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Inspection was held on Jan 14 Chandigarh, January 23 How is it that the police team missed spotting the tunnel inside the
barrack where Jagtar Singh Hawara, Jagtar Singh Tara and Parminder Singh Bheora, the accused, were housed, is the question that is being raised in official circles. Police officials admitted that a police team had gone to the jail on January 14 as part of a routine visit. Well-placed sources in the jail said the police personnel, like security personnel of the jail, were probably intimidated by the accused. In the past, the accused had beaten up a jail sentry in their barrack during checking. The sentry was replaced and the other one was also beaten up. This may have had an affect on the police team, making it miss out on indications that should have normally been noticed. The tunnel
was being dug over a period of months. The officials are tightlipped, saying that they would go only to check for explosives by using gadgets and dogs. |
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My plea to shift Hawara was ignored, says Jail Supt Chandigarh, January 23 A jail warden in his statement yesterday said he had complained to Assistant Jail Superintendent J. S. Rana that he had heard sounds of scratching regularly from the barrack of Jagtar Singh
Hawara. The warden reportedly said he had been complaining of this noise for months, but there was no action from the authorities. The “negligence” of the officials of the Chandigarh Administration was brought to the notice of a local court while counsel for D. S. Rana defended the prosecution charge that he had “connived” with others arrested in the escape of the three alleged assassins of Beant Singh. The court sent the seven arrested jail officials and CRPF personnel to police custody till January 29. The police, during interrogation, found that the exit of the tunnel had been covered by an iron lid over which carrots had been grown. The police is trying to zero in on person or persons who brought this lid. The police also says the cutlery and kirpans could have helped Hawara and his accomplices in digging the cave. Meanwhile, CBI spokesman G. Mohanti said more than half of the 450 witnesses had been examined. He rejected the charge of the human rights activists and counsel of escapees saying the agency was trying to get to the truth. The Chandigarh Police has sent teams across the country to nab the undertrials. Anti-terrorism specialists DSPs B. D.
Bector, Vijaypal, S.C. Sagar, S.C. Abrol have been asked by the police to crack the case. Inspectors Satbir Singh, Jagvir Singh, KIP Singh, Jarnail Singh and S. S. Rana have been given the task of interrogation of the arrested officials. Sources said the raids on their possible hideouts had been conducted across the country. The Punjab Police is extending help to the UT cops. The police has taken note of those who recently met the prisoners prior to their escape. |
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Hawara often beat up jail staff
Chandigarh, January 23 A visit to barrack No. 7 of Munda Khana, from where they dug a tunnel to escape, revealed they had an Aquaguard, almost a month of ration, including butter and dry fruit, as well as medicines for improving digestion and bones. They had weight-lifting equipment and played volley ball for muscle training. For recreation they had two TV sets. Arrested jail Superintendent D.S. Rana had reportedly written to the Chandigarh Administration to shift the undertrials, saying they had been misbehaving with the jail employees who visited their barrack. Sources said on several occasions Jagtar Singh Hawara had bashed up jail employees who sought to go inside their cell. When his misbehaviour was brought to the notice of the authorities, they ignored the complaints. This attitude of the authorities had demoralised the inspecting staff and even sentries and wardens on duty ignored their activities. One of the windows looking towards the watch tower had newspapers pasted on them. Even the kitchen window had a curtain. The apparently “privileged” prisoners had an exhaust fan in the kitchen that had an earthen chulha. They had kept a container of Verka ghee on the room bulb, apparently to focus light on a specific area. An electricity point was noticed near the opening of the tunnel. The location of the tunnel is interesting as it reduces the chance of it caving in. The investigating agencies suspect that the electricity point might have been used for a drilling machine to dig the tunnel. The bulb wire hung loose, indicating it might have been used for a drilling machine. Magazines, books, Linsy 500 mg and Cipsel 500 were found in the rooms. The prisoners had a month of ration in the barrack. A big lawn outside the barrack, was covered by another safety wall.  |
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Cops to verify pigeon theory Mohali, January 23 A policeman said although the idea of pigeons being used for communication was low on the priority of the police, nevertheless it would be checked into. ‘‘One cannot rule out this theory off hand as I know that pigeons are used by the police for sending messages across in Orissa. Although I have no knowledge about such a thing being done by the jail inmates here, anything and everything is possible and we will look into this,” said Mr Sidhaarth Chattopadhyaya, DIG Ludhiana range. Mr Chattopadhyaya added that right now the police was focussing on searching suspected hideouts of the three. Meanwhile, sources said intelligence officials made a round of the jail and
