Ranbir fake encounter:11 Dehradun cops surrender, sent to jail

Dehradun - Eleven of the 18 Uttarakhand Police personnel, accused in the 2009 fake encounter case of MBA student Ranbir Singh in Dehradun, on Tuesday surrendered before a Delhi court which sent them to jail.
The accused policemen surrendered before Special CBI Judge V K Maheshwari in pursuance of the non-bailable warrants issued against them in May this year.
“They be taken in custody and sent to judicial custody,” the court said.
The accused cops who surrendered today include the then constables Satbir Singh, Sunil Saini, Chander Pal, Saurabh Nautiyal, Nagendra Nath, Vikas Chandra Baluni, Sanjay Rawat, Mohan Singh Rana, Inder Bhan Singh and Manoj Kumar and Head operator at city control room Jaspal Singh Gosain.
The constables are among the 18 policemen chargesheeted by the CBI in connection with Ranbir Singh encounter case that rocked the hill state in July 2009.
The other accused in the case are presently lodged in Tihar Jail. They include then inspector Santosh Jaiswal, sub-inspectors Gopal Dutt Bhatt, Rajesh Bisht, Neeraj Kumar, Nitin Chauhan and Chandra Mohan and constable Ajeet Singh.
They were arrested in wake of evidence that 22-year-old Singh, an MBA student from Ghaziabad, was allegedly gunned down by Uttarakhand Police after being caught at Mohini Road where he and his companions were allegedly trying to commit some crime on July 3, 2009.
The court fixed July 4, the next date of hearing and also allowed the plea of these 11 accused that they be kept together in jail as they are police personnel and apprehend fear from other inmates.
The case was transferred to Delhi by the Supreme Court on the plea of Ranbir's father Ravindra Singh.
The court had issued NBWs against them to ensure their presence before it.
Ranbir's father had alleged that his son had gone to Dehradun in search of a job where he was arrested by the police on July 3, 2009 on pretext of being involved in some robbery.
He had alleged that on the same day, 29 bullets were pumped into his body and the incident was passed off as an encounter.
All the 18 policemen have been charged for various offences such as murder, kidnapping, criminal conspiracy, destruction of evidence and public servant framing incorrect record.

Ranvir Sena chief Brahmeshwar Singh shot dead, high alert in Bihar

A file photo of former Ranvir Sena chief Brahmeshwar Singh
 Mukhiya who was killed in Arrah, Bihar

Arraha (Bihar), June 1, 2012 - Brahmeshwar Singh, the chief of Bihar's outlawed private militia of landlords Ranvir Sena, was shot dead on Friday by six unidentified gunmen who pumped several bullets into him while he was taking an early morning walk.

Violence broke out in the district headquarter town of Ara in Bhojpur district after the killing of Singh alias 'Mukhiya ji', in his early 70s, and a high alert was sounded in Bihar.

Curfew was clamped in Ara but it was lifted in the afternoon after a high-level review of the situation by senior state officials. The situation in the district was described as tense but under control.

Director-General of Police Abhayanand, who is camping at the spot, was heckled by local people who charged him with failure to provide security to Singh.

Singh, the founder of the Sena, was taking a stroll when six unidentified gunmen armed with sophisticated weapons pumped several bullets into him, killing him on the spot at Katira Mohalla under Nawada police station, 71 kms from Patna, police said.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar appealed for calm and said investigations were underway to trace the killers.

Singh, who faced life imprisonment in several cases of carnage he had perpetrated on the lower caste landless poor, including in Laxmanpur Bathe where 61 Dalits were massacred in December, 1996, was acquitted and released from jail in April this year.

As the news of the killing spread, hundreds of Sena supporters gathered at the site of the killing and shouted anti-government slogans.

The Sena men also tried to chase policemen, including the superintendent of police, who had arrived at the spot and later clashed with policemen and burnt five private and government vehicles, sources said.

Hundreds of people took out processions in the district. The private bus operators suspended bus services from Patna causing immense hardships to passengers in the area.

Prohibitory orders under section 144 CrPC would remain in force, sub-divisional police officer Dharmesh Kumar said, adding the situation is tense but under control.

The main opposition parties RJD, Congress and LJP demanded a CBI probe into the killing of Singh.

26 Badrinath pilgrims die as bus falls into gorge in Uttarakhand

At least 26 persons including 21 died on the spot and more than 16 were injured when a bus ferrying pilgrims from Char Dham Yatra plunged into a deep gorge about 2 km from Byasi in Tehri district here.

