ribune News Service

Amritsar, February 28

A cycle expedition, commemorating the diamond jubilee of the 63rd Cavalry, would reach the holy city next month.The team comprising an officer, a junior commissioned officer (JCO) and 11 other ranks led by Captain Himanshu Karan has traversed through the rugged terrain from Rann of Kutch and Thar desert through the hills of Aravalis.The team established a connect with the veterans of the regiment and invited them for the diamond jubilee celebrations at Amritsar. The team also spread a spirit of adventure among the local youth and projected a positive image of the Indian Army.Cycling through these areas provided an opportunity for the team members to inculcate the spirit of camaraderie through a mix of challenge, adventure and thrill by providing them an opportunity to pitch themselves against nature.Earlier, the diamond jubilee cycle expedition was flagged off by Lt Gen KJ Singh, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Command, from Bhuj on February 13, which completed its first phase by reaching Alwar today.The team has covered a distance of 1,200 km up to Alwar, the birth place of 63 Cavalry. The regiment was raised at Jai Paltan Lines (Alwar) on January 2, 1957. The second phase of the expedition will be flagged off from Alwar on March 3 which will conclude at Amritsar.

Three students of a Delhi madarasa have been beaten up for refusing to chant the slogan “Bharat Mata Ki Jai”, prescribed lately as a test of patriotism by the BJP. A political resolution to this effect was passed by the party’s National Executive meeting recently. One can take precautions to stay out of trouble like avoiding a scuffle with a gangster or an argument with someone irrational or fundamentalist. But there is no choice when hoodlums force one to do or say something against one’s wish. Again, this is a small, isolated incident and Prime Minister Modi is not supposed to react. Nor is RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat expected to rein in his soldiers.  In these days of intolerance limitations on freedom of speech are imposed not only on the streets, even universities are not spared. Zealots are taking charge of the university arena and muzzling dissent or a free exchange of ideas. It seems the ideological transformation of universities is being carried out successfully through a pliable HRD Minister. JNU’s students are not the only sufferers of bigotry (Kanhaiya Kumar has been forced to cancel his AMU visit); its teachers too are suspected of running nurseries for anti-nationals. It is evident from what has happened in Jharkhand’s Central University, where a teacher has been suspended just because she invited a JNU professor of “doubtful credentials” to a function associated with Sardar Patel. Have the university rules been amended to include such grounds for suspension?  When RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat called upon everyone to chant “Bharat Mata Ki Jai”, Owaisi, a Muslim leader, defied him. His party MLA was suspended from the Maharashtra Assembly for the same reason. They maintained that they could not be forced to say anything against their will. Now that Mohan Bhagwat too says the same thing, his U-turn has left the BJP wondering what to do with its political resolution. Arun Jaitley has already claimed a victory in some kind of “ideological battle”. The BJP-RSS combine is just shrinking India’s space for dissent and democracy, and it runs away from taking responsibility for what its foot soldiers do in the country.http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/editorials/the-bharat-mata-test/215715.html

Naveen S Garewal in Chandigarh

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The rumour weighed more than hearsay, too revolting to be true. The allegations of a gang-rape near Murthal on NH-10 in the heat of the Jat quota stir deserves to be looked into given the lawlessness that built up in many parts of the state in the past fortnight. In such a heinous crime, social stigma is the big challenge for victims to come out openly. Yet there was credible information. Within hours of the report appearing in this newspaper, two senior Haryana officers, one IAS and another IPS, visited the areas mentioned in the report and came out with official statements that “nothing had happened.” The police were in a hurry, so much so that it forgot to scan the fields where the alleged rapes took place. It was only after news channels showed soiled and torn clothes that the local police was forced to retrieve them.The Tribune team was pressured to withdraw the story in the same way as the eyewitnesses who narrated the tales of horror were forced to turn hostile. The National Commission for Women (NCW) took a suo mou notice and visited Murthal. The NCW member, a former BJP spokesperson from Panchkula, met the quoted eyewitnesses after they had been “tutored” by the police. A notice was issued to a Tribune journalist on Feb 25 via an email asking him to appear before the Commission in New Delhi, with all “evidence.” The NCW was politely asked to reschedule the appearance. One of The Tribune staffers has been warned: ‘Reveal the evidence or we (police) will register an FIR and arrest you.’ Attempts have been made to hack another team member’s Twitter account. The phones are already under surveillance.Meanwhile, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has taken two separate suo motu cognisance of the news report. The question is: How can the Sonepat police, accused of dereliction of duty, conduct a probe against itself and give it a clean chit too? Despite all kinds of pressure, eyewitnesses are now coming out to narrate the tales of horror. Truth will prevail. 

