjab and Haryana High Court has made it clear that granting bail to professionals indulging in illegal kidney transplants would be against society’s interest.

Woman, daughter held for quackery
Were caught conducting abortions during a raid
Fatehabad, May 4
A joint team of the police and the Health Department today raided the house of a quack at Saniana village in this district and caught a mother-daughter duo indulging in the illicit act of female foeticide.

House Appointment
Speaker made party in petition
Chandigarh, May 4
Justice Permod Kohli of Punjab and Haryana High Court today directed the impleading of Haryana Speaker, HS Chatha, by name, as a party in an ongoing appointment case.

Changes in INLD setup
Chandigarh: The Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) has made major changes in the organisational set up of its Haryana unit.Announcing this here today, secretary-general of the party Ajay Singh Chautala said these changes had been made by party chief Om Prakash Chautala and Haryana unit chief Ashok Arora after they held wide-ranging consultations with other party leaders.

Civic Poll: 42 file papers on Day 1
Chandigarh: As many as 42 persons filed their nominations on the opening day of the filing of nomination papers for the municipal elections in Haryana yesterday. The civic elections are scheduled to be held on May 20.

2 held for Rs 1.30 cr fraud
Jind, May 4
The police has arrested two persons in connection with a bank fraud to the tune of Rs 1.30 crore in form of a loan taken by them. According to the complaint lodged by the branch manager of Oriental Bank of Commerce at Narwana.

Flesh trade racket unearthed; 4 held
Rohtak, May 4
The police claims to have busted an inter-state racket of prostitution operating from a house in the Janata Colony here. Four persons - two girls and two pimps - were nabbed from the spot after a raid was conducted by the police here today.

2 get life term for killing son-in-law
Jind, May 4
The district court has awarded life imprisonment to two persons for killing their son-in-law by setting him ablaze last year. They have also been ordered to pay a fine of Rs 10,000 in addition to the sentence.

Youth found beheaded
Rohtak, May 4
The police has recovered a headless body of a youth from the sports complex at Sector-6 here. It was beheaded before it was dumped. The place where the victim resided is stated to be close to the camp office of the Chief Minister.

Tara Chand’s son spurns job offer
Raman Mohan
Tribune News Service

Hisar, May 4
The violence-hit Dalit families of Mirchpur village squatting outside the mini secretariat here have refused to accept the job offer to sons of Tara Chand, who was charred to death on April 21.

They have also refused to accept the compensation of Rs 10 lakh for the death of Tara chand’s disabled daughter Suman.

After protracted negotiations today, the district authorities accepted their demand for a job to the youngest son of the deceased in addition to the jobs to the two elder sons. One of them has joined duty. The other has spurned the offer so far.

The Additional Deputy Commissioner approached the families with the job offer for the youngest son of the deceased and a cheque for Rs 10 lakh as compensation for the death of Suman.

Tara Chand’s youngest son received the offer letter, but said the family needed a week to consider the offer. At This, the Additional DC left the venue.

Tara Chand’s wife Kamla said she would accept the compensation and the job offers after justice was done to her family by punishing the guilty and rehabilitating the family in Hisar itself.

Official sources claimed that five of the squatting families had returned to the village where tension had eased considerably. Yesterday, leaders of all communities had tried to convince these families to go back, assuring them of their safety. However, the Dalits had remained unconvinced.

Several families have accepted the compensation offered by the government on the basis of their claims of financial losses.

However, Tara Chand’s kin remain adamant.

Teacher booked for rape shown the door
No inquiry to spare girls of further agony
Geetanjali Gayatri
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 4
Ten days after a government schoolteacher of Sirsa was booked for raping a minor, the School Education Department, Haryana, finally got cracking and terminated the services of the accused.

A Hindi teacher at Government High School, Shahpur Begu (Sirsa), Anil Kumar Ahlawat, was booked for raping his student while outraging the modesty of her younger sister.

Both girls were minors, aged 16 years (Class X) and 14 years (Class VIII), respectively, and studying in the same school.

A case under Sections 354, 451 and 376-B of the IPC was registered against Ahlawat on a complaint of the victims’ father on April 24.

The department, in its order passed today, has dismissed the teacher without a regular inquiry, maintaining that an inquiry at this stage “would further cause mental agony to the two minor girls”.

The dismissal has been effected by following the procedure of the Haryana Civil Services (Punishment and Appeal) Rules, 1987.

Wanting to send out a strong message through this dismissal, the order says that “this should prove an eye-opener for others” so that they don’t indulge in acts of moral turpitude with minor students.

It adds that the heinous crime has not only tarnished the image of the school but “lowered the image of the state which is making all-out efforts to achieve excellence in the field of educating girl students”.

Ahlawat, accused of raping his student, was booked after the victims’ father lodged a missing report on April 21, alleging that his two minor daughters had disappeared from their house a day earlier.

The two girls were recovered from Hisar four days later. On coming home, the elder of the two told her parents that Ahlawat had allegedly raped her.

The accused, who hails from Kheri Sadh village in Rohtak district, allegedly called the girl to his room in the village and raped her on March 19, after her last board exam. He also gave her a mobile to keep in touch with him.

