Police team feted Keeping in view the bravery and presence of mind shown by the police team, head constables Tehal Singh and Kuldip Singh and constables Satpal and Sandeep have been awarded commendation certificates (Class-I) and a cash reward. PCR vehicle in charge constable Rajbir Singh, constable Varinder Singh and policewoman Poonam have also been awarded.

Chandigarh, January 15
Two youths allegedly fired shots at a police team when they were stopped at the Sector 50-51 roundabout near Burail jail for checking today. A police constable had a narrow escape as the gun was pointed at him. The police has Nitin Brar and Gurpreet, both students hailing from Barnala. Nitin, a BA-I student, is a son of a transporter while Gurpreet's father is an agriculturist. The police has seized the pistol, five live cartridges, four empty cartridges and has also impounded a Bolero bearing a vanity number.

The incident took place at 11 am when a police team signalled a white Bolero to stop. Head constable Tehal Singh asked Nitin for his driver's licence.

Constable Sandeep of the Police Control Room spotted a cartridge on the dashboard of the vehicle and a revolver on the driver's seat. As head constable Tehan inquired about the weapons, Nitin allegedly pulled out the gun and pointed it at Sandeep. The tried to overpower him, but Nitin allegedly fired gunshots towards the ground. The other accused, Gurpreet, took out a baseball bat, but was overpowered by head constable Kuldeep and constable Satpal at the checkpoint.

The Sector 34 police reached the spot and arrested the accused. The police said the weapon was unlicensed and the Bolero belonged to Nitin's uncle Yadwinder Singh.

The accused were returning from a fast food joint in Sector 35 and were on their way to Mohali.

A case of attempt to murder, assault on public servant and under various Sections of the Arms Act has been registered at the Sector 34 police station.

Chandigarh, January 15
The PGI has failed to set up an isolated screening area for swine flu patients despite four deaths in the past two weeks. With two more patients testing positive today, the PGI has reported 19 cases of swine flu this season.

During a visit to the PGI emergency ward, it was found that the suspected patients were being taken to the general emergency for medical examination and then to the isolation ward.

The PGI has also failed to set up a temporary screening area in the general emergency wing where a suspected patient could be admitted.

The casual approach of the authorities in handling swine flu patients not only poses a threat of infection to other patients, but also to attendants and the staff.

PGI official spokesperson Manju Wadwalkar said: “We set up a screening area during the epidemic-like situation.”

The National Vector-Borne Disease Control (NVBDC) Programme says that hospitals must set up isolated screening areas and wards for testing and housing the suspected and infected patients (see box).

Guidelines

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare guidelines say the hospitals need to set up isolated screening areas/wards for screening and admission of swine flu patients. The staff must also wear personal protective equipment, including three layered masks, while visiting the isolated wards and administering treatment. Committed staff should to be deputed at the isolation wards and the protective equipment used by doctors should be disposed of separately.

Two new cases

• A 56-year-old woman from Dhanas and another patient from Patiala tested positive for swine flu on Tuesday.

Symptoms

• Difficulty breathing
• Pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen
• Sudden dizziness
• Confusion
• Severe or persistent vomiting
• Blood in sputum

Precautions

• Wash hands frequently. Wash with soap and water or clean with alcohol-based cleanser 

Chandigarh, January 15
A study on road accidents in the city has revealed that people in the 15 to 40 age group are most vulnerable to road accidents. Besides, the death of children below the age of 15 accounts for 20 per cent of the total road accidents in the city. The figures are based on the seven-year data.

The figures were released today during the inauguration of the 24th National Road Safety Week at Chandigarh Traffic Park in Sector 23. The study was conducted by the traffic police in association with Dr Prakash Singh, assistant professor, Amherst College, USA.

The age-wise classification of driver's and pedestrian's deaths in the city from 2008 to 2012 revealed that out of 98 deaths in 2008, 72 were in the 15 to 40 age group. The number of these deaths in this age group was 84 out of the total 150 deaths in 2009. The number of such deaths was 73 in 2010, 56 in 2011 and 49 last year.

The death of senior citizens in road accidents is also on the rise. Two persons above 60 years died in 2008, but the figure rose to 13 last year.

Child reunited with father

The police also arrested accused couple Neelam and Amit and they are being brought to Chandigarh. The accused were produced in a court there and the police procured their custody on three-day transit remand.The father of the infant, Adam Ali, had accompanied the police team to Gorakhpur and was reunited with his daughter.

Panchkula, January 15
Jyoti was allegedly made to drink liquor on the night of murder by the accused. Except for Doon MLA Ram Kumar Chaudhary, all the other accused were drunk along with Jyoti.

Sources in the Panchkula Police said it was Chaudhary who planned that Jyoti should be made to drink before she was murdered, so that it became easy to eliminate her. The fact was established when a bottle of vodka was found from the crime spot in Sector 21, Panchkula.

The court extended Chaudhary’s remand period by four more days. The police is yet to impound the truck with which the victim’s head was smashed. It has sought the permission of the court to match the samples of the hair found on the victim’s sweater with that of Chaudhary.

“On the night of murder, when Chaudhary and Dharampal got Jyoti on the pretext of taking her out, they also called Gurmeet and Paramjeet and said that they would drink for a while,” said a police official.

