Sonepat village sarpanch guns down RTI applicant
Rohtak : The sarpanch of Pipli village in Sonepat district allegedly shot dead a 24-year-old man on Sunday night, reportedly over suspicion that he had sought details against him through an RTI application.
The deceased, identified as Ashish Dahiya, was killed when he along with his cousin were working out in a gym near his village.
This was the second attack by sarpanch Ram Nivas within last one month on persons he suspected to have filed the RTI application. Earlier on June 12, a 35-year-old man identified as Ramavtar Singh was shot at by the sarpanch, but he survived the attack and is currently undergoing treatment at PGIMS in Rohtak.
Dahiya’s cousin Akash said they both had been living in New Delhi’s Mukherjee Nagar to prepare for competitive exams after pursuing engineering. “Around two weeks ago, the sarpanch issued us a death threat on a phone call, following which we lodged a complaint with the Delhi Police,” Akash said, adding that their family members then asked them to return to the village.
“On Sunday evening, my brother and I had gone to a gym when sarpanch Ram Nivas along with his aides reached there and entered into an argument with us over the RTI application. He then opened fire at Ashish and managed to flee in a car with his associates,” Akash said.
The root of dispute
As per Akash, the dispute was over a property belonging to previously injured Ramavtar Singh. “Ramavtar had lodged a case against sarpanch after the latter illegally occupied some property owned by him. Another local youth Pradeep had also filed an RTI seeking the registration details of the property to help Ramavtar. We also lent our support to them, which did not go down well with the sarpanch,” Akash said, adding that Ram Nivas had then threatened to kill all the people who went against him.
The family has also alleged that they had approached the police seeking security cover for their sons after the death threat, but in vain. The family members have now expressed their worry stating that the sarpanch, if remained out of police net, could target Akash as well.
On contacting, Kharkhoda station house officer (SHO) Wazir Singh said they have registered a case of murder against the sarpanch, who continues to be at large.
However, when asked why did not they provide security to the cousin duo, he said the complaint of death threat was registered with the Delhi Police, not them.
Meanwhile, The concerned Delhi Police officials could not be contacted.
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AIITA welcomes Karnataka’s ban on obscene songs in school events
Bhatkal: The Karnataka unit of the All India Ideal Teachers Association (AIITA) has welcomed the Karnataka government’s decision to strictly ban school children from dancing to obscene songs during educational and cultural programmes in government, aided, and private schools across the state.
AIITA Karnataka State President M. R. Manvi congratulated the government for taking what he termed an important step to preserve the sanctity of education.
“Such decisions to safeguard the dignity of school children and uphold the values of education are the need of the hour. This rule should not be limited to government schools alone but must be strictly implemented in all private educational institutions as well,” he said.
He further urged the government to address other concerns within school programmes.
“The government should not only prohibit obscene dances in the name of school anniversaries, but also ensure that plays and dialogues that incite religious hatred are avoided. Schools should be centres of harmony, not platforms for spreading hatred,” he added.
According to a recent circular issued by the Department of School Education and Literacy, obscene dances are adversely affecting the mental health and moral values of students.
In this regard, schools have been advised to use songs that promote nationalism, positive thinking, the greatness of Kannada culture, and value-based traditions instead of inappropriate content during programmes.
The circular also emphasises that students should be dressed in decent attire.
AIITA also backed the department’s warning that disciplinary action would be taken against head teachers if such guidelines are violated. The association has further demanded that district Deputy Directors of Public Instruction strictly monitor the implementation of these rules.
