Cops sent to judicial remand for thrashing MLA
Four policemen were suspended as the incident created a political storm with senior BJP leaders, including CM Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, intervening in the matter
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, July 12
Four police personnel, including the in charge of the Premnagar police post, who were suspended and arrested for allegedly beating up an BJP MLA on Sunday night, were sent to 14-day judicial remand by the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) court here today.

Kumar, MLA from Sahaspur, cries after the incident on Sunday night. A Tribune photograph

The policemen were arrested after nightlong drama following the beating up of Raj Kumar, ruling BJP legislator from the Sahaspur Assembly segment last night. The legislator after being beaten up was also put in the police lockup. Four policemen were suspended by the police authorities as the incident created a political storm with senior BJP leaders, including Uttarakhand Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, intervening in the matter.

CJM Kunwar Amninder Singh rejected the plea of defence lawyer Prithviraj Chauhan to remove Section 307 (attempt to murder), IPC, and to seek grant bail to the three accused policemen. The CJM sent the police personnel to 14-day judicial remand.

The defence lawyer argued in the court that the MLA had received no grievous injury and there was no motive to murder him since the cops were just managing the traffic snarl at the time of the incident thus the section 307 be removed.

The lawyer said they would appeal tomorrow in the Sessions court. Besides the attempt to murder section, the cops were also booked under sections 147 (punishment for rioting), 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the IPC.

The four police personnel who were suspended were Sub-Inspector (SI) Manoj Negi, Ravinder Kumar, Double Singh Chauhan and Harender by Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Abhinav Kumar today.

Out of them three, including the SI, Harender and Ravinder Kumar were arrested and produced before the court. “Till now, the involvement of four policemen has come to notice while inquiry has been on to identify the others,” the SSP said.

The incident occurred last night when the police stopped the vehicle of MLA Raj Kumar in the Premnagar area where it was managing a traffic snarl, which triggered after a road accident.

The stopping of the vehicle led to a heated argument between the police personnel present there and the MLA and his driver. Following which Raj Kumar was allegedly beaten up by the cops. He alleged that he was dragged out of his vehicle to the Premnagar police post by the cops and put behind bars where also he was thrashed.

Following the incident, a large number of agitated party workers and legislators gathered. They ransacked the police post and pelted it with stones. The workers also jammed the national highway in protest against the alleged beating of the legislator.

Senior police officials, including SSP Abhinav Kumar, had a tough time in tackling the situation as an agitated mob wanted to attack the policemen. The irked ruling party workers couldn’t be stopped as they also reportedly beat up the SHO of Vasant Vihar police station, besides manhandling other senior police officers demanding that the SI be produced before them.

Raj Kumar also reportedly got adamant on bringing the SI before him as he wanted to take his revenge by beating him. It was only after the SSP apologised to the workers and MLAs on behalf of his men and ordered suspension of ten of them that they could be pacified.

BJP MLA Ganesh Joshi, state minister Khajan Das, Mahanagar president Punit Mittal, Rajender Singh Dhillo and Umesh Singh Agarwal were also present at the police post.

Late last night Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank met Raj Kumar, who had sustained wounds on his head, at the Doon Hospital.

However, the young SI and in charge of the Premnagar police post Manoj Negi who was produced before the CJM court refuted allegations leveled against him.

He told the media today that a constable who stopped the MLA’s vehicle was beaten up by the driver and another man (supposedly PRO) of the MLA, when he asked them to move their vehicle. Negi said when he reached at the spot, the MLA started abusing him and along with his companions started hitting and threatening them.

“It was only when he assaulted us that we retaliated. We are involved in opening up of the highway following a road accident and the legislator was not willing to move his vehicle. How can we take it when he started tearing our uniforms,” Negi said.

The SI also denied to have dragged the MLA to the police post and having beaten him at the post later.

Dehradun, July 12
The Uttarakhand police stood yet again humiliated at the hands of the ruling political party, the BJP, with last night’s incident involving party MLA Raj Kumar in which one-sided action by the police officers supposedly buckling under political pressure.

In the aftermath of the alleged beating of the MLA by the cops, not only the Dehradun SSP had to apologise in front of the crowd that gathered at the Premnagar police post, but also the police personnel had to face the wrath of the party workers once again.

The BJP party workers beat the police personnel, including Station House Officer (SHO) of Vasant Vihar police station, besides reportedly manhandling some senior police officials at the Premnagar police post last night. They also pelted stones at damage property and jammed the national highway.

