Jalandhar, June 12
Cracking the murder case of a 65-year-old woman, who was found murdered at her house in the Ishwar Nagar locality here four days ago, the police has arrested her son Deepak Kumar on the charge of killing his mother.

The police said Deepak Kumar, 25, was unemployed and a suspected drug addict. He had picked up a quarrel with his mother Satya Devi after she refused to give him money. Following an altercation, he killed his mother with a sharp-edged weapon, said the police.

Earlier, on the basis of the statement of Satya Devi’s relatives, the police had registered a case of robbery under Section 396 of the IPC. In a complaint, Deepak said he had gone to a barber shop around 3 pm. When he returned at 4.15 pm, he found his mother grievously injured and house burgled.

However, ACP (West) Ravinder Pal Singh Sandhu today said the police was suspecting from the day of the incident that the “robbery story” was concocted.

“Deepak’s statement was unbelievable,” said Sandhu.

The SHO, Satwinder Singh, said the weapon used in the crime was recovered. A case under Section 302 of the IPC was registered against Deepak.

Jalandhar, June 12
Lambasting the state government for double standards, the Mid-Day Meal Workers Union, Punjab, said today that they should be given salaries according to the Minimum Wages Act and on the lines of their Chandigarh counterparts in the state.

The union gathered at Desh Bhagat Yadgaar Hall here and held a convention during which they highlighted that they were being paid Rs 1,000 per month for working six hours while the mid-day meal scheme workers in Chandigarh were getting Rs 1,950 for three-hour work.

President of the union Dinesh Prasad and organising secretary Harinder Dosanjh said the state government was violating the labour laws. “The mid-day meal scheme workers in the state should be given Rs 4,160 per month as salary. While amendments should be made in the salaries of the mid-day meal scheme workers so that they can get Rs 10,000 as a monthly salary,” they added.

The mid-day meal scheme workers raised anti-government slogans and said the escalating prices of essential commodities had made it difficult for them to manage their finances.

“The government should also provide us Rs 2-lakh free life insurance cover, provident fund facility and a provision of six-month maternity leave. The government should also stop pick-and-choose policy and stop our socio and economic harassment,” the mid-day meal scheme workers demanded.

Amritsar, June 12
One person was critically injured when an oxygen cylinder accidentally exploded near a factory on 100-Feet Road here today.

The victim, Sunil Kumar, was unloading the cylinder from a mini-truck when it slipped from his hands and struck another one, which led to the explosion. The impact of the explosion was so intense that his both legs blew off.

Jaspal Singh, SHO, B-Division police station, said the incident took place outside Amritsar Trading Company, which used to supply the cylinders to hospitals.

Sunil was admitted to a private hospital, where a team of doctors attending upon him stated that his condition was still serious.

Jalandhar, June 12
A seminar on legal awareness was organised on the occasion of World Day Against Child Labour at the DC Complex here today.

Organised on the orders of the District Sessions Judge-cum-Chairman, District Legal Services Authority, the seminar was presided over by Additional District Sessions Judge Gurjant Singh.

Gurjant Singh said child labour is a serious problem and as per the child labour laws, making someone indulge in it is a crime. Anyone who makes children below 14 years of age indulge in child labour can be fined. He said the Labour Department and NGOs could play a positive role in eradicating the evil.

Additional Labour Commissioner Inderjit Singh apprised the gathering of the activities undertaken by the department to stop child labour.

Lalit Mohan, ADA (Legal Services), Jalandhar, said as per the legal Services Authorities Act (1987), children could send an application through their guardian to the District Sessions Judge or Civil Judge (Senior Division) if they wanted to avail themselves of free legal help.

Tarn Taran, June 12
Agitating pharmacists and Class IV employees working in government-run rural civil and veterinary health centres today organised a protest marches in different villages of Khadur Sahib Assembly constituency demanding regularisation of their services.

The pharmacists and Class IV employees have already been organising a chain fast at Khadur Sahib for the last 10 days.

The protesters, including a large number of women, started their protest march from Khadur Sahib and covered Minawind, Nagoke, Verowal, Goindwal Sahib, Fatehbad, Vain Poin, etc.

The employees were on scooters, motorcycles, cars, etc. Sukhveer Singh Moga, state convener of the Rural Health Pharmacists and Class Four Association (Vet and Health), said they were recruited five years back along with doctors at the health centres. He said the services of the doctors had been regularised, while they were still awaiting for theirs to be regularised.

Tarn Taran, June 12
The Chabal police has impounded a truck and seized 230 bags of fake fertiliser from three persons who had come here from Uttar Pradesh (UP) to sell it in the market.

A case has been registered against them.

The accused have been identified as Sanjeev Kumar of Rajasthan, Mohammad Rasheed and Sayad, both of Uttar Pradesh. The police said here today that the fake fertiliser bore the stamps of Bajaj Hindustan, Uttar Pradesh.

The seized fertiliser was worth Rs 10 lakh. — OC

Nawanshahr, June 12
Ashima Mittal did the town proud by securing the sixth rank in the PMET-2011, conducted by the Baba Farid University of Health Sciences, Faridkot.

Ashima secured 94.6 per cent marks in Class XII (Medical) conducted by the CBSE, New Delhi. Besides, she secured the 12th rank in the all-India general open category in the MBBS entrance exam conducted by Christian Medical College, Ludhiana, and the 13th rank in the Combined Entrance Test conducted by Panjab University, Chandigarh. — OC