Yamunanagar, October 18
Bringing to fore the cruel face of the khaps in the state again, a Dalit family in Amadalpur village of the district has been forced to leave the village and face social boycott over the inter-caste marriage of their son with a girl from the upper caste.

The family of Gulab Singh, who hails from the Balmiki community and works as a sweeper in the government school of the village, was forced to leave the village and take refuge at his sister’s house in Radur village of the district after his son Arvind married Shikha, a girl from the upper caste Rajputs. The two eloped on July 7, following which trouble started for his family.

Speaking to The Tribune, Gulab Singh said after the two eloped, the sarpanch and other Rajputs started mounting pressure on them to find the two and get them back to the village. “As I could not find them, they asked me to sell my land in the village and leave.”

Arvind’s younger brother Amit said the panchayat which is dominated by men from the upper class, would ask his father to come alone and whenever he returned from the meetings, he had to be taken him a doctor as he had started having blood pressure problem.

“Finally, we decided to leave the village,” Amit said.

Gulab Singh said even as he pleaded with the panchayat to let him stay in the village for at least one month so that he could sell his property, including a house and a plot, the sarpanch forbade him from selling the property to anyone from outside the village. He (sarpanch) ultimately prevailed upon him to sell all his property to him for a mere Rs 6 lakh, while the market price of the property is around Rs 25 lakh, he said.

Gulab Singh, who deterred from reporting the matter to the police for the fear of not being heard, said even if he had managed to stay back in the village, the family would not have been able to face the social boycott imposed upon them by the panchayat. “Therefore, I decided to take my younger son Amit, daughter and wife and shift to my sister’s house. Now I travel more than 100 km each day to reach the school where I work and face a social boycott by the villagers who refuse to speak to me for fear of the khap,” he said.

Deputy Commissioner Ashok Sangwan, when contacted, said he asked the officials concerned to conduct a probe into the episode and submit a report.

New Delhi, October 18
Activists of 25 national women’s organisations led by CPM’s All-India Democratic Women’s Organisation have petitioned Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda on the alleged mistreatment meted out to them by policemen at the rally which they organised recently in Rohtak to enable victims of rape to break their silence.

Chandigarh, October 18
Taking up a petition for initiation of contempt proceedings against the CBI for its inability to complete the probe in the Apna Ghar case within stipulated two-month period, the Punjab and Haryana High Court today asked the premier investigating agency and the State of Haryana to file a status report.

On July 19, the high court had disposed of a PIL filed by advocate Utsav Singh Bains by handing over the probe to the CBI. The court had given two months time to the premier investigating agency to complete its investigation.

Alleging inaction, the petition asserted: “The contempt petition has been filed in public interest and in the larger interest of the administration of justice and in the earnest hope that the stream of justice will not be polluted and the administration of justice will remain independent, clean, fearless and impartial….”

Bains added that the CBI filed a chargesheet against seven accused, Jaswanti, Sushma, Jai Bhagwan, Satish, Sheela, Jaswant and Veena, on August 7 before the Special Judicial Magistrate, CBI, Panchkula. The remaining three accused, Haarvinder Singh, Daya Nand and Bhim Singh Ranga, had been granted bail as the investigation was pending and no chargesheet had been filed.

“Thus, the CBI failed to comply with the orders passed by the high court and failed to complete the investigation within two months and failed to file a chargesheet at the Special CBI Court, Panchkula, against the remaining three accused Haarvinder Singh, Daya Nand and Bhim Singh Ranga, leading to accused’s bail, who were involved in destruction of evidence in the case,” he said.

Chandigarh, October 18
The Punjab and Haryana High Court today directed the Haryana Government to produce the record of Urvashi Gulati’s appointment as State Information Commissioner.

A Division Bench of Chief Justice Arjan Kumar Sikri and Justice Rakesh Kumar Jain issued the directions during the resumed hearing of a petition filed in public interest by Sanjay Tyagi. At the very onset, senior advocate ML Sarin, appearing for Urvashi Gulati, strongly pleaded that the PIL should be dismissed on the ground that in a recent case of Namit Sharma, the Supreme Court has laid down certain guidelines for appointment of the State/Central Information Commissioners.

Opposing the contention, the counsel for the petitioner, HC Arora, pleaded that the high court Bench had issued notice of motion to the Haryana Government after perusing the file containing minutes of the Statutory Selection Committee, which had recommended for appointment of Urvashi Gulati as State Information Commissioner.

He argued that a member of the Selection Committee, Om Prakash Chautala, who was also the Leader of Opposition in the Haryana Vidhan Sabha, had recorded a dissent note. He had stated that the agenda of the meeting was not supplied to him before holding the meeting.

Moreover, a panel of names was not put up before the Selection Committee. Instead, only the name of Urvashi Gulati was put up for consideration.

The PIL shall come up for further hearing on December 13.

Karnal, October 18
Reeling under threat to life, Dharampal, husband of deceased Dalit woman Kamlesh who raised her voice against the gang rape of her 15-year-old daughter, has blamed the police for his wife’s death.

Kamlesh’s body was found two days after September 3 when she went missing. Had the police acted “promptly and effectively,” the crime could have been prevented, he lamented. Dharampal of Kalsi village said: “My wife had gone to Nilokheri to take medicine but did not return. I approached Bhutana police station which refused to file my complaint.”

“When I again approached the police next day, ASI Ram Prakash wrote the complaint but some important facts were not incorporated,” he stated.

He alleged Ram Prakash was related to Aman and Krishan - the main accused-- in his minor daughter’s gang rape . Dharampal said the FIR was registered two hours before his wife’s body was recovered from Sirsa on September 5 even though “I ran from pillar to post for justice and met senior police officers.

