Jalandhar, April 4
Euphoria engulfed the city while loud drum beats were all that could be heard as off-spinner Harbhajan Singh reached home after a spectacular win in the cricket World Cup here late this evening. Bhajji was accorded a hero’s welcome by city residents.

The fans of Bhajji virtually brought the entire stretch from the GT Road to his home to a halt. Standing in an open jeep along with general secretary of Jalandhar District Cricket Association (JDCA) Sanjeev Rai Bitta and city Mayor Rakesh Rathore, he cheered his fans and responded to their loud cheers with a victorious “thumbs up”.

People, especially the youth, in open jeeps and motorcycles jostled to have a glimpse of the star of the moment. Among those who waited for Bhajji with unabated breath since evening were the budding cricketers of the JDCA.

And at his home, the scene was nothing short of grand Diwali celebrations as Bhajji met his mother Avtar Kaur and three sisters. Bhajji’s family, friends and relatives from far and wide made it to his home to celebrate the moment.

The off-spinner’s family had also arranged a special DJ to add charm to the celebrations.

Talking to The Tribune, Bhajji’s mother Avtar Kaur said she had been eagerly waiting for her son. “It has been a long wait of 28 years and Team India had worked too hard to bring home the coveted World Cup title for their icon ace cricketer Sachin Tendulkar,” she said, adding that all that a mother would ever want was see her son grow.

Further answering a query pertaining to Bhajji being an emotional man, his younger sister Sandeep Kaur said, “I still cannot forget those victorious moments of Team India when Bhajji and Yuvraj ended up crying and hugging each other. My brother is bit emotional and not only he, even we were crying seeing him enjoy the victory of Team India. It was a lifetime moment,” she said.

She said now all that they wanted was to see their brother getting married soon. “I think every sister waits eagerly to see her brother getting married. For the past many years all that he would talk about is the World Cup. Now that Team India has won it, we will surely proceed with his marriage plans,” she quipped.

Till late night Bhajji’s family and friends celebrated his arrival and the World Cup victory.

Tarn Taran, April 4
Unemployed linemen, expressing resentment over the non-acceptance of their demands, organised a demonstration and burnt an effigy of the state government and Powercom here today.

District president of the Unemployed Linemen Union Dilbag Singh Pandori led the demonstration. Dilbag condemned the state government and Powercom for not acceding to their genuine demand of filling the vacant posts of lineman in Powercom.

The normal traffic remained disrupted when the workers blocked road for burning the effigy.

The union warned of intensifying its agitation in case the government and Powercom failed to publish an advertisement regarding the recruitment of linemen.

Jalandhar, April 4
The Unemployed PTI Teachers’ Union is a disgruntled lot as even a week after their three members were picked up by the police for raising slogans against MP Harsimrat Badal, they have not been let off.

This despite the fact that Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had yesterday said in Goraya that he would ask the police to review the matter of imposing harsh sections of the IPC against them. The three boys, Manpreet, Rakesh and Gurpreet, had raised slogans against the Punjab Government for not paying heed to ensure employment for them. They had been sitting inside the “pandal” on the Lovely Professional University campus where the Nanhi Chhaan had organised a function on March 28.

Family members of the youth from Ferozepur and members of the union got together outside the office of the DIG this afternoon demanding the quick release of the three boys. They had even got a memorandum in this regard, but the DIG was not available at that time.

Phagwara, April 4
Only after one day of the transfer of Kapurthala Deputy Commissioner Kavita Singh as the Managing Director of the Punjab State Industrial Development Corporation and appointment of Additional Deputy Commissioner of Barnala Harjit Singh as the new Deputy Commissioner of Kapurthala, who reached here to take charge of his new assignment today, the Punjab Government again transferred him (Harjit Singh).

Harjit Singh will be the Director Land Records, Settlement and Consolidation and Land Acquisition, Jalandhar.

Harkesh Singh Sidhu, IAS, has been appointed the new Deputy Commissioner of Kapurthala district. Meanwhile, Kavita Singh was relieved today. — OC

Hoshiarpur, April 4
With the arrest of three persons, including two women, the district police today claimed to have unearthed an inter-district gang of scooter and motorcycle thieves.

