Solan, June 22
The three-day state-level Shoolini fair began here today, marking the advent of the three-day sojourn of the local deity Goddess Shoolini to her elder sister’s abode at the Mata Durga temple located in Ganj Bazar here.

The fair began with a traditional puja of Goddess Shoolini at the temple where a large number of devotees turned up to seek the blessings of the deity.

Later, a procession accompanying the bedecked palanquin of Goddess Shoolini was taken out from the temple.

It was received on the Old Court Road by Health and Ayurveda Minister Rajeev Bindal. The procession passed through various areas of the town. The fair culminate with the return of Goddess Shoolini to her own abode located at the Shilli road.

As per the tradition, Goddess Shoolini appears before devotees fulfilling their wishes. Thus people from far and wide throng the town to seek her blessings.

The fair, which started over 100 years ago, has become a popular event in the district.

Cultural programmes, which are part of the fair, will be presented by artistes from Haryana, Punjab, Bilaspur and Sirmaur in evenings.

The Jan Kalyan Samiti and the Nav Yuvak Sangathan felicitated the chief guest.

Kul Rakesh Pant, president of the municipal committee, Solan, and officials of the district administration were among those present.

Solan, June 22
Resenting police action in yesterday’s Congress-led agitation against Health Minister Rajeev Bindal where black flags were shown to the minister, the Congress said today that the police was adopting different yardsticks to deal with agitators as no case had been registered against those who had disrupted the padyatra of senior Congress leader GS Bali while cases had been registered against Congress men of Doon.

Ramkumar Chowdhary, general secretary, PCC, said today they would court arrest and launch an agitation against the police action. They were merely trying to stop the Health Minister to apprise him of the pathetic state of health institutions in Doon. Chowdhary said the BJP government had tried to suppress their voice whenever they raised issues related to public welfare.

Taking exception to an FIR registered against the Congress leaders, he said they were trying to suppress the voice of the common man.

Chowdhary said they would not be deterred by such tactics and would continue to raise such issues. Alleging discrimination against the Doon constituency, Congress leaders said Doon MLA Vinod Chandel was misleading the Chief Minister as little had been done for the common man here.

With not a single public meeting having taken place in the constituency despite several visits of the Chief Minister, it appears that the interest of merely industrialists had been watched.

The MLA had even failed to make water available to far-flung panchayats and instead of facilitating people, officials had closed several under-construction roads by erecting a barbed wire. 

Shimla, June 22
BJP national vice-president Kalraj Mishra today led party workers in staging a protest against rampant corruption and unprecedented price hike under the UPA regime. Similar demonstrations were held in other parts of the state as well.

Mishra was accompanied by Lok Sabha MP and Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha chief Anurag Thakur, Shimla MP Virender Kashyap, local legislator Suresh Bhardwaj and other office-bearers in courting arrest on the ‘jail bharo’ call given by the party.

BJP workers assembled at the Telegraph Office here today and took out a protest march thorough Lower Bazar. They then proceeded towards The Mall and addressed the gathering outside Town Hall in violation of the prohibitary orders.

About 300 party workers who courted arrest along with senior leaders were taken in vans to the Boileauganj police station from where they were later released. While addressing the workers, Mishra said the UPA had become synonymous with corruption with the government also failing to take effective steps to check the spiralling prices.

He also doubted the intentions of the UPA regime in bringing back black money stashed away in foreign banks. “Despite specific information from various international agencies in this regard, the UPA regime has not taken any interest in bringing this black money back to India,” he said.

Anurag Thakur lambasted the Prime Minister for failing to take effective steps to check the steep hike in prices despite being an economist. “While the prices of oil have hit a low in the international market, a hike of Rs 7.50 a litre has been made in India, making it even tougher for the common man to make ends meet,” he said.

BJP MLAs and party functionaries took part in similar protests at all district headquarters in the state.

Bilaspur (OC): Hundreds of BJP leaders and activists from all parts of district took out a “ jail bharo” rally through main bazars here shouting slogans against anti-people policies of the central government. They condemned the Centre, holding it responsible for the ever-increasing prices of essential goods and discrimination with the state . Led by senior disrict leaders like Baba Ranjit Singh, Kisan Morcha vice-president Suresh Chandel, Ajay Rana Naina Devi MLA Randhir Sharma, district Vice-President Dr Ashwini Dogra, among others, the demonstrators blocked vehicular traffic for about half an hour on the Chandigarh- Manali ) highway at College Chowk, which resulted in a large number of vehicles being stranded on both sides of the blockade.

Later, the police intervened and “arrested” some 200 of the demonstrators who were later released on personal bonds. 

Solan, June 22
A mysterious blast in a house at Arki last night created a large crater in the roof and damaged walls and doors of the house. People were woken up by the loud blast that blew away the tinned roof and bent the heavy iron girder holding the roof.

The house belonged to Bharat Bhushan, who was sleeping in another house located about four feet away with his family and some guests.

Bhushan, who runs a kiryana shop in Arki, was as much surprised after the blast as neighbours.

Interestingly, two LPG cylinders which were inside the room were safe along with electronic items like television and refrigerator.

The cause of the blast could not be ascertained though police officials said the presence of gelatine rods could have caused the blast as Bharat Bhushan’s father was a PWD employee.

Hardesh Bisht, SP, Solan, said a team from the Forensic Science Lab would visit the spot tomorrow to lift samples. The actual cause of this blast would emerge from the forensic findings.

Mandi/Chauntra, June 22
The Police and the Revenue departments have yet to come clean on facts related to the land racket in the Tibetan Khampa Industrial Society (TKIS), founded in 1966 exclusively to raise funds and facilities and defend the “cultural identity of poor illiterate Khampa refugees who come here from the Kham area from Tibet”.

The land measuring 376 bighas, which was initially claimed by the Revenue Department as 366 bighas, was bought by the TKIS from the then king of Mandi Ashokpal Sen.

The tea garden flourished on this land earlier and even the society aimed to raise funds and facilities to protect the Khampa community.

Far from it, as you travel through the colony you find swanky cars rolling out from benami houses with upwardly fashionable Tibetans and lamas and monks zeroing in here from Kathmandu, Sikkim, Tibet, Taiwan and other countries.

Where are those Khampas, a warrior community, recognised by their unique colourful and fashionable dress? They were also known for carpet weaving, field working and small seasonal trade and were unable to afford school education.

Though some of them can be seen running small outlets, they have been pushed out by the neo-rich Tibetans, who rule the roost in the TKIS, reveal insiders.

According to the house allotment register of the society being scrutinised by the police, the society has allotted land to 138 house owners, with Rinpoche Gangkar’s house marked at No 134.

Although the TKIS has set up two schools here for children coming from across the Tibetan settlement colonies, but students from Nepal, Sikkim and other places.

The district Revenue Department has little record of the sale deed registry.