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Devilish Darbara |
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 List
of victims Toffees turn out to be his nemesis
Sant Baba Bhag Singh Institute of Engineering and Technology is NRIs’ gift to village
Eating out
Phagwara bus stand mess creates chaos on GT Road
No fans at Surjit Hockey Tourney
‘I am trying to soak in my success’
From the Schools
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Devilish Darbara
HE remains unrepentant. He is in full control of his ruthless self and can even flash a broad smile. Arrest has not, in any way, made the alleged serial killer, Darbara Singh, remorseful. "I have no remorse for having killed the children of migrant labourers, as they were instrumental in sending me to jail," he says coolly
"I abducted children of migrants, and if any of these girls or boys resisted my attempts, I would slit their throats and simply dump or drown them. I also killed one Punjabi girl by mistake and I am a bit shaken by this. But I had no alternative, as she could have created problems for me. Similarly, I killed all babies to eliminate any possibility of leaving behind a proof," he confesses. What is intriguing is that despite tightened vigil, he was never intercepted at a naka or by any police official, even as he simply walked in and out of the city on his bicycle. "Nobody ever suspected me. I thought I could carry on with my activities. Still, I have no remorse. But at the same time, I think what was done by me was wrong and I promise that I would never do it again," Darbara Singh tells The Tribune. "I don't dread anything. I think they (migrants) did wrong to me. I celebrated almost each of the killings with liquor and good food," he adds. This is in contrast to his other statement about the use of liquor during his crimes; in this statement he had denied that he used liquor at the time of committing crimes. Similarly, no feeling of remorse was visible when he was taken by the police to different sites, where he had dumped bodies of his small and innocent victims. "It (crimes) never shook me from inside. I still think whatever I did was right and it was the demand of the time. I also think that in future I won't do anything like this," says the alleged serial killer.
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Toffees turn out to be his nemesis Toffees, which were used by the alleged baby killer, finally turned out to be his nemesis. This ex-serviceman-turned-serial killer used sweets, samosas and crackers to lure his victims. Darbara Singh, resident of Jallupur Khera village of Amritsar, perhaps did not know while committing crime that one of his own sweet weapons - toffees- would have a bitter taste for him and would lead to his arrest one day. This day came on the morning of October 29, when he was intercepted by a police party led by Sadar SHO Pritam Singh and the CIA In Charge Sub Inspector Nirmal Singh. Darbara Singh was going from Leather Complex to Kapurthala on his bicycle. He could have slipped out of the police dragnet by posing as an ex-serviceman had he not been carrying a bag containing a handful of toffees, which made policemen suspicious. As he was busy answering the questions of the police party, it was his resemblance to the sketch of the baby killer prepared by the Jalandhar police in the last week of October that aroused further suspicion. Darbara Singh had been nurturing a grudge against the migrant labourer community for their "role" in his conviction in 1996 in a triple attempt to murder case in Kapurthala. His modus operandi was to lure his victims using toffees, samosas, sugarcane juice and sweets. Then he would take them to a secluded place. According to investigations, in most cases, he would slit the throat of his victim and subject the bodies to attempt to rape. "I did this so that there would be no shrieks of victims," he says. "Our officers suspected the accused the very first moment they saw him carrying a bag of toffees. Thereafter, an informer recognised him After this, he was put to sustained questioning, which yielded its results. He confessed to everything, despite his appearance of being a hard nut to crack," says Mr Gurpreet Singh Bhullar, SSP and the officer behind the cracking of the crime. Police sources revealed an interesting story. As soon as Darbara Singh was intercepted, he started reeling out everything. "At the very first moment when he was stopped, he told the police party that they had reached the right place. Then he requested police officials not to beat him up, as he was ready to come out with minute details of the crimes committed by him. In fact, what brought success to us was the sustained study of the modus operandi adopted by this psychopath. What alarmed us was the almost similar kind of method used by him against all his victims. However, what baffled us a bit was the recovery of some bodies from different spots," said Mr Bhullar. Though at the first instance Darbara Singh has admitted to have killed 17 of his victims (six of his victims were lucky enough to survive), the actual number of victims could be more, say police sources. "Our suspicion is based on similar abductions in Kapurthala district and recovery of two more mutilated bodies of babies in jungles of Jallupur Khera village of Amritsar district," says an official. "What had made our task difficult was that the baby killer was not running a gang and he had no permanent address. This led to some delay in cracking the crime," said Mr Bhullar.