Heated arguments were also witnessed between the MLAs, the SP and the SSP. This is despite the fact that the SI had alleged that he and his constable were beaten up and abused by the MLA and his men first.

As per the situation, a case under different sections should have been registered against the party workers and the MLA for assaulting the police and creating ruckus. Even cross cases should be registered in the dispute between the SI and the MLA.

Surprisingly, buckling under the political pressure, the order of suspension of police personnel was announced at the spot and no case has been registered against the MLA whom the SI had been accused of abusing and beating.

However, senior police officers maintained that considering such a volatile situation, the right step was taken, otherwise another Kaladunghi-like situation would have emerged.

“I haven’t worn khaki to listen to the abuses of others and get beaten up. If I have to give up my job for this I don’t care,” young Sub-Inspector Manoj Negi had said to a senior police officer after last night’s incident.

“But what did I get? We got beaten up and even the FIRs got registered against us,” voiced the SI to the reporters today.

“There should be an inquiry into the suspension of the police personnel whether they all were guilty and a probe should be ordered to find out why the incident happened,” Samajwadi Party state president Vinod Barthwal said.

“Whatever happened was very unfortunate and will tarnish the image of the police. But I also want to ask the BJP government that had it been the case with some other party, would it have behaved in such a manner,” questioned Barthwal.

Nainital, July 12
With almost 25 per cent of its population living in slums, the town is now looking to the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) for its redemption.

The much-touted tourist destination is grappling with problems of urbanisation which have to be dealt with on a priority basis given its geological and geographical profile.

A presentation by a representative of the Nainital Nagar Palika at a recent two-day consultation on urban risk reduction brought to light the glaring problems being faced by the Lake City and the steps which are being taken or need to be taken under the JNNURM for the purpose.

Manoj Pandey underlined that it was high time that the 74th amendment by Parliament aimed at decentralisation of the administration process was implemented in letter and in spirit.

It was pointed out that the merger of civic bodies with various development authorities was moving with a delay of five years the much-touted Municipal Act for the state awaited ratification by the top levels in the administration and the government.

It was pointed out that almost 13,252 residents of Nainital which is almost 25 per cent of its population are residing in slums. Residential colonies that have sprung up on the Ballia Nullah are such that neither a fire fighter vehicle can reach there in the time of a disaster nor can an ambulance reach them to address medical emergencies. There are 12 slums in the town out of which 10 are notified.

It was pointed out that the town now needed to emulate the success models like the ones in Andhra Pradesh for making use of rain water harvesting and water conservation. The suggestion is that recycled water can be supplied for a few hours that can be used for purposes other than drinking while drinking water can be supplied separately.

Referring to the success of Mission Butterfly for waste collection and segregation it was pointed out that it was time that a voluntary retirement scheme was introduced for the employees of the civic body that had 550 employees and this could be replaced by viable public private partnership (PPP) models.

It was disclosed that a proper solid waste management plan would be operational in the city by the end of this year and the unscientific method of waste dumping near Hanumangarh would be stopped.

A detailed plan regarding the relocation of slum population at Narayan Nagar and Durgapur was presented. It was pointed out that the land from where people were relocated would be developed as parks and would be put under large-scale tree plantation so that a fresh lot of dwellers didn’t settle there. It is also being mulled that this land can also be handed over to the Forest Department.

However, senior geologists like Dr Charu Pant of Kumaon University have expressed their reservation about the site for resettlements. They are of the opinion that the sites that have been chosen are geologically unsafe for human dwelling, hence there is no point in pushing people into a danger zone. Addressing their concerns it was pointed out that a final decision on resettlement sites would only be taken if the site was declared safe from the seismic and geological aspects.

Haridwar, July 12
Terming family life as the best phase of life, yoga guru Swami Rajendra Maharaj said a human being should perform all duties of his life and the rest of the life should be devoted to Lord Rama. He said one could get moksha only by chanting Lord Rama’s name.

Maharaj was addressing hundreds of people at Ram Katha organised by Amrit Vani Satsang, a Mumbai-based organisation, in the Mahajan Bhawan.

Giving sermon, he pointed out that in one’s life donation had a special part with which one came closer to the God.

Citing examples of King Harish Chandra and Karna, he said both were from royal dynasties, but due to helping others they became immortal.