One month later, on April 20, he again called the girl to his room.This time, however, she went to the teacher’s place with her younger sister and was raped again. The girls stayed at the teacher’s house all night. The sequence of events beyond that is still ambiguous but the two girls were found and brought back from Hisar by a police team four days after the “missing” complaint was filed. The incident had created a rage in the area with villagers seeking strict action against the accused.

Major Relief
Centre gives the nod to rice millers’ demand
Kiran Deep
Tribune News Service

Yamunanagar, May 4
In what may come as a relief to over 1,000 rice millers of the state, the Union Food Ministry has allowed them to sell rice with broken percentage up to 28 per cent to the FCI. The rice millers had been demanding relaxation in broken percentage of rice for the past one month.

Due to their protest, total 3.50 lakh tonnes of rice is still lying unsold with the rice millers of different districts, including Yamunanagar, Karnal, Ambala, Fatehbad, Hisar, Kaithal, Panipat, Sirsa.

The rice millers were aggrieved by the fact that the farmers had sown hybrid variety of paddy and as a result they have got high percentage of broken and damaged rice and were facing heavy financial losses.

The information regarding relief to the rice millers has been communicated by the Secretary of the Union Food and Public Distribution Ministry, Alka Sirohi, to the President of the Haryana Pardesh Rice Millers and Dealers Association, Azad Singh Rathee.

While confirming the development, Rathee said he had received a letter from Sirohi stating that the Union Food ministry has allowed the relaxation in broken rice from 25 per cent to 28 per cent throughout the state.

“Now, the rice millers can supply broken rice percentage up to 28 per cent.

This year the rice millers had received much broken and damaged rice as the farmers have been growing much hybrid variety of paddy” he added.

He said they had taken up the matter with Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda for relief in broken percentage of rice.

The Chief Minister reportedly brought the matter to the notice of Union Minister Sharad Pawar. Pawar then took the decision to allow the concession to the rice millers, who are now a relieved lot.

Bail plea of kidney scam accused refused
Saurabh Malik
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 4
The Punjab and Haryana High Court has made it clear that granting bail to professionals indulging in illegal kidney transplants would be against society’s interest.

Justice Gurdev Singh made the observations while dismissing the bail plea of Jevan Kumar Raut and Dr Saraj Kumar Kovind accused in the Gurgaon kidney scam.“The interest of the society also requires that such like persons should not be granted the benefit of bail,” Justice Gurdev Singh said. The younger brother of the main accused Amit Kumar, petitioner Jevan Kumar Raut, had allegedly opened a laboratory in the hospital for conducting tests for transplantation of kidneys.

He was allegedly aiding the main accused during the operations and “had even been stitching the abdomen of the victims”.

Dr Kovind, on the other hand, was allegedly working as an anesthetist “at the time of illegal kidney transplant operation”. A first information report for attempt to murder, criminal intimidation and other offences was registered in the matter on February 8, 2008, under Sections 120-B, 326, 342, 417, 465, 473, 307 and 506 of the IPC, and under the provisions of the Transplantation of Human Organs Act. In his detailed order, Justice Gurdev Singh noted: “The petitioners had thrown all ethics and norms to the winds. They had been making the poor and the innocent victims by removing their kidneys forcibly, illegally and transplanting the same in the bodies of the rich for huge amount.“There is likelihood of repeat of the offences by the petitioners, if released on bail, who have acquired expertise in kidney transplantation”.

Referring to specific allegations against Dr Kovind, Justice Gurdev Singh said he worked as anesthetist “for quite a long period and helped the accused in transplanting the kidneys illegally. “The said offences may not be punishable with severe sentences, but are very grave….”

Before parting with the orders, Justice Gurdev Singh asserted: “In view of the discussion, I conclude that there is no ground for releasing the petitioners on bail. Hence, their applications are dismissed”.

Woman, daughter held for quackery
Were caught conducting abortions during a raid
Sushil Manav
Tribune News Service

Fatehabad, May 4
A joint team of the police and the Health Department today raided the house of a quack at Saniana village in this district and caught a mother-daughter duo indulging in the illicit act of female foeticide.

The two had already carried out the abortion of a woman, while the process of two others had been initiated by giving them some medications.

The process of termination of pregnancies was being performed in very unhygienic conditions in the house.

The police has booked the mother, Jaswant Kaur, and her daughter, Gurpreet Kaur, under Sections 312 and 316 of the IPC and various provisions of the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act and the Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (Prevention) Act.

Dr Ramesh Chakarvarti, Deputy Civil Surgeon, Fatehabad, who led the team of health officials in the raiding party, brought the three women to the general hospital, Fatehabad, for medical care.

Fatehabad Civil Surgeon OP Arya said one of the three women had revealed that she had undergone a test for the detection of the sex of the foetus in a private hospital in Barwala in Hisar district before going in for termination of pregnancy in Saniana.

One of the other two women hails from Barwala and the second one is from a village near that town.

