The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

THE TRIBUNE SPECIALS

50 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE

TERCENTENARY CELEBRATIONS

Out of turn promotions
Two SIs threaten fast unto death
Amritsar, January 31
Two sub-inspectors (SIs), Rajnider Singh and Kanwaljit Singh, who had resigned over the out of turn promotions of certain colleagues, today threatened to sit on fast unto death and move the Punjab and Haryana High Court if the authorities concerned failed to provide them justice.

Woman alleges torture by ASI
Phillaur, January 31
A woman, Paramjit Kaur, was allegedly tortured physically and mentally by former SHO of Phillaur Jaswinder Singh today. The victim was admitted in the Civil Hospital with blunt injuries. The woman, while talking to newsmen in the hospital, said her husband, who died in 2000, was facing a police case and the ASI concerned was harassing her even after the death of her husband.

2 snatchers arrested
Nawanshahr, January 31
The police has arrested Baldev Raj of Mahalon village and Jagjivan Ram of Barwa village at a naka near Barnala Gate and recovered a mobile phone and a purse allegedly snatched by them from Jaswant Rai of Mahalon on Friday.

CDPO held for graft
Pathankot, January 31
Bimla Devi, Child Development Project Officer (CDPO), was caught by a team of the Vigilance Department while accepting a bribe of Rs 10,000 from Krishna Devi of Broh village here today. Santokh Singh Sandhu, DSP (Vigilance), Gurdaspur, said the action was taken on the complaint of Krishana Devi that Bimla Devi asked her to pay Rs 35,000 for appointment as an anganwari worker in her department. The deal was struck at Rs 10,000.

8 arrested
Pathankot, January 31
The Dhariwal police arrested Nipanjit, resident of Japwal village, today and seized 7 gm of smack from him. Meanwhile, the Kahnuwan police arrested Puran Singh, resident of Bhatia village and seized 150 gm of intoxicant powder from him.

105 donate blood
Pathankot, January 31
A blood donation camp, organised by activists of the Youth Akali Dal, Kahnuwan block, in collaboration with officials of the district police was held at Senior Secondary School, Kahnuwan, near Gurdaspur, 50 km from here, today.

