Khanpur Kalan, March 8
It was a disappointing day for a large number of women, including degree holders who had come here to attend the convocation of Bhagat Phul Singh Women University, on the 101st International Women Day as the gates were closed for them and they were not allowed to enter the venue.

Clad in convocation gowns, the passouts were forced to stay out on the pretext that they were late and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi would be seated before their arrival.

The excitement and enthusiasm of these women passouts to receive degrees in the presence of the most empowered woman of India died instantly as they could not even get a glimpse of Sonia Gandhi.

While Sonia Gandhi and Chief Minister B.S.Hooda were boasting about the measures taken by the government women empowerment, these women were realising "how powerless and hapless they were", and kept waiting till the function ended.

Referring to Bhagat Phul Singh Women University, in her address, Sonia Gandhi said this Gurukul was started in 1936 with merely three students but in the last six years, it had emerged as a magnificent complex. She said that the passouts of the university would definitely bring about a sea change in the mindset of the society in the state.

Haryana Governor Jagannath Pahadia praised the setting up of the Rs 1,000-crore Nirbhaya Fund and the all-woman bank by the union government.

Chief Minister B.S.Hooda said his government had taken several steps for the empowerment of women like the Priyadarshini Awaas Yojna under which 3.5 lakh houses would be constructed in rural and urban areas for poor people and the ownership would be of the woman of the family. As many as 2,436 women students were conferred degrees at the convocation, which was the first convocation of the university.

A host of state leaders and ministers, MPs and MLAs, including Haryana Vidhan Sabha Speaker Kuldeep Sharma and state Congress president Phool Chand Mullana, were present on the occasion.

Hisar, March 8
On a day when women across the world were celebrating International Women’s Day, a pregnant woman approached Agroha police station in Hisar with a complaint that she was gang-raped by three persons in captivity in a liquor vend at Barki Kheri village for five days, allegedly in connivance with her husband and in-laws.

The police has booked liquor contractor Prem, husband Sunil and others for kidnap, gang rape and illegal confinement after the woman's medical examination.

The 22-year-old married woman alleged that she had an altercation at home with her in-laws six days ago.

The woman alleged she was five months pregnant but her husband wanted her to abort the baby.

A panchayat was held on March 4 in which liquor contractor Prem was also called as an adjudicator by her in-laws.

After the panchayat, Prem took her to his liquor vend with the consent of her husband Sunil who, the woman alleged, authorised the contractor to abort her pregnancy.

She alleged she was held hostage in the vend for five days where three persons, including Prem, raped her repeatedly. She somehow escaped and informed the police.

Interestingly, the day woman alleged she was kidnapped, her husband Sunil had lodged a report about his wife going missing.

Gairatpur Baas, March 8
UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi has stated that pro-active support and sensitivity of the civil society was must to enable the differently abled individuals like autistics to lead a life of dignity.

She pointed out that affluent parents could afford quality medical care and other facilities for their autistic children and other disorders, but the underprivileged families needed a substantial support system for challenged children.

Speaking at the foundation-laying ceremony of Ananda, a group residence and educational-cum-vocational centre here today, she exhorted the corporate houses to make their corporate social responsibility (CSR) focus on the cause of differently abled persons.

Appreciating Action for Autism (AFA) for addressing the concerns of autistic individuals and their families, Sonia stated that Ananda was the first centre of its kind in the country and perhaps in South Asia.

After delivering her speech, she asked Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda to provide a special package for Gairatpur Baas village which had given 10 acres of land for the centre.

Hooda, who had not mentioned any financial aid in his speech, got up and announced a grant of Rs 1 crore for the development of the village under the Haryana Rural Development Fund (HRDF) and Rs 51 lakh for the AFA from his discretionary quota.

Kurukshetra, March 8
To celebrate International Women’s Day, the Flag Foundation of India (FFI) organised a ‘Mahila Swashakti March’ here today under the leadership of Shalu Jindal, Vice-President of the FFI.

Speaking at the inaugural ceremony of the march at Dronacharya Stadium, Shalu Jindal demanded that the government should take effective measures for women security. She demanded that the government should frame effective law against the perpetrators of crime against women.

She lamented that women were being gang-raped even in cars and buses. In such cases strong laws should be constituted and the guilty for such inhuman acts should be severely punished. The cases of women victimization including gang rapes, acid attacks and dowry deaths had increased . "We should concentrate on eradicating social evils, including female foeticide and child marriage, she added.

Nearly 5,000 women marched in a procession from Dronacharya Stadium to Theme Park here where they passed a resolution to promote freedom, proper education, security and equal opportunity to women.

Chandigarh, March 8
In a clarification that would settle the issue of the use of the top floor terraces of independent floors on residential plots, the Haryana government has clarified that every top floor terrace cannot be automatically classified as common area for the installation of common services.

Putting the record straight, the Department of the Town and Country Planning in its latest circular has clarified that only such top floor terrace which is specified as "common roof" in the sale-purchase agreement would be part of the "common area and common facilities".

The circular said, “The rights of usage of the top floor terrace has to be decided by mutual negotiation between the transacting parties and its usage as prescribed in the agreement shall be final.”

The circular said the sale-purchase agreement might designate the entire top floor terrace for the services for the purpose of placing water tanks and solar water heating equipment. In such a case, the entire terrace can be designated as common roof.

Similarly, the agreement may designate only a part of the terrace for services as the common roof. In this case, the balance part of the terrace would be designated as the segregated enclosure on which the owner of a specific floor would get exclusive usage rights.

However, in case the sale-purchase agreement specified the design of the building in such a manner that the terrace is not required to be used for common services there would be no ‘common roof’ for the purpose of the common service. The exclusive ownership and usage rights of the entire terrace would vest in any of the three independent owners as decided in the sale-purchase agreement, the circular state.