Talking to mediapersons here today, SSP Rakesh Aggarwal said the Hariana police last night set up two special check posts at the T-point turn, Sham Chaurasi road, Hariana, and at Adda Bhikhowal. On seeing an Aviator scooter (PB 07 V 5360) coming from the Sham Chaurasi side, the police signalled its driver to stop the vehicle for checking. After stopping the scooter, its driver fled leaving the scooter and the woman who was riding pillion behind.

On inquiry, the woman disclosed her identity as Inderjit Kaur, wife of Balbir Singh of Khablan, presently residing at the local Deep Nagar, and the person who fled leaving behind her and the scooter as her son Ramandeep Singh.

The woman confessed that they had stolen the scooter from Rauwal village in Hariana. They had also stolen a motorcycle (PB 07 R 0858) from the local Phagwara road on November 13, 2010, and a motorcycle (PB 37 F 8233) from Mohalla Chaudharian, Phillaur, and kept them in their rented house at the local Deep Nagar.

At the second check post at Bhikhowal, the police intercepted a motorcycle (PB 07Q 5446) and arrested its driver Shinder Pal, alias Sabbi, of Mehasampur, Phillaur police station, Jalandhar district, and Balwinder Kaur, wife of Harbans Singh of Bariana, Hariana, who was riding pillion. The motorcycle was stolen from the bus stand, Hariana.

Their preliminary interrogation revealed that they had stolen two more motorcycles (PB 07 S 2920 and PB 07Q 5741) from the local Mohalla Deep Nagar and from the local Court Complex, respectively.

The SSP said the gang had stolen about a dozen motorcycles and scooters from various places in Hoshiarpur and Jalandhar districts and sold the same on throwaway prices.

The SSP alleged that Balwinder Kaur was not of good character and used to take men to the house of Inderjit Kaur. During the stay of the visiting men at the house of Inderjit Kaur, Shinder Pal used to take the scooter or motorcycle of the visitor on some pretext and got prepared its duplicate key. Whenever, the visitor again visited them, one of the member of the gang stole his vehicle.

Inderjjit Kaur was matriculate and was married about 20 years ago. She along with her son started stealing scooters and motorcycles for which three cases had been registered against them at Hariana, Model Town and Phillaur.

Shinder Pal studied up to Class IV and was an astrologer. Three cases of theft had been registered against him at various police stations of the district.

Nawanshahr, April 4
A youth, Hira Singh (22), resident of Dhangarpur village, allegedly murdered his stepmother Baksho, alias Rano (32), took the body in a gunny bag and buried it near the Sutlej.

The Rahon police recovered the body and arrested Hira Singh under Sections 302 and 201 of the IPC today.

Giving details, Rahon SHO Surinder Chand said Resham, a Home Guard volunteer serving at Balachaur in the district, had lodged a complaint at Rahon police station on March 23 stating that his wife had been missing since March 19. On the basis of his statement, the police had earlier registered a case under Section 364 of the IPC and started investigation.

On the basis of the suspicion expressed by the village panchayat, the police interrogated Hira Singh, who confessed to had committed the crime. In his confession, Hira Singh said he murdered his stepmother as she had been ill-treating him since childhood. The body of the deceased was recovered in the presence of Naib Tehsildar Manvir Singh Dhillon, DSP Manohar Lal, SHO (City) Vinod Kumar and panchayat members, he added.

Phagwara, April 4
A mother of two children, Sheela Rani (28), committed suicide by hanging herself from the ceiling of her room at Harkrishan Nagar here today.

The exposure of her extra-marital relations with a village boy was said to be the cause of taking the extreme step, the police said.

The police said the woman committed suicide when her husband was away to his job and her son and daughter had gone to the market to purchase material for “Navratras Pujan”.

The police has registered a case and sent the body to the Civil Hospital for postmortem.

Tarn Taran, April 4
A person was killed while another was injured when the motorcycle they were riding was hit by a Maruti Swift car near Naurangabad village, 8 km from here, last evening.

According to information here today, the deceased has been identified as Labha (30) of Reshiana village and the injured Jaskaran Singh of Majjupur village.

Both were going back to Reshiana village after paying obeisance at a local gurdwara on Amawasya.

Both were taken to a local hospital, where doctors declared Labha dead, while Jaskaran was getting treatment.

The police has registered a cash under Sections 304-A, 279, 337 ,338 and 427 of the IPC against the driver of the car, who fled away from the spot.