The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Bathinda resident fights for life after being shot at
Nikhil Bhardwaj

Nakodar, August 20
A Bathinda-based man was critically injured when three persons fired gunshots at him near at National College here. The SHO Nakodar, Surinderpal Singh said that according to the statements of the victims, they revealed that three white car-borne youths had been following the two persons in an SUV(PB10 CA 0128), identified as Lakhwinder Singh and Kuljinder Singh who are real brothers. They are residents of village Bajakhana in Bathinda.

He said, when they reached the Malsian-Nakodar road, a gunshot was fired at their moving car which hit the mirror of the car. Victims further told the police that later they speeded up their car and lost control near National College, Nakodar where their SUV turned turtle. The police said, the moment the victims tried to come out of the car, the assailants who were following them caught up with them and started firing. Gunshots hit Kuljinder’s stomach and he was later rushed to the nearby local civil hospital here and after being given first-aid treatment, the victim was referred to the Jalandhar Civil Hospital. The condition of the victim is stated to be critical.

The DSP Nakodar Rajinder Singh said that there was an old enmity between both parties, which might have become the cause of this incident. The victim identified one of the accused as Satpal alias Sattu, also a resident of the same village. The other two accused are yet to be identified.

A case under Section 307 of IPC and 25 27 54 59 of Arms Act has been registered against three persons, including the two unidentified ones. The police said raids were on to nab the accused.

Crime File
Looters murder man
Tribune Reporters

Amritsar, August 20
Kulwinder Singh of Khaparkheri village, a labourer in a mill in Chheharta area was stabbed to death by several unidentified looters late last evening. He was coming home on his bicycle when the looters stopped and tried to loot him near a secluded place, it is learnt. His body was found near the village periphery today morning. The Gharinda police, which registered a case under Section 302 of the IPC in this connection, handed over the body to his family members after postmortem examination.

Paramjit Singh, SHO, Gharinder police station, said Kulwinder Singh works in TR Rana mill. Today morning when the deceased did not reach home, the family started looking for him. They were informed by some residents that his body was found near a drain.

He said preliminary investigations revealed that he died due to excessive bleeding caused by the sharp-edged weapon injuries. He said further investigations were under progress.

Drug peddler held

Nawanshahr: The police arrested a drug peddler, identified as Munish Kumar, of local Arya Samaj Road and seized 10 gram heroin from his possession. A case under Sections 21, 61 and 85 of the NDPS Act has been registered here at city police station.

Opium seized

Hoshiarpur: The Garhshankar police has arrested Rajinder Parsad of Chimanpur, district Jhun Jhun (Rajasthan), presently residing at Mohalla Kishore Nagar, Garhshankar, and seized 500 grams opium from him last evening. According to the police sources, he was booked under sections 18, 61 and 85 of the NDPS Act.

Tea vendor hurt

Jalandhar: Demanding a tea bill of Rs 500 from an employee of the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) proved costly to vendor in Model Town area this afternoon.

The borrower instead of making the payment took a pan from vendor’s rehri and attacked him on his head causing him serious injuries.

The incident occurred in one of the posh locality, Model Town, where Ramesh, a resident of Latifpura Mohalla, had been putting up a rehri for the past many years.

According to the police, the suspect is a driver with the department and had come to the vend for having tea on credit. As Ramesh demanded money (Rs 500 for the earlier dues), the driver (with Gaurav, an officer with the BSNL at local exchange) got furious and attacked him.

The injured has been admitted to the local civil hospital with head injuries, revealed station house officer, police station Division No 6, Kewal Krishan.

The investigating officer of the case, Kuljit Singh, did not disclose the name of the accused. No case was registered till filing of the report.

Abduction

Jalandhar: The Jalandhar (Rural) police remained on its toes for almost 10 hours after a resident of Kurali village, under the Lambra police station, lodged a complaint regarding abduction of his teenaged daughter, this morning.

The girl, a student SD College, Jalandhar, returned along with her boyfriends in the evening much to the relief to the cops.

Sources in the police revealed that girl’s father in his complaint had alleged that some car-borne youth had forcibly abducted his daughter from a bus stop in the village.

The police sealed all entry and exit points, visited the girl’s college and even raided hideouts of the suspects in the city and its surrounding areas.

SHO, Lambra, Piara Singh, said the girl’s father had lodged a complaint against a few unidentified youths in the morning.

Swollen Sutlej eating into land; 400 PAP jawans deployed at dhussi bundh
Nikhil Bhardwaj

Nakodar August 20
Around 400 jawans of the Punjab Armed Police (Jalandhar) were deployed along with the labourers of Drainage Department at dhussi bundh near Baopur village in Shahhkot on late Friday night.

