Bathinda, February 15
The family members of 21-year-old Akhilesh, who was arrested on Wednesday for allegedly raping a six-year-old girl in Raman Mandi, today met the Inspector General of Police (Bathinda Range) and accused the police of arresting the wrong person.

The news of rape of the minor girl had led to outrage and protest in Raman Mandi. The residents of the area had shut down the markets and businesses and had also forced the trains to stop.

Akhilesh's family members, accompanied by the workers of Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ekta-Ugraha) and Naujawan Bharat Sabha, claimed that he was working in an under-construction house in Pakka Kalan village on the day the crime supposedly took place.

The family members and the volunteers of the NGOs spoke over the phone with the contractor under whom the accused was allegedly working throughout that day.

The contractor identified himself as Raju and vouched for the fact that the accused was working at the under-construction house on the fateful day.

"On February 12, Akhilesh had come to work for the first time although his brother-in-law had been working under me regularly at the house of the secretary of a cooperative society. We were polishing the recently-laid marble floors in the house," Raju said.

Akhilesh's sister, Geeta, said while the police picked up her brother for allegedly raping the six-year-old girl, she has no clue about her husband, Bablu and her two brothers, Vipin and Arvind.

"We have made repeated rounds of the offices of Government Railway Police (GRP) and Bathinda police but failed to trace the three missing men," Geeta said.

The state secretary of the Naujawan Bharat Sabha, Pavel Kussa, and members of BKU (Ekta-Ugraha) accused the police of concocting the story to frame Akhilesh and close the case in a hurry to pacify the agitating people and the scathing attack by the opposition party.

They also pointed out that the incident had taken place in an area adjacent to a police station and the police post of GRP.

"Also, there is no transparency in the manner in which the victim identified the photographs of the accused as she was surrounded by policewomen," Pavel said.

He also demanded a high-level probe into the arrests and the entire incident.

Later, after meeting IG Nirmal Dhillon, Pavel said the police had sought time till Saturday evening to answer all their queries.

However, IG Dhillon, while talking to TNS, refuted all the allegations made by the family members and their supporters and said, "Everything was done with transparency by the Special Investigating Team comprising senior police functionaries."

Bathinda, February 15
The Punjab Hotel, Restaurant, Resorts and Marriage Palace Association today held a meeting under the presidentship of Satish Arora during which they chalked out a strategy to oppose the rising taxes imposed by the state government.

Hoteliers, restaurant owners and owners of marriage palaces from nine districts — Faridkot, Muktsar, Barnala, Sangrur, Kotkapura, Abohar, Mansa, Rampura Phul and Bathinda, participated in the meeting.

Interacting with the media later, district president of the association, Satish Arora, said for the past six months, the members of the association had been finding it hard to save their businesses from the taxes being levied by the state government.

"Despite taking out protest rallies and corresponding with the state government, our demand regarding the withdrawal of change of land use (CLU) fell on deaf ears,” Arora said.

The burden of the excise department has literally broken the back of the hotel and restaurant owners, he said.

According to Arora, as many as 300 small marriage palaces had shut down leaving 60,000 workers unemployed. The hoteliers said if the stay on the CLU is withdrawn, 1,800 more marriage places would be on the verge of closure.

They accused the government of talking about promoting tourism in the state while it was busying levying unbearable taxes on the hotels.

The hoteliers said they would soon knock on the doors of the court and launch agitations if the state government failed to listen to their grievances.

Anil Thakur, cashier Ramesh Sardana, Jasbir Singh Jassi, Partap Singh, Vijay Katia, Sikandar Goyal, Ashwini Malhotra, Kapil Ahuja, Vinay Singla, Gaurava Madan and others were also present during the meeting.

Bathinda, February 15
The Motor Accident Claim Tribunal (MACT) has awarded an amount of Rs 3.95 lakhs as compensation to the family members of an accident victim who lost his life in a road accident around five years ago.

The deceased, 31-year-old Vijay Kumar, was the only bread winner of his family. He was hit by a speeding tractor on the Sivia Road on December 28, 2007.