He further said, “Chaudhary did not drink because his aim was to execute the crime successfully, but all of them consumed at least two pegs each.” Later, when Jyoti got drunk, then the accused beat her up before strangling her to death.

After she was thrown out of the car, truck driver Tilak Raj then ran the truck over her. Chaudhary had confessed to the murder saying that Jyoti was forcing him to continue their relationship or else she would tell his wife.

Truck driver arrested

• The truck driver, Tilak Raj, was arrested by the Panchkula Police this evening from Noorpur, Himachal Pradesh.
• Nirmal Singh, accused Paramjeet’s cousin, has been arrested from Baddi by the Panchkula Police. He has been booked under Section 216 (for harbouring a criminal) of the IPC. 

Rs 5 lakh transferred to her bank account in 3 years

In a span of three years, Chaudhary had transferred a total of Rs 5 lakh to Jyoti’s bank account. Recently, more than Rs 1 lakh were transferred to her ICICI Bank account in Sector 11.

Panchkula, January 15
Jyoti, then an insurance agent, had first contacted the main accused Doon MLA Ram Kumar Chaudhary over the phone in June 2010. Chaudhary was then out with his supporters when he had received a call from her, saying, “Hi sir. I am Jyoti. Would you like to get your insurance done?”

Jyoti was a student then and was doing the insurance work as a part-time job.

“ At the first instance, Chaudhary had refused the offer. But again after 15 days, she called him up and said that she was poor and it would be kind of him if he got an insurance done,” said a Panchkula police official.

He further said, “Though Chaudhary said that he did not want to get any insurance done, yet he decided to help the girl.”

Chaudhary told her that whenever he visited Chandigarh he would meet her. Police sources said that they met for the first time in Mani Majra and thereafter they began meeting one another frequently.

“They both were in touch through the phone. They frequently met and Chaudhary even went to attend the wedding of Jyoti’s sister,” said the police official.

The MLA had even introduced himself as Jyoti’s husband when he had accompanied her to a nursing home in Sector 20, Chandigarh, to get an abortion done.

Soon, Chaudhary realised that Jyoti was betraying him too.

The police official further said that at a point of time Chaudhary even told her that since the election was round the corner, he could not devote that much time to her. Soon, Jyoti began to blackmail him saying that she would tell his wife about their relationship, left with no option, he planned to eliminate her. 

Chandigarh, January 15
For the second consecutive year, Sanjay Tandon has been re-elected unopposed as the president of the Chandigarh BJP. This was declared by the central election observer, Om Prakash Dhankhar, in the presence of BJP national general secretary, Jagat Prakash Nadda, and state election in charge, Rajesh Gupta.

Nadda congratulated Tandon on his re-election as the president of Chandigarh BJP and Jairam Joshi on his election as the national council member. He said that Tandon would strengthen the party.

Tandon extended his gratitude to the central leaders. He said that the Chandigarh BJP team would leave no stone unturned to get better results in the coming Lok Sabha elections in 2014.

Tandon formally started his political career in 1991. In 2002, he became the convener of the chartered accountant cell of Chandigarh BJP. In October 2007, he became the general secretary of the Chandigarh BJP. In January 2010, he was elected unopposed as the president of the BJP, Chandigarh Pradesh.

Chandigarh, January 15
Officials of the UT Estate Office today removed violations from house number 82 in Sector 9, Chandigarh, today. This was done as the building bylaws and heritage norms were being violated.

An official said that the owner of the house had put plaster on the rear wall of the house. As per the building bylaws, it should be brick-faced on the front and rear of the house. The officials said that before conducting the drive, a notice was issued to the owner yesterday to stop the ongoing work and remove it.

Chandigarh, January 15
The 24th National Road Safety Week on the theme “Stay Alive, Don’t Drink and Drive” was inaugurated by Adviser to the UT Administrator KK Sharma at Chandigarh Traffic Park, Sector 23, today.

A blood donation/free medical check-up camp and a painting competition were organised.

About 235 students from various schools participated in the competition and more than 70 police personnel/residents donated blood.

More than 65 police personnel were examined at the camp. The third edition of Black Book-2013 (having information on road accidents) was released.

Road safety workshops were also organised in Government College for Girls, Sector 11, Government Art College, Sector 10, and UIET, Sector 25. Short films on road safety were screened. Four workshops were held in slum areas. 

Chandigarh, January 15
Panjab University’s student council has demanded free coaching for the UGC’s National Eligibility Test (NET) for students belonging to the economically weaker section (EWS).

In a memorandum submitted to the Vice-Chancellor, members of the Panjab University Campus Student Council (PUCSC) asked the university authorities to extend the benefit, which is presently available only to the reserved categories, to the EWS category too.

PUCSC president Satinder Singh said the Vice-Chancellor was receptive to their demand. “We want the university to provide free coaching to students belonging to the economically weaker section, who can’t afford to pay the high amount of fee charged by coaching institutes in the city, at classes conducted on the campus for students belonging to the reserved categories,” he said.

The council also demanded the classes should be held on a regular basis, as the exam was held twice a year.

Dean Student Welfare (DSW) AS Ahluwalia said the university was planning to provide free coaching not only to students under the EWS category, but all those students who wanted to avail of the benefit. “As per the plan, students will be taught part of the NET syllabus not covered in the classes during special classes at weekends,” he said.