Panipat, November 30
The district police today claimed to have busted a gang of robbers while they were planning to strike at a petrol station on the Sanuli road here late last night. Their four accomplices managed to flee.

District police chief Pankaj Nain said the police nabbed three members of the seven-member gang. Two country-made pistols of 315 bore and an iron rod were found in their possession.

The city police got a tipoff that the gang was hiding in a dome along the main gate of Kabuli Bagh. A police team under SHO Naresh Ahlawat raided the area and arrested Lukmann, alias Lalu, and Jisan, both residents of Pathargarh, and Sajid, a resident of Rana Majra.

On being quizzed, the they gave the names of their accomplices as Irfan, Afsroon, Naushad, and Kurbaan. A case under Sections 399 and 402 of the IPC and the Arms Act was registered against them.

Lauding the efforts of the city police team, the SP said it was commendable that the officials under SHO Naresh Ahlawat had cracked three important cases in the past 10 days, including a double murder case.

He said their names would be recommended for “suitable encouragement.” 

Palwal, November 30
The police has failed to arrest those behind the death of a youth of Tumasara village, about 15 km from here, last Wednesday due to injuries sustained in a fight with toll plaza bouncers on the Delhi-Mathura national highway.

An employee, who worked as a bouncer at the toll plaza, received a gunshot injury on his leg during the fight.

The issue has taken political colour with Congress MP from Faridabad Avtar Singh Bhadana alleging that the police was dragging its feet on the matter due to political pressure. The police had registered two FIRs, one lodged from the side of the deceased and the other from the side of employees at the toll plaza.

Among others a senior employee of the NHAI and the contractor, who was manning the toll plaza and collecting toll tax, have also been booked in connection with the death of the youth, Yogesh Kumar.

Residents of 13 villages held a panchayat at Tumasara village yesterday and warned the government and the authorities that they would take “direct action” if the culprits behind the death of the youth were not arrested.

Bhadana alleged that the FIR from the side of the contractor, in which 17 villagers had been booked, was lodged with “a political motive”.

He said he would take up the issue with Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and also raise it on the floor of the House in the Lok Sabha.

The version of the youth’s family is that they ran a tea shop near the toll plaza. The day before the incident, employees of the toll plaza had taken tea, but did not pay for it. The uncle of the youth had served the tea. The next morning, Yogesh, his uncle and others allegedly confronted the employees and asked them to pay up for the tea, which led to a fight between the two sides. Yogesh died on the spot allegedly on account of injuries received in a sword attack by the employees.

The employees’ version is that Yogesh turned violent when toll tax was demanded from him at the plaza.

Chandigarh, November 30
Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda has taken a stern view of attempts by the land mafia to grab panchayat and municipal land earmarked for common purposes in connivance with revenue officials.

The usual modus operandi of the mafia is to enter into agreements with share-holders (read original inhabitants of a village) for purchase of their share in the panchayat land. Technically, the original inhabitants of a village have a share in the panchayat land.

But the common land has not been partitioned in most villages in the state. Hence, their share in the land cannot be sold.

In the sale deeds, it is shown that an individual has sold his share in the common land. The revenue officials register these deeds after they are “suitably rewarded” by interested parties.

The CM has ordered the deputy commissioners to immediately lodge criminal cases against revenue officials who register sale deeds of land meant for common purposes to give undue advantage to land grabbers.

These instructions were issued by Hooda today after he came to know how three revenue officials posted in Faridabad district registered a sale deed in respect of panchayat land.

Earlier, he had come to know of similar cases in Ambala and Palwal districts. Two naib tehsildars and one Tehsildar were placed under suspension.

Former IAS officer VP Batra has been appointed the inquiry officer to look into the Faridabad case and determine the role of Ami Chand, Lalbun Verma and Om Prakash Verma, all former tehsildars of Hodal, in the alleged scam.

The allegation against them is that they were involved in the registration of sale deeds of land earmarked for common purposes in Hodal Patti Nehab village, which could not be alienated. Hooda has also directed the authorities concerned to issue detailed guidelines to all deputy commissioners to safeguard the valuable properties of panchayats, shamlat land and government land. 

Ambala, November 30
The district administration is gearing up for the Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda’s rally at Mulana on December 2. A team of senior functionaries today visited the rally site to oversee arrangements for the public meeting.

Pradesh Congress Committee president Phool Chand Mullana addressed meetings and visited Barara, Paplotha, Khera, Zharu Majra, Talheri Gujran, Taprian and Uplana villages, exhorting the people to attend the rally.

At a meeting held at the local Grain Market Mulana, Mulana said the pace of development in the state had picked up speed after the Hooda government came to power.

The Congress leader said the government had taken a series of measures for the welfare of all sections, especially the downtrodden, who had been allotted plots, among other things.

Under the “Annusuchit Jati Chhatra Uchch Shiksha Yojna” scholarships ranging from Rs 5000 to 14000 per annum were being given to SC girl students studying science and commerce. He called upon the people to converge on Mullana in huge numbers to make the rally a success.

Prominent among those who attended today’s public meeting were Saha Congress president Surjan Singh Kesri, Block Samiti chairman JD Singh, Karan Rana, Rajmohan Dukheri, Swaran Singh Gola and Labh Singh Bhukhri besides panches and sarpanches of the area.

Sirsa, November 30
Students of the newly set up government college at Ellenabad are agitated against the authorities due to shortage of teachers in their college.

Students allege that they are lagging behind in their studies though their semester examinations are approaching fast.