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'Who’ll bring back our daughter?' LIKE a number of other unsuspecting parents, Maqsood and Najreel, the local Avtaar Nagar-based father and mother of Tazbin, the 10-year-old alleged victim of Darbara Singh, had never thought even in their wildest dreams that they would lose their beloved daughter in a savage way. "We never thought that Tazbin would ever go away from us like this. It is so difficult for us to believe that Tazbin had in fact become a victim of a beast like Darbara Singh," said Maqsood and Nazreel. The intensity of the love of Nazreel and her husband for their daughter was so strong that they could not recognise the body of Tazbin. The body was found lying in a mutilated condition from bushes near Chaheru on the Jalandhar-Phagwara Road in the last week of August. The police had to declare the body as unclaimed and it was accordingly cremated at Phagwara. "We want the killer to be hanged, as he has committed a series of ruthless crimes. What had these children done to him? Why could no police official detect the crimes earlier? These are some questions which come to our mind. We think that except hanging, there can be no other punishment for a beast like Darbara, who killed his unsuspecting victims in a cold-blooded manner," said the husband-wife duo. Their affection for their daughter shows when they say sadly, "Who will bring our daughter back? We are not even left with the photo of our lovely daughter, as we distributed copies of her only picture during the search operation launched to trace her," said Maqsood. The family still remembers the dark day of August 22 when Tazbin, who had gone out to play, went missing. She was allegedly picked up by Darbara, who enticed her by offering her some sweets and an empty bottle. The police investigations have revealed that he lured Tazbin and her sister Mumtaaz by telling them that they could fetch good money by selling the bottle. Both were thereafter made to sit on his bicycle, but Mumtaaz refused to go along with Darbara. After about a week, Tazbin's body was found in bushes at Chaheru village.
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Sant Baba Bhag Singh Institute of Engineering and Technology is NRIs’ gift to village
THE mission of the Sant Baba Bhag Singh Institute of Engineering and Technology at Khayala village, Adampur, is to impart quality technical education to budding engineers, particularly those from the rural areas. The unique thing about the institution is that it has been built with the active participation of Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) and locals. This college at Khayala village in Adampur was set up at a cost of Rs 15 crore. The idea of the college was conceived by Sant Baba Malkiat Singh. Spread over 35 acres of land, this college has carved a niche for itself today. Sant Baba Malkiat Singh, after constructing scores of bridges, roads and health centres in this part of the region, finally entered the field of education, when he started his “Public Self-Improvement Movement”. The college, affiliated to Punjab Technical University (PTU), Jalandhar, offers a variety of degree courses, including those in mechanical engineering, electronics and communication engineering, computer science and engineering and electrical engineering. Besides, it introduced Master of Business Administration (MBA) during the current academic session. According to the institute’s authorities, it has a sustained record of academic excellence in academics and sports. “Our students have been doing consistently well in the university examinations. About hundred students have bagged the first place during January 2004 university examinations. Besides, the college bagged second position in the men’s section of PTU Cross-Country Championship-2004,” Dr. H.S. Sagar, Director of the college, maintained. Three computer labs equipped with the latest versions of computers, fully computerised library having more than 7500 books on different subjects and 40 national and international journals, audio-visual teaching aids — all are used to ensure effective learning among the students. Elaborating further about the priorities of the college, Dr Sagar maintains, “We are shortly going to issue “smart cards” to every student to provide them with the latest information about their attendance as well academic records. Besides, we have decided to provide all relevant data about students on our official website, which can be accessed by parents or guardians of the students to keep a tab on their attendance and academic performance.” The college has set up a placement and training cell. The cell, headed by Mr Surjit Singh, former president of Oswal Fertilisers and Sugars Limited, co-ordinates with national and multinational companies to give students access to the changing technologies in industries. “We regularly hold seminars and workshops. Renowned personalities of the industrial sectors share their experiences with the students,” say the college authorities, adding that the students have recently visited National fertilizers Limited, Nangal, Guru Nanak Autos, Mehtiana, International Tractors Limited, an Indo-French project, Hoshiarpur and JCT Fibres Limited, Hoshiarpur. Baba Malkiat Singh reveals that the NRIs have contributed overwhelmingly for setting up this engineering college since they want to return “something” to their land. “The society can only be transformed through better educational facilities and I personally feel that religious leaders should come forward to accomplish this daunting task,” maintains Baba, adding, “We extend the facility of fee exemption to bright students belonging to poor families. Some needy students have also been given books, study material and free-of-cost meals.”
