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Maruti likely to resume production on Aug 20
Violence over land acquisition
Ban on food articles containing nicotine, tobacco from Aug 15
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From hawai chappals to hawai jahaz
Aruna Chadha’s police custody extended by a day
Exiled Dalit Youth Case
gurgaon shelter home case
CM making bogus announcements, says Chautala
Youth booked for raping girl on pretext of marriage
5 robbers held; cash, jewellery recovered
Miscreants loot cash, gold from villager
Man ends life with two daughters
Jawan dies in freak incident
13 Delhi cops camping in Sirsa
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Maruti likely to resume production on Aug 20
Gurgaon, August 12 The plant, which has two production lines manufacturing about 1,900 cars a day, was shut following the July 18 violence that claimed the life of an official and injured 96 others. Maruti had declared a lockout on July 21. “We have worked out modalities and expect to make an announcement on resuming operations in tomorrow’s meeting. We need to give at least a week to our component vendors to start supplies,” said a Maruti official. He said, “Maruti will first start the Plant B, which currently makes the new Swift hatchback and is expected to shift some experienced workers from its Gurgaon plant for the same. The Plant B has been chosen to run first because it is highly automated and thus will need fewer workers to resume operations. Resuming production of the Swift and then the Dzire will help the company meet the high demand for the diesel variants of the models.” With the festival season round the corner, the production halt has stretched waiting periods on both these models from 3-4 months to 5-6 months. he month-long closure of the plant is expected to result in about Rs 2,700-crore loss in potential revenues for the car market leader and a drop in market share from 40 to 38 per cent. Meanwhile, Maruti Suzuki will operate the violence-hit facility under police protection on resumption of production with the Haryana Government not willing to take a chance. The state administration feels the necessity to position a complete battalion at the plant due to “security threat”, said a senior Haryana Police official. “It has been decided by the government that one full battalion will be there at the Manesar plant to provide security and it will be under an SSP rank officer,” Joint Commissioner of Police Anil Kumar said. The battalion will be under the command of Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Yogender Nehra, he added. Kumar said: “The presence of the 500-600 police personnel will continue to be there till the next decision is taken after reopening the plant.” Citing reasons for the extended protection, he said: “Though we have been giving full security and the plant is completely safe, some people are still apprehensive of a security threat.” After the violence, the Manesar plant is currently being guarded by the Haryana Police. |
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Violence over land acquisition
Sources said he visited Asalwas village where a 30-member delegation of the Sangharash Samiti led by Ram Krishan Mehlawat met him. After hearing them at length, Justice Iqbal Singh, accompanied by Registrar-cum-Secretary to the Commission, SP Arora, urged the delegation to file affidavits for whatever evidence they have. They were also asked to submit whatever information they wanted to bring to the notice of the commission as an affidavit since a public notice in this regard had already been issued by the commission. They have 21 days from the date of publication of the notice to file their affidavits. This period ends on August 31. Later, Justice Iqbal Singh met Deputy Commissioner CG Rajnikanthan and Superintendent of Police Abhishek Garg. The commission advised them to submit a copy of the FIR, if any, registered after the incidents of violence and also a detailed report of the events as they unfolded. They were also asked to file affidavits of their version. The Haryana Government had, on July 27, appointed Justice Iqbal Singh as Commission of Inquiry following the demand of a commission from different sections of the public for inquiry into the various aspects of the incident. On July 16, residents of Asalwas, who had been protesting against the acquisition of their land and demolition of houses, vandalised the secretariat and damaged government property and vehicles parked there. In response, the protesters were cane-charged by the police, leaving a handful of them injured. Again on July 22, irate villagers, trying to block the highway, were cane-charged by the police. They retaliated by pelting them with stones and the police resorted to firing, first in the air and then on the protesters before the villagers hit back again. Even as the police ran for cover, villagers blocked the highway, torched several roadways buses, a fire tender and several other vehicles. They also torched a police post at Kasola village. A couple of days later, following talks of a delegation of villagers with Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, the Commission of Inquiry was set up and a state-level committee was constituted under Industries Minister Randeep Singh Surjewala to resolve the issue of land acquisition amicably. |
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Ban on food articles containing nicotine, tobacco from Aug 15
