Sirsa, January 1
Haryana Minister for Labour and Employment Shiv Charan Sharma has apologised for his controversial remark against Geetika Sharma, who committed suicide. He called her a "servant" of his former ministerial colleague Gopal Kanda, the prime accused in the case, now in jail.

Sharma, who attended the birthday function of the former minister in Sirsa on December 29, had also said that the case in which Kanda had been booked was not "such a big" one.

The Minister came in for sharp criticism from opposition parties and the victim’s family, who demanded his removal from the Cabinet.

"This isn't such a big case. He (Kanda) appointed her (Geetika) as a servant by mistake," Sharma had said referring to the Geetika suicide case while participating in Kanda's birthday celebrations organised by his supporters in Sirsa. Geetika was an employee of the now defunct MDLR Airline owned by Kanda.

Geetika (23) was found dead on August 5 at her Ashok Vihar residence in northwest Delhi. In one of her suicide notes, the victim stated that she was ending her life due to "harassment" by Kanda and his aide Aruna Chaddha, a co-accused.

The birthday function was attended among others by Chief Parliamentary Secretary Prahlad Singh Gillankhera and former minister OP Jain, both of whom termed Gopal Kanda ‘innocent’.

Gillankhera had maintained that the future belonged to Kanda and he would come clean out of the criminal cases registered against him in Delhi.

“Gopal Kanda is like gold, which never rusts. Some people have hatched a conspiracy to frame him fearing his popularity, but this case will not affect his image among people”, said former minister OP Jain in his speech at the birthday function.

In Delhi, BJP's Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi slammed Sharma by calling his remark unfortunate and warned that people's anger would rise because of such "insensitive" comments.

Congress spokesperson Rashid Alvi said the party would talk to Sharma since he was not aware of the remark but stressed that political leaders should make comments very carefully.

"He is insulting the girl (Geetika) by calling him Kanda's servant. Question should be asked from him why the girl committed suicide," said National Commission for Women chief Mamata Sharma.

BJP's Smriti Irani said the remark was extremely condemnable, especially when the atmosphere was surcharged after the death of the 23-year old Delhi gang rape victim.

Sharma had also said Kanda was a brave and honest person who had been falsely implicated by those who were jealous of his "phenomenal" growth in life. 

Chandigarh January 1
Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda said today that the ambitious direct benefits transfer scheme would prove beneficial for the poor and the common man as the subsidy of various welfare schemes would directly reach the beneficiaries. Hooda said two districts of Haryana, Ambala and Sonepat, would also be covered under the first phase of the scheme.

Hooda was interacting with mediapersons after flagging off the Haryana Vikas Sandesh rath yatra organized by Ashok Kadian, president, Congress Seva Dal, Bhiwani, from his residence here today.

The rath yatra depicting various welfare policies of the state government would cover about 1000 km in 11 districts. It would reach Delhi on January 8. 

Fatehabad, January 1
While the authorities are yet to begin their campaign for sterilisation of stray dogs in the district, another black buck fell prey to a canine attack yesterday. Stray dogs hounded a kid black buck grazing in the fields of Shekhur Daroli village and mauled it after chasing it .

Hearing dogs bark, some villages rushed to save the animal but in vain.

A villager, Ranbir Jangra, alleged that stray dogs had been attacking wild and other domestic animals but the authorities were yet to take remedial steps. He alleged stray dogs mauled a cow to death on Sunday .

The authorities recently announced a drive to sterilise stray dogs in the areas inhabited by black buck but the plan was yet to come about .

Sonepat, January 1
BJP activists led by the party’s state media in charge, Rajiv Jain, today launched a special signature campaign at Sonepat railway station in support of the demand for metro service from Jahangirpuri (Delhi) to Sonepat. A large number of the daily and other commuters signed the demand note.

Jain said the target to collect one lakh signatures in support of the demand had been set. The demand note would then be handed over to the Chairman of the Metro Railway Corporation.

Jain pointed out that as the state government had already spared Rs 788 crore for metro service to Bahadurgarh, it was time for doing a similar favour to the residents of Sonepat for this facility. Around 50,000 commuters travel to Delhi every day.

Karnal, January 1
People of Karnal scripted history of sorts by ringing in the New Year in a unique way with a record 20,000 residents filling in eye donation forms.