In the First Investigation Report (FIR) lodged by his relatives, it was stated that the tractor was being driven rashly and had rammed into the bike which was on its left.

Vijay was on his way to his house in Hardev Nagar after working in a factory. He had been married for only six months when the accident took place.

He was rushed to the hospital in a serious condition where he succumbed to his injuries.

A claim petition under section 163-A of the Motor Vehicle Act was moved in the tribunal by the deceased's family. Vijay's parents sought Rs 20 lakh as compensation with 18 per cent annual rate of interest from the accused tractor driver, owner of the tractor and the insurance company for the irreparable damage to the family.

The Additional Sessions Judge, Lachhman Singh, pronounced the order wherein he asked the driver and owner to pay Rs 2.95 lakhs and the insurance company to pay up Rs 1 lakh as compensation to the victim's family.

In the order, it was stated that the applicant was entitled to receive the amount of Rs 3.95 lakhs as compensation from the tractor driver, tractor owner and the insurance company.

The defendant's counsel said they would move the high court against the tribunal's orders. He stated that his client had sold off the tractor to someone but failed to change the registration in the name of the buyer following which he was dragged into the court and the tribunal implicated him in the accident case.

Bathinda, February 15
The Basant Panchami festivities were cut short for two residents of Bathinda who were injured by kite-strings.

A motorcyclist, Ashok Kumar, was hurt after a kite-string injured him in the neck. The volunteers of Sahara Jan Sewa took the inured to the hospital where he was treated.

In another case, a 10-year-old child hurt his foot after it got entangled in a kite-string. He was also taken to the Civil Hospital for treatment.

Over the past month, many city-based NGOs had been taking out rallies and awareness campaigns in the city and school making people aware about how hazardous the China-made kitelines are.

The Inspector-General of Police (Bathinda Range) had flagged off one such rally against China Dor in the city recently.

Bathinda, February 15
A body was found in a minor canal near the railway bridge on the Bathinda-Jaito road.

Some eyewitnesses informed the NGO Sahara Jan Sewa about the body. The volunteers of the NGO took the body to the Civil Hospital for post-mortem.

The volunteers said the deceased was found in a turban and a white kurta and had ‘Ik Onkar' inked on his right hand.

According to president of the NGO, Vijay Goyal, the body seemed to be four days old.

Meanwhile, another body was retrieved from a minor canal near the Bathinda-Delhi railway line. After getting the information, Sahara volunteers arrived and fished out the body.

According to the volunteers, the body had no clothes on it and seemed to be five days old. They added that the body seemed to be of a 25-30-year-old man. 

Bathinda, February 15
The Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ekta) today held a conference in the memory of those who laid down their lives in the fight against land acquisition in Jethuke village. A play was also staged on the occasion in which the plight of the farmers was highlighted.

Gurmeet Singh, Deshpal and Surmukh Singh had lost their lives in the movement against land acquisition. The farmers also observed a two-minute silence in the memory of those who had died.

The farmers also resolved to continue their fight against the wrong policies of the state government.

The BKU workers said the precious land of the farmers was continuously being encroached upon by influential businessmen in connivance with the state government. Leaders, speaking at the gathering, said anti-farmer policies would not be tolerated by them and they would fight tooth and nail against the atrocities being committed on the farmers by the government.

Bathinda, February 15
The city was filled with joy and thrill on the festive day of Basant Panchami, as people belonging to every age-group and gender welcomed the advent of spring by flying fancy kites and dancing to the tunes of Punjabi music Irrespective of whether one knew how to fly kite or not, everybody was on the rooftop with kites to celebrate the day. Kids were happy with their gas balloons instead of kites and many girls were also seen struggling with kite-strings in their effort to fly one.

In Punjab, no celebration is complete without music and dance. In every nook and corner of the city, loud music was played since early in the morning. The enthusiasm could be gauged from the fact that boys were seen on rooftops with kites as early as 3 am today.

Avtar Singh, 20, said, "I got up at 3 am and flied my first kite at 3:47 am. For me, the day is very special and I want to enjoy it fully. I bought the kite-string for Rs 1,890 and kites worth Rs 1,300."