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Eating out Deepkamal Kaur Tribune News Service
The cosy restaurant has a good ambience. In fact, the ambience is just the right for teenyboppers, young couples and office-goers. The tinted glass doors and windows of the restaurant provide a secluded place to all those mindful of their privacy. The sleek wrought iron chairs add to the charm of the ambience. Even the nomenclature of eatables listed in the menu card of the restaurant is suggestive of the fact that the restaurant targets youngsters. Vegetable burgers have been named as “Naughty boy” and “Spicy girl”, while chicken burgers include “Queen jumbled burgers” and “King jumbled burgers”. Besides, there are a variety of paneer, masala, mushroom, fish and red meat burgers to choose from. All this is available at affordable prices ranging from Rs 35 to Rs 80. It is not just the pastas and the burgers that are in the “most wanted” list of the restaurant. Mexican and chili chicken pizzas are also much in demand. The Chinese food includes chopsey, fried rice, noodles, shredded lamb and chicken Singapori. The Indian vegetarian platter includes the usual food, including dal makhani, cheese tomato mixed vegetable served with naan or roti, while the non-vegetarian Indian platter has hot, tandoori items, including chicken seekhs, tikkas and gravy items. Yet another list of mouth-watering dishes includes barbecue items like tandoori chicken and spring rolls. There is an exclusive corner offering pickles made out of non-vegetarian items like chicken, fish and mutton. Frozen food like seekhs, shammi kababs, pork, hams, salamis are also available in raw as well as cooked forms. Not just that. There are grilled sandwiches too in both vegetarian and non-vegetarian sections. There is also a nice range of kathi rolls, soups and salads to choose from. Cutlets and other fried items are also delicious delights, especially in evening hours. And there are mini-meals to choose from. These include Indian as well as Chinese foods, seafood and sizzlers. For those who have a sweet tooth, there are ice creams, sundaes and shakes available in chocolate, cherry, pineapple, strawberry, lime and orange flavours. The only effort that the visitors here have to make is to get on their own the food from the counter, as the restaurant follows the “self-service” funda. But there is also an easier way out for those who believe in relaxing at home and enjoying the food in the comfort of their dining rooms. The restaurant offers free home delivery to the residents of the city. So, if you don’t feel like driving out to the restaurant, order the food over telephone and enjoy it at your place!
