Amritsar
ISCE: Gunpreetika tops in district: Gunpreetika Kaur of St Francis School stood first in Class X in the district in the Indian School Certificate Examination (ISCE). Gunpreetika, who scored 96.2 per cent marks, was followed by Jasmeet Kaur (96 per cent marks) and Shubhdip Mandal (95.2 per cent marks) in the school.

Jalandhar
Bank shows care for birds: Coming to the rescue of the birds in the scorching summer heat, the State Bank of India yesterday distributed earthen pots among its customers for keeping the same on the rooftops and filling these with water for quenching their thirst. Sanjeev Bansal, Manager of the bank branch on the Basti Adda road, said the small initiative was appreciated by nearly 100 customers who visited the bank on Monday.

Lightning kills buffalo: Lightning killed a buffalo of Balkar Singh, a farmer of Mohalla Baghwala of Shahkot, on Sunday evening. The farmer said his 15 head of cattle were there at his house. Two of them were struck by lightning and one died on the spot.

Nakodar
Sarpanch reinstated: Sarpanch and panch of village Kang Sahab here have been reinstated by the Nakodar court. Amrik Singh, sarpanch, and Nirmal Kaur, panch, of the village have been acquitted by the court. The case was registered against them under Sections 341, 427, 511, 506, 148, 149 in February this year. 

Tarn Taran
Grants for panchayats: Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Minister Ranjit Singh Brahmapura distributed development grants worth Rs 11.8 lakh to Bhullar and Lalpur villages at different functions on Sunday. Panchayat of Bhullar village got Rs 3.5 lakh whereas Lalpur panchayat got Rs 8.3 lakh. The grants would be utilised for constructing roads where there are temporary paths and for renovating streets and drains of the villages.

Rewari
Youth killed: Virender of Pranpura village, near Bawal, who had gone with the marriage party of a village youth to Khetawas village of Gurgaon district on May 22, was done to death there. His body was recovered by the Farukh Nagar police of Gurgaon district on May 23 from a vehicle lying abandoned at a near Khetawas village. The abandoned vehicle belongs to Pranpura village the driver of which was at large. The police has registered a case of murder.

Sentenced: RS Chaudhary, Additional Sessions Judge here, on Tuesday sentenced two gangsters - Saleem and Mubin, both residents of Mewat district, to rigorous imprisonment for seven years each, holding them guilty of committing robberies at a petrol station and a liquor vend here recently. The Judge has also imposed a fine of Rs. 1,000 each on the two convicts. According to the prosecution, the duo looted about Rs 2 lakh from a petrol station at Kund in March, 2010, and Rs 30,000 from a liquor vend here in November, 2010. 

Foetus found: The police recovered a female foetus from a place near the railway track here on Monday. The police has registered a case of concealment of birth by secret disposal of body in this regard. 

BILASPUR
Man gets 3-year RI for assaulting: Sessions Judge Sushil Kukreja has found Mahender Singh, alias Nepali, of Chaudhary Talab Kila police station, Bareilly district, UP, guilty under Section 307, IPC, and sentenced him to rigorous imprisonment for three years and an additional fine of Rs 20,000. District Attorney Shamsher Singh Kaushal had told the court that Mahender had caused serious injuries to Paras Ram of Kangoowali village, Naina Devi tehsil, at Jhira village by hitting him on his head with an axe. 

DHARAMSALA
Patwari held for taking bribe: The district Vigilance and Anti-corruption Department has arrested Rajinder Kumar Patwari, posted at Gagruhi in Jawalamukhi, for accepting a bribe of Rs 2,000. In a press note here on Tuesday, Vigilance officials maintained that Yashpal, a driver from Kut Kashmir village from the same area, had lodged a complaint. A case has been registered.

KANGRA
Man found  murdered in forest: Amar Singh (45) was found murdered in the Tikri forest near Tiara village on the outskirts of the town on Tuesday morning, the police said. SDPO, Kangra, Dinesh Kumar said the body was sent for postmortem and later handed over to his relatives. A case under Section 302 and 201, IPC, had been filed. The deceased was a father of two daughters and a son.

NURPUR
Man hangs  himself: Punjab Singh (40) of nearby Ondh village reportedly committed suicide by hanging himself in his house here on Monday night. According to the police, his family members rushed him to the Civil Hospital here where he was declared brought dead. A case under Section 174, CrPc, has been registered. 

SHIMLA
Advance course for judges begins: It is the sole duty of judges to maintain public trust in the judicial system. Justice RB Misra, Judge of the HP High Court, stated this here on Monday in his inaugural address at a five-day advance course for District and Sessions Judges, Additional District Judges and Presiding Officers, Fast-Track Court, organised by the HP State Judicial Academy. Eighteen senior judicial officers are participating in the course. Justice Deepak Gupta stressed the need of speedy disposal of cases.

SUNDERNAGAR
ATM dedicated  to public: Dile Ram, MLA, Nachan, who recently took over as Chairman of the State Finance Commission, was given a warm welcome on Monday on his first visit to various places in Mandi district. He visited Dhanotu in Mahadev panchayat, near here. At Chailchok in Gohar he dedicated an ATM of the Co-Operative Bank to the public. ML Joshi, Chairman, HP Milk Federation, Ved Parkash, Chairman, Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee, Mandi, Hari Singh Verma, general secretary, district BJP, and other BJP leaders were also present.