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March 29India today rejected as tutored a video released by Pakistan purportedly showing its arrested former Navy officer Kulbhushan Yadav “confessing to his involvement in subversive activities in Balochistan”.In a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs said the six-minute video that purportedly showed Yadav’s “confession” was tutored and had been prepared under pressure.“The video shows this individual making statements that have no basis. That the individual claims to be making these statements out of his own free will not only challenges credulity, but also clearly indicates tutoring,” the ministry said.The ministry said the government “categorically rejects allegations that this individual was involved in subversive activities in Pakistan at our behest”. Sources in the government said it was yet another attempt by Pakistan to deflect attention when an investigation was going on into the Pathankot terror attacks. The ministry said the man’s presence in Pakistan raised the “possibility of his abduction from Iran.”The ministry said despite several requests, Pakistan had failed to provide consular access to Yadav, who was arrested last week.

Governor NN Vohra chairs a high-level meeting to review the security situation in the aftermath of recent terror attacks in the Kashmir valley in Jammu on Friday. a tribune photo

Tribune News Service

Jammu, February 26

Governor NN Vohra reviewed the security situation in the aftermath of the recent terrorist attacks in the Valley here today. The high-level meeting was attended by Chief Secretary BR Sharma; GOC-in-C, Northern Command, Lt Gen DS Hooda; Director General of Police K Rajendra Kumar; GOC 15 Corps Lt General SK Dua; Principal Secretary to Governor PK Tripathi; Home Secretary RK Goyal; IGP, Kashmir, Syed Javaid Mujtaba Gillani; and senior state and Central Intelligence officers.Reiterating the importance of very close coordination among all security forces, the Governor pointed the need for adequate advance planning for ensuring effective maintenance of public order before, during and after the conduct of operations. The meeting discussed the existing procedures for responding to terror attacks and also deliberated on other important issues relating to security management in the state. It was also decided to finalise certain approaches after intensive consultations with the para military forces, for which the Governor is fixing another meeting.

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 28

The state police today effected a major reshuffle, a first in the five-month-old tenure of DGP Suresh Arora. At least 52 officers, including newly promoted DGPs and Commissioners and 13 SSPs, have been transferred.Among the recently promoted DGPs, Mohd Mustafa has been posted as DG, Punjab Human Rights Commission; Hardeep Dhillon, DGP (Law and Order); and RP Singh, Managing Director, Punjab Police Housing Corporation.ADGP MK Tiwari has been appointed ADGP (Prisons), against a post vacant. BK Uppal on promotion appointed ADGP, Human Resource Development, with additional charge of ADGP, Welfare and Litigation. BK Bawa is ADGP, Security, and BK Garg, ADGP, Powercom.Other main postings include that of Patiala IG Naunihal Singh who has been appointed IG (Law and Order) and Paramraj Umranangal, IG, Patiala.Amar Singh Chahal is Commissioner of Police, Amritsar, Jatinder Aulakh Ludhiana and Arpit Shukla Jalandhar.The SSPs have got the following new postings: Sukhwinder Singh Mann, Faridkot; Narinder Bhargav, Fazilka; Gurpreet Singh Gill, Muktsar; Kuldeep Singh,  Hoshiarpur; Jagdeep Singh, Gurdaspur; Gurpreet Singh Toor, Barnala; Rakesh Kaushal, Pathankot; Opinderjit Singh Ghuman, Jagraon;  Jaspreet Singh, Fardikot; Satinder Singh, Khanna; Harcharan Singh Bhullar, Fatehgarh Sahib; HS Pannu, Moga; and Mukhwinder Singh, Mansa.

Army personal keep a vigil on at Amrik Sukhdev Dhaba on near Murthal in Sonepat district on Tuesday; and (below) a charred car along the NH-1. Tribune photo: Ravi Kumar

Parveen Arora

Tribune News Service

Karnal/Panipat/Sonepat, February 23

The movement of traffic on National Highway-1 has been restored and this indicates things are slowly getting back to normal after Jats went on the rampage, setting almost everything on fire.But an uneasy calm prevails on the highway. Burnt vehicles, axed trees, and scattered bricks and stones on the NH-1 present a picture of devastation.To know the aftereffects of the protest, a team of The Tribune visited the GT Road from Karnal to Sonepat and found people were still in shock.To develop confidence among residents, Army and police are patrolling the NH-1. Besides, scores of Army personnel are deployed at several places to keep a vigil on miscreants.The appeals by Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, Union Minister Rajnath Singh and other Cabinet Ministers of the state notwithstanding, protesters seeking Jat reservation had blocked NH-1 on Sunday and Monday and reportedly set several vehicles ablaze, besides pelting stones on commuters travelling towards Delhi or Chandigarh. Scores of charred vehicles, including trucks, Roadways buses and vehicles of police and other officials, were parked near Bari and Murthal on NH-1.A plastic-waste-laden truck of Shameem Ahmed Toirt of Sopore, Jammu and Kashmir, was burnt when he was on his way to Delhi. “The police in Panipat signaled to me that the road to Delhi was clear. But when I reached near Murthal, the protesters attacked my truck and set it to fire. I am still traumatised,” he said.Toirt, along with his driver and an attendant, managed to save their lives. They are stranded in Murthal.Amrik Singh, the owner of Amrik Sukhdev Dhaba in Murthal, said he and his employees faced a horrific time for two days. “Protesters wanted to vandalise my dhaba on Sunday afternoon and again in the wee hours of Monday. But Kurad and Hasanpur villagers shielded my dhaba was saved. I am thankful to them,” said Singh with his voice wavering with emotion.“I still have nightmare of the incident. Thanks to the people living nearby, the dhaba was saved,” said Abhijeet Anand, manager of Amrik Sukhdev Dhaba.Ram Narayan of Bahadurgarh, who was carrying his tanker to Delhi from Ludhiana, said protesters attacked him around 3am on Monday near Hasanpur village. He managed to escape and took refuge in a dhaba. “The Jat agitation refreshed the horrific memory of 1984 anti-Sikh riots,” he said.People, meanwhile, lauded the efforts of Army and said the police had failed to take action against miscreants who destroyed properties built with hard-earned money of people.Subhash Chand of Kurad village gave shelter to a Faridabad family in his home. The government should take acted earlier to control the situation.