“The other two women, too, appear to have undergone ultrasound tests for detection of the sex of their foetuses as one of them had four daughters and no son,” added Dr Chakarvarti.

SP Jagwant Singh Lamba said a raiding party was constituted after Dalip Singh, SHO of the Bhuna police station, got a tip-off that illegal medical termination of pregnancies were being conducted by some quacks at a residence in Saniana.

He said the Deputy Civil Surgeon, Dr VK Jain, the senior medical officer, Ratia, Dr RC Goyal, the senior medical officer, Bhuna, Dr Shivani, and Mohinder Singh Fogat, Naib Tehsildar, constituted the raiding party.

Lamba said the mother and the daughter duo had been doing this illicit act for long.

House Appointment
Speaker made party in petition
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 4
Justice Permod Kohli of Punjab and Haryana High Court today directed the impleading of Haryana Speaker, HS Chatha, by name, as a party in an ongoing appointment case.

The petitioner, Sirsa-based lawyer Ved Parkash, had alleged Gurminder Singh was appointed as liaison officer in Haryana Vidhan Sabha by ignoring the merits of other candidates, as the appointee was son-in-law of Chatha’s sister.

Seeking directions for impleading Chatha as a party by name, the petitioner leveled allegations of malafide. Allowing the application, Justice Kohli issued directions for taking on record amended memos of parties, and issued notice for July 15.

Ved Parkash in his petition stated on August 17, 2009, an advertisement was issued for the post of liaison officer in Haryana Vidhan Sabha and accordingly, he applied for the post. The result of selection was not declared.

Then Ved Parkash moved an application seeking information on selection, and came to know of Gurvinder Singh’s appointment, though he was allegedly less qualified than him.

Changes in INLD setup

Civic Poll: 42 file papers on Day 1

2 held for Rs 1.30 cr fraud

Jind, May 4
The police has arrested two persons in connection with a bank fraud to the tune of Rs 1.30 crore in form of a loan taken by them. According to the complaint lodged by the branch manager of Oriental Bank of Commerce at Narwana, the accused, Mahender and Vikal Chand hailing from Uchana Kalan village, had been advanced a loan in response to their application in which they had stated that they wanted to start a tractor agency.

The documents and papers submitted by them as surety were found to be forged and fake when the accused defaulted to pay back the loan instalments on the given time. Bank officials after an inquiry detected that while no tractor agency had been opened, the documents of the land they had submitted were also forged. — TNS

Flesh trade racket unearthed; 4 held
Tribune News Service

Rohtak, May 4
The police claims to have busted an inter-state racket of prostitution operating from a house in the Janata Colony here. Four persons - two girls and two pimps - were nabbed from the spot after a raid was conducted by the police here today.

The two youths arrested by the police said they had taken a house on rent in the locality here and used to bring girls from Delhi for being supplied to customers in Rohtak. The girls revealed that the pimps used to charge between Rs 3,000 and Rs 4,000 per customer. The girls were being paid between Rs 5,000 and Rs 10,000 per week, depending upon “their personality and the customer”.

The girls belonged to Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal but had been residing at Mahipalpur in Delhi for the past several months.

The youths - Bunty and Sanjay Saini - said they used to get girls through some agents based at the Majnu Ka Tila area in New Delhi to be supplied here for prostitution.

Four girls, who were reportedly present here till last night, had left the spot this morning before the police raided the premises.

2 get life term for killing son-in-law
Tribune News Service

Jind, May 4
The district court has awarded life imprisonment to two persons for killing their son-in-law by setting him ablaze last year. They have also been ordered to pay a fine of Rs 10,000 in addition to the sentence. The wife of the victim, who is also an accused, has been absconding since the murder and has been has been declared as proclaimed offender (PO).

According to the prosecution, the victim, identified as Yasin Khan, in his statement before dying, had told the magistrate that he was doused with kerosene and set afire by his father-in-law Jangsher and his brother Junharam, both residents of Buddhakhera village in the district, with the help of his wife on the night of September 13, 2009, when he had gone to his in-laws’ house.

He married Pinki, daughter of Jangsher, last year in March. He told the magistrate that his relationship with her wife had turned estranged over some issue. One day his wife called in her father and uncle at their home in Matloda. They both locked him in a room before pouring kerosene on him and setting him afire.

Youth found beheaded
Tribune News Service

Rohtak, May 4
The police has recovered a headless body of a youth from the sports complex at Sector-6 here. It was beheaded before it was dumped. The place where the victim resided is stated to be close to the camp office of the Chief Minister.

According to the police, the body was stuffed in a gunny bag and wrapped with bed sheets. The police, however, found that the victim had been residing at a rented accommodation on the circular road near the posh DLF Colony, which is suspected to be the spot of crime.

The room was found to be having bloodstains and blood-drenched cloths, which revealed that the murder could have taken place there. Though the police officials were yet to confirm the identity of the deceased, the sources said the victim had been a resident of Bhiwani district who had been residing in this rented accommodation for about past one year.

The police has seized CDs, web camera, computers and other electronic gadgets, which led to an obvious conclusion that the place was being used for some kind of illegal activities.

A case has been registered in this regard.