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| Wednesday,
May 28,
2003, Chandigarh, India
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Garcha aide’s licences cancelled Ludhiana, May 27 Most of the shops were located in Pindi Street in Chaura Bazar. Tension gripped the market as soon as the team arrived to seal the shops. Agitated shopkeepers tried to resist the move but failed. They then closed the market in protest and staged a dharna first in the market and then at Ghanta Ghar Chowk. They raised slogans against the Congress government and threatened to launch an agitation if the licences were not restored. Gurmail Singh was booked by the Vigilance Bureau recently under same charges. However, the case was cancelled as a Kharar court held that the Vigilance Bureau had no jurisdiction to take action against a non-government person. The shops whose licences were cancelled were Jee Health, Gurmail Singh and Bros., Gurmail Medical Centre and Gurmail Drugs. The licences of GM Remedies Private Limited and Mann Singh and Bhagwan Singh shops were suspended. A warning was also given to Gurmail Medical Hall. A senior official of the State Health Department in Chandigarh told TNS that the Vigilance Department had submitted a report to the Health Department about irregularities found in the shops during the raids on several shops in Pindi Street early this month. The official said the Vigilance Department might not have the jurisdiction but the Health Department could certainly take action on the irregularities. Gurmail Singh’s proximity to the Garcha family in the city and also to SAD President Parkash Singh Badal is well known. The move coincides with action taken against some members of the Garcha family. |
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Woman, paramour get life term for murder Ludhiana, May 27 In a tragic end to a hair-raising tale of
infidelity, which resulted in a cold-blooded murder of two innocent children, the killer-mother, her paramour and co-conspirator are now cooling their heels in Central Jail, Ludhiana. These convicts are Karamjit Kaur (wife of an Army men), Shamsher Singh (paramour) and Tarsem Singh, all hailing from Mullanpur
Dakha. They were facing charges of murdering Gurpreet Kaur (8) and Sukhpreet Singh (6) by strangulation in Mour
Karima, village in April, 2001. Delivering the verdict, Mr A.S.
Kathuria, Judge, held that the prosecution had successfully brought home the guilt of the accused. Keeping in view the gravity of offence, the Judge declined the plea of the leniency, raised by the accused. Initially, the accused tried to befool the public and police by cooking up a fake accident story. The prime accused was found in an unconscious state, while her children were lying dead besides her on roadside of the village. Kapoor Singh, uncle of the husband of the prime accused, received an unidentified phone call regarding the faked accident. He immediately rushed to the spot and took the woman to hospital, as she was unconscious, but the children had already expired. It was shown that the woman and children were hit by a passing truck. But the postmortem report of the children was narrating another tale. The postmortem report suggested that the reason for death was ‘’asphyxia’’. Ultimately the police solved the mystery. According to prosecution, the woman’s husband was serving the in Indian Army. In his absence, the woman developed illicit relations with accused, Shamsher Singh. The relations grew up and when people began to talk about them, the woman told her paramour to marry her. The paramour agreed but on the condition that the woman should eliminate her two children. The deal was struck and the murders took place. The woman was so ruthless that when her first attempt to murder the children failed, she strangulated her 8-year-old daughter by her own “dupatta”, and her 6-year-old son was strangulated by her paramour, according to the prosecution. They were booked by the police of the Dakha police station on April 8, 2001, under Sections 302 and 34 of IPC. |
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Another
mentally challenged awaits help Ghwaddi (Ludhiana), May 27 One such case was witnessed by Ludhiana Tribune team in Ghwaddi village today, where a mentally disturbed 32-year-old-youth is spending his days in the confines of a room and the members of his family, unable to get him treated, are waiting for a miracle to change their lives. “We had heard recently that the administration is coming for the help of mentally challenged persons and we were filled with hope that something would be done for our Avtar Singh also. But nobody has come to us till date. Earlier, we had tied him with chains as he was very violent. Of late, we have freed him as he now he is too depressed to do anything,” says Mr Bhag Singh, 65-years-old father of Avtar Singh, who developed schizophrenia about 10 years ago. For Avtar Singh, the only son of his parents, life is virtually in the four walls of a room which is shared by a dog. Fodder for cattle is also stored in the same room. Stinking like an animal, the youth has unshaved beard and uncut nails. The room serves as his toilet also which, it seems, has not been cleaned for days together. Sitting on a cot, Avtar Singh does not talk to any visitor. He kisses and hugs the dog in his room and talks to it only. His mother, Gian Kaur, says he can turn