The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	Bikers open fire at industrialist’s house, injure wife Tribune Reporters Jalandhar, August 29 Panic gripped the cantonment area today after two unidentified motorcyclists opened fire at the house of an industrialist leaving his wife injured. The masked motorcycle borne youths reached the house of Suresh Kumar Singal at about 8.15 am and opened fire. One bullet hit Kumud Singal, wife of the industrialist, on her calf of the left leg. She was busy in her work inside the house. Her family members rushed her to the local civil hospital. She was discharged after medication in the afternoon. Mohan Singh, investigating officer, said the assailants fired either misidentifying the house or just to create panic in the area. He said a team of forensic experts visited the spot and collected samples. The police has registered a case under sections 307, 34 of the IPC and relevant sections of the Arms Act against the unidentified assailants in cantonment police station. The police has launched a hunt to nab the motorcyclists. Couple booked for land fraud The Kartarpur police today booked a Panchakula-based property dealer couple for their alleged involvement in a forgery case. The suspects, Sunder Lal Bansal and his wife Namarta Bansal were booked by the police on the complaint of Varinder Kumar, a resident of Adampur, in a case of cheating and forgery. In his complaint, the complainant had alleged that the couple cheated him of Rs 18.64 lakh in February 2009. The complainant had purchased the plot from the suspects in Bartana (Zirakpur) near Chandigarh in 2003 who later denied him possession on it. The couple was today produced before a local court and was remanded to police custody for a day. Amritsar 3 held with 9.6 kg charas The police has arrested three persons, including an Uttar Pradesh migrant, and seized 9.6 kg of charas from their possession. Those arrested are Patti Raj of Khushi Nagar, UP (now residing at Ratan Singh Chowk, Nawi Abadi), Sitara Singh and Ranjit Singh of Maqboolpura. They carried 4.8 kg, 2.4 kg and 2.4 kg of contraband, respectively. A case under section 20 of the NDPS Act was registered against them at the Civil Lines police station here. Acting on a tip-off, the Civil Lines police laid a naka near Rosh Hotel on Court Road and nabbed the accused. During investigations it was found that the accused had brought the narcotics from Uttar Pradesh. Hoshiarpur One held for rape A teenage girl of Saila Khurd village was raped by Noor Mohmad of Dansiwal. According to police sources, the victim’s mother alleged that her daughter was on her way to school when Noor Mohmad offered her lift to the school. Instead of going to school, Noor wnet to Paisera village and raped her. The Garhshankar police arrested Noor Mohmad under sections 342, 376 and 120 B of the IPC last evening. Spurious ghee seized Acting on a tip-off, a team of the District Health Department, led by District Health Officer Dr Yash Pal Mitra and Medical Officer-cum-Food Inspector Amarjit Singh, seized 4.5 quintal of spurious ghee from a mini truck (No. PB-07H-4569). The consignment was meant to be distributed among the shopkeepers in the villages for sale near Bhunga on the Hoshiarpur-Dasuya Road today. Dr Yash Pal Mitra said the seized ghee was packed in 210 pouches of one kg each without mention of maker and 480 pouches of half kg each of the Siri Ganesh brand. Two samples of these pouches were prepared and were being sent to the government laboratory for analysis. According to the bills, the seized desi ghee belonged to RKS Traders, Khanpuri Gate, Hoshiarpur, and the driver of the truck was identified as Romeshwar Nath. 2 killed in accidents Two youths were killed in road accidents in the district last evening. According to police sources, Mandip Singh of Pandori Ladha Singh died on the spot when a speedy tractor, on which he was going to his house, overturned near Kotla village. The Mahilpur police booked tractor driver Shingara Singh, under sections 279 and 304 A of the IPC. In another accident, Pawan Kumar of Pandori Mahanta died on the spot when a speedy car (no. PB-13 R-5699) hit his motorcycle (no. Pb-54 B-7545) on which he was going to his house. The Mukerian police has booked car driver Baldev Singh of Sidhwan Jamit under sections 279 and 304 A of the IPC. Nawanshahr JE demands bribe for replacing transformer, caught The Vigilance Bureau caught junior engineer Atma Ram of the Punjab State Electricity Board red handed while taking Rs 5,000 as bribe from Jujhar Singh of Ghakewal village. Briefing the media here today, Vigilance SP Dilbagh Singh Gill said on the basis of a complaint submitted by Jujhar Singh, a Vigilance team, led by DSP Ravinder Pal Singh Sandhu, laid a trap to nab the JE. In his complaint, Jujhar alleged that the JE demanded a bribe of Rs 7,000 for replacing a transformer but the 'deal' got settled at Rs 5,000 for the purpose. A case