The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

THE TRIBUNE SPECIALS

50 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE

TERCENTENARY CELEBRATIONS

Drain dispute takes communal turn
Gurdaspur, September 12
Hundreds of members of the Christian community today jammed traffic near Nushera village on the Mukerian-Gurdaspur road for about an hour to lodge their protest against the derogatory remarks used against their leader by SHO Surjit Singh of Purana Shala police station yesterday.

‘Akali connection’: Factory demolished, looted
Amritsar, September 12
Lower-rung leaders and henchmen of the ruling SAD went berserk and made an attempt to oust the legal occupants of an establishment within 300 metres of the police chowki at Kot Mit Singh, near Chatiwind canal.

Rein in lower-rung politicians: Col Sandhu to CM
Amritsar, September 12
Concerned over the incidents of leaders of political parties, including the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal, Col G.S. Sandhu (retd), Chairman of the Majha Ex-Servicemen Human Rights Front, today urged Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal to rein in lower-rung politicians and MLAs that had adversely affected the common man who was suffering at their hands.

Gurmeet Kaur, civil judge (senior division), makes a point during a Lok Adalat organised in Jalandhar on Saturday. 566 cases settled at Lok Adalat
Jalandhar, September 12
As many as 566 cases out of the 826 were disposed of at a Lok Adalat organised by the District Legal Services Authority in the court complex here today.

Gurmeet Kaur, civil judge (senior division), makes a point during a Lok Adalat organised in Jalandhar on Saturday. Tribune photo: Malkiat Singh

Mother, 2 kids killed in road accident
Pathankot, September 12
Three persons, including two infants, were killed and another seriously injured when the motorcycle (PB-18-P-4708) they were travelling on was hit by a truck at Gugran, near Sujanpur, 14 km from here, this evening.

Youth nabbed, 4 bikes recovered
Batala, September 12
The civil lines police station arrested a youth here and recovered four stolen motorcycles - two Hero Honda Splendors and two Hero Hondas - from him.

CPI (ML) to hold protest tomorrow
Nawanshahr, September 12
The CPI (ML) will hold a protest against the unprecedented rise in prices of essential commodities and power tariff here on September 14.

2 nabbed with fake currency
Tarn Taran, September 12
The Sarhali police has nabbed Gurpreet Singh and Rashpal Singh of Dhotian village with Rs 60,000 fake Indian currency.

