Five policemen suspended over custodial death
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, April 13
Five policemen, including a sub-inspector, have been suspended in connection with the alleged custodial death of a “chain snatcher”, Rajneesh of Sahastradhara Road, at the Dalanwala police station this morning.

His accomplice Nikhil has been admitted to a hospital and is stated to be in a critical condition.

The policemen suspended for dereliction of duty are sub-inspector Jai Prakash Kohli and constables Jagmohan, Dhirendra Malasi, Danu Singh and Chandra Prakash. All of them were on night duty when the duo was brought to the police station.

Rajneesh, who would work at his brother’s tailor shop at Paltan Bazaar, and Nikhil, a student, were detained by the Dalanwala police from their homes in the wee hours today for their alleged involvement in a chain-snatching incident that took place on EC Road last evening.

The duo was taken to Coronation Hospital this morning after they were found in an unconscious state in their lock-up.

While Rajneesh was declared brought dead, Nikhil is under treatment. “The policemen have been placed under suspension till the magisterial probe into the case is completed," said SSP, Dehradun, Ajay Rautela.

The Dehradun police and the SSP are maintaining that Nikhil and Rajneesh were under heavy influence of drugs when they were detained and they might have fallen ill due to drug overdose. However, their family members are suspecting a foul play and said both were beaten up badly in the lock-up.

The SSP said both Nikhil and Rajneesh were arrested on the basis of CCTV footages and during interrogation, they accepted that they had snatched two gold chains and also sold one of them for Rs 27,000.

He said the police had also recovered the stolen gold chain from a jewellery shop and its owner was being questioned for his alleged links with them.

Local councillor Sanjeev said Rajneesh's body had been handed over to his family members, who have taken it to their native village Bijnor for cremation.

Sanjeev said he was also present in the hospital and there was no major injury mark on Rajneesh's body, though the reason behind the death would be clear only after the post-mortem report.

After two chain snatching incidents on EC Road and the Raipur area last evening, the police intensified patrolling to nab the culprits.

On the basis of a CCTV footage on EC Road, the police zeroed in on two persons riding a bike and their address was taken out on the basis of the bike’s registration number. They were detained from their places at 3:30 am and were taken to the Dalanwala police station.

DIG, Garhwal Range, Amit Sinha, Additional District Magistrate Harak Singh Rawat, the City Magistrate and other district officials also reached Coronation Hospital to take stock of the situation.

The case

Rajneesh and Nikhil, both friends, were detained by the Dalanwala police from their homes at 3 30 am on Sunday for their alleged involvement in a chain-snatching incident that took place on EC Road on Saturday evening. The duo was found in an unconscious state in their lock-up in the morning

Accelerate restoration work on Raj Bhavan: Qureshi
Tribune News service

Dehradun, April 13
Governor Dr Aziz Qureshi said the restoration and conservation work on Raj Bhavan in Nainital should be accelerated. He told the officials to maintain the original appearance of the heritage building while having it restored.

Addressing a meeting held at the Raj Bhavan here today, the Governor said the archaeologists of the culture ministry must give suggestions which would help keep the original glory and look of the building intact while restoring it.

The director general of the Central Public Works Department, director of the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) and the officials of the culture ministry attended the meeting.

The Governor said a committee should be constituted under the chairmanship of the chief secretary to put forth its suggestions to do the restoration work in the best possible way.

The Governor asked the chief engineer to accelerate the work, so that it could be completed soon. He said the work being done by the architects and the contractors should be monitored properly.

He said the old tennis court and the squash court should be located in their original place at the Raj Bhavan. He said the work should be completed by May.

The Governor said a heritage plan should be prepared along with a master plan of the area surrounding the building.

Arun Dhaundiyal, secretary to the Governor, DS Garbial, secretary (urban development), BK Gupta, director general of CPWD, DBP Singh, SCC PWD, additional secretary Nidhi Pandey, director ASI J Sharma, chief engineer PWD Lalit Mohan, under secretary NR Minj, archaeologist Atul Bhargava and several officers of the PWD attended the meeting.

Governor greetings on Ambedkar Jayanti

Dehradun, April 13
Governor Aziz Qureshi has greeted the people of the state and the entire country on Ambedkar Jayanti.

In his message, the Governor said Dr BR Ambedkar dedicated his entire life to the uplift of the poor, weak and downtrodden sections of society.

