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Anti-crime society
chief booked for fraud Chandigarh, June 2 The Sector 34 resident, Avtar Singh Matharoo was today booked for fraud under Sections 420, 467, 468, 471, 472 and 473 of the IPC in the Sector 34 police station.
Matharoo was allegedly enrolling members to the All-India Crime Prevention Society for a fee ranging between Rs 500 and Rs 2,100 and issuing them identity cards for, what he claimed, a privileged treatment from the police and Administration in the matters that are either raised by them or faced by them. The police claimed Matharoo had once claimed that he had around 10 lakh members across the country but he later disputed the number saying that the number was a printing error. The society has members and sub-offices across the country. The police said it had found out that he had enrolled more than 700 members. During investigation, it found out that he had been posing as a go-between between the police and the disputing parties, allegedly blackmailing people and charging money for the issuance of identity
cards. Matharoo, however, claimed that there were around 1,500 members and the money charged was being spent on the issuance of identity cards, papers and files. This is the second time that he had been booked for cheating people in the name of the society. During the investigation, started by the police on the complaint of the DIG (Administration), Punjab police, Mr
R.C. Singh, who sent a letter to the Inspector-General of the Chandigarh police, Mr Rajesh Kumar, in March. He said he had seen advertisements of membership of the society on television and that it was cheating the people. The FIR was lodged after the DSP CID, Mr Devinder Thakur, and DSP S.S. Randhawa discovered that the society was claiming to help the people in getting them medical claims, insurance claims and getting members justice. Matharoo was allegedly also claiming that the society was empowered to investigate
complaints. Matharoo had been arranging meetings of the society’s
members with senior officers of the police and the Chandigarh
Administration. His office-cum-house had the National Flag atop it. Matharoo, claimed that he got the society re-registered in 1998 after it was closed in 1955. He said the society had been registered by his father Gurmukh Singh in Lahore in 1943. The office of Matharoo gives an impression that he was connected to VIPs. He had been photographed with two former Presidents of India, two former Governors, former Deputy Prime Minister Lal Krishan Advani and a host of senior Punjab police officers. The society had also sought exemption from income tax, claiming that it was engaged in social work. Matharoo
was unaware, when contacted, if a case had been registered against
him. As soon as he was told so he contacted his lawyers for
anticipatory bail. |
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At the Counter
Chandigarh, June 2 Another thing one comes across is angry, sometimes loudly cursing customers, with most of the staff taking their own sweet time to do the job. Also,
so far there is no special arrangement for the heavy summer rush. “Why
don’t they make adequate arrangements for handling the peak summer
holiday rush?” asked Mr Surinder Goyal, who was waiting to book
seats for Goa. On an average, every day around 1,900-2,100 tickets are booked at the centre. With just five counters functioning on better days, the number of tickets-per-counter comes to between 400 and 420 per day. Ticket-seekers say it generally means a long wait to get a reservation. Among the major problems faced by the public are lack of proper seating places, missing staff at the enquiry counter and also discourteous staff. “I
wanted to check the waiting period of a train for June 15. Despite
making repeated phone calls, nobody picked up the phone and finally I
was forced to come here,” said Mr Sanjay Kumar, a city resident. Staff
shortage is the hackneyed answer on every staff member’s lips if you
broach the topic. The passengers, too, vouch for it. “Look at the
rush. Of the seven counters, only four are functional. If this is due
to staff shortage, they certainly need to post more people here. It
takes at least two to three hours to get a seat booked. In these times
this is not acceptable,” said Mr Amritpal Singh, a student, who was
standing in one of the queues today to get his reservation done. The staff also agrees, off the record, that staff shortage is hampering the functioning of the reservation centre. “We
need more people. Unless this is done, the work will continue to get
affected,” said a staff member. Incidentally, the Railways has made
provision for starting some more booking counters in the adjacent
hall, divided by a wooden partition. The infrastructure is ready, but
staff shortage ensures that the counters are never operational. Passengers say it is high time the Railways thought of increasing the number of windows. “How
long can they continue like this? I have been standing here for the
last over three hours and my turn has yet to come. Not only this,
