Karnal, October 21
The one-year-old girl’s medical examination has ruled out unnatural sex by a 15-year-old boy, as alleged by her parents, said Shashank Anand SP, Karnal, here today.

“The victim’s parents had filed the complaint due to some misunderstanding but have denied their allegations in the statement recorded last night in the presence of a duty magistrate”, the SP said.

“The victim’s medical examination today proved that the allegations of unnatural sex are baseless and tests indicate no possibility of any harm. The case has, therefore, been dropped with the parents saying that they do not want to pursue the case”, the SP asserted.

Shashank Anand said the written statement of the victim’s mother that she had filed the complaint against Dheeraj with mala fide intentions was also with the police.

NIFAA, a leading NGO, submitted a memorandum to Karnal SP yesterday stating that the one-year-old girl had allegedly been subjected to unnatural sex and refused medical treatment by a private hospital and the Civil Hospital in July. Under pressure from some powerful persons of the locality, the victim’s family was finally compelled to reach a compromise to hush up the case, the NGO alleged.

Chandigarh, October 21
You would have dismissed it as just another script fit for a Bollywood blockbuster - a young woman, an aged husband and a murder plot meticulously executed just a day after he gives away his property to her.

But facts are often stranger than fiction. And real life is more incredible than reel life stories.

One such outlandish tale of intrigue and treachery from Malara Bass village in Mahendergarh district has surfaced in the Punjab and Haryana High Court. Read it, and you realise, if convict Munni earned a bad name for herself, it was not without reason.

“She was aged about 30 years at the time of occurrence. Ram Singh was 66 years. He was old. The motive behind the crime is firmly established on record?. A day prior to the death, Ram Singh transferred the land and money in the name of the accused-appellant. Having achieved her purpose, she wasted no further time in taking Ram Singh’s life,” the Division Bench of Justice Hemant Gupta and Justice Rajiv Narain Raina ruled.

The observations came while dismissing the appeal filed by Munni Devi, alias Sunita.

She had challenged the judgment of the Narnaul Sessions Judge pronounced on October 31, 2007. She was, vide the judgment, sentenced to undergo imprisonment for life under Section 302 of the IPC.

The prosecution story reveals that the discovery of the offence was as intriguing as the crime itself.

Ram Singh’s brother, Jagmal Singh, told the police that on the night of October 11, 2006, when he woke up to ease himself, he saw Munni Devi returning from the street towards their house.

Suspicious, he followed and saw Munni Devi washing Ram Singh’s mouth with a cloth as his listless body lay on a cot in the courtyard. “Ram Singh was lying dead on the cot and a foul smell was coming from his mouth,” the prosecution claimed.

During investigation, Munni told the police that she mixed rat poison in liquor before serving it to Ram Singh. “The links in the chain of events in the present case lead only to one conclusion of death - by homicide at the hands of the appellant beyond any reasonable doubt,” the Bench asserted before parting with the case

Sirsa, October 21
For families living in 450 houses constructed in Ther Mohalla, an illegal colony set up on a mound having reminiscent of the Indus Valley Civilisation, a Punjab and Haryana High Court order has come as a big respite, though for the time being.

On a civil writ petition, Jai Kishore and Others Verses Union of India and others, the court has issued notice of motion to the authorities for November 8, 2012, and in the meantime, the court has directed the authorities not to initiate any action to dispossess the petitioners.

Residents received a communication from their counsel Suresh Kumar Monga on Friday.

In their petition, the residents had challenged notices issued to them under Section 19 of the Ancient Monuments, Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958, by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and further action initiated by the local authorities in this regard.

The authorities had recently served notices to owners of 450 houses in Ther Mohalla, asking them to vacate their houses before October 20 or the authorities would demolish these after disconnecting their power and water supplies on October 26.

The notices said action was being taken in view of the orders of the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

The Punjab and Haryana High Court, on a civil writ petition 17704 of 1997, has issued contempt notices to the deputy commissioners of Rohtak, Kaithal, Hisar, Faridabad, Bhiwani, Gurgaon, Karnal and Sirsa for their failure to remove encroachments from the sites of archaeological importance in their areas, according to district revenue officer Ram Singh Bishnoi.

While the residents of Ther Mohalla, most of them very poor, are ecstatic on getting the judicial relief, several Congress leaders in Sirsa have started vying with each other to take credit for the development. 

Ambala, October 21
A large number of farmers today blocked the Ambala-Hisar Highway near the Ambala City grain market because their paddy was not being procured by the procurement agencies.