He worked tirelessly for a fair society. The Governor said they should resolve to follow his philosophy and principles. — TNS

Street kids to be given Aadhaar cards

Dehradun, April 13
Chairman of State Commission for Protection of Child Rights Ajay Setia has promised to distribute Aadhaar cards to street children to check their exploitation.

Setia was speaking at a function organised by Aasra Trust at Gandhi Park, on the occassion of International Day for Street Children, yesterday. Over 250 street children were honoured during the programme. The children who have been a part of the trust performed for the guests by presenting a play ‘Hum Bhi Hain’, conceptualised by Neelu Khanna.

The recitation of the poem ‘Kitabein’ by Suresh was well appreciated. The programme ended with the audience joining the children in an impromptu dance to the beats of ‘Jai Ho’.

Shaila Brijnath presented a vote of thanks, where she thanked the district administration and Ajay Setia, Chairperson, State Commission for Protection of Child Rights, Uttarakhand.

International Day for Street Children provides a platform to speak about the issues that affect them. The Consortium for Street Children is a global network that raises street children’s voice, promotes their rights and improves their lives. CSC is currently seeking support for International Day for Street children to be adopted by the United Nations. 

IndiaVotes 2014
Cong banks on 2 ex-Gens to take on BC Khanduri
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, April 13
The state unit of the Congress is banking on the support of two former Generals to take on BJP's BC Khanduri from the Pauri Lok Sabha seat, which is considered to be the safest seat of the saffron party in the state.

Ever since Satpal Maharaj left the Congress to join the BJP, the Congress was making all efforts to boost its cadres. Maharaj’s long association with Pauri Garhwal had made it difficult for the party to fill the void. A jittery Congress was looking forward to the former Generals to tilt the scale in their favour. After much of dilly-dallying, the Congress named Cabinet minister Harak Singh Rawat as the candidate from Pauri.

Fighting against all odds, the Congress is now relying on Lt Gen TPS Rawat (retd) and Lt Gen Gambhir Singh Negi (retd) to take on the mantle and make the Congress win the Pauri Garhwal seat.

Lt Gen TPS Rawat (retd) was recently roped in and brought back to the Congress after his stints with the BJP, the Rakhsa Morcha and AAP.

Gambhir Singh Negi, who looked perturbed after being denied the Lok Sabha ticket from Pauri Garhwal, too, had been placated.

Uttarakhand Congress in charge Rajiv Shukla himself took both former Generals to Congress President Sonia Gandhi, thus revealing their importance in the Pauri Lok sabha seat’s electoral battle.

The Congress under any circumstances does not want to show itself as a meek against the BJP’s strongman in Uttarakhand and once close associate of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, BC Khanduri, who was now being said to be the claimant of the Cabinet berth if the NDA rides back to power at the Centre.

Interestingly, while the Congress also wants to cut Satpal Maharaj to size, the two generals have now become a close associate of Maharaj.

Satpal Maharaj was credited for introducing both Lt Gen TPS Rawat (retd) and Lt Gen Gambhir Singh Negi (retd) to Garhwal politics, though TPS Rawat’s relation with Maharaj went sour after Maharaj joined the saffron party.

It is thus this strength of being ex-defence personnel that has ensured BC Khanduri an upper hand in Garhwal politics. Inspite of the fact that caste equations have never favoured Khanduri, his ex-servicemen identity had made him overcome all hurdles. Nearly half of the voters in the Garhwal Lok Sabha seat come from dominant Thakur caste while only thirty per cent hail from the Brahmin community, the caste to which BC Khanduri belongs. But then, the Thakurs, who are ex-servicemen, have always preferred Khanduri and reposed faith in him time and again.

By bringing TPS Rawat and Gambhir Singh, the Congress wanted to send a message to ex-servicemen that the party respected and had concern for them. The party has also started encashing upon the UPA II government’s decision to introduce one rank and one pension.

Congress candidate from Pauri Garhwal Harak Singh Rawat had tried to portray himself as belonging to an ex-servicemen family due to his father’s association with the Army. However, standing tall, BC Khanduri had won four times (1991, 1998, 1999 and 2004) from Pauri parliament constituency and hoped that his loyal constituency of ex-servicemen will stand with him this time too

Rajni Rawat rejoins Cong
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, April 13
Giving boost to the Congress, particularly in the Tehri parliamentary constituency, Rajni Rawat, who had unsuccessfully contested the recently held elections for the post of Mayor on BSP ticket, rejoined the Congress here today.

