Panchkula :
The Panchkula police on Thursday arrested HCS officer Reagan Kumar for allegedly molesting a woman employee of the office.

Kumar is administrative officer-cum-secretary and CEO of Utkarsh Society, Secondary Education Department.

According to the complaint, the woman alleged that on May 28, the official called her to his cabin and offered her coffee, which she refused. The woman claimed that on May 29 the official again called her to his cabin and tried to sexually abuse her. 

She claimed that she called up her brother and submitted a complaint to the Haryana DGP.

The Panchkula police have booked the HCS officer under Section 354-A (physical touch) and 354-D (stalking) of the IPC. 

The Director, Secondary Education-cum-vice-president, Utkarsh Society, Rajiv Rattan, had withdrawn work from Kumar and forwarded the case to the internal complaints committee of the department on May 30.

Sonepat :
Activists of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ambawata) organised a protest march against Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh for making objectionable remark against the farmers.

Protesters led by state president of the union Shamsher Singh Dahiya took out a protest march from Badhkhalsa to Beeswan Meel crossing along the NH-1. They also raised slogans against the minister and burnt his effigy.

Later, in support of the 10-day agitation of the different organisations, activists gave vegetables free of cost to commuters on the NH-1.

Karnal :
Depressed over the alleged sexual assault by a physical education teacher with a private school at Nissing in Karnal district, a 20-year-old former student of the school tried to commit suicide by jumping into a canal.

She was rescued by passersby and admitted to a hospital in Nissing, where she was stated to be out of danger. After regaining consciousness, she accused the school principal of supporting the accused. The police booked and arrested accused Manoj Kumar.

The victim, a resident of Nissing, had passed Class XII from SD Model School in the Shiv Mandir area of Nissing. She claimed that she had been sexually harassed by Manoj several times between January and March this year and threatened of dire consequences as well.

“I approached the principal, but she did not help me and asked me to keep quiet to save the reputation of the school. I told my friends about my ordeal, but they were not coming forward to give a statement to the police under pressure from the teacher and principal. I want action against the teacher,” she stated.

She alleged that the Nissing police did not cooperate with her and even misbehaved with her and members of her family. “I was forced to take the extreme step due to police inaction. An FIR was not registered against the principal,” she said.

DSP Gharaunda Virender Kumar refuted the allegations. He pointed out that the physical education teacher accused of sexual harassment had been arrested.

“Before recording her statement under 164 in court, we got her statement recorded before the Child Welfare Committee. She has been changing her statement. In her complaint, she had only blamed the teacher. She made varying statements later,” he said.
“We have registered a case under Sections 354, 354-D and 506 at the Nissing police station and arrested Manoj. An investigation is under way and fresh allegations are being inquired into,” he added.

Despite several attempts, principal Kavita Choudhary could not be contacted. Roshan Lal, president of the school, refused to comment.

Ambala :
The police have registered a case against Viresh Shandilya, president, Anti-Terrorist Front India, on Wednesday for allegedly hurting religious sentiments of Sikhs.

As per the information, Shandilya had allegedly made remarks against Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and threatened to burn his effigy. Sikh on Wednesday took out a protest march and burnt a flex outside Shandilya’s office.

SHO Ambala City Police Station, said, “A case has been registered against Viresh for hurting religious sentiments under Sections 295a and 153a of the IPC and 67 of the IT Act.” Shandilya has sought police protection.

Chandigarh :
In a setback to Haryana Government’s endeavour to have a medical college in each district, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has disapproved establishment of four new colleges in the state. Four others have been denied renewal of permission to admit students for 2018-19 due to poor infrastructure.

Besides these, the name of one more medical college figures in the list of colleges in the country whose request for increase in number of seats has been disapproved by the ministry in its recent order.

The ministry has disapproved the requests for establishment of Haryana Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, Kaithal; Al-Falah School of Medical Sciences and Research, Faridabad; Gangaputra Medical College, Jind; and Baba Mungipa Medical College and Research Centre for session 2018-19.

The order said that the request has been disapproved after considering the recommendations of the MCI.

This means these colleges will not be able to admit any student this year and will have to apply again next year after removing deficiencies in the infrastructure pointed out by the MCI during its inspection.

The request for renewal of permission has been denied to four medical colleges of the state. As per the ministry’s order, the request for renewal of permission to the second batch of Adesh Medical College and Hospital, Shahbad; and third batch of World College of Medical Sciences and Research —- with an intake of 150 seats each — has been disapproved.

Besides this, the request for renewal of 50 additional seats to Sree Guru Gobind Singh Tercentenary Medical College, Hospital and Research Centre, Gurugram; for its second batch and to Maharaja Agarsen Medical College, Agroha (Hisar); has been disapproved by the ministry.

This means that the Gurugram medical college will be permitted to admit 100 students to MBBS instead of 150 last year and Agroha Medical College will have an intake of 50 students against 100 during the past two years.

Last year, two medical colleges of the state — World College of Medical Sciences, Jhajjar; and NC Medical College and Hospital, Israna (Panipat) — had been barred from admitting students for two years, according to sources.

BPS Government Medical College for Women, Khanpur (Sonipat); had applied for increase of intake from 100 to 150 seats, but the request had been turned down for want of proper infrastructure.

Dr Shaleen, Director of Medical Education and Research, said that the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare takes the decision based on inspections of the colleges by the Medical Council of India.

He, however, said that the disapproval to the request of renewal of permission would not affect the students of the previous batches.

“Once these colleges improve their infrastructure by removing the discrepancies pointed out by the MCI, the permission to admit students can be renewed,” he said.
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare’s order has put a question mark over the hurry in which the Haryana Government is trying to open a medical college in each of the 22 districts of the state by its own means and also by roping in private players as many of the new colleges have been found wanting in infrastructure.

Sources said that the situation is no better in government medical colleges of the state as requests are received by the state Health Department to depute some medical officers there every time the MCI is to conduct inspections.