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NRI’s murder cracked
Jalandhar, October 4
After groping in dark for over a week in the Charanjit Singh murder case, the district police today claimed that it was a contract killing. A resident of Atalgarh village in Hoshiarpur and an England-based NRI Charanjit Singh was found dead under mysterious circumstances in the parking of Hotel Country Inn on last Sunday night.

Victims bereft of proof, want compensation
Jalandhar, October 4
Settled in Jalandhar, victims of 1984 riots narrate their woes which they faced in Orissa. Even 25 years have passed, some families are still awaiting justified compensation for their sufferings during the 1984 riots.

Settled in Jalandhar, victims of 1984 riots narrate their woes which they faced in Orissa. Tribune photo: Malkiat Singh

Death case hushed up by panchayat
Mehatpur, October 4
A nine-month-old boy died due to alleged negligence of a BAMS doctor at Mehatpur in Nakodar this morning. The incident occurred when Kulwinder, mother of Julfkar, who had fever, took him to the residence of the doctor for medication at about 6.30 am. The doctor reportedly gave the boy an injection and asked the parents to take the boy home.

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	NRI’s murder cracked Bipin Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Jalandhar, October 4 After groping in dark for over a week in the Charanjit Singh murder case, the district police today claimed that it was a contract killing. A resident of Atalgarh village in Hoshiarpur and an England-based NRI Charanjit Singh was found dead under mysterious circumstances in the parking of Hotel Country Inn on last Sunday night. The revelation about the contract killing was made by Kamal Kishore, an Adampur-based close associate of Charanjit Singh, who was rounded up by the police two days ago for interrogation. Talking to The Tribune, SP (City-II) Sarbjit Singh claimed that Kamal hired Vipin Verma, brother of a city-based social worker Dr Ravi Verma, for eliminating Charanjit Singh for Rs 8 lakh. A payment of Rs 3 lakh was even made to Vipin Verma after he got the ‘job’ done through two another unidentified ‘killers’. The SP claimed that Kamal and his accomplices Rajkumar and Rajiv Syal, residents of Basti Shekh, hatched a conspiracy to kill Charanjit Singh. During his stay from 2007 to 2009 with Charanjit Singh at England, Kamal had received a sum of Rs 35 to 40 lakh from him for buying property for him in Punjab. But Kamal purchased four plots using the money and got them registered in the name of his family members. On his visit to India, when Charanjit asked Kamal to pay back his money or transfer the property to his name he hatched a conspiracy to kill him, the SP revealed. On the confession of Kamal, the police has also arrested his two accomplices - Rajkumar and Rajiv Syal- while Vipin is still absconding. The police has launched a hunt to trap Vipin and his ‘men’ who shot dead the NRI with a pistol from a close range. The police has also sent the bullet, recovered from his skull during postmortem, to forensic laboratory.
	Victims bereft of proof, want compensation Amaninder Pal Tribune News Service Jalandhar, October 4 Even 25 years have passed, some families are still awaiting justified compensation for their sufferings during the 1984 riots. The Tribune spotted some families in and around Jalandhar which suffered property losses and inexplicable level of humiliation while they were working at Ambaguda Post of the Dandakaranya project in Koraput district of Orissa. Ajaib Singh, who was working as auto-mechanic at Ambaguda and had approached the Prime Minister, the Home Minister and senior bureaucrats, said, “Out of the total staff of 900 posted at Ambaguda, we were in obvious minority. Terror spread by the mob during the riot period and its repercussions never allowed us to register FIRs at police stations. “We don’t have any document to claim compensation. However, we want that the authorities should consider these photographs as relevant proof of our sufferings,” added Ajaib Singh, while showing photographs revealing the humiliation suffered by him and other families. Ajaib Singh and another victim Bhag Singh wrote a number of applications, along with these photographs and testimonial references of IAS and other officials in Ambaguda at that time, to the authorities at the district, state and Central levels. But the authorities do not consider these photographs as relevant documents for allowing compensation. Interestingly, another person, who was posted at the same location and resigned from the job after riots, got compensation on similar ground. In 1998, Surjit Singh Barnala and Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa forwarded letters to A.B. Vajpayee and L.K. Advani to give compensation to the family of Ajaib Singh. Similarly, in April 2007 the Adviser to Punjab Chief Minister, Daljeet Singh Cheema, forwarded requests of Bhag Singh and Ajaib Singh to the Deputy Commissioner, Jalandhar. “At that time environment was vicious and full of resentment against us. Years after 1984, we lived under the shadow of constant fear. There was no hope of cooperation from any section at that place, said Bhag Singh, who was also posted in Ambaguda. “We never got the required documents for our children to get admission in schools of Punjab. Reputed schools denied admission to our children. We do not have any document to prove our property loss. But we demand compensation for humiliation we suffered not for days but for years,” added Bhag Singh. The Dandakaranya project had been launched by the Ministry of Rehabilitation in September 1958 to rehabilitate local population and refugees from East Pakistan (Bangladesh).