	3 arrested in blind murder case Chander Parkash Tribune News Service Gurdaspur, September 12 In a major breakthrough, the police has traced the blind murder of Rupinder Singh, a resident of Sahaipur village of this district, which took place on July 24, 2009, and came to the notice on July 25 after the body of the deceased was found floating in a canal. According to the police, the mystery behind the blind murder could be solved after scientific investigations were made in the case as the assailants had taken away the mobile phone and the motorcycle of the deceased after throwing his body into the canal. DSP Jasdeep Singh said that during the investigations, it came to the notice of the investigating officer that Rupinder Singh had been done to death by four persons, including a woman, with sharp-edged weapons. He added that the investigating officer, who was the Station House Officer (SHO) of Kahnuwan police station, found out that four accused involved in the murder were Amrik Singh, Geja Masih, Sanjeev Kumar and Charanjit, alias Gugli. Amrik Singh had made a call to Rupinder Singh on July 24 and asked him to come to a place where he along with Charanjit, alias Gugli (a woman), was waiting for him. Rupinder Singh had come into contact with Gugli about 15 days before his murder. As Rupinder Singh reached at the spot, all of them decided to go to some other place and on the way the four accused killed Rupinder Singh and threw his body into the canal. Two of the accused took away the motorcycle of the deceased and abandoned it at a place near Indora village in Himachal Pradesh. The police found that a minor scuffle which took place between Rupinder Singh and Amrik Singh a few days ago led to the murder of the former. The DSP said that Amrik Singh, Geja Masih and Sanjeev Kumar had been arrested, while Gugli was still absconding. A case in this connection was registered at Kahnuwan police station on July 25.
	Thief decamps with Rs 25 lakh, gold ornaments Our Correspondent Nawanshahr, September 12 A miscreant allegedly broke into the house of UK-based NRI Mohinder Singh (75) at nearby Bazidpur village and attacked the NRI and his adopted daughter Prem with iron rod and fled with Rs 25 lakh and gold ornaments at about 4 am today. Both the injured were admitted to a private hospital here. Mohinder Singh in his statement said that when he and his daughter were worshipping in the morning, a youth of around 30 years entered his house and attacked him with an iron rod. He demanded the keys. Then he entered the room of Prem (50). The miscreant attacked her also and searched of the box beds and almirahs in the rooms. The miscreant also forced them to give their gold ornaments whih they were wearing. He fled with Rs 25 lakh lying in the almirahs and gold ornaments. The NRI claimed the amount was kept in the house for making payments for the construction of a Shiv Mandir and a srover in the village. He had come here about three months ago for the construction of the Shiv Mandir and a sarovar in the village. Villagers informed the police about the incident. SSP Rakesh Aggarwal, SP (D) Kuldip Singh, DSP Satpal Singh Bhangu, Rahon SHO Hardip Singh, a finger print expert, Sub-Inspector Parminder Singh along with a dog squad reached the site. The police has registered a case at Rahon police station and started investigation.
	Got civil court nod after husband’s death in Riyadh Denied heir right by DC, heir-at-law files contempt case Deepkamal Kaur/TNS Jalandhar, September 12 A Sansarpur-based widow, whose husband died in Saudi Arabia two and a half years back, has filed an application for initiating contempt proceedings against the Deputy Commissioner “for disobeying court orders” and not furnishing a legal heir certificate to her despite orders from a civil court. A notice in this regard has been issued for September 29. Parveen Kumar, the husband of arthritis patient Asha Rani (49), died on March 25, 2007, in an accident in Riyadh while on duty. Civil judge Rajwant Kaur had on April 15 directed the Deputy Commissioner of Jalandhar to issue the required certificate to the widow, her minor son Puneet (16) and daughter Smita (27) and to disburse the salary and dues of the deceased sent from Riyadh and lying in the DC’s deposits since July 28, 2007. The widow complained that instead of paying Rs 3,07,031 with interest, Rs 1,595 had been deducted from her payment. She said she did not get the certificate as per the order despite repeated reminders. The sole bread-earner in her family, Parveen was working as a foreman with a road construction company in Riyadh. Asha wanted the legal heir right so that the Indian Embassy could pursue the case for obtaining compensation of the accidental death of her husband on her behalf. She had pressed the district administration for urgency as such cases in Saudi Arabia have to be dealt in a time-bound manner. In his response to the court, the DC had stated that he was not competent to issue the legal heir certificate to dependents of persons who died abroad. He said he had advised the widow to get herself declared a legal heir from the civil court. Passing the verdict, the civil judge had found that there was no dispute among the legal representatives against the heir right of Parveen Kumar. She had said, “If there is a dispute between the legal representatives regarding heir rights and shares, it is only then that the civil court will decide as to who are the legal heirs and what share are they entitled to as per the personal law applicable to them.”
