Hisar, August 3
Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Sunday announced a series of tax-related concessions for traders at a function held here in the run-up to the Assembly polls.

Addressing the state-level Vyapar Mandal Sammelan, the chief minister announced a VAT waiver on pulses, cut in tax on mustard oilcakes (khal) from 5 per cent to 2 per cent; abolition of market fee on jaggery (gur) and fixation of market fee on cotton at 1.6 per cent up to 2015.

Hooda also announced the setting up of a coordination committee at the district level to ensure the safety and security of traders. It would comprise officers from the district administration and businessmen.

“The director general of police has been directed to issue licenses for weapons to businessmen on a priority basis. The police have been told to pay special attention to the security of commercial areas in the state as some anti-social elements may try to disturb peace during the ensuing Vidhan Sabha elections,” he said, while referring to the Hisar traders’ concern about their safety in view of a series of assaults and extortion bids.

The chief minister said the state government will honour businessmen who paid the highest taxes in the district. “Haryana offers a congenial and secure atmosphere where businessmen can honestly carry out business and trade. From small to big traders, everyone is taking advantage of the benefits given by the state government,” he said.

Talking abut the government’s achievements, the chief minister said ‘inspector raj’ had been abolished in the state, Form 38 eliminated and cash memo limit increased from Rs 300 to Rs 1,000. “Small traders who face loss due to short-circuit in the shop would get compensation of Rs 5 lakh. Schemes have also been made for street vendors under which a market area would be developed on vacant land in HUDA sectors and committee areas,” he said.

Hooda said the business environment had changed ever since the Congress came to power in the state in 2005. “Law and order has been established; fear has been replaced by hope; the flight of capital has been reversed; and Haryana has emerged as a hub of investment, both domestic and foreign, thanks to industry-friendly policies pursued by the Congress government in 10 years,” Hooda said. A new industrial policy was launched to strengthen industrial infrastructure in the state and industrialists and businessmen have been given various concession and facilities, he added.

Hisar, August 3
Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda today termed the INLD manifesto deceptive and hollow and warned people against falling in the party's trap in the Assembly elections.

He said the outcome of the Uttarakhand bypoll showed the Modi balloon had been punctured. "The Congress will form the government in the state for the third time in a row on the development plank," he said.

Addressing a traders' meeting here today, Hooda referred to the INLD regime in 2000 to 2005 and said they had also made promises before coming to power, but how many were fulfilled is public knowledge. "These are hollow promises meant to deceive the electorate, but the people are not going to be misled this time," he said.

Claiming his government gave 3.80 lakh families 100 square yard plots under the Mahatma Gandhi Gramin Basti Yojna and provided water connections and tanks to the Scheduled Castes, he asked: "Did any poor family get even an inch of land during the INLD regime?" He accused the INLD of indulging in land-grab and exploiting people' sentiments by playing the caste card.

Jhajjar, August 3
As many as 110 aspirants have staked claim to the BJP ticket in the four Assembly segments — Jhajjar, Badli, Bahadurgarh and Beri —considered as Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda’s stronghold.

Leading the number of ticket seekers is Beri with 36 aspirants, followed by Bahadurgarh with 30, Badli with 28 and 16 from Jhajjar (reserve) segment.

Chief of BJP Kisan Morcha Om Prakash Dhankhar has sought a ticket from Badli as his native Dhakla village is the part of this segment. Dhankhar unsuccessfully contested the Lok Sabha elections on a BJP ticket from Rohtak and lost to Deepender Hooda by 1.7 lakh votes.

Besides Dhankar, former MLA Dariyav Singh and retired IAS Hem Chander Disodia have staked claim to the party ticket from Jhajjar and Hind Kesari Suresh Pahalwan has sought the ticket from Beri.

Rajender Sharma, district secretary of the BJP, informed applications along with the work experience were sought from the aspirants for the four Assembly segments to stake claim for party tickets.

Jind, August 3
The Congress appears to be on a sticky wicket with leaders from the district leaving the party and some more expected to follow suit in the coming days.

Karmbir Saini, who was the state spokesperson for the Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee, resigned from the party after alleging regional discrimination against Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda. He was associated with the party for long and a confidant of the CM. He has joined the Haryana Janhit Congress (HJC).

