R E G I O N A L   B R I E F S

PUNJAB

ABOHAR
Booked for murder: A case under Section 302, IPC, has been registered at Sardulshehar police station in connection with alleged killing of a daily-wage workers, official sources said on Sunday. According to information, Jassa Singh (22), a resident of Jalalabad West, had reportedly accompanied a financer of the same town on Friday to a marriage at Sardulshehar. The widowed mother received information on Saturday that Jassa Singh had died of drowning in a canal there and body was found in the morning. But on Sunday some relatives found that water in the sub-canal was just 3 ft deep. The financer along with two unidentified persons had been booked, SHO Ved Parkash Sharma said.

5 arrested: The CIA staff has nabbed five members of a gang considered responsible for committing thefts in kinnow fruit orchards in the region. SSP Arpit Shukla said on Sunday that Mr Dev Raj, owner of an orchard, and contractor Gopi Ram informed the police that certain persons had sped away in a Canter loaded with kinnow fruits. The CIA staff here succeeded in nabbing Kulwant Singh, Rajinder Singh, Vikram, Minder Singh and Pawan Kumar along with the vehicle.

TARN TARAN
Annual function: The annual function of Akal Purakh Ki Fauj (APKF) Public School, Vain Poin, 12 km from here, was organised on Sunday. Mr Varinder Singh Bajwa, member of the Rajya Sabha, was the chief guest, who in his address declared to give a grant of Rs 5 lakh from the MP LAD fund. Besides Prof Manjit Singh, former Akal Takht chief, Mr Manjit Singh MLA Khadoor Sahib, Mr Alwinder Pal Singh Pakhoke, former president of the SGPC, and other personalities were also present on the occasion.

PATIALA
‘Pehchan 2006’: The North Zone Cultural Centre, in collaboration with Navjivini School of Special Education, will organise a cultural three-day workshop-"Pehchan-2006"-which begins on December 19, at Amar Ashram in Patiala. About 300 ‘special’ children are expected to participate.

PLAY STAGED: In honour of the First Lady of the state, Ms Jean Rodrigues, the Drama Department, Punjabi University, Patiala, today staged a play “Dharti Rudan Kare” at Kala Bhavan. The play highlighted the menace of drug addiction in Punjab. Ms Rodrigues said the university had been making efforts to fight social evils in a unique way.

Office-bearers: The following have been elected members of the Northern Railwaymen's Union (Patiala branch), Ambala Division: president-Mr Harjit Singh; vice-presidents-Mr Khemi Lal and Mr Gurpreet Singh; branch secretary-Mr Ajit Singh Cheema; assistant secretary-Mr Ram Chander, and treasurer-Mr Sandeep Kaur.