Sirsa, May 25
When almost all mainstream political parties are coming in support of the khap panchayats on the issue of amendments in the Hindu Marriage Act to ban the same-gotra marriage, the CPM has decided to raise the issue in the panchayat elections in Haryana.

The CPM is contesting the panchayat elections on its party symbol and has fielded candidates, where it feels, it has strong people’s base.

“We are taking up the issue of these “self-styled panchayats” during the panchayat elections, because we consider these as impediment in the independent functioning of the real and elected panchayat. As a matter of fact, these are neither khaps nor panchayats, but merely groups of people, who assume power unto themselves to interfere in the married lives of others,” said Inderjit Singh, state secretary of the CPM.

They merely wanted to enjoy unbridled privilege in the matrimonial affairs of others, he said.

“We will ask people to see through the game of these self-styled panchayats by their own wisdom and decide what rights do they have to misuse their authority by ordering annulment of marriages and issuing banishment orders,” the CPM leader added.

Ridiculing the stand of leaders of the mainstream political parties on the issue of amendment in the Hindu Marriage Act, Inderjit Singh said leaders like Om Prakash Chautala and Bhupinder Singh Hooda have in fact been eyeing the Jat vote bank without bothering that their stand was contrary to the facts.

“Where are the same-gotra marriages being performed in Haryana and where is the need for such an amendment,” asked Inderjit Singh, who maintained that the leaders of these political parties were merely befooling people on this issue.

Besides, the CPM state secretary said the main planks of the party would be financial and administrative decentralisation of the Panchayati Raj Institutions and creations of conditions for independent participation of women and the Scheduled Castes elected representatives in accordance with the 73rd and 74th Constitutional amendments.

He said the thrust of the campaign would be focused around socio-economic issues like NREGA, public health, education, public transport, residential plots for poor, public distribution system, education and health apart from social justice, curbing corruption, problem of alcoholism and drug addiction and restoration of illegally occupied panchayat lands.

Jind, May 25
Cracks were seen in the Sarva Jatiya Sarva Khap Mahapanchayat over the demand of an amendment in the Hindu Marriage Act to ban marriages within the same gotra and same village. Disassociating itself from the resolutions adopted at the meeting of the mahapanchayat held here on Sunday, the body identified as Sarva Jatiya Sarvakhap Mahapanchayat Pratinidhi Mandal condemned the Union ministers by adopting resolutions against them for their opposition to the demand of the amendment in the Act. It also announced to hold a Sarva Jatiya Sarvakhap Mahapanchayat at Meham in Rohtak. The date will be announced later.

Today’s meeting indicated a division over the way the agitation would be launched by the sarvakhap mahapanchayats. The meeting assumes significance in view of the disassociation from the decision taken in the earlier meeting where the mahapanchayat had announced to cut supply of essential commodities to Delhi and parts of the NCR from June 20 in case their demands was not met by then. While the gathering today claimed that it was the real Sarva Jatiya Sarva Khap Mahapanchayat, it condemned the earlier meeting for using its name. Today’s meeting chaired by Mewa Singh Mor of the Mor khap adopted a resolution condemning the stand of Union Law Minister V Moily. Union Minister of State Kumari Selja and former Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan on the matter and for opposing their demand on the amendment in the Act. The meeting said it had nothing to do with the decisions announced in the meeting that was held here on Sunday last. It decided to form a 12-member committee to carry out the work of uniting the khaps and tapas in order to strengthen the agitation. The meeting authorised Shamsher Singh Kharkara to constitute a legal cell in this regard and announced to work collectively towards generating funds and support from Haryana and the neighboring states.

Chandigarh, May 25
A Haryana police official-cum-national level wrestler is fighting against the khap diktat to break his marriage in the name of gotra.

Currently deployed with Reserve Battalion of the Haryana Police at Bhondsi, Iklas has bagged two gold, three silver and two bronze medals while representing the Haryana Police in national-level wrestling championships. He is now seeking directions to the Haryana Government for protecting the life and liberty of the couple and their families.