	Death case hushed up by panchayat Tribune News Service Mehatpur, October 4 A nine-month-old boy died due to alleged negligence of a BAMS doctor at Mehatpur in Nakodar this morning. The incident occurred when Kulwinder, mother of Julfkar, who had fever, took him to the residence of the doctor for medication at about 6.30 am. The doctor reportedly gave the boy an injection and asked the parents to take the boy home. The condition of the boy deteriorated after over an hour and the family again approached the doctor. The boy was then referred to the Civil Hospital, Nakodar, where he died. Carrying the body, the irate family members protested outside the clinic of the doctor. The case was later resolved when the doctor admitted his negligence before the panchayat. Pendu Mazdoor Union president Tarsem Peter has demanded an inquiry into the incident and appealed to the district administration to take action against the panchayat and the erring doctor.
	Blow To Kaypee On Home Turf Dalit leaders side with Amarinder Amarjit Thind/TNS Jalandhar, October 4 The visit of former Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh yesterday is a masterstroke since it has not only dented the anti-Dalit charges made by PPCC chief Mohinder Singh Kaypee but also showcased the former’s acceptability in the community. All the leaders who had given a miss to the state-level dharna called by Kaypee a few days ago were in full attendance at a press conference yesterday. They included MLA Amarjit Singh Samra, former ministers Chaudhary Jagjit Singh, Chaudhary Santokh Singh, Gurkanwal Kaur, Joginder Singh Mann, former Improvement Trust Chairman Tejinder Bittu and Kanwaljt Lally. All of them represent areas that are part of the Jalandhar parliamentary constituency from where Kaypee is the MP. That Amarinder is a crowd puller was exhibited as the rank and file that had turned up to greet him at various programmes lined up for the day. The police had a hard time regulating the large number of workers assembled at the Press Club. Youth Congress workers, led by DYC (Rural) chief Vikramjit Singh, raised slogans in his favour. He stopped at the residence of Chaudhary Santokh Singh for lunch. Party insiders point out that this was also a subtle attempt by the former CM to point out that the power equations have changed and that Santokh Singh was the new Congress face of the community. The fact that he took part in the shobha yatra at Patel Chowk, the constituency of Avtar Henry without the former minister, was not lost on anyone since the latter is in Kaypee’s camp. Henry, S.S. Dullo, Jagmeet Brar and Partap Singh Bajwa were the only leaders who had participated in the dharna on September 23. Interestingly, some of the local leaders like former Mayor Surinder Mahey who had been siding with Kaypee also took the opportunity to be seen with Capt Singh during the press conference. In addition to the local leadership, leaders from other parts of the state like Jeet Mohinder Sidhu, Arvind Khanna, Rajanbir Singh and Gurkirat Singh Kotli had turned up to be with Amarinder. Earlier, he also stopped at former MLA Kamaljit Singh Lally’s residence for a cup of tea.
	Paddy procurement: Farmers block traffic Tribune News Service Kapurthala, October 4 A large number of farmers, led by the Kirti Kisan Union (KKU), blocked traffic at some places in Kapurthala in protest against the non-procurement of paddy by different agencies. KKU president Balwinder Singh Bajwa, Pendu Mazdoor Union leader Balwinder Singh and Kulwinder Singh Josan of the Naujawan Bharat Sabha led the traffic jam near grain market in Kapurthala. The farmers blocked traffic on the Kapurthala-Sultanpur Lodhi road for three hours from 2 pm. They lifted the dharna on an assurance by the authorities regarding proper procurement. Jalandhar: Protesting against the government for not lifting paddy from grain markets for the past over a week, members of the KKU and the Pendu Mazdoor Union held a protest. The irate farmers also blocked the Lohian-Sultanpur Lodhi road for over two hours to press their demands. The arhtiyas’ associations also joined the protesters. The protesters raised anti-government slogans and claimed that the government had not lifted even a single bag of paddy in Lohian, Giddarpindi, Kamalpur, Kang Khurd, Nawanpind Donewal, Mehatpur and certain other markets till date. Though the procurement was to start on September 28, yet none of the procurement agencies has turned up to buy crop, claimed Balwinder Singh.
	Arhtiyas not to make advance payment Tribune News Service Kapurthala, October 4 Commission agents will not make any advance payment to the farmers in future. The Punjab Arhtiyas Association took this decision at a meeting here today to protest against the recent notification asking them to make payments to farmers through cheques against their produce. Over 150 commission agents from across the state participated in the meeting to express their anguish against the notification. Talking to mediapersons after the meeting, district president of the Kutcha Arhtiyas Association Om Parkash Behl said the association wanted that farmers should be asked whether they wanted payments through cheques or in cash. According to the notification, the commission agents will make payments through cheques to the farmers. However they can make cash payment of up to Rs 10,000 only to a farmer once in a month.