The enthusiasm for eye donation can be gauged from the fact that the process of filling in the forms started at midnight with religious and social organisations taking the lead in motivating people for the noble cause.

The initiative was taken by an NGO, Fight for Justice Club of India, and people responded overwhelmingly with 50,000 persons instantly giving their consent to donate their eyes last month.

Harish Arya, president of the club, said "Our objective is to eradicate blindness and we are happy that the campaign has started from Karnal named after legendary Mahabharata character Karan known for charity. The health authorities and the administration too have come out in a big way to support the cause."

Everybody other than patients suffering from HIV positive, Hepatitis B and C and rabies can donate their eyes. 

Jind, January 1
The Bibipur gram sabha has demanded death penalty for the rapists. The sabha also demanded speedy trial in cases pertaining to sexual harassment in order to put a curb on such incidents in the society, during a special meeting held under the supervision of Block Development and Panchayat officials in the village today.

Village sarpanch Sunil Jaglan said they submitted their suggestions via e-mail to the committee headed by a former chief justice of India. The committee had invited suggestions from various sections of the society regarding the measures required to be brought up at the national level to check rapes and sexual harassment in the country.

The committee was formed by the Central Government in the wake of recent gang rape of a 23-year-old paramedical student on a bus in Delhi. Jaglan said the meeting resolved to seek death penalty for the rapists and a jail term ranging from one-year to three years for those found indulging in sexual harassment.

Bibipur became the first village in the state to convene an all-women meeting of the gram sabhas and a meeting of the Saravkhap Mahapanchayat last year on the issue of female feoticide.

Poonam Devi, a resident of the village, asked the government to ensure prosecution of the rapist within a month, while Anju Rani, another resident of the village, demanded punishment for molesters within a week.

There was an urgent need to raise the number of women in the police force to at least 40 per cent of the total strength at all levels as it would instill confidence among the girls and women, said the sarpanch.

Sirsa, January 1
The authorities today launched ‘Road Safety Week’ in the district with Deputy Commissioner J Ganesan and SSP Raj Shri Singh installing reflectors on three-wheelers and tractor-trolleys.

Addressing schoolchildren and vehicle drivers, Ganesan said the authorities had taken several steps for ensuring safety on roads.

He said directions had been issued to the petrol pump owners not to provide fuel to vehicles without registration number.

The DC said unauthorised cuts on the national highway and the state highways would be closed and riding of two-wheelers by schoolchildren would be strictly prohibited.

The SSP said steps had been taken to provide safety to women and complaint boxes had been installed in all police station and police posts.

Schoolchildren organised a rally to create awareness among people on various aspects of the road safety.

The children carried placards advising people to shun consumption of liquor while driving and avoid travelling on rooftops of buses and some other safeguards to be taken while travelling.

Kaithal: The traffic police adopted a novel method to create awareness among violators of the traffic rules. Traffic Inspector Rohtash Kumar accompanied by members of the road safety organisation and senior citizens presented flowers to those who were found violating the rules.

They told road users not to drive vehicles under the influence of liquor, use helmet while driving two-wheeler, observe speed limit, not to permit minors to drive vehicles and not to carry passengers over the limit.

Superintendent of Police Kuldip Singh Yadav appealed to the public to cooperate with the police to ensure safety of road users by observing traffic rules.

Jhajjar, January 1
Former Haryana Chief Minister and Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) supremo Om Prakash Chautala today alleged that the state government was playing into the hands of alleged looters and capitalists.

Addressing a public rally at Beri town in the district today, Chautala said the alleged looters and capitalists were amassing properties by getting benefits under “anti-people policies� of the government.

He said they would be taught a lesson for their “misdeeds� if the INLD voted to power in the next assembly elections.

Lashing out at the Congress for inflation and rampant corruption in government offices, Chautala said the Central and state governments were doomed to exit soon as the people had made up their mind to get rid of the party due to alleged scams being committed by its leaders.

“The Congress-led UPA Government has broken all records of corruption. The party has no moral right to remain in power as many senior leaders have been found involved in scams,” said the INLD supremo.

While interacting with mediapersons, he said: “I had attended the oath-taking ceremony of Gujarat Chief Minister Narender Modi on his invitation as I have personal rapport with Modi.”

In reply to a question, Chautala said it was to be decided by the people whether Modi should be Prime Minister of India or not.