Rajni Rawat rejoined the Congress in the presence of Congress Tehri candidate Saket Bahuguna, Cabinet minister Pritam Singh and Rajpur Road MLA Rajkumar. On the other hand, district Haridwar panchayat member Tahir Hasan, Luxor municipality chairman Jagdev Singh Jaggi and former district Haridwar youth president Rajeev Chowdhary, gram pradhan Ladpur-Haridwar Ahmed Hasan, along with their supporters, also joined the Congress party today.

Uttarakhand Congress co in charge Chowdhary Lal Singh welcomed them into the party fold. He said the Congress was immensely strengthened by their induction.

He said the Congress would be back to power at the Centre and all opinion polls would prove false.

Chief Minister Harish Rawat, too, expressed happiness over the development and said the secular forces must unite in the state.

BJP president Teerath Rawat confident of winning all 5 seats
Tribune News Service

Haridwar, April 13
Uttarakhand BJP president Teerath Singh Rawat has claimed that the party candidates from all five seats, particularly former Chief Ministers BC Khanduri (Pauri Garhwal) and Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank (Haridwar), will win with a handsome margin.

Teerath was speaking on the sidelines of a booth-level meeting of party workers at the Ved Mandir Ashram here on Saturday.

He said a Narendra Modi wave was blowing across the country and the BJP would get the highest number of seats and form the next government at the Centre.

He added in Uttarakhand the BJP would replicate its 1991 performance when it won all seats. “There is no competition for Khanduriji on the Pauri Garhwal Lok Sabha seat. Similar is the situation on the Haridwar, Tehri Garhwal, Almora and Nainital seats. The Congress took almost a month to decide its candidates while our candidates had by that time covered a major portion of their constituencies,” said Teerath, who is a legislator from the Chaubbatakhal Assembly segment of Pauri Garhwal district.

He criticised the Congress for its failure to provide quick relief and rehabilitation post-natural disaster last year. He said changing the Chief Minister would not be sufficient for the Congress as the people of the disaster affected regions were not provided relief and rehabilitation.

State vice-president of the BJP Madan Kaushik said the party would win all five seats with a record margin owing to ill-governance, corruption and anti-people policies of the UPA government at the Centre and the Congress-led government in the state.

Bal Raj Passi, BJP coordinator for election campaign and former MP, said the booth-level units were important to ensure a good voter turn out as booth-level party workers know local voters.

Party candidate from Haridwar Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank would file his nomination papers on April 17. Passi directed party office-bearers and activists to utilise less than a month left for the May 7 poll.

Jwalapur legislator Chandrasekhar Bhattewala, and Haridwar rural segment legislator Swami Yatishwaranand also speak about the election campaign strategies and booth-level preparations. 

Cong introduces paramotor trike for canvassing
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, April 13
The state unit of the Congress has pressed into service a paramotor trike to give an impetus to its election campaign. A demonstration of the paramotor trike was given at Congress Bhavan here yesterday. Congress general secretary Vijay Saraswat said in a state like Uttarakhand that had tough geographical conditions, the paramotor trike would be of immense help.

He said the party had planned to take commendable works done by the UPA government at the Centre and the state government before the people. Saraswat said Chief Minister Harish Rawat, state party unit president Yashpal Arya and former Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna would inaugurate canvassing through the paramotor trike on April 14.

Paramotor trike pilot and Shillong resident Nicolai Singh said the device could fly in morning as well as evening hours. “In hill areas, it can continuously fly for two hours while in plains, it can fly up to three hours”, he said. He said the paramotor trikes could carry two persons weighing 300 kg.

Chowdhary Lal Singh, in charge, state Congress, and other senior party leaders were present at the demonstration.

12.29 lakh to cast vote in Pithoragarh
Our Correspondent

Pithoragarh, April 13
Releasing the final list of voters in Almora parliamentary constituency, election officials here today said a total of 12.29 lakh voters will cast their vote in Lok Sabha election in all the 14 Assembly segments in four districts of the constituency.

Around 1.74 lakh voters have increased since 2009 parliamentary elections.

According to the information given by the election officer of the constituency, the six Assembly segments of Almora district has the maximum number of voters i.e. 5.10 lakh, while Champawat district’s two Assembly segments have the minimum voters i.e. 1.79 lakh.

