Gurgaon, September 14
Hospitals in and around the city are flooded with people suffering from a strange fever. Being dubbed as ‘multi-strain’ fever, patients have been tested positive for many viruses, including those causing malaria and typhoid.

The outbreak has also claimed a few lives, though reports are unconfirmed as the government medical officers have so far not cared to enquire and track this peculiar fever.

“This is the first time that patients suffering from viral fevers are showing positive test reports for viral, malaria and typhoid simultaneously. In most cases, patients tested negative for dengue but showed all the symptoms of dengue fever,” said Dr SP Yadav of Pushpanjali Hospital.

“We call it a fever with ‘thrombocytopenia’ or fever with mixed culture. The virus responsible for such a disease is yet to be identified but we are getting many patients suffering from this fever everyday,” said a doctor at Artemis Hospital.

While all hospitals and dispensaries, including government ones, are getting nearly 20 patients daily, the authorities concerned are yet to take note of it.

Medical officer, Civil Hospital, Dr Ashruffdin expressed ignorance about any such fever and said nothing of that sort had been brought to his notice. However, a senior doctor of the hospital said, “We are getting many such patients suffering from viral but can’t decide how to treat the patient. We can only elaborate on this fever once we start systematic tracking of the cases.”

Symptoms of this fever are identical to normal viral fever.

Sonepat, September 14
Around 40 students of Class IX of the Motilal Nehru School of Sports, Rai, escaped from the school around 9 pm last night in protest against the alleged harassment by students of Class XII.

They were found by the police near Bahalgarh and persuaded to return to the school this morning. They were assured that their grievance would be redressed. The students said they had brought the matter to the notice of the school authorities, but no action had been taken.

After receiving information of the escape of the students from the school, the subdivisional magistrate of Sonepat, Jag Niwas, the deputy superintendent of police, Balbir Singh, and the station house officer of Rai police station and some police personnel reached the school.

After preliminary investigations, an intensive search operation was launched to locate the students.

Balbir Singh said six police teams were formed, with three of them being assigned duty in the school premises and three being sent to look for the students in the adjoining areas. Around 2 am today, the students were found sitting under a shed near Bahalgarh by a police team.

The students were offered food and were persuaded to return to the school, he said. The school authorities had been asked to look into their grievances.

The principal of the school could not be contacted as he had switched off his mobile phone.

The guardians of some students had reportedly reached the school.

Gurgaon, September 14
In a first-of-its-kind initiative in the country, Gurgaon has become the first city to have mandated the presence of a woman lawyer while filing of an FIR by a woman complainant.

Aimed at curbing distortion of facts in an FIR, the decision was communicated by the District and Sessions Judge, Dr B. B. Parsoon.

Upholding the Supreme Court guideline in this regard, the authorities have attached women advocates with all 23 police stations of Gurgaon. The names of these advocates along with their mobile numbers would be made public and the police will have to mandatorily call them when a woman approaches them to file a complaint of eveteasing, molestation, stalking, rape or domestic violence.

The step, in addition to ensuring correct reproduction of facts in an FIR, will also help in making the victim comfortable and confident to reveal all facts.

“Correct reproduction of facts in an FIR is the first step towards justice. Many times, the victim in an uncomfortable environment fails to share all aspects of the crime and sometimes even policemen end up messing up with the FIR which becomes a roadblock in the delivery of justice. This step has been taken to avoid this and every woman should realise that it’s her right to get a woman lawyer from the police station and she should insist on it,” said Dr Parsoon.

“It’s a Supreme Court guideline and we all need to follow it. It’s unfortunate that the system is absent even in Metros, leave aside small cities, but with Gurgaon, we wish to start the change towards easy justice for all,” he added.

Chandigarh, September 14
The government has finally initiated the process of filling the vacancies in the Haryana Public Service Commission (HPSC) working with skeletal staff comprising an officiating chairman and a lone member.