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Phagwara bus stand mess creates chaos on GT Road
PHAGWARA is a city of traffic snarls and its bus stand is the worst affected. The GT Road stretch of about 16 km passing through the Phagwara block area from Mauli village to Khajurala village is among the most accident prone areas. It has the notoriety of being the killer road. Almost one accidental death takes place on this stretch every alternative day, if not daily. The National Highway No 1 between Jalandar-Phagwara-Ludhiana is one of the busiest roads in the country. But the bus stand situated on the GT Road is a picture of mess. It is so ramshackle from inside that even a cowshed would be better. Perhaps this is why people prefer to wait for buses outside the bus stand on the GT Road. But this creates traffic bottlenecks on the road. "Private transport buses line up on the GT Road. They vie with one another to get the maximum numbers of passengers. Rickshaw pullers fill up the remaining space. This causes inconvenience to public, especially pedestrians, school-going children and senior citizens. These snarls sometimes lead to brawls also," says Mr Pritam Singh, a resident of Phagwara. There are allegations about a nexus between traffic police and private transporters. People allege that private transporters grease the palms of the cops. It is also alleged that without-permit buses have to cough out more as compared to those plying with permits. And this "rate of bribing" is allegedly fixed per "round". "This is the reason why the cops either look the other way while these buses keep standing on the GT Road or they just peck the sides of these buses with their hands or a twig to show public that they are doing their duty," alleges a commuter. A visit to the area revealed that these buses kept moving an inch forward and an inch backward to show to waiting passengers that they were ready to leave. But actually, they remained there for quite some time. A traffic hazard is also created by the unauthorised halts of buses near the traffic lights chowks. The traffic lights, too, are not properly synchronised. Sometimes, the red light goes off only to be on again, baffling the drivers. This has many a time led to mishaps also. The get-ready orange light is either missing or not visible due to dusty layers on it. The Gol Chowk has become a haven for hoardings. The display of these hoardings on the National Highway is a clear violation of the ruling of the Punjab and Haryana High Court. Hargobindnagar Chowk is also a traffic hazard. The Mehtan-Mehli Phagwara Bypass has lost the spirit behind it, as vehicles going towards or coming from Jalandhar have to take a u-turn from the Mehtan T-junction and suffer a detour of at least 4 km. The inordinate delay in the construction of railway over bridge on Satnampura railway crossing has created difficulties for residents of Satnampura, Hadiabad and dozens of other villages. The diversion of the traffic via Santokhpura railway crossing has its own problems. The barrier mostly remains closed and the vehicular traffic queues up for almost a km. The Santokhpura Road is just a narrow meandering alley that leads to crowded localities. As many as four persons died sometime back when they were caught between the railway barrier and the track, and a train passed over them. Kapurthala SSP, Mr S.K. Asthana, however, denied the allegations about cops-transporters nexus. "The traffic on the GT Road, Phagwara, is regulated in the best possible manner," he claimed. However, he added, that the service lanes had been encroached upon and the Municipal Committee was not showing political will to remove these. He also claimed that the maintenance of traffic lights and the removal of hoardings was not within the purview of their department.
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No fans at Surjit Hockey Tourney
GUESS who comes to the Olympian Surjit Hockey Stadium here to view the 21st edition of Surjit Hockey Tournament-2004, where ace players of the game, including Dhanraj Pillay, Baljit Dhillon, Deepak Thakur, Prabhjot Singh, Bimal Lakra, Jugraj Singh and Gaganajit Singh, are all participating in the ongoing event? Answer: media persons, sponsors, a few hockey trainees, select guests and the organisers. The stands of the stadium have virtually remained empty throughout the week, even as these international players displayed impressive techniques during the well-contested matches of the tournament. The organisers, however, ensured a good gathering on the first formal opening day in an arrangement with the District Education Officer, who probably directed the principals of various government schools here to send their students to fill the stands. The students, too, enjoyed their day out. This "directed filling of the stands" is likely to be repeated during the closing ceremony scheduled for Saturday. The players rued that the organisers had not given enough publicity to the tournament to ensure good gathering to cheer them up during the matches. They alleged that the organisers had, on the contrary, ensured publicity for the chief guests and the dignitaries attending the programme. "Everyone in the city knows that Mr Surinder Singla, Finance Minister, and Rana Gurmeet Sodhi, Chief Parliamentary Secretary, will be present for the closing ceremony, but there has been no public announcement of the fact that hockey players of such high calibre had come here to play matches", said a disillusioned player from a Punjab team, requesting anonymity. Interestingly, there were relatively more people to view two matches of the Pakistani team represented by Shadman Hockey Club on Wednesday. Some international players from Delhi, on the condition of anonymity, said that this was probably due to the kind of publicity that the organisers had been creating. The players also alleged that the only formality that the organisers had completed in the honour of Olympian Surjit was to garland his poster hanging in rhombus shape in the stands of the stadium. They claimed that even though an invite had been sent to his wife, Ms Chanchal Surjit Randhawa, working as Joint Director in the Sports Department, she was most likely to avoid visiting the place. This proved correct as Ms Randhawa, when contacted, said she was busy with arrangements of an Indo-Pak tournament being held at Patiala and it would be difficult for her to attend the closing ceremony. Mr G.S. Randhawa, District Sports Officer, said that he had sent an invitation to the family members of the Olympian Surjit, but their visit was not confirmed. Regarding the empty stands in the stadium, he said that the sports committee had been making all efforts to publicise the tournament through varied means and that they could not be blamed for it. The DSO added that parents were more interested in sending their wards to dance parties, cricket and other cultural activities instead of encouraging them to play or view games in the grounds here. He said that parents themselves pretended to be too busy to take their kids along for such matches, even if their wards showed some interest.
