Jind, July 7
Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) chief Avtar Singh Makkar took exception to the “violations” of the religious code of conduct during the Sikh Sammelan in Kaithal yesterday.

“Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and his team repeatedly violated the Sikh maryada (religious code of conduct). First, they took siropas (robe of honour) with uncovered heads. And then a model of Shri Harmandir Sahib was presented during the function,” alleged Makkar today.

He was on a visit to the historic Manji Sahib Gurdwara here to start district-level protests against the state government’s decision to form the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (HSGPC).

“How can the Sikh community rely on Hooda and his team for managing the shrines in the state when they do not know the basic religious norms of the community?” Makkar asked. He made it clear that Akal Takht was in the know of the “violations” and the violators would face action for their “anti-Sikh” actions. The SGPC chief said not only the recipients of siropas, but those who presented the robes were equally at fault.

Turning to the Kaithal convention, he questioned the very basis of Sikh Sammelan that, according to him, was “a gathering of few hundred Sikhs”. “The participants included several non-Sikhs. By arranging a crowd of a few hundred Sikhs, how can Hooda claim the support all Sikhs in the state?” Makkar asked and termed the Kaithal meet a “big farce” by the Congress-led state government.

“The SGPC has not allowed the formation of a separate gurdwara committee. There is only one SGPC that was formed under an Act of Parliament,” Makkar said.

He warned Hooda that he should not create a wrong impression among Haryana Sikhs that he could do whatever he wanted to. “All politicians, who have tried to divide Sikhs, have faced dire consequences and Hooda must get ready for them,” he added.

Former SGPC secretary Manjit Singh Calcutta made light of Makkar’s charges. “During elections, thousands of siropas are distributed. Do all those violate the Sikh maryada? Since he is the SGPC chief, Makkar must know the gurdwara committee gives thousands of siropas to visitors to Harmandir Sahib as a symbol of respect. Siropas in Sikhism are given in the presence of Shri Guru Granth Sahib after making an announcement,” he said.

“There was no violation of maryada in Kaithal as siropas were presented as a symbol of respect not as religious symbol of Sikhism,” Calcutta said.

About the model of Harmandir Sahib, he said people presented such models to relatives and friends, who wanted to keep them in their homes. “If Makkar wants to ban such pratice, why is the SGPC spending crores of rupees on dharam parchar? he asked.

The two factions of the HSGPC (ad hoc) led by Didar Singh Nalwi chief Jagdish Singh Jhinda could not be reached in spite of repeated attempts.

Chandigarh, July 7
The long-pending demand of Sikhs in Haryana for a separate body to manage gurdwaras has finally been accepted. A promise made by the Congress in its 2005 election manifesto has been turned into a reality shortly before the party is to prepare yet another manifesto for the forthcoming Vidhan Sabha poll due later this year.

By accepting the demand for a separate Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Parbandak Committee (HSGPC), CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda has attempted to win over the support of Sikhs that constitute about 6 per cent (over 12 lakh) of Haryana’s population as per the 2001 Census. It’s a risk that neither Congress president Sonia Gandhi nor former PM Manmohan Singh were willing to take.

Hooda has attempted to replicate the BJP formula of polarising the vote-bank for political advantage, clearly with a eye on the Assembly elections. In the just concluded Lok Sabha poll, the Congress not only got one out of the 10 Parliamentary seats, but its performance in the Assembly segments fell from winning 40 seats in the 2009 elections to a lead in only 15 Assembly segments in a 90-member House.

Hooda has, however, risked the potential of agitations by pro- SGPC Sikhs who currently control gurdwaras in Haryana. SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar has announced a series of agitations across the state.

This Hooda move has managed to corner both his rival parties — the INLD and BJP. The INLD fought the last Lok Sabha poll in alliance or one can say with the support of the SAD, which has total control over the SGPC. The BJP is in alliance with the SAD in Punjab and is a part of the current government. Though the SAD which controls the SGPC would have expected support from the INLD and the BJP, keeping the potential for damage in speaking out in favour of or against the move has kept the BJP and the INLD mum, leaving the SGPC and SAD to deal with the situation.

