M A I N   N E W S

New US visa fee
Tribune News Service

Under the new rates, non-immigrant visa application fee would be Rs 2,160 ($45), non-immigrant visa issuance fee Rs 3,600 ($75), immigrant visa application fee Rs 12,480 ($260), immigrant visa issuance fee Rs 3,120 ($65) and returning residents fee Rs 2,400 ($50). The new fees would be effective from August 1, 2001.

MLA booked for looting wine shop
Alleges cops in cahoots with satta king
Surinder Bhardwaj

Fatehgarh Sahib, July 31
The district police has registered a case against Mr Balwant Singh Shahpur, Shiromani Akali Dal MLA, and his men for allegedly looting a wine shop and grievously injuring a salesman there. The police has also lodged a separate report against the MLA at the Sirhind police station for allegedly kidnapping and beating certain residents of different villages.

According to information available, on the complaint of one Roshan Lal, an employee of a wine shop at Mirpur under the Mulepur police station the police has registered a case under Sections 307, 394, 148 and 149 of the IPC and Sections 25, 27 and 54 of the Arms Act. In his complaint the employee has alleged that at about 9.30 p.m. four to five persons along with a gunman in a Tata Sumo with a red light on top came to the wine shop. One of the persons was called Bagha by the other men. They demanded six cases of wine from him. As he refused to oblige them they beat him up mercilessly and injured him by hitting him on the forehead with a kirpan. They took away six cases of wine and looted Rs 4,000. Later, he raised the alarm and informed the police. The police has confirmed the incident.

Earlier in the day, the MLA allegedly picked up certain persons from different villages and beat them up mercilessly at his residence. He demanded money from them on monthly basis.

The police officials told The Tribune they had received complaints from family members of four persons, alleging that MLA along with his armed men kidnapped their family members and their whereabouts were not yet known. They said the police was verifying the allegations. They confirmed the complaints had alleged the MLA had demanded monthly payment from them as they were involved in satta business in connivance with the police.

It has been alleged in the complaint that at about 6.30 p.m. the MLA along with his men went to the shop of one Krishan Kumar at Bhamarsi bus stand and kidnapped him. They then went to Khojemajra village and forcibly picked up one Bahadur Khan. Then they went to the residence of one Ram Singh, a tailor, at Jakhwali village. They beat him up mercilessly and abducted him. After that they went to Dhatonda village and beat one Hemraj and threw him in his Sumo. The complainants alleged the whereabouts of these kidnapped were not known and they did not know why the MLA had kidnapped them. They demanded registration of a case of kidnapping and attempt to murder.

The sources said the abducted people were taken to the Bhadson police station falling in Patiala district and were handed over to them by the MLA. The sources further said as one of them was in a serious condition the police refused to take him. The seriously injured later came to the Civil Hospital, Fatehgarh Sahib, for treatment. After getting first aid he fled from the hospital. The police is searching for him.

As the SSP, the SP (H) and the SP (D) were not available for comments, the DSP, Fatehgarh Sahib, said the police had received complaints in this regard. A DDR had been written and after proper verification a case would be registered. He denied that these abducted men were involved in satta business in connivance with the police as alleged by the MLA.

When contacted the MLA denied all allegations that he had looted any wine shop. He said that just to hide their failures and escape the corruption charges levelled by him against the district police the policemen had cooked up a story to implicate him in a false case. He said hundreds of villagers from different villages had met him and had alleged that in almost all villages of his constituency the satta business in connivance with the police was going on. In the bargain poor people were being fleeced.

The MLA disclosed while going to Bhamarsi bus stand along with his men they caught a satta agent alongwith cash and papers. When they inquired from him about the other agents he escorted them to different villages. They caught a few men red-handed and handed them over to the Bhadson police. He said the agents told him they were employees of one Islamdeen, a Sirhind-based satta king. He had his office at the GT Road, Sirhind, and he had been given contract at Rs 10 lakh per month by the police operate satta in the district.

The MLA said he did not bother about the cases registered against him but would continue to wage a war against corruption. He said the SSP got annoyed as he handed over the agents to the Patiala police. He said the man who had lodged an FIR against him was not an employee of wine contractors. Rather, he was a employee of the satta king. He said he had also informed the DIG in this regard.