checked some religious places situated near the jail premises. |
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AAG’s appointment cancelled Chandigarh, January 23 The appeal against the orders acquitting Mr Rajput and other accused in the case, registered under the Explosive Substances Act, had been admitted by Mr Justice Amar Dutt of the Punjab and Haryana High Court. The Chandigarh police had initially claimed that its officials had unearthed the jailbreak conspiracy with accused Satnam Singh's arrest on June 11, 1998. According to the prosecution, the PETN explosive, to be smuggled into the jail complex, was seized from his possession. More explosives were seized from his residence in Salimpur village. |
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Pirzada remanded in police custody Mohali, January 23 He would be kept in the lock-up of the police station during the period of remand, said Mr K.S. Pannu, DIG (Vigilance). Mr Pirzada was taken for a medical check-up this morning before being taken to the court, he added. At the Kharar court, Duty Magistrate Ranjan Kumar Khullar, while giving the police remand, allowed two defence counsels to meet the accused twice a day for one hour each while he was in police custody. The magistrate directed that the accused be provided medical facilities as per rules. Mr Peerzada will be produced before the same magistrate on Monday. The 1982-batch IAS officer, who came to Punjab on deputation during the previous Badal regime, was last year sent by the Amarinder government to his parent cadre. But he had not join duty there and was on an extraordinary leave. Mr Pirzada was arrested on charges of causing a loss of Rs 95.35 lakh to the Punjab Government during his tenure as the Managing Director of the Punjab State Electronics and Development Corporation, according to Punjab Vigilance Bureau chief Mohammad Izhar Alam. Denying his role in the recent crisis in the Congress Legislature Party, Mr Pirzada also denied that he was associated with the dissident activities led by Deputy Chief Minister Rajinder Kaur Bhattal. The IAS officer also denied being with Mrs Bhattal at Surajkund during the crisis period last month. |
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Rain, hail throw life out of gear
Chandigarh, January 23 Until 8 am, the weather observatory at the Air Force station had recorded 5.3 cm of rainfall. Widespread rain was reported from adjoining areas of Punjab and Haryana. The hail storm was bad for crops, as per the Met office. Explaining the phenomenon, officials at the Met office said a lower pressure system was resulting in rain. The presence of high moisture in the atmosphere resulted in the hailstorm. Snow in Shimla could further intensify the cold wave conditions in the region. In the city, intermittent rain forced the cancellation of public functions. Being marriage season, people tried to make alternative arrangements. Hailstorm hit the city in the evening. Low-lying areas were inundated and traffic was moving at a snails pace due to poor visibility. A number of vehicles were stranded on roads and reports of accidents due to poor visibility were received. Markets wore a deserted look and business of cinema houses was affected. The widespread rain resulted in delay of train arrivals in the city.
Unusually wet January
Year
Total rain fall
2004
7.7 cm
2003
2.5 cm
2002
1.0 cm
2001
3.5 cm
As per data of the Meteorological Department, the total rainfall recorded so far this year is more compared to the past three years. “Though there is nothing unusual about rain at this time of the year, it has been raining more this year”, said an official of the office. |
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Troops suffer from rare medical disorder Chandigarh, January 23 According to informed sources, about six such cases have been brought to the hospital recently from forward areas in the northern sector. “This is for the first time that we are dealing with such cases,” an Army Medical Corps (AMC) officer has confirmed. A study on such cases was undertaken by four AMC specialists and the findings were presented at the hospital’s monthly clinical meeting yesterday. Termed as High Altitude Induced Ortner’s Syndrome (HAIOS), it results after a nerve passing from the brain to the vocal cords gets compressed due to enlargement of the heart. The nerve moves down from the brain along the spinal cord and winds itself over the heart before ascending towards the throat. According to doctors, deployment at high altitude also results in enlargement of the heart. When the heart gets enlarged, the nerve may get compressed. In one case, the doctors said a 25-year-old soldier in good health developed hoarseness of voice a few days after being inducted to a forward post at an altitude of 18,000 feet. The onset of hoarseness was without any fever, cough, respiratory infection or difficulty in breathing. Nor were there any symptoms of any systemic disease or tuberculosis. The soldier was treated as a case of laryngitis with antibiotics, but his hoarseness continued to persist. After two months, he was referred to an ENT specialist. Clinical examination revealed that larynx, throat, nasal passage and aural was normal and the general examination was unremarkable. Even