He also refered to ancient scriptures urging one to profess such an attitude.

Hundreds of local devotees and pilgrims took the benefit of the religious sermon which was organised here for the first time.

People also attended yoga sessions of Maharaj which focused on making yoga simple for people whose hectic schedule didn’t allow them enough time to pursue asanas at home.

Dehradun, July 12
Yet another hoax call sent the state capital police in a tizzy as it launched a search 
operation of a bomb in the main market, Paltan Bazar, after getting information about it.

The police control room (PCR) this evening received a call from an unknown person saying that a bomb had been planted in the Paltan Bazar and asked the police to save people from a likely tragedy in two hours.

The police vacated the market and asked the people to come out as soon as it received the information. Shops were also shut down.

A police team and the bomb disposal squad took stock of the matter, but no bomb was found.

Superintendent of Police (City) Jagatram Joshi said, “We received the call that a bomb has been planted in the Paltan Bazar, but we have conducted a search operation and nothing of that sort has been found”.

Nainital, July 12
Capitalising on its busting a drug racket in the Terai region last week, the police acting on the tip-offs provided by the arrested persons seized 95 kg of opium from Bazpur yesterday.

Sources say that following a tip-off given by accused Mahipal of Bazpur, who had been arrested on Saturday, the police zeroed in on his brother Vikram, who is residing in Balwapur and seized a huge quantity of the drug, along with country-made pistols.

Mahipal had been nabbed on a tip-off provided by one Yogesh Valmiki, who had been arrested on Thursday night.

Working in a close co-ordination, police personnel of Khatima, Tanakpur and Bazpur had busted a gang of drug peddlers operating in the Terai region last week and seized drugs worth lakhs of rupees from the arrested persons.

Valmiki of Bazpur and Nitish Negi of Khatima were nabbed on Thursaday night after a-month surveillance near Sonia Nala in Chakarpur.

Meanwhile, acting on a tip-off, personnel of the Tanakpur police and the Special Operations Group (SOG) had nabbed two youths Deepak Chandra Gathodi and Mukesh Bankoti of Khatima and seized 340 gm of heroin from their possession. They were nabbed from Manihargoth Puliya on Barrage Road.

In yet another operation in Bazpur based on the information gathered from Valmiki, Mahipal had been arrested.

Inspector General of Police (IG) RS Meena has announced a reward for personnel involved in the operations to bust the racket.

Nainital, July 12
Having failed to appoint a full-fledged Managing Director in Kumaon Mandal Vikas Nigam (KMVN) for more than six months, the BJP government, in its bid to appease its party functionaries, has gone in for the appointment of a second vice-chairman to the KMVN.

The taking over of the post of new vice-chairman by Ravi Mohan Aggarwal has not gone down well with employees of the KMVN who have vociferously opposed the appointment. Even as Aggarwal was being welcomed by the BJP functionaries at a Tourist Rest Centre at Sukhatal, the employees were holding a rally against his appointment at the KMVN headquarters less than a kilometre away.

The employees shouted slogans against the Nishank government charging it with burdening the KMVN with non-productive appointments.

They claimed that the BJP government, in its bid to appease its leaders, was out to finish the KMVN. “All guest houses in the region are booked by the BJP leaders whether they turn up or not. They keep enjoying the freebies in terms of free transportation, stay and food,” said an employee leader.

Resenting the appointment, a leaders said, “The same government cannot give a Managing Director for six months who would work and deliver results. Instead it burdens us with two vice-chairmen who do nothing productive”.

Aggarwal on the other hand feigned ignorance on the matter. When confronted by mediapersons, he said, “I am not aware of any opposition to my appointment. They should let me work and then oppose me if I fail to deliver.”

He further said, “The employees are the backbone of an organisation. We should all sit together and work towards taking the KMVN forward. The criticism should be constructive. The employees know the developments I brought about during my previous tenure”.

He also claimed that a new Managing Director of the KMVN would be appointed within a week. The employees seem to be in no mood to listen to him. Instead, they are determined to oppose the appointment saying that how come the government makes such appointments over night while it takes days and months for them to appoint a new employee, a full-time Managing Director and to give promotions to the deserving employees.

They claimed that the top BJP functionaries tried their level best on Monday morning to sabotage their protest but failed.

