Muktsar, August 28
With the recovery of devoured limbs of a 56-year-old local businessman, who had gone missing about 10 days back, the Muktsar police today claimed that he was killed on the day of his disappearance itself.

The mystery unfolded after the police arrested three youths, two of whom had to repay a petty debt to the deceased. During the interrogation, the trio confessed to have committed the crime.

Though the kin of the deceased claimed to have identified his limbs and clothes, they have been sent to the Guru Nanak Medical College, Faridkot, for DNA test.

According to the details available, Kanwal Parkash Chhabra (the deceased) used to sell household articles on installment basis. On August 18, he left his shop on the Abohar road to collect installments but did not return till evening. At about 8 pm, his son Gaurav Chhabra tried to contact him on his mobile but it was reportedly switched off. Later, he lodged a complaint with the city police about his missing father.

Meanwhile, they tried to locate Kanwal’s motorcycle, but in vain. Significantly, they did not receive any call for ransom.

They again approached the police and asked to lodge a case of kidnapping with intent to kill. Acting upon the statement of Kanwal’s kin, the police had registered a case under section 364 of the IPC against unidentified person on Sunday (August 22).

The police based its probe on multi-pronged theories and finally found it to be a case of murder.

Muktsar SSP Inder Mohan Singh today said one Gora Singh of Karampura Basti, who had to pay Rs 1,500 to Kanwal, called him up asking him to collect the amount he owed to him. When Kanwal reached there, he told him that his friend Sonu of Gobind Nagri, who too was his debtor, was also willing to repay the loan.

Believing him, Kanwal offered him lift and drove his motorcycle to the fields located near village Sohnewala-Vadhayian in the district where Sonu was to be present.

However, when he reached the spot, Sonu and Gora along with their accomplice Happy of Sunder Nagar pounced upon him and strangulated him to death. Dumping the body in the fields, they drove away on his motorcycle and threw it in a canal.

About the reason behind the killing, the SSP said, “About a few days back, Kanwal had used some harsh words against Sonu and Gora for not repaying the loan. He had also seized a DVD player from Gora’s house in lieu of the due payment. Irked over his behaviour, they hatched a plan to kill him, which they executed on August 18.”

The accused were booked under sections 302, 201 and 34 of the IPC. However, the motorcycle of the deceased could not be recovered yet.

Bathinda, August 28
Sixty two-year-old Harbhajan Singh’s search for speed for sending ‘rakhi-shagun’ to his sister ended on Friday. And with this ended his plan to shun the use of money order (MO) facility! Harbhajan has not found anything new. In fact, the MO with its new avatar has only succeeded in regaining the trust of its decade-old customer.

Like Harbhajan, a resident of Veer Colony, Bathinda, many customers of MO here are taking no time in embracing the technology-based MO facility called electronic money order (eMO). Besides, ATM (Automated Teller Machine) users are also finding it useful.

In the cyber-age, the proliferation of bank ATMs started writing off the MO from being a part of life, particularly in urban areas. And Bathinda city was no exception where some years ago migrants from states like Bihar and Uttar Pradesh used to throng post offices for sending money to their near and dear ones.

“Some years ago, post offices in Bathinda used to handle nearly 250 MOs everyday,” sources in the postal department said, adding that its customers had started declining in recent past as the facility lost the competition to ATMs, which were present in every nook and corner.

“But things are changing. Technology has given a new lease of life to MO,” said superintendent post, Bathinda, BS Sandhu. “The eMO which ensures secure delivery of money with speed has regained the faith of customers besides getting new customers,” the superintendent added.

Sandhu said daily monitoring of the eMOs by authority concerned also helped in ensuring proper and timely delivery of money, which in turn considerably reduced the number of complaints regarding late or non-delivery. The superintendent claimed that the eMO could be delivered in two hours or at least on same day.

He said the facility had brought in new customers and traffic had once again started increasing. The traffic also increases on occasions like rakhi, bhaiya dooj etc, he said and hoped that the traffic would further rise as the awareness about the facility increases. He said postal staff had been instructed to create awareness about the advantage of eMO.

The facility of eMO could be availed of at any computerised post office, said Makhan Lal Mangal, post master of the Bathinda city post office. Talking about advantages of the eMO, Mangal said while ordinary MO normally takes two days for delivery, the eMO could be delivered in just two hours or at least on same day. While form for ordinary MO costs 25 paise, the form for eMO is available free of cost at post offices, the post master added.

Mangal said the cost of sending money is five per cent of a sum, for example Rs 5 for Rs 100.

Ferozepur, August 28
The two floods, which occurred in the border areas of this district in the past three years and left a trail of destruction, has started affecting the residents.

While one elderly woman identified as Santo Bai died due to the shock caused by the flooding of fields in the Fazilka area, Makhan Singh, former sarpanch of village Gatti Rajo Ke, was battling for his life in a private hospital after he started suffering from fits last night when he saw the flood water has submerged his paddy fields.