under the Prevention of Corruption Act has been registered against Atma Ram. Meanwhile, the accused was presented before the court and sent on a day’s police remand, said the SP. Smugglers’ gang busted The police today busted an inter-state gang of drug smugglers by arresting one of its members - Rahmat Ali, alias Chuni, of Bajauran village near Bhuntar in Himachal Pradesh, here at a police naka at the bus stand Jadla on the Nawanshahr- Chandigarh Highway. SP (D) Kuldip Singh said Chuni’s accomplice Amar Singh, a resident of Bhuntar (HP), however, succeeded in absconding. The police has recovered three kg opium from their possession. Giving details, the SP (D) said the CIA staff had got a tip-off that Rahmat Ali and Amar Singh had been smuggling opium from Himachal Pardesh to supply it to various districts of Punjab. Tarn Taran One dead, 4 hurt in road accident Karaj Singh (20), a resident of Khara village, died on the spot when two motorcycles collided near Bhuchar Kalan, 25 km from here, today. Four others, including two women, were injured seriously in the accident. According to the sources, Karaj with coming from Narli village to Chabal with his two women relatives on his motorcycle. When he reached near Bhuchar Kalan, another speedy motorcycle collided with his two-wheeler. Karaj died on the spot whereas the two women, identified as Ninder Kaur and Lakhbir Kaur, sitting at the rear seat on his bike, Tarsem Singh and Lovjeet Singh of Gaggobua village (riders of the second motorcycle) sustained injuries and were admitted to Chabal hospital. Polio-affected youth found murdered Ranjodh Singh (22), a polio-affected youth of Majjupur village, falling under police station Chabal, was found murdered on the village outskirts on Saturday. Running a salon at Adda Chabal, he came from his village at the shop but failed to return home last night. The relatives of the youth found the body on the village outskirts in the morning. The neck was almost separated from the body. A case under section 302 of the IPC has been registered. The postmortem was conducted at Civil Hospital.
	Arrest of sadhvi Chelna Didi Jains to observe fast today Tribune News Service Jalandhar, August 29 To lodge their protest against the arrest of sadhvi Chelna Didi, the Jain community has decided to observe a fast for a day tomorrow. The decision was taken by the community members who assembled at a Jain temple in the cantonment area here today. A spokesperson for the community disclosed that the community had also decided to continue the fast if the FIR registered against sadhvi Chelna Didi was not cancelled. Meanwhile, tension continues to prevail in the cantonment area on the second consecutive day following the arrest of the sadhvi by the police. The shopkeepers, belonging to the Jain community and some others, kept the shutters of their establishments down. A partial bandh was observed in the area. Meanwhile, the bail application of the sadhvi was rejected by a local court today. She is still undergoing treatment in the Civil Hospital. The police has beefed up security outside the hospital.
	Colony faces shortage of potable water Chander Parkash Tribune News Service Gurdaspur, August 29 The residents of the Post and Telegraph Colony of this town have been agitated over the fact that they have not been getting potable water for the past many years due to the apathetic attitude of the authorities concerned. Not only this, the residents of the colony have been facing a number of difficulties on account of the urinal, which the local Municipal Council has set up just adjacent to its boundary wall. V. P. Dhir, President, Coordination Committee of P and T Employees, said though the postal departmental had been making efforts for the removal of the urinal from the spot, the authorities concerned had not been responding in a positive manner towards their repeated pleas. He added that as the tubewell installed in the colony had not been functioning properly and the hand pumps were not operational, residents had been facing acute shortage of water to be used for drinking and other purposes. He alleged that the maintenance of the residential quarters in the colony was not being carried out in a proper manner by the authorities concerned.
	Historical chhinjh mela kicks off Tribune News Service Gurdaspur, August 29 The historical four-day chhinjh mela, held annually in the memory of Baba Lakhdata, started on a colourful note at Babbehali village, 5 km from here, late last evening. More than 500 wrestlers from every nook and corner of the country have descended on the village to participate in the national-level wrestling championship which has become a prominent part of the mela. Lakhs of people from Punjab and other parts of the country would visit the village to participate in the mela. Punjab Agriculture Minister Sucha Singh Langah inaugurated the mela. Gurbachan Singh Babbehali, MLA, Gurdaspur, was also present on the occasion.