Chandigarh, August 12 The Food Safety and Standards (FSS) Act, 2006, enacted by the Central Government, prohibits the sale and manufacture of such products as they are injurious to health. This was stated by Rakesh Gupta, Haryana Commissioner, Food and Drug Administration, while inaugurating an orientation-cum-sensitisation workshop on the “Prohibition of food articles containing tobacco and nicotine”, in Panchkula today. Gupta said, “Tobacco smoke is a toxic deadly mix of more than 7,000 chemicals, many of which are poisonous and injurious to health. Tobacco is the foremost preventable cause of death and disease in the world today. More than one-third of Indian population uses tobacco in one form or other.” Haryana is the first state in the country to go “hookah-bar free” after shutting down more than 60 bars offering hookah or water pipes with nicotine. Laws to ban smoking in public places did not have the desired effect for want of public awareness. Shunning tobacco products reduces the risk of heart attacks by 27 per cent, he added. Among the lower income groups, smokeless tobacco like khaini, mishri or smoking beedis are common. In the l areas, smoking by hooka and tobacco chewing are common. During the last two to three decades, chewable tobacco products are being promoted for sale, and their use is being linked with upper-class business-community in order to popularise them among the masses. Gupta said smoking in public places exposed non-smokers to second-hand smoke and caused them health hassles. Smoking in public places poses the possibility of influencing the minds of impressionable children. Many people have taken a vow to quit smoking after the ban was imposed. Addressing the workshop, GL Singhal, State Drug Controller, appealed to the people not to use such products as they could cause cancer. Manufacturers, distributors, retailers and hotel owners from all over the state attended the workshop. |
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Sonepat village celebrates as Yogeshwar bags medal
Sonepat, August 12 His family members and a number of villagers remained awake throughout the night to enjoy the moment with dances, singing, firing crackers and distributing sweets in the village. Yogeshwar’s mother, Shushila Devi, a retired teacher, while talking to mediapersons at her house after his win, said, “I was quite confident of his win as he had blessings of people of India and now he is eligible for marriage also.” “Meine sharat rakhi thi ki Olympics mei medal lane ke baad teri shadi karungi (I had put a condition that after winning a medal in the Olympics, I will marry you off),” she remarked. She said his younger brother Mukesh had already got married. Yogeshwar’s coach Shamsher, who imparted initial coaching to Yogesh at the village, said it was a moment of proud for the family, villagers and the country. “Yogeshwar’s win will inspire young wrestlers in the country,” he said, adding that a warm reception would be given to him by villagers on his return. |
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Geetika Sharma suicide case
Gurgaon, August 12 At the time of the search, MDLR’s arrested employee Aruna Chadha was
with the police team that remained in the office in the posh Sector 15 in the city for more than two hours and seized documents and scanned computer records. “We can’t divulge much at this stage. We can say that investigation is not just about nabbing Kanda but to ascertain his relationship with Geetika,” said an official. Chadha's two-day police remand was extended by a day on Saturday. Apparently depressed over continuous mental harassment allegedly by Kanda, the 23-year-old former air hostess committed suicide at her Ashok Vihar residence in Delhi. In her suicide note, Geetika, who left Kanda's company, accused the former minister of torturing her mentally after she left the job. The police had yesterday detained an 18-year-old relative of Kanda from his Civil Lines residence. The youth was questioned to know whereabouts of Kanda and was later let off. The police team also recorded the statements of Kanda’s family members present in the house.
Aruna’s allegations baseless: Ankit
Former air hostess Geetika Sharma's brother, Ankit Sharma, on Sunday accused MDLR Group’s HR manager Aruna Chadha of making false allegations against his sister to get bail. Chadha has reportedly told the Delhi Police that Geetika was taken to clinics for termination of her pregnancies. Talking to media, Ankit said both Aruna and MDLR Airlines owner and former Haryana minister Gopal Kanda knew it very clearly that they had been trapped in this case and would do everything possible to come out of the trap. Demanding a CBI probe into this case, Ankit said his family was even ready to move the high court in this regard. |
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From hawai chappals to hawai jahaz
Sirsa, August 12 Gopal Goyal’s family got the surname Kanda because their ancestors were in the weighing machine (kanda) business. He named his airlines after his father Murli Dhar (MD) and son Lakh Ram (LR). The now-defunct MDLR Airlines was once the dream project of Kanda, who ran a showroom of Hawai Chappals in the early nineties. Kanda, who belongs to Sirsa, touched the skies in business as well as in politics in a short span. The MDLR Group has interests in real estate, shopping malls, hospitality, aviation, education, media and many more fields. And when he took his first plunge in politics in 2009, he emerged as a minister in Bhupinder Singh Hooda Cabinet. Kanda's group owns five star hotels, malls, multiplexes, housing societies, a private university in Himachal, an international-level school affiliated to Oxford University and other properties. Kanda's father, Murli Dhar Kanda, a criminal lawyer in Sirsa's court, was a well-off person and a key RSS functionary, according to Krishan Lal Saini, a former chairman of the Sirsa Market Committee and a confidant of the former minister. His younger brother, Govind Kanda, who played a key role in his meteoric rise, was a devotee of Tara Baba, a mendicant, who lived in a hut built in the agriculture fields of Ramnagria, where the Kandas have now developed the famous Tarkeshwar Dham, also