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Residents block traffic on national highway
Amarinder govt is anti-Dalit: BJP
Protests against appointment of religious dera’s head
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Lovely Institute students continue strike
Villagers ‘gherao’ police station
Woman commits suicide
‘Headcount of Muslims in armed forces must stop’
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Residents block traffic on national highway
Jalandhar, February 14 The protesters also alleged that the police had misled the aged mother of the victim and misbehaved with her in the police station. They demanded that compensation be given for the treatment of Amrik Singh, and that the “accused” police officer be suspended. The SP (City), Dr Surinder Kumar Kalia, has asked the DSP, Mr Mahinderpal Shauker, to investigate the matter. The SSP, Mr Ishwar Singh, in a statement here has termed the blockade of the traffic as an act by certain “mischievous persons to pressurise the local police”. He termed the protestors’ demand of handcuffing Pritam Singh from the Economic Offences Wing, while he was being produced in the court, as “irrational”. The demand of Rs 50,000 as compensation to the victim was also unjustified, the SSP added in the statement. Meanwhile, after the highway was blocked, senior police officers reached the spot and tried to pacify the protesters. The protesters were assured that the police station number 1 had registered a case against the “accused” police officer under Sections 279, 337, 338, 427 of the IPC. They said Pritam Singh had already been arrested and the scooter involved in the accident had been impounded. Later, the blockade was lifted. |
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Amarinder govt is anti-Dalit: BJP
Jalandhar, February 14 The BJP has also accused the Jalandhar-based Dalit Congress leaders of being “opportunists”. “The CM’s absence at the function was a proof that he is an anti-Dalit leader. Similarly, the cases of increasing number of Dalits dying in police custody are also a pointer towards the fact that the interests of Dalits are not safe in the hands of the Congress. The Dalit Congress leaders of Jalandhar have nothing substantial to apprise the CM of, so far as the ground reality is concerned,” alleged Mr Vijay Sampla, the General Secretary of the BJP, and Mr Rajesh Bagha, the President of the SC, ST Morcha of the Punjab unit of the BJP. The BJP leaders also alleged that out of the total of 12 custodial deaths in the recent past, nine “victims” belonged to the Dalit community. “Not only this, the Punjab Congress Chief, Mr Shamsher Singh Dullo, and Punjab Minister Sadhu Singh Dharamsot meddled in the affairs of Mandi Gobindgarh’s Ravi Dass Dharamshala and displaced the duly-installed president and BJP leader Dharampal from the post of its president. So much so, that a section of the Dalits was not allowed to enter and perform their religious practices at the dharamshala on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Guru Ravi Dass,” alleged Mr Sampla and Mr Bagha. They threatened that the BJP and its SC and ST Morcha would approach the National ST Commission. “We have taken up the matter with the commission, and its Vice-Chairman, Mr Faqir Bhai Vaghela, has promised to visit the state shortly to investigate the cases of atrocities against Dalits,” said Mr Sampla.
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Protests against appointment of religious dera’s head
Kapurthala, February 14 Raising slogans against the administration, the protesters, including Mr Narottam Dev Ratti, Vice-President, State BJP, Mr Hira Lal Dhir, BJP’s District President, and Mr Naresh Pandit, Bajrang Dal’s State Vice-President, alleged that the orders were issued under political pressure. They submitted a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner, giving an “ultimatum” of one week for the cancellation of the orders. They demanded the appointment of Mahant Balbir Nath as the manager of the dera. Mr Samir Kumar assured them that he would look into the case and advised them to go in for an appeal against his orders. The Deputy Commissioner had appointed Mahant Kailash Nath as the manager of the dera on February 2. Baba Balbir Nath has been claiming the position of the dera manager, saying that the former head of the dera, Mahant Brahaspati Nath, who had died in November last year, had nominated him as the new head. Baba Balbir Nath had alleged that Mahant Kailash Nath could not be appointed as the manager of the dera, as he was married as well as a government employee. However, Mahant Kailash Nath had claimed that there was no prohibition on marriage in their sect. Also, he had claimed that Mahant Brahaspati Nath, in his will, had named him as the new head of the dera. The Deputy Commissioner, when contacted, said he had passed the orders in favour of Mahant Kailash Nath under the condition that the latter would resign from his government job.
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Lovely Institute students continue strike
Jalandhar, February 14 The students were joined by members of the Punjab Students’ Union. They raised slogans against the management and alleged that it had adopted a harsh attitude towards their demands. The protesters demanded that there should be transparency in the internal assessment as per the rules laid down by Guru Nanak Dev University. They also demanded that they should not be fined heavily for being late for lectures or falling short of attendance. Mr Karam Singh, a member of the union’s state committee, said he would continue to support the students until their demands were met.
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Villagers ‘gherao’ police station
Jalandhar, February 14 Nitu Rani had allegedly been killed by her
husband, Palwinder Singh, who suspected her of having illicit relations with other men. Palwinder is reported to have confessed that he had killed his wife by drowning her in a river. He had earlier reported to the police that some thieves had killed his wife as they wanted to steal her ornaments. He was arrested by the police under Section 302 of the IPC. After interrogation, he handed over his wife’s jewellery to the police. The people who ‘gheraoed’ the Adampur police station for 40 minutes today, demanded that the girl’s body be handed over to them, as there had been reports in a section of the media that the body had been found, but the police was denying it. The protesters were pacified after the DSP, Mr Rajeshwar Singh, told them that because of heavy flow of water in the river, the body could not be found. The ‘gherao’ was later lifted. |
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Woman commits suicide
Jalandhar, February 14 Sunita, a mother of two sons, was reportedly depressed after the death of her husband, Rajesh Kumar, in a train accident a few weeks ago. Rajesh was employed with a local bank. Sunita hanged herself to death with her ‘dupatta’ in the room, where her eight-year-old son was sleeping. Her older son was sleeping with his grandmother in another room. In the suicide note reportedly left by Sunita, she had written that she was feeling “very lonely” after the death of her husband and that she was taking the extreme step because of loneliness. |
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‘Headcount of Muslims in armed forces must stop’
Phagwara, February 14 Talking to this correspondent here, Jathedar Bhaur, commenting on reports in a section of the media about it, cautioned that such an exercise would create “a sense of insecurity among minorities”, especially the Muslims. “Headcount of Muslims in the armed forces under the garb of preparing a report on the social, economic and educational status of the Muslim community must be stopped forthwith,” he asserted.
— OC |
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