Bathinda, January 21
Children below the age of 14 continue to be employed in dhabas and other business establishments here as the authorities concerned have made it a ritual to wake up only once in a year to show their presence and take a cosmetic action against violators of the law.

Small boys are employed in dhabas in a row outside the railway station here and also in eating establishments in the district towns of Faridkot, Ferozepur, Moga, Muktsar and Barnala. Unfortunately, officials of the labour and other departments have shut their eyes towards this serious violation of law.

Employing a child below the age of 14 is punishable under the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986. In an amendment in 2006, it has been made illegal to employ children at food joints, roadside dhabas and as domestic help. Those employing them are liable to one year of imprisonment and a fine of Rs 20,000.

Although officials of the labour department claim that they were keeping vigil on this aspect, but the fact is that violators of the law have gone scot-free.

A child working as a bearer in a dhaba outside the railway station said he was being paid a pittance of Rs 400 per month for working more than 12 hours. He has been given the task of cleaning the tables and offering water to customers. Many other children are working in these dhabas.

Bathinda, January 21
To seek reservation benefits in educational institutions and government jobs, the Punjab Pradesh Dhobi Maha Sabha today sought Scheduled Caste (SC) status for the members of dhobi (laundryman) community of the state.

The Sabha rued that for want of SC status, the wards of dhobis in Punjab were deprived of the benefits being availed by members of SC communities in the state.

The dhobis asked Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal to recommend their case to the Centre for including the dhobi community of Punjab in the list of SCs as Haryana government had already done this. They claimed that the dhobi community in 17 states, including Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Bihar and UP, had already been granted SC status.

The demand was made at a delegate sammellan of the Sabha held here today, which was attended by leaders of the All India Dhobi Maha Sangh, including national organising secretary Balaji Shinde from Maharashtra, national secretary V Chander Shekher from Karnataka, national working president Kailash Chand Daagar from Rajasthan, and state president of Punjab Pradesh Dhobi Maha Sabha Ashok Kumar from Bathinda.

The national leaders of the All India Dhobi Maha Sangh also extended their full support to the Punjab Sabha’s demands.

Bathinda, January 21
Taking the police to task, some unidentified persons allegedly stole tyres and alloy wheels worth Rs 7.20 lakh after breaking open two shops at Rampura on Wednesday night.

One Amarinder Singh, who had inaugurated his tyre shop on Wednesday, lodged a complaint with the police that some unidentified persons broke the shutter of his shop and stole the tyres and wheels worth Rs 5.5 lakh on the same night. He claimed that the stolen goods were not insured.

In another complaint, Varun Kumar, manager of Broadways Lines Private limited, said to be a firm of a ruling politician, alleged some unidentified persons broke open the shutter of their shop and stole tyres worth Rs 1.7 lakh.

Acting upon the complaints, the police registered cases but the accused were still at large.

Fazilka, January 21
A startling incidence of a father allegedly killing his son with kirpan has come to light in village Jandwala Bhimeshah of this sub-division.

Nanak Chand, a resident of village Jandwala Bhimeshah, has in a statement recorded before Sadar police, Fazilka, alleged that his nephew Amar Singh had allegedly murdered his (Amar Singh's) teenaged son Satpal Singh (14) and had thrown his body into Gang canal. Satpal Singh was a student of class VIII at the Government High School in the village.

The body of the boy has not been recovered so far even two days after the alleged murder.

According to the statement made by Nanak Chand, he had gone to collect wood near the Gang canal on January 19 where he noticed that Amar Singh and his son were having a heated exchange.

Amar Singh doubted the character of his minor daughter studying in class X. He wanted to confirm it from his son Satpal Singh. Satpal feigned ignorance about the matter.

Upon this, Amar Singh allegedly persisted and put pressure on his son to tell the truth.

Since Satpal Singh maintained his earlier stand, it enraged Amar Singh. In a fit of anger, Amar Singh allegedly inflicted injuries on Satpal Singh with his kirpan, killed him and threw his body in the canal.

The relatives of Satpal Singh had launched a search for his body which has not been traced till now.

Police have registered a case today under section 302 of the Indian Penal Code against Amar Singh named as the prime accused in the case. 

Mansa, January 21
The Punjab and Haryana High Court today withdrew the judicial work from Chief Judicial Magistrate Dimple Walia who is posted in district court, Mansa. The High Court had taken the decision on basis of an inspection conducted by HC judge Lakshmi Narain Mittal.

The Bar Association in Mansa had boycotted CJM Dimple Walia due to her "abnormal behaviour" during the last few days. Bar association president Sarbjit Singh Garewal welcomed the decision of the High Court and announced that the boycott would not continue now.

Former president of the Bar Association Ajit Singh Bhangu also welcomed the decision. Bhangu had raised the issue of the “abnormal behaviour” of the judge because it was during his case that she had reversed her decision. The case was related to granting of bail. 

Moga, January 21
The Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate of Chandigarh Anshul Berry has on Wednesday sentenced Tara Singh Sandhu, former president of the Moga district unit of the Congress party to 18-month imprisonment for torturing his wife Kanwaljit Kaur emotionally by maintaining relations with another woman.

Sandhu, who is considered a close confidant of Congress stalwart Jagmeet Singh Brar in the political circles, was facing allegations of bigamy from his wife, who had earlier also approached the AICC president Sonia Gandhi, seeking immediate intervention and probe.

