Jalandhar, July 30
The Shahkot police has arrested self-styled godwoman Jaswinder Kaur and her son Kamaljit Singh of Nurpur-Chatha village for allegedly deceiving people and charging money from them for sending them abroad. The duo were operating as travel agents and were alluring people who came in their contact during the last couple of years.

Bakshish Singh of Malsian village, Joginder Singh of Mothanwal, Gurnam Singh of Thandwal and Rajwant Kaur of Talwara in Hoshiarpur, had lodged complaints against the travel agents at Shahpur police station.

In the complaints, the complainants had alleged that the duo charged a huge amount of money from them on the pretext of sending them abroad. The travel agents neither sent them overseas nor returned their hard-earned money, despite repeated requests, they claimed.

Shahkot DSP D.S. Dhillon revealed that to save her skin, Jaswinder lodged a fake complaint against the complainants on June 26 alleging that they broke into their house and decamped with Rs 29.30 lakh and a .32-bore revolver.

On investigation Jaswinder Kaur’s complaint was found to be false, said the DSP. Taking serious view of this, the police arrested Jaswinder and her son. During questioning, they admitted that the complaint was false.

The police has also recovered the weapon from them. The suspects also claimed to have disposed off Rs 29.30 lakh in one way or another.

Amritsar, July 30
Taking a serious view of “unwanted, partisan and obstructionist” letter issued by Davinder Singh, president, Guru Nanak Dev University Teachers’ Association (GNDUTA), a day before the scheduled general body meeting held on July 29, the other members of the executive asked him to withdraw the letter besides apologising for his behaviour.

Sukhpreet Singh, secretary, GNDUTA, said the general body unanimously condemned it and termed it a method used by the president to divide the association and sabotage the steady progress being made by GNDUTA in getting many demands of teachers accepted and implemented.

The secretary said the president, when asked to substantiate the charges levelled by him against the other members of the GNDUTA executive, could not say anything on this aspect of his letter. He said it clearly showed that his intention was not to make the association strong but to vitiate the atmosphere of the association. By doing so he played into the hands of those elements who were hell bent to rake unnecessary controversies in the university for their petty selfish interests, he added.

He said the general body also appreciated the members of the executive committee for the acceptance and implementation of a few demands like the issue of appointment letter to architect P.S. Mahoora, promotion of teachers as per AICTE guidelines, etc.

It also authorised the executive committee to initiate steps for the early reinstatement of Dr Rajni and for the acceptance and implementation of the remaining demands of teachers like counting of previous service for promotion under the career advancement scheme of the UGC, grant of sabbatical leave with full pay, etc, he added.

Nawanshahr, July 30
Opposing the recent survey in the plains as part of the move to redesign the digging of the Kandi canal, the Kandi Area Sangharsh Committee (KASC) today a stir by organising a protest rally at Pojewal, about 25 km from here.

Addressing the rally, committee general secretary Darshan Singh Mattoo and former MLA from Balachaur Ram Krishan Kataria said the move to redesign the digging of the Kandi canal was not only wrong and illogical but also politically motivated.

They exhorted the people not to let the officials of the canal department conduct a survey in the fields.

The leaders of the sangharsh committee threatened to stop work if the state government insisted on continuing the digging work against the aspirations of the people of the Kandi area.

While divulging details to The Tribune, the leaders of the committee said in September 2006, the then Deputy Chief Minister and the Chief Engineer had ordered a survey for starting the digging work along the Shivalik hills from Chandpur Rurki to Chhuchhewal, Torowal, Rouri, Pojewal, Singhpur and Bhaddi.

But now the present government had started conducting the survey in the plains from Chandpur Rurki to Bholewal, Karimpur Chahwala, Katwara, Pailly, Atal Mazara, Mojewal Mazara, Phirni Mazara, Dhaulan and Moran.

“If the digging of canal is carried out in the plains, it would damage the fertile land and affect farmers. On the other hand, if the digging is carried out along the Shivalik hills, it would not only solve the problem of irrigation in the Kandi area but would also help in raising the level of underground water,” opined the sangharsh committee members.

Hoshiarpur, July 30
A brother and a sister of Dehpur village died of suspected food poisoning here today.

According to district health officer Dr M.L. Puri, Bikramjit Singh (6) and his sister Harshpreet Kaur (10) went to sleep in their house after taking the meals last night. At about four this morning, both woke up and complained of nausea and stomachache.

Later, they started vomiting and developed symptoms of diarrhoea.

Both of them were immediately shifted to a private hospital at Kathar from where they were referred to the Hoshiarpur civil hospital.

Harshpreet died on the way whereas Bikramjit breathed his last at the civil hospital at about 8.50 am.

Dr Puri said it was a case of suspected food poisoning. However, the bodies of the siblings have been sent for a post-mortem examination.

Amritsar, July 30
Pendu Majdoor Union and Dihati Majdoor Sabha today jointly gheraod the office of the block development officer Harsha Chinna. They were protesting against the administration for demolition of four houses of dalit families in Manjupur village here.

Addressing protesters, Paramjit Singh Vichoa, district president of PMU, said in order to garner the dalit vote the SAD-BJP combine had promised during the assembly elections that five marla plots would be given to Dalits to construct their houses. “But now the administration was demolishing the houses of poor under political pressure,” he alleged. Vichoa said a high-level delegation of the two unions would meet the deputy commissioner on August 5 to ensure justice to the beleaguered families.

BDO said the action was action on the directions of the Punjab and Haryana High Court which had sought a report from the administration.

Jalandhar, July 30
A senior BJP leader here today appealed to Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal to support a proposal to set up a federal intelligence service ( FIS) in the country to combat terrorism and conduct counter-espionage activities.Punjab state chief of the BJP investors cell Sukhminderpal Singh Grewal suggested that the government should also design an integrated counter-terrorism strategy. — TNS