Hooda has almost replicated the BJP formula in the last Lok Sabha poll, aiming at polarising voters to consolidate the votebank. Haryana Sikhs have been protesting step-motherly treatment at the hands of the SGPC for many years demanding the right to manage gurdwaras in the state. Having ignored the demand despite including it as a election promise, the party’s position in the state in the run-up to the next Vidhan Sabha elections has forced the government to accept the demand.

There are varying opinions on the issue with legal experts and politicians coming out with their own interpretation of Clause 72 of the Punjab Reorganisation Act, 1966. Now that Hooda has announced that he will bring a Bill in the session of the Vidhan Sabha on the issue, the Akalis are not expected to take things lying down. The risk of a battle both on the roads of Haryana and the courts cannot be ruled out. Though, one hopes that the fight, if any, be confined to courts alone.

Whether the decision is implemented or not, Hooda will score brownie points by telling the Sikh voters: “I have done it”. Even if the matter meets obstacles later, Hooda would gain politically.

* By accepting the demand for the HSGPC, Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda has attempted to win over the support of Sikhs that constitute about 6 per cent (over 12 lakh) of Haryana's population

* Hooda has attempted to replicate the BJP formula of polarising the votebank for political advantage, clearly with a eye on the Assembly poll

* This Hooda move has managed to corner both his major rival parties — the INLD and the BJP.

Sirsa, July 7
Notwithstanding opposition from Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar, the Sikh community in Haryana is happy with the announcement of a separate gurdwara panel for the state.

Community leaders, including many of those associated with the Badal’s Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), see the development as a “watershed moment for the Sikh politics”.

“The move will empower the community. Now, parties will have to give Sikhs their due representation in politics, including allocation of tickets for the Assembly elections,” said a Sikh leader, who has been active in the SGPC politics for long.

“The Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (HSGPC) will provide Sikhs in the state control over funds worth Rs 180 crore to Rs 200 crore per annum and the management of eight historic and other Sikh religious shrines in the state,” he said.

Of the 11 SGPC members from Haryana, four, including one from the SAD, supported the demand for the HSGPC and were present at the Sikh Sammelan in Kaithal where Haryana CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda announced the formation of a separate gurdwara panel. Several senior Sikh leaders owing allegiance to the SAD admitted on the condition of anonymity that the HSGPC would empower them politically.

“In spite of following the Badals blindly for years, none of the Sikh leader could ever dream of occupying the chair of president of the SGPC. Once the HSGPC becomes a reality, a Sikh from Haryana will head the panel, no matter which political party or group gets the majority in the elections,” a functionary of the SAD said.

Another Sikh leader, who has long been associated with Badals, said Hooda had played a masterstroke by announcing the HSGPC. He, however, said that the SAD leadership was itself to blame for the development.

“The Badals twice promised Haryana Sikhs — once before the SGPC elections and then before the recent LS poll — that they will set up a regional committee of the SGPC, but backed out, giving Hooda the opportunity to play his masterstroke,” said another Sikh leader.

Amritsar, July 7
A day after Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda announced to constitute a parallel SGPC in the state, the Akal Takht Jathedar has again made an emotional appeal to the Haryana Sikhs “to desist from being part of this fratricidal act” which would end up splitting up the community.

Sikh leaders from Haryana who have been spearheading the campaign to have a separate gurdwara management committee include ad hoc HSGPC chiefs Jagdish Singh Jhinda and Didar Singh Nalwi.

Pointing towards them, Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh advocated that the ones who had been leading the campaign had lost the SGPC elections in 2011 because they contested on the issue of forming a separate gurdwara body.

“It appears to be nothing, but a politically motivated exercise by a few Sikh leaders in Haryana at the cost of community’s welfare. Had the Haryana Sikhs been in favour of a separate gurdwara committee, they would not have discarded these leaders and voted overwhelmingly for candidates nominated by the SGPC during the 2011 elections,” he said.

“The Sikh community, which is in minority outside Punjab, has suffered great loss — be it during the Partition or the ’84 anti-Sikh riots. I again appeal to Haryana Sikhs not to let a handful of political leaders be successful in their nefarious designs,” Singh said.