violent, push and hit visitors. So they keep his room locked from outside. “The other day he started touching power cables in the village. Fortunately, there was a power cut that day. Our neighbour saw him and pulled him from there. We cannot leave him unattended,” says Bhag Kaur, who is the bread winner of the family. Avtar Singh was married 13 years ago. A son was born to him after a year. After the birth of his son, he started behaving madly. He would either sit silently for hours or turn violent. He was taken to a private hospital where the family spent thousands on his treatment, but they had to discontinue his treatment as there was no money left with them. His wife struggled with the family for six years. Seeing his deteriorating condition, she left him. “We did not stop her. How could she stay with a mad man? She was young, so we told her to remarry. But she has not remarried and stays with her parents in Sirhind. His 12- year-old son stays with us. We are educating him. We hope he will look after his father after we die,” says Gian Kaur, who works as a domestic servant to earn bread and butter for the family. Avtar’s father stays back at home to look after him as he can turn violent anytime. “I took him to Government Hospital, Amritsar, but he was discharged from there very soon. There is already a big rush of such patients. They keep on discharging them,” says Bhag Singh. The family is hoping to get some help for the treatment of Avtar. “We keep praying to God for a permanent solution to our problem. We don’t know from where the help will come, but hope never dies. May be our son will be alright again, be a part of our lives, capable of sharing our happiness and sorrows. This will be a blessing for us in the twilight of our lives,” he says. |
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BVM students, teachers hold protest Ludhiana, May 27 The students and teachers alleged that the director was being mentally harassed for the past two years, forcing him to resign. They said that he was being ignored at the time of taking all important policy decisions, including the re-structuring
While the Director had submitted his resignation on May 23, the news regarding its acceptance by the trust spread this morning. Hearing the news not only students and teachers a number of parents reached the school to protest against the decision of the trustees. The students and teachers first stayed a dharna while the trustees held a meeting for over one hour. Addressing the trustees over a mike, the students sitting outside asked them to withdraw their decision and re-instate the Director. They shouted slogans in his favour and spoke against the “commercial attitude” of the trustees. They repeatedly asked them to come out of their office and listen to their request. The trustees told the students to gather in a school hall where they would be addressed. In the hall, the students were told that Mr Setia’s resignation had been accepted when he himself expressed his inability to continue in the office as he had attained the age of 60. At this the students turned berserk, smashing windowpanes and throw away chairs. They said that they knew that Mr Setia did not give this plea in his resignation letter and instead mentioned about the high-handedness of the trustees in creating a non-conducive atmosphere for him to work. Lauding his efforts in the uplift of the standards of the school, the teachers said Mr Setia had been serving the school for the past 29 years. They said he joined the school as Vice Principal in 1974 and was soon promoted Principal. He retired from the post in year 1999 and was then appointed Director. They said at that time the school did not have its own building and it was being run in tents. They said that Mr Setia had a major role in helping the trustees in raising the standard of the school and improving upon its infrastructure. The trustees, however, remained adamant and did not succumb to the pressure of the teachers, students and parents. Mr Mitra Sen, president of the trust, said that at a meeting held yesterday, it was decided that Mr Setia’s services were no longer felt and that his resignation be accepted. He also said that the trustees unanimously took a decision to abolish the post of Director with immediate effect. Mr Ashok Setia, however, refused to comment. |
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AFTER nearly a year of love-hate relationship between the local administration, politicians and media, there is hope of cordial relations being restored between the three with a new incumbent in Mr. Anurag Verma taking over as Deputy Commissioner of the city. Expectations from Mr. Verma, especially in terms of his accessibility, are high and people are really hoping that other than his first name, Mr. Verma has nothing much in common with his predecessor. Rare moment Ludhiana has always played host to important dignitaries. But it was a rare occasion for the city when two Governors were in the city on the same day for the same function. The occasion was the wedding reception of the nephew of Uttaranchal Governor, Mr. Sudarshan Aggarwal. Punjab Governor O.P Verma made it a point to be here with the family of Mr. Aggarwal. Incidentally, this was the first visit of the Punjab Governor to Ludhiana for a happy occasion and the second as Governor. He had visited the train fire victims in hospital last week.