A meeting of the search committee headed by Chief Secretary PK Chaudhery was held here yesterday to accelerate the process for recruitment of the Chairman and five members. It was decided to prepare panels of suitable candidates for appointment. “The panel would be prepared keeping in view the integrity, fairness and transparency of the candidates,” official sources said here today.

Currently, besides Manbir Singh Bhandana, who is the acting HPSC chairman, Jai Singh Sangwan is the only other member in the commission, affecting the working of the top recruitment agency. The state had already decided to prune the strength of the commission to seven members from the original 13.

The revised “transparent” selection criteria for the Chairman and members of the HPSC has been put in place following last year’s guidelines of the Punjab and Haryana High Court quashing the appointment of SAD leader Harish Rai Dhanda as the Chairman of the Punjab Public Service Commission (PPSC).

The guidelines had asked the states of Punjab and Haryana to form a search committee under the Chief Secretaries to prepare separate panels for members and Chairmen of the public service commissions.The panel will be approved by a high-level committee comprising the Chief Minister, the Vidhan Sabha Speaker and the Leader of the Opposition before being sent to the respective Governor.

A senior government functionary told The Tribune that the panels would be prepared soon and sent to the high-level committee for the final selection.

Faridabad, September 14
The local unit of the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) today burnt an effigy of the UPA government in protest against hike in diesel price and restricting the use of subsidised cooking gas cylinders to six per year.

The slogan-shouting activists led by former MLA and in charge of party affairs in Faridabad, Ram Kumar Saini, took out a procession and burnt the effigy outside the min-secretariat.

SONEPAT: BJP activists led by MLA Kavita Jain burnt the effigy of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at Kalupur Chung on the Rohtak road after taking out a procession against increase in the price of diesel and limiting the use of number of subsidised LPG cylinders.

The INLD protesters led by senior party leader and former MP Capt Inder Singh (retd) took out a protest march in the town and burnt the effigy of the Prime Minister at Subhash Chowk.

All India Kisan Sabha vice-president and CPM district secretary Shradha Nand Solanki termed the hike as anti-farmer and anti-poor and demanded its rollback. The hike would result in increasing the prices of essential commodities, he added.

The state president of BKU (A), Shamsher Singh, said the hike in diesel price would harm the interests of the farmers as it would increase the input costs of cultivation.

Fatehabad: Former MLA and INLD district president Nishan Singh led a demonstration by party workers against hike in diesel price and restricted use of subsidized LPG cylinders in the town today.

Party activists, including former MLAs Swatantar Bala Chaudhary and Ran Singh Beniwal, took out a procession from Jat Dharamshala to the Lal Batti Chowk and blocked the highway for over an hour.

Tohana: Activists of the BJP and the Haryana Janhit Congress held a demonstration and burnt the effigy of the UPA Government. BJP Kisan Morcha state president Subhash Barala led the demonstration and castigated the government and demanded immediate rollback of diesel price hike.

Sirsa: Activists of the INLD’s youth wing held a protest against the hike and burnt an effigy of the Central Government. Led by district president Dharamvir Nain, the activists took out a procession in the main markets of the town and then burnt the effigy at Sangwan Chowk.

Members of the Janwadi Naujwan Sabha and the BJP - HJC alliance also held protests against the government’s decision. 

Chandigarh, September 14
Taking a serious view of the non-compliance of the statutory provision of the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947, the Haryana Government has ordered that action be taken against the officials deposing against the interest of the state. Instructions in this regard have also been issued in the case of retired officials who have deposed against the interest of the state and against the record.

Stating this here today, a spokesman of the Haryana Administration of Justice Department said there had been non-compliance of basic statutory rules under the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947. It has also been noticed that official witnesses are also deposing against the interest of the state and, in some cases, by ignoring official records, causing a burden on the state exchequer.

All additional chief secretaries, administrative secretaries and heads of departments have been informed that it had been observed that the office of the Advocate-General, Haryana, had not been intimated about any action initiated against the officials by the competent authority. Also, some petitions were being filed after considerable delay in spite of the fact that there was no compliance of the statutory rules in such cases.

