Jalandhar, January 3
For 15 years, the trauma of the murder of Sukhbir Singh’s mother, Harbans Kaur, refused to leave the mind of the then 30-year-old Sukhbir. In the year 1990, two persons had murdered his mother after committing robbery at their house, the Senior Superintendent of Police, Mr Ishwar Singh, said at a press conference held here today.

Later, the murdered woman’s son, Sukhbir Singh, became a “pathi” (a reader of the Sikh scriptures) and settled in the United Kingdom.

After 15 years, Sukhbir, according to the police, murdered the “murderer” of his mother. The body of the victim was found from the Kangniwal Bein (rivulet) in Nurmahal.

The SSP, revealing the mystery shrouding the body found from the rivulet in Nurmahal on December 29, said the case was solved with the arrest of Sukhbir Singh, an NRI.

The police had registered a case based on the complaint of the wife of the deceased, Joginder Singh.

The deceased had worked as a freelance agent in the district courts. He also used to construct wells. He was hired by Sukhbir Singh for Rs 9,000 a month. Joginder, rising to the bait, had accompanied Sukhbir, who said that he was going to establish a plant alongside the Kangniwal Bein and wanted a sample of the soil from a depth of 30 feet, and for that purpose a well was required to be dug up.

Joginder Singh, however, did not return till December 15. The case was registered on December 29.

Meanwhile, it was found that Sukhbir Singh, who was untraceable, had given a wrong phone number. The work on the pit was found to have been finished by December 15, but Joginder Singh had still not returned.

Joginder’s body was found from the pit in a highly decomposed state, said the SSP. The postmortem revealed that the body bore injury marks on the head. It also revealed that the deceased had been strangulated to death.

SHO, Goraya, Mr Satinder Kumar, and DSP, Phillaur, Mr Gursharandeep Singh Grewal, found that the deceased had a criminal past and there were six cases, including two murder cases, registered against him.

Sukhbir Singh, however, claimed that the police was associating him with the murder because the victim had killed his mother 15 years back. He said the statement given by him to the police was personal.

The SSP said there was evidence that Joginder and his accomplice had killed Harbans Kaur, the mother of the accused Sukhbir Singh, on November 26, 1990, but both had been acquitted by the court on May 24, 1993.

Sukhbir Singh, who was a “pathi”, Amritdhari Sikh and writer, had come to India and had changed his appearance to a clean-shaven man. He had settled his family in England before committing the crime, the SSP said.

Phagwara, January 3
A teenager had to pay with his life for the passions of his father.

According to the police, 19-year-old Parampreet Singh alias Sukha was brutally done to done by a granthi after luring him into a trap in order to teach Sukha’s father a lesson for having an eye on his wife.

Sukha, the police said, was battered and then his throat was slit allegedly by the granthi who was incensed with Sukha’s father, Surinder Singh, 42, for trying to lure his young wife into a relationship. The granthi is physically challenged.

Sukha, a resident of Mansa Devi Nagar here, had been reported missing since December 22. Talking to newsmen here, police officials said granthi Paramjit Singh alias Pamma and Surinder Singh were friends and used to do ‘paths’ together. Pamma told the police that Surinder owed him money and also had ‘bad intentions’ on his wife. He allegedly wanted to avenge Surinder’s ‘misdeeds’ by  destroying his family.

He first wanted to kill Surinder but later changed his target when he came to know that Sukha had a one-sided love affair with a girl and wanted to marry her by hook or by crook. Sukha had even given Rs 500 to a ‘tantrik’, Gujjar Musalman, for getting a talisman (taveez) for influencing the girl.

On December 22, Pamma allegedly made a telephone call to Sukha and asked him to meet him. Sukha left his father’s kariana shop on Kotrani Road on his cycle telling his father that he was going to see “Pamma uncle”. Pamma had promised Sukha that he would arrange a meeting with his beloved.

He then took Sukha to an unoccupied room in a desolate place near Bhullarai village distributary near Phagwara byepass. When the unsuspecting Sukha entered in the dark room in the night of December 22, Pamma hit him with a brick. He then slit his throat.

After making sure that Sukha was dead, Pamma returned home and destroyed his blood-stained clothes, the police said. Sukha’s body was recovered at the instance of Pamma who took the police to the site where he had hidden the body.