The court had found Tara Singh Sandhu guilty under sections 494, 498-A and 406 of the IPC and sentenced him to 18 months of imprisonment and also imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 on him.

Sandhu got married to Kanwaljit Kaur on November 20, 1983. His wife had alleged that he remarried again with another woman Bhupinder Kaur on January 19, 2003 without divorcing her. — TNS

Mansa, January 21
Labourers of various villages belonging to Mansa district have been facing harassment due to improper implementation of the NREGA scheme.

Some labourers of these villages have blamed the panchayats and the district administration for the tardy implementation of this scheme. Balwinder Singh from Ghrangna, Harmesh Singh from Dodra and Bhola Singh from Bhadarpur villages said that they had sent applications to the DC office in Mansa to get work under the NREGA scheme but had not succeeded so far. They demanded work under the scheme without any discrimination.

Meanwhile, state secretary of Mazdoor Mukti Morcha Bhagwant Singh Sammaon said some panchayats dominated by the rich and the administration were responsible for the faults in the implementation of NREGA. He alleged that due to the policy of discrimination, many labourers were ignored and they could not get work. He provided a list of villages where faults were found in the implementation of this scheme namely, Guraddi, Dodra, Mallsingh wala, Bhadarpur and Kankwal Chehla. At various places, labourers were not provided with proper equipment for work, he added.

The Morcha leader further informed that corruption was also rampant in the implementation of the employment law in Danewala village. He said protest rallies were being held as a mark of protest.

Meanwhile Mansa Deputy Commissioner Kumar Rahul said it was not possible to implement NREGA in all the villages due to lack of funds and efforts were being made to provide work from where applications wee received.

Speaking on corruption in the implementation of the scheme in Danewala village, he said an inquiry had been marked to the District Development and Panchayat Officer (DDPO).

Sriganganagar/Abohar, January 21
The Balidan Divas of Sher-e-Sind Hemu Kalani, young freedom fighter and revolutionary who was hanged to death on 21 January 1943 by the British, was observed in a dozen towns of West Rajasthan today.

Hundreds of Sindhis thronged the Jhulelal Mandir in Padampur to remember the martyr. Speaking on the occasion, social activists Naresh Mittal, Naresh Wadhwa, Daulat Ram Soni, Bhagwan Dass Badlani, Gordhan Sethia, Raj Kumar Gajra and Bhushan Sharma said Hemu belonged to that rare band of revolutionaries whose indomitable spirit brooks no resistance, for whom tortures of imprisonment had no meaning and death held no terror.

While marching to the gallows, Hemu Kalani consoled his distressed mother by reminding her of her earlier teachings of the Gita regarding the indestructibility of soul. So strong was his patriotic zeal that he pledged his next life also to the cause of India's freedom. A folder on the life history of Kalani was also released.

Ghanshyam Harwani, vice-president of Shaheed Captain Navpal Trust and Tulsi Hajwani said the profile of Hemu should be included in the syllabus books to impart inspiration to youths. Representatives of NGOs offered flowers petals at the portrait of the hero.

In Suratgarh, people assembled at the Shaheed Hemu Kalani chowk to pay tributes to the martyr. — OC

Sriganganagar/Abohar, January 21
Two youths were killed and one sustained injuries as the motorcycle that they were using, reportedly rammed into a bus that had been parked on the Suratgarh-Chhatargarh road in Sriganganagar region last night, police confirmed today in the morning.

As per available information, Daya Ram (26) and Raj Kumar (25), residents of village Surjansar and Anil Kumar (16) of village Nahranwali were triple-riding a motorcycle on way to Suratgarh from Surjansar. Raziasar SHO PD Sharma said Daya Ram died on the spot while Raj Kumar and Anil were rushed by the highway ambulance to the Civil Hospital at Suratgarh.

Anil succumbed to his injuries later. Bodies of the deceased were handed over to the parents. — OC

Sriganganagar/Abohar, January 21
The tableau of Jantar Mantar of Pink City Jaipur will lead the tableaus of different states this time during the Republic Day parade at New Delhi, Vinay Sharma exhibition officer of the Rajasthan Lalit Kala Academy informed today.

Jantar Mantar consists of multiple structures of stone masonry built in varied and large geometric forms that have caught the attention of artists, architects and art historiographers throughout the world.

On display will be a statue of Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, the founder of Jaipur and the Rajput ruler of Amber, who had the distinction of getting the Jantar Mantar built. For being a reputed astronomer, Jai Singh was commissioned by Emperor Muhammad Shah, to correct the astronomical tables and to confirm the data that was available on the planetary positions. He took nearly seven years to finish the Jantar Mantar. It was restored in 1901 and in 1948 the famous observatory was declared a national monument.

The tableau will display replica of the Jaiparkash Yantra, Samrat Yantra, Ram Yantra and the composite instrument which contains a sundial and an enormous hemisphere on the northern wall. Four women, carrying typical Rajasthani 'kalash' on their heads, will walk ahead of the tableau along with a group of five astrologers who would recite shlokas or hymns related to the Jantar Mantar. The tableau has been sculpted under the guidance of Paras Bhansali and Harshiv Sharma of Jaipur. 

Bathinda, January 21
The local unit of Youth Welfare Federation Mahila Wing today took out an awareness rally for building a healthy society at Balaharr Vinjhu village near Goniana here.

A member said they were disseminating message against drugs, female foeticide etc by carrying out such rallies in villages. She said they had taken a pledge to eradicate such evils from society.