Chhillar ( Rewari), February 23
The survivors of the Chhillar massacre during the anti-Sikh riots of November, 1984, are so traumatised even after the lapse of so many years that they are reluctant to say anything on the subject.

But the Chief Minister has called for a report from the Commissioner and some of the survivors have been requested to record their statements, it is learnt.

The then Sarpanch, Dhanpat Singh Yadav, an eyewitness, told The Tribune, “ The police arrived the morning.after the massacre . An FIR was registered at the Jatusana police station as the village came under Mahendragarh district then. The SP was also present.

“The police rounded up a few villagers. I was among them. We were abused and hit with lathis. That was all. Nothing happened after that,” he recalled.

There is no reason to disbelieve Yadav who commands a lot of respect in the village. But, many questions remain unanswered. How could a bus and a truck carry 250 to 300 men? The residents outnumbered the mob. Why then did they not resist?

How could a mob of outsiders go on a killing spree for close to eight hours without being challenged? Those familiar with rural Haryana cannot believe that outsiders would stay in the village for that long.

Enquiries by The Tribune reveal that FIR No 91 was registered at the Jatusana police station after the incident. It mentioned 20 deaths caused by unidentified people numbering around 200. A senior police officer, pleading anonymity, said that the names of two villagers were added later. But they were let off after they turned out to be the farmhands of the 
victims. The case was then closed. He said the FIR had since been lost and the police had registered an FIR on the lost FIR relating to the massacre.

The survivors are reported to be residing in Hari Nagar in New Delhi, Ludhiana, Jalandhar and Firozepore. It is possible that they kept quiet because they wanted to salvage whatever they could and sell off the land in the village.

Did they keep mum all these years fearing they may not be able to sell their land if they named any villager? Politicians have been thronging the village for the past few days accompanied by mediapersons. The SGPC chief, Avtar Singh Makkar, visited the village yesterday in a cavalcade of cars and accompanied by a dozen Punjab Policemen. He announced that prayers would be held at the Akal Takht for the victims.

The land of the victims are today lush green fields. But the ruins of two houses and a masjid turned into a gurdwara stand as mute memorials to the victims.

The mazaar of the fakir, painted in white, also appears to mourn the dead who lovingly maintained it for years. Chhillar village is 12 km from Rewari. Till 1947, it was inhabited by Muslims. The evacuee property was allotted mainly to Yadav families from Pakistan. Thirteen Makkar Sikh families were also allotted land and houses in the village. These families converted an abandoned mosque into a gurdwara. The gurdwara has “Ji aayaan nu” etched on the facade. The residents described the Sikh victims as “very affable and friendly persons”. 

Chandigarh, February 23
Nearly 27 years after members of the Sikh community were “brutally killed” in “horrific incidents of communal violence” in Hondh-Chhillar village in Rewari district, New York-registered Sikhs for Justice and the All-India Sikh Students Federation have sought a probe by a retired High Court Judge.

In their petition against the State of Haryana, the Rewari Superintendent of Police and another respondent, they have also sought CBI assistance for the retired High Court judge. The petitioners, through counsel Navkiran Singh, have asserted that the victims’ belongings were burnt and even a gurdwara was reduced to ashes. However, the state on January 16, 2006, pronounced compensation only for the deceased. No compensation was provided for 
other losses.

Navkiran Singh added that the FIR, dated November 3, 1984, registered under Sections 148, 149, 302, 436 and 34 of the IPC at the Jatusana police station, had not been investigated properly.

“None of the eyewitnesses has ever been contacted by the police in the investigation and the crime has gone undetected”.

The petition, placed before the Bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Augustine George Masih, comes soon after one of the survivors, Uttam Singh, claimed in newspaper interviews that none of the eyewitnesses or survivors were ever contacted by the Haryana police.

The petitioners added: “Since the then Chief Minister of Haryana, Bhajan Lal, was allegedly inimical to the Sikhs and there were reported incidents of harassment of Sikhs in Haryana during his tenure and since the killings of the Sikhs had started from Delhi, which at that time also had the same political party in power as in Haryana, a free and fair investigation was not possible”.

As of now, the Bench has not issued a notice of motion on the petition; and it stands adjourned. 

Kurukshetra, February 23
Haryana Janhit Congress (HJC) chief Kuldeep Bishnoi today lashed out at Chief Minister BS Hooda for defending his government’s land acquisition policy and said the latter’s statements only corroborated the allegations that he was helping the “land mafia”.

Bishnoi, who reached here this afternoon on his “tractor yatra” from Yamunanagar, said in other states the oustees were paid adequate compensation and rehabilitated before the acquisition of their land, but in Haryana notices under Section 4 (compulsory acquisition) preceded all other legalities.

Alleging a nexus between the builders and the government, the HJC chief said the policy was designed to “help the land mafia in the state”. ccusing the Chief Minister of adopting delaying tactics to prolong the case regarding the disqualification of five HJC members who had defected to the Congress, Bishnoi said the Chief Minister was afraid of facing byelections.

Chandigarh, February 23
The Chief Minister today announced an increase in the minimum wages for industrial labourers and those engaged in brick-kilns by Rs 155 per month.