haematological, serological and biochemical investigations revealed nothing. Thereafter, he was subjected to a detailed cardio-vascular examination, which indicated pulmonary hypertension and the soldier was diagnosed as a case of Ortner’s syndrome. In another case, a 20-year-old soldier developed hoarseness of voice just eight days after being stationed at a high altitude post. A few days later he complained of pain and burning sensation in his right toe. Normal treatment brought relief to his toe, but the hoarseness continued. Detailed ENT examination revealed pulmonary hypertension in this case too, leading to the vocal nerve being affected. Doctors at the hospital said that further research into HAIOS was required and a project had been initiated to carry out detailed studies on this disorder. According to a doctor, it is essential to recognise hoarseness of voice in such cases as an early indicator of pulmonary hypertension. Early detection and prompt treatment can save permanent damage to the vocal cord. |
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RO casts vote in Chatrath’s favour Chandigarh, January 23 The two were tied at
15 votes each last time also (December 15). The Returning Officer had the right to cast his vote due to a tie for the second time. Dr Ranveer Pratap Asija had earlier been declared elected. Prof Bal Krishan has been elected secretary of the faculty. Elections for Syndicate members from the Law Department were held on December 15, along with other departments. Mr Pawan Valecha had tied with Mr Chatrath at 15 votes each. Mr Asija had polled 16 votes. The meeting was postponed without any decision. The Returning Officer, Mr Anmol Rattan Sidhu, announced later that election would be held again between Mr Valecha and Mr Chatrath. Both were tied at 16 votes each. Mr Sidhu said he had the power to cast the vote under the calender. He cast in favour of Mr Chatrath. |
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Counselling ‘must’ for victims
of sexual abuse Chandigarh, January 23 “We keep getting suspected cases of child sexual abuse, but the moment we broach the topic, the patient and the family drop out of treatment. Even now people are reluctant to accept that their child has been a victim of sexual abuse,” says Dr Adarsh Kohli, Associate Professor and Psychologist at the Psychiatry Department in the PGI. To enable the child overcome this, the parents have to become co-therapists, she asserts. So far, there have been five sexually abused children who have sought counselling and treatment at the department. “After a few sessions, the children do open up but are still reluctant to talk in front of their parents as they do not get the kind of care and support which an abused child requires,” she maintains. She said there have been cases where the children admitted that they had been sexually abused but the parents deny it and do not return for further counselling. “The available data indicates that in a majority of such cases, the perpetrator is an uncle,
cousin or relative and the number of cases are far more than those being reported, as a lot of social stigma is attached to it,” she explained. The limited data available on child sexual abuse in the country suggests that it is not an uncommon phenomenon and there are prevalence rates of 30 per cent among women and 10 per cent in men. More than 70 per cent of the victims suffer from serious psychological problems. Dr Preeti Arun, a Psychiatrist at the Government Medical College and Hospital, here, says there have been no confirmed cases of sexual abuse and in two suspected cases, the victims dropped out of counselling the moment they hinted sexual abuse. Psychologists say counselling is a must for the victims of sexual abuse even if it is much later after the incident took place.
Possible disorders shown
by an abused child |
Steps to check food
adulteration Chandigarh, January 23 To strengthen the food sampling work, a new city area has been divided into zones. Regular meetings will be held with vendors and hotel staff to educate them about proper preparation, storage and sale of food items. The conviction rate under the Act in UT is close to 80 per cent, which is the highest in the country. Notwithstanding the shortage of food inspectors and other staff, the authorities will hold fortnightly meetings to monitor the implementation of the provisions of the Act. Under the Act, there should be one Food Inspector per 50,000 persons but the UT with a population of close to 10 lakh has only six. The interview for filling the two vacant posts of Food Inspector has already been held. “Our effort now is to fill the vacancies of Food Inspector and we will request the Administration to sanction some more posts to further improve the services,” said Dr C.P. Bansal, Director, Health Services. “We have decided to step up information and education activities for the vendors and others associated with the food industry as conviction rate under the Act is very high,” he said. A total of Rs 20 lakh has been raised as fee on account of issuing licences during the past year. During 2003, a total of 338 samples were collected out of which 244 were found to be adulterated. Attention would be paid towards ensuring that food items being sold outside schools, temples and other public places was of good quality. Data
of cases under the PFA Act
Year
No of samples
Found adulterated
1999
287
48
2000
454
136
2001
405