Officials said that there were a total of 43 persons on-board the ill-fated bus and that the death toll may increase. Of the six seriously injured, four were admitted to Jolly Grant hospital and two were referred to Dehradun; those referred to Dehradun succumbed to their injuries in the hospital. The condition of the four, who have been admitted to Jolly Grant, is very critical and they may succumb to their injuries so death toll may increase late night.

The rescue and relief operations at the site are on and the police have so far saved 18 persons. A total of 21 bodies were fished out of the Ganga and cops are waiting for their post-mortem reports to ascertain the actual cause of death. All pilgrims including two children were from Mandsaur, Madhya Pradesh. They were en route to Rishikesh after completing 10-day long Char Dham Yatra on Tuesday.

The mishap took place on Tuesday afternoon, around 12:55 pm. The bus, which was returning from the 10-day pilgrimage of Char Dham shrines in the Garhwal region, fell into a gorge more than 50 metres deep at Kaudiyala near Byasi. According to police, the driver of the ill-fated bus lost control of the vehicle while overtaking a truck causing the bus to fall off the road. The 43 passengers included 20 female, 21 male pilgrims and 4 bus staff. The local police were informed about the incident and reached the site along with senior officials of the Tehri District Administration.

Sushil Gairola, bus driver working for Tehri Garhwal Motor Owners Union (TGMOU), sustained minor injuries in the accident and is presently in police custody. During questioning Gairola told police that the mishap took place when a loaded truck hit the ill-fated bus from the rear. “We are, however, yet to verify this as we have not found any traces of a truck in the place. A magisterial inquiry will be ordered in the case soon,” Tehri DM Dr RK Sinha disclosed while talking to The Pioneer over phone.

The seriousness of the accident can be gauged by the fact that the DM further said that he had never seen nor heard of such an accident in Uttarakhand since he joined in 2005.

Meanwhile rescue and relief operations involving local residents, administration and water police are on. While a total of 24 bodies have been recovered from the site so far, the toll is expected to increase.

The police who are investigating the case said that a complaint of accidental death has been registered in connection with the case. “Our first priority is to save the accident victims. Though the toll is expected to rise, we are also hopeful some more persons would have evaded the mishap with injuries,” a senior cop said.

Sikh Seva Foundation’s 1st Annual Food Drive Donates 10,000 Food Items

SURREY – A food drive organised by Sikh Seva Foundation with the support of local Sikh Community and Sikh Organisations for the Month of April donated over 10,000 food items weighing 8126 Pounds to BC Food Banks on Monday May 7.

“We would like to extend a heartfelt thanks to the community for their generous donations, the response was overwhelming. The community united to donate over 8100 pounds of food. We wantto thank everyone for taking part in 1st Annual Seva Community Food Drive, organized by the Sikh Seva Foundation in association with Food Banks BC. Your selfless service to the community is appreciated,” the organization said in a press release.

The month long food drive was held in April and food items were dropped off at Sikh Gurdwaras and schools in the Lower Mainland.

“We feel so honoured to see the community taking part in such a fundamental project. Food is energy, food is love and food gives hope to those who face challenges in providing nourishment to their families, seniors and others who cannot afford the basics. It is great to see the community stepping up their efforts this year to meet these challenges, to help others and to show how much they care about one another,” said one organizer.

“I feel this is so important. Every day I see people in need and I want to help. This is something I can do,” explains a youth volunteer. “Collecting food for others is just my small way of supporting the community. Everyone should help if they are able to. Whatever you donate, will be helpful.”

The Sikh Seva Foundation is a community driven initiative focusing on volunteering today to help give hope for tomorrow. Their goal is not to have any one person lead or direct; it is to have the entire community work to improve conditions for everyone. The purpose of Sikh Seva Foundation is to be a volunteer bank resource for a wide range of charities throughout the Lower Mainland.

The Foundation’s activities are inspired by the principles of Sikhism, including:

• Equality and fraternity of all human beings

• Selfless service to others, especially any one who is impoverished, disadvantaged or vulnerable

• Diligent and honest work

• Sharing with the community the fruits of one’s labour

• Increasing understanding and acceptance among all human beings

For more information email at info@sikhsevafoundation.com or visit their website www.sikhsevafoundation.com

Businessman killed after being hit by private plane

Meerut: A Delhi-based businessman was on Saturday killed when a two-seater micro-light private plane met with an accident at the Partapur airstrip, though the pilot and his colleague escaped unhurt.