known as "Tara Baba Kutiya". It was then that Tara Baba, a chain smoker, advised Gopal Kanda to leave Sirsa and try his luck in Gurgaon. Kanda started his business with a brokerage firm, but later took plunge into big deals with the state government's blessings. Haryana's 'change of land use' laws came in handy for him as he became a facilitator for business houses and realtors to convert agriculture land into housing or commercial properties. In the 2000 assembly elections, he weighed then CM Om Parkash Chautala's candidate from Sirsa, Padam Jain, against currency notes. After Tara Baba's death in 2003, Kanda set up a trust and converted his hut into a big temple. Several celebrities such as Hema Malini, Sanjay Dutt, Suneil Shetty, Narender Chanchal, Anuradha Podhwal and Richa Sharma have visited Tara Baba Kutiya. His bad patch started with the advent of the Congress government in Haryana. In 2008, his offices were raided by income tax officials in Gurgaon and Sirsa, when a number of his followers were booked for manhandling IT officials and mediapersons. MDLR was grounded in 2009 due to losses. It was at that time that Kanda decided to take a plunge into electoral politics. After INLD's rout in the 2009 parliamentary poll, he decided to contest the Sirsa assembly seat as an Independent. Money was spent lavishly during the campaign that witnessed celebrities like actress Rati Agnihotri, "Chak De India" fame Komal Chautala, Comedian Bharti Singh and Saloni campaigning for Kanda. His image as a donor and his association with the Tara Baba Kutiya paid rich dividends and he was able to snatch the seat from the Congress and INLD. The results provided Kanda an opportunity to play the kingmaker and he was sworn in as a Minister of State with key portfolios like Home, Industry, Sports and Urban Local Bodies.
Sizing up Gopal Kanda: The flamboyant politician What MDLR stands for
his first business
Over to Gurgaon
Dream takes wing
Plunge into politics
The downhill journey
The palatial house
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Aruna Chadha’s police custody extended by a day
New Delhi, August 12 The police told the court that they have recovered an email that was sent by Geetika to Chadha and also added that certain documents needed to be verified in the presence of Chadha. The police told the court that it had recently recovered an e-mail written by Geetika to Chadha where she had said’ “I will build my career on my own..no matter how many obstacles one puts in my way.” Additional public prosecutor Rajiv Mohan argued the e-mail shows that Geetika was being forced to join MDLR by Chadha and that the word "one" refers to the prime accused, former Haryana Minister Gopal Kanda. “The mail shows that Kanda was creating obstacles in her way by persuasions, allurements and even threats to keep her in MDLR even as she wanted to get out of it,” Rajiv Mohan told the court. He also said the police was yet to recover electronic records of the MDLR, which could be accessed by Chadha with the passwords which were in her knowledge. The prosecutor said certain documents related to the government authorities recovered from Geetika's mail were yet to be verified. The documents showed that certain extradition proceedings had been initiated against Geetika in Dubai and the police was yet to check its authenticity. Metropolitan Magistrate Sumedh Kumar Sethi extended Chadha's custody till August 13 even as police sought a five-day custody. Advocate BS Rana, who appeared for Chadha, opposed the plea for police custody saying presence of the accused is no more required for recovering any documents. He also argued that police was seeking her custody only to "fabricate" evidence against her. |
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Exiled Dalit Youth Case
Hisar, August 12 The policemen had gone to the village in two vehicles. After arresting three youths, Ram Kumar, Karambir and Balram, one of the jeeps left for the Narnaund police station with the accused. However, the villagers held the policemen in the jeep hostage, which was left behind to ferry the remaining three accused. As word spread, the DSP from Hansi rushed to the spot with additional forces. He summoned village elders who agreed to let the policemen go if the three youths who had been arrested were released. The villagers said the police could arrest them but after a detailed probe. The police let off the three youths and the villagers let the policemen go. The villagers said the youths should not be arrested merely because the complainant had named them. A prima facie
case must be established against them. A Dalit youth Manoj had complained to the police in June that the village panchayat had exiled him from the village for 11 years and also imposed a fine of Rs 21,000 on him because he had an affair with a girl hailing from his village but belonging to a backward caste. Although the village
panchayat had denied that it had taken any such action, the police had registered a case against 15 persons under various
sections of the IPC and the SC & ST Act. The youth had alleged that both girl and he were studying at a coaching
centre in Meham. They fell in love. However, when the girl’s parents came to know about it they married the girl off on June 2. Later, the village panchayat exiled him. However, the sarpanch and the panches had
denied the allegation and stated that he could stay in the village with his family. They said the boy had been disowned by
his father. |
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gurgaon shelter home case