there is nobody to assist us at the enquiry counter,” lamented Mr
Mohinder Sharma, a businessman. Ironically, even as this reporter was talking to Mr Sharma, the work at the centre came to a standstill due to a systems failure. This is a routine here, remarked another person. |
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Chandigarh
Club files appeal against lease cancellation Chandigarh, June 2 The lease of the club had been cancelled by the Assistant Estate Officer after a hearing on May 26. The club is running on land owned by the Chandigarh Administration that had been given on lease to the club in 1957. Since January 1993 no rent has been paid and there has been a debate on the fixing of the lease money. Now under the Public Premises Act, Mr Inderjit Singh Sandhu will start eviction proceedings. If Mr M.P. Singh grants a stay, the eviction proceedings will be stayed. Meanwhile, simultaneously, Mr M.P. Singh will also hear the appeal of the club management against the order of the Estate Office. If the club management loses its plea before Mr M.P. Singh, it will have the option to appeal the decision before the Adviser to the UT Administrator followed by the high court and the Supreme Court. However, the eviction proceedings will continue. The
lease of the club was cancelled for the non-payment of dues and
building bylaws’ violations. In the order, the Estate Office had
stated that the club owed Rs 1.45 crore as rent up to April 30 this
year to the Administration. “The club authorities are also using the
premises in violation of the building rules,” the order stated. The
order also stated that during the cancellation of the lease and
eviction, whatsoever income that accrued on the property in question
shall be deposited with the Estate Officer, depending upon the area,
locality, nature of property and utility thereof on account of its use
and occupation, as per the provisions of Sections 7(2) and (2A) of the
Public Premises Act. The lease of the club was not renewed after January 26, 1982. However, the club continued to pay a monthly rent of Rs 8,320 till January 1, 1993, when the rent was revised to about Rs 2.08 lakh per month and a demand notice for the payment of Rs 2.18 crore on account of the arrears, after the revision of rent, was issued to the club in 2002. After
a discussion the rent was re-fixed at Rs 1.08 lakh per month with
effect from January 1, 1993. The club had been issued directions on
March 11 this year that all encroachments on public land beyond the
premises originally leased out be vacated and possession of the same
be handed over to the Estate Office within six weeks. The club had
also been asked to deposit Rs 1.43 crore on account of the monthly
rent, damages and composition fee. The club neither deposited the
revised rent nor removed the encroachments. |
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Helmets:
no special nakas set up Chandigarh, June 2 As per official sources, the Traffic Police today did not put up nakas and left it to traffic police personnel to book violators at the places of their deployment. The sources said during the last week when the challaning of helmetless women was started, it succeeded in ensuring 80 per cent compliance. As many as 1071 women were challaned. S.
P. Traffic A. S. Dhillon said there was no need of continuing the
drive after achieving a high compliance report and it would be checked
through regular duties. |
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Jatha
members burn helmets Mohali, June 2 Both men and women participated in the protest
which ended with anti-Administration sloganeering and cries of bole so
nihal and loh top nahin pavange, Sikhi dharam nibhange. ‘‘This is
not a part of our rahat maryada and we will not do it,’’said
members of the Istri Satsang, adding that they were ready to die for
the cause. Although a large scale demonstration against the Chandigarh Administration along with a scooter rally was planned by the members of the jatha today, lack of support from a section of the local Akali Dal caused confusion and the protest fizzled out after a few hours. Despite their presence, members of the local Youth Akali Dal and the SGPC chose to remain aloof from the protest. Sources said this was because the SGPC elections had been announced and the Kalgidhar Sevak Jatha and the Youth Akali Dal were supporting different candidates for these elections. Despite
today’s limited response, the protest sparked off a drive in the
township following which many local Akali leaders and members of the
Sikh Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee decided to launch another agitation
against the Chandigarh Administration tomorrow. Sources said the protest against helmet-wearing was likely to gain momentum in the next few days in the wake of the SGPC elections. This is an important issue, said Mr J.P. Singh, president of the Kalgidhar Sevak Jatha. Meanwhile,
executive members of the Shiromani Akali Dal, Chandigarh, met today at
a meeting organised on the issue. Presiding over the meeting, Mr N.S.