Now a state spokesperson for the HJC, Saini said: “I resigned from the party because leaders from all areas were not getting representation in the Congress. More disgruntled leaders will resign from the Congress soon.”

There are murmurs that former minister and Deputy Speaker Kulbir Malik is in touch with senior BJP leaders.

“Malik has been feeling isolated for the past many years. He did not get due respect in spite of Congress being in power. He has held some meetings with BJP leaders and may join the party anytime,” a close confidant of Malik said on the condition of anonymity.

The Congress is already under fire as senior leader from Jind, Chaudhary Birender Singh, hinting at resigning from party in the coming days. “I will announce my future course of action at the Kaithal rally on August 18. Jind has not seen any development as the Chief Minister is biased against Jind and other areas,” Singh has said.

Sources in the party said nearly 100 ticket aspirants had applied for tickets from all five Assembly constituencies in the district. But many, including Saini, got enough indications to understand that their names were not being considered. Hence, they started looking for options.

Senior Congress leaders of the district did not rule out more resignations from the party after the announcement of tickets.

“I have sent applications to the party high command and only deserving candidates will get the tickets. I cannot disclose more details,” said Congress observer for Jind, Sadhu Singh Dharmsot.

Ambala, August 3
Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda reiterated his claim that the Congress was set to form the government for the third consecutive time after the upcoming Assembly elections in the state.

Addressing a rally in the Barara segment of the district today, Hooda said the development works carried out by his party in the last 10 years would help the party form the next government in the state.

Continuing with his spree to announce development works worth crores of rupees, the CM announced a grant of Rs 12 crore for various projects in Barara segment of the district.

He said the Congress had always worked for the upliftment of all sections of society and claimed that there was no Modi wave in Haryana.

Hooda said the Assemby elections were fought on different issues and the state voters would once again support the Congress, which would continue with the development works even in its next term. —TNS

Chandigarh, August 3
Seeking the transfer of two Haryana Government officers and seeking a ban on spending public money on advertisements according benefits to the ruling Congress, main Opposition party Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) today sent a written representation to the Election Commission of India for fair and free conduct of the forthcoming Assembly elections.

INLD general secretary RS Chaudhary, in the representation, sought the appointment of a “neutral officer” as the Home Secretary till the end of the election process. Claiming that recently-appointed Home Secretary Roshal Lal is “a known Hooda loyalist”, the INLD alleged his name, along with that of the political leadership, was associated with several scams in the Agriculture Department.

The party leader charged another Haryana officer Ramesh Krishan, presently posted as Secretary, Home, of being a “Hooda favourite” for allegedly misappropriating a government vehicle given to him for official purposes during the recent General Election while on observer duty in Kerala.

The representation also added that the Government of Haryana was illegally spending Rs 5 lakh of public money a day on advertisements “not for disseminating knowledge of government schemes and programmes for the benefit of the masses, but to accord wrong benefits to the ruling political party in the coming State elections”.

Claiming that the money was spent out of the funds of the Public Relations Department on the asking of the chief minister to benefit the Indian National Congress, the INLD stated the cost of the advertisements “must be recouped from Bhupinder Singh Hooda and the officers responsible” while adding that the expenditure out of public money should be stopped immediately by the ECI.

Chaudhary has urged the ECI to take prompt action on their complaint to ensure “free and fair conduct of elections”.

Panipat, August 3
Krishan Lal Panwar, sitting INLD MLA from Israna, and Satbir Singh Kadian, former speaker, are unhappy over the non-allocation of party tickets to them.

While Panwar was interested in retrying his luck from Israna, Kadian was keen on contesting from the Panipat rural segment. On the contrary, the INLD fielded new faces — Balwan Singh Valmiki and Nishan Singh Malik — from the Israna and Panipat rural, respectively.

Talking to The Tribune, Panwar said, “It is prerogative of Chautala to allocate ticket to anyone and I respect his sentiments, but workers are agitated over the allocation of ticket to that person who is not even known to the workers.”

Avoiding any direct reply on joining any other party or contesting as an Independent, Panwar said, “The party workers from Israna will meet Chautala within a day or two to appeal to him to reconsider his decision. I have disciplined INLD workers for 35 years and won four out of five Assembly elections since 1991.”