The number of voters in Pithoragarh district is 3.43 lakh. The number of voters have increased by 40, 457 voters from the last election. “The Bageshwar district has minimum voters after Champawat district i.e. 1.95 lakh. It has witnessed an increase with 31,000 voters,” said HC Semwal, district election officer, Pithoragarh.

Harish Rawat is lone campaigner for Cong
BD Kasniyal

Pithoragarh, April 13
Chief Minister Harish Rawat is the lone campaigner for the Congress in the state. No star campaigner or other leader has so far come to Uttarakhand to address the election rallies.

“Harish Rawat has addressed over 50 election rallies in all five Lok Sabha seats in the state. He is likely to address more than 100 rallies till the nomination process concludes,” said Pradeep Tamta, Almora candidate.

According to party sources, Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, Gulam Nabi Azad and Digvijay Singh are likely to visit the state after April 25.

Tamta said soon after the imposition of the model code of conduct, the Chief Minister started touring interior parts of the state to apprise people of the development works carried out by the Congress, particularly after the natural disaster.

“The Chief Minister personally visited the interior parts of Rudraprayag, Pithoragarh, Bageshwar , Chamoli, Uttarakashi, Haridwar and US Nagar to meet the voters,” said Tamta. In many areas, the CM was also accompanied by state party unit president Yashpal Arya.

Mathura Dutt Joshi, spokesperson for the state party unit, said the Chief Minister had also succeeded in instilling confidence among party workers post the defection of Satpal Maharaj.

On the other hand, the BJP has also been carrying out campaigning in the state, but it could not organise mass rallies as its main leaders in the state were candidates themselves.

“By addressing well-attended rallies, the Chief Minister has not only established himself as a mass leader in the state but also a star campaigner for the party in the country,” claimed Tamta.

Samajwadi Party’s move to allot ticket to Anita Saini irks workers
In charge for Haridwar party affairs, Anil Jaitley, accuses SP of sidelining him
Tribune News Service

Haridwar, April 13
In the run up to the Lok Sabha polls, state unit of Samajwadi Party (SP) is in a dilemma over its existence in Haridwar.

State president of the party, Satya Narayan Sachan and former state president Vinod Barthwal are now trying to justify the candidature of former BJP leader Anita Saini as SP’s official candidate from Haridwar.

Saini was named SP’s candidate from the Haridwar Lok Sabha seat after Azmal Nawaz Khan alias Billoo was severely injured in an accident.

Previously, Saini was BJP’s Roorkee unit Mahila Morhca secretary and village head from Imlikheda-Roorkee. She joined Samajwadi Party on March 30 and was declared the party’s candidate from Haridwar on April 1.

Since then there have been voices of dissidence and resentment among party leaders. SP Vice-President and in charge of Haridwar Lok Sabha seat Anil Jaitley resigned from the party, opposing Saini’s candidature, even though Satya Narayan Sachan and Vinod Barthwal claimed that Jaitley and other party leaders had okayed Saini’s candidature.

Sachan said he did not know about Jaitley’s resignation and if there was such an issue he would speak to Jaitley about it, and he (Anil Jaitley) would campaign for Anita Saini.

On the other hand, party chief Vinod Barthwal urged party leaders to shun their personal grievances and work for the party, to ensure victory in the upcoming elections. He added Saini was aiming to replicate SP candidate Rajendra Badi’s 2004 win from Haridwar, with the party workers support. Meanwhile, talking to TNS, a visibly-angry Jaitley lashed at the autocratic working of the SP state unit, particularly Satya Narayan Sachan, who he said had no knowledge of the state’s political affairs as Narayan was a resident of Uttar Pradesh.

He added despite being the in charge of the Haridwar seat, he was not consulted prior to naming Anita Saini’s candidature, so the very purpose of his post seemed inconsequential.

Coming out in support of Jaitley, Veteran leader Rajendra Chanchal along with women party office bearers today announced remaining neutral during the election campaign as were hurt over the treatment meted out to veteran leader Anil Jaitley.

Chanchal said that would not work for Sainin and remain neutral until Jaitley was given due respect and say in party affairs.

While women wing activist Jai Mala said Samajwadi Party was already faring poorly in Haridwar politics, as in the last general election the party’s candidate just got a paltry 36,000 votes, while Congress, BJP and BSP candidates all gained votes in lakhs.

Kaushaliya Devi, senior party activist, said party workers consent should be taken by party state president, else the workers feel alienated from the party’s working.