A large number of vehicles stranded on the highway, which forced the police to divert the vehicles through alternative routes. The blockade was lifted after three hours on the Ambala SDM’s assurance.

The farmers alleged that the rice millers were not lifting their paddy from the grain market and therefore the procurement agencies were procuring only limited stock of paddy. They said they had not been getting the MSP for their produce. They said 17 per cent moisture content was permissible in paddy, but the procurement agencies and the rice millers were saying that the moisture content was more than the prescribed norms and around 10 per cent amount was being deducted from the prescribed price.

Farmers said their paddy did not have more than 17 per cent moisture even then they were being harassed. Some of the farmers are sitting in the grain market for the past two-three days.

On the other hand, the rice millers said some of the farmers had been bringing paddy containing more moisture than the prescribed percentage and in such circumstances they would not be able to deliver rice to the government after milling the paddy with 22 to 24 moisture contents.

In the meantime, INLD leaders, Balwinder Poonia and Inderjit Singh, also reached the spot to support the farmers. The tractor and trolleys were parked in the mid of the highway. They demanded that the procurement agencies should purchase all paddy of the farmers, which they had brought in the grain market. Later, SDM Mukesh Ahuja reached there and assured the farmers that they would get the MSP for their produce. Then only the blockade was lifted.

Gurgaon, October 21
Sitting in a class of 30 boys, this coy girl, who barely lifts her Hijab-covered head, has much more mettle than what meets the eye. At a place where 95 per cent of the total girls leave studies after Class VIII, Afsana is the only girl student in Class XII of Alfala Senior Secondary School.

Studying the nuances of physics and chemistry, this girl who has fought all odds, aspires to be an engineer.

“Not many girls study here, so it is a little difficult. I am the only one in my class of boys and everybody right from relatives to neighbours see it as an unacceptable thing. But all thanks to my parents and teachers, I have managed to reach here,” she said.

Same is the tale of Safina, a Class X student at Muhammadiya School. Her parents wanted her to leave studies after Class VIII, but she refused to do so. Due to the support of her teachers, she has managed to reach Class X and is determined to study further.

Even decades after its establishment, Mewat continues to be an educationally backward place. According to the Census 2011, the average literacy rate here is 56.10 with female literacy rate at an all time low of 37.60. While the dropout percentage in government schools stands at an average of 50 per cent, it is almost 85 per cent for girls.

Struggling with extremely conservative social structure based on the ‘Tablighi Jamaat’, an Islamist movement that denounces “worldly education”, the modern madrasas of the district are nurturing numerous Afsanas and Safinas.

Alfala School in Bhadas is the most famous school here. Started under a tree in 1994 as Madarstul-Banat Ayesha Siddiqua, the only madrasa for girls was in line with the Mayo belief that even if it is Quran, a girl should study it at home only. Things, however, soon took a leap with the institution becoming a co-educational school and Quran teaming with science and social science and even computers.

Qari Sirajuddin, founder director of the school, popularly called “modern maulana” said it came at a cost. “Education till date is not a necessity in this place and is considered a luxury for girls. When I started this madrasa, it was a tough task to get students and turning it into a co-education school was the only way to keep up with the cause of education. We had to battle all odds. Till date, we are struggling to deal with girls’ dropout after primary classes, despite 50 per cent fee concession. I have three girls in different streams in Class XII, but I still nurture the dream of the day when we will have an all girls’ section,” says Qari, who passed out from Jamia Sanabil, a madrasa in Delhi, which also taught Hindi, Mathematics and English.

The government school authorities too blame such odds for their dismal performance. As one of the officials at Sakaras Government School said, “Religious conservatism is the key reason behind people not coming to government schools. They object to Quran not being in syllabus or Saraswati photo being put up in classes. Many don’t want male teachers to teach their girls and the entire village stands up against you when you take any student to task. The district is not ready to accept us for being ‘Hindu oriented’, as they call it.”

Nuh (Mewat), October 21
Primary schoolteachers posted in Mewat have alleged that the Haryana Government was trampling their right of getting transferred elsewhere.

Accusing the state authorities of subjecting them to mental and financial harassment, the teachers maintain that they were not being transferred out of Mewat despite the existence of district cadres of teachers in the state.

“Nearly 1,250 primary schoolteachers serving in Mewat belong to other districts of the state. Many of them have been posted here since 2004. However, despite repeated requests and assurances, they are not being shifted out of the district,” said Vinod Thakran, president of the Rajkiya Prathmik Adhyapak Sangh, Haryana, here.