Meanwhile, addressing a meeting of his supporters here today, Kadian, said, “My supporters will decide whether I will contest elections as an Independent from Panipat rural or leave politics. The denial of the party ticket was a setback for me.”

He constituted a committee of 11 of his supporters, which will hold a meeting at his native Siwah village after a week to take a final decision.

Kadian remained the speaker of the Haryana Vidhan Sabha after he was elected from the then Naulatha Assembly segment while contesting his last election in 2000. He was not given ticket in 2005 and his wife Bimla Kadian was given the INLD ticket from Panipat rural in 2009, but she lost to Independent MLA Om Prakash Jain.

Furthermore, his seniority in the INLD can be judged from the fact that he had not only worked under the leadership of late Deputy Prime Minister Choudhury Devi Lal, but also got elected thrice in 1987, 1991 and 2000 from Naulatha.

Kadian won the elections in 1991 as an erstwhile Janata Party candidate and got 24,582 votes. He defeated his rival Satbir Singh Malik of the Congress by 948 votes. However, he lost to Haryana Vikas Party candidate Beejendir by 1,033 in 1996.

The margin of his victory was the fourth highest in the state. He had got 54.46 per cent of the votes, whereas Congress candidate Parsanni Devi had lost her deposit. While he got 44,882 votes, his nearest rival BSP candidate Ranjeet Rodh could get only 19,401 votes.

Yamunanagar, August 3
INLD leader and two-time legislator, Balwant Singh, today resigned from the party after he was denied the ticket from the Sadhaura (reserved) Assembly segment.

The INLD has fielded Pinki Chappar from the segment.

Singh, who was the state president of the INLD’s backward cell, took the decision during a meeting of his supports at Musimble village under the Bilaspur subdivision on Sunday.

“I felt cheated as I was promised ticket by all senior leaders of the party. Instead the INLD gave the ticket to the wife of another leader who had helped the Congress candidate in the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections,” Singh said.

Sirsa, August 3
The suspense over the ongoing alliance between the BJP and the HJC is likely to end in the coming week.

Anil Vij, leader of the BJP’s legislative board, told The Tribune today that the BJP had told HJC supremo Kuldeep Bishnoi to convene a state coordination committee meeting within the next three days if he was willing to forgo his claim for the chief minister’s post and agrees on seats lesser than 45. Else it would be presumed that he was not interested in the continuation of the alliance, he said.

Dharampal Malik, a senior HJC leader, heads the coordination committee as its convener, while former BJP minister Ganeshi Lal is the co-convener.

“Ever since the results of parliamentary election, Bishnoi has not cared to convene a meeting of the coordination committee to discuss the issues between the two parties. Now, he wants appointments from BJP president Amit Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He should have first discussed the issues with the state leadership of the BJP,” Vij said.

He clarified that the BJP was clear in its stand that the party could neither give Bishnoi CM’s post nor it could give him 45 seats in the coming elections.

He said the BJP would wait for the next three days for Bishnoi’s response and if he failed to convene a meeting, the party would presume that the alliance was over.

Bishnoi has already stated that any review in the terms of alliance with the BJP was unacceptable to him.

Speaking to mediapersons on the sidelines of his ‘parivartan rally’ in Meham on Saturday, Bishnoi had said if the BJP remained adamant on the review of the terms and conditions of the alliance, he would take the matter to people’s court rather than succumbing to the saffron party’s pressure.

If the BJP remains adamant on the review of the terms and conditions of the alliance, I will take the matter to people’s court rather than succumbing to the saffron party’s pressure.

Kuldeep Bishnoi, HJC supremo

Tohana (Fatehabad), August 3
The Tohana Assembly segment will have, among other contestants, a businessman who will be banking on his association with the town and social service his supporters claim that he has undertaken in the past few years. But not to miss is his money power.

The new entrant is Devender Singh Babli, who is a native of Bidhai Khera, 4 km from here. His business interests are diversified in various sectors from providing taxis and security guards to corporate to real estate.

At his first rally at the grain market today, Babli’s money power was at display. Packs containing laddoos, bread pakoras and paneer pakoras and bottles of mineral water were made available to the 20,000-strong crowd, which was brought to the venue in buses and SUVs.

Looking at the mixed culture of the area located on the Punjab border, Babli had Haryanavi and Punjabi artists to enthrall the audience.

