Haryana Diary: Mixed reaction to Charuni slapping incident

Kurukshetra: The recent unprecedented incident in which the Bhartiya Kisan Union (Charuni) chief Gurnam Singh Charuni slapped a district food and supplies controller in public has got a mixed response from farming community. While a section of farm leaders extended support to Charuni, saying officials forced the union leader to take the step, another section claimed that manhandling could not be justified. Meanwhile, officials of the procurement agency claimed that such incidents lowered the morale of officials and they had been demanding action against the farm leader.

Boosting morale of police force

Hisar: In the wake of sombre developments in the Haryana Police in the event of the suicides of two police personnel, the Director General of Police (DGP) OP Singh, who has been given the additional charge of the Haryana Police force, has reached out to the force through an unusual, though heartfelt gesture. He has written three open letters after taking charge on October 18 in an attempt to boost the morale of the police force. In the first letter, he quoted a couplet of Urdu poet Qateel Shifai, “Woh mera dost hai saare jahaan ko hai maaloom, Daga kare woh kisi se to sharm aaye mujhe.” In the second letter, he urged the cops to offer “chai pani”, newspaper-magazine and seat to the visitors to the police stations. Again, he appealed for empathy and restraint in law and order duties, urging the police personnel to shed the colonial mindset of using force.

Kenya tour with desi tinge

Yamunanagar: When state’s Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Shyam Singh Rana packed his bags for a week-long tour to Kenya, along with a 20-member delegation of officers and farmers, many wondered what would be on their plates in Africa. Turned out, it was a full Indian spread! On their return, the delegation was peppered with curious questions — not about agriculture policies or MoUs — but about food. “What did you eat there?” became the hot query back home, especially since most members of the group are staunch vegetarians. One officer, still smiling from the trip, said, “The Indian Embassy made sure we never missed home. From Indian dal and roti to paneer and tea, everything was perfectly desi. The only foreign thing was the location!” So while the visit was officially about strengthening agriculture ties between India and Kenya, it seems the delegation found another fruitful exchange — sharing stories over plates of Indian comfort food thousands of miles away from home.

All set for Oct 31 unity march

Karnal: The state BJP is gearing up for the celebration of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s birth anniversary with an aim to strengthening national unity. The celebrations will begin on October 31 with the “Run for Unity” and continue till December 31, featuring seminars, exhibitions and literature campaigns aimed at inspiring the youth with Patel’s ideals. Union Power Minister Manohar Lal Khattar held a meeting of the party workers in Karnal on Saturday. Padayatras of 8–10 km will be organised across villages and towns from October 25 to 27, encouraging large public participation, especially of young citizens. Registrations for these foot marches are being conducted through the My Bharat portal, which has already seen enthusiastic sign-ups.