The students held a demonstration against the alleged apathy of the authorities on November 23 and then again held a protest yesterday. They have now served an ultimatum on the authorities stating that they would block all roads in the town on December 2 if the problem was not addressed by then.

The college was set up by the government in a school building from this session, after Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda had promised a college in one of his speeches before the Ellenabad elections last year.

However, several teachers to the college have been sent on deputation from Sirsa, who visit this college three days a week.

“We don’t have a computer teacher in our college and even the teachers of geography, political science and economics come for three days a week,” alleged agitating students Ravi Makar, Vicky Sihag and Pawan Soni.

They alleged that the authorities had not been taking any note of their problems, though they had been agitating for long.

The students have threatened to block all roads of the town on December 2 in case their demands are not met by then.

Dr Suman Gulab, Principal of the Government National College here, who holds the charge of Ellenabad, however, maintained that there was no shortage of teachers except for the computer teacher.

She said a guest teacher had been appointed for the post, but she did not join even after being selected.

Sirsa, November 30
Veerpal Kaur, alias Lali, who was rushed to a hospital here with serious burn injuries on November 27, died yesterday. Her lover is alleged to have ended his life by jumping into her funeral pyre late last evening.

No case has been registered and the police maintains it does not have any complaint either. Lali’s family claims she had sustained the burn injuries while cooking food on November 27.

The teenaged girl was reportedly in love with a boy from Punjab, identified as Bittu, who lived with his relatives here. Lali’s family was opposed to the liaison.

Some villagers claim to have seen the partially burnt body of Bittu on the girl’s pyre. It is said the boy took the extreme step out of despair. Most villagers, pleading anonymity, maintained that the boy went to the cremation ground past 8 pm last night, when all others had returned, and jumped into the pyre. They also claimed that the families of both Bittu and Lali chose to keep mum on the incident.

“It is strange that two young lives have been lost and the police is exhibiting nonchalance though a police station is situated in the village itself,” said a villager.

He said a probe into the incident could bare the truth.

The SP, Satinder Kumar Gupta, said as far as he knew the boy had committed suicide and the police could do nothing in the case. 

Sonepat, November 30
Two women, Afsana and Sudesh, of Bankner village were killed and four others - two women and two minor boys - were injured when they were trapped under a heap of mud while digging “chikni mitti” (mud) from a dug-up pond in this Delhi-Sonepat border village this morning.

The injured - Murti Devi, Ram Dei, Amit (10) and Afsana’s son Amir (5) - were admitted to Raja Harish Chander Government Hospital at Narela. Digging work on the village pond was in progress and the victims had gone to bring “chikni mitti” from the pond this morning for domestic requirements. While they were engaged in digging “chikni mitti”, suddenly a heap of dug-up mud fell on them.

Those engaged in the digging work of the pond tried to rescue the victims . However, Afsana was found dead while Sudesh succumbed to injuries later. — OC

Chandigarh, November 30
Haryana Congress president Phool Chand Mullana has turned down the list of office-bearers of the Ambala District Congress Committee (Urban) sent by its president Harish Sasan.

Mullana’s decision is being viewed as a snub to the group owing allegiance to Union Minister Selja, who is also MP from Ambala.

The genesis of the dispute goes back to the time when Sasan was declared elected as president of the Ambala body by the party’s district returning officer Sandip Narula on September 5, 2009.

A meeting of the delegates of the Ambala District Congress Committee (DCC) was held on September 4, 2009. The delegates reportedly favoured Arun Garg for presidentship. However, Narula is believed to have told the delegates that he would declare Garg as president of the DCC in Delhi on September 6. He also invited the delegates to Delhi on that day.

However, the following day Narula declared Sasan, believed to be Selja’s man, as president of the Ambala DCC.

Garg filed an appeal against Narula’s decision with the All-India Congress Committee (AICC). Oscar Fernandes, AICC general secretary in charge of the organisational elections, heard both groups and a decision is pending till date.

Meanwhile, Sasan sent a list of office-bearers and working committee members to Mullana for approval.

Declining approval, Mullana has written to Sasan, stating that since the “organisational election is still under process, the list as sent by you has not been approved.” 

Rohtak, November 30
The district food and supply authorities have announced that 890 tonnes of wheat will be released at a subsidised rate of Rs 6.86 per kg for card-holders in above the poverty line (APL) category in December.

A senior district official said the wheat would be given on a first come, first serve basis and each of the card-holder was entiltled to a total of 15 kg. The central and state governments had been under pressure following reports that thousands of tonnes of wheat faced damage due to poor storage. There was a demand that the government should arrange to distribute additional wheat to the needy free or at a marginal rate. “There are over 1.86 lakh APL card-holders in the district, all eligible for getting the wheat at this rate,” claimed an official.

While there are a total of 40,000 BPL (below the poverty line) card-holders in the district, it is reported that at least 10 per cent are availing the facility wrongfully. — TNS

Sirsa, November 30
Timely intervention by Child Marriage Prohibition Officer Sadhna Mittal saved a 15-year-old girl from being married by her parents at Rupana Darba village in this district today.

On a tipoff, the officer brought the matter to the notice of the SP, who constituted a team to stop the marriage.The marriage party was to arrive from Hanumangarh in Rajasthan. “In the village, we were told that the girl’s elder sister had also been married while she was a minor. A mother now, she was still a minor,” said Mittal. After some resistance, the family agreed to put off the marriage till the girl attained adulthood.

The police intervention came as a shock to the girl’s mother, who was taken ill.