Babli’s corporate friends from Gurgaon landed in his native village Bidhai Khera, about 5 km from here, in helicopters and arrived at the venue in a cavalcade of Land Cruisers, Mercedes and Audis.

In his brief speech, Babli said he wanted to become a legislator to serve people. Hitting out at local legislator and Agriculture Minister Parmavir Singh, he said the minister’s family had been representing Tohana for most of the time since Haryana was carved out, but it had failed to mitigate people’s problems. “If voted to power, I will provide quality education, health and employment,” he promised.

Son of a farmer from Bidhai Khera, Babli shifted to Gurgaon in search of greener pastures in the late 1990s. After initial struggle, Babli struck gold in business and his business assumed all-India presence.

Babli has been spending on social services in the constituency for the past five years. “Last month, Babli held Samman Samarohs spread over a month for elderly people during which he distributed dhotis, kurtas, walking sticks and pagrees to men; and suits, shawls and walking sticks to women,” said Jitender Jwala, who has been associated with Babli since he started his political career.

Babli gave Rs 15 lakh to a girls’ college for the purchase of a bus and bears the cost of education of 200 poor girls students. In an eye camp organised by him, more than 10,000 people were examined and nearly 1,000 were surgically operated for cataract, Jwala said.

He provides financial help to sportspersons and gave Rs 5 lakh to a local mountaineer, Ram Lal, who recently conquered Mount Everest and Mount Elbrus.

Will all this translate into votes? Only voters have the answers.

Ambala, August 3
The preliminary examination of the Haryana Civil Services (HCS) witnessed a low turnout in Ambala today. As many as 45 examination centres in 30 educational institutions in Ambala City and Ambala Cantonment were set up for 12,890 candidates, but only 4,810 appeared for it.

A large candidates reached Ambala City and Ambala Cantonment yesterday and stayed in various dharmashala and hotels. Some of the candidates said they could not get proper accommodation to stay.

Deputy Commissioner Saket Kumar and nodal officer of the examination ADC Prabhjot Singh visited several examination centres and said the examination was conducted peacefully and no case of copying was reported.

The administration had imposed Section 144 outside the examination centres to carry out the examination peaceful.

The administration had also directed the owners of the photocopy shops located close to the examination centres to remain closed till the exam was over.

Panipat, August 3
In a glaring example of ignorance, courtesy the Haryana police, a Panipat youth disappeared under suspicious circumstances in 2012, but it took two years for the Panipat police to register a FIR that too after the High Court’s directions.

The police did not register a FIR for murder and destruction of evidence against three persons even after two years, but after the Punjab and Haryana High Court intervened, it directed the Panipat police to do the same.

Hearing a petition filed by Ram Singh, who is the missing youth - Sushil Kumar’s father; Justice Inderjit Singh directed the Panipat SP to file an affidavit on the next date of hearing i.e. August 6, as to why the FIR had not been registered so far though it discloses the commission of cognisable offence.

Subsequently in an attempt to save face, the Panipat police registered the FIR on Saturday against Harinder of Resalu, Satnam of Mehrana (both from Panipat), and Surender of Achra Kalan in Jind, under Sections 302, 201 and 34 of the IPC on charges of murdering Sushil Kumar, dumping his body and destroying evidence.

Talking to The Tribune, Ram Singh, said, “I had to knock at the HC’s door in November last year after I ran from pillar to post to register the FIR. I met then Panipat SPs KK Rao, Parul Kush Jain and IG Anil Mittal in this regard, but to no avail.”

On the other hand when asked about the delay in registration of the FIR, police spokesperson Anil, said, “The current SP B Satheesh Balan issued directions to register the FIR as and when the matter came to his notice.”

Meanwhile an aged Ram Singh, said, “My son, Sushil Kumar, was a partner in tar-coal business with Harinder who called him from our Siwah house on July 5, 2012, but he never returned. Harinder told us that they were taking a bath in Delhi parallel canal at Binjhol and my son drowned while taking a bath.”

Ram Singh lamented, “My son was unable to take a bath at his own house as his hands did not work properly. So the question of him taking a bath in the canal does not arise. Even his body has not been recovered so far.”