They have demanded that a full-time Managing Director be appointed for the KMVN. The post had fallen vacant with the death of Haritash Gulshan who had brought about major reforms in the functioning of the KMVN and had not only brought it out of the red but had helped it record substantial profits. His tenure at the KMVN was marked by the corporation registering an increase of 30 per cent in its profits. He had helped his employees get the benefits of the Sixth Pay Commission. The paying guest scheme was launched by him for promoting tourism and was turning out to be popular amongst the entrepreneurs.

Since his death, the KMVN has had District Magistrates of Bageshwar and Nainital as Managing Directors for whom running the KMVN has been an additional responsibility.

Dehradun, July 12
The matter of building a toilet in front of the Sai Baba temple here is snowballing into a controversy. Mayor Vinod Chamoli and the Congress are dead against encroaching on land in this way, whereas a BJP MLA, who is behind it, has made it a prestige issue.

Former secretary of the Uttarakhand State Congress Committee Vinod Singh Chauhan registered his protest in front of the Mussoorie Dehradun Development Authority (MDDA) premises.

Chauhan said, “The MDDA is building this toilet at the behest of the Rajpur MLA without taking any no-objection certificate (NOC) from the PWD and approval from the Municipal Corporation. Nobody needs this toilet as people of surrounding localities are also opposing it.

“The toilet, if it comes up, will not only spread stink in the area, but also decrease the size of the road and give rise to traffic jams and accidents subsequently.”

He said on the one hand the government was carrying on with the “no encroachment” campaign, on the other it was orchestrating encroachments in the city. He suggested to the MDDA to rather construct the toilet on the vacant land lying behind the same temple.

Chauhan smelt a rat in the Rs 10.50 lakh contract given by the MDDA. He threatened to stage a dharna if the authority did not abandon this project on the road.

Chamoli has also written to the MDDA to cancel this deal because he said a toilet had already been proposed on the Nagar Nigam land which was on a wayside to the road.

Mussoorie, July 12
It seems that some officials at the Mussoorie Dehradun Development Authority (MDDA) are creating unnecessary bottlenecks in the construction of an additional private parking/skating hall which could ease the traffic pressure and revive the long-lost game of skating in the town.

Members of Alfresco Entertainment Pvt Ltd have alleged that the MDDA was delaying the sanctioning of the project due to an ulterior motive on the Sylverton Ground in Mussoorie.

According to Raj Gopal (name changed), Alfresco Entertainment Pvt Ltd had submitted a proposal for a much-needed parking area in Mussoorie on October 28, 2002. Following that, the MDDA directed Alfresco Entertainment to seek environmental clearance from the Ministry of Environment with the DFO office in Mussoorie.

The file was forwarded to the Nodal Officer of the ministry, Lucknow, and after a massive struggle, a copy of the Centre clearance was received by Alfresco Entertainment on March 24, 2004. Thereafter, accordingly a revised plan was submitted to the MDDA on March 24, 2004. On the request of the MDDA, the DFO office on August 31, 2007, identified the exact location on which the ministry permission was granted. The required structure safety certificates, revised plans and geo technical/soil testing report were also submitted on July 16, 2008.

Despite the clear instructions from the state government vide order dated October 3, 2003, that clearly stated that in case of a new construction, if the ministry permission had been received, no further state government order was required and the MDDA would sanction plans as per their bylaws/rules.

Certain MDDA officials were creating an unnecessary hindrance and roadblocks in the construction and were delaying the proposed parking at the behest of certain private parking owners who had also applied for such a proposal with the MDDA.

On the other hand, the MDDA itself has constructed two public parking lots and also sanctioned one public parking lot by a private entrepreneur at the Library Bazar.

When the question was raised by a section of the media recently, Urban Development Secretary Uma Kant Panwar at first praised the project and said he would look into the matter. Later, the MDDA vice-chairman informed that a technical team would be sent in a few days to check the viability of the project and then take a decision.

However, no such MDDA technical committee has reached Mussoorie till now as they were ready for the technical survey, for which they have already received positive report from the IIT-Roorkee. The mysterious delay on the part of the MDDA, despite submitting all documents required, has raised eyebrows among residents of the town, as they smell a rat behind it. In addition to that, sources said as the MDDA itself was interested in constructing parking worth several crore rupees and had already identified the contractors for the job, so stalling all other private projects suited them adequately. Hence, threatened by the parking which could stop the free flow of dubious money which would come through the MDDA’s own parking projects is leading to the delay.