The Haryana Government’s move is being taken as a bid to woo the voters for the ensuing Assembly elections. There are 17 lakh Sikh voters in the state and, if the Congress succeeds in passing a Bill for a separate body in the monsoon session, scheduled for July 11, it could gain good mileage. Secondly, the SGPC will lose control over nearly 70 gurdwaras in Haryana.

Earlier, a 10-member Akal Takht-constituted committee had tried to persuade Haryana Sikh leaders to withdraw their demand for a separate gurdwara body, but it did not yield result. 

Chandigarh, July 7
The Sikh community of America has appreciated Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda for the ‘creation’ of a separate Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) for Haryana.

They have also advised the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and the SGPC to do some brainstorming to find out the factors that drove Haryana Sikhs, to strive for a separate gurdwara panel for their state.

The North American Punjabi Association (NAPA) alleged the SAD and the SGPC were ignoring the concerns of Haryana Sikhs for decades. “The SGPC top brass and the SAD must think why the Haryana Sikhs were asking for a separate SGPC? If there were any issues or concerns then it should have been addressed by the SGPC and the SAD leadership, but unfortunately, nobody heard there (Haryana Sikhs) problems, which ultimately led to the formation of the HSGPC,” said the Satnam Singh Chahal, executive director, NAPA.

He said although they (American Sikh community) were in favour of an All India Gurdwara Act, but if a majority of Sikhs from any state were seeking a separate gurdwara panel, then their demand should be respected in a democratic country.

Chandigarh, July 7
The Sikh Community of America has appreciated Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda for the ‘creation’ of a separate body for Haryana.

They have also advised the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and the SGPC to do some brainstorming to find out the factors that drove Haryana Sikhs, to strive for a separate gurdwara panel for their state.

The North American Punjabi Association (NAPA) alleged that the SAD and the SGPC were ignoring the concerns of Haryana Sikhs for decades. “The SGPC top brass and the SAD must think why the Haryana Sikhs were asking for a separate SGPC? If there were any issues or concerns then it should have been addressed by the SGPC and the SAD leadership, but unfortunately, nobody heard their (Haryana Sikhs) problems, which ultimately led to the formation of a separate HSGPC,” said the Satnam Singh Chahal, executive director, NAPA.

He said although they (American Sikh community) were in favour of an All India Gurdwara Act, if a majority of Sikhs from any state were seeking a separate gurdwara panel, their demand should be respected.

Chandigarh, July 7
The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) has accused Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Hooda of having “scripted the drama of forming a separate gurdwara committee on the directions of the Gandhi family”. 

The Akalis dubbed Hooda’s action an “exercise to split the Sikh community”. The Punjab Congress, on its part, has asserted that the provision to form a separate gurdwara body existed in the Punjab Re-organisation Act and there was nothing illegal to enact legislation for the creation of a separate panel for the state.

SAD spokesperson Daljeet Singh Cheema said the move was an outcome of the devious plan of Haryana and Punjab Congress leaders. “The Congress has again rubbed slat into the wounds of Sikhs. It is the third assault on the community after the Operation Bluestar and 1984 riots. The political death of Hooda Government is inevitable in coming Assembly elections,” he said. 

Cheema said Hooda was the main architect of this drama, which he had “scripted on the directions of the Gandhi family” and, in the process, “hurt sentiments of Sikhs settled abroad”. 

“The involvement of ‘so called Sikh representatives’ including Capt. Amarinder Singh, Partap Singh Bajwa and Parmjit Singh Sarna have played a vital role to add fuel to the fire. He said this act of these representatives confirmed that these ‘traitors of community’ who, had back-stabbed the Sikh community for which, the Sikhs would never spare them.

Cheema asserted that the SGPC would not become a mute spectator and it would act according to the situation keeping in view all legal channels to “maintain the dignity and sacredness of the premium religious organisation of Sikhs”. 

Punjab Congress chief Partap Singh Bajwa warned the Centre against any move to “crush the aspirations of the Sikhs in Haryana” by creating hurdles in the way of the formation of the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (HSGPC). 

* Congress warns Modi against ‘crushing’ aspirations of Haryana Sikhs

* SAD accuses Punjab Congress of dancing to tunes of Gandhi family

* Congress says SGPC failed to set up its own TV channel as Sukhbir’s PTC group has a monopoly on the live telecast of Gurbani

Chandigarh, July 7
The Haryana Government has decided to regularise the services of Group ‘B’ employees appointed against sanctioned posts who have or will complete 10 years of service on a cut-off date of December 31, 2018.