Suspecting foul play, Ram Singh said Harinder and his associates gave different statements, but the truth would come to light only after police interrogation, he added.

Faridabad, August 3
The police have arrested 11 persons in connection with the violence that took place during the demolition drive in the Palla area here on July 20.

The district administration had undertaken a drive to remove encroachments on around 60 acres of land in Phase I, II of Durga Builder area. The team met with stiff resistance from locals, who attacked the police and the demolition team and torched three vehicles and damaged six others. Several persons, including cops, were injured in the stone-pelting and cane charge by the police.

The police had booked an unidentified number of persons under several sections and identified more than 100 persons as accused on the basis of video and camera footage of the incident. It is reported that while most of the accused fled the colony or the area after the incident, several of the arsonists have gone underground.

“We have raided the area on various occasions, but found a large number of houses locked and the residents absconding since the violent incident,” said the SHO of the Sarai Khawaja police station. He said the police will act on information provided by the arrested accused.

Acting on Supreme Court directions, the district administration had issued notice to around 2,200 occupants of houses that came up in the Durga Builder area over the past 20 years. The court passed the order on a petition by a group of original allottees of the land.

Meanwhile, officials said they will ensure removal of all the encroachments from the land soon.

Bhiwani, August 3
A Kargil War hero from Tigdana village of this district has been waging a lone battle to get his ancestral land from alleged land grabbers in Duma village of Gurgaon district for the past 13 years.

Lance Naik Ashok Kumar, who served for seven-and-a-half years in 16 Grenadiers before being discharged on medical grounds after sustaining bullet injuries in the 1999 Kargil War, said he had written to the President and UPA chief Sonia Gandhi. He met several other senior leaders, including Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi, seeking justice but to no avail. He said he would now approach PM Narendra Modi in this context.

Narrating his tale of woes, he said his grandfathers Munshi Singh and Mehtab Singh were residents of Duma village in Gurgaon and they had a landholding of 27 acres in the village. Later on, they joined the defence forces and subsequently the family shifted to Tigdana village in Bhiwani.

“However, my ancestors handed over the land to some villagers on rent since my father and two uncles got recruited in the Army. Later, it transpired that the families who used to cultivate the land had become its owners by forging and manipulating the land records in connivance with revenue officials,” he alleged. He claimed had documents such as a ‘’fard’’ (a document detailing ownership of land) and copies of ‘’chakbandi’’ (rearrangement of landholdings among different owners) with him. “My mother Maan Bai, too, wrote to Sonia Gandhi in 2012. We got a letter from the Haryana Government that the land-grab case was being examined by the authorities, but no follow-up action was taken,” he said.

“My father Dharam Pal and uncles Vedpal and Umed, who saw action in 1962, 1965 and 1971, too had tried to get justice but they could not succeed. Now it my turn to seek justice,” he said.

Rewari, August 3
The rising incidents of theft in the district have been troubling the residents these days. Reports of thefts are surfacing almost every day, causing fear among the residents.

A total of 30 theft incidents were reported in the district last month.

Despite tall claims of the police, there seems to be no end to the situation. A majority of theft cases remain unsolved and the role of the police is limited to registering FIRs. The residents said the repeated theft incidents were a clear indication of lax attitude of the police.

“On an average, one case of theft is being reported in the district every day. The fear of being accosted by the criminals is forcing the residents to stay indoors,” said Vijay Kumar, a shopkeeper.

Shri Niwas, a resident, said, “The rising cases of theft have become a cause of concern for us. We are afraid of leaving our houses at any time of the day.”

Faridabad, August 3
Hundreds of residents blocked a highway here against the murder of a city taxi driver. The body of the victim was placed on the road for about an hour before the police intervened to get the highway cleared.

Police sources said the kin of Sonu, hailing from Dabua colony, was allegedly murdered in Agra. They placed the body on the highway near Bata Chowk to demand the arrest of the taxi owner.

They alleged that Sonu was shot dead yesterday following a dispute. The local police claimed that the UP police had registered the case of murder against the alleged accused. “We assure help and cooperation to the kin of the victim and the UP police in tracking the accused,” AS Chawla, police commissioner, told the protesters after which they lifted the blocked.

Karnal, August 3
Introduction of “Deed Registration Appointment Management System” in Karnal tehsil to reduce overcrowding and enhance efficiency has backfired as the system, according to city residents, delays the registration process.

