Panipat, October 5
Even as the district police has already arrested one of its own SI and four women in the alleged blackmailing racket being run by them, the kingpin of the racket, who happens to be a woman, continues to elude the police.

The gang members used to blackmail city businessmen, who were forced to shell out huge amounts of money, after registering false cases of sexual harassment against them. Saroj Saluja, who used to identify the targets and then ask the other gang members to close in on them, is yet to be arrested.

On an order issued by the Punjab and Haryana High Court, the district police had arrested SI Pratap Sharma along with a woman, Kamala Kashyap, alias Shalu, on September 8. After that three other women, including Poonam, Joyti and Shaina Mirza, were also placed under arrest. According to the police, Saroj Saluja had gone underground and was yet to be traced.

The matter had came to light after IG, Rohtak range, V Kamaraj, had asked DSP Virender Vij to look into a complaint by Pratap Singh, a local industrialist, in which he had accused Pratap Sharma, in charge of the Sector 29 police post, of extorting money from him. According to the complaint, the said woman had called Singh and told him that a case of sexual harassment had been registered against him, but if he was ready to pay them Rs 5 lakh, they could save him from legal action.

Fearing social stigma, Singh paid the woman Rs 1.5 lakh, while the in charge of the Sector 29 police post, Pratap Sharma, also demanded Rs 1.5 lakh from him for foregoing legal action against him. Singh, however, used the RTI Act to learn that no case was ever registered against him, after he filed the complaint with the IG.

After the matter was taken up in the high court, an order on August 29 asking the district police to arrest the accused and produce them in the court before September 27 was issued. As all the accused were not produced in the court, the high court had again asked the police to arrest all the accused and produce them before the court on November 9, which is the next date of hearing.

Jind, October 5
Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, the star campaigner of the Congress, assured the voter that the government would leave no stone unturned for speedier development in the area, something not possible in non-Congress rule.

“I want to assure you that your support will be paid back fully and the state government would do whatever you want in return for your support,” Mr Hooda declared at several places during a roadshow organised by the party in the Uchana assembly segment in support of its candidate, Jai Prakash, in the Hisar LS byelection. The roadshow covered dozens of villages in the assembly constituency.

Lambasting the main rivals in the byelection, Hooda claimed all other parties and candidates had already been exposed as they had only promoted corruption and family politics. Saying that the defeat of the Congress candidates on all five seats in the district had been a major fault on the part of voters, he asked the people not to repeat the mistake this time as it might prove costly in terms of development.

Criticising both INLD and the HJC for fielding family members in the byelection, Rajya Sabha member Birender Singh said this proved that these parties were interested in the welfare of a particular family and not society as a whole. He claimed that the Congress had implemented several schemes and programmes to benefit the common man and the state had made spectacular development in the past six years.

Chandigarh, October 5
Vivek Sharma, SP,Hisar, has been transferred to Fatehabad with immediate effect.

It may be mentioned here that the Hisar Lok Sabha byelection is scheduled for October 13.

A few days ago the INLD had complained to the Election Commission of India that as Sharma was a close relative of Haryana Speaker Kuldeep Sharma , he should be immediately transferred from Hisar to ensure free and fair polling.

Vikas Kumar Arora, SP, Rewari, will be the new SP of Hisar. Yogender Nehra, SP, Mewat, has been given additional charge as SP, Rewari.

Hisar, October 5
In a major setback to HJC-BJP nominee for the Hisar Lok Sabha seat Kuldeep Bishnoi, one of his father’s closest associates, Dharampal Singh Sirsana, today joined the Congress in the presence of Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda.

Sirsana, a former chairman of the Haryana Khadi Board, was a close friend of former Chief Minister Bhajan Lal. However, their friendship was marked by several instances when they parted ways. Sirsana contested against Bhajan Lal’s wife, Jasma Devi, from the Adampur assembly seat in 1987 and lost. It was on Sirsana’s complaint that the Devi Lal government had registered a graft case against Bhajan Lal.

However, they became friends again and the association lasted so long as Bhajan Lal was alive. Sirsana said Bhajan Lal never wanted to quit the Congress but Kuldeep Bishnoi pressured him into doing so.

Gurgaon, October 5
The police authorities have advised the residents and companies not to engage 55 security agencies of Gurgaon for security cover on their premises as the owners/managers of these companies have neither applied for licences, nor they are complying with norms regarding training and verification of security guards.

The Haryana Government had designated the Additional Director-General of Police (Law and Order), as the competent authority to issue licences.

A survey of all private security agencies functioning in Gurgaon was conducted during the last fortnight of September, 2011, and those agencies which had not even applied for licence were identified.

“We have been asking the security agencies to obtain licences for nearly two years, but many security agencies have not even applied for the same,” said the spokesperson.