Ex-servicemen’s cell to garner support for Congress

Dehradun, April 13
Taking into account the importance of ex-servicemen votes, Uttarakhand Congress Ex-servicemen Cell has appointed in charges at various districts to garner support of these former defence personnels.

The association's president Capt Balbir Singh Rawat (retd) disclosed that while he himself along with Comdt VV Dhyani (retd) and Sub Maj CM Bhatt (retd) would look after Dehradun, Lt Col Mohan Singh Rawat (retd) and Comdt Digambar Singh Baluni (retd) were the in charge for Haridwar district.

Maj Hari Singh Chowdhary (retd) and Capt Pratap Singh Kandari (retd) have been made in charge for Rudrapryag and Chamoli districts, Lt Col SP Guleria (retd) and Capt Anup Singh Bisht (retd) for Pithoragarh and Bageshwar. — TNS

Voter awareness exhibition organised
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, April 13
A voter awareness exhibition, organised by the district information office and a NGO namely ‘Sweep’, was inaugurated at Parade Ground here today.

Reena Sonowal, who has been nominated as the voter awareness observer of Uttarakhand was present on the occasion.

While addressing the audience, Sonowal congratulated the administration and the NGO for organising the voter awareness exhibition ahead of polls, as such event motivated people to exercise their voting right.

CPM Tehri candidate campaigns in Doon
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, April 13
CPM candidate from the Tehri Garhwal parliamentary constituency Shiv Prasad Deoli met residents of various localities.

The leader sought votes from people in the DL Road, Cement Road, Arya Nagar and Rispana areas. Earlier, senior party leader Vijay Rawat said the campaign was aimed at reaching out to slum-dwellers of the state capital. Deoli will file his nomination papers on April 17.

The CPM candidate said the work of the party would revolve around improving ration supply, health services, easing the process of making domicile and caste certificates, early disbursal of widow and disability pensions and a provision of jobs for disabled persons.

Speaking about the candidate, Comrade Lekhraj said the party would give a strong competition to both BJP and Congress. “People are well aware of the welfare works done by Deoli. He also enjoys a good public support,” he added.

Vijay Rawat, Shambu Prasad, Ranjan Solanki, Anand Singh Gusain, Abhishek Bhandari and Vipin Joshi were among those who participated in the campaign.

DM postpones anti-encroachment drive in Doon
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, April 13
District Magistrate BVRC Purushottam said that the anti-encroachment drive had been postponed for a few days.

In a notification issued here, the District Magistrate said the drive that was launched on the orders of the Nainital High Court for the removal of encroachments from the footpaths has been stalled for a few days.

“The drive will now resume after the completion of nomination process for the candidates contesting the forthcoming General Election. Police force has been deployed on security duty during the nominations,” he said. 

Mussoorie hoteliers, businessmen to support Deoli
Tribune News Service

Mussoorie, April 13
The owners of hotels, restaurants, shops, schools and business units extended their support to Shiv Prasad Deoli, joint candidate of the CPI and the CPM from the Tehri Garhwal Lok Sabha seat, at a meeting held in Mussoorie recently.

Sobhan Panwar, president of the Hotel, Restaurant and Business Shop Workers' Association, and the officials of the Doon School Karamchari Panchayat Sangh announced support to Deoli after a detailed discussion at a hotel here.

Sobhan said Deoli had always fought for the rights of the workers in the past and was a staunch supporter of the communist ideology. He appealed to the workers to vote for Deoli instead of choosing a candidate from the parties that had ruined the country.

Members of the association Bhagwan Singh Chauhan, Baisakh Misarwan, Darban Singh Meher, Vikram Balodi, Hukum Singh Kathait, Mangal Singh, Kuldeep Singh, Naresh Payal and others were present on the occasion.

Filing of nomination begins

Dehradun, April 13
The process of filing nomination papers for the coming Lok Sabha polls began in Uttarakhand on Saturday. A total of six candidates filed their papers on the first day.

Satendra Sharma of the Nai Daur Party filed his nomination for the Tehri seat, CPI (ML) Indresh Maikhuri for the Pauri Garhwal seat and AAP’s Rakesh Singh Negi filed his nomination papers for the Pauri Garhwal seat.

Pradeep Tamta of the Congress filed his nomination for the Almora seat.