107
2002
291
74
2003
338
244
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Mayor sends proposal on MC committees Chandigarh, January 23 The members in the Water and Sewerage Committee include: Mr Surinder Singh, Mr Pradeep Chhabra, Mrs Pushpa Sharma, Brig Sant Singh, Mr K.S.Raju and Mr Vijay Singh Rana. Road Committee: Mrs Lalit Joshi, Mr Sohan Lal Vaid, Mr Balraj Singh, Mrs Pushpa Sharma, Mr C.K.Sawhney, Mr P.C. Sanghi and Mr Rajesh Gupta. Sanitation Committee: Mr Chandermukhi Sharma, Mrs Lalit Joshi, Mr Balraj Singh, Mr Kuldeep Singh, Dr
D.R.Verma, Mrs Amar Kulwant Singh and Mr Vijay Singh Rana. Electricity Committee: Mrs Shyama Negi, Mr Subhash Chawla, Mr Chhabra, Mr Surinder Singh, Mr Dildar Khan, Mr Jitender Bhatia and Mrs Kamla Sharma. Environment and City Beautification
Committee: Mrs K Atma Ram, Mr Balraj Singh, Mr Kuldeep Singh, Mrs Lalit Joshi, Mrs Anu Chatrath, Mrs Harpreet Kaur and Mrs Harjinder Kaur. Slum Development Committee: Mr Khan, Mr Verma, Mrs Geeta Rani, Mr Balraj Singh, Mr Vaid, Mrs Negi and Mrs Kamla Sharma. Enforcement Committee: Mr Jitender Bhatia, Mr Surinder Singh, Mr Chawla, Mrs Negi, Mrs Chatrath, Mr Sanghi and Mr Gian Chand Gupta. Fire Committee: Mrs Pushpa Sharma, Mr Chhabra, Mr Vaid, Mr Kuldeep Singh, Mrs Atma Ram, Brig Sant Singh and Mr Rana. Legal Affairs Committee: Mr Raju, Mr Surinder Singh, Mr Chandermukhi Sharma, Maj Gen A.S.Kahlon, Mr Sawhney, Mrs Harpreet Kaur and Mrs Atma Ram. Apni Mandi Committee: Mr Kuldeep Singh, Mr Chandermukhi Sharma, Mrs Negi, Mr Bhatia, Mrs Pushpa Sharma, Brig Sant Singh and Mr Raju. |
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Jain flags off ‘Atal Sandesh Yatra’ Chandigarh, January 23 Mr Satya Pal Jain, a former member of Parliament and Mr Yash Pal Mahajan, the president of the local unit, flagged off the 'yatra' at Nehru park, sector 22. The 'yatra' went to the market of Sector 47 and distributed pamphlets in each house. It will continue till February 21. The BJP plans to visit each house in the city and educate people on the achievements of the BJP in the past five years. |
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Zoo employees appear before VB Chaat Bir (Patiala), January 23 Earlier the Vigilance Bureau had forwarded an application to the court saying that Mavish Sood, a clerk, Jagpal Singh, forester,
Mahanand, zoo keeper, and Rahman, meat contractor, were not cooperating the investigation in a corruption case against them. Three suspects — Mavish Sood, Jagpal Singh and Mahanand — appeared in the court this morning while the meat contractor failed to turn up from Saharanpur. |
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Measurement of buildings deferred Dera Bassi, January 23 The measurements were deferred by Mr Iqbal Singh Arora, Sub-Divisional Officer (Panchayats), Rajpura, to January 30 following a medical certificate furnished by Mrs Gian Kaur, former sarpanch. She was charged for misusing the grant money spent on various development works.
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Six to be honoured on Republic Day Chandigarh, January 23 Among those to be honoured are Mr Parvesh Sethi, a theatre artiste, who has already been conferred the Balraj Sahni Memorial
Award. He was given the award for outstanding services in theatre. In the list are three policemen who have been awarded for meritorious services. Inspector Karam Singh, Head Constable Des Raj and Home Guard volunteer Harnek Singh for showing extraordinary devotion to duties and presence of mind. The Administration has decided to confer Administrator’s Police Medal for meritorious services to three personnel of the Chandigarh Police, including Inspector Vijay Kumar, who arrested drug dealers with 50 kilogram of charas recently. Besides Vijay Kumar, Head Constable Suresh Kumar and Head Constable Des Raj will be given the Administrator’s Police Medal. |
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Chandigarh, January 23 |
Actor Veerinder’s widow booked Mohali, January 23 The NRI, Mr Jagdev Singh Nijjer, and his family who have been living in Canada for the past 34 years sent a written declaration through the Indian High Commission that he and his family were well and that Paramjit Kaur should not be allowed to sell off the property. Mr Nijjer had been for the past nine years trying to follow the case with the police starting with an application to the DGP, Punjab police, following which the complaint was marked to the local police station. According to the FIR, the 4-acre land was bought by Mr Nijjer in partnership with Subhash Chander, alias Veerinder Singh, in 1982 with shares of their wives and another person in the deal. However, the property was sold off in 1996 allegedly after Parminder Kaur got the land transferred in her name after stating in the court that the family of Mr Nijjer had died in an accident in Canada. Mr Nijjer claimed to have sent a declaration attested by the Management Board of Ontario and the Indian High Commission stating that his family was alive but Paramjit Kaur went ahead with the deal. The investigating officer in the case, Mr Gurbachan Singh SI, Kharar City police station, said no arrests had been made so far and statements of the complainants were being recorded. The co-accused in the case include Hardev Singh lambardar of a village in Kapurthala district and Maninder Singh of a village in Ropar district. |
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