Chandigarh :
Director-General (Health Services) Satish Agarwal on Friday submitted the investigation report in the death case of the newborn in Sonepat to Health Minister Anil Vij.

It was mentioned in the report that the ambulance was stuck in traffic for about 20 to 30 minutes due to the jam caused by the cycle rally of state Congress chief Ashok Tanwar. Vij said on the basis of certain evidence, the main reason for the death of the newborn was delay in reaching the hospital.

It was mentioned in the report that a call was received at the Sonepat office of the National Ambulance Service for ambulance from Divya Private Hospital, Maniyari Pyau, at 11.21 a.m. to refer a newborn to Civil Hospital, Sonepat. Acting swiftly, the hospital sent an ambulance from the Community Health Centre, Badkhalsa, at 11.22 a.m. which reached Divya Hospital within 10 minutes.

As per the report, it usually took 15 minutes to reach Civil Hospital from Divya Hospital, but that day, the ambulance got stuck in the jam caused due to the cycle rally and reached the hospital after about 20 to 30 minutes. Thereafter, the newborn was taken to Special Newborn Care Unit where doctors found that the newborn was in a critical condition with low heartbeat. Doctors made their best efforts, but were unsuccessful and referred the newborn to the PGIMS, Rohtak, where he died during treatment. Vij said the police had been directed to register a case in the matter and an FIR had been registered in this regard.

Hisar :
Dalits of Mirchpur village in Hisar stated that the Delhi High Court verdict awarding life term to the guilty in the Mirchpur arson case had reaffirmed their faith in justice. They said the convicts belonging to the Jat community were facing the consequences of what they did to fellow Dalit villagers.

The Delhi High Court upheld the conviction of 13 members of the Jat community for burning alive a 70-year-old Dalit man and his physically challenged daughter in Mirchpur village in April 2010. It reversed the acquittal of 20 accused for “coordinated and premeditated” attack on the Balmiki Basti, that forced 254 Balmiki families to flee their homes.

“As you sow, so shall you reap. The High Court verdict is the result of the crime they committed over eight years ago. It shows that law and justice prevail in the country. We do not have much hope from the government and political system, but have full faith in the judiciary,” said 59-year-old Om Prakash.

He had been putting up at Tanwar farmhouse on the outskirts of Hisar. His nephew Sanjay Kumar, one of the arson victims, died some months after the incident.
Dilbagh Singh, a 46-year-old Dalit who had deposed in court in the case, stated that they were satisfied with the punishment awarded to the convicts.

“Before the violence, we were living in peace in the village. The atmosphere got vitiated after the incident. I was employed as safai karamchari on a temporary basis after the incident. I have not visited the village for two years and I do not have a job now. It is better to work as a daily wager in town than to go back to the village,” he said.

Satyawan, another witness in the case, said they were satisfied with the decision, but would file a petition against the acquittal of many others. “I have talked to many persons living in the village after the decision. They are content with the punishment. The situation is peaceful in the village,” he said.

Most members of families of the convicts refused to talk to mediapersons. Tension was palpable in their locality, with streets wearing a deserted look. Some upper caste persons said on the condition of anonymity that the decision had affected many families as their breadwinners would have to go to jail.

“These families have been ruined and are in a state of shock. In some families, no male member has been spared,” said a villager, blaming the media for creating hype in the aftermath of the incident.

Sonepat :
A team of the Haryana CM flying squad from Gurugram and the Sonepat police raided a guest house in the industrial area of Rai in the wee hours on Friday and seized a large stock of liquor and drugs, which were allegedly being served to the students in a rave party on the premises.

Three persons — rave party “organiser” Pradeep, Central Excise Department Inspector Yash Pal and Dinesh of Kundli in the district — were arrested. They were produced in a local court on and released on a bail.

On the complaint of Puran Singh, Assistant Sub-Inspector, a case under the NDPS Act and Excise Act has been registered. According to the FIR, the team seized five bottles and 25 quarters of English wines and 89 bottles of beer of different brands, packets of 220 tablets and 20 injections of drugs of different companies.

It has also been mentioned in the FIR that a doctor was called to the guest house by the SDM Sonepat for conducting medical checkup of the students. The doctor is yet to submit his report.

