Chandigarh, February 26
Evidence has surfaced to show how cops make all-out efforts to lay the blame on innocent people, and how an argument with a cop can land a blameless man behind bars for a decade in a drug trafficking case.

Rapping the Haryana police for making efforts to condemn “an innocent citizen”, Justice Jitendra Chauhan of the Punjab and Haryana High Court has expressed “deep pain” at the way the police not only violates the basis rights of the public, but also misuses powers to sabotage the process of justice.

Justice Chauhan also ordered the payment of Rs 1 lakh as compensation to the victim, Balwan Singh. The money, to be paid initially by the state, is to be recovered from the pocket of the erring cops.

Balwan Singh was sentenced to 10 years’ rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs 1 lakh after he was convicted by a Rohtak court in September 2000. The prosecution’s story was that Balwan Singh, already facing a trial in a case registered in 1996, was coming out of a court when “someone handed over a small packet to him. On checking it was found to be “charas”.

The defence claimed that the case was “falsely foisted upon the accused as there was a verbal altercation between him and Nihal Singh, who had produced him in the court on September 11, 1997, in another case”.

As his appeal came up, Justice Chauhan observed: “This case falls in the category of those cases where the prosecution story, instead of being merely doubtful, is outright improbable and false, even to the point of being characterised as absurd. Thus, the false implication of the appellant cannot be ruled out”.

Acquitting him, Justice Chauhan asserted: “This court wishes to express its deep pain and anguish at the way in which the basic rights of people of this country are being violated even by those who are under an oath to lay down their lives while protecting the people from any harm.

“The present case is a telling example of the misuse of police powers, almost non-existent prosecution investigation and an open, albeit successful, attempt at the trial court level to sabotage the process of justice….

“The appellant was also acquitted by the trial court in the criminal case, during the course of one of the hearings of which the present case was registered.”

Bhutana (Karnal), February 26
The tiny village of Bhutana in Karnal district today shot into limelight as consistent efforts of a progressive farmer to set up an inland fish processing unit fructified and India’s first such unit for production of value-added products was established in the village.

The processing unit, set up in technical collaboration with ZTM BPD Unit, South Zone, Central Institute of Fisheries Technology, Cochin, which comes under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), has an added significance as it has come up in a region which has a large vegetarian population.

The certified farm and processing unit named as “Sultan Singh’s Food Court” is spread over sprawling 27 acres and has a capacity to process one tonne of fish per day.

The Secretary of the Department of Agricultural Research and Education and Director-General of the ICAR, Dr S Ayyappan, who was here for the inauguration of the food court, said it was a model of diversification for the nation and provided facilities as per international norms and standards.

“At present, the total fish production in the country is 75 lakh tonnes. Out of which, 45 lakh tonnes is produced in the coastal areas while 30 lakh tonnes is produced through ponds and other water bodies. To increase the production to 100 lakh tonnes in the next one year, more such initiatives from entrepreneurs will be imperative,” he asserted.

Exhorting farmers to switch over to the production of value-added products, which yielded four-time more income, Ayyappan said with the emphasis shifting from the primary agriculture sector to the secondary in the 12th plan and the cost of input constantly increasing, there was a dire need to go in for the production of value-added products.

Sultan Singh, the man behind the bold initiative, said he had been working on the project for the past 27 years and imported the machines from China. Even the waste would be converted into fish feed and the unit would also serve as a training centre for progressive farmers and scientists, he added.

A recipient of various national and international awards, Sultan got associated with Krishi Vigyan Kendra at the NDRI in 1983. He developed keen interest in fishery and started with two acres.

Focusing on fish rolls, balls and fish fingers, Sultan Singh is planning to set up a food chain with a large variety of fish food on the pattern of McDonalds in the near future. 

Karnal, February 26
The Haryana College Teachers Association (HCTA) has demanded the arrest of the Principal of DAV College, Pundri, Dr Subhash Talwar, in connection with an alleged “murderous attack” on Dr SK Dubey, Assistant Professor, Department of Commerce.

The HCTA has threatened to go on an indefinite strike in Karnal, Kurukshetra and Ambala districts if the Principal is not arrested by March 3.

In a memorandum addressed to the DGP, the president and general secretary of the HTCA, Dr Rajbir Parashar and Dr Narender Singh, respectively, alleged that Dr Dubey was attacked in Sector 5, Urban Estate, Kurukshetra, on February 20 and some hired assailants and close relatives of the Principal were arrested in this connection.

They alleged that the Principal was involved in several irregularities and when his acts of “omission and commission” were exposed through a recorded conversation regarding some “inappropriate” financial transactions, he resorted to criminal acts, including a conspiracy to eliminate Dr Dubey.

An FIR was lodged in the Thanesar police station and the Principal’s name figured in it.

“However, in spite of evidence against the Principal, he has not been arrested and we seek your intervention for ensuring justice to the aggrieved teacher,” they added. 

Sirsa, February 26
District and Sessions Judge Shiva Sharma today awarded the death sentence to a youth, Krishan Kumar, alias Pali, in the infamous double murder case of a woman and her mother-in-law at Rori village here on February 28, 2009.

The court had earlier held the youth guilty in a decision announced on February 24 and the judge had reserved his judgment on the quantum of punishment for today.

Krishan had killed Mamta Jain (24) and her mother-in-law Trishla Jain (55), who had given him shelter for the night, and decamped with gold ornaments and cash from their house.

The convict was a distant relative of the victim’s family and used his acquaintance to stay with them for the fateful night when the house owner, Bhushan Jain, was away.

Mamta and Trishla were found murdered in their house on March 1, 2009.