Hisar, January 1
When people started their day exchanging New Year greetings on phones, through SMSes, emails or on social websites, students of a girls’ college started their 2013 on a different note.

The students of Maharani Laxmi Bai College for Women at Bhiwani Rohilla village in the district began their day by lighting candles in the memory of the 23-year-old Delhi gang rape victim and taking a pledge to work tirelessly for the freedom, honour and dignity of the women.

The students observed a two-minute silence after lighting candles for the victim, who was gang-raped on a moving bus in Delhi, and raised 
their hands to take the pledge.

“The real homage to the victim will be to create a society where women can breathe and walk fearlessly,” said Dr Neelam Prabha, principal of the college.

Bharat Bhushan, president of the college governing body, said it was important for everyone in the society to help creating an atmosphere conducive to the freedom of women so that they could contribute towards the development of the county in a better manner. 

Sonepat, January 1
A 15-year-old girl, a resident of Gannaur town in the district, was allegedly raped by her neighbour, identified as Ravi, on Monday. The police has arrested the accused soon after receiving a complaint from the victim and her mother.

In the complaint, they stated that the girl had gone to a market yesterday to purchase some grocery items. The accused, a van driver, met her in the market and asked her to sit in his van for returning to her house.

They said instead of bringing her back to the house, he took her in the van in the fields of Bari village and allegedly raped her. After returning home, the victim narrated the incident to her mother.

Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Balbir Singh said the accused was arrested soon after receiving the complaint.

The victim and the accused were medically examined at the Civil Hospital, Gannaur.

The accused was today produced in a local court which sent him in judicial custody, the DSP added.

Sonepat, January 1
The police last night arrested two gangsters after an exchange of fire. They were members of a gang of looters and chain snatchers involved in more than 50 cases in Delhi and Sonepat. They were Sandeep of Nangloi and Manju of Kamruddin Nagar in Delhi.

The police said the gangsters opened fire to escape on their motorcycle. However the police returned the fire before overpowering them.

A pistol and a stolen motorcycle were seized from them

The gangsters had confessed their involvement in 12 cases of loot, chain snatching and burglary in Sonepat and about 40 such cases in Delhi.

The court has remanded them in police custody for recovery of the looted property and arrest of their accomplices.

Hisar, January 1
A man gunned down his 40-year-old wife with his licensed revolver late on Monday night because he wanted her share in ancestral property which the woman had been declining.

The accused took the woman's body to his village for cremation without a postmortem but the police intervened on the complaint of the victim’s brother Lalit Saini and took the body in its custody.

The police has booked main accused Satbir Saini for murder and his three brothers, their wives and a nephew for instigating him to take this step.

The victim’s brother said Usha was married to Satbir Saini of Professor Colony 18 years ago.

Satbir, who ran a firm Mahalaxmi Society in the Red Square market area of Hisar, used to quarrel with Usha and pressure her for seeking her share in parental property at the instance of his brothers, Gian Singh, Sube Singh, Hawa Singh, and their wives and a nephew.

The victim's brother said Usha had called him on December 20 to tell that her husband would kill her if she did not comply with his wish.

On Monday night, Satbir came home drunk and fired at Usha from his revolver, Lalit Saini alleged.

The bullet hit Usha close to her heart, killing her on the spot.

After the incident, Satbir took the body to his village for its cremation without going for a postmortem.

The police recovered the body after receiving a complaint from the victim’s brother.

Satbir Saini, however, has denied the allegation and attributed his wife’s death to an accident. He said he returned home after midnight and was sitting with his children, Poonam (16), Neha (14) and Manav (7).

He said Poonam took his revolver to fire in the air in celebration of the New Year but the bullet accidentally hit his wife.

The police has registered a case against the accused. 

Sirsa, January 1
Relatives of a deceased person blocked vehicular traffic by placing the body on the road at Ellenabad town in Sirsa demanding his killers' arrest and shifting of the SHO.

Richhpal Singh, a municipal councillor, who was brutally beaten up by unidentified persons on November 23, died in a Gurgaon hospital yesterday. His kin alleged that the police was not arresting the accused.

City Magistrate Satish Kumar and two DSPs persuaded the protesters to lift the blockade.

The protesters agreed to cremate the body only after SSP Raj Shri Singh transferred SHO Vikram Nehra to the Police Lines and posted Maha Singh in his place.

The police assured the protesters that all accused would be arrested soon.