A spokesman of the General Administration Department said here today that instructions to this effect had been issued to all Administrative Secretaries, heads of departments, Divisional Commissioners and Deputy Commissioners.

Under the Regularisation policy for Group B employees, such an employee would be considered for regularisation if he or she fulfils the prescribed criteria. He said such employee should possess the prescribed qualifications for the post on the date of appointment or engagement. The post against which the regularisation is to be done should be a sanctioned vacant post at the time of initial appointment or engagement and also at the time of regularisation. Also, the reservation policy issued from time to time may also be kept in view at the time of regularisation.

He said as this policy was a one-time measure on humanitarian grounds, no person shall be entitled to claim it as a matter of right if found unsuitable due to non-fulfilment of the conditions mentioned in these instructions. 

New Delhi, July 7
The Supreme Court today accepted Haryana’s plea for a detailed hearing of the need for letting the state use the 109-km Hansi-Butana canal to draw water from the Bhakra Main Line (BML). A Bench, comprising Justices CK Prasad and PC Ghose, said the case would be heard on a day meant for non-miscellaneous cases requiring arguments at length.

The Bench, however, did not specify any date for the hearing as Justice Prasad is due to retire on July 14.

Appearing for Haryana, senior advocate VA Bobde said the state’s plea had been pending since 2010. Initially, the Bench was reluctant to hear Haryana’s application, pointing out that the SC had passed an order in 2007 restraining Haryana from puncturing the BML.

The Bench noted seven years had gone by since the 2007 order and there was no point in hearing Haryana’s plea for modifying it, pending disposal of the suits filed by Punjab and Rajasthan objecting to the use of the canal.

Persisting with his plea, Bobde said Haryana would prefer its application heard by the SC early, irrespective of the outcome. At this, the Bench agreed to list it for detailed arguments.

Haryana has suggested eight conditions on which it could be asked to use the canal, including a strict watch by a retired SC judge/Chief Justice as well as the Bhakra Beas Management Board, to meet the drinking water and irrigation needs of drought-prone areas.

The state is ready to take its share of water only after Punjab and Rajasthan get their due from the BML and this would allay apprehensions over possible misuse by drawing excess water. Using the canal was necessary in view of the looming drought conditions, it said.

Chandigarh, July 7
Gurgaon Municipal Commissioner Parveen Kumar today suggested the name of Justice GS Singhvi before the Punjab and Haryana High Court for appointment as sole arbitrator in the Gurgaon ad revenue controversy.

As the case came up for resumed hearing, the counsel appearing for Advert Communication Private Limited too did not oppose the name of Justice Singhvi, a former Judge of the Supreme Court.

Taking note of the suggestion, Justice Rajive Bhalla fixed the case for pronouncement on Friday. He is likely to spell out the terms and conditions hovering around the issue of arbitration.

Justice Bhalla, on the previous date of hearing, had made it clear that he was in favour of appointing an arbitrator in the case. Reserving orders in the case, Justice Bhalla also asked Kumar and Advert Communication Private Limited to come out with a list of arbitrators for putting the dispute to an end through an arbitrator.

The order by Justice Bhalla came on a petition filed by Advert Communication Private Limited and another petitioner. Assisted by Gurgaon MC counsel Sadhna Pathak, Kumar had told the court their initial claim was of Rs 39 crore, but had reduced it to Rs 23 crore.

The controversy hovers around the payment for installation of advertisements on “unipoles”. The petitioners had challenged the issuance of a notice of demand calling upon them to discharge their contractual liability regarding 72 “unipoles” admittedly allotted to them by way of separate contracts.

Kumar has all along been asserting that advertisements were installed on unipoles in accordance with the terms and conditions of the contracts. Therefore, the petitioners were required to discharge their liability.

The counsel for the petitioners, on the other hand, submitted that 63 unipoles were not installed on the same date, but from time to time depending upon the availability of site and demarcation thereof. The counsel further submitted that while issuing the demand notice, the corporation has not considered that sites removed were never relocated or re-allotted. 