“Two floods in quick succession have ruined the economy of the affected farmers as their debts have piled up. This is the main reason why a majority of the affected farmers have been suffering from depression,” pointed out Roop Chand, a medical practitioner of village Bhakra, adding that paddy crop in about 30 acres of land belonging to Makhan Singh had been completely damaged due to floods.

“The farmers were yet to overcome the shock of floods, which ravaged this area and caused a huge destruction in 2008. And the flooding of their fields by the swollen Sutlej this month has broken their backbones,” claimed Surjeet Singh of village Ruknewala.

“Most of the affected farmers and others who have suffered losses on account of damages caused to their crops, houses and cattle have been feeling the pressure brought on by the anxiety as to how will they repay their debts-- raised by them to meet their domestic and agricultural needs-- to money lenders and commission agents,” pointed out Chinder Pal Singh, a leader of SAD-BJP alliance, whose mother Krishno Bai also died due to a heart attack after coming to know that floods are imminent.

“The best way to bring the affected farmers out of depression is that the Punjab government should waive their loans, which they have taken from cooperative banks apart from giving them suitable compensation for the losses suffered due to the floods,” he added.

“We have been finding it difficult to marry off our sons and daughter in the absence of money as we have suffered heavy losses on account of floods in 2008 and now in 2010. Our fate is being dictated by the Sutlej every year,” pointed out a section of the affected residents.

Joga Singh, sarpanch of Bhuti Wala, said the affected farmers had decided to meet chief minister Parkash Singh Badal during his visit to Zira and Makhu on September 2 and to urge him to give compensation at the earliest so that they are able to meet their routine financial liabilities.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Badal, when contacted, said the state was aware of the damage in some parts of the state due to the floods in Sutlej and he had already instructed the deputy commissioners concerned to assess the damage so that the flood affected people could be compensated adequately.

Barnala, August 28
Nine students and two female teachers of a private school of Barnala were injured in a road accident near village Ghunnas of Tappa this morning.

Sources said that nine students and two female teachers of Baba Gandha Singh Public School in Barnala suffered injuries after the school van bearing number PB 31G-0256 having 29 person including 25 students and three teachers on board towards Barnala turned turtle near village Ghunnas of Tappa here at 7 am this morning. They added that the driver of the school bus while overtaking another vehicle, lost control after trying to avoid a head-on collision with a vehicle coming from the opposite direction.

Sources said that immediately after the accident, the volunteers of the Mini Sahara Welfare Club, Tappa, reached the spot and shifted the injured to a private hospital in Tappa.

Sources identified the nine injured students as Rahul Singla, Rohit Goel, Sahil, Mohit, Avneet, Abhinav Jeet, Bhavdeep Kumar, Suminderjeet and Vernica.

The two teachers who were injured in the accident were identified as Kanwaljeet Kaur and Monika Sharma.

Police sources said that DSP Tappa, Mukhtiar Singh, reached the hospital to meet the injured and assured the people of ascertaining the actual cause behind the accident.

Ferozepur, August 28
To disallow any infiltration attempt by anti-national elements from across the border by taking advantage of the temporary water bodies created in various pockets of the Indo-Pak border due to the floods in the Sutlej, the Border Security Force (BSF) authorities have pressed boat patrolling into service.

While the manual boats are being used to patrol that area, where the level of water ranges from 1.5 feet to two feet, motor boats have been pressed into service in those segments where the water level has gone up to four to five feet.

New ditch-cum-boat bundhs have been set up apart from the existing ones to sanitise the newly created river gaps. The BSF jawans wearing gum shoes patrol on foot those areas where the level of water is less and boats can not be used.

"Though there is no input, we have set up additional ambush nakas alongside the Cobra fencing on higher and dry grounds to detect and curb any such attempt,' said a senior functionary, who was supervising the patrolling, adding that to avoid snake bites in such situations, all the nakas had been provided with snake kits.

Meanwhile, the students of Tahni Natha Singh Wala falling in Jalalabad sector, which has been cut off from rest of Punjab due to floods, have started using boats to go to their schools located in neighbouring villages.

The BSF had also provided a motor boat to the people of this area.

Abohar, August 28
Upset over the scathing attack by the local Congress legislator Sunil Jakhar in connection with the assault on party councillor Suman Taneja, the BJP convened an emergency meeting here today.

It was presided over by district president Arun Narang. District general secretary Ravi Setia, city unit presidents Mannu Jaiswal and Shankar Swami, Market Committee chairman Dhanpat Rai Siyag, Municipal Council president Shivraj Goyal and some other members were among those present.

Later, the BJP said the allegations levelled against the party by the “non-resident Congress legislator” spoke volumes of his frustration. In the FIR No. 183 that was registered by the city police on August 16, councillor Taneja had named some persons as accused and categorically stated that he was assaulted due to some old enmity.