Curiously, the teachers who want to get posted in Mewat are promptly transferred to the district from other parts of the state. However, the teachers say that “there is only incoming and no outgoing facility from Mewat”.

Ladwa, October 21
Governor Jagannath Pahadia underscored the importance of yagya and yoga to fight evils prevalent in society yoga as both purify mind, body Addressing a gathering at Chaturveda Shatak Mahayagya organised by Lokayukta Preetampal here, the Governor said Vedic dharma was the oldest faith and its teachings had never been challenged.

Pahadia, his wife Shanti and daughter Himani gave 'purna ahuti' in the yagya .

“Yagya helps in substantially improving the concentration power among students and people. Spiritualism can change the thinking of people because prayer is different from religion as the former is a caste or community-free path and a supreme route to peace and salvation,” said Preetampal.

Justice Rameshwar Malik, Justice HS Brar, Dr Virender Puni, Acharya Devrat (Gurukul) were also present on the occasion.

Chandigarh, October 21
Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda has announced that Rs 11,000 would be given to each of the couples who tie the knot at a mass marriage function organised by any organisation in the state.

The Chief Minister, who was addressing a mass marriage function organised by the Banarasi Dass Gupta Foundation at Panchkula, yesterday said this token money would be the state government’s contribution to such a noble cause. The state government’s contribution of Rs 11,000 for each couple will be given only if at least 11 couples are to be married at any mass marriage function.

Hooda appreciated that 253 couples were married at the function yesterday. He said such mass marriage functions not only minimise the cost of marriages, but also promote mutual understanding and communal harmony.

He said in doing so, the Banarasi Dass Gupta Foundation has followed the high ideals of Maharaja Aggarasain, who had helped the people by setting a trend to donate a coin and a brick to all those who would settle in Agroha.

He also paid rich tributes to former Chief Minister Banarasi Dass Gupta, describing him as a symbol of honesty and simplicity.

Earlier, CONFED chairman Bajrang Dass Garg appreciated Hooda for implementing a number of schemes for the welfare of all sections of society. 

Kurukshetra, October 21
Jyotisar village touching the border of Kurukshetra has scripted its success story with elan. The sanitation and basic infrastructure available in this village put it in the league of best villages in the state.

The district administration is also helping the village to develop as a model village and has constructed a rural secretariat, a complex which houses Panchayat Bhawan and Anganwari Kendra and also provides accommodation to the district officials who occasionally visit the village to listen to problems of villagers. The village has been also declared “nirmal gram”.

The panchayat has installed computers at the complex where interested persons could get basic knowledge of computers. Moreover, the villagers claim that there are no police cases lodged by or against residents as they sort out their disputes at the panchayat level itself.

The residents seem to have inculcated the habit of cleanliness, as the village streets do not pose ugly looks, which is a common feature in a majority of villages. This turnaround was made possible by the elected panchayat, which gave the residents a sense of being empowered and took them along in its efforts to make a difference. The village sarpanch, Babu Ram, said, “The villagers, too, realised the need to actively participate in the development process and there are no leg pullers in our village.” Even persons who unsuccessfully contested the panchayat election against the present sarpanch and another former sarpanch are among the policy planners.

Babu Ram said every street was cemented and streetlights were installed. “We have also employed eight sweepers who clean the streets daily. The supply of potable water to every home has been ensured. The village has been declared open defecation free (ODF) village by the district administration after residents pledged not to defecate in open. Most of the houses have toilets while the panchayat will construct 40 community toilets for weaker families,” he added.

Additional Deputy Commissioner Sumedha Kataria said the village had been declared as “nirmal gram” under the total sanitation campaign. A villager community toilet is being constructed in a village chaupal. Four sweepers clean streets of the village daily.

Sirsa, October 21
Bhupinder Singh Jauhar, a Yamunanagar industrialist and philanthropist, has sent a cheque for Rs 50,000 to ailing Sirsa Punjabi poet Hari Singh Dilbar.

Dilbar’s poor plight was highlighted in a news item “Ailing Chauke Chhakke poet suffering in penury” in The Tribune on October 16.

Jagtar Singh Sodhi, Director of the Guru Nanak Khalsa Institute of Technology and Management run by Jauhar, visited Sirsa yesterday to deliver a cheque for Rs 50,000 to the poet.

Dilbar, an octogenarian Punjabi poet known for satirical poetry, has been reciting his poems at the Red Fort on Independence and Republic Day since 1953.