"I flew more than 150 kites and cut 70 kites belonging to my opponents," Avtar Singh added.

Harinder Singh Dhillon, a resident of Ajit road, said, "I have been flying kites since 8 am on Parinda road. I am having a great time with my friends. The best part of the festival is when we cut the kites belonging to our rivals. I spent Rs 1,000 on kite-string and Rs 500 on kites."

Mandeep Singh, another kite flyer, said, "I directly came to Parinda road after my coaching class to fly kites with my friends. I want to enjoy the day fully. I have bought kite-strings worth Rs 4,000 and have flown nearly 30 kites."

Rajinder Singh Gill, a property dealer, said, "The environment is very pleasant today and is best suited to flying kites. Though the overall trend of kite-flying has decreased but in Bathinda, the zeal and enthusiasm amongst the kite-flyers is still present."

Nineteen-year-old Avneet Kaur is not skilled at flying kites but her passion could not stop her from participating in the festival. "Someone has said that one should try and try until one succeeds. So, that's what I am doing. I will not give up until I fly a kite on Basant Panchami," she said smilingly.

The best part of the festival in the city was that there was no competition. People were flying kites to celebrate the festival and were in a good mood. The joy with which people celebrated irrespective of their age, when they cut their opponents' kite, was a sight to behold. 

Bathinda, February 15
While many believe that kite-flying is a game of boys, young Shelly has proved them wrong. A kite-flyer since childhood, Shelley has learnt the art by observing her brothers. Today, she cut 10 kites belonging to her opponents within no time.

When asked as to where she had learnt the art, Shelley said "My brother, who is in the Army, is an expert in kite-flying. I used to observe his movements closely when he used to fly kites."

She further said, "I don't think that any game is made for any specific gender. Girls are equal to boys in every field. They don't know kite-flying because they have not tried it. If they try, they can give the boys a tough competition.” Expressing her happiness, Shelley said, "I feel very happy when I cut the kite-string of my opponents. I know they must be feeling ashamed of having lost the kite at the hands of a girl." — TNS

Bathinda, February 15
A large number of balloon sellers in various residential and commercial areas of the city today posed a serious threat to the lives of the people by selling balloons filled with gas without taking any precautionary measures.

The sellers lined up since early morning in the morning and sold balloons by mixing aluminum and sodium hydroxide with water to get hydrogen.

The roadside sellers said there are many ways to prepare hydrogen which is filled in the balloons.

Admitting that the mixture is deadly and the self-made cylinder is dangerous to carry, they said black masala (aluminum) is brought from Delhi while the white masala (sodium hydroxide) is available in abundance in the local markets.

Since hydrogen is lighter than air, the balloon filled with hydrogen, goes up in the air.

With those above 10 years of age flying kites, the young kids were seen lining up to buy balloons at almost every chowk and in the markets of the city since the wee hours.

The rush for the balloons also lead to traffic chaos at many places and the police had to issue challans (tickets) near the Ghore Wala Chowk, Power House road and Fauji Chowk to disperse the balloon sellers.

The sellers said they also use acid, iron and steel cylinders to fill the balloons. The inside temperature of the cylinders increases manifold once it is opened to obtain hydrogen.

"We use water to bring down the temperature of the cylinders as it may burst if the quantity of the mixture is increased inadvertently," said Gurditta, a resident of Patiala who was selling balloons with his family on GT Road.

He said that after filling gas in around 50 balloons, the cylinder needs to be emptied and the leftover mixture is then extracted with the help of water.

Gurditta said he has been selling balloons for over two decades. "My father taught me to prepare the mixture. At times, my daughters and wife fail to mix the masala which leads to burns and injuries. But we have to carry on our business," the vendor said.

Gurditta said that his father used to sell a gas balloon for 10 paise but now they sell it for Rs 10.

Pushpesh Kumar, a resident of Pujan Wala Mohalla, said last year, a cylinder burst in the city and a small child was injured due to the inadvertent use of the mixture.

Bathinda, February 15
A Lok Mela was organized by Guru Kashi University