BJP’s Bhagat Singh Koshiyari and BSP’s Laik Ahmed filed their nominations for the Nainital seat. The polling in Uttarakhand will take place on May 7. — TNS

Shobha Yatra taken out in Doon on Mahavir Jayanti 
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, April 13
To mark the Mahavir Jayanti, a grand shobha yatra was taken out in the city. Starting from Dispensary Road, the Shobha yatra took to clock tower-Paltan Bazar route before culminating at Jain Dharamshala. The shobha yatra had tableaux depicting scenes from the life of Lord Mahavir. Jain monk Shri Samarpan Sagar led the shobha yatra along with a large number of devotees.

Amit Jain from Mahaveer Jayanti Utsav Samiti said programmes would be held till April 16 as part of the celebrations.

Haridwar: Mahavir Jayanti, birthday of Lord Mahavir, founder of the Jainism, who was born 599 BC ago, observed with gaiety and fervour here today.

Under the aegis of Shri Vardhman Jain Parishad, a wing of the Akhil Bharat Varshiya Digambar Jain Parishad, several religious programmes were organised to mark the birth anniversary.

Devotees paid obeisance and worshiped Lord Mahavir at various Jain temples. Chanting of hymns, religious rituals, aarti and devotional programmes were held across the city. Jain Community Jwalapur, distributed clothes, fruits and food to the poor and needy. From BHEL-based Shri Jain Mandir a grand royal procession was carried out, which was accompanied by royal chariot and musical bands that added to the spiritual atmosphere.

Women devotees accompanying the royal procession also dance to religious tunes. A 1008 silver Kalash was offered to Lord Mahavir under the guidance of Pundit Devendra Jain. 

Incessant rain plunges mercury in Mussoorie
Tribune News service

Mussoorie, April 13
Incessant rain brought down the temperature in Mussoorie today. Tourists, who are arriving here in large numbers to escape the summer heat of plains and spend the Baisakhi holidays, enjoyed the cool weather by strolling on Mall Road.

Although the rain left the tourists a dejected lot for a few hours in the morning, as soon as the sky cleared in the noon, they were out on the Mall road in large numbers.

The tourists also enjoyed at Kempty Fall, Company Garden and Gun Hill.

A massive influx of tourists has also cheered the business community, which did a good business today after a lull of nearly two months.

Schoolchildren on an educational tour in Mussoorie were the happiest lot as they enjoyed the weather by eating ice cream at Kulri Bazaar.

The police had a tough time controlling the rush and had to introduce a one-way traffic plan at several places in the town to manage the vehicular movement.

Police station in charge Jaimal Negi asked the hoteliers to inform all tourists to enter or exit from Mall Road before the stipulated time of 5 pm after which no vehicle would be allowed to move on Mall Road.

The hoteliers were also glad at the increase in the number of tourists and attributed it to the end in polling in Delhi and several other towns in the plains.

SP leader's comment on Kargil conflict anti-national
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, April 13
Reacting sharply to the recent comment by Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan in context of the Kargil conflict, the ex-servicemen fraternity said the speech was derogatory and anti-national.

In a press note issued here, Brig KG Behl (retd), president, Dehradun Ex-Services League, said, “It is shocking to hear what Azam Khan blurted out in his frenzie to attract Muslim votes in the elections. It shows that he is ignorant about the conditions in defence forces where nationalism and secularism play greatest role. Not only every religion is equally respected but also the religious functions are celebrated with gusto.”

“Similarly the defence forces fight as a team against enemies irrespective of any caste, creed or religion and no mention is made of that even when they sacrifice their lives during war. They are honored for their deeds irrespective of which sector they belong to,” he added.

“The remarks of Azam Khan are highly-derogatory and anti-national and against the security of the country where oneness of the country has been challenged. This needs to be deplored in strongest words so that others may not venture to make such comments. Azam Khan must be made to apologise to the nation especially to the armed forces,” said the retried Brigadier.

Religious fervour marks Palm Sunday
Tribune News service

Mussoorie, April 13
To mark the commencement of the Holy Week, Christians celebrated the Palm Sunday with religious fervour here today.

The devotees gathered at Central Methodist Church in Kulri Bazaar, Christ Church in Library Bazaar, St Paul’s Church near Char Dukan and St Peter’s Church in Landour Bazaar to celebrate the triumphal entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem, a week before his death and resurrection known as Palm Sunday. It also marks the beginning of the Holy Week that concludes on Easter Sunday. The traditional procession by the faithful holding blessed palm fronds prior to the mass was held at all churches.

