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SAD-BJP leaders ‘nurturing’ Cong
Nawanshahr, July 10
“The dream of SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal of strengthening the SAD-BJP combine with a view to keeping the reins of the state in hand consecutively for 25 years notwithstanding, the local senior SAD-BJP leadership has virtually been ‘nurturing’ Congress in the town.” This accusation was made by former BJP district chief Ashwani Ballagan while sharing his views on the debacle of the SAD-BJP combine in the recently held municipal council poll in the town.

Revision of voters’ lists begins
Hoshiarpur, July 10
As per the programme of the Election Commission of India, work for the revision of voters’ lists has been started in Hoshiarpur since July 2.

Cops don’t buy Samir’s kidnap story
Chandigarh, July 10
The mystery shrouding the disappearance of Mukerian-based bank manager Samir Gupta failed to unravel even after his return.

Husband, in-laws booked
Hoshiarpur, July 10
Newly wedded Sabita (25), daughter of Ashvani Kumar of Bainpur Khas under Dinanagar (Gurdaspur) police station, committed suicide by consuming some poisonous substance here on Wednesday.

2 pilgrims killed in road mishap
Phagwara, July 10
Two pilgrims were killed and 10 injured when a truck overturned near the Behram toll plaza on the Pahgwara-Banga road on Wednesday night, the police said today.

Rs 1.13 lakh looted
Hoshiarpur, July 10
Two motorcycle-borne youths snatched a bag containing Rs 1.13 lakh from Gopi Chand of Malerkotla in front of the main gate of the bus stand here this afternoon. According to police sources, Gopi Chand had come here to collect money from a trader of Malerkotla when the youths snatched the cash from him and fled. — OC