Dilbar, who earned his livelihood by selling jalebis and other eatables on a rehri, also performed in Rashtrapati Bhawan on five occasions.

Through his “Chaukes and Chhakkes” - four liners and six liners - the octogenarian hits out sarcastically on the social inadequacies.

Chandigarh October 21
Transformers of higher capacity for regularising load declared by farmers under the voluntary disclosure scheme (VDS) will be set up at the cost of the Power Department.

Devender Singh, Chairman and Managing Director, Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam and Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam, said the extension of load on tubewells would be regularised with the existing system. If the system could not take up the additional load so declared by the consumer, then the existing equipment/transformer would be augmented at the cost of the nigam, he said.

The VDS is available up to October 31 for all agricultural, domestic, non-domestic and industrial consumers in the rural and urban areas to declare their unauthorised extension of load voluntarily without paying any penalty.

Rewari, October 21
Sessions Judge SK Kaushik has sentenced Sandeep of neighbouring Gokalgarh village and city youth Ravi to rigorous imprisonment for seven years each in a case of armed robbery.

The Judge has also imposed a fine of Rs 1,000 each on the two convicts.

According to the prosecution, the duo looted Rs 4,500 at gunpoint from a liquor vend at Bikaner village, near here, on September 11, 2011. They also thrashed vend employee Rama Nand.

The police later arrested the accused.

Faridabad, October 21
The Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court, AK Sikri, today urged the legal fraternity to ensure that the people’s faith in judiciary as the last bastion of justice was further strengthened.

Addressing a seminar here on “Permanent Lok Adalat for Public Utility Services”, Justice Sikri said despite shortage of judges, the judiciary in the country had earned plaudits from the legal fraternityin the world for its efficiency and hard work.

The seminar, organised by the Haryana State Legal Service Authority (HSLSA), was attended by a large number of representatives of social organisations, Resident Welfare Associations, clubs and government officers.

Justice Sikri is the Patron-in-Chief of the HSLSA. He lamented there was an arrear of three crore cases pending in various courts of the country.

Elaborating on the concept of the Lok Adalats, he said these were established in the country under the aegis of the Legal Service Authority to reduce the burden of regular courts and to provide speedy justice to the people. The decisions of these adalats were final.

Earlier, he inaugurated a blood donation camp organised by the Faridabad Police in the local Police Lines as a mark of honour to the jawans who made supreme sacrifices in the 1962 war with China.

Sonepat, October 21
As many as 105 units of blood was donated by police personnel and other volunteers in a blood donation camp organised here today by the district police on the occasion of the Police Martyrs’ Day.

Paying rich tributes to the martyrs, Arun Singh, SSP, honoured the widows of four police martyrs- ASIs Satbir Singh and Jai Bhagwan and Sepoys Pradeep and Dilbag Singh.

An exhibition highlighting the achievements of the district police and information about traffic rules for students also marked the occasion.

Rewari: Senior police officials and other policemen participated in a memorial convention held at the Police Lines to mark the Police Martyrs’ Day here. Led byBharti Arora, SSP, all paid homage to the valiant police and paramilitary personnel who had laid down their lives for guarding the unity and integrity of the country .

Bharti Arora placed a wreath at the martyrs’ memorial in the Police Lines.

Jhajjar, October 21
Raju Saini, a 26-year-old mobile shop owner, was shot at by two motor-bike borne assailants at Dharam Market near Silani gate area here last evening. The assailants fled the spot after perpetrating the crime while the victim with serious gunshot injuries has been undergoing treatment at the PGIMS in Rohtak where his condition is stated to be critical.

The shopkeepers of Dharam Market shut their establishments in protest against the incident.

Two assailants fired at Raju from close range when he was going on his motorcycle. Raju fell down after receiving three gunshot injuries, said the police. Raju was immediately rushed to the Civil Hospital which later referred him to the PGIMS in Rohtak.

A case of attempt to murder has been registered against the two assailants. 

Chandigarh, October 21
The Haryana Women Development Corporation has released subsidy amounting to more than Rs 3.83 crore to different banks under its education loan scheme to promote higher education among girls in the state. The scheme has benefited 4,325 girls to get higher education within the country and 234 to study abroad.

Women and Child Development Minister Geeta Bhukkal said the state government had started the scheme in 2007 through the corporation under which interest subsidy of 5 per cent per annum was being provided to the beneficiaries to pursue higher education, at the levels of graduation, post-graduation, doctorate, and post-doctorate within the country or abroad.