Minhas condemned the adamant attitude of the Administration. “Compelling
a Sikh woman to put on a loh tope is against the tenets of the Sikh
religion and it must be stopped forthwith,’’said Mrs Harjinder
Kaur, former Mayor of the city. Mr Minhas said in case challaning of
Sikh women by the traffic police did not stop within the next 72
hours, Sikhs would come out on the roads to protest against the ‘black
law’. A core committee of 11 persons was also formed that would meet
the UT Administrator and the Punjab Chief Minister on the issue. Members
of the Shiromani Khalsa Panchayat said the Chandigarh Administration
has hurt the religious sentiments of the Sikhs by imposing the helmet
wearing rule for Sikh women. ‘‘Since numerous appeals by various
organisations and individuals have had no effect on the
Administration, it has become necessary that an agitation be initiated
to protect the rights of our religion.’’said Mr Rajinder Singh,
convener of the panchayat. |
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Army
units to be deprived of CSD profits Chandigarh, June 2 Sources
said that directives received by Western Command from the Quarter
Master General's (QMG) Branch at AHQ in this regard recently had been
circulated to various formations and units. This step by the QMG's Branch implies that units and formation would be deprived of the additional income and monetary resources generated by the canteens. "Canteen profits were a major source for regimental funds, carrying out welfare activities for troops, equipping unit messes or running regimental schools," an officer here said. "Now this could be affected," he added. Sources
said that profits generated by CSD depots were distributed to canteens
in kind. Cash generated from the sale of these items was used for
making up their losses if any and surplus money was utilised in the
aforementioned activities. Officers said that the canteen the size of Western Command Canteen in Chandimandir, which is among the largest in the Army could be generating a profit of Rs 40-50 lakh annually. A smaller canteen in a major unit located at a place like Chandimandir could be generating Rs 9-10 lakh annually. Almost every unit or formation runs its own CSD canteen, though the quantum of business done by them varies. With hundreds of canteens in the Army, the annual profit generated by them would be running into crores of rupees. The units' loss would, however, be the AWES' gain. The society manages several institutions running professional degree courses. Though the institutes levy fees and are also given various grants by defence establishments, the expenditure incurred by them is heavy. Most of the seats in these institutions are reserved for wards of defence personnel, ex-servicemen or war widows. The society was set up as a welfare measure for the armed forces. |
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Sonu to
play another historical role in Chandigarh, June 2 Least flustered by the competition, Sonu not only justified his selection by director Sukumar Nayyar, he also bagged a Screen nomination for best male debut. With a measured performance in "Shaheed-e-Azam Sardar Bhagat Singh" to speak for his substance, it is small wonder that he entered the wish list of the legendary film maker Shyam Benegal, who handpicked him for his new film "Netaji". Sonu plays Shahnawaz Hussain, the chief of Subhash Chandra Bose's INA in "Netaji". The film traces the life of Bose and it is based on authentic historical information. In Chandigarh to adjudge Zee television's big break contest, Sonu, who just struck gold with Mani Ratnam's "Yuva", bared his passion for historic roles. "The selection of roles has never been conscious. But I have been fairly satisfied with the way things have moved for me. I am most excited about Shyam Benegal's "Netaji". It is an incredibly researched film that throws light on the person of Subhash Chandra Bose. I play his most trusted lieutenant, Shahnawaz Hussain. The role is challenging not only because it has never been attempted earlier, but also because it is deeply rooted in history," said the Punjabi, who has featured in dozens of Tamil and Telegu films. To prepare for the role, Sonu often visited Red Fort which houses the memoirs of Hussain. Hussain's last speech is even inscribed on the walls of the historic monument. Sonu said, "After Shyam ji selected me to act opposite legends like Amrish Puri and Kulbhushan Kharbanda, I was nervous and enthused too. I read all I could on this character. The film will hit the floor shortly." Having cast a spell in commercial as well as serious film, Sonu has emerged as one of the safest bets for film makers in Bollywood. He is also playing the lead in some films like "Chess" with Mahima Chaudhari. But he is especially vocal about his association with Mani Ratnam in "Yuva". "I have worked in many Tamil and Telegu films. That is how Mani Ratnam could discover my mettle. I had, however, not expected a role in his film. I feel my role in "Yuva" will help me climb the ladder of Bollywood, where everything is measured in commercial terms. I have already been flooded with offers after I played the villain in "Yuva". Also I have realised it is not such a bad idea to portray grey shades. After all, there is a negative side to every human being." |
Hire-and-fire
policy for sweepers on cards Chandigarh, June 2 In inspections carried
out by the Chairman of the Sanitation Committee, Mr Chandermukhi
Sharma, in various pockets of the city, he found that sweepers failed
to show up for duty for days together. Even when they did show up
during the day, they went “missing” in the evening shift. The
supervisory staff, too, was found to be deficient in discharging its
duty. In a report prepared before the elections based on the inspections in Sectors 7, 8, 11, 30 and Mani Majra, Mr Sharma has pointed out that while sanitation work in privatised areas is not up to the mark, the number of sweepers deployed by the contractors was also much less than the required number. This, however, was before the elections. Post-elections, he is all set to revive the surprise checks. However, this time, these would be carried out along with the councillor of the area and the members of the sanitation inspection committee as well as the team from the Medical Officer Health (MOH). “At
tomorrow’s meeting, we have called in the contractors of the three
zones as well as the president of the sweepers union. We will convey
to them that absence from duty would not be tolerated. Stern action
would be taken against anybody found to be skipping work. Once the
message goes out, the sweepers will have no reason to object in case
we initiate action. And, these inspections would be made a regular
feature to be carried out at least six times in a month,” Mr Sharma
said. The idea of the exercise is to involve residents’ welfare
associations (RWA) and market welfare associations (MWA) of all
sectors and create awareness about the duties given to the sweepers.