Sonepat, July 7
Irate residents of Bhatgaon and Badwasni today locked the Bhatgaon power substation in protest against the erratic power supply for the past three days.

After receiving information about the protest, Executive Engineer of the Bijli Vitran Nigam SK Ahuja reached the substation and assured the villagers that the problem would be solved soon. He told them that the problem was due to faults in the power supply lines.

The villagers opened the lock following the assurance and said if the problem was not solved, they would resort to road blockade. The villagers alleged that the power supply disruptions had hampered the paddy plantation and other routine activities. — OC

Karnal, July 7
Congress workers staged a protest at the railway station on Monday and demanded a rollback of the fare hike.

The protest was led by Surinder Narwal, former district president (rural), and Suresh Bhardwaj, former district president (urban). They said the rail fare hike would lead to rise in prices of essential commodities and coal, which would further push up power rates.

Senior leaders and workers reached the tracks and raised slogans against the Modi government.

Sonepat: Several senior Congress leaders led by the party’s district observer and former MLA, Sant Kumar, protested at the local railway station against the hike in fare. They also attempted to block the departure of a passenger train from the station.

Shouting slogans against the Narender Modi government, they demanded a rollback of passenger fares on the lines of withdrawal for the Mumbai passengers. They alleged that these hikes would put additional financial burden on the common man as well as increase the prices of essential commodities.

Prominent among those who participated in the demonstration included Chief Parliamentary Secretary Jaiveer Singh, MLAs Jagbir Singh Malik and Krishan Hooda, National Secretary of Indian Youth Congress Devender Kadian, former minister Ved Singh Malik, former MLAs Anil Thakkar and Dev Raj Dewan, former DCC presidents Pradeep Gautam and Bhagat Singh. 

Yamunanagar, July 7
The police raided four places — three in Yamunanagar and one in Chandigarh — to nab the trader said to be kingpin of the illegal liquor racket busted in the district’s Damala village.

SHO Sachin Kumar confirmed a police team had gone to Chandigarh to arrest the liquor trader, as he is said to belong to the city. The police have put his mobile number under surveillance, but it has been switched off. A business partner of the trader is also on the police radar, sources said.

The Sadar Police, Yamunanagar, had seized 1,147 boxes of illegal liquor loaded in five trucks from Damala village late Thursday night. Two persons — Amit Tyagi, an employee of the said trader, and Jagtar Singh, the owner of the plot where the loaded trucks were parked – were arrested on Saturday.

Tyagi told the police he was an employee of the said trader, who has an L-1 license for wholesale supply of English liquor to district vends, sources said. 

Chandigarh, July 7
Alleged favours granted by the Bhupinder Singh Hooda-led government to AICC president Sonia Gandhi’s businessman son-in-law Robert Vadra in land deals will form an integral part of the BJP ‘chargesheet’ being prepared to expose the Hooda Government’s ‘misdeeds’ during the past 10 years.

“The favours given by the Hooda Government to Vadra, including fast-tracking change of land use(CLU) for the Shikohpur(Gurgaon) land which culminated in the Vadra-DLF land deal, alleged corruption in grant of CLUs, irregularities in land acquisition, alleged favours to big corporates in the shape of large land holdings for special economic zones(SEZs), nepotism in government jobs and regionalism in development, would be major issues to be covered in the chargesheet,” Anil Vij, a senior BJP leader, who heads the 11-member committee, told The Tribune today.

Saying that the ‘chargesheet’ would be made public by month-end, Vij claimed a tremendous public response to the website www.bjpchargesheet.com launched on July 1 to help people provide feedback to the party to expose various acts of omission and commission of the Hooda Government. “Besides, the committee has received a large number of representations from people against the Hooda Government on a variety of issues which were being examined,” he said. However, the 11-member committee would verify all allegations before incorporating them in the ‘chargesheet’ to be presented to the general public ahead of the Assembly elections in September/October.

Jhajjar, July 7
Education Minister and local legislator Geeta Bhukkal has directed the district authorities to impose a penalty on the contractors who fail to complete development works within the stipulated time mentioned in their contract papers.