According to the Biblical tradition, Palm Sunday marks the triumphant entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover.

At Central Methodist Church in Kulri Bazaar Pastor Nand Kishore, blessed the devotees and offered special prayers in praise of the Christ on the occasion.

Highlighting the importance of the day he explained that Palm Sunday is one of the most important days in the Christian calendar and is called so because the crowds waved palm fronds as they followed Jesus in a procession into Jerusalem shouting hosanna which means ‘save us’.

Mary, a devotee, speaking on the occasion said they observe the week ahead leading to the Easter Sunday as the Passion Week during which the suffering, death of Jesus Christ on the cross and resurrection was commemorated around the globe.

Sweets and eatables, specially made for the occasion, were also distributed.

Ex-servicemen flay govt on new liquor policy

Dehradun, April 13
The Dehradun Ex-Servicemen League has accused the state government of ignoring the interests of ex-servicemen while formulating a new liquor policy.

Brig KG Behl (retd), president of the league, said the government had lowered the rates of liquor in the civil market in the new policy. But, it did not bring down the rates of liquor available in CSD canteens.

"We request the state government to remove 20 per cent hike in excise duty in CSD canteens,” he added. — TNS

NSUI unhappy with working of city patrol units
Submits memorandum to Dehradun City Magistrate
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, April 13
Members of the National Students' Union of India (NSUI) have submitted a memorandum to the Dehradun City Magistrate against the functioning of the newly set up city patrol units.

According to the NSUI leaders, the focus of the city patrol unit seemed to have been limited to issuing challans.

“City patrol units should spare those people who are going out to buy vegetables. They should stress on taking action against vehicles parked on the ‘No Parking Zones’ in the city,” said Bhupendra Negi, NSUI leader.

MAD celebrates spring with Raphael Home residents
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, April 13
Making A Difference By Being The Difference (MAD), an NGO, a group of socially awakened city of youngsters, brought smiles on the faces of residents at Raphael Home after they organised a number of fun events for them and celebrated spring here today.

The volunteers conducted a painting competition for the residents of Raphael Home, which saw active participation of 76 residents living there.

After the painting competition, the group screened a Tom & Jerry movie for children.

The members of the MAD sang a few Bollywood numbers. A JAM session was also organised, where both the hosts and the guests danced on peppy Bollywood numbers.

Prizes were distributed among the residents, who showcased their special skills in various competitions.

Political Diary
It is a battle for ex-servicemen’s votes in Pauri Garhwal
SMA Kazmi
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, april 13
The battle for securing the vote and support of ex-servicemen has hotted up in the Lok Sabha elections in Uttarakhand, particularly in the Pauri Garhwal seat.

The re-entry of Lt Gen TPS Rawat (retd), a former Uttarakhand Congress minister and efforts to placate Lt Gen Gambhir Singh Negi (retd) by the Congress top leadership was seen in the light of wooing the ex-servicemen, servicemen and their families.

Rawat (retd) rejoined Congress after a gap of seven years and met Congress President Sonia Gandhi along with Lt Gen Gambhir Singh Negi (retd).

Rawat, a former Director General of Assam Rifles, was brought into politics by Satpal Maharaj before the first assembly elections of the newly created state of Uttarakhand in 2002.

He fought elections in 2002 and after winning became the tourism minister in the ND Tiwari-led Congress government of the state. He again won the elections in the second state assembly polls in 2007, but quit his seat and the Congress party after he was not made the leader of opposition by the Congress.

Instead, Harak Singh Rawat was appointed by the Congress as the leader of opposition as the party lost the 2007 state Assembly polls.

Rawat then joined the BJP and quit his Dhumakot Assembly seat for Major General BC Khanduri (retd) to enter the state Assembly. In the bargain, he was made the BJP candidate for the Pauri Garhwal Lok Sabha bye-election held in 2008 and won against his political guru and mentor Satpal Maharaj by a narrow margin.

However, he lost the 2009 general elections from Pauri Garhwal against Satpal Maharaj. During the 2012 state Assembly elections, Rawat quit the BJP to flout his own Uttarakhand Raksha Morcha, but was defeated in the Assembly polls.

He also merged with the Aam Aadmi Party recently.Being in political wilderness, he was wooed by the Congress which was desperate for the support of ex-servicemen in the state and particularly in the Pauri Garhwal seat, where Khanduri was a formidable candidate.

