Amritsar, October 29
Four policemen, including a sub-inspector posted with the CIA staff, have been suspended by the district police here today for extorting a huge amount of money from one Baldev Singh of Chheharta in connection with a property dispute.

The accused - sub inspector Harkrishan Singh and three head constables Bhupinder Singh, Vijay Pal Singh and Surjit Singh - were booked under sections 170 and 384 of the IPC at the Chheharta police station after an enquiry conducted by Surjit Singh, SP (D) who found prime facie evidence against them. The police have also booked two women informers, including one named Devi in this regard.

Baldev Singh, in his complaint, alleged that the four accused had extorted Rs 1.65 lakh from him in a property dispute. According to sources, the two women had informed Harkrishan about the dispute of Baldev Singh. After getting information, the four culprits reached the house of Baldev Singh and demanded money from him a few days back.

Meanwhile, he filed a complaint against them with the higher police authorities who conducted an enquiry into the episode.

Kunwar Vijay Partap Singh, district police chief said departmental enquiries had been initiated after their suspension. He said DSP Chheharta, Jagdeep Singh Hundal has been entrusted with the investigations who would file a report within 15 days. He said further action would be taken after getting the final report.

Jalandhar, October 29
The Kapurthala police arrested a stringer of a news channel NDTV, Ashwani Malhotra, on the charges of blackmailing the officials of Lovely Professional University (LPU) on Tuesday.

Malhotra was produced in the court of Phagwara judicial magistrate Ist class (JMIC) Kanwal Varinder, who remanded him in one-day police custody.

The JMIC extended his remand by one day on Wednesday.

Earlier, an FIR was registered against Malhotra and 4-5 other unknown persons under sections 384, 511, 500, 506, 452, 420 of the Indian Penal Code and 75 of Information Technology Act at Phagwara Sadar police station on the complaint of LPU assistant director Aman Mittal.

Mittal submitted the complaint against Malhotra of Jalandhar Cantonment and 4-5 other persons, who claimed to be reporters of different national news channels, accusing them of criminal trespassing, blackmailing, extortion, fraud, forgery, threats and exploitation.

In his complaint, Mittal alleged that Malhotra asked him to pay Rs 10,000 per month to avoid any forged negative news in the electronic media. However, when Mittal flatly refused to do so, Malhotra allegedly forcibly entered the girls’ hostel in LPU campus on October 20 without any permission.

He started spreading rumours about the alleged rape of a girl and tried to get bytes of some of the students on the alleged issue, claimed Mittal.

LPU assistant director further alleged that when he reached there, Malhotra threatened him by stating that he had some bytes of students and would air them on various news channels.

Mittal alleged that Malhotra again came to his office in Jalandhar on October 24 with a laptop and a camera and showed him a morphed video of an unknown man and a woman in compromising positions.

The LPU officer further claimed that Malhotra threatened him that if he did not agree to his demand of giving him Rs 10,000 a month, he would make similar morphed videos using the faces of the students whose bytes had been taken on October 20.

Mittal also stated in his complaint that Malhotra had also blackmailed his father Ramesh Mittal threatening him that negative news stories would be aired against the institution.

Jalandhar, October 29
A fire broke out in a mobile showroom near BMC Chowk here on Wednesday morning. A major loss was averted as the alert watchman sounded an alarm when he saw smoke emanating from the store.

The owner of the showroom Gurvinder Singh immediately rushed to the shop and shifted the goods to a safer place. However, he alleged that while the items were being shifted some miscreants decamped with some expensive mobile sets.

Singh said the damage was over Rs 3 lakh as furniture and ACs were completely destroyed A short-circuit is said to be the reason behind the fire.

Jalandhar, October 29
The joyous moments of Diwali turned tragic for many youths and children who suffered serious burn injuries on their body, hands and eyes last night.

Eight-month-old Anju of Tanda got badly burnt when a closed, glass diya near her bed exploded last night. Rajni, the infant’s mother, said in minutes the flames burnt her bedding and synthetic clothes.

“We had used kerosene oil for lighting the diya which perhaps spilled, resulting in the mishap,” she said as she took care of her in the emergency ward at the civil hospital here. The child suffered burns mostly on the face and chest portion.