Jalandhar/ Phagwara, January 3
Hundreds of devotees from the city participated in a nagar kirtan taken out here today jointly by the managements of Central Town Gurdwara and Gurdwara Singh Sabha, Adda Hoshiarpur, to mark the birth anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh.

The procession started from Central Town Gurdwara and proceeded towards the important roundabouts and bazaars, including Phagwara Gate, Bhagat Singh Chowk, Mai Hiran Gate, Patel Chowk, Sabzi Mandi, Central Jail Road and Rainak Bazaar. The procession finally converged at Central Town Gurdwara. The areas through which the procession passed were decorated with buntings.

The procession had kirtan jathas, school and college students riding in scores of trolleys. They chanted hymns from gurbani and raised jaikaras all along. A band party accompanied the procession. Youngsters demonstrated their feat in gatka playing. The Five Beloved, Panj pyaras, led the palanquin that carried Guru Granth Sahib. Devotees organised stalls of langar and welcomed the procession in their areas.

Meanwhile, a nagar kirtan was taken out at Phagwara this evening. It started from Singh Sabha Gurdwara, Model Town, and passed through tastefully decorated bazaars. It concluded at Singh Sabha Gurdwara. Gatka parties and bands accompanied the procession. 

Jalandhar, January 3
After gracing the release of a music video here in which he himself has acted, cricketer Harbhajan Singh today said the game remained his chief passion and being part of videos and other activities were secondary.

“Bhajji,” as he is popularly known in his home pitch here, is nowadays filling TV screens with a musical performance in a music video of a song from “Gori”— an album of his “old” friend Teji Sandhu. Today, the album was released for the distant markets of Canada, US and the UK markets.

Also part of the colourful video are Teji Sandhu, the singer, and Shweta, best remembered for sharing space with Aishwarya Rai in a commercial.

“I have appeared in the video for promoting my friend, Teji Sandhu, and have no plans to take up acting as a career. I am not a good actor. But it’s a different matter that I am a good bathroom singer,” said the leg-break specialist on the pitch.

Talking about the Indian team’s forthcoming tour to Pakistan, Harbhajan said it was important for him. “I wish that we come victorious from our tour. Then we will do bhangra on songs rendered by Teji.”

Most of lyrics of the album have been penned by well-known Punjabi comedian Gurpreet Ghuggi, who was present here along with another comedian Balwinder Vicky. 

Jalandhar, January 3
Ms Sushma Berlia has been appointed the chairperson of the Dr Ambedkar National Institute of Technology (NIT), it has been learnt. She is replacing the outgoing chairman, Mr Hari Gautam.

The former chairman of the University Grants Commission and chairman of NIT Board of Governors, Mr Gautam, had resigned on Dec 26.

Director, NIT, Prof Moinuddin, said Mr Gautam had submitted his resignation that had been accepted by the Ministry of Human Resource Development. A fax in that concern had been received by Prof Moinuddin. The resignation is said to be another repercussion of the Amit Gangwar suicide case. 

Phagwara, January 3
Phagwara Block Samiti member and senior Congress leader, who was also working as a travel agent has been arrested on charges of duping a villager of Rs 4.5 lakh on the pretext of sending him abroad.

The arrest had been made under Sections 420 (cheating), 406 (breach of trust) of the IPC and Section 24 of the Immigration Act, after a complaint lodged with the police, sources said.

In the complaint, it was alleged that Hukam Singh, from nearby Mehtan village, had demanded Rs 11 lakh from one Nirmal Chand from Athouli village for sending him abroad.

The villager gave Rs 4.5 lakh and his passport to the Block Samiti member in November 2001, the complainant Om Lal, the villager’s brother, alleged.

However, Nirmal Chand was neither sent abroad nor his money or passport was returned to him, Om Lal alleged.

The villager was threatened with dire consequences when he demanded his money back from Hukam Singh, he further alleged.

The local Sadar police booked the travel agent on the directions of the SSP, Kapurthala, Mr Rajiv Ahir, and subsequently arrested him last night.

Phagwara, January 3
Around 200 patients suffering from various eye problems were examined free of cost at an Eye Camp organised by the local Lions Club (Royal).

Medicines were also given free to the patients, a press release issued here said today.

Meanwhile, at another free medical check-up camp, 135 patients were checked and given medicines.

The camp was organised by the International Council and the Youth Brahamin Sabha at Parshu Ram Mandir at nearby Khati Dham village. — OC