Bhukkal also asked the authorities to blacklist those who were not paying heed to finish the work despite warnings. Bhukkal issued the directives while taking action on separate complaints placed before her by local residents against contractors here today. The minister said she had sought an action-taken report within a week from the officials in this connection. — TNS

Rohtak, July 7
Local traders, including dairy-owners, today staged a demonstration and blocked traffic near Dairy Chowk in protest against the police failure in tracing Kartik Nagpal.

Congress and opposition workers among the traders’ leaders clashed when some protesters started raising anti-government slogans.

A police team led by DSP Bijender Singh reached the spot and convinced the protesters to lift the blockade. The traders have given a two-day ultimatum to the police to find the missing youth.

Satnali (Mahendragarh), July 7
Terming corruption as a major obstacle in the nation's progress, Union Minister of State for External Affairs VK Singh said it would take some time to root out corruption as the previous Congress government at the Centre had done nothing in this direction. The Congress even worked for spreading corruption by committing a number of scams during the last decade.

Singh was addressing a gathering during a felicitation function organised at the local grain market last evening. Newly elected MPs and state BJP chief Ram Bilas Sharma were also present on the occasion.

"The Modi Government has vowed to ensure overall development of the country by eliminating corruption and other evils but it will take time to change the system and to bring the nation back on the track of development," said the minister.

Referring to the Indians stuck in Iraq, VK Singh said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj were doing all they could to bring Indians back from Iraq.

Rambilas Sharma charged the Hooda government with selling costly and fertile land of farmers to the corporate houses for vested interests.

The state BJP state chief said that if the BJP was voted to power in the Assembly poll, land acquired by the the Congress government would be given back to the owners.

Kurukshetra, July 7
Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda today criticised the BJP-led NDA for a spurt in the prices of essential commodities and said “not good days but expensive days have come”.

While addressing a ‘vishal’ rally at the Ladwa grain market, Hooda said, “The BJP is a party for the rich. During the Lok Sabha election campaigns, the BJP had claimed that Narendra Modi has a magic wand and prices of all essential commodities would come down if the BJP is voted to power. People of the country did not vote for the BJP, but for Modi because he was expected to solve all problems of the country. I ask the BJP, where the magical wand has gone now? The Modi government has raised rail fares and freight charges besides hiking diesel, petrol, and sugar prices.”

Hooda also criticised OP Chautala and said, “He did nothing for the betterment of the state and the people of Haryana during his government. When he became the chief minister, the old-age pension in the state was Rs 200 and it remained the same thorough out his rule. All he did was promoting wrong policies.”

“I belong to a political family and I know what people feel. I can read their minds and hearts.They are feeling cheated and their expectations of the BJP have turned into a disappointment over the last one month. People of the state have started extending their support to the Congress,” maintained Hooda.

He announced grants of Rs 5 crore and Rs 2 crore sfor villages and Ladwa city, respectively. He also laid the foundation stone of the Chaudhary Ranbir Singh Hooda Park at Mehra village (Ladwa).

Congress state chief Ashok Tanwar said, “My management was not up to the mark in the Lok Sabha election. Booths were weak and workers were less enthusiastic.” He also advised Naveen Jindal to make his grip stronger in the area and said, “Naveen’s management was commendable but his workers were weak. He should go among his workers more often; it will strengthen the party.”

Jindal handed over a demand charter to the chief minister and said, “The BJP had conducted a survey asking people what they wanted and listed everything in its manifesto. But there is a big difference between making promises and delivering them. We are a strong party but lag behind in marketing and promoting our achievements and policies.”

Hisar, July 7
The district court today awarded 10-year imprisonment to four persons in the case of torching the car of the district and sessions judge on March 6, 2012, during the Jat agitation in Mirchpur village of the district.

District and sessions judge Basaruddin held the four persons, identified as Baljit, Sandeep, Rambir and Manjit, guilty of the crime. The judge also imposed fine of Rs 5,000 on each of the four convicts who would be undergoing one-month additional jail term in case they fail to deposit the penalty.

The fifth accused in the case, Sumit, escaped from the court on July 4 when the judge was about to announce the judgement.

