Ashram Quiet for now Rohtaks Satlok Ashram,at the centre of a violent clash involving two religious groups and police intervention,is now sealed but the cause of the trouble is far from settled. Sant Rampal remains legally in possession of the ashram,which was what led to the agitation by Arya Samaj followers resulting in police firing that left three dead and scores injured. In a 2006 clash between Arya Samaj and Rampals followers,a youth had died,leading to Rampals arrest for murder. Released in 2008,Rampal won a Supreme Court order this year in a case over possession and returned to the ashram in Karontha village. In the agitation that followed,Arya Samaj followers demanded demolition of his ashram,alleging its head and his followers were repeatedly criticising their ideology. Three institutes in three days Three new institutes of learning and research are coming up,with functions on consecutive days. On Tuesday,Chief Minister B S Hooda inaugurated a Centre of Excellence for Fruits,an Indo-Israeli project,in Sirsa in presence of Israel ambassador Alon Ushpiz. On Wednesday,Union Commerce Minister Anand Sharma and Hooda will lay the foundation stone for a National Institute of Design in Kurukshetra. And on Thursday,the Prime Minister will lay the foundation for the Indian National Defence University,the countrys first,in Gurgaons Binola village. INDU will be fully autonomous and promote policy-oriented research on various aspects of national security. Courses will include postgraduate (MSc/M Tech),M Phil and PhD ones in defence studies,defence management and defence science and technology. Municipal elections elections to the municipal corporations in Ambala,Panchkula,Karnal,Panipat,Hisar,Rohtak,Yamuna Nagar,as well as the municipal committees of Farukh Nagar (Gurgaon) and Kalanaur (Rohtak),are scheduled on June 2. Not all candidates will get a party symbol. The Congress has refused to allocate its symbol to its candidates. So has the Haryana Janhit Congress,saying its constitution does not permit that for any election under assembly level. Two parties that will contest on their symbols are the BJP and the INLD whose chiefs Rajnath Singh and O P Chautala,incidentally,met in a hospital where the latter had been admitted. Chautala,jailed for alleged corruption,has since got bail. The meeting with Rajnath has led to speculation about a possible alliance in the assembly and Lok Sabha polls.
