Phagwara, January 5
A major fire broke out at a godown of steel industry-cum-residence located near the Satnampura locality around noon here on Saturday.

It took over three hours for five fire tenders to extinguish the fire, which according to initial estimate caused a loss of over Rs 20 lakh, including damage to the multi-storeyed building and gutting of the material lying in the factory.

According to information, the fire broke out at around noon when Gurpreet Singh, owner of Preet Steel Industries, went to pay obeisance at a local gurdwara.

The godown is situated on the ground floor and Gurpreet and his family are residing in the upper part of the building.

A worker of the factory was first to notice the fire. He saw a mattress burning and raised an alarm. Following which, the owner’s wife, mother and children ran out of their house.The police and fire department officials were informed.

Soon the fire fighters reached the spot. The fire was so major that all three fire tenders from Phagwara fire station, besides two engines from Jalandhar fire station were pressed into service.

Satnamapura SHO P.S. Randhawa, PCR in charge Niranjan Singh and tehsildar Amanpal Singh reached the spot. 

Amritsar, January 5
Declining the claims of an NRI, Harbans Singh, who in a faxed complaint to the Chief Minister, DIG, border range, and Human Rights Commission had said that some influential persons had grabbed his house, senior superintendent of police Iqbal Singh today clarified that the allegations were an attempt to save his skin from legal action. 

The NRI’s daughter-in-law Harpreet Kaur had held a press conference in this regard yesterday.

The SSP said Harbans Singh was not an NRI as he was claiming. He said he was a fake travel agent and had been hiding in Portugal for the past five months. He claimed that during investigation, the police team found many complaints against him regarding duping many villagers of money on the pretext of sending them abroad.

Harpreet Kaur in a press conference here yesterday had alleged that Gurdeep Singh and his son Fatah Singh of Sargarha village, Balkar Singh, Paramjit Singh, Massa Singh, sarpanch of Nurpur Padri village, belonging to SAD, and several unidentified persons had forcible took possession of their house in Chogawan village. She had alleged that the accused were well connected and backed by the ruling party. Harbans Singh and his two sons, including Gurpreet Singh (husband of Harpreet), had been residing in Germany for the past several years, she said.

She had alleged that the SHO of the police station concerned had close relations with the opposite group and was not taking action against the accused. She alleged that the accused were having some money dispute with her brother-in-law Jagjit Singh, who had been disowned by the family.Iqbal Singh said Harbans had taken Rs 12 lakh for sending Paramjit Singh to Germany. However, his third son Jagjit Singh took him to Malaysia from where he disappeared leaving Paramjit there. He said Paramjit somehow returned. He said Harbans disinherited Jagjit only to save himself from the police.

He said Harbans agreed to return money with the involvement of some respectable persons of the village and gave the possession of his house to them in their presence in June, 2007.He said Jagjit Singh was already wanted in a fraud case of selling a vehicle after forging documents, while a brother of Harbans was caught. 

Hoshiarpur, January 5
Palwinder Singh, alias Ladoo, a resident of Ajnoha village, received bullet injury in his chest when some unidentified persons, opened fire at him when he was standing in front of his grocery shop in the village on Friday night. 

Police has booked three persons in the case. Police has registered a case under sections 307 and 120 B of the IPC and sections 25, 54 and 59 of the Arms Act.

The accused include mother-in-law and brother-in-law of the victim’s sister Rajwinder Kaur. Helping his sister in a property dispute with her in laws family is said to be the reason behind the attack.

Palwinder Singh was immediately admitted to a private hospital at Phagwara from where he was referred to DMC, Ludhaina. His condition is stated to be stable.

According to the police, at least five persons came in a black colour car before Palwinder Singh’s shop at about 8:30 pm last night. One of the occupants of the car fired at Palwinder from a pistol before speeding away.

The victim said the assailants were supari killers allegedly hired by his elder sister, Rajwinder Kaur’s brother-in-law, Amarjit Singh, alias Sweety, and mother-in-law, Rajinder Kaur, wife of Balbir Singh, residents of Sarabha Nagar, Phagwara and Ranbir Singh, alias Rana, a resident of Mangatpur, Phagwara, to eliminate him. The reason behind the attack is said to be the property dispute between his sister Rajwinder Kaur, and her in laws. 

