Balmiki manch: Simplify procedure to grant caste 
Dehradun, November 24
Members of the Uttarakhand Balmiki Krantikari Yuva Manch today held a protest demonstration against the alleged ill-treatment of Balmiki and other Dalit Samaj members by the government.

Mussoorie, November 24
The winter chill returned after a partial cloud cover that was seen over the sky in Mussoorie since Thursday morning, forcing the residents and tourists alike to huddle in the warmth of their rooms and take refuge under warm woollens to beat the cold.

Shops selling woollen clothes did brisk business as people rushed to buy these clothes to save themselves from the windy conditions that prevailed today.

Many showroom owners said that considering the chilly conditions in the town, they had stocked the stores with latest brands of woollen wear this winter season.

However, the handmade woollen items being sold in some shops near Landour Bazaar were much in demand due to low prices in comparison to the branded stuff in the town.

Chandan, shopkeeper at Landour Bazaar, selling warm clothes said that the handmade items prepared by women from self-help groups had found many takers as they were cheaper in comparison to branded items, which ranged from Rs 2000 to Rs 4000 here.

Sheep wool items like socks, gloves and caps sold by the Bhutia community in Mussoorie also were in great demand as many tourists were seen buying them in large quantities.

The locals were also seen collecting nettle leaves to prepare a delicacy that is considered to keep the body warm in winters due to herbal ingredients present in these.

Daily wage labourers were seen huddled around fire wood distributed by the Municipal Council to keep them warm during the night.

The chilly dry winds added to the woes of the people here and many were seen buying shawls to cover themselves. The residents and the tourists got some relief around noon today when the sky cleared and the sun reappeared, bringing in some warmth for a few hours. However, the chill returned in the evening, forcing the shopkeepers to shut down their shops around 7.30 pm and head for their homes for some warmth of their beds as the temperatures dipped to around 5°C .

The people of the town were comforted to certain extent by the weather report, which forecast sunny days ahead till mid-week.

Dehradun, November 24
The India Against Legal Corruption, an organisation working in aid of husbands facing harassment at the hands of their wives, staged a dharna at Gandhi Park in Dehradun today.

Dr Indu Subhash, founder of the organisation, said it was a wrong perception that women always suffered due to domestic violence, while in many cases it was exactly the opposite and husbands were harassed.

Subhash said the India Against Legal Corruption that had 40 other organisations under its umbrella was fighting for the cause of the victimised husbands.

He added under the patronage of law, women were harassing their husbands intentionally, which was nothing but legal terrorism.

He said in several cases husbands were committing suicide due to unending harassment at the hand of their wives. The anti-dowry Act was being rampantly misused and husbands could do little to save themselves.

Manoj Vishwakarma, who participated in the dharna, said women empowerment laws were meant more to harass men rather than ensuring betterment of women.

Another protester Manoj Gupta said most of the women-centric laws were today being misused.

He added men were being falsely implicated for sexual harassment at workplace. Even seeking maintenance allowance from a husband by a divorced wife was nothing but a sort of extortion. 

Dehradun, November 24
The 10th Uttarakhand Police Inter-District Athletics Meet was inaugurated by DGP Satyavrat Bansal at the Police Lines ground here today.

A total of 18 teams of the district police, the Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) and the Indian Reserve Battalion (IRB) comprising 365 athletes are participating in the competition.

Additional Director General SK Bhagat, Inspector General Anil Raturi, Inspector General RS Meena, DIG (PAC) JS Pandey, DIG Deepam Seth and Dehradun SSP Kewal Khurana were present on the occasion.

The following are the results of the events held here today:

1,500 m race (men): first: Harish Koranga (31st Battalion, PAC); second: Lal Singh (31st Battalion, PAC) and third: Virender Mole (Almora )

1,500 m race (women): first: Saroj Joshi ( 31st Battalion, PAC); second: Meena Goswami (31st Battalion, PAC) and third: Rashim Sahu (Haridwar).

Discus throw (women): Rekha Shahi (31st Battalion, PAC); second: Jyoti (Dehradun) and third Vimla Vaish (Pithoragarh).

Long jump (women): first: Poonam Bhatt (Haridwar), second: Anita Bisht (31st, Battalion, PAC) and third Usha Sahni (Haridwar).

Shot put (men): first: Yashjit Singh (Tehri); second: Santosh Rawat (46th Battalion, PAC) and third Naresh Rai (Nainital)

200 m race (women): first: Sangeeta Bohra (Dehradun); second Rekha Joshi (Haridwar) and third: Sumitra (Haridwar).

Triple jump (women): first: Poonam Bhatt (Haridwar); second: Shasi Kiran (Pithoragarh).

10,000 m race (men): first: Rajesh Kumar (31st Battalion, PAC); second Vikram (Almora) and third: Prem Singh (IRB-1st Battalion).

10,000 m race (women): first: Vidya Mehta (Pauri); second Meena Goswami (31st Battalion, PAC) and third Rekha (31st Battalion, PAC).

Pault vault (men): first: Kapoor Rana (40th Battalion, PAC); second Arvind Rana (40th Battalion, PAC) and third Ramesh Prasad (Pithoragarh).

400 race hurdles (women): first: Rekha Joshi (Haridwar); second: Anita Bisht (31st Battalion, PAC) and third Sunaina (40th Battalion, PAC).