The “blacklisted” security agencies include Le Group, Galleria Market, Super Mart Shopping Mall, DLF Phase-I, Gurgaon; SR Group Security, Sibba Apartment; Real Security, East-West Security, Sector 54, Arihant Apartments, Sector 56; Meera Security, Brother Apartments, Sector 55; KNN Security, C Dot Apartments, Sector 56; Security Own, Guru Gram Society, Sector 56; DS Security, 329, Aap Ka Bazar; Nips Security, Rail Vihar; Rakshak Security, near Hanuman Mandir, Dundahera; Adarsh Security, Kataria Market, New Railway Road; DSF Security, Vigyan Vihar Sector 56; Vishal Security, Sukhwanti Tower, Kiran Residence, Sector 56; Alps Security, IFSCGHS Apartments, Sector 56; Neel Security, Akash Ganga Apartments; Force 4 Security, Aravali Apartments; Good Luck Security, Royal Palam Sector 56; RSTSS Security, Vidhya Enclave, Sector 56; Prayagraj Security, Vidhya Apartments; Active Group, Gail Employees Sector 56; Ghibillies Security, Bhagwati Society, Sector 56; Express Security, Shri Ganesh Society; Seeta Dal Security; Raj Secruity, Sujjan Vihar; Tera Force and Varun Security, Gisminiyam Society, Sector 45; Apex Apartments, Ganesh Society, Sector 45; Royal Society, Sector 45; Doordarshan Apartments, Sector 45.

Other such agencies include SMS Security, Old Delhi Road, Near Hanuman Mandir, Gurgaon; Premier Shield, Palam Tower, South City-I; SOM Security, Infinity Tower, MGF Mall; Oak Wood Estate, Phase-II; ZED Security Services; Daksh Security, 220, Krishana Palace, Basai Raod, Gurgaon; Commando Protection Security, Shop No. 418, Ganpati Arcade, GGNZED Security Serevices, 217, Apna Bazar, Gurgaon; Bulwark Security, SCO-6, Opposite SBI, MG Road; RK Security, 873/2, Sector 12;Griffin Security, 301, Deep Plaza Complex, Civil Lines; Choudhary Job Solution & Security, Masterji Market, Mata Road; NX Manpower Solution & Security, Mata Road; Sun Security Group, Mata Road; Face to Face Security, Sector 12-A; Vasundhara Security and Placement Services, B-39, Saraswati Enclave, Kadipur; Inovision Security, Block No. 68/273, Sukhrali; Vijain Security, Abhey Singh Market, Sukhrali; Sai Security, Sector 17-A; Excellent Security, MG Road, Sukhrali; V-Inspire, Ashok Vihar Road; Rathore Security Services, Old Delhi Road, Dundahera; Singh Security, Daya Nand Colony, Sector 5; Sirus Securities Service, Shop No.22-B, Sheetla Mata Road; Savior Facility Management, 27, Sheetla Mata Road; Tuskar Security, Palam Vihar; RR Security, Old Delhi Road, Dundahera; RHS Security; VRS Security; BM Security and MS Security.

These companies have also been advised to obtain licences by October 31, 2011.

Jind, October 5
The local police has rescued an 18-year-old Assam girl from Shahpur village in the district. The rescue followed after the police was told that the girl had been a victim of human trafficking and sold for forced marriage. The victim has been found pregnant.

“The girl was abducted from Kamroop in Assam five months ago on pretext of a job but was sold to a person from Nidana village in the district for Rs 25,000 after three weeks of stay in Delhi,” claimed Rishi Kant , spokesperson of Shakti Vahini, an NGO, which played an instrumental role in tracking the victim and coordinating with her family members.

Claiming that it was one of the several cases of human trafficking that took place in the state, he said majority of the victims were poor and unable to communicate in the local dialect

Alleging that two persons, Raju and Rahul, were the main accused in the case who brought the girl to Delhi and then to Haryana, Rishi Kant said the victim was sold again a few weeks back to another resident of Shahpur village for Rs 60,000. The girl was rescued from a house of Nawab of Shahpur on Monday night after the NGO informed the police. The person who was keeping her in the house as his wife, however, managed to escape. She will be soon handed over to her family after some legal formalities, the police said.

Sirsa, October 5
Following allegations of sexual exploitation of his wife by Dera Sacha Sauda Chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh by a follower, Vishwash Gupta, the dera today sought to contradict the allegations describing these “100 per cent false, fabricated and baseless.”

In a press release issued here today, Aditya Insan and Pawan Insan, spokespersons of the dera said the statement given by Gupta yesterday in the Punjab and Haryana High Court was contradictory to his own statement given to the Deputy Commissioner, Panchkula, while seeking police protection on August 5.