These associations will be given the task of ensuring that the
sweepers are performing their assigned duties. “In case they are
found lacking in discharge of duties, the RWAs and MWAs can get back
to us. As of now, the feedback from the associations is practically
non-existent,” Mr Sharma added. Among other items on the agenda are the implementation of municipal solid waste rules and improving sanitation status of the city. The possibility of having house-to-house garbage collection by the MC instead of the present system of collection of private contractors in every sector would also be explored. This
comes following frequent complaints by the residents that the garbage
collecters failed to show up and took frequent breaks in between. “This
means that there is no accountability and no responsibility. We can’t
let the residents suffer because of the whims of these contractors. If
we can have our own people going from house-to-house collecting
garbage, this problem can be solved. Further, the disposal part can
easily be privatised,” Mr Sharma maintained. |
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Stagnant
water a common site Chandigarh, June 2 A survey of the city reveals that the situation is “unhealthy”
in these areas. Pits in front of the shops in Sector 25 are filled up
with water for the larvae to thrive. The situation is almost the same
in colony No. 4 and 5. Accepting the presence of stagnant water in
these areas, Chandigarh’s Director Health Services, Dr C.P. Bansal,
adds that a massive drive has been launched. “Emphasis is being
laid on the chlorination of water, besides ensuring the drainage of
stagnant water in these areas,” Dr Bansal says. No case of malaria
has so far been reported from the city, he claims. The disease can be identified if the patient suffers from high fever and shivers. In such a situation, the patient should be immediately taken to a doctor instead of indulging in self medication. Malaria in pregnant woman can cause abortion, miscarriage or stillbirth, depending on the stage of pregnancy. The new-born can also suffer from cerebral malaria and low weight. Meanwhile, the Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh has asked the residents to ensure that there is no stagnant water on their residential premises. They add that in a large number of cases, the residents do little to drain water collected in ditches in front lawns and kitchen gardens of their houses. “Most
of the residents discontinue using desert coolers once it rains, but
they forget to drain the water stored in the cooler tanks,” a senior
corporation officer says. “The water lying stagnant in the tanks
provides breeding ground,” He adds, “The residents should
ensure against the presence of stagnant water in their residences.
