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‘Kidney donated voluntarily’
Chandigarh, January 28
Mr Suresh Kumar Sharma, an employee of the Telecommunications Department of Haryana police, who has been accused of having robbed a Ludhiana youth last year of his kidney at gunpoint, today stoutly refuted the charge and asserted that the kidney had been donated to him by the youth voluntarily.

• Kidney donors, recipients allege police harassment

CM alive to promise on Badal’s assets
Sangrur, January 28
Captain Amarinder Singh, Chief Minister, Punjab, has ruled out a judicial probe into the episode of Punjab bureaucrat Mukul Joshi and the wife of Punjab Chief Secretary Y.S. Ratra.

Terminated panchayat secys to ‘expose’ Punjab Govt
Una, January 28
Mr Gurjeewan Singh Brar, President and Mr Varinder Sharma, Legal Advisor of the Nav Niyukta Barkhast Panchayat Secretary Union (Punjab) addressing reporters in a rest house today said that the Punjab Government’s action to terminating the services of 909 panchayat secretaries had forced the union to expose the Congress rule in Punjab.

Badal kept mum on Ahluwalia’s ‘misconduct’?
Patiala, January 28
The Forum for Educational Action and Reform (FEAR) yesterday claimed that “unsavoury activities” of former Punjabi University Vice-Chancellor Jasbir Singh Ahluwalia, which were similar to the Panchkula episode, had been reported to the then Punjab Chief Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, by a Cabinet colleague in the presence of other ministers, including the then Finance Minister, Capt Kanwaljit Singh.

Badal to take up refinery issue
Chandigarh, January 28
SAD President Parkash Singh Badal today swung into action to save the Guru Gobind Singh Refinery at Bathinda. He spoke to leaders of the NDA and others who matter in Delhi to garner their support to salvage the prestigious project for Punjab.

Consolidation Dept closed down
Chandigarh, January 28
The Consolidation Department, which actually laid the foundation of the Green Revolution in Punjab, has ceased to exist from this month. The decision to wind up the department has been approved by the Council of Ministers, according to authoritative sources. It had been functioning since 1948.

CBI probes 4 -year-old murder case
Amritsar, January 28
A two-member CBI team is investigating the murder of Naresh Mahajan, Manager of the Oriental Bank of Commerce, committed more than fours years ago here. The murder hit the headlines for allegedly being a case of ‘parallel banking’ with the involvement of some top persons.

President’s Police Medal for eight
Chandigarh, January 28
Eight officers of the Punjab police have been awarded the President’s Police Medal for meritorious or distinguished service on the occasion of Republic Day.

Giani Kewal Singh granted bail
Bathinda, January 28
Giani Kewal Singh, former Jathedar of Takht Damdama Sahib, was today granted bail in the dowry death case by Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM), Surinder Mohan after the recording of the statement of Mr Amarjit Singh complainant in this case and a brother of the victim was completed.

Giani Kewal Singh comes out of district courts at Bathinda on Tuesday.
— Tribune photo Kulbir Beera

RSS Shaurya Samaroh today
Amritsar, January 28
Attempts at re-writing of the history of the holocaust of 1947, ‘Partition days — the fiery saga of RSS’, has already raised controversy. It has brought many new facets of the ‘heroic, inspiring and self-sacrificing’ role played by Sangh Swayamsevaks for protecting the Golden Temple twice from the ‘Muslim Jehadis’ just before Partition of the country to the fore, for the first time.

• Raksha Dal too flays RSS on function

• RSS pursuing ‘Hindu rashtra’ agenda: Dang

Ex-Registrar’s plea against Boparai
Patiala, January 28
In an unprecedented step, former Punjabi University Registrar Karamjit Singh Sidhu has in an appeal to the University Chancellor and Punjab Governor, Lieut-Gen J.F.R Jacob (retd), claimed that he had been removed from his office by the Vice-Chancellor, Mr S.S. Boparai, in violation of the university’s statutes in favour of a close relative.

COMMUNITY

Home Guard volunteers not paid salaries
Ferozepore, January 28
More than 1,200 volunteers belonging to the Punjab Home Guards and Civil Defence, who have been deployed at various strategic locations for the protection of important installations and survelliance of mine fields, are braving the inclement weather in the absence of proper writer gear provided by the department.

Rickshaws with canopies up ply in the first mild rain of this winter at Bathinda on Tuesday. — Tribune photo Kulbir Beera

Permission not required for 10 kva generators
Jalandhar, January 28
The PSEB today announced that consumers using generators up to 10 kva were exempted from seeking mandatory permission from the board.

‘Commute’ Bhullar’s death sentence
Kothe Surjeet Pura (Bathinda), January 28
A series of prayers have been started in this village and surrounding villages of the district to convert the death sentence awarded to Devinder Pal Singh Bhullar by the Delhi High Court and confirmed by the Supreme Court in the 1993 Delhi bomb blast case to life imprisonment.

Villagers get back de-mined fields
Burj (Ajnala), January 28
The Army authorities which had undertaken the arduous task of de-mining operation in the Ajnala sector handed over large chunks of cultivable fields to the owners in the border village of Burj today.

Colonel accuses IT lawyer of fraud
Patiala, January 28
A former Army officer has claimed that an Income Tax lawyer, whom he had befriended, had in connivance with officials of HDFC, Leela Bhavan branch, defrauded him of lakhs of rupees. The police has registered a criminal case against the Income Tax lawyer and HDFC officials in this regard.

Undertrial flees, 2 cops suspended
Amritsar, January 28
Even as an undertrial Ravinder Singh, who was being taken to the PGI, Chandigarh, for eye treatment under police guard, fled near the bus stand here, the two policemen accompanying him have been placed under suspension for showing complacency.

IMA demand on ayurvedic docs flayed
Hoshiarpur, January 28
Dr Naresh Saggar, general secretary of the All-India Integrated Medical Association, Punjab, has criticised the state unit of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) for its demand to bar ayurvedic doctors from practising modern medicine by implementing a decision of the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

PSEB employees block traffic
Patiala, January 28
Thousand of employees of the Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) today staged a dharna in front of its headquarters in protest against the proposed privatisation move. The dharna caused widespread traffic jams in the city because the Mall Road remained cut off for hours together.

Dalits protest police inaction
Jalandhar, January 28
Hundreds of Dalits of Talhan village and adjoining areas yesterday staged a dharna outside the office of the Deputy Commissioner here in protest against the failure of the police to take action against those involved in showing disrespect to Guru Ravidass during elections to the management committee of Gurdwara Shaheedan about 10 days ago.

Transfer sought

Farmers to get drought relief
Hoshiarpur, January 28
The Punjab Government will pay compensation of Rs 20 per quintal to the farmers who sold their paddy from October 1 to November 30, 2002, in markets of the district.

CRIME

Pirated CDs seized, 3 held
Ropar, January 28
In raids conducted at various cassette shops across the district, the police has arrested Subhash Chanderpal, Mohinder Chand and Lavdeep Arora and booked Kamal Jain, Harish Kumar and Manoj Kumar on the charges of selling pirated CDs.

EDUCATION

PCCTU to intensify stir
Phagwara, January 28
The Punjab and Chandigarh College Teachers Union has decided to intensify stir PCCTU general secretary V.K. Tewari stated this here today.