VIP menace Overzealous politicians who rush to be seen at every place in news do not realise that they could actually be working against the interest of those whom they are visiting. Several important dignitaries visited victims of the Golden Temple Express at Christian Medical College last week. Some VIPs and those accompanying them paid little heed to the sanitation of the burnt units and walked in with shoes on. Consequently two patients with severe burn injuries at CMC have developed secondary infection making the task more ardent.
Helmets How will you react if you are passing through a traffic chowk with traffic cops posted there and your helmet falls right in front of them? A similar situation was witnessed in the traffic chowk at Fountain chowk here recently. Two girls, riding a scooter with the pillion rider without a head gear had to face the embarrassment when the cop signalled them to stop. When the driver at once put breaks of the scooter, her helmet fell on the road as she had not clipped it. Even the traffic cop started laughing at the scene and the girls could not do anything but grin. The cop warned them against the same in future and let them go.
Skimmed milk While the entire world is becoming health conscious switching over to health food, Ludhianvis do not seem to care for their health. The allegation can be gauged from the fact that the outlets selling milk in the city do not have skimmed milk but with all the other levels of fat. Ask for skimmed milk and the vendors will tell you, it is not sold in Ludhiana. ‘‘People call it kachi lassi. They do not buy this milk stating that it is useless to drink it,’’ said a vendor.
DC’s fan The first interaction of the new Deputy Commissioner with the local media had become a sweaty affair. When the mediapersons reached the committee room of the DC, where the interaction took place, there was a sudden power cut. All the fans and tubelights were switched off except the ones on the DC’s chair. When a mediaperson pointed out about it, an official came out with a reply, ‘‘It is DC’s fan. So it is working.’’
PTA meeting Parent-Teacher Association meetings might be a serious issue for the parents who take a stock of the activities of their wards in the school. But for the teachers they sometimes become an affair of amusement especially when the parents behave in an absurd manner. Recently, during a PTA meeting, a couple picked up a fight with each other when they were told by the teacher that their child was not performing well in the class tests. ‘‘I had always been telling you to look after the kids. Why did I marry you if you were not capable of educating the children?’’ the husband started accusing his wife. The situation became so tense that the couple even started talking of divorce. The teachers had to intervene to pour cold water on the situation.
Milk shakes For the people out in summer heat, cold drinks seem to be life savers. For this reason, a lot of people have posted themselves in strategic places offering milk shakes. The milk shakes can be ‘mango milk shake’ or ‘papaya milk shake’. They of course give sustenance but not if the fruit is cut and kept out. Then milk might be adulterated. The worst is the ice made in dubious manner at small ice- factories using unfiltered water and under unhygienic condition. Milk shakes with the combination of all the explosive ingredients can cause a host of stomach ailments ranging from gastritis, cholera and dysentry. At times dehydration caused due to these diseases can prove fatal. The Administration and Health Authorities must supervise and see the cleanliness and remove those sellers that are of potential danger to the public.
Punjabi boys perform feats Gurmukh Singh Kataria,a Punjabi young man is the president of South Indian Club. The South Indian community has been living in Kila
mohalla, near Daresi Ground, Ludhiana for the last three decades. A lot of bon- Homie has developed between the two communities. The South Indians not very educated asked Gurmukh Singh to become their leader. On Thursday South Indians took out a procession in honour of their goddess
Mariamma. Out of these, 25 Punjabi boys also participated in the ritual of walking on embers and piercing their cheeks. Gurmukh said that the Punjabi boys ,too, have great faith in Goddess Mariamma and follow the customs of South Indians. They fast for some days and sleep on the floor. Their deep faith helps them to perform arduous feats.
Power wastage So many colonies of the city are plunged in darkness due to power shortage. The heat is overbearing and people suffer in the
heat.The rising mercury does not help the matters. Yet daily Sentinel sees street lights on Pakhowal switched on from 6pm daily when daylight is bright. The stretch from Civil Rest House on Pakhowal to the Railway Crossing, the street lights are on. There is no need for them to be on. Sheer negligence seems to be the only cause for wasting power which is in short supply. Similarly the lights on the road leading to Magnet Resort when one turns from Ferozepore Road are on in the morning from 9am onwards. Will PSEB do something about sheer wastage of power?