They can do so by filling up the pits and ditches. Useless utensils
should also be thrown out of the house, or at least inverted so that
water does not accumulate in these.” The residents should also
put some kerosene into the stagnant water. “Being lighter than
water, it forms a layer on the surface making it impossible for the
mosquitoes to breed”, the officer explains. Health experts in the
city say that malaria continues to be the number one killer in the
world claiming over 2.5 million lives annually, necessitating the
adoption of precautionary measures. The need for such measures is also
essential as drug resistance in parasites has brought a resurgence of
malaria in the country. In India, the situation is actually serious
as, according to a rough estimate, 90 per cent of the malaria-endemic
area has developed drug resistance. |
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Meeting
to tackle water shortage comes a cropper Mohali, June 2 Hundreds of residents in Phase I to
Phase VII did not have any water supply for over 30 hours since Monday
following which the council had called a joint meeting with the
officials in the Public health Department today. Although yesterday’s
water problem was due to the bursting of a large pipeline, many
municipal councillors alleged that lack of proper maintenance of pipes
and tubewells by the department was also one of the causes of shortage
of water supply in the township this summer. While the Executive
Engineer, Public Health, Mr S.S. Ghumman, said that he had no
information regarding the meeting, the council President, Mr Kulwant
Singh, said a letter about the meeting had been delivered at Mr
Ghumman’s office and the council would be writing about today’s
meeting to the higher authorities. Mr Kulwant Singh pointed out that
as many as 44 tubewells dug by the council had been handed over to the
Public Health Department to regulate the supply of water in addition
to the water being supplied from the Kajauli waterworks. ‘‘But how
they distribute this water is unknown to us. They bill the consumers
for water but have no accountability towards them. Since councillors
are accessible to the public, we are facing the brunt,’’he said. While the supply of drinking water to a majority of the areas in the township is with the Public Health Department, most of the industrial area is being supplied drinking water by the council itself. And despite the claims of the council that there is no problem of drinking water in the industrial area, small industry owners in Phase VII and Phase IX, industrial area, have complained that they, too, are facing shortage of drinking water for the past fortnight. The
role of the Public Health Department had also come under criticism
from the municipal councillors during the previous meeting of the
council. It was felt by the councillors that if the department could
not maintain adequate water supply in the township, the tubewells
should be handed back to the council. ‘‘For the past three years,
we have been demanding from the government that water supply should be
handed over to the council, but no step has been taken in this
direction till now,’’ said Mr Kulwant Singh. |
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Chain
fast enters 17th day over PUDA move Mohali, June 2 Members of the Kisan Hit Bachao Committee, the body leading the protest, said their cause had been supported by almost all political leaders of the township and it was high time that the government took a serious note of the matter. The protesters are demanding the cancellation of the notification issued by the government with respect to acquisition of approximately 690 acres of land in five villages. According to the PUDA notification, over 170 acres of land will be acquired in Sohana village, 209 acres in Lakhnaur village, 21 acres in Landran, 124 acres in Bermpur and 162 acres in Manak Majra village. On
May 26, the protesters had performed the ceremonial ‘‘last rites’’
of Housing and Urban Development Minister Raghunath Sahai Puri as an
expression of their anguish over the lackadaisical attitude of the
government towards them. A delegation of the villagers had met Mr
Raghunath Sahai Puri at his residence on Monday. He had assured them
that their interests will be taken care. However, the villagers had
decided to continue their agitation till some concrete steps were
taken. |
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Finding
true self through meditation Panchkula, June 2 According to him, meditation works at a deeper level and changes our attitude towards life. It even cures problems which even a psychiatrist may fail to treat. Swamiji says that Osho laid stress on catharsis which helped in releasing negative emotions buried in the subconscious. In dynamic meditation, catharsis is followed by dance and music sessions. For the elderly there are sitting meditations like nadbrahma, vipassana, tathata and 20 other passive meditations. Dr K.B. Singh, a 70- year- old dental surgeon who was feeling depressed after the death of his only son, found an outlet to release his pain by way of meditation. At Osho Dhara, meditation is not a serious affair. Laughter and celebration and creativity are essential part of healing therapies here. All Osho meditations are scientifically evolved. It is like a meditation that works in every human. Swamiji cited an example of Satnam Singh (25), a resident of Patiala, who was so dejected with his life that he was on the verge of committing suicide. Regular meditation helped him regain balance and develop a positive attitude towards life. Now he is a cycling champion. Spread over an acre, most of the ashram area is covered with greenery. Special thatched huts have been constructed for those who want to undergo deeper healing therapies. Also one can tone up the body in a gymnasium, go for jacuzzi, sauna and steam bath and it is all free of cost. The centre offers something for children too. They are taught mediation in a playful manner through dance and music and are encouraged to connect with nature. For seven-year-old Gautam chasing butterflies in flower-beds was the most enjoyable experience. His mother was astonished to see him sitting silently with eyes closed after a 20-minute intensive dance. Divya
Bansal who is conducting a children’s workshop here says that centre
gives children a space for self-expression in a non-competitive
atmosphere. A Briton, 40-year-old Sidika, who is putting up at the centre says that she was an accountant at Hilton Hotel and used to work 70 hours a week under stressful conditions. She began to feel something was missing.In 1995 she came to Pune Osho Resorts where she became more aware of her complex mind. Earlier she was too much in thought process. She learned reiki, massage and eranio saeral therapy (subtle form of healing using body energy to heal oneself and helping a person to connect with universal energy). She has given up the hotel job and now gives therapy sessions to earn her livehood. Akash
Sood, a marketing executive, says that he had tried reiki, yoga,
pranayam and concentration exercises to cure his depression. These did
not help. “On a friend’s suggestion I took to meditation which
transformed my attitude towards life. It is no longer a business to be
managed. I have now learnt how to be relaxed even in the most trying
situations. |
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SGPC
poll: 50 booths in Mohali constituency Mohali, June 2 Nomination papers were to be filed from June 1 to June 8. As many as 50 booths had been chalked out for the elections till today and there was a possibility that the number would rise as a large number of votes were still under scruting. Out of the 50 booths, 25 were located in Mohali. According
to information gathered from the SDM’s office, there were 37,895
votes for the SGPC elections from the Mohali constituency. Apart from
this, about 3,500 votes from the town which were received till May 31,
were under scrutiny. About 250 votes from Bakarpur, Manauli, Mauli
Baidwan and Sekhanmajra villages had also been received. |
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Of
man-woman relationships Chandigarh, June 2 The
11 stories in this anthology deal with subjects ranging from extra-
marital affairs and other relationships of convenience to woman’s
discovery of self and her new- found consciousness. Often the writer
uses her skill to bare infirmities inherent in male-dominated society,
in which men get attracted to women for purely physical and
superfluous reasons. Finally, all stories, including “Jashan”,
are about the man-woman bond, marriage and its eternal strength.