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Hailing from a family of professional and amateur wrestlers, Jagjit Singh grew up watching his father and grandfather play wrestling bouts. His interest in bodybuilding was the culmination of his passion for fitness and his desire to be like his father and grandfather. “I worked hard on my physique and endurance power. Four hours of regular and sustained practice daily helped me a lot,” explains this body builder, who is working as a head constable at the PAP Sports Centre. He hastens to add that he is very particular about his diet. “I have to keep my carbohydrate and protein intake at its optimum, so that I am able to maintain the muscle tone.” His winning spree started from 2001, when he was a student of Lyallpur Khalsa College here. Mr Jalandhar, Mr Punjab, Mr North India — titles rested easily on him. His tall (almost towering), brawny physique helped him bag a few modelling assignments too. In fact, modelling almost rivals his interest in bodybuilding. “I can’t pursue these two together. Lean look is in these days. I’ll have to lose some muscle to be a model. May be I’ll take a break from bodybuilding to try my luck in modelling at Mumbai,” he tells us. He says he is well aware that body building is not a glamourous sport like cricket. There are hardly any sponsorships, and the media attention, too, is scant, he rues. However, this has not put him off. Rather this has spurred him to excel his own self. “People may think that body building came naturally to me because of my physique. But this is wrong. In fact, my height, all 6 feet and two-and-a-half inches, was not exactly a blessing. It’s a known fact that taller men have to work out more to develop their muscles. But I did not let this discourage me. I just worked on my muscles, putting my heart and soul into it, and it paid off,” he says, a smile sweeping across his face. |
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From the Schools
AN inter-school volleyball tournament organised by the Sahodaya cluster of schools affiliated with the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) concluded at Guru Amar Das Public School on Saturday.
The closing ceremony was marked by impressive march past by various teams accompanied by school band. Fluttering of colourful flags of different schools and smiles on the faces of victorious players presented a festive scene. In the boys' section, Apeejay School of Jalandhar lifted the trophy by defeating Guru Amar Dass Public School in the finals by a set of 18-25, 25-15, 25-20 and 25-16. In the hard line match, Police DAV Public School and Swani Sant Dass Public School retained third and fourth positions, respectively, by a set of 25-14 and 25-16. In the girls' category, Army Public School staked its claim on the trophy by beating BSF Senior Secondary School. It retained third position by relegating Guru Amar Dass Public School to the fourth position by scoring 25-13, 25-20. Mr Tarlochan Singh, Principal, thanked the coaches of various schools and participating teams. Mr Ratnesh Singh Sodhi, President, gave away medals and certificates to the winners. Talent hunt show
As a part of the talent hunt show, a fancy dress competition, dance and singing contests were held at Euro Kids Montessori on Wednesday. Students came dressed up like bride and groom, police officer and radish. Many of them chose to mimic various popular singers and actors like Daler Mehndi, Jazzy B, Hrithik Roshan and Shah Rukh Khan. In fancy dress, Vansh Jain, Saras Chopra and Aryan Mehra were declared the first, the second and the third, respectively, in group A. In group B, Parmeshwar Singh, Dhananjay Dada and Saksham Mehta were selected as the top three winners. In dance contest, Prakshi, Nalin Karan, Vansh Jain and Aryan Mehra were declared the winners of group A. In group B, Parmeshwar Singh, Ribhav Chopra and, Madhav and Janhvi were declared the first, the second and the third, respectively. In singing / poetry recitation contest, Aryan Mehra, Simran Thind, Vansh Jain and Gursharan Singh were declared the top four winners. In group B, Yukta Kalra, Simran Nagpal, Ribhav Chopra and Saksham Mehta were declared the first, the second, the third and the fourth, respectively. Ms Mouna Prehar, Chief Operating Officer, gave prizes to the winners. Basketball
tournament
