Jalandhar, May 3
Agitated over the frequent fee hike, hundreds of students of Lovely Professional University went on the rampage late last night, smashing windowpanes of all the blocks, reception area, dean office, LCDs of classrooms and canteen goods and even food kiosks.

The only part on the huge campus that the students spared was their hostel buildings. They had even jammed the traffic on the national highway outside the campus which the Phagwara police cleared forcibly.

Tempers remained flared up even today. The campus remained heavily guarded throughout the day with policemen carrying tear gas shells. The hostellers, who were not allowed to come out by the police and private security guards, kept raising slogans against the management from within the premises.

The irate students resorted to stone pelting and smashed windowpanes this afternoon. Prateek, a hosteller, was seen being taken away by the police after the incident. Students alleged that the police held 20 boys, including Paras, Jagdip and Lakha, late last night. Phagwara DSP H.P.S. Khakh, however, dubbed the allegations rumours.

Interestingly, the girls first lodged a protest last evening as they said they had received inflated power bills for their hostel rooms. However, none of the hundreds of girls putting up in four hostels were allowed to step out of their buildings today.

Over 100 boys, who later managed to sneak outside the campus, revealed that the fees were being enhanced every semester by 8 per cent. “We paid Rs 43,000 in the first semester last year, Rs 49,500 in the next one and now we have been issued notices that the charges have been raised to Rs 56,000 for the next semester,” said a B. Tech student.

Another student revealed that the charges of a four-seater room were being raised from Rs 39,000 to Rs 49,000 per student per annum. Those in a five-seater room were asked to pay Rs 39,000 per year against the previous charges of Rs 34,000.

Students said their power bills were not included in the new charges. “We were not asked to pay any electricity charges earlier. It has been three months since power meters have been installed outside the hostel rooms. Some of the hostel students have received bills for Rs 5,200 per room for three months, for which a student will have to pay Rs 1,300 owing to four-person sharing.

We really were shocked to see it, for we have not been using more than two tubelights and two fans and that too between 4 pm and 9 am,” they said.

Aman Mittal, assistant director, public relations, said a three-day holiday had been announced on the campus. He said he had held a meeting with students in the evening in which most of the demands were found to be frivolous. Another meeting would be held soon, he said, adding that strict action would be taken against the students found guilty of creating indiscipline. DSP Khakh maintained that the situation had normalised as a compromise had been reached.

Reporters, photographers and cameramen from the media were not allowed inside the campus today by the private security, police and management officials. They could only take view the action from the gates and boundary walls. The officials tried to justify saying, “This may lead to further flaring up of tempers.”

Jalandhar, May 3
Ongoing training of PAP personnel, “the reason” cited by the Punjab Armed Police for keeping Sonia Gandhi off the PAP turf, today proved nothing short of a lame excuse after all.

The PAP had asserted that the ground could not be used by the AICC chief for the Congress rally today owing to the training but budding cricketers enjoying practice sessions were all that met the eye during a visit to the ground this morning.

Earlier, Congress candidate for the Jalandhar Lok Sabha seat Mohinder Singh Kaypee had levelled allegations that the PAP authorities refused to allow the use of the PAP ground under pressure from the SAD-BJP government.

When contacted, Kaypee said, “The truth is for all to see. The PAP authorities refused us permission at the behest of the state government. However, we managed our show at Burlton Park.”

The Tribune team’s visit to the PAP ground early this morning revealed that PAP ADGP H.R. Chadda inaugurated a “PAP cricket nursery” today which was described as an initiative of the PAP authorities in the interest of the budding 
cricket players.

However, Chadda maintained that the training of the personnel was over by early morning. “We did not allow any political party to occupy the grounds. There is no such issue that the use of the ground was refused at the behest of the state government,” he added.

It is pertinent to mention here that recently the PTC award ceremony was allowed at the same ground by the PAP authorities. However, the authorities concerned refused the use of the ground for the Congress rally.

Amritsar, May 3
BJP candidate Navjot Singh Sidhu today received a shot in the arm when sitting independent councillor and former Congress leader Arun Kumar Pappal, along with his supporters, joined his party here yesterday.

Pappal told the media that he was adopting the BJP ideology as he was convinced that the party was being represented by the leaders who had risen from the grassroots level. He alleged that senior leaders in the Congress were interested in promoting their family interests and never allowed the workers to rise. He said that would ensure the landslide victory of Sidhu from his ward. He said he was inspired by the simplicity of Health Minister Laxmi Kanta Chawla who had never forced him to join the party. Lashing out at the Congress, he said he had sincerely worked for the party but it had never acknowledged the work done by him and continued to ignore him which forced him to leave that party forever.

Meanwhile, members of the Nursing Association, Amritsar, protested against Sidhu outside his house as the latter had failed to take up the matter of removing the discrepancies in the their pay scales in the Fifty Pay Commission report.

Batala:A road show of the Bharatiya Janata Party was organised from Nehru Gate here . It passed through Chakri Bazaar, Tibba Bazaar, Gurdwara Kandh Sahib and culminated at Haathi Gate.

MLA and Chief Parliamentary Secretary Jagdish Sawhney led the procession in support of Vinod Khanna who is contesting from Gurdaspur parliamentary seat.

Nawanshahr, May 3
Kala Singh of Mirpur Jattan village allegedly committed suicide during the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday. The police has registered a case against Joginder Pal, Mohan, Baldev Singh and Parkash under sections 306 , 120 B of IPC, on the basis of the complaint lodged by Gurmit Kaur, wife of the deceased.

In her statement, Gurmit Kaur has accused Joginder Pal and others of threatening her husband, following which, he was under depression, which ultimately forced him to take the extreme step.

She said their son had an affair with the niece of Joginder Pal. Earlier too, disputes between the two families had occurred and the panchayat had to intervene to settle the dispute, said Gurmit Kaur adding that her husband was also threatened yesterday and he was under much stress.

Around 2.30 am, when she woke up, she did not find her husband in the bed. The light of the adjoining room was on and when she went there, she remained stunned to see her husband hanging there, she added while narrating her woes.

DSP Satpal Singh Bhangu, SHO Sadar, Kewal Krishan and Sukhpal Singh, in charge, Jadla police post reached the site and started investigations.

Jalandhar, May 3
Hundreds of women, who came to watch and listen to AICC chairperson Sonia Gandhi, were bowled over by her simplicity and graceful personality. And this was evident while talking to Sawroop Kaur who was all praise for the electrifying speech of Sonia. “Who can be a better politician than her? Despite being an Italian citizen she has adapted herself so well according to the Indian customs. She is the embodiment of true Indian women and I support her ideologies,” she added.

Women supporters, especially the elderly, cheered the Congress chief on the jam-packed Burlton Park grounds and expressed similar views. A majority of the women asserted that she was an example of sorts in the history of politics who sacrificed the post of Prime Ministership for the sake of development of the country. “She should win. Her victory alone can ensure a safe future for the common man,” said Savita, another woman.

Among the first timers in her rally were college girls who were all praise for the pleasing personality of Gandhi. Rajni Bala, a local student, said, “She has a pleasing personality, a trait which is usually found missing in the Indian politicians. — TNS