Good work by PFA The cruelty of people to animals knows no bounds. A majestic looking black stray dog was hit by someone. The stone hit his leg and it broke as apparently he limped badly for a few days. Soon due to gangrene, it was noticed that his entire leg fell off. The poor hapless animal could hardly move . The gaping wound invited maggots and soon a foul smell emitted from him. A few kind souls fed him and gave him food. He ,on his part, bore the pain stoically without a whimper. Finally Dr Sandeep Jain of PFA was contacted on Saturday. On Sunday morning the ambulance of PFA picked the dog and took him to the hospital for treatment much to the relief of people. Sentinel |
Encroachments thrive under political patronage Ludhiana, may 27 A deputation of the affected residents of E Block of the colony met the Administrator of LIT to narrate the miserable conditions of the colony, in which they are forced to live. The most unfortunate part, according to functionaries of Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar Residents Welfare Association, was that no steps were being taken by the LIT administration to alleviate their suffering. Focussing on the pathetic plight of the residents, Mr Hardev Singh Narangwal, president of the association stated that in E Block of the colony, a cluster of jhuggis around the super deluxe flats, had been a perennial problem. “The unlawful occupants have set up dairy farms and piggeries and are responsible for making a mess of the public health and sanitation level. Unmindful of the inconvenience being caused to other bona fide residents of the colony, these settlers tie up the cattle on road side or leave them to graze in parks. A number of pigs scatters the garbage and domestic waste material all over the places and at times these also bite the children.” As if this is not enough, the jhuggi dwellers resort to ‘kundi connections’ to steal power and thereby put undue load on the transmission system for which ultimately the legitimate consumers are made to suffer. Another resident said children of jhuggi dwellers are known to have committed some thefts also in nearby houses and when their movements are questioned and objected to, they misbehave and abuse the residents. Mr Arvind Sharma, a resident and an office-bearer of the welfare association said the pathetic level of insanitation in the colony and the indifference of LIT authorities towards the woeful condition of the residents had given rise to congress grass all over besides massive breeding of mosquitoes and flies in the area, exposing people to serious health hazards. The ‘much-to-be-desired’ unhygienic conditions in the colony can result in outbreak of many infectious diseases.” He alleged that open patronage of certain political functionaries of the ruling party appeared to be the biggest obstacle in the way of removal of encroachments. The area residents further rued that conditions of almost all parks in the locality have to be seen to be believed. While the LIT authorities have failed to maintain the parks and green belts, most of these places are either being used as toilets by the jhuggi dwellers or have been turned into garbage dumps, being frequented by stray animals. The residents, while making a fervent plea with the LIT authorities for early remedial steps, threatened to launch an agitation and adopt other democratic means to seek justice and better amenities. |
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Razed shoe stands coming up again Ludhaina, May 27 On a visit to a temple, this correspondent found a mason giving finishing touches to a block of shoe stands at the farthest end towards the Jagraon bridge. The worker could however not elaborate on the organisation or club that had employed him for the job. The temple management authorities, on being contacted, said they were not reconstructing the demolished shoe stands. On being asked whether they had any idea as to who was constructing the stands, one of the officials present retorted by saying that they were not supposed to know things going on outside of the temple premises. “We have our own shoe stands on the temple premises”, he said, pointing at the one to the left of the temple entrance. We have nothing to do with the construction currently under way along the GCW boundary wall, he maintained. It may be mentioned here that the shoe stands and a flower shop that lined the boundary wall of the college were removed as these were hampering the flow of traffic, causing frequent accidents. The Municipal Corporation headed by the then Commissioner, Dr
S.S.Sandhu, and the district administration, headed by the then Deputy Commissioner, Mr Arun Goyal, had jointly removed all encroachments along the boundary wall of the college. When contacted, the Assistant Town Planner, Zone A of the Municipal Corporation, said the matter was being looked into and encroachment or unauthorised construction, if any, would be cleared. |
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Dialogue
with Pak ‘won’t be fruitful’ Ludhiana, May 27 He said they were committed not only to fighting against increasing incidents of terrorism in the country but to counter social evils like female foeticide, dowry and corruption in the country. The need of the hour was that the youth of the country should come forward and shape the destiny of the nation. Talking to TNS, Mr Balwinder Singh Kaka, said all district chiefs in the state had been appointed and an exercise was afoot to declare the office-bearers of the units at the block and village level. “We aim to establish a vibrant organisation which is tuned to the problems of the people. We will only appoint those people who have the time to work for the organisation,” he added. He said once the units were in place, they would focus on those women who were being harassed by their in-laws for dowry and support those who had lost their daughters to greedy dowry seekers. On the forthcoming activities, he said the front would organise a padyatra - carrying the photographs and portraits of martyrs — from Jallianwala Bagh to India Gate to create more awareness about national heroes. |
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Digging