	Child labour: 3 minor boys rescued Bipin Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Jalandhar, July 10 In an attempt to check child labour, a team of the labour department conducted surprises raids and rescued three minor boys from a sweetmeat shop and a dhaba here today. Two minor children were rescued from a sweetmeat shop in Urban Estate, Phase-I, while another from a dhaba on the Ladowali road. Hailing from Tutorial village at Mustafa Nagger in Bihar, Dharmendra (11) and Saroj (12) were rescued from Dashmesh Sweet House in Urban Estate, Phase-I, while Raju (12) was rescued from Santokh Singh Dhaba on the Ladowali road. Acting on a tip-off from a Delhi-based NGO, Bachpan Bachao Aandolan, a team of the labour department raided the sweetmeat shop run by Ajit Singh and found Dharmendra and Saroj working as labourers. Raju, who was unable to reveal his native place, was rescued from a dhaba run by Santokh Singh. Talking to The Tribune, assistant labour commissioner (ALC) Inderjit Singh claimed that the children were employed by the owners of the establishments in violation of the Child Labour Prevention and Regulation Act, 1986. The department had initiated action against them after registering a case under section 14 of the Act. The ALC said after conducting medical examinations at the civil hospital the ages of the children would be confirmed. He said there is a provision of a fine of Rs 10,000 to Rs 20,000 along with imprisonment of one to three years for the accused under the act. The department would make efforts to hand over the children to their parents or their close relatives. In case their family members failed to come forward, the boys would be sent to juvenile home in Ludhiana.
	Retiree denied info under RTI Act Tribune News Service Jalandhar, July 10 A 69-year-old paralytic patient has been running from pillar to post for getting information under the Right to Information (RTI) Act from the Punjab Public Works Department (PWD) at Gurdaspur for the past a couple of months. The victim, Harcharan Singh, a retired employee of the PWD, in a complaint to the state information commissioner had stated that despite his repeated representations to the information officer (IO), Gurdaspur, he had not been provided the information within the stipulated period. Seeking information about the earthwork executed on the Bodh-Chakki-Dhar road during 1992-93 from Pathankot-based executive engineer (central works division) of the PWD, the complainant had written thrice to the IO but no to avail. Talking to The Tribune, Harcharan Singh claimed to have been suffering at the hands of the department. Harassment by officials had made him crippled, he alleged. He alleged that since he had filed a court case against the department for his retirement dues and benefits, the authorities concerned were neither providing him the actual records nor producing them in the court. The department by not providing the information sought under the RTI Act had been making a mockery of the Act, he rued.
	SAD-BJP leaders ‘nurturing’ Cong Our Correspondent Nawanshahr, July 10 “The dream of SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal of strengthening the SAD-BJP combine with a view to keeping the reins of the state in hand consecutively for 25 years notwithstanding, the local senior SAD-BJP leadership has virtually been ‘nurturing’ Congress in the town.” This accusation was made by former BJP district chief Ashwani Ballagan while sharing his views on the debacle of the SAD-BJP combine in the recently held municipal council poll in the town. The Congress swept the municipal poll by winning 11 out of the 17 seats in the council. Ballagan, who has unsuccessfully contested the municipal election against former MC president and Congress nominee Lalit Mohan Pathak, alias Ballu, said though he dared Ballu with a view to weakening the Congress in the process, he found himself alone in the battlefield. The senior SAD-BJP leadership, instead of helping him to strengthen the prospects of the combine, “internally helped” the Congress leader. The attitude of the SAD-BJP leadership has demoralised party workers, he said, while further alleging that it seemed that the local SAD-BJP leadership was hand in glove with a powerful pro-Congress lobby and had been trying to promote a particular Congress leader to occupy the seat of the MC president to further their own vested interests.
	Revision of voters’ lists begins Our Correspondent Hoshiarpur, July 10 As per the programme of the Election Commission of India, work for the revision of voters’ lists has been started in Hoshiarpur since July 2. This was disclosed by the deputy commissioner-cum-district electoral officer N.K. Wadhawan in a press release here this afternoon. As per the instructions, the revision of voters’ lists in all the eight assembly segments was being done according to the new delimitation. All the voters whose photographs had not been printed in the voters’ lists could submit form 1 to the booth level officer concerned to get their photographs printed. In case of any problem, the election officer of Hoshiarpur could be contacted.
	Cops don’t buy Samir’s kidnap story Mandeep Puri Tribune News Service Chandigarh, July 10 The mystery shrouding the disappearance of Mukerian-based bank manager Samir Gupta failed to unravel even after his return. Gupta, who returned to Chandigarh from Bulandshahr last evening, failed to give any satisfactory answer about his whereabouts for the past two days either to the police or the media on the plea that he was "tense and unfit" to speak. DSP Jaswant Singh Khera said on the request of Gupta, he was being sent for a medical examination. Gupta's close relative Sohan Lal, who brought him from Delhi, said Samir was too confused and was not in a state to speak. He said he picked him up from the Delhi bus stand Tuesday night. Talking to The Tribune at a police station, Gupta did not clearly state if he was kidnapped. However, he maintained that he was taken away by a group of people to Bulandshahr. He said since he was administered some sedatives and intoxicants at Ambala, he did not remember anything. He kept insisting that his life was in danger. He demanded police security. In his statement to the police, he said two persons claiming to be CID officials met him when he got down from a bus in Sector 43 on Sunday. They asked him to accompany them to meet some senior officials in connection with a complaint regarding malpractices in the bank. “They took me to a car parked nearby in which two other men were sitting. The car did not start due to some fault and we boarded a bus to Sector 17, from where we went to Ambala,” he told the police. He said he was given some intoxicants and taken to Bulandshahr where he was kept in an old building. He failed to give any satisfactory answers about his alleged kidnappers or how he managed to get away from them. Officials said if the kidnapping was faked, action would be taken against him.
	Dowry Death Husband, in-laws booked Our Correspondent Hoshiarpur, July 10 Newly wedded Sabita (25), daughter of Ashvani Kumar of Bainpur Khas under Dinanagar (Gurdaspur) police station, committed suicide by consuming some poisonous substance here on Wednesday. She took the extreme step allegedly after suffering harassment for not bringing enough dowry to her in-laws’ house. According to police sources, Sabita’s husband Sanjeev Kumar got her admitted to the civil hospital, Mukerian, on Wednesday under critical condition. Meanwhile, Sabita’s father Ashvani Kumar reached there and said he had married his daughter to Sanjeev Kumar of Kotli Khas seven months ago. Ashvani alleged that Sabita’s in-laws used to torture and harass her for more dowry and this was the reason for her death. The Mukerian police has booked Sanjeev, his father Darshan Singh, mother Preeto and sister Sunita under sections 304-B and 34 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) in this connection.