Iklas of Mewat said he was not only being pressurised to break the marriage, but also was attacked by some persons as they were objecting to his same-gotra marriage with Anjum. The panchayat of 20 villages boycotted the couple and their families and were being pressured to break the alliance.

Claiming to be adults, couple said they tied the knot on May 9 with the consents of the families and married as per Muslim law, according to which there is no gotra and all were equal.

After the marriage when Iklas reached his parental home on May 11, at least 30 to 40 people reached there and tried to pressurise him to break the marriage.

Some persons from the area gathered and held panchayats for outcasting them and their families.

An application was submitted to the police in this regard against various people, including sarpanchs of several villages in Mewat. After the complaint, they took a back seat.

Justice SS Saron issued notice of motion to the respondent authorities and other respondents for July 15.

Yamunanagar, May 25
Residents of the district have been suffering a lot due to lack of proper medical facilities triggered by the alarming shortage of doctors and basic facilities.

A total 26 posts of doctor have been lying vacant in the primary health centres (PHC) and community health centres (CHC) in rural areas, including Chhachhrauli, Bilaspur, Khijrabad, Radaur, Mustafabad, Radaur, Sadhaura, Bhambhol.

Besides, no government hospital of the district has the CT scan and the ultrasound facilities. The Jagadhri government hospital does not even have a generator in case of power cuts.

Residents rue that every year 150 persons die due to lack of basic facilities. Lives of many can be saved if CT scan facility was made available in the district. Due to the lack of CT scan facility, patients with head injuries and other serious injuries are referred to the PGI, Chandigarh.

Sources said there had been a shortage of doctors as doctors were not willing to join in rural areas. Besides, their initial salary was much less in comparison to what they could easily get in private hospitals.

Villagers have to cover long distances to reach Mukund Lal Government Hospital (MLGH), the main government hospital of the district, to get treatment.

The posts of doctor mostly lying vacant in distance rural areas include one post at PHC in Bhambhol, two posts at CHC in Mustafabad, one post PHC in Rasulpur, four posts at CHC Sadhaura, one post at PHC in Haibatpur, one post at PHC in Mugalwali, one post at CHC in Bilaspur, one post at PHC in Chhachhrauli, one post at PHC in Kot, one post at CHC in Khijrabad, four posts at CHC and PHC in Raduar, one post at the government hospital, Jagadhri, and seven posts in MLGH, Yamunanagar.

Civil Surgeon, MLGH, Dr VK Sharma said they had been regularly conducting interviews to fill the vacant posts of doctor. However, many doctors were not willing to join in rural areas. Besides, they had been providing best facilities as available in hospitals, he added.

Sirsa, May 25
On call given by the All-India Railwaymen’s Federation, local unit of the North-Western Railway Employees’ Union today held a demonstration at Sirsa railway station.

The agitating employees, who have been holding protests since May 17, assembled on the platform and raised slogans in support of their demands.

“Over 1.5 lakh posts are lying vacant, but the Railway Ministry was not doing anything to fill these posts,” alleged union secretary Narayan Lal Yadav. He added that workload on the existing employees was increasing by the day, but the ministry had turned a deaf ear to their complaints.

“No new posts are being created though new trains are being introduced,” said president of the local unit Jaswindervir Singh. He alleged that the government was encouraging contractual employment by throwing labour laws to the wind.

He said while on one hand the move was increasing unemployment, on the other it was resulting in exploitation of the existing workers by making them work extra hours.

Union leaders Gurcharan Dass Sharma, Mithan Lal Yadav, Manohar Lal Arora, Madan Lal, RB Singh and Manohar Singh also addressed the workers.

Today was the last day of demonstration as per the schedule given by the All-India Railwaymen’s Federation, Yadav said.

Jind, May 25
In what could be the first case this year in the district, a local resident died of diarrhoea today. The Public Health Department has detected leakage in the water pipeline in Saini Mohalla here from where the victim hailed.