An unskilled labourer would get Rs 4,503 per month or Rs 173 per day. The revised wages will be effective from January 1, 2011. Minister of State for Labour and Employment Shiv Charan Sharma said for an unskilled labourer, the monthly wages would be Rs 4,502.98 and daily wages Rs 173.19.

For a semi-skilled category A worker, these would be Rs 4,632.98 and Rs 178.19 and for a semi-skilled category B labourer, the wages would be Rs 4,762.98 per month and Rs 183.19 per day. For skilled (A) category, these would be Rs 4,892.98 and Rs 188.19. — TNS

Jhajjar, February 23
Six teachers posted in government schools located adjacent to the Jhajjar-Dadri road here were killed while seven others were seriously injured when the maxi cab they were travelling in collided with a truck near the Tamaspur turn here this morning.

The deceased have been identified as Rekha Gupta of Jhajjar, Pinki of Matan village, Surender of Gurawar village in Rewari district, Seema of Sampla in Rohtak, Jaiprakash of Khedi Khummar village and Pushpa of Atelakhurd village. The injured have been referred to the PGIMS in Rohtak from the Beri Civil Hospital.

The incident took place around 8 am when all the 13 teachers were on their way to their schools from Dadri town in the maxi cab. As they reached the Tamaspur turn, a truck coming from the opposite direction collided head-on with their vehicle. Four teachers, including three women, reportedly died on the spot while the others sustained serious injuries.

On hearing the sound of the accident, several villagers rushed to the spot and extricated the bodies from the vehicle. They took the nine injured teachers to the Civil Hospital at Beri town, where two teachers were declared brought dead by doctors. The injured were referred to the PGIMS after giving them first aid.

The Beri police reached the spot and took stock of the situation. A case has been registered against the truck driver, who managed to flee from the spot after the accident.

The maxi cab used to ferry the teachers daily from Dadri town to their schools. 

Hisar, February 23
University and college teachers in the state remained on mass casual leave today seeking implementation of the notification issued by the University Grants Commission and the Union Ministry of Human Resources in toto.

The call was given by the Federation of Haryana University Teachers Association. Teachers of Guru Jambheshwar University and local colleges, including Government College, CRM Jat College, Dayanand College and the Fateh Chand College for Girls, went on mass casual leave.

The teachers submitted a memorandum to the district administration seeking immediate issuance and implementation of the two notifications. It pointed out that the government had promised to implement these in toto but even after the UGC and the HRD Ministry issued the notifications, the Haryana Government was yet to follow the suit.

ROHTAK: The teaching work in Maharshi Dayanand University and several of its affiliated colleges remained suspended today as the teachers went on a mass casual leave in protest against the alleged delay in issuance of a comprehensive notification regarding the revised pay scales. A teachers’ spokesman claimed that not a single class was held in the teaching departments of the MDU.

SONEPAT: Members of the Deenbandhu Chhotu Ram University Teachers Association went on a mass casual leave here today.

President of the association Dr Raj Kumar said the delay in the release of a comprehensive notification was forcing teachers to take the path of agitation. He said the state government had implemented the revised pay scales for the university teachers in bits and pieces and many of the issues had been left untouched.

KURUKSHETRA: To pressurise the state government to bring out a comprehensive notification, teachers of government and government-aided private colleges submitted a memorandum, addressed to the Chief Minister, to the Deputy Commissioner here today.

SIRSA: On the call given by the Federation of Haryana Universities Teachers’ Associations (FEDHUTA), a majority of teachers from Chaudhary Devi Lal University proceeded on leave today.

The FEDHUTA had given a call for the mass casual leave against the “inordinate delay in release of the comprehensive notification regarding the revised pay scales for university and college teachers in the state.”

Sirsa, February 23
The police today recovered 492 more silver coins during the demolition of an old haveli in the Bhadra Bazar area of the town. Haveli owner Meghraj Nahta, who reached here today from Kolkatta, alleged in his complaint to the authorities that the role of the local police was dubious in the entire episode.

Nahta accompanied by his cousin and district INLD chief Padam Jain, municipal council president Suresh Kuku and former District Consumer Forum president Pardeep Mehta met the SP as well as the SDM and alleged that the police had not even bothered to book the accused, who had “stolen” the hidden wealth from his haveli.

He demanded a thorough investigation under the supervision of a senior officer.

Later, on the intervention of SP Satinder Kumar Gupta, the police booked six persons under Section 379 (theft) of the IPC. A spokesperson for the police said demolition contractors Vijay, Rattan Lal and Kanhaya and workers Manoj, Mithu and Vicky had been booked for theft. The spokesperson added that the police recovered 492 more silver coins today. However, there was no clue of the pot in which the coins were kept.

Nahta maintained that his mother had told him that over 4,000 silver coins, several gold coins and silver decorations weighing 15 to 20 kg used for horses had been buried in the foundation. Therefore he had asked the labourers not to dig the foundation till he arrived from Kolkatta.

He said he had performed a “puja” in the haveli in the presence of the demolition contractors for the safe recovery of the treasure hidden by his ancestors.

He alleged that the contractors dug the foundation in his absence out of greed and took the wealth with them stealthily.

Meanwhile, the silver coins recovered yesterday as well as today dated back to the 20th century. The coins bear the year of their issuing between 1901 and 1921. The haveli from where the treasure has been recovered is said to have been constructed 90 years ago.