Dehradun, November 24
Sewa Singh Matharu has been working for the welfare of people for long time now. An active office-bearer in nearly six social welfare organisations, Matharu has made public service a mission of his life.

A retired gazetted officer from Survey of India, Dehradun, Matharu as the secretary, Shri Guru Singh Sabha, has been instrumental in holding number of health camps in Dehradun apart from conducting religious programmes. Marrying destitute girls, providing education to poor children and distributing clothes to the downtrodden in the slums are some of regular charitable activities being undertaken by the sabha in Dehradun. Also the secretary of Ramgarhia Sabha, the community to which he belongs, Matharu has been working for welfare of backward sections, often guiding the youngsters about careers and choice of professions.

For the cause of communal harmony, Matharu, as a member of the Sikh brotherhood, has been assisting a number of programmes for communal amity in society. He has been in touch with religious leaders for organising such programmes.

Sikh Sewak Jatha, of which Matharu is the general secretary, has constantly been undertaking cleanliness drive at various localities. He has also initiated plantation drives at various residential colonies of Dehradun so as to ensure that greenery of the city is maintained. He also holds the honorary post of manager at Dashmesh Academy, Reetha Mandi, Dehradun. He is also a board member of The Heritage School, one of prestigious schools of the city.

Matharu has also been a sportsman. Even at the age of 70, Matharu plays badminton regularly. He is also the vice president of the Uttarakhand Badminton Association and also the treasurer of the District Dehradun Volleyball Association. Even as an officer at Survey of India, Matharu had been actively promoting sports in the office.

He asserted that there was no dearth of time in his life when it comes to serving society. “People often ask me that how I manage to work is so many charitable organisations. But I want to serve people as much as I can and will continue to do it till my last breath,” added Matharu.

Dehradun, November 24
Doon International School defeated Hilton School in the final of the AC Deb Memorial Senior Boys' Basketball Tournament played at Raja Ram Mohan Roy Academy here today.

Earlier, in the semifinals, Doon International School defeated Summer Valley School while Hilton School beat Kasiga School.

In the final match today, Doon International School defeated Hilton School by 42-33. Sahil Dahiya of Doon International was the top scorer with 27 points. Vishal of Hilton School scored 12 points in the final match.

Patricia Hilton, who was the guest of honour, gave away the prizes to the winners and runners-up teams.

Sahila Dahiya was declared the best player of the tournament while Rahul Kumar of Raja Ram Mohan Roy Academy was adjudged the most promising player of the tournament.

Dehradun, November 24
Ecole Globale Girls’ International School celebrated its first annual sports day here today. On a sunny day, the students participated in many lively performances.

The students marched to the tune of an Army band, followed by various events. Relay races, yoga and judo displays were some of the events which were applauded. The students put up a superb performance. The most enjoyable was the parents’ event. A balloon was tied to the ankle of each participant and the effort was to burst balloons of others. The children cheered their parents and guided them to win the event. The school staff also entertained the gathering with their participation in the threading the needle relay.

AK Das, principal of The Asian School, was the chief guest on the occasion. He appreciated the efforts of the students and made the Ecole family realise the importance of the day. He told the students that they were the pioneers of the school who would create traditions that would be followed in the years to come.

Dehradun, November 24
In a major breakthrough, Uttarakhand’s Rajpur police today nabbed three miscreants allegedly involved in a number of thefts in the capital city of Dehradun.

At around 2.20 pm today, Rajpur police, while undertaking it's routine vehicle checks at Sahastradhara Road, intercepted a car, DL 3 CVR I 10, that was being driven at a high speed and coming towards the side of Dehradun city. On being signalled to stop, the driver accelerated the vehicle. The car had three occupants. The police party immediately started following the car and finally managed to nab the trio a kilometer ahead.

On interrogation, the three were identified as Rajan, son of Ram Pyare, resident of Chapra, district Kushinagar, UP, Bunty, son of Ashok Kumar, resident of Bulandshahar, UP, and Lakshman Singh Bisht, son of Bhagat Singh, resident of Almora, Uttarakhand. The trio did not have the relevant papers of the car. All the three confessed committing a number of thefts in Dehradun. They said they had got the car from Ghaziabad. The police, apart from seizing jewellery that included chains and earrings, also recovered Rs 50,000 from their possession.

In another major achievement for Uttarakhand police, the Vasant Vihar police today arrested an inter-state vehicle thief. The police arrested one Afzal Ahmed, alias Golu, son of D. Ahmed, resident of Lohianagar, Brahmapuri, Dehradun. A Maruti car, which he was driving, was also seized, which had a number of fake number plates kept inside. Later, on the basis of information provided by him, the police recovered five motor cycles that had been stolen from various places. It included a Karizma motor cycle, a Bajaj motor cycle, an Apache motor cycle and a TVS star motor cycle.

Afzal disclosed that he used to steal vehicles from Dehradun and sell those vehicles at Deoband in Uttar Pradesh to a junk dealer, whom he identified as Tauseen. He said that he used to immediately change the number plates of the stolen vehicles.

Senior Superintendent of Police, Dehradun, Kewal Khurana has announced a cash award for the police party that arrested the inter- state vehicle thief.