The incident occurred around 10 AM when the businessman Yogesh Garg was clicking pictures of the private plane on the airstrip while it was taking off and was hit by one of its wings, police said.

Yogesh, who ran a consultancy company at New Delhi, died on the spot, they said.

Anil Thapa, spokesman of Pankh Aviation, which runs the flying club, said the wing and a wheel of the plane was damaged in the incident, but its pilot Anil Gupta and his colleague Purvi escape unhurt.

He claimed that the accident took place as Yogesh came on the airstrip to take pictures of the micro-light aircraft while it was taking off from the runway.

Police said that the matter was being investigated and they were trying to find out who allowed Yogesh to come on the runway and take pictures.

Additional District Magistrate Neeraj Shukla, who reached the spot, said that preliminary inquiry has revealed that Pankh Aviation was not allowed to use the airstrip.

However, the company claimed that it was giving flying training from the last three-four months. The ADM said that records of last three-four months were

being checked.

Anand Marriage Bill introduced in Rajya Sabha

New Delhi, May 7
The government today brought before Parliament a Bill to amend the 103-year-old statute that hitherto allowed solemnisation of Sikh marriages but not their legal validation.
The Anand Marriage Amendment Bill:2012, introduced in the Rajya Sabha today by Law Minister Salman Khurshid, amends the Anand Marriage Act, 1909, by inserting a new Section enabling registration of marriages performed as per the Sikh rituals (Anand Karaj).
The amendment Bill defines the Sikh marriage ceremony as “Anand Karaj” instead of “Anand” as in the old law. Once passed by both Houses of Parliament, it will give the Sikhs the liberty to register their marriages separately and will exempt them from registering these under the Registration of Births, Marriages and Deaths Act, 1969 (which the government plans to amend to provide for religion neutral registration of marriages across India).
The Sikhs would continue to have the option of registering their marriages under the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955, as before. It was registration under this Act that had been causing confusion about their religious identity abroad with their marriage certificates describing them as Hindus.
Importantly, the amendment Bill doesn’t provide for divorce among Sikh couples. For a divorce, they would have to use the Hindu Marriage Act.
Senior Supreme Court lawyer HS Phoolka, commenting on the matter, said: “Because the amendment Bill serves a limited purpose of giving Sikh religion a separate identity by allowing marriage registration under a pre-existing law, it is not a complete marriage law.
“Any religion to be recognised must have its separate ceremony of births, deaths and marriages. Sikhs didn’t have a separate marriage law so far and they wanted the Anand Marriage Act amended for the purpose. For divorce, Sikhs can use the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955.”
The amendment Bill clearly states that “parties whose marriage has been registered under this Act won’t be required to get marriage registered under the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969, after the enactment of the proposed amendments in this Bill.” “Today we have won the battle for a separate identity as a religion,” said former MP Tarlochan Singh who led the movement for the Bill. “The SGPC is also against any divorce provision under the Anand Marriage Amendment Bill,” he said. The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Law had approved these amendments in 2007 when Veerappa Moily was Law Minister. “The Bill need not go again to the standing committee and can be simply taken up and passed,” Tarlochan Singh added.

No provision of divorce in the new BillFor seeking divorce, Sikhs would have to use the Hindu Marriage Act. The Union Cabinet had approved amendment to the Anand Marriage Act, 1909, on April 12 this year.

Renowned Environmentalist Sunderlal Bahuguna unveils two books

Dehradun, May 6
Keeping up with the tradition of coming up with a book every year, author Chamanlal Pradyot did not disappoint his fans as environmentalist Sunderlal Bahuguna today released two books titled ‘Atam Bodh’ and ‘Uttarakhand Key Shilapkar’ penned by him.
The book Atam Bodh, written in a diary form, is the 12th book penned by Pradyot, who had been an Additional DGP. “The book would prove handy for readers who are constantly looking for introspection and take an insight into their behaviour. I have tried to share my innermost thoughts with the readers through the book,” said the author.
The other book, Uttarakhand Key Shilpkar, sheds light on the life of craftsmen of Uttarakhand. An article by Captain Shoorveer Singh Panwar also tries to sketch the profile of different craftsmen and their contribution to the Uttarakhand society.