their own graves for meagre earnings Dhadhera (Malerkotla), May 27 This village of 170 Ranghar Muslim families is engaged in well digging for the past half a century and has perfected the art of digging small wells across the countryside. Teams of five to six members trudge everyday to dig wells in this area. Getting a well dug is cheaper than going in for the submersible pumps. Opting to work under constant threat of accidents, these labourers claim that no compensation has been paid by any agency to the families of those who lost their lives due to caving in of wells during the recent past. In the absence of adequate relief, they had to make their own arrangements to dig out those trapped or those who suffocated to death. Mr Mohammad Din, Sarpanch of the village, told Ludhiana Tribune that except for one Dalit and one Mehra family, all other families are engaged in the hazardous profession. He said: “This village has lost the maximum number of diggers during the past decade, but no state government or local authorities have ever come forward to compensate the affected families. It seems that even media reports on the deaths of these labourers have failed to attract the attention of the politicians and officers.” Naseem, widow of Zakar alias Zaka, while narrating her tale of woes said: “Six years is a long period during which I have been running from pillar to post begging officers for compensation”. The police and officials of the Market Committee, Malerkotla, made her prepare a voluminous file and she even got a request from Mufti to forgo the condition of postmortem, but in vain. Ultimately after much ado, she was told that there was no provision of compensation for victims of such accidents, she said. Yakub Khan, who has been digging wells for over 40 years, claimed that the government would have failed to combat the problem of declining water level had the labourers capitulated in face of death. “Successive governments have failed to do something for the dependents of those who have lost their lives during this hazardous task,” he said. Questioning the justification of a ban imposed by the administration of various districts, he demanded that the government must provide them with some safe alternative of livelihood. “Generally we dig wells up to a depth of 45-50 feet but we have dug up to 80-90 feet, which is very hazardous. The ban is on digging beyond 30-40 feet,” he said. Referring to relief operations after accidents at
Lamela, Mangowal, Faugewal and Mehal Kalan, he said he along with his associates had to dig out the bodies of the labourers since the administration could not excavate the site for three days. Even the modern machines failed, so we had to rely on our expertise to extricate the bodies, he lamented. Mukhtiar Khan, another contemporary of Yakub, said even payments made by farmers were not in accordance with the intense labour and the risk that they faced. “We have to survive the entire year on the work done during the rabi and kharif seasons. For rest of the year, we have to work as labourers,” he added. “Who wants to earn a few hundred rupees — Rs 200 per feet for a team of six men — when faced with imminent death. “We are in a continuous fight with death and sooner or later we will have to face it. Almost one member of each family has lost his life while digging,” he added. He alleged that payments were often withheld by farmers on flimsy excuses like inadequate diameter of the well, depth or quality of digging. Laddo is worried about the safety of her sons who accompany their father every day. “If they could do something else to make both ends meet, I would never allow them do this hazardous job. Instead of dying a painful death, one should sacrifice one’s life at the border,” she pointed out. When contacted, Mr Joginder Singh Mann, Minister for Social Security and Family Welfare, said his department would consider the cases of Dalit labourers, whereas in other instances the same would be dealt by the Department of Rural Development. Officials at the local Block Development Office, however, failed to give any information about any relief available to this section of the society. They said: “A labourer who performs hazardous job must get an accident insurance policy from an insurance company.” Ironically, they could not reply as to what was being done to generate awareness among them about such measures. |
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A cyclist on mission who never returned Ludhiana, May 27 He was employed in a sugar mill. His passion was to visit historic gurdwaras, whenever the sugar-making season was over. He would cycle 150 km every day and take shelter in gurdwaras or temples, whichever was available. He had told Ludhiana Tribune that people of every religion offered him help and shelter. On April 14, he started on his journey with his usual vigour and optimism. He went to Patna Sahib and proceeded to Hazoor Sahib. From thence, he travelled to Gurdwara Nanak Dhire in Karnataka. Satisfied at his mission, he turned homewards. While he was passing through
Jalangaon, he felt tired and rested in the fields. The farmers working in the fields were alarmed when he did not move till the evening. Much to their dismay, they discovered that he had gone to his Maker in his sleep. According to Mr Kuldip Singh, a friend of Gurbhachan Singh, he had called him on May 12 and said that he was returning home soon. Gurbachan’s body was kept in a morgue at Jalagaon. After five days, they reached there and cremated him there only. He is survived by his wife, Ms Gurpreet Kaur, and two children, aged 7 and 9 years. According to Mr Kuldip Singh, the ‘bhog ceremony’ of Gurbhachan Singh will take place at Badali Ala Singh village in Fatehgarh district on May 30. |
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Check before you leave Ludhiana, May 27 This reporter came across one such girl near the old Tribune suboffice on the Katcheri Road on Saturday. She had been caught while walking away with the bag of a Sikh gentleman,who was on a visit to the city from a nearby town. Leaving behind his bag in his scooter’s basket the man had gone to a shop in the nearby market. But he was back in time to catch the girl as she was trying to give a slip not only to him but also to two policemen on duty after committing the crime. She was sent to the Chaura Bazar
kotwali,but was allowed to go the next morning as she was dumb. Moreover, the Sikh gentleman decided not to lodge a formal complaint. Investigations reveal that to “guide” these child thieves there is an adult and rather experienced male member of the gang. He is the one who signals them to carry out the theft.