The team, which was led by Sonepat Additional SP Narender Bijrania and DSP Jitender Gahlawat from the CM flying squad, included Prashant Kumar, SDM Sonepat, Narender Kumar, Excise Inspector, and Sandeep Hooda, Drug Inspector.

According to DSP Jitender Gahlawat, the raid was conducted after receiving inputs that the Anjana guest house was being frequently used for rave parties in which liquor and drugs were being supplied to students.

Pratiksha Godara, Sonepat SP, said they let the students go after a medical check-up and their addresses and identity cards were submitted. The police would take an action if any student was found actively involved in unlawful activities, the SP added.

Ambala :
In a major relief to about 700 families residing in the RA Parade Ground area, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has granted an administrative stay on the eviction of the families.

The Defence Minister has informed Health Minister Anil Vij about the stay through a letter.

Ambala Cantonment Board Vice-President Ajay Baweja told The Tribune: “In April last year, we had made a representation before Health Minister Anil Vij regarding the families living in the RA Parade Ground area. Anil Vij had further requested the Ministry of Defence to frame a suitable policy regarding the land occupied by around 700 houses belonging to the weaker sections in the area, after imposing reasonable development charges.”

“The RA Parade Ground land, about 176.871 acre, belongs to the Ministry of Defence and families have been living there for around 200 years. They were brought here from Uttar Pradesh by the British to grow and supply vegetables to them. From time to time, people were granted agricultural leases and the last lease expired on May 31, 1975, and the land was required for defence purposes. The land was, however, never vacated by the former lessees. Due to the unauthorised occupation of the defence land, action against them was initiated under the PPE Act, 1971,” he added.

Baweja said: “The Army used to send notices and people living there were not allowed to do any construction. In case any construction was done, it was demolished. After examining the matter, the Defence Minister has granted an administrative stay on the eviction of these families. A letter has been received in this context. Now they will be able to do construction and the board will be able to develop the area.”

Baweja said: “The Parade Ground problem has been a political issue in Ambala. We are thankful to Anil Vij for raising the matter and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for granting stay.”

Hisar :
In a bid to crack down on the drug smuggling mafia, the Haryana Police, along with the police of the neighbouring states, will identify the inter-state routes and trace the origin of the narcotics and drug supplies.

A DIG-level officer of the Haryana Police (CID wing) will coordinate with the cops of the neighbouring states for sharing information and intelligence details to trace out the drug paddlers.

A high-level meeting of police officials from Haryana, Rajasthan, Punjab and Delhi was held here on Thursday to discuss the issue.

ADGP, Crime, PK Agrawal, CID chief Anil Kumar Rao, ACP, Delhi Police Ajit Kumar Singla, DIG STF (Haryana), Sateesh Balan, IGP Patiala AS Rai, IG Bhatinda, MS Farruki, IG Bikaner Dinesh MN, SSPs, Mansa, Sangrur, Bhatinda, Muktsar, Patiala (Punjab), SPs, Hanumangarh/Churu (Rajasthan), all SPs of Hisar Range were present at the meeting.

Later, interacting with mediapersons, the ADGP said the police were considering carrying out dope test of the Haryana Police personnel on the lines of Punjab soon though any decision had not been taken so far.

Stating that the ongoing police drive had fetched good results, he said that during the special drive in the Hisar division, the police registered 509 cases and arrested 697 accused under the NDPS Act during the current year. A large quantity of narcotics, including 27 kg of opium, 37 quintals of chura post, 5 kg of charas and 13 kg of heroin/smack, were recovered during this period.

The IG, CID, Anil Kumar Rao said that the CID would have a DIG-level officer at the headquarters and a DSP-rank office in the Hisar range for intelligence sharing and coordination with neighbouring states. The SHOs of the bordering police station would hold a meeting soon for strengthening their networking.

Sources said Hisar, Fatehabad and Sirsa districts were emerging as crucial transit routes for the inter-state drug peddlers. “En route, the peddlers seem to have set up their makeshift bases in certain villages which act as conduits for them. The increased activities of narcotics smugglers had accentuated the problem of drug addiction in the region,” a police official added.