Rohtak, June 9
The government has invited applications from NGOs interested in working for the rehabilitation of sex workers in the state. The rehabilitation work will be undertaken under the “Ujjawala” scheme launched by the Centre for such persons. There are about 14,440 sex workers in the state, “who are in touch with the Health Department”.

This was disclosed at a meeting of the state government held recently in which the authorities claimed that according to the records available with the Health Department, the number of active sex workers was less than 20,000, though many such persons may not have been covered in surveys conduted so far. The state government has initiated a move to help those who have been forced to continue this work in the absence of any help or due to the lack of any rehabilitation scheme.

According to a spokesperson for the department, two schemes - “Swadhaar” and “Ujjawala” - for the rehabilitation of sex workers. The department has proposed to provide vocational and professional training to women sex workers on the pattern of ITIs in the state and this will be the main task of NGOs taking up the job.

The Women Development Department would provide financial help in case of shortage of funds for carrying out the programme, said an official.

The schemes had been launched under the provisions of Statute 21 of the Constitution which provides that every citizen has the right to pursue work that is dignified and honourable.

While seven civil organisations are already engaged in this work, the government wanted the participation of more NGOs in the work so that the benefit could be extended to all such persons.

The organisations will function at the district level and will work in close coordination with the Health Department.

The government also plans to provide help in getting loans released and in marketing products manufactured by the organisations engaged in the work of rehabilitation of sex workers.

According to a social activist here, the sex trade in urban and semi-urban pockets in the state is flourishing and the figure of sex workers released by the department may not be true. While this racket allegedly has the patronage of police officials and influential persons, the business is largely flourishing with more and more hotels coming up and the trade getting more organised.

Karnal, June 9
While the police is yet to scan the details of the phone calls made from the mobile phone of former sarpanch Karam Singh, who was allegedly murdered in Karnal, and is waiting for the chemical examination report of the viscera, his son Rajinder today alleged that they were being threatened and pressured to enter into a compromise.

Rajinder alleged that three persons came in black Alto car (HR 99 BHQ 2030) and threatened him with dire consequences if he did not reach a compromise. “My family and I are facing a threat to our lives. I have already informed the police about it,” he said.

The police is not relying much on a CD reportedly having a recording of the last words spoken by the victim before his death.

The family members of the victim are not satisfied with the resignation of Transport Minister OP Jain and Chief Parliamentary Secretary Zile Ram Sharma in connection with the murder and have demanded their arrest.

According to Rajinder, his father had called him up from the residence of Zile Ram Sharma and had said that he was coming to the rest house with his driver and two others. After some time another call was made by some unknown person from the same phone (9813260316) informing that Karam Singh was lying injured near the cemetery.

The police is trying to ascertain the location of the phone at the time these calls were made and in case it is established that the first call was made from the residence of Zile Ram Sharma, the reported statement of Karam Singh, recorded in the CD, will get credence.

Karnal SP Rakesh Arya said, “We are seeking assistance from the technical team to ascertain the location of the mobile at the time of the incident.”

Meanwhile, the distraught family is in a miserable condition as not only has the head of the family been “murdered”, the amount of Rs 3 lakh, allegedly paid by him as “bribe” for the job of a conductor for his son had also been borrowed. “We only had Rs 1 lakh and my father borrowed the remaining amount,” the family said.

Narinder claimed that his brother, Rajinder, had recorded the statement of their father in the presence of a doctor and a nurse before the victim died. The CD was given to the police the same day. However, the police maintained that the “original source from which the CD has been made is the mobile phone and unless the phone is procured, it will be difficult to say whether the CD is original or doctored”.

Sirsa, June 9
Haryana Minister for Home and Urban Local Bodies Gopal Kanda and former minister Jagdish Nehra today criticized the INLD for its decision to organise “Sirsa bandh” coinciding with Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda’s visit on June 11 to lay foundation stones of some development projects.

Earlier, the INLD had announced the bandh against the Ellenabad double murder case but the party later added some other issues like poor law and order, “corruption” in the district police.

Kanda and Nehra said INLD leaders Om Parkash Chautala and his two sons had been behaving abnormally out of frustration as the people of Haryana had rejected them twice.

Taking a dig at INLD MLA from Ellenabad Abhey Singh Chautala, who had given the call for the bandh, Gopal Kanda asked him whether he had a problem with the projects worth Rs 150 crore that Hooda was set to set in motion on Saturday as the Ellenabad murder, he claimed, had already been solved.

Nehra said Hooda had gifted land worth over Rs 150 crore to the Aggarwal and Arora communities and was coming here to lay the foundation stones of their dharamshalas while, on the other hand, the INLD wanted members of these communities to lose their business by forcing them to keep their shops closed on that day. He alleged the Chautalas were anti-traders and anti-poor as small traders would be hit the most due to the “Sirsa bandh”. Meanwhile, the police has made elaborate arrangements to ensure that Hooda’s visit passed off peacefully despite the INLD’s “Sirsa bandh” call.

The INLD has launched a mass contact drive in villages and Sirsa town to ensure that the maximum number of people reach Sirsa to participate in the party’s demonstration on June 11.

Naraingarh, June 9
The All-India Brahmin Sabha has threatened to launch an agitation in support of its demand for action against the cops allegedly responsible for the death of two youths of Gadhauli village near Naraingarh on June 2.

A decision in this regard was taken at a meeting of the Brahmin community in the New Grain Market here today. Sabha president Ramesh Sharma alleged that senior police officials were “avoiding” to take action against the “guilty” cops.

Despite the registration of a case under Section 304-A, IPC, against four police personnel - SI Puran Chand, head constable Satish Kumar, constable Gurcharan and PCR van driver Krishan Kumar - no cop has been arrested so far.

Following the death of two youths, villagers had gone on the rampage and had set two police vehicles on fire.

The villagers were protesting against the death of Neeraj and Mohit.

They were riding a motorcycle and were signalled to stop by a police party at a naka near Gadhauli village. They panicked and sped away, and in the process met with an accident, resulting in their death. The villagers alleged that they were chased by the police.

Chandigarh, June 9
With the Haryana Election Commission announcing the schedule of panchayat byelections to the offices of panch, sarpanch, members of panchayat samitis and Zila Parishad , the model code of conduct has come into force in the areas where poll is to be conducted on June 19.

State Election Commissioner Dharam Vir said here today that the Chief Minister, ministers and Chief Parliamentary Secretaries would neither sanction any grant from the discretionary fund or from the government fund nor would they sanction any scheme till the election process was completed in all respects.

Also, neither any foundation stone would be laid nor any scheme or plan inaugurated. Any violation of the code of conduct would be viewed seriously. — TNS

Hassanpur (Palwal), June 9
Shops in the main market here remained closed for the second day today in protest against the attack on a shopkeeper last Tuesday.

Shopkeepers, who are holding the agitation under the banner of the Beopar Sangh, are demanding the arrest of the culprit who attacked the shopkeeper, Khem Chand, in a bid to rob him of his money outside his house. — TNS