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PSEB employees stage dharna Ludhiana, May 27 The protesters sat in a dharna in
front of their office and raised slogans against the police and PSEB
officers for not taking up the issue properly with the authorities.
They said if nothing was done in the context, nobody would like to be
a part of the raiding teams in future. The agitators said the matter
needed to be investigated properly and the accused be arrested as soon
as possible. It was unfortunate that the accused were yet to be
arrested after five days. The employees would be forced to launch an
agitation in case no concrete steps were taken in the case, they said. |
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At the mercy of cable operators Ludhiana, May 27 The Samoh Shehr Niwasi Association wants the district administration to intervene and stop this exploitation by cable
operators.The association maintains that in certain areas, the cable operators are charging Rs 200 per cable connection whereas in other areas , the charges range between Rs 150 and Rs 350. They never issue receipts. Rajiv Tandon, Sandeep Thapar, Sanjeev Ghai, Charanjit, Sarabjit, Arun, all members of the association, alleged that cable companies were not only overcharging the customers but also cheating the government of crores of rupees. They demanded the setting up of a high-level committee to look into the matter. |
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‘Homoeopathy
can treat disease among hens’ Ludhiana, May 27 Dr Ranu, who is also a member of the Council of Homoeopathic System of Medicine, Ministry of Medical Education and Research (Government of Punjab), said homoeopathic prophylaxis like sulphur and arsenicum album could be the best suitable remedies to protect hens from the viral disease. Dr Ranu has also appealed to the Principal Secretary, Department of Animal Husbandry, Government of Punjab, and the Vice-Chancellor of PAU, Ludhiana, to adopt homoeopathic prophylaxis in government hospitals to check the spread of virus.
TNS
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9 hurt in mishap Doraha, May 27 Those injured have been identified as Indu Khanna, Gulshan, Gautam Anand, Sumit, Krishan Khurana, Sumit Anand, Ajit Singh, Ishant Khanna and Tanvi. All of them were immediately taken to Rajwant Hospital. They were coming from Delhi and proceeding towards Vaishno Devi. |
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Istri
Sabha meets Geeta Ludhiana, May 27 Ms Jit Kaur said if girls adopted such stands the curse of dowry could be eliminated from the society. The delegation members included Sabha leaders Sharanjit Kaur, Shanti Bawa, Shabnam and Sudhir.
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Man found murdered Ludhiana, May 27 The police has rounded up an employee of a car-mechanic workshop near the village. A dog squad of the police picked up scent from the body and led the police to the workshop. The body was spotted by some migrant labourers who called the police.
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Shepherd
commits suicide Ludhiana, May 27 The shepherd, Jaspal Singh, was a drug-addict. The police said his brother Gurpal Singh who was also a drug addict too had committed suicide by consuming poison five months ago.
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Faith can actually make one perform rare feats. One gets hurt at the prick of a needle only but in the name of God some people can do difficult acts. In a religious function held by South Indians to please Mariamma goddess, the devotees had pierced their tongues with tridents and remained donning them for hours together. There was no sign of any pain on their faces. Vanilla and Rani are two such women who had pierced their tongues and had no sign of pain.