	‘Biased’ SHO Drain dispute takes communal turn Chander Parkash/TNS Gurdaspur, September 12 Hundreds of members of the Christian community today jammed traffic near Nushera village on the Mukerian-Gurdaspur road for about an hour to lodge their protest against the derogatory remarks used against their leader by SHO Surjit Singh of Purana Shala police station yesterday. They demanded the transfer of Surjit Singh within 15 days from that police station, failing which they would resume their agitation. The protesters lifted the jam after senior civil and police officials reached the spot and assured them that their grievances would be redressed by officials concerned. SHO Surjit Singh, when contacted, while denying the allegations, said some vested interests were trying to cause damage to him by using the tag of minority community against him. He added that he had never used derogatory remarks against any community. The protesters alleged that a landlord of Nushera village had been blocking the drainage of dirty water from his house by encroaching upon the street from where the water was being drained out. They added that for the past two days, the dirty water had flooded the street due to the blockage of the drain and hence they had been finding it difficult to live in their dwellings. They alleged that though they had taken up the matter with the civil and police authorities, Surjit Singh had been supporting the landlord who had encroached upon the land from where the water was being drained out. They alleged that Surjit Singh used derogatory remarks against leaders of the Christian community when they went to meet him yesterday in that connection. Surjit Singh, on the other hand, said the land from where the members of the Christian commuxnity had been draining out their dirty water, belonged to an ex-serviceman who had got it demarcated from the civil and revenue officials. He added that the ex-serviceman was not allowing the dirty water to be drained out through his piece of land and hence this dispute arose. He said now that the ex-serviceman had been given an alternative piece of land.
	‘Akali connection’: Factory demolished, looted P.K. Jaiswar and Ashok Sethi Amritsar, September 12 Lower-rung leaders and henchmen of the ruling SAD went berserk and made an attempt to oust the legal occupants of an establishment within 300 metres of the police chowki at Kot Mit Singh, near Chatiwind canal. Victim and owner of the factory Ved Joshi is a brother of former Industry Minister of Himachal Pradesh Vijay Joshi, but the attackers are allegedly known to enjoy the support of the ruling Akali leadership. The incident, which took place last week, has sent shockwaves within the business community in the city which has expressed deep anguish over the attempt of the miscreants to take over the Shivam Dyeing factory, along with its stocks of woollen shawls. The armed henchmen, along with JCB machines and trucks, demolished the entire factory building after kidnapping and detaining the workmen and security staff. They allegedly decamped with the entire stock and expensive part of the copper vessels used for dyeing shawls, causing losses of about Rs 40 lakh to Ved Joshi. Interestingly, district police chief Kunwar Vijay Partap Singh was not informed about the incident till morning. Taking stringent action against Sukhwinder Singh, the chowki in charge of Kot Mit Singh, he immediately suspended him and dismantled the entire police post. One of the accused Pargat Singh has also been arrested while the police has launched a manhunt to nab the other accused involved, besides registering a criminal case against the accused, including Pagat Singh, Sandeep Singh and others. Eyewitness accounts reveal that a large group of armed men stormed the factory premises with JCB machines at about 10.30 pm when the factory was closed. Labourers present there were bundled into a vehicle with their eyes blindfolded and taken to an undisclosed destination. They took away their mobile phones and cash and threatened them with dire consequences if they informed the police and the owners about the incident. Ved Joshi said the accused had bought the factory premises from the original owners, Kundan Singh, Swarn Singh and Chanan Singh. But Joshi had a registered rent deal and had secured permanent injunction from the court restraining the opposite party. Meanwhile, Health Minister Laxmi Kanta Chawla also visited the site.
	Rein in lower-rung politicians: Col Sandhu to CM Amritsar, September 12 Concerned over the incidents of leaders of political parties, including the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal, Col G.S. Sandhu (retd), Chairman of the Majha Ex-Servicemen Human Rights Front, today urged Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal to rein in lower-rung politicians and MLAs that had adversely affected the common man who was suffering at their hands. Col Sandhu was in the forefront in the fight against controversial Nihang chief Ajit Singh Poohla (who was later brunt to death in Amritsar Central Jail). Quoting some incidents, including an attack on Sub-Registrar, Central Ludhiana, Gurjinder Singh Benipal, by an Akali councillor, he said ex-servicemen organisations would support Benipal and officials of the Agriculture Department who were also victimised by the SAD MLA in Ajnala. — TNS
	566 cases settled at Lok Adalat Tribune News Service Jalandhar, September 12 As many as 566 cases out of the 826 were disposed of at a Lok Adalat organised by the District Legal Services Authority in the court complex here today. A compensation to the tune of Rs 3,43,18,621 was awarded to the affected parties. Seven benches were set up for the purpose which were presided over by KC Gupta, Additional District and Sessions Judge, Gurmeet Kaur, Civil Judge Senior Division, H.S. Grewal, Chief Judicial Magistrate, Jaspinder Singh, Additional Civil Judge Senior Division, and P.M. Sharma, Manila Chugh and Ashish Abrol, all Civil Judges Junior Division. Compensations to the tune of Rs 48 lakh and Rs 45 lakh were announced in two separate cases by CJM H.S. Grewal and Civil Judge Gurmeet Kaur, respectively. Gurdev Singh, District and Sessions Judge-cum-Chairman, District Legal Services Authority, said as many as 1,84,082 cases had been disposed of with a compensation of over Rs 283.53 crore in 190 Lok Adalats. He said 5,127 needy litigants had been provided legal aid. He said that a Lok Adalat to resolve women-related cases had been scheduled for September 26.