Jaswal has taken care to end every story on a positive note. —
TNS |
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Seven hurt in road mishap Chandigarh, June 2 While six of the injured were rushed the General Hospital in Sector 16 here, one person was referred to the PGI. According to the police, all seven are employees of Glaxo, SCO 11, Sector 26, Madhya Marg, Chandigarh. The group was travelling to Himachal Pradesh on an assignment. The injured include Jaspal Singh of Parwanoo, Munish Verma of Ambala City, Anil Gupta of New Delhi, Vishal Gupta of Seera Bazar in Himachal Pradesh, Ashish Mishra from Amritsar and Vinay from Bathinda. The person admitted to the PGI is still unidentified, but according to the police he could be the driver of the Qualis. An unconfirmed report said that a couple along with a child travelling in a Santro were also gravely injured in the mishap. They were rushed to a private clinic nearby. |
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Accident
victim dies at PGI Lalru, June 2 According to the police, Lakhbir Singh was riding his bicycle to home after school when a Tata 407 (PB-11U-4863) ran over him, leaving him seriously injured. He was rushed to a private hospital in Ambala. The doctors there referred him to the PGI. After postmortem examination at the Civil Hospital in Rajpura, the body was cremated at his native village. The police registered a case under Sections 279 and 304-A of the Indian Penal Code against the driver of the Tata 407. Property dispute In a clash over property at Rajjapur village, near here, Manjit Kumar alias Sunil Kumar, assaulted his grandfather Madan Lal on Tuesday night. Sunil attacked his grandfather, causing serious injuries on his head. He was admitted to the Civil Hospital, Dera Bassi. Other members of the family gave Sunil sound beating following which he was taken to the same hospital. No case was registered. Group clash The police booked 14 persons, including a woman, belonging to two groups of residents of Shekhpura village near here, for their involvement in a clash over shamlat land on Tuesday night. According to the police, Randhir Singh, Harbans Singh, Mohinder Singh, Amrik Singh, Jasmer Kaur, Charan Singh, Gurdeep Singh, Beant Singh, Rana, Darshan Lal, Raj Kumar, Ashok Kumar, Kulbir Singh and Baljit Singh were booked under Sections 323, 324, 148 and 149 of the Indian Penal Code and cross-cases were registered. Man electrocuted Gurcharan Singh of Kuranwala village on the Dera Bassi-Barwala road, were electrocuted while he was trying to operate a machine at a cardboard manufacturing unit in Kuranwala village on Wednesday afternoon. According to Mr Devi Dyal, brother of the victim, Gurcharan was new to the job and was electrocuted when he tried to operate the machine. He sustained burn injuries on his hands and was admitted to the Civil Hospital, Dera Bassi. Members of Gurcharan’s family complained that the
management of the unit did not turn up to express sympathy with the
victim. |
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Swami Ram Dev’s
yoga camp begins Panchkula, June 2 Interested people from all sections of society started collecting inside a vast pandal put up on the HUDA ground from 3.30 am onwards. The camp that began at 5 am continued till 7.15 am. It was well-attended. Earlier, Mr B.K. Roy, Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, formally inaugurated the camp by lighting a lamp. He also presented a bouquet to the Swami. He also participated in the yoga session. On the first day of the camp today, the Swami asked people to lay emphasis on practising pranayam (breathing exercises which can cure any kind of ailment). He stressed on ‘kapal bhati’ and another kriya ‘anulom and vilom’, a breathing exercise done through the nostrils. A number of bureaucrats from Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh besides politicians and judges and top-level police officers also participated in the camp. In April, a similar camp was held at Ludhiana. It is being held for the first time in Panchkula. Compared to the VIPs, for ordinary people, it was a hard task to get entry to the camp. They had to pay Rs 250 to Rs 500 per ticket for different sections. |
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Auto