Soil erosion, which started two days back, is still continuing and is giving a haunting experience to the officials of the Drainage Department because of the strong currents of water.

Due to the soil erosion, Sutlej water is just few feet away from the main dhussi bundh.

Arvinder Singh, XEN, Drainage, said though the repair work was going on at a good pace but strong currents of water made the ongoing stud laying work difficult. He said, recent water release from the Ropar Headworks, brought the water level in Sutlej near 23,000 cusecs.

Officials also praised the role of villagers who along with the PAP jawans are engaged in the repair work. Officials said, most important preventive step to stop soil erosion is still a placement of axed trees alongside the embankments where water flow strongly touches the banks of the river and on the other side, stud laying process is also important.

When asked about the expected time of the completion of ongoing repair work, SDO Drainage Harish Kumar said, as of now soil erosion was continuing so it was not possible to fix any time frame for the completion of work.

Hardev Singh Laddi Sherowalia, a Congress leader, who today visited the spot and lambasted at the state government for not taking preventing measures before the happening of such incidents.

Sources said that 25,000 sand bags, 2 tonnes of iron strings reached at dhussi bundh and officials may further order more quantity of it.

Our Correspondent adds from Hoshiarpur

A team of the district administration led by Deputy Commissioner Dipinder Singh, SDMs of Dasuya and Mukerian PP Singh and Rahul Chaba, respectively, today visited the flood-hit Abdulapur village near Tanda to take stock of the situation.

Residents of 4 villages evacuated
Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, August 20
The residents of four villages were evacuated after the rising waters of the Beas entered their houses on Friday. According to officials, inhabitants of Mand Kuka, Mand Ibrahimwal and Mand Habibwal of Nadala block and Baguwal of Dhilwan block were shifted to safer places.

The standing crop was totally submerged. No casualties were reported. The villages have to be shifted every tine the water rises in the river since these villages are situated along the river and inside the dhussi bund. Otherwise, the flood situation everywhere else was under control, they added.

Insurance firm told to refund policy amount
Parmod Bharti

Nawanshahr, August 20
The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum has directed ICICI Prudential Life Insurance to refund the policy amount of Rs 1 lakh alongwith a six per cent per annum interest and Rs 10,000 as compensation to an NRI Amrik Singh of Barnala Kalan village for deficiency in service by changing the name and address of the policy holder on the policy purchased by him.

In his complaint, Amrik Singh stated that he had taken Life Time Super Pension Policy of the ICICI in August 2006 and paid Rs 1 lakh as the first premium. To pay the second premium, he had approached his friend in India to deposit the amount.

He alleged the official of the ICICI Prudential refused to accept the premium stating that there was some clerical mistake in the policy.

During his visit to India in March 2008, he approached the ICICI Prudential to inquire about the policy status, but the officials tried to delay the acceptance of the premium on the grounds that the mistake had not yet been rectified. It was learnt that his policy was registered in the name of Amrit Pal Singh.

In September 2010, he once again visited India and approached the ICICI authorities to inquire about the status of his policy but was told that his policy had already been foreclosed and the amount of Rs 32,801.18 had been returned to the policyholder through cheque but he received no cheque.

Terming the complaint as false, the ICICI authorities said the complainant had received the policy on September 4, 2006, and he was entitled to withdraw/return the policy during the “Free Look Period” of 15 days. The complainant had neither withdrawn the policy nor approached them to deposit the premium. The policy of the complainant had already been foreclosed and a cheque of Rs 32,801.18 had already been sent to him on November 5, 2009.

LN Sharma, president, Karnail Singh and Sudha Sharma, members of the District Consumer Disputes Redresal Forum maintained that while all the documents regarding the policy in question pertained to the complainant but the ICICI authorities had changed the name and address of the policyholder as Amrit Pal Singh s/o Nirmal Singh, secretary VPO Jadla (Nawanshahr) illegally.

Tributes paid to Rajiv Gandhi on birth anniversary

Members of All-India Anti-Terrorist Front pay tributes to Rajiv Gandhi in Amritsar on Friday. Photo: Vishal Kumar

Amritsar, August 20
Members of the district unit of the All-India Anti-Terrorist Front led by its senior vice-president Mahinder Singh Sidhu paid tributes to late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi on his birth anniversary today.

Members of the Punjab Pradesh Mahila Congress Committee led by its district President (Rural) Sawinder Kaur Boparai also paid tributes to the late Congress leader at Congress Committee Rural office.

She said the late Prime Minister contributed immensely towards progress of agriculture and industry and introduced new technologies. — TNS

Hunger strike in Anna’s support
Our Correspondent

Batala, August 20
The chain hunger strike launched by the Youth for Nation, an umbrella body of various organisations in support for Anna Hazare entered the third day despite rain at Khajuri Gate Chowk, Batala here today.