The Haryana government had come out with a policy on the usage of the terraces in the state in 2009. “The state government had issued a clarification on the policy as certain issues on the usage of the terraces had been raised from time to time,” a senior official added.

Chandigarh, March 8
Censuring HUDA for apparently causing “unwanted and avoidable harassment” to allottees by allotting a disputed plot in Gurgaon, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has asserted that it was imperative upon the authorities concerned to rectify the mistake at the earliest.

Taking up the petition filed by Hitesh Rohilla and another petitioner, a Division Bench has also asked the HUDA Chief Administrator and the Gurgaon Estate Officer “to take necessary action”. They have been asked to dispose of the petitioners' claim by passing a speaking order within two months “failing which the petitioners shall be entitled to claim exemplary costs and damages from the authorities”.

The Bench of Justice Surya Kant and Justice RP Nagrath asserted: “ Prima facie, it appears that the petitioners are being subjected to unwanted and avoidable harassment due to inaction or sheer negligence of the HUDA authorities. Firstly, there was no rhyme and reason to allot a plot under dispute and if it had happened due to an inadvertent mistake, it was imperative upon the authorities to rectify the same at the earliest”.

Seeking directions to HUDA and its Estate Officer to issue a revised allotment letter, the petitioners had earlier asserted that a plot in Sector 5 was allotted in draw of lots to Navratan in November, 2001. But an allotment letter was issued, compelling the original allottee to approach the High Court.

During the petition’s pendency, the original allottee's appeal was allowed by the HUDA Administrator. As a result, the writ petition was disposed of as infructuous. After the allotment letter dated March 14, 2007, was issued to the original allottee, he transferred the plot in favour of the petitioners.

His request for transfer was accepted by the HUDA authorities, who issued the re-allotment letter in November, 2007 in favour of the petitioners. Soon thereafter, the petitioners sought information as to why the plot’s possession was not being offered. In reply, the petitioners were informed that the plot was under litigation.

Alleging discrimination, the petitioners quoted instances where similarly placed allottees were given “alternative exchange letters of allotment”.

Fatehabad, March 8
Kunal, a class XII student of a local CBSE-affiliated school, committed suicide by strangulating him at his Udham Singh Nagar residence in here last night.

Kunal was reportedly under stress ever since his physics paper did not go well on March 5.

It is the second case of suicide by a student appearing in the CBSE senior secondary examinations in Fatehabad district.

Earlier, Yog Raj, a boy from Ahrewan village in the district, had ended his life by consuming some poisonous substance after he did not fare well in his English exam.

The 18-year-old Kunal was appearing in class 12 examinations being held in a centre at Ratia.

After coming back from Ratia on March 5, he told his friends and family members that his physics examination had not gone well.

His family members counselled him that he could work hard and fare better in the coming papers.

Yesterday, he went to the upper floor of his house to prepare for his next examination.

However, when he did not return, the family members went upstairs and found the room bolted from inside.

When the boy did not respond to the requests for opening the door, the family members broke open the door and found Kunal hanging from the ceiling.

Hisar, March 8
Activists of the Akhil Bhartiya Jat Arakshan Sangharsh Samiti (ABJASS) have announced to block the Hisar-Delhi national highway at Mayyar tomorrow in case any representative of the district administration did not turn up for negotiation by 2 pm on Saturday.

Six activists of the organisation, including a woman, have been sitting on indefinite fast at Mayyar since yesterday. Earlier, the activists had organised a rally there on March 6.

“We have been agitating here for the past three days, but the authorities have so far not cared to come to us to know our demands. If no one from the government or the district administration comes by 2 pm tomorrow, we shall have no other option, but to block vehicular traffic on the highway,” said Ram Bhagat Malik, spokesperson of the state unit of the Samiti.

Malik said a state level rally would be organised at Mayyar on March 12, where the Jat reservation leaders would announce their future course of action.

Although the state government has announced 10 per cent quota in jobs to Jats and four other castes, the faction of the ABJASS led by Yashpal Malik, national president of the Samiti, has been demanding quota within the 27 per cent reserved for the OBCs.

Meanwhile, Jai Singh Bishnoi, a member of the Haryana Backward Classes Commission, maintained that the reservation announced by the Haryana government was well within the constitution.

Faridabad, March 8
The yatra from Mathura to Delhi undertaken to press for the release of water in the Yamuna and its cleansing entered Faridabad district from Palwal today.

Bhajans and kirtans by activists were the hallmark of the yatra. The activists sprayed "gulal" on each other and on passersby as part of the "Brij culture" symbolised by Mathura. Most of the activists in the yatra are from the Mathura region.

It is scheduled to reach Faridabad city tomorrow.

Apart from minor hiccups, the vehicluar movement today remained unaffected on National Highway-2, the designated route of the yatra.

The authorities have made arrangement to ensure a smooth passage of the yatra to Delhi.

Meanwhile, the Faridabad BJP led by its president Ajay Gaur and state leader of the party Sandip Joshi welcomed the yatra and assured them of their party's support to the cause.

Rewari, March 8
The Jatusana police has arrested Vicky (25) for allegedly raping a 26-year-old woman at Kumrodha village, 16 km from here, on February 14.

The woman, who was reportedly threatened by the accused of dire consequences if she opened her mouth, yesterday made a statement before the police which registered a case of rape and criminal intimidation and arrested the accused. He was today produced in a local court which remanded him in 14-day judicial custody.

The woman complained that Vicky had been continually raping her for the past three years. The police got the woman medically examined here last evening after which her swabs were sent to the Forensic State Laboratory at Madhuban (Karnal) for chemical examination.