thief held, three scooters recovered Chandigarh, June 2 Anil Kumar of Mohalla Krishna Colony was stopped at a picket near Polytechnic College, Sector 26, here last night by Sub-Inspector Satwinder Singh while the former was going on an unnumbered scooter. During investigation, it was found out that the cream-coloured Bajaj Chetak scooter bore the registration number PB 10 A T-9733 and was stolen from Hostel Number 2 of Polytechnic College on May 25. During interrogation, Anil Kumar revealed to the police that he had stolen two more scooters from the city. He helped the police recover these also later. Anil Kumar told the police he used to unlock scooters with master keys before taking them away. He will be produced before a local court for procuring a police remand. The police expects that his arrest can lead to the recovery of more stolen vehicles. Sub-Inspector
Pargat Singh of the Sector 26 police station on a patrol duty today
arrested a Bapu Dham Colony resident, Sanjay, carrying a loaded
countrymade pistol of .315 bore from behind a tubewell near the Police
Lines. He will be produced in a local court tomorrow. |
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Woman
hangs herself, father cries foul Chandigarh, June 2 While the father of the woman alleged that she was murdered, a suicide note, purported to have been written by her, indicates she hanged herself to death. She leaves behind a three-month-old baby. The police has booked her husband under Sections 306 and 34 IPC. Jatinder’s
mother Kamla, however, gave the police the slip. The police is
confirming if the suicide note was written by the victim, Neeta. Neeta’s
father, Mr Raj Kumar, told the police that the writing was not hers. He alleged that Jatinder had been demanding Rs 2 lakh after some months of marriage, saying that he wanted to expand his business. He said his daughter and Jatinder had come to his house in Bapu Dham Colony last night for some time. The matter of Rs 2 lakh came up again. In the morning they were informed that Neeta was serious. They reached the Sector 16 General Hospital where she died. Mr Raj Kumar alleged that his daughter had been strangulated as her neck bore marks. The
police handed over the body to Neeta’s parents after a post-mortem
examination. The findings of the post-mortem are likely to be revealed
later. The suicide note written in a notebook said, she was ending
her life on her own and nobody was responsible for her death. |
|
Two
youths assault former DSP Lalru, June 2 The problem
started when the DSP and his gunman, Constable Harpal Singh, asked the
two youth ,’ Sohan Singh and Gulab Singh, who were riding a
motorcycle (HR-01C-0419), to give them passage on the road at about
5.30 pm. The DSP was on his way to Delhi along with the constable in a
car. Since Mr Brar was in civil dress, the duo could not recognise him and entered into an argument with him and his gunman. The arguments took the shape of a scuffle in which the DSP, the constable and the youths came to blows. A constable deployed at the bus stop reached the scene and found his former boss and a colleague involved in a scuffle. As the youths came to know that one of the occupants of the car was a former DSP, Gulab Singh fled while Sohan Singh was arrested. They were later identified as residents of Chaurmatpur village near Ambala. The
police has registered a case under Sections 353 and 186 of the IPC at
Lalru police station. |
|
House
burgled Mohali, June 2 Mr Khurana came here today and found
his house ransacked. The police was called and it was found that
thieves had entered the house from the rear window. The thieves had
scaled the back boundary wall to gain entrance into the house. |
DC inaugurates
Piaggio dealership Chandigarh, June 2 The office of Matharoo gives an impression that he was connected to VIPs. He had been photographed with two former Presidents of India, two former Governors, former Deputy Prime Minister Lal Krishan Advani and a host of senior Punjab police officers. The society had also sought exemption from income tax, claiming that it was engaged in social work. Matharoo
was unaware, when contacted, if a case had been registered against
him. As soon as he was told so he contacted his lawyers for
anticipatory bail. |
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