Jalandhar, December 6
The Sadar police on Monday evening arrested a person along with his “second” wife and his parents after his first wife accused him of getting married illegally without seeking a divorce from her.

The family of his first wife alleged that the accused, Satpal Singh, a resident of Gagredh in Himachal Pradesh, had even got married for a third time.

The arrests were made under Sections 406, 498 A, 494 of the IPC. The case was registered on October 8.

Those arrested were Satpal Singh, his father, Jaswant Singh, his mother, Tej Kaur, and his “second” wife, Anil Kumari. They were arrested from their residence in Gagredh.

The accused have been remanded to judicial custody till December 20 by the district court.

The family of the first wife of the accused, Harjit Kaur, a resident of Hazara village, said she was married to Satpal Singh in 1990 and also had a son from the marriage. Her father, Hardev Singh, alleged that his daughter was continuously harassed by her in-laws and her husband for dowry.

Satpal also demanded that his in-laws get him a petrol pump or a gas agency or gave the plot of land owned by them for construction of house for him, alleged Hardev Singh.

He claimed that Satpal’s petition for divorce from his daughter had been turned down twice by the court in Himachal Pradesh and despite this Satpal allegedly got married to Anil Kumari in June last year.

The family further alleged that Anil Kumari had begun living with Satpal’s father and that Satpal had even got married to a third girl belonging to Hoshiarpur.

However, the father of the accused, Jaswant Singh, claimed that the girl Anil Kumari was his friend’s daughter and was living with them to nurse them.

Jalandhar, December 6
With the arrest of four persons, the police today claimed to have solved a recent robbery case of New Kalgidhar Avenue area.

The robbery in the house of Sarbjit Kaur, a resident of New Kalgidhar Avenue, on December 2, was the handiwork of a person known to the family, according to the police.

Those arrested have been identified as Kuldeep Singh, a resident of Urban Estate Phase I, Daljit Singh, a resident of Deewali, Daljit Singh, alias Pappu, a resident of Shaheed Udham Singh Nagar, Amritsar, Parminder Singh, a resident of Adampur. Randhir Singh, alias Dheera, is still absconding, the police said.

The accused had tied up two children and woman Sarbjit Kaur inside the house and looted Rs 50,000 in cash and gold jewellery. The police had registered a case under Sections 452, 394, 342, 506 of the IPC.

According to the SSP, Mr Ishwar Singh, the police caught the accused at a naka near Mithapur chungi last night.

When the accused travelling in a car came near the naka, the police asked them to stop.

On interrogation, one of the accused, Parminder Singh, confessed that he had come into contact with the victim and her family a year back when he, as an agent of a bank, began visiting her for getting an insurance policy.

The accused has allegedly confessed that the plan was hatched as the husband of Sarbjit Kaur had gone to America and she was living alone with her children.

He said that on the day of the robbery he had gone to the house to get some papers signed from Sarbjit and seeing that there was no adult member in the house he had called his friends over to conduct the robbery.

The accused also confessed that they intimidated the children and got the keys of the almirahs and later locked them inside a room.

The SSP said the valuables looted from the house had also been recovered. 

Jalandhar, December 6
In protest against the desecration of temple idols in Bathinda and Goindwal Sahib last week, religious organisations today took out a protest rally here. The protesters also burnt an effigy of the state government at Milap Chowk.

They also submitted a memorandum to the Governor through the Deputy Commissioner on the issue.

The march was taken out as per a decision of the Devi Talab Temple Administrative Committee. 

Jalandhar, December 6
The state unit of the Bahujan Samaj Party observed the death anniversary of Dr B.R. Ambedkar at the Ambedkar Park here today.

Members of the BSP from all over the state took part in the function.

Paying tributes to the national leader, Mr Narinder Kashyap, the party’s national general secretary, said that Dr Ambedkar had devoted all his life to the rehabilitation of the poor and the Dalits.

In another function at Nakodar Chowk to mark the day, Punjab’s Minister for Local Bodies, Labour, Employment and Parliamentary Affairs Chaudhary Jagjit Singh said, “ Dr B.R. Ambedkar was a great freedom fighter.” —TNS