Dharampal, a labourer, said a senior police official visited him three days ago and assured that the accused would be arrested. Krishan, who had been evading arrest for the past one-and-a-half months was nabbed the very next day.

He blamed policemen Ram Prakash and Sanjeev Malik for his wife’ murder as they did not file the complaint immediately and the accused gained time and killed his wife. Meanwhile, the victim and other five kids are in a state of trauma and self-imposed “house arrest”.

Shashank Anand, SP, Karnal, said all three accused, Aman (18), Kusum and Krishan (35), had been arrested. Aman and Krishan have been booked for gang rape and murder while Kusum, who lured the minor to accompany the culprits, had been booked for abetting the crime.

Hisar, October 18
Activists of the Youth Congress (YC) and the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) today burnt an effigy of INLD supremo Om Prakash Chautala in protest against his allegation that AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi had evaded stamp duty on purchase of land in Haryana.

The activists gathered outside the gate of Guru Jambheshwar University and held a demonstration against Chautala. Later, they burnt his effigy.

On the other hand, activists of the HJC and the BJP burnt an effigy of the Haryana Government in protest against the transfer of IAS officer Ashok Khemka and the Robert Vadra issue.

REWARI: Protesting against the allegations levelled by INLD chief Om Prakash Chautala for causing loss to revenue by evading stamp duty in the purchase of a piece of agricultural land in Palwal district by AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi, irate activists of the Youth Congress (YC) led by state YC chief Chiranjeev Rao held a demonstration before the office of the INLD on Thursday. The activists raised slogans against Chautala and burnt his effigy. Describing Chautala’s allegations against Rahul Gandhi as false and baseless, Chiranjeev Rao asserted that documents of the sale deed of the transaction of the agricultural land contained no legal infirmity.

SONEPAT: Hundreds of activists of the Youth Congress led by the party’s president of the Sonepat Lok Sabha constituency, Devender Kadian, on Thursday burnt an effigy of INLD supremo Om Prakash Chautala at Devi Lal Chowk for levelling false allegations on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi regarding purchase of six acres of land in Palwal district in the state.

Kadian said the allegations were baseless as the land had been purchased at the rates more than the fixed circle rates of the government.

KARNAL: Enraged over allegations levelled by INLD supremo Om Prakash Chautala that AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi evaded stamp duty by making undervalued registration of land purchased by him, activists of the Youth Congress on Thursday held a protest demonstration and burnt an effigy of Chautala.

Senior Congress leader Virender Rathore said the Opposition leaders were trying to tarnish the image of Rahul Gandhi by dragging his name in the land scam.

SIRSA: Congress workers on Thursday burnt an effigy of INLD chief Om Prakash Chautala for his recent allegations against AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi.

The party workers assembled at the Congress Bhawan under Hoshiari Lal Sharma, a state executive member, and raised slogans against Chautala.

“We take a strong exception to Chautala’s attempt to malign the image of Rahul Gandhi. Before levelling allegations against our leader, Chautala should remember his own past,” said Sharma.

FATEHABAD: Chief Parliamentary Secretary Prahlad Singh Gillankhera led the Congress workers in their demonstration against the INLD at Panchayat Bhawan here on Thursday. The Congress workers marched with an effigy of Chautala to the Laal Batti Chowk and torched it.

Tek Chand Midha, block president of the Congress, said the people of Haryana had yet not forgotten the “irregularities” of Chautala regime.

Shahabad (Kurukshetra), October 18
Hundreds of farmers from the Bharat Kisan Union carrying banners and placards reading “Monsanto GM corn Quit India” held a peaceful protest outside the Regional Research Station of Choudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University (CCHAU) at Shahabad today to show their resentment towards open air field trials of genetically modified (GM) corn in the state.

An American multinational seed giant, Monsanto, is conducting open field trials of its herbicide-tolerant GM corn variety in the research station here.

The farmers’ protest comes close on the heels of the recommendation of the Supreme Court Technical Expert Committee (TEC) to put a 10-year moratorium on all field trials of GM crops in India owing to the risks involved.

Public opposition has been building up ever since the trials by multinational seed companies started in the public sector research stations in the state. Various organisations under the banner of the Allaince for GM-Free Haryana had met state Agriculture Minister Paramvir Singh last month and requested him to stop such trials in the state.

They said there is scientific evidence on the negative impact of GM crops on human health and environment. Concerns were also raised on the manner in which seed companies were taking control of the seed sector by using their proprietary GM seeds, as in the case of Bt Cotton, the only commercially cultivated GM crop in India.

“A month has passed since we met the Agriculture Minister but the government has failed to act on our behalf. The onus is now on us,” said Gurnam Singh, Haryana state president of the BKU.

Ambala, October 18
Four constables, a traveller’s ticket examiner (TTE) and their accomplice have been booked for robbing an NRI on board the Amarpali Express following action by the inspector-general, Railways.

Harmeet Singh from Jalandar, who boarded the Amarpali Express for New Delhi to fly to Australia, got robbed by four constables on the train between Rajpura and Ambala.

It was learnt that the TTE checked Harmeet’s ticket and other documents after which a constable came and asked him to open his luggage. He then asked him to follow him to the toilet, where three other constables forced him to hand over his purse. The constables took out the cash and disappeared.

As the train reached Ambala station, the NRI raised a cry, but nobody paid any heed to him. The NRI proceeded on with his journey to New Delhi and then to Australia.

But as the matter came to the notice of IG railways V. Kamaraj, he got the Harmeet Singh’s details and got in touch with him in Australia.

He asked Harmeet to file a complaint. After receiving the complaint, he asked the deputy superintendent of police to register a case and start investigations.

The IG told The Tribune that the four constables, TTE and their accomplice had been identified and would be arrested soon.