Releasing a copy of a letter written by Gupta to the DC, the dera said Gupta had expressed danger to his life from forces inimical to the dera chief in that letter. The dera said Gupta hadcome under the influence of those forces and was leveling baseless allegations.

“Whenever elections loom large, the anti-social elements orchestrate such conspiracies to defame the dera,” the release said. Efforts to contact Gupta on a mobile number given on the letter to the DC proved futile, as it was switched off.

Fatehabad, October 5
Relatives held a demonstration in front of the Community Health Centre (CHC) at Bhuna in the district after a newborn died after delivery, allegedly due to non-availability of oxygen in the hospital.

Holding the doctors responsible for the death of the neonate, the angry kin demanded registration of a case of criminal negligence against them.

Pinki, wife of Surender Singh of Ward 18 of Bhuna town, was admitted to the CHC with labour pains at 8 in the morning.

Surender said the doctors told them that his wife’s condition was fine and it would be a normal delivery.

Pinki delivered a male baby through a normal delivery at 2 pm.

“Sometime after the delivery, the doctors told us that the child needed oxygen, but the hospital’s oxygen system was out of order,” Surender alleged.

He said they were advised to rush the baby to a private nursing home on Uklana Road of the town for administering oxygen to it.

Surender said when he demanded an ambulance for shifting the child to the private hospital, the hospital authorities declined his request.

He rushed with the child towards the private hospital by seeking lift from a motorcyclist, but the newborn died on the way to the private hospital.

Angry kin of the child had heated exchange of words with the doctors and hospital staff and demanded action for the lapse.

“My wife underwent an ultrasound test at Fatehabad on Saturday and everything was normal at that time. Even when we brought her to the CHC in the morning, we were assured that it would be a normal delivery and there was nothing to worry,” said the victim’s kin and held the hospital authorities responsible for the neonate’s death.

Dr RC Goyal, Senior Medical Officer of the CHC, however, denied any negligence on the part of the hospital authorities.

Fatehabad, October 5
Narma Devi, 65, of Pirthala village, has been running from pillar to post for restoration of her monthly old-age pension, which the authorities have discontinued since February showing her dead in official records.

As she has not been keeping good health and is in dire need of money, she has not received her pension for the last seven months due to apathetic attitude of the authorities.

Narma’s son, Ram Niwas, said he had knocked at all possible doors and had given a representation to the Deputy Commissioner too, but his mother’s pension had not yet been restored. He said there were two women with the same name Narma Devi in the village. While his father’s name is Banwari Lal, other Narma Devi, whose husband’s name is Het Ram, died in February.

However, the Social Welfare Department discontinued pension to his mother and despite several representations, it has not been restored yet. Though after the matter was brought to their notice, the Social Welfare Department discontinued the pension of other Narma Devi too.

He said the authorities now maintained that the pension, once stopped, could not be restored and his mother would have to complete the process afresh.

Chhabil Dass, village sarpanch, said in his monthly report, he had recommended the discontinuation of pension to Narma (wife of Het Ram), but the Social Welfare Department deleted Narma’s (wife of Banwali Lal) name from their records.

Jatinder Dhillon, District Social Welfare Officer, said Narma Devi’s pension was stopped on the basis of the actual payment received (APR) report sent by the sarpanch and the presence of two women by the same name created confusion.

He said since the old-age pensions were normally started once in a lifetime of an individual, they could delete, migrate or suspend the pension in their online records, but could not make any fresh entry. He said since the pension had already been stopped, they had written to their head office for arrears as well restore Narma’s pension.

Faridabad, October 5
Three persons of a family, including a five-year-old girl, were found dead in their house in SGM Nagar here yesterday.

The deceased have been identified as Papu Chaudhary, his wife Shobha and their daughter Komal.

All the three had been strangulated to death, the police said. It said the cloth used to strangulate the three was also found besides their bodies.

However, their two-year-old son was left unharmed by the killers, the police added.

Papu, who was working with an export firm here, is a native of Meerut, Uttar Pradesh. The family was residing in SGM Nagar in a rented accommodation.

The police said the post-mortem was yet to be conducted. Four police teams have been constituted to identify the killers. PK Agaarwal, Police Commissioner, Faridabad, along with a team of senior police officers rushed to the spot immediately after getting the information.

According to the police, a case has been registered on the complaint of Kanhaiya Chaudhary, brother of Papu Chaudhary, and further investigations are on.

Chandigarh, October 5
Justice SK Mittal of the Punjab and Haryana High Court has been nominated as the executive chairman of the Haryana State Legal Services Authority(HSLSA).

Deepak Gupta, Additional District and Sessions Judge-cum-member secretary of the authority, said Justice Mittal had been nominated by Haryana’s Administration of Justice Department in consultation with MM Kumar, Acting Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court.