The district and sessions judge, Jind, Raminder Jain, was on his way to Jind when protesters blocking a road stopped the car and manhandled the judge’s staff, including gunman Ram Avtar and driver Satpal, and later set the car afire. The judge though escaped unhurt.

Later, the police got the judge’s staff freed from the villages who had held them hostages. The police later booked the five residents of Mirchpur village in the case.

Panipat, July 7
A truck driver was booked on the charge of overtaking a High Court Judge’s car on the New Delhi-Ambala National Highway 1 at Samalkha in the district yesterday.

Investigating Officer (IO), Samalkha sub-inspector Randhir Singh said the driver was not arrested as he had not been identified so far. He said efforts were on to identify the driver with the registration number (HR-63E-1717) of his truck. “I do not know the name of the High Court Judge whose car was overtaken,” Singh said.

The driver has been registered under Sections 279 and 336 of IPC at the Samalkha police station on the statement of ASI Subash Chander. — TNS

Rohtak, July 7
Two youths were killed in an encounter by the a team of the Delhi police, here today. Rajkumar, a resident of Bohar village was on the run along with Jyoti of Gandhi Nagar in Rohtak.

They were booked in a kidnapping case and had been absconding. When they did not stop their car despite repeated signals by the police team chasing them, the police personnel fired at them.

Both received injuries and were taken to the PGIMS here, where Rajkumar succumbed to his injuries late in the evening. — TNS

Rohtak, July 7
The mysterious killing of the Nindana youth and a newly married woman said to be his beloved has taken a new turn with the post-mortem report stating that the woman had been hacked to death.

The forensic indication, along with the fact that no weapon was found from the scene of crime, also points towards the possibility of honour killing. In view of the revelation, the police authorities, who had carried out proceedings under Section 174 of the CrPC considering the case to be of suicide pact, have now registered a case of murder against unidentified person(s) on the complaint of the woman’s father, Suresh.

The bodies of Sanjay, alias Sanjeet, and Manisha of Nindana village in Meham subdivision of Rohtak district were found in the village fields under mysterious circumstances on Friday morning.

The man’s body was hanging from a tree, while that of the woman was found lying at a little distance in the fields. The woman’s body had multiple stab wounds and a bottle of celphos tablets was found from the crime scene. In the preliminary investigation, the police seemed to be considering it a matter of suicide pact. This implied that both Sanjay and Manisha first consumed poison, following which Manisha stabbed herself or Sanjay stabbed her and then hanged himself from a tree.

However, apart from the post-mortem report, the fact that no murder weapon was found from the crime scene punctures the suicide pact theory. Had it been a case of suicide or suicide pact, the weapon with which Manisha was stabbed should have been found from the scene.

The police investigators concede that no weapon was found from the spot. They, however, maintain that investigations were on into the matter and no final conclusion had been drawn as yet. In the given circumstances, the suicide or suicide-pact theory seems shaky as the circumstantial evidence point towards murder. In the given situation, the possibility of honour killing may also not be ruled out.

On the other hand, sources also point out that some farmer/villager(s) may have tampered with the scene of crime before the police was called, and the absence of the weapon may be attributed to that. Nonetheless, the manner in which the woman had been stabbed and inflicted multiple injuries on different parts of the body also raises suspicion over the suicide theory. 

Sirsa, July 7
The police have booked 15 persons, including Congress leader Naveen Kedia, for assault on public servants. Municipal Council officials were allegedly roughed up by locals at Khairpur here where they had gone to dismantle illegal structures on court orders yesterday.

The police registered the case last night leading to protests by local residents, who blocked the national highway outside Khairpur till late in the night.

Senior Congress leader Rahul Setia, Congress leaders Bhupesh Mehta and Hoshiari Lal Sharma, Haryana Lokhit Party leader Gobind Kanda, local municipal councillor Sangeeta Sachdeva, besides Kedia were among those who protested last night.

Mauji Ram, SHO of the city police station, said the case had been registered on the complaint of BN Bharti, Executive Officer of the Sirsa Municipal Council.

He said the police had a footage of the incident and the names of other persons involved in the incident would be added after seeing the footage.

However, the SHO had yesterday said he was present at the site and there was no physical violence and residents had merely expressed resentment over the damage done to their sewer lines.