While releasing the copy of the FIR, the BJP leaders sought to assert that councillor Taneja had identified the accused as Satpal and others besides blaming some unidentified persons.

Surprisingly, the MLA was trying to implicate the BJP leaders who figure nowhere in the FIR or subsequent proceedings, the party said in a press release. — OC

Bathinda, August 28
Sleuths of the Vigilance Bureau (Bathinda range) today got two-day police remand of the assistant garrison engineer (AGE) of the Military Engineering Service (MES), Army Cantonment, Bathinda, who was caught red-handed with a bribe of Rs 10,000 on Friday morning.

Meanwhile, a team of VB officials led by DSP Bhupinder Singh today visited the MES office and in the presence of a number of Army officers conducted a search there.

Besides collecting some documents to corroborate the involvement of some other MES officers, including Garrison Engineer (GE) Sarhadesh Chandra, who was already accused of corruption, the VB officials recorded statements of some clerks working in the office.

One of the clerks Neelam Kumar stated that he had already filled a cheque of Rs 24,127 in the name of the firm belonging to Ashok Kumar (on whose complaint the VB nabbed the AGE yesterday) on August 20.

“Citing an excuse, he asked me to leave the cheque with him but did not sign it. But yesterday (Friday), he hurriedly called me at about 11 am and signed the cheque,” Neelam Kumar told the VB staff.

SSP (VB) Sukhdev Singh Chahal said, “The accused GE might have received the information that his subordinate, AGE Balraj Singh Nehra, who used to allegedly collect bribe for him, had been caught red-handed. It is for this reason that within an hour of his arrest, the GE signed the cheque, which was otherwise pending for long.”

“The accused AGE is in our remand and we are hopeful of ascertaining more facts to expose the role of others also,” the SSP said, adding that the GE was still at large.

Bathinda, August 28
Amninderjit Kaur of Phul got the first place while Sukhprit Kaur also of Phul and Beant Kaur of Bhagta got second and third places respectively in the 48-kg weightlifting contest of girls group in the ongoing block-level U-16 boys and girls rural tournament at Sports Stadium in Bathinda on Saturday.

The tourney is being organised under the Punjab State Panchayat Youth and Sports for 2010-11.

In discus throw contest in girls group, Karmjit Kaur of Bathinda, Veerpal Kaur of Rampura and Ramandeep Kaur of Talwandi Sabo got the first three positions, respectively. Among boys, Gurprit Singh of Sangat, Gurprit Singh and Mandeep, also of Sangat, bagged the top three slots respectively. The finals will be held on Sunday. — TNS

Bathinda, August 28
Students of the Universal Public Senior Secondary School, Talwandi Sabo, bagged 41 medals in educational competitions organised by the Punjab School Education (PSEB) at Bathinda recently.

Principal of the school Manjeet Kaur Sidhu said her school won 22 gold, 13 silver and six bronze medals in the competitions and topped in the district.

Besides congratulating the winners and their parents, president of the school Sukhchain Singh Sidhu expressed special gratitude to the teachers stating that due to their dedicated and sincere efforts, the students could bring laurels to the institution. — TNS

Guru Har Sahai, August 28
CM Parkash Singh Badal today flayed the Congress saying it was responsible for the problems of Punjab. Addressing Sangat Darshan programmes in this district, Badal also claimed that the SAD-BJP alliance was everlasting.

The CM, who laid the foundation stones of different schemes worth Rs 12 crores in this town today apart from distributing grants worth crores to panchayats of more than 200 villages in the past two days, said his government had made remarkable progress in every field, be it agriculture, infrastructure, civil aviation, power, education and healthcare.

Addressing a rally here, Badal said that master plans for all the towns and cities would be prepared by the end of this year to ensure the integrated development of urban sector.

Responding to demands made by Rohit Vohra, president, SAD (B) youth wing, Ferozepur, the Chief Minister announced the construction of two roads from Golu-Ke-Mor to Guru Har Sahai and another from Guru Har Sahai to Muktsar and a bus stand in the town. — TNS

Fazilka, August 28
Eminent industrialist, educationist and philanthropist Dr Rattan Lal Thakral (67) passed away after protracted illness at the DMC Hospital in Ludhiana yesterday.

Dr Thakral was the founder-president of the 1971 Indo-Pak War Memorial at village Asafwala in the Fazilka sector. It was with his efforts and that of other prominent residents of the area that the collective cremation of the Armymen was performed at village Asafwala, 7 km from here in 1971 after the ceasefire.

Dr Thakral was a leading rice miller and industrialist of district Ferozepur and modest in his demeanour. Dr Thakral was the president of Chemist Association, Fazilka, for over 30 years and also the patron of district Ferozepur Chemist and Druggist Association for the last two years. He was the president of Rice Millers Association in Ferozepur and the founder chairman of Jyoti B.Ed. College, Fazilka.