Even after some schoolteachers exposed the sexual exploitation of minor girls lodged there, the local administration and state authorities have failed to learn a lesson or take corrective measures. An FIR was registered against NGO manager Suparna Sethi and caretaker Rachit and both were sent to jail as the girls’ medical examination the girls revealed that three of them had been raped, while some others had been subjected to physical torture. Further investigations revealed that the shelter home was unauthorised and being run illegally. Investigations made by The Tribune reveal that nearly three months after the matter came to light, there is no clue to the whereabouts of nearly 20 children who were lodged at the shelter home as per its record. “There were at least 70 children at the shelter home. As the shelter home was sealed, close to 50 children were handed over to their families or sent to some other shelters. However, the remaining 20-odd children are still missing,” maintains Nisha Yadav, the schoolteacher who turned the whistleblower in
the case. Fed up with the tardy pace of police investigations, Nisha has demanded a CBI probe into the matter. Nisha pointed out that the police had barely managed to file the challan in the court towards the end of the stipulated 90 days, which was a clear indication of the scheme of things. Sharing her concern, Nishi Kant, executive director of children helpline Shakti Vahini, said they had carried out home investigations of nearly 50 children lodged at Suparna ka Aangan; while around 20 children, who were on record of the NGO, were missing. On being contacted for his version, National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) member Vinod Tikoo termed the entire episode a “complete failure” of the district administration and the local Child Welfare Department authorities. He said when he visited the NGO shelter at Gurgaon as part of the NCPCR team, they were told that some children had gone to their homes. However, no entries to this effect had been made in the record. “Not keeping track of children lodged at the
shelter home and poor and improper maintenance of their record is a blunder on the part of the
NGO management while exercising poor control over the functioning of such NGOs is a total failure of the district authorities,” said
Tikoo. |
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CM making bogus announcements, says Chautala
Tarauri (Karnal), August 12 Addressing a "parivartan rally" of the party, Chautala asked people to oust the Congress Government. Alleging that the government was neck-deep into corruption, Chautala said the government’s coffers were empty and it was mortgaging its assets for raising loans even for paying salaries. Chautala accused the government of shielding Gopal Kanda and said the government had always patronised him. "He made money through questionable means, won elections with money power and also became a minister", Chautala alleged. "Hooda had promised to solve the power crisis within two years but people are facing an acute power and water shortage", the INLD leader said. |
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Youth booked for raping girl on pretext of marriage
Rohtak, August 12 The police said Pankaj, who hailed from Anwal village in the district and was working in a private concern here, got friendly with the girl of the same village staying in a colony near Sukhpura Chowk here. The boy developed physical relations with the girl after promising that he would marry her shortly. The accused, however, developed cold feet when the victim asked him to fulfill his promise. He forced her to get her pregnancy terminated and refused to marry her a few days ago, making the victim lodge a complaint with the police.
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5 robbers held; cash, jewellery recovered
Rohtak, August 12 Police officials said the breakthrough in the case came after the police zeroed in on Ravinder, a resident of Bainsi village, after it was revealed that one of the accused hailed from the village where the shop was located. Ravinder’s interrogation led to the arrest of three more youths involved in the loot. The complainant said the looted items included 3 kg of silver, 130 gm of gold and about Rs 80,000 in cash. The other accused are Jagdeep, Monu and Sunil. Raj Kumar of Isha jewelers of Narela in Delhi, has also been arrested after the recovery of looted items from his shop. A sum of Rs 7,600 has also been recovered from the accused. The accused will be produced in the court tomorrow. |
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Miscreants loot cash, gold from villager
Sirsa, August 12 The incident occurred at about 1am in the night and the miscreants remained in the house for over an hour. The victim family made several calls on the mobile phone of Baragura SHO immediately after the incident, but he allegedly did not receive the calls. They looted Rs 1 lakh in cash, 35 tolas of gold and while escaping, they took away victim’s jeep and three mobile phones with them. |
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Man ends life with two daughters
Tarauri (Karnal), August 12 Suresh has also left a suicide note saying that he was himself responsible for this extreme step. The Railway Police has registered a case and sent the bodies for a post-mortem examination.
— TNS |
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Jawan dies in freak incident
Sirsa, August 12 Senior officers of the Air Force rushed to the site and found the jawan, a resident of Balia in Uttar Pradesh, dead. The police was informed, who took the body to the General Hospital for the postmortem. |
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13 Delhi cops camping in Sirsa
Sirsa, August 12 “These cops have been here since August 9 when they first raided Kanda’s palatial house on Rania road and the international school owned by him,” the source said, confirming that 13 cops of the Delhi police are here. |
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Chandigarh, August 12
Gurgaon, August
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