It has also been noticed that official witnesses are making statements detrimental to the interest of the state in land acquisition matters pertaining to compensation. Therefore, it is apparent that the awards passed by the tribunals under the Act are not being properly examined by the competent authority before taking a decision to challenge such awards. When the orders passed by the employer or the management dispensing with the services of the workmen are against the statutory provisions of the Act, there could not be any justification in challenging such awards. Rather, action is required to be initiated against the erring officials who have passed such orders.

He said the awards passed by the tribunals are also being challenged after considerable delay and sometimes after years and, that too, without explaining the unavoidable circumstances. Such a situation could be avoided if the cases are properly handled.

In these circumstances, he said, action be taken against the officials deposing against the interest of the state. Before taking the decision to challenge the award passed by the tribunal, the competent authority must apply its mind regarding the merits and demerits of the case so that frivolous matters are not be filed in the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

Hisar, September 14
The Distance Education Council has allowed Guru Jambheshwar University (GJU) of Science and Technology to run 17 courses for two years , it was officially stated here today.

This is the second time that the Distance Education Council, the UGC and the All-India Council for Technical Education have jointly approved the courses.

These courses were: M. Sc (mathematics), M A (Mass Communication), Master of Insurance Management, MBA, M.Com, Diploma in Advertising and Public Relations, Diploma in Taxation, Diploma in Counselling and behaviour modification, BBA, BA (Mass Communication), M.Sc (Computer science), Diploma in bakery science and technology, Diploma in Computer Applications, Diploma in Industrial safety Management, MCA and MCA (five-year integrated course)

Rewari, September 14
Acting on a petition filed by Ramesh Yadav, a resident of Mundhera village in Jhajjar district and student of the DAV College of Engineering and Technology (DAVCET), Kanina, the Mahendergarh District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum has directed the authorities of MD University, Rohtak, to disaffiliate the DAVCET, Kanina, but without adversely affecting the academic career of the students who have been given admission in the college till today.

Simultaneously, the forum has directed the Principal of DAVCET, Kanina, to return Rs 55,540 (college fee of Rs 52,000 and university fee of Rs 3,540) recovered on August 22, 2009 as well as Rs 19,500, recovered as hostel charges on August 9, 2009, to the complainant with a 12 per cent rate of interest per annum, holding the college authorities guilty of gross deficiency of service.

The forum has also ordered the college authorities to pay a compensation of Rs 20,000 for harassment and Rs 1,100 as legal expenses to the petitioner.

Mentioning the wrongs committed by the college authorities in dragging the university authorities in this litigation, the forum has also awarded the university a compensation of Rs 50,000 payable by the college.

The forum has also recorded that instead of asking the college to cancel the admission of Ramesh Yadav, the university authorities ought to have taken a serious note of the fraud being played with impunity by such institutions.

A copy of the order, which was recently passed by a bench of the forum comprising its president Vinod Jain and member Jaipal Hooda, was received here today.

After charging Rs 75,040 from Ramesh Yadav, the DAVCET gave him provisional admission, which was not permissible either under the ordinance of the university or the prospectus of the college to the third semester of BE in August, 2009.

Ramesh Yadav was then yet to clear the last semester of his three-year diploma course from Malwa Polytechnic College, Faridkot (Punjab).

Subsequently, after having cleared the examination when Ramesh submitted to the college the DMC of the said examination as well as the migration certificate of his previous institute in the second week of March, 2010, the same were forwarded to the university which ordered the college to cancel Ramesh’s admission as he had failed to pass the qualifying examination before the cut-off date for admission.

Later, when Ramesh’s plea for a refund of his fees was turned down by the college authorities, he filed a petition in the forum, seeking relief and justice.

Karnal, September 14
Furious over the failure of the police to arrest all culprits named in the FIR in the Mukesh murder case, residents of Bras village, who had been blocking the the Karnal-Kaithal road at Nissing for the past 30 hours, lifted it this evening on assurance by Garish Arora, SDM, that action would be taken to bring the culprits to justice.

Earlier, the villagers had accused the police of shielding the culprits. Policemen were deployed in strength to avoid any untoward incident.