	Computer teachers hold protest march Tribune Reporters Jalandhar, January 31 The Computer Teachers Union here today organised a peaceful march in protest against the alleged unjustified policies of the government. Union president Pawan Sharma said, “The Akali-BJP government had promised to regularise the teachers in its poll manifesto, but now why is it putting conditions and asking us to sign new agreements?” He said the government should fulfil its promises by appointing them in proper scales. The protesters marched to the house of Local Bodies Minister Manoranjan Kalia to hand over their demand letter. As the minister was in Delhi, the letter was handed over to a tehsildar. “We demand that the substitute and third-phase computer teachers should be regularised without any conditions and the examination scrapped. If a teacher commits some mistake, he/she should be given a second chance and shouldn’t be terminated,” said one of the protesters. The union also demanded the facility of medical leave for computer science teachers. The other demands include compensation for extra work assigned to them and grant of annual increments to the teachers. TARN TARAN: Unemployed ETT Union burn the effigy of Education Minister of Punjab, while computer teachers held a rally in support of their demands here on Sunday. Both the organisations have supported the demands of each other. Dildar Singh, senior vice-president of the Unemployed ETT Union, while addressing the teachers, said they had been demanding filling the posts of ETT teacher on regular basis and to cancel the recognition to the courses done from other states. He said the union would be forced to intensify its agitation if the government failed to the accept their demands. Among others who addressed the rally of the computer teachers were Gurwinder Singh and Karanjit Singh. They took serious note of the state government attitude in not fulfilling its promise made to them regarding giving them the status of government emplopyees and regularising their services. The speakers threatened the government with an agitation in case their demands were not met.
	Outgoing calls barred Idea Limited ordered to pay up Our Correspondent Hoshiarpur, January 31 The District Consumers Court has ordered Spice Communication Limited, Mohali (now Idea Limited), to pay within one month compensation and litigation expenses of Rs 3,000 to Kamal Kumar, son of Tara Chand of the local Bazaar Vakilan. Kamal Kumar had filed a complaint against Spice Communication Limited, Mohali, and its dealer Makkar Automobiles, Hoshiarpur, on the ground that he purchased a sim card (89911-49200-00706-6251) with mobile phone connection (9914950959) from the dealer in 2008 which was valid up to 2027. Later Spice Communication was purchased by Idea Communication Limited, Mohali. The incoming calls were being received, but the outgoing call facility was not available on his mobile phone. When he approached the dealer, he told him that his identity was required. He supplied a copy of the driving licence along with his photograph on May 23, 2009, but the sim card did not work. The dealer failed to forward the copy of the driving licence along with his photograph to the company, therefore, he is guilty of rendering deficient services. Makkar Automobiles raised the plea that Kamal Kumar had not produced any evidence on the file to prove that the said sim card was purchased by him from them as no bill or receipt with regard to the purchase of the sim card was produced on record, as such he was not a consumer. The consumer court held that Kumar had not produced on record any bill or receipt with regard to the purchase of the sim card in question from the dealer, so it held that there is no deficiency in services on the part of Makkar Automobiles as its authorities forwarded the documents submitted by him to the company on the very next day. The consumer court, headed by President P.D. Goel further held that it is proved that the working or the activation of the sim card or the activation/barring of the calls was within the purview of the company, therefore, it was guilty of rendering deficient services to Kamal Kumar as the mobile sim card did not start working within the prescribed time from the submission of the documents.
	Out of turn promotions Two SIs threaten fast unto death P.K. Jaiswar Tribune News Service Amritsar, January 31 Two sub-inspectors (SIs), Rajnider Singh and Kanwaljit Singh, who had resigned over the out of turn promotions of certain colleagues, today threatened to sit on fast unto death and move the Punjab and Haryana High Court if the authorities concerned failed to provide them justice. They were here to meet BJP MP Navjot Singh Sidhu urging him for supporting their cause. Perturbed over the developments, the two cops posted in the Intelligence Wing in Jalandhar, alleging blatant violations of norms regarding promotions of police officers much juniors to them, had submitted their resignations to the DGP and Principal Secretary (Home) in mid of this month. Talking to The Tribune, they said their senior police officials had favoured their blue-eyed boys by giving out of turn promotions against the double bench order of the high court, which had ordered to revert them earlier. “We are going to file contempt of court case besides sitting on fast unto death not for ourselves but for many other colleagues like us,” said Rajinder Singh. “We are science graduates while those who have been promoted are simply matriculate and joined the Punjab Police much later than us,” said Kanwaljit Singh. They said till now they were not informed whether their resignations had been accepted or rejected. Meanwhile, Navjot Singh Sidhu today assured them of all possible support.
	Woman alleges torture by ASI Our Correspondent Phillaur, January 31 A woman, Paramjit Kaur, was allegedly tortured physically and mentally by former SHO of Phillaur Jaswinder Singh today. The victim was admitted in the Civil Hospital with blunt injuries. The woman, while talking to newsmen in the hospital, said her husband, who died in 2000, was facing a police case and the ASI concerned was harassing her even after the death of her husband. She alleged that the accused was threatening her with dire consequences and made illicit relations with her. Meanwhile, the accused police official took Rs 8.40 lakh from her on the assurances to purchase a house in Jalandhar where they both would live together, alleged Paramjit Kaur. She further alleged that despite repeated reminders the accused did not return her money and today he called her in a house near Pepsi factory and tortured her, beat up her, threatened her and snatched her gold earrings. She alleged that the police did not register any FIR on her complaint today. On the other hand, DSP Kamaljit Singh Dhillon said he would summon the accused former SHO on Monday to investigate the case.
	2 snatchers arrested Nawanshahr, January 31 The police has arrested Baldev Raj of Mahalon village and Jagjivan Ram of Barwa village at a naka near Barnala Gate and recovered a mobile phone and a purse allegedly snatched by them from Jaswant Rai of Mahalon on Friday. Giving details, SHO (City) Raj Kumar said Jaswant Rai, in his complaint lodged with the police, had stated that two unidentified youths riding a motorcycle had snatched his mobile phone and purse at sword point while he was returning home on his scooter after closing his shop at Palli Jhikki village at about 7 pm on Friday. The police had also recovered the motorcycle used in the crime by them. A case was registered against them. — OC
	CDPO held for graft Our Correspondent Pathankot, January 31 Bimla Devi, Child Development Project Officer (CDPO), was caught by a team of the Vigilance Department while accepting a bribe of Rs 10,000 from Krishna Devi of Broh village here today. Santokh Singh Sandhu, DSP (Vigilance), Gurdaspur, said the action was taken on the complaint of Krishana Devi that Bimla Devi asked her to pay Rs 35,000 for appointment as an anganwari worker in her department. The deal was struck at Rs 10,000. The Vigilance Department laid a trap to nab the CDPO and as she accepted the amount the vigilance team, led by the DSP, apprehended her. The complainant alleged that despite the resolution duly passed by the village panchayat and forwarded to the district administration for her appointment as an anganwari worker, the CDPO had pressed her to give a bribe to her.