The city residents had also submitted a memorandum to Tehsildar Hari Om Attri regarding the system, but no action has been taken so far.

Under the new system, a person has to take a token for getting their registry, will or transfer of their property, GPA, loan, sale deed and many other property-related works done. Initially, a token is issued with specific date and time and a person has to visit the office on that specific date.

According to sources in the tehsil, earlier around 120 registries per day, will, GPA and other works were done in a month, but according to the new system only 70 of them are done. It has multiplied the woes of residents. People have to wait for their turn for around five to 15 days even for urgent work like making a will. Sources said the then additional chief secretary, Shakuntla Jakhu, started the system in Karnal tehsil on January 15. “Within seven months of its launch, voices to revoke the system have been rising in the city. Now, the residents have to visit four different sections to complete the process. Earlier, the whole process was completed on a single window and was convenient for people,” the source added.

Rahul Kumar, a city resident, said his father had to make a will and his health was deteriorating day by day, but due to the system they had to face a lot of problems.

Faridabad, August 3
The strike of municipal corporation (MC) employees continued for the ninth day yesterday. The strike, coupled with the rain, resulted in sewage flooding roads and streets. Water overflowed on National Highway 2 (Mathura road).

“The water is spilling on the highway and has engulfed a part of the Ajronda chowk for two days,” said an automobile showroom employee. He said a complaint had been lodged, but the problem remained unattended to, perhaps due to the strike.

“Work on six-laning the highway and the Metro track along the highway has resulted in inconvenience to commuters due to accumulation of mud and water at several points. The problem gets aggravated in case of rain,” said Deepak Bansal of Ballabgarh.

Garbage dumped at the collection point near Sector 8 had started spilling on the road. Chander Dutt, sanitary inspector, Ballabgarh zone, claimed that the problem had arisen due to termination of the contract to remove garbage and the strike of the MC staff.

He said the situation was likely to improve after the strike ended. A spokesperson of the civic employees union said the strike would continue till the demand to regularise staff was accepted.

Officials claimed that efforts were on to resolve the issue.

Ambala, August 3
The engine of a goods train derailed near Ambala Cantt railway station yesterday. A number of trains running on the Delhi-Amritsar line were badly affected.

Sources said several trains, including Swarn Shatabdi Express, Shan-e-Punjab, Jan Shatabdi Express and Dadar Express, were diverted via Chandigarh. The rail traffic was restored around 3 pm.

Additional Divisional Railway Manager SK Sinha said passenger trains between Ambala and Nangal Dam and Kurukshetra and Ambala were suspended and a few trains were diverted via Chandigarh.

Gurgaon, August 3
A group of employees of a local BPO who hail from the North-East have lodged a police complaint accusing the employer of bias, illegal termination of services and unpaid salary.

The 16 employees of the BPO in Udyog Vihar alleged they were asked to leave before they could complete the month and were denied their dues. “The services of these youngsters have been illegally terminated,” said Alana Golmei, general secretary of the North East Support Center and Helpline (NESCH). “Most of them were asked to leave on the 27th or the 28th day of work, citing various reasons. They were not given written notice before being terminated.” Udyog Vihar SHO inspector Gaurav Dahiya said it was a civil case. Golmeri, however, said they would collect evidence against the company and file a complaint. —TNS

Karnal, August 3
Rise in the number of infant deaths in the district has worried the Health Department officials in the district. Sources in the department reveal that in the last financial year, the number of infant deaths increased to around 50 for every 1,000 births.

Earlier the infant mortality rate (IMR) was 44 for every 1,000 births in the district. Sources said during this period around 34,000 infants were born in the district, of which 1,692 infants died. Of these 977 died after birth and the remaining 715 were stillborn. Sources said the maximum infants died after birth during June: 107, July: 103, November: 127, and December: 101, in 2012.

The maximum stillborn infants were born in June, 2012 i.e. 104, while in August and November 2012, the number was 70 and 81, respectively.

Expressing his concern over this serious issue, an expert from the Health Department requesting anonymity, said, “The lack of iron, nutritional deficiency, less haemoglobin and lack of seriousness about diet among pregnant women are some of the major reasons for such deaths.”

