Kapurthala, July 13
The police, on Saturday, arrested a special police officer (SPO) Manvir Singh who kidnapped and then murdered the son of his NRI friend. The SPO is also accused of abducting a Czechoslovakian woman.

According to police sources, Manvir strangulated Puneet Pal Singh (7), and threw his body into the Kanjli lake soon after kidnapping him from his house in the Model Town locality on Friday night.

The accused disclosed this to the Jalandhar police during preliminary interrogation, claimed Jalandhar DSP Rajjit Singh while talking to The Tribune. Interestingly, Manvir was arrested in a separate case of kidnapping of a Czechoslovakian woman on Saturday. The accused had forcibly taken the woman away in a brand new Alto car.

After the disclosure, the Jalandhar and Kapurthala police took him to the Kanjli lake and recovered the body of Puneet on Sunday.

Kapurthala DSP Sukhdev Singh Chinna told The Tribune that the SPO, after abducting the boy took him on his scooter to Kanjli and threw him into it. The exact cause of death would be known only after the post-mortem report, he said.

Gurpreet Singh, the husband of the abducted woman, complained to the police that he, along with his wife, was returning from Jalandhar to his house in Dhilwan after shopping. On the way, he parked his car outside a hotel in Kartarpur to buy snacks. When he returned, he was shocked to see that his car and wife missing.

He immediately informed his uncle Satbir Singh Bittu, Kapurthala district president of the youth Akali Dal, who, along with his other relatives and friends started searching the area.

Meanwhile, Manvir reached Kapurthala via Hamira and left the woman in a hotel there. “The accused returned to Kartarpur to get back his scooter from the place where he had abducted Gurpreet’s wife. There he was overpowered by Gurpreet’s relatives who noticed the car,” claimed police. They chased him and succeeded in catching him.

Subsequently, the Jalandhar police was called and the accused was handed over to them.

Jalandhar, July 13
With the city’s first IT Park at Dr B.R. Ambedkar National Institute of Technology (NIT) nearing completion, Jalandhar is ready to join the league of cities preparing IT professionals.

Constructed at the cost of Rs 40 crore, the three-storey complex houses seminar halls with removable partitions on all the floors, provision for presentation rooms and office spaces for 10 to 15 corporate companies.

Talking to The Tribune, research and industrial liaison dean of the institute Dr R.K. Garg said, “We plan to shift the departments of electronics and communication engineering and IT to the top floor of the new building. It would help students to work in an environment where they would be able to understand research needs of various IT companies.” Special arrangements have been made to provide world-class software in the complex so that students could be given more exposure.

He said, “The centre aimed at training and participation of students in short-term consultancy and research projects so the high-tech building has been equipped with an exchange room, a server room and a computer centre with scores of terminals.”

Interestingly, the project was sanctioned more than a decade ago but was lying in the cold store. It was the keenness of present chairman Dr Moin Uddin that efforts were made for the completion of the campus.

A proposal for setting up of an incubation centre for research and development on the campus at a cost of Rs 100 crore is also being prepared by NIT. If sanctioned, the centre would offer new concepts to the companies on product manufacturing, research and development. Besides, it would offer loan facilities and take up time-bound projects too disclosed the NIT director.

The central government has already sanctioned a faculty development centre for the institute and the seed money has already been received.

Nawanshahr, July 13
On a statewide call given by the Berozgar B.Ed. Teachers Union, the unemployed teachers of the district organised a "Chetavani Rally" here today.

Addressing the rally here at "Baradari Garden", Jujhar Singh Sahungra, district president of the Be-rozgar B.Ed. Teachers Union, criticised the state government for playing a cruel joke with the unemployed teachers by adopting a dilly-dallying attitude, in issuing appointment letters to the selected teachers, for the past six months.

"Before the assembly polls, the SAD-BJP had promised to fill 32,000 posts of teachers in government schools within six months of assuming power, but later on, it advertised only 14,000 posts", lamented Sahungra.

Gurdial Mann, press secretary, said the union had decided to organise a state level rally to gherao the education minister on July 20 if the state government failed to issue appointment letters. The unemployed teachers would also gherao the ministers in their respective districts, he said. The unemployed teachers also took out a protest march in town. — OC

Jalandhar, July 13
The government has chalked out a comprehensive plan to improve the quality of health and education sectors for the people of the state.

This was stated by Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today while addressing a gathering during the foundation stone-laying ceremony function of a new complex of a charitable hospital being constructed the Sri Guru Hargobind Hospital Trust at a cost of Rs 5 crore.

Reiterating the commitment of the state to give highest priority to ensure quality health services to the people, Badal lamented that even after 60 years of Independence the Centre had not been able to provide the basic civic amenities to the people.

He stressed that any society or nation could not progress without education and health facilities.

Appreciating the role of the trust for providing health care facilities to patients, especially the poor, at subsidised rates, the Chief Minister said it was a matter of great pride that the trust was one of the few reputed philanthropic and charitable organisations providing quality health care services to the poor patients for the last 15 years.

Badal also announced a grant of Rs 10 lakh for the hospital and asked the authorities of the local municipal corporation to strengthen the approach roads to the hospital.

Earlier, the Chief Minister paid obeisance at the gurdwara on the campus of the hospital and was honoured with a saropa.

Jathedar Surjit Singh Cheema, chairman of the trust, in his welcome address gave details of the various social activities of the organisation.

In an interaction with media persons, Badal categorically said they were with NDA on the N-deal. However, a final decision would be taken on July 15 at the meeting of the party, he added.

Those present on the occasion included Dr Daljit Singh Cheema, media adviser to the CM, Jagbir Singh Brar, Sarabjit Singh Makkar, Bhagat Chuni Lal and Gurdip Singh Bhullar, all MLAs.

Jalandhar, July 13
Punjab State Congress general secretary Gurbinder Singh Atwal today said CPM supremo Prakash Karat should stop playing with the country’s interests for his personal benefits. Atwal was here for his signature campaign, in favour of the Indo-US nuclear deal with his co-workers, which started last month.

Addressing the media and Congress workers he said Indian people were in favour of the Indo-US nuclear deal. “It is only the left and the opposition who are against the deal. The CPM and BJP are considering their political benefits first and acting as a big hurdle in the way of the nuclear pact,” he said, adding that the nuclear deal had come up as a big boon for the nation as it would help in solving problems pertaining to power shortage in the future.

The former MLA from the Nurmehal constituency challenged Karat to contest elections from any parliamentary constituency in the country and prove his majority.

Atwal was seen discussing the advantages of the nuclear deal with the local people. He said the power crisis had destroyed state industry and production. “Soaring prices of crude oil ($147 per barrel) have already added to the woes of those hit by inflation and this can only be controlled through the nuclear deal,” he said.

Amritsar, July 13
A girl who reportedly fled with her lover and his friend from a village in Hoshiarpur committed suicide by consuming some poisonous substance in police station here last night. According to sources, deceased Luxmi and her lover Surinder along with latter’s friend Mahinder Pal ran away from their village and went to Amritsar to get married. However, the girl’s parents came to know about it and reported the matter to the Sultanwind police station here.

The police caught the trio near the Golden Temple and brought them to the Tarawala Pull police station where Surinder was allegedly thrashed. Unable to see torture on her lover, Luxmi took out some poisonous substance, which reportedly she was carrying in her bag, and swallowed it.

She was rushed to a hospital but could not be saved. Denying such incident, the district police chief said, “The deceased’s parents have taken the body and not filed any complaint in this regard.”