The villagers pitched their tents on the road and said they would not open the road till their demand was met.

A case of murder was registered against 13 persons, including the village sarpanch, on the complaint of Pradeep, Mukesh’s cousin.

Pradeep alleged that when he was coming back from his shop around 8 PM on August 26 night , he saw Om Bir and Ravinder, who were drunk, attacking his brother near Panchayat Ghar even as others were beating him.

Hisar, September 14
Two groups of Dalits allegedly clashed in Bhagana village near here late last night, resulting in injuries to five persons and two policemen.

A few Dalits squatting outside the Mini Secretariat here for the past several weeks had gone to the village last night to assess the damage to their houses due to rains.

Late in the evening, a few drunken Dalit youths exchanged hot words with them. The verbal duel led to an exchange of brickbats.

The police was called in. Two policemen were allegedly hit by missiles and injured. Five other persons were also hit by stones. They were all rushed to the General Hospital here for treatment.

Several families of Dalits from the village have been squatting outside the Mini Secretariat here since May 21 in protest against the raising of a wall around a street crossing in the villa by some members of upper castes.

Ratia (Fatehabad), September 14
Making his first public appearance in Ratia after the INLD lost its three-decade-old citadel to the Congress in a byelection to the assembly segment held in November last year, INLD supremo Om Prakash Chautala said people were feeling cheated after voting for the ruling party.

Chautala, who addressed a “parivartan rally” at Ratia yesterday, alleged that Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda had failed to fulfil any of the promises he made to the electorate after his candidate, Jarnail Singh, won the byelection.

Chautala alleged the Congress had won the byelection by money power, but the government had failed to win the hearts of Ratia people.

Levelling a plethora of allegations against Hooda and his government, Chautala said several ministers and Chief Parliamentary Secretaries in the present government had been embroiled in controversies bordering moral turpitude and criminality.

On the other hand, Congress MLA Jarnail Singh, who defeated the INLD candidate Sarfi Bai to win the November 30 bypoll, termed Chautala’s rally as a flop show.

The Congress had wrested the Ratia Assembly seat from the INLD after 29 years in the byelection held on November 30, 2011.

The byelection was necessitated due to INLD MLA Gian Chand Odh’s death. Chautala had fielded Odh’s widow, Sarfi Bai, who lost to Jarnail Singh of the Congress.

Hisar: Om Parkash Chautala has asked Hooda to step down.

Addressing a parivartan rally at Nalwa near here on Thursday evening, he said Hooda had no control over the state machinery and his party legislators. As a result, there was complete anarchy and the writ of the Chief Minister did not run in the administration.

The INLD supremo said a majority of the ruling party legislators was facing charges of corruption and many others were involved in criminal activities.

Karnal, September 14
A case of alleged connivance of the police with some women to extract money from people through blackmailing has come to notice in Karnal.

Somnath, son of Rishipal of Kulvehari village (Kunjpura), a victim of this alliance, has lodged a complaint with police.

He alleged that two women called him up on his mobile phone from 7206200302 (cell number) and asked for help for an ailing son. When he went to Sector 4 where the women had called him, they asked him for Rs 500. While he was talking to the women, two policemen suddenly appeared and accused him of loitering and threatened to put him behind the bars for eveteasing, Somnath alleged.

The policemen then allegedly demanded Rs 50,000 to hush up the matter and the two women also sided with them. He was so scared that he agreed to pay the money, Somnath said.

He told the policemen, who identified themselves as Dharam Singh and Balraj posted in the city police station as havaldars, that he would go and bring the money. But instead of going home, he went to the police station and met the station house officer (city) and sought action against the policemen.

The police says that the matter is under investigation.

Sonepat, September 14
A minor girl allegedly went missing from a shelter home, Balgram, at Rai village of the district today.

The police started a hunt to trace the girl after the director of the home lodged a complaint in this regard, said station house officer of Rai police station Sultan Singh.

Director MM Godbole said the girl sneaked out of the home around noon. She had been staying here for the past six years and had studied up to Class VII.— OC