Amritsar, January 29
The district administration raided remote government institutions and found scores of staff members absent from duty.Seven teams of the administration conducted raids at the institutions.One team, headed by Deputy Commissioner K.S. Pannu, raided a Government Elementary School, Wadala Bhittewad, where teachers Lakhbir Singh, Tejinder Singh and Asha were found absent.

Dr Rajinderpal Kaur, Rural Medical Officer, Subsidiary Health Centre, Wadala Bhittewad, and Malwinderjit Kaur, teacher, Government Elementary School, Wadala Kalan, were also found absent.

At ESI Dispensary, Kala Ghanupur (Chhehretta), Varinder Kaur and Manjit Kaur, Class IV were found absent.

Another raiding party, headed by Additional Deputy Commissioner Paramjit Singh, found Paramjit Kaur, teaching fellow, and teachers Amandeep Kaur and Harvinder Kaur of Government Elementary School, Mehilanwala absent.

At Government High School of the same village, teacher Kulwinder Kaur was not present. Dr Vandana and Gurpreet Singh, a pharmacist, of the village health centre, were found absent.

Anganwari workers and helpers of anganwari centres 1 and 2, and anganwari worker of centre number three of Mehilanwala Village were found absent.

Similarly, anganwari workers of centres 1 and 2 of Sensra and Jagdev Kalan villages along with anganwari worker and helper of anganwari centre number four of Jagdev Kalan village were also absent.

Workers and helpers of anganwari centre numbers 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6 were found absent.

Dr Mandeep Kaur of Bohru Health Centre, Sukhwinder Singh, ANM, Dimple, ANM and Kuldip Singh, MPHW (M), were also found absent. Veterinary dispensary of Mandiala village was found locked. ANM Balwinder Kaur of Subsidiary Health Centre, Sathiala, was not found on duty.

Except pharmacist Harpreet Singh, all the staff of Primary Health Centre, Gehri Mandi, was found absent. At Jandiala Guru Senior Secondary School for Boys, Deepjinderpal Kaur, Kulwinder Kaur and Neeru Gupta, all teachers, were found absent.

The DC said the staff claimed that the Principal of the aforementioned school Darshan Singh had gone to DEO Office to attend a meeting. However, enquiry revealed that no such meeting was held.

Tarn Taran, January 29
A policeman was among five people who were killed in three mishaps today.Three persons were killed and as many as were injured in a road accident near Balachak village, 18 kms from here, when a speeding truck collided head on with a Maruti van on Friday.

Those killed were identified as Satish Chander, Sudesh Kumar and Balwinder Singh while the injured were identified as Mohit Kukreja, Arun Kumar and Balwinder Kumar. Belonging to Tarn Taran, they were going to attend a marriage function near Guruwali village, 20 kms from here, and were traveling in the van.

The condition of Arun and Balwinder, admitted to a hospital in Amritsar, was said to be serious.

The driver of the truck has been booked.

In another accident, a mini bus crushed Gurmit Kaur (55) to death in Patti, 25 kms from here, when she was about the board the bus. Bus driver Avtar Singh of Kairon village has been booked.

Jalandhar: Kulwinder Singh, a constable in 80 Battalion of the Punjab Armed Police (PAP), died in a road accident near the PAP complex here today.

A resident of Kota Ramdas in the Ladhewali area, Kulwinder Singh had brought laurels to the state in the national and international police championships.

He was going on a motorcycle when a truck hit his bike near the PAP complex leaving him critically injured. He succumbed to his injuries after he was rushed to a local private hospital. SHO Barjinder Singh said a truck carrying LPG cylinders hit his motorbike and sped away. The body was handed over to the family after the post-mortem examination at the local Civil Hospital.