Rawat had a sizeable following amongst ex-servicemen in Pauri Garhwal as being the Director General of the Assam Rifles. He was instrumental in the recruitment of youth from the area.

On the other hand, Negi, a former commandant of the Indian Military Academy (IMA), was also unhappy after being named and then denied the party nomination for the Pauri Garhwal seat. After Satpal Maharaj quit the Congress to join the BJP, Negi was tipped as the Congress candidate, but later, Uttarakhand minister Harak Singh Rawat was given the party ticket.

This annoyed Negi, who was placated by the Congress general secretary in charge Rajeev Shukla.

Bus association accuses Vikram operators of violating rules
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, April 13
The Dehradun City Bus Association has accused the Regional Transport Office (RTO), Dehradun, the district administration and the police of turning a blind eye to the alleged violation of contract permit rules by Vikram and Tata Magic operators in the city.

Vijay Vardhan Dandriyal, president of the association, said, “We have submitted several memorandums to RTO officials, the District Magistrate and the SSP regarding the flouting of norms by Vikram and Tata Magic operators, but no action has been taken so far. On the other hand, city buses are penalised for even a small mistake.”

He alleged a number of stringent rules had been framed for city bus operators, whereas no action had ever been taken against Vikram and Tata Magic operators for violating the permit rules.

City bus drivers and conductors were issued 29 challans for not wearing the prescribed dress between February 24 and March 3 this year, whereas only four challans were issued to tempo drivers on the same issue.

The association has threatened to intensify its stir if the administration failed to take action in this regard.

Students hailed for coming up with device to check overspeeding

Dehradun, April 13
Uttarakhand Council of Science and Technology (UCOST) has appreciated two students of Maya Institute of Technology, Dehradun, for coming up with an automobile speed alert device to check over speeding among youngsters.

At a press conference here today, UCOST's Director General Vijay Kumar Dhoundiyal appreciated Maya Institute of Technology’s engineering students Himanshu Chawla and Vijay Singh for coming up with the speed alert device. He assured all assistance to the students for patenting the device, while promising all technological assistance.

Himanshu Chawla and Vijay Singh disclosed that they were hopeful that the device would check the number of accidents that occur due to overspeeding.

Referring to the technology, they said in case of overspeeding, the device automatically generates a message or calls the parent’s mobile warning them about their ward’s reckless driving.

Praising the endeavour of the students, Chairman ML Juyal said the students had brought laurels to the institute.

Vice-Chairman Dr Ashish Semwal and Secretary Saurabh Juyal were also present on the occasion. — TNS

Poll Briefs
BJP women’s cell holds convention

BJP candidate Mala Raj Laxmi Shah during a women’s cell meeting in Dehradun on Sunday. A Tribune photograph

Dehradun: The women’s cell of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday organised a convention in support of Mala Raj Laxmi Shah, party candidate from Tehri. Addressing a gathering, state BJP president Teerath Singh Rawat said women continue to be the main strength of the BJP. He called upon the women workers to highlight the misdeeds of the UPA government. Mala Raj Laxmi Shah said the UPA had failed to come with the policies and progammes meant for the women. BJP Dehradun Mahanagar president, Kanchan Thakur, Manju Tiwari, Anuradha Walia and Indu Bala also addressed the gathering. — TNS

UKD (A) Almora candidate to now contest on UPP ticket

Pithoragarh: With the Lok Sabha polls nearing, certain politicians are shifting loyalties. Even before the start of the nomination filing process in Pithoragarh, UKD (Airy) Almora candidate Amar Prakash joined the Uttarakhand Pariwartan Party (UPP) today. He will contest on the UPP ticket from the same seat. On April 6, UKD (Airy) president Kashi Singh Airi had named Prakash from the Almora seat. Prakash said, “I had taken the decision to contest as the UKD candidate without consulting my comrades. However, later I felt that my colleagues in the UPP felt betrayed by my decision and thus decided to contest on the UPP ticket.” — TNS

17 buy nomination forms in Haridwar

Haridwar: District Election Officer D Senthyl Pendiyan issued a notification for the election process for the upcoming polls, here on Saturday. The nomination process that commenced from Saturday morning will conclude on April 19. On the first day of the nomination process, no nomination form was filed by any political party or independent candidate. Though, a total of 17 nomination forms were bought by aspiring candidates. From the major political parties, only BSP candidate Hazi Islam's representative sought nomination form for Hazi. — TNS