Sensitive areas of Hisar under curfew

The Army conducts a flag march in Hansi on Tuesday. tribune photo

Deepender Deswal

Tribune News Service

Hisar, February 23

Apprehending caste violence after the body of a youth was recovered today, the Army and the administration tightened the security measures in Hisar and Hansi towns and some villages of the district. Meanwhile, curfew was clamped for indefinite period in the sensitive areas of the district.The body of 24-year-old Mintu of Lalpura village near Hansi was recovered from the fields of Dhani Pal village. The post mortem revealed that he had been shot twice. The deceased’s family refused to take the body for cremation, alleging negligence of the police in the murder.The family alleged that Mintu had gone to meet his relatives in Dhani Pal village when a group from the Jat-dominated Sisay village attacked them yesterday. The attackers opened fire and also burnt some houses before the Army intervened and brought the situation under control. Mintu’s relative Krishan also suffered bullet injury and was admitted to hospital, but Mintu went missing and his body was recovered today.The Jat agitation had led to enmity between the Jats and people of other communities.Meanwhile, troops remained deployed in Hansi and Sisay, Sainipur and Dhani Pal villages. The situation also turned tense in some parts of Hisar town. The security was tightened and the police and the Army personnel warned the people against venturing out of their houses. The Army also carried out a flag march in the area.The police had registered eight FIRs against the attackers and identified some of them.Deputy Commissioner Chander Shekhar Khare announced the closure of educational institutions in the district till February 25.Senior Superintendent of Police Ashwin Shenvi said the situation was under control and no fresh incident of violence had occurred today.

NEW DELHI: India is likely to select by the year-end at least one fighter aircraft that will be manufactured by the private sector under the Make in India process for supply to the Indian Air Force, defence minister Manohar Parrikar said. He said there may be one or two more fighter plants, either operational or in the process of being set up, in the next three years or so.

Photo source: Thinkstock

New Delhi, March 18

In a move that will hit the common man, the government on Friday slashed interest rates payable on small savings, including PPF and Kisan Vikas Patra (KVP), in a bid to align them closer to market rates.

As a part of its February 16 decision to revise interest rates on small savings every quarter, the interest rate on Public Provident Fund (PPF) scheme will be cut to 8.1 per cent for the period April 1 to June 30, from 8.7 per cent, at present.

Similarly, the interest rate on KVP will be cut to 7.8 per cent from 8.7 per cent, according to a Finance Ministry order.

While the interest rate on post office savings has been retained at 4 per cent, the same for term deposits of one to five years has been cut.

The popular five-year National Savings Certificates will earn an interest rate of 8.1 per cent from April 1 as against 8.5 per cent, at present.

A five-year Monthly Income Account will fetch 7.8 per cent as opposed to 8.4 per cent now. Girl-child saving scheme, Sukanya Samriddhi Account will see interest rate of 8.6 per cent as against 9.2 per cent.

Senior citizen savings scheme of five-year would earn 8.6 per cent interest compared with 9.3 per cent.

“On the basis of the decisions of the government, interest rates for small savings schemes are to be notified on quarterly basis,” the order said announcing the rates for the first quarter of fiscal 2016-17.

Post Office term deposits of one, two and three years command an interest rate of 8.4 per cent but from April 1, a 1-year Time Deposit will get 7.1 per cent, 2-year Time Deposit will earn 7.2 per cent and 3-Year Time Deposit will attract interest of 7.4 per cent.

Five-year Time Deposit will fetch 7.9 per cent interest in the first quarter as against 8.5 per cent, while the same on five-year recurring deposit has been slashed to 7.4 per cent from 8.4 per cent.

The government had on February 16 announced moving small saving interest rates closer to market rates. On that day, rates on short-term post office deposits was cut by 0.25 per cent but long-term instruments such as MIS, PPF, senior citizen and girl child schemes were left untouched. – PTI