Nuh (Mewat), September 30
The functioning of the Food and Supplies Department in the district has come to a standstill. Apprehending arrest, the officials have stopped going to office. The office has not been opened since Tuesday.

The DFSC as well as department inspectors met the Food and Supplies Commissioner, Navraj Sandhu, and apprised her of the situation. The latter sent a Deputy Director of the department to resolve the issue.

The Deputy Director today reached Nuh and formed teams to look into the matter. Sources said officials from Gurgaon, Faridabad and Palwal districts were also summoned.

Earlier, all the 400 ration depot-holders had resigned to register their protest against “police terror.” The police had arrested an inspector of the department and conducted a series of raids in a special anti-corruption campaign focused on the department.

Sandhu said she would ensure that the functioning of the department was restored in Nuh. “I have spoken to the Nuh DC and asked him to take restorative measures,” she said.

Nuh Deputy Commissioner CR Rana maintained that there were several complaints on the functioning of the department and the police was only doing its job.

“What’s there to sort out in a criminal case,” he asked on being questioned about the steps being taken to “normalise” the situation.

“Honest officials need not be afraid; but the guilty will not be spared,” he said.

Earlier, Nuh SP Yogender Singh Nehra had said that the depot-holders were corrupt and worked in connivance with officials of the Food and Supplies Department.

Due to the stalemate, the supply of public distribution system goods has been affected in the district.

Rohtak, September 30
A flag march was held in both Rohtak and Jind by the police today noon. The district unit of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad took out a procession in Jind this evening after the Ayodhya verdict.

PANIPAT: The district, identified as ‘hypersensitive’, remained peaceful. The authorities had made elaborate arrangements, deploying more than 1,200 security personnel outside most mosques and temples in the city. The district was divided into 16 zones that were monitored by senior police officials. The SHOs of all eight police stations were issued directions to maintain peace and harmony in their areas.

The police had parked 20 anti-rioting vehicles at various strategic places and over 200 policemen from the Madhuban Police Academy had also been called in to keep a watch on anti-social elements.

The police had last night carried extensive searches in hotels, guest houses, restaurants and dharamshalas. Vigil in areas bordering Uttar Pradesh was stepped up.

KARNAL: It was celebration time for VHP and RSS workers here. Rashtriya Seva Sangh district president Vimal Kumar Dhawan said the Ayodhya verdict was a victory for those who believed that Ayodhya was the birthplace of Lord Rama.

The VHP district president, Ashok Gupta, said the most important part was that the Bench acknowledged the fact that Lord Rama was born in Ayodhya.

Tension gripped the town ahead of announcement of the judgement and the police staged a flag march that went through all sensitive areas.

Groups of Muslims and Sikhs, in a gesture of communal amity, visited each other’s shrine. While Muslims offered prayers at Kalinder Sahib Gurdwara, the Sikhs payed obeisance at a mosque in the same locality.

AMBALA: The police held a flag march in sensitive parts of the town. All government and private schools and colleges in the district will remain closed on Friday.

Chandigarh, September 30
Nearly a fortnight after a Single Judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court held District and Sessions Judge RS Virk prima facie at fault for acting with “bias” and “revengeful attitude”, a Division Bench has stayed the proceedings against him.

As the appeal came up for hearing before Justice MM Kumar and Justice Ritu Bahri, the Sessions Judge took the plea of tremendous pressure to throw a challenge against the adverse remarks.

Taking up the petition filed through advocate DS Patwalia, the Division Bench observed: “Counsel for the appellant has argued that personal aspersion has been cast on the appellant, especially when the appellant was not impleaded as a party in person, nor the state of Haryana was made a party.

“According to the counsel, the District and Sessions Judge has to work under tremendous pressure and any harsh or disparaging remarks are not to be made against the authorities, whose conduct comes into consideration before the courts of law, unless it is imperative for the decision of the case”.

Issuing a notice of motion for October 27, the Bench asserted: “In support of his submission, the counsel has placed reliance on the judgment of the Supreme Court. In the meanwhile, proceedings before the Single Judge shall remain stayed”.

Virk was put to notice by the Single Judge on a petition filed by an assistant in Fatehabad court, Devi Lal. The Single Judge had noted down the contention that the judicial officer “without any rhyme or reason” placed the services of the petitioner under suspension on July 14 last year, even though he was asked to go in for “nephrectomy of right kidney” and was consulting a specialist at Delhi.

The Judge had observed that the judicial officer’s attitude was “not just and proper” and “an employee could not be treated like this merely because the judicial officer was in a position of dominance and has a control over the services of the petitioner”.

Chandigarh, September 30
In a significant move, Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda today announced a bonanza of incentives for guest teachers which included increase in their pay by 20 per cent.

A decision to this effect was taken in a meeting which the Chief Minister held with representatives of Haryana Atithi Adyapak Sangh here today. The enhanced pay would be effective from July 1, 2010.

Hooda said no guest teacher would be removed from service. Women guest teachers would be entitled to three months maternity leave with pay and they would also be able to change district in case of marriage or for other important reasons. It was also decided that instead of following a period of six months teaching experience for adjustment of guest teachers, 220 days of teaching would be considered and that period would be counted as a year.

Sirsa, September 30
Two persons facing trial in a dacoity case today attacked an assistant sub-inspector (ASI) at the local district courts complex.

The accused, Rajvinder Singh, alias Raju, and Harjit Singh, alias MLA, beat up ASI Raj Kumar and tore his uniform. The accused hail from Punjab and are facing trial in more than a dozen criminal cases in the district.

The accused, while being taken to a lockup, insisted on taking tea at a dhaba with an acquaintance, who had come to meet them in the courts complex, and began arguing with police personnel accompanying him. ASI Raj Kumar tried to intervene, but the undertrial attacked him and tore his uniform.

A case under Sections 332, 353, 186 and 34 of the IPC was registered against the accused for assaulting a public servant.

Sonepat, September 30
Two children - Mayank (6) and Jiya (4) were strangled to death allegedly by their mother Renu (26) in her house at village Mehandipur last evening.

After receiving information of the crime, the police reached the spot and arrested the alleged accused. The police also reportedly recovered a rope and blade allegedly used by her in committing the crime. She was today produced in the court and was remanded in judicial custody for 14 days. In her statement to the police, Renu alleged that she was married about eight years back and she took this extreme step following her torture allegedly by her husband Ranbir and his father and mother.

In another incident of altercation between two families over connection of drinking water supply line, Raj Singh of local Jatwara, was allegedly attacked with swords by his nephews and their family members last evening. Raj Singh succumbed to injuries while being taken to hospital.

On the complaint of Raj Singh’s son Vikram, the police has registered a case of murder against five persons--Dharambir and his wife Sheela, Subhash and his son Sonu and Sonu’s wife Mukesh, who were reportedly absconding after the incident.