It was also found that some pregnant women did not consult doctors for their well-being and instead took medicines on their own. They also avoided regular check-ups and treatment, which was a must for the child and the mother. Civil Surgeon Dr Vandana Bhatia, said, “The Health Department takes full care of pregnant women by guiding them through various sources such as Asha workers, Aanganwadi workers and several other means to guide them about proper diet, vaccination, check-up and treatment of the infant.”

Kaithal, August 3
A special legal literacy and legal aid camp, Justice At Your Doorstep, was organised at Government Senior Secondary School in Habri village in Kaithal district today. It was organised under the instructions of Ritu Tagore, district and sessions judge-cum-chairman, District Legal Services Authority (DLSA), Kaithal.

Gagandeep Mittal, chief judicial magistrate-cum-secretary, DLSA, Kaithal, said the aim of the camp was to facilitate poor and illiterate people. He said on the helpline number of the authority, 01746-235759, one could get legal advice from the trained panel of advocates.

Over 300 people interacted with the panel advocates during the camp. The panel and para legal volunteers were led by Arvind Khurania, coordinator, DLSA.

Photo: Gagan Deep Mittal, CJM (third from left), and para legal volunteers during a legal literacy camp in Habri village of Kaithal district.

Panipat, August 3
In a glaring example of ignorance, courtesy the Haryana police, a Panipat youth disappeared under suspicious circumstances in 2012, but it took two years for the Panipat police to register a FIR that too after the High Court’s directions.

The police did not register a FIR for murder and destruction of evidence against three persons even after two years, but after the Punjab and Haryana High Court intervened, it directed the Panipat police to do the same.

Hearing a petition filed by Ram Singh, who is the missing youth — Sushil Kumar’s father; Justice Inderjit Singh directed the Panipat Superintendent of Police to file an affidavit on the next date of hearing i.e. August 6, as to why the FIR had not been registered so far though it discloses the commission of cognisable offence.

Subsequently in an attempt to save face, the Panipat police registered the FIR on Saturday against Harinder of Resalu, Satnam of Mehrana (both from Panipat), and Surender of Achra Kalan in Jind, under Sections 302, 201 and 34 of the IPC on charges of murdering Sushil Kumar, dumping his body and destroying evidence.

Talking to The Tribune, Ram Singh, said, “I had to knock at the HC’s door in November last year after I ran from pillar to post to register the FIR. I met then Panipat SPs KK Rao, Parul Kush Jain and IG Anil Mittal in this regard, but to no avail.”

On the other hand when asked about the delay in registration of the FIR, police spokesperson Anil, said, “The current SP B Satheesh Balan issued directions to register the FIR as and when the matter came to his notice.”

Meanwhile an aged Ram Singh, said, “My son, Sushil Kumar, was a partner in tar-coal business with Harinder who called him from our Siwah house on July 5, 2012, but he never returned. Harinder told us that they were taking a bath in Delhi parallel canal at Binjhol and my son drowned while taking a bath.”

Ram Singh lamented, “My son was unable to take a bath at his own house as his hands did not work properly. So the question of him taking a bath in the canal does not arise. Even his body has not been recovered so far.”

Suspecting foul play, Ram Singh said Harinder and his associates gave different statements, but the truth would come to light only after police interrogation, he added.

Fatehabad, August 3
A 17-year-old girl was allegedly kidnapped from her Talwara village in Fatehabad district and raped by a youth from Singreri village in Mansa district of Punjab.

In his complaint to the Jakhal police, the victim’s father alleged that the accused kidnapped his minor daughter on the night of July 31 and raped her.

The police arrested the accused last evening and recovered the girl from his possession.

Rewari, August 3
Two women were killed and two others seriously injured when a truck hit them on the Kanina-Kosli road near Nahar village here today.

The deceased have been identified as Prem Lata (40) and Mukesh Devi (36) of Kanina village in Mahendragarh.

The mishap took place when the victims were going to Kosli town in a car. As they reached near the bus stand at Nahar village, their car broke down. The car driver left for the village for arranging a mechanic, while four occupants sat under a tree. They were later hit by a truck whose driver sped away. They were rushed to Trauma Centre in Rewari city where Prem Lata and Mukesh Devi were declared brought dead. — TNS