MGN Public School dashed all hopes of Springdale, Amritsar, to win, as they moved on to win the final basketball boys' match in the CBSE inter-school North Zone Basketball Tournament organised at the school premises on Saturday. The host team won the match by scoring 66 points against 53. Satbir Singh of MGN Public School was adjudged the player of the tournament. The team from RSP Karnal bagged the third position defeating Police DAV School, Amritsar, with a score of 75-50. In the girls' section, Shah Satnamji Girls' School, Sirsa, defeated Apeejay School, Jalandhar, by scoring 54-19. Passions ruled the field, as the host team lost to Modern Vidya Niketan, Faridabad, with a score of 41-18. Pooja of Shah Satnamji School was adjudged the best player of the tournament. The chief guest, Mr P.I. Sabu, Regional Officer of the CBSE, gave away prizes to the winning teams and praised them for their commendable performance. The show ended with aerobics performed by the girls of MGN Public School. Karva Chauth
celebrations
To mark the occasion of Karva Chauth, a mehndi competition was organised for the primary section girls of Apeejay School on Saturday. The girls applied mehndi on the hands of their mothers and grandmothers, who were invited to attend the contest. The students applied varied patterns from traditional as well as Arabic colours of henna. The mothers and the grandmothers said that they enjoyed the programme. Ms Ranjana Sud, Principal, and Ms Usha Malhotra, Headmistress, were also present on the occasion. Mehndi contest
On the eve of Karva Chauth, an inter-house mehndi competition was organised at Police DAV Public School on Saturday. There were four participants from each house from IX to XII classes. Students participated enthusiastically, displaying traditional designs, geometrical designs and Arabian mehndi on their hands. Ms Savita and Ms Pooja, both teachers, announced the winners. The first position was bagged by Manpreet from the Venus House and Amandeep from the Mercury House. Pragati from the Neptune House bagged the second position. The third place was jointly shared by Gagandeep from the Venus House and Amrita from the Jupiter House. Consolation prize went to Arushi and Harpreet Kaur. Ms Rashmi Vij, Principal, lauded the efforts of the students. Vigilance
awareness week
The vigilance awareness week began at Lawrence International Public School on Tuesday. On the first day, a declamation contest on the topic "Corruption is anti-national, anti-poor and anti-economic growth and development" was held. On the second day, a caption contest and a painting competition were held, in which hundreds of students from various classes participated. Mr G.S. Bajwa, Principal, gave away prizes to the winners. Annual function
The management, the staff and the students of Sanskriti KMV School celebrated its second annual function on Monday. Brig P.K. Bhuyan, Commandant Military Hospital, was the chief guest on the occasion. The function was presided over by Mr Chander Mohan, President, Arya Shiksha Mandal. The theme taken up for the evening was "Saving the environment". The programme began with the recitation of Gayatri mantra by the school choir. Students from pre-nursery to IV class participated in the programme. The school orchestra played "Rhythm of hope". The little ones were dressed up like animals. Their message was "Live and let live". The issue of water crisis was taken up on the occasion. Ishita of I class and her group presented the slogan "Save the earth and save the world". Ms Usha Pandey, Principal, summarised the achievements of the students in the year 2003-04 in a report read out by her. The programme was anchored by Ms Vandana Gupta and Ms Sonika Chopra, both teachers. |
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Remorseless
YEARINING for a spicy burger and some pasta with a variety of creamy sauces as toppings! You need not search around much, for you can get these at Vimpi’s — a restaurant located just close to BMC Chowk here. Vimpi’s has a variety of vegetarian and non-vegetarian burgers, pastas, grilled sandwiches, pizzas and Chinese as well as Indian meals to offer.
IT may have been his first exposure to competition in an international arena, yet 21-year-old Jagjit Singh bagged Mr Asia Body Building Championship at Bangkok. But he’s still keeping his fingers crossed. Already, his mind is focused on 2006 Qatar Asian Games. “I am trying to soak in my success. I don’t want to get carried away by it. Once the first flush of success wears off, you realise you have spent too much time celebrating it,” he says, maturity glistening in his voice.