In another major incident, four-year-old Ravinder Kaur of Baupur village in Shahkot suffered burns in her right eye.

Her father, Kulwant Singh said his daughter was watching other kids lighting crackers when a burning splinter hit her eye.

Dr J.S. Thind, eye specialist, said the child requires corneal transplant even after which she would never get 100 per cent vision again.

The doctor said he had received another patient, a child, last night with the entire eye, including the lower orbit, damaged .

He said after giving her the preliminary treatment, he referred the child to PGI Chandigarh for a second opinion, necessary for the removal of the eye.

Young boys giving two hoots to the instructions on playing with crackers also had to pay a heavy price.

Parminder Singh (23) of Roli village in Moga also suffered total loss of vision in the right eye.

Lovepreet Singh (14) of Nangal Majha village in Kapurthala also suffered serious eye injury with ocular contents of the right eye getting extruded. An NRI, the boy had come to his native village especially for the Diwali celebrations when the tragedy occurred. Kanwaljit Singh (15) of Jalalpur village in Shahkot also lost partial vision of his right eye.

Lucky (13) of Sarai Khas had a narrow escape as Dr Thind said only the outer portion of his eye got burnt which could get cured in two days.

Dr Jaswant Singh Bath, a plastic surgeon, said he had got two patients with burns in their right hands. He said the boys had tried to be too adventurous by burning a cracker in their hand. “Even before they could throw it off, the cracker burst”, he said adding that the injuries were not too deep and the boys were discharged after the dressing of their hands.

Hoshiarpur, October 29
Vishavkarma Day was celebrated at local Shakti Temple here today. Hundreds of artisans led by Charan Singh, Pardip Kumar and Anil Kumar thronged the local Shakti, performed Havan Yajna and worshipped their tools. All of them offered prayers to Lord Vishwakarma on the occasion.

A poetical symposium was also held in which local poets recited their poems to mark the celebrations. A free langar was also served on the occasion. Hundreds of artisans and labourers also offered prayers to Lord Vishwakarma near the municipal library on the occasion.

Batala: The workers of the industrial town of Batala today remembered Lord Vishwakarma by performing pooja. All the factories remain closed today. Lord Vishwakarma is also remembered because he formed the “Lanka” during the regime of great “Ravna”.

Nawanshahr, October 29
Categorically denying the reported statements of the ruling SAD leaders that talks regarding the electoral alliance with the BSP for the ensuing parliamentary polls are going on, the state BSP president, Avtar Singh Karimpuri said here today that the BSP would contest the ensuing parliamentary elections alone.

“The ruling SAD might have been issuing such statements to intimidate its alliance partner BJP,” he added satirically.

The ‘Jan Chetna Rallies’ being organised by the BSP in the state to make the masses aware about the policies and programmes of the BSP have been proving fruitful in bringing all the sections of the society into the party fold.

The ‘social engineering formula’ on the pattern of Uttar Pardesh is being implemented in the state, further said Karimpuri, adding that the people of the state are fed up with the policies of both the SAD-BJP combine and the Congress and the BSP would emerge as a formidable third alternative in the state.

While condemning the ‘Anti North Indians Move’ launched by the MNC president Raj Thackrey in Maharashtra, the BSP leader held the ‘soft stance’ of the Congress government against Raj Thackrey in Maharashtra equally responsible for such an anti-nation drive.

Nawanshahr, October 29
There is need to introduce ancient therapeutic sciences like meditation, yoga and mudra vigyan in schools to ensure better physical and psychological health of students.

This was said by Dr Hanuman Sahai Gupta, doctor-turned-meditation guru here today. These techniques help in developing control over the sub-conscious mind.

"Due to the increasing stress of modern life, psychosomatic diseases like depression, insomnia, blood pressure, cardiac failure, diabetes, and skin disorders have become common,” said Gupta, adding that therapeutic sciences are very effective in fighting such problems.

The man, who has delivered lectures at various international yoga conferences, says physical or psychological ailments are due to disturbance in the equilibrium of the five elemental forces in the body. Appropriate mudras (hand postures) can help to restore proper balance, thus, curing the ailments.