• Woman molested

Phagwara: The police booked two persons for trespassing into a woman’s house and then molesting her here on Saturday. A case has been registered. — TNS 

Jalandhar, January 5
Hymns by some prominent ragi jathas from Sri Harmandir Sahib, Patna Sahib, Sikh Missionary College and other Sikh shrines reverberated around gurdwaras today to mark the parkash utsav of the tenth guru, Guru Gobind Singh.

The day long programmes, which began with the bhog of Sri Guru Granth Sahib, witnessed many women jathas, dhadhi groups and kavishri teams performing on the occasion. Katha vachaks read out various sakhis from the Sikh history including martyrdom of Guru Gobind Singh’s father, Guru Teg Bahadur, and his four sahibzadas, installation of Khalsa Panth and bani penned down by him.

Sangats converged in large numbers to attend kirtan darbars. Even children recited poems highlighting the life and teachings of Guru Gobind Singh. Baptism ceremonies were also held in some gurdwaras.

In evening, all gurdwaras including the ones in Model Town, Guru Teg Bahadur Nagar, Central Town, Defence Colony and Urban Estate were bedecked with fabulous lighting systems. Recitation of Rehras Sahib was followed by kirtan by ragi jathas. Community kitchens serving hot milk and jalebis went on till the programmes concluded.

At gurdwara in Rail Vihar, the gurparb celebrations coincided with the opening of a new hall. President of the gurdwara committee Surinder Singh thanked the sangat for donating generously. 

Jalandhar, January 5
In a setback to the ruling SAD-BJP alliance, members of the Nagar Panchayat, Begowal, have served a no-confidence notice on the president of the elected body.

Talking to The Tribune here today, Bholath MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira said the Congress initially had five members in the 11-member house but their tally had increased by one member after the assembly polls. Since the sitting legislator too can vote, our tally was still one short - eight members - of the required two-thirds majority needed for removing the president, he added. Mohinderpal Singh, a staunch Akali worker and confidant of former SGPC chief Bibi Jagir Kaur, today decided to join, placing us in a position to serve a no-confidence motion on the sitting chief, Dalip Singh Tibba. The latter too is a Bibi loyalist, he added.

Apart from Khaira and Mohinderpal (ward 11), other signatories of the motion include Sardari Lal (ward 10), Shiela Wanti (ward 7), Balwinder Singh (ward 8), Gurmit Kaur (ward 3), Jeeto (ward 9) and Chander Prabha (ward 6).

Replying to a query on the reasons behind his decision to switch sides to the opposition when his party was in power, Mohinderpal said he had been pained by the vendetta politics in play by the Akalis. Instead of working for the betterment of the people and overall development of the area, ruling party politicians and workers were settling political scores.

Incidentally, he represents the ward in which the dera of the Bibi is located.

“I have been a staunch Akali for the past three decades but have never seen such wrong practices. Cases are being foisted on opposition workers and leaders and even those perceived to be working against the party workers are being victimised. . 

Jalandhar, January 5
The district administration today ordered magisterial probe into the death of 18-year old dalit youth in judicial custody. Kulwinder Singh alias Mata of Mundh village in Nakodar had been arrested about three months ago. 

Deputy commissioner Ajeet Singh Pannu said SDM Nakodar Ajay Sood had been asked to prepare a fresh report in the matter. Meanwhile, members of the Pendu Mazdoor Union, family and panchayat held a protest in the village. SDM Nakodar reached the spot to pacify the family, assuring justice.  

Nawanshahr, January 5
Devotees thronged the Singh Sabha Gurudwara to pay tributes to Guru Gobind Singh on his birth anniversary here on Saturday. SGPC general secretary, Sukhdev Singh Bhaur, while addressing a religious congregation, called upon the masses to shun the 'dera culture', propagated by so called saints who have no historical or religious background.

Later, while talking to mediapersons, Bhaur said the SGPC had launched a massive drive to propagate panthic values and traditions among the masses, especially in the Malwa region, to check the menace of deviation from panthic traditions by Sikhs.

Answering a query regarding a verdict by the Punjab & Haryana High Court in which minority status was denied to Sikhs in Punjab; Bhaur said the SGPC would file a petition in the Supreme Court against the decision. Minority status to Sikhs in Punjab has been granted by the state legislature and it has duly been notified by the governor, said the SGPC secretary adding that education, health and social security are state subjects; hence the state government should be the autonomous body which formulates policies and programmes as per the requirements of the state. — OC