Rohtak, July 6
A sub-inspector was shot dead near Kheri Sadh village, eight kilometres from here, last evening. The unidentified motorcycle-borne assailants fled after the crime.

The incident took place around 9 pm at a police barricade set up near the village. Sub-inspector Balwan Singh, in charge of the Kharawar police post, was performing routine checking at the barricade.

When he told two youths riding a motorcycle to show their identity proof, they opened fire on him. At least two more policemen were present on the spot.

Aged about 50 years, Balwan hailed from Sonepat district. He succumbed to his injuries before he could be taken to hospital.

The police registered a case and launched a hunt to trace the assailants. The body was sent to the PGIMS for post-mortem examination.

Sirsa, July 6
Former President APJ Abdul Kalam today expressed the confidence that India can still become a superpower by 2020 as per his vision, if the country is able to increase its economic growth and the youths contribute well in the nation's development.

Kalam was answering a question asked by a child Vikas Mittal during his interaction programme with students at the CMK National Postgraduate College for Women here today.

"When I gave my 'Vision 2020', the economic growth was expected to be between eight and nine per cent. But, owning to a global slowdown, the GDP has come down to five per cent," Kalam said.

He, however, said there were still seven years left for 2020 and if India could improve its growth rate and our youths could contribute well in the nation's development, India can still achieve that target. To another question from a schoolgirl, Kalam said he did not believe in anything like "brain drain".

"About 25 to 30 million Indians go abroad to acquire knowledge and wealth and in the same manner, nationals from other countries come to India to get education and earn money. So there is no upside down situation, as is often projected," the former President said.

Earlier, addressing students drawn from various schools and colleges of Sirsa district, Kalam said he always felt delighted while being amongst students. He said youths today were not clear about their future.

But, at the same time he said the youths need not worry about their future, as they can achieve any goal if they have the courage and determination for it. Speaking in a title "I am born with wings", Kalam said children should always feel that they have the wings of potentials, ideas, goodness and confidence, which could take them to any heights.

He said every child should bear in mind that he was not on this earth to crawl, but to fly high in the sky. "It was a wonderful experience. I wish more students could get the opportunity to ask questions from the genius," said a student Himanshu Rathee.

However, Kalam did not disappoint those children who could not ask him a question and told them to mail their queries to apj@abdulkalam.com and promised to reply them all. Sirsa MP Ashok Tanwar accompanied by his wife Avantika Maken Tanwar and two children, Deputy Commissioner J Ganesan, SSP Saurabh Singh and college principal Vijaya Tomar were among those present.

Kalam advocated the socio-economic and cultural development of village for an inclusive development in India.

Delivering his convocation address at the Jan Nayak Chaudhary Devi Lal Memorial (JCDM) College of Engineering here, Kalam said no development of the country was possible by ignoring 750 million people living in six lakh villages of this country.

Delving on convergence of technologies, Kalam said the information technology and communication technology had already converged leading to Information and Communication Technology (ICT).

Similarly, photonics is grown out from the labs to converge with classical electronics and microelectronics to bring in a new high speed options in consumer products. He said when nanotechnology and the ICT meet, integrated silicon electronics, photonics were born and it can be said material convergence will happen.

With material convergence and biotechnology linked, a new science called Intelligent Bioscience will be born, which would lead to a disease free, happy and more intelligent human habitat with longevity and high human capabilities, Kalam said.

Emphasising the need for multi-disciplinary studies, the former President said the students should get ready to acquire knowledge in an integrated way for using multiple disciplines towards product development and its management, right from the undergraduate engineering programme. Kalam distributed degrees to nearly 450 graduates of the college and honoured the toppers with medals.

Earlier, Abhey Singh Chautala, chairman of the Chaudhary Devi Lal Trust, and Dushyant Singh Chautala, vice-chairman of JCD Vidyapeeth, welcomed Kalam to the college. Gurcharan Dass, principal of the JCDM College of Engineering, read out the annual report of the college.

Chandigarh, July 6
Five educated women, all first-time mayors of newly constituted Municipal Corporations in male-dominated Haryana with one story---that of graduating from ordinary women to celebrated first citizens in their cities. Even they can't believe it is true.

Maybe it is not and maybe a lot more time is required to usher in that change since the women are happy living "protected lives" in the shadows of their husbands. Even though they were the cynosure of all eyes when they called on Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda at his residence here today. They were clearly in awe of the goings-on, but reluctant to be themselves.

And, as it turned out finally, the men who accompanied each of them clearly out-numbered all of them put together. Though Hooda congratulated them and even tried to make them feel at home by offering sweets and initiating a conversation, the husbands of the women Mayors quickly took over, almost enjoying the Mayor's position vicariously.

What could be greater proof than this that Yamunanagar Mayor Saroj Bala, a Class X pass, gaga over her husband, said, "I have come this far only because of him." Asked if she would have contested the elections had her ward not been reserved for women, she was quick to reply, "In that case, my husband would have contested. He could not and that is why I stepped in." Standing right behind her, he, too, nodded in unison. Asked if he would be more visible as the Mayor than her, she replied in the positive, adding, "I was my village sarpanch for eight years. He managed everything very well."

A protégé of Hisar MLA and former minister Savitri Jindal, Hisar Mayor Shakuntala Rajliwal, too, candidly admitted, "With all my children grown-up and married, I was free of my duties as a mother and decided to contest the elections because my MLA wanted me to. If there was no binding on fielding a woman, my husband would have been where I am. My ward was reserved for a woman. So, there was no choice."

While the women chose to stay in the backdrop as the men present at the meeting vied for Hooda's attention, Rohtak Mayor Renu Dabla, an MSc, chose to watch from a distance, preferring to stay to herself. Panchkula Mayor Upender Ahluwalia, however, was more forthcoming while Karnal's Mayor Renu Bala tagged alongside her husband though she tried to independently strike a conversation, but confined herself to the women.

The men, husbands, sons and their friends, hovered around the women and were there to answer every little query when they could. Interestingly, all attempts to get the numbers of the women Mayors earlier in the day ended up in calls to their husbands who chose to answer all questions rather than letting their wives do the talking.

However, despite this, and courtesy reservation to send back a woman Mayor or political compulsion to elect a woman Mayor, for the first time, so many women are in command in a state like Haryana where this, too, seems one small step towards change.

Sonepat, July 6
The police has arrested the main accused in the murder case of Rajinder Pal, owner of Luxmi Gold Palace, who was killed at his shop at Subhash Chowk here in broad daylight on June 20.

Vijay, alias Kale, in the custody of the CIA staff at Sonepat on Saturday. Photo: BS Malik

Talking to mediapersons here today, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Ajit Singh said the accused, who was carrying a reward of Rs 1 lakh, was identified as Vijay, alias Kale, of Jindran village under the Kalanaur police station in Rohtak district.

The DSP said the accused was nabbed by the CIA unit from the bus stop at Saidpur village near the Delhi border today. He said the CIA unit was present in the Kharkhoda area when it received a tip-off that the accused was coming from Delhi.

He said the team laid a trap near Saidpur village and nabbed the accused. The accused was today produced in court, which remanded him in police custody.