The deceased, identified as Ram Niwas, was admitted in a private hospital here a few days ago for the treatment of diarrhoea-related symptoms. But when his condition failed to improve, he was referred to the PGIMS, Rohtak, where he succumbed to the disease.

Kalu Ram, another resident, claimed that other residents too had been suffering from the disease and the department concerned had failed to repair the leaking water pipeline. The water is reportedly contaminated by sewerage water. But, officials of the department have claimed that the leakage point had been detected and was being repaired to prevent the supply of contaminated water in various localities here. The colonies affected are Kajian Mohalla, Dhaka Mohalla, Bakshi Mohalla, Roop Nagar and Saini Mohalla. Though the health officials claimed that the situation was under control, it is reported that over 500 patients have reported in the OPD of the civil hospital and private clinics in the last five days.

The department has distributed medicines, including one lakh pieces of drink well tablets and pouches of life saving powder, in the affected areas of the city. The health officials have blamed a resident for the problem. According to them, the pipeline taken by the resident was connected in a wrong manner and this had resulted in the leakage of the main pipeline. The authorities have asked the police to take an action against him for complacency on his part.

Sirsa, May 25
The women’s complaint committee and grievances cell of Chaudhary Devi Lal University today began an inquiry into the complaint of harassment by a woman assistant professor of the university against the chairman of her department. The committee headed by Dr Reicha Tanwar, director, Women Studies and Research Centre, Kurukshetra University, met the complainant and heard her grievances.

The committee included Dr Sultan Singh, professor and chairperson of the management department, Dr Shamsher Singh, professor and chairperson of the physical education department, committee’s member secretary Dr Deepti Dharmani, associate professor in the English department, Dr Monika Verma, associate professor in the physical education department, and Kumud Bansal, president of the NGO - Nirjharni Nari Sehyog Samiti.

The committee members also interacted with the professor, who has been named by the complainant, through video conferencing, as he has gone abroad for some project these days.

“This was just an initial interface. The committee will take some more days before it submits its report,” said Reicha Tanwar.

Fatehabad, May 25
Due to a skewed sex ratio, finding brides is becoming difficult for youths in rural Haryana these days. A youth, who was promised a bride for money, has approached a local court after some go-between duped him. The court has directed the police to register a case.

The youth identified as Bunty, a resident of Bhattu Kalan, said in his criminal complaint filed in a local court that his family was looking for a bride for him when a woman came into his contact and promised to procure him one for money. She allegedly took Rs 20,000 in advance and took him to Lakhuwali village in Hanumangarh district of Rajasthan for a suitable girl.

She introduced him to a man and three women, who told him that they had several women in their contacts in Punjab and would soon procure one for him. However, they called him to several places in Punjab and Rajasthan, but every time made some excuse. He alleged that when he demanded his money be returned, they refused.

Kaithal, May 25
Students of Rama Nursing College located in Kutubpur village blocked traffic at Pehowa Chowk for about two hours here today.

They were protesting against college principal Sushma Yadav, who allegedly slapped a student. They alleged that the principal and a college director, Subhash Sandhu, also misbehaved with them.

They alleged that Sandhu often misbehaved with students and threatened them. The college, they said, had been committing grave irregularities and thus playing with their careers.

They also alleged that the management was not allowing them to use mobile phones even in extreme emergencies and was too strict about the dress code.

They said a student of the college, fed up with the management’s behaviour, was forced to leave the institute. The students also alleged that the college had failed to provide basic facilities, including a hostel.

They also handed a memorandum of their demands to SSP Sandeep Khirwar.

Sandhu, however, denied the charges of misbehaviour. He said the students had been sent to the General Hospital in Kaithal for training. Yesterday, the principal found some girls not adhering to the dress code. When she pointed this out to the trainees, one of them “misbehaved” with her, following which she slapped her.

He said he too reprimanded the student concerned. He denied that anyone in the management had been misbehaving with the students or putting unnecessary restrictions on them.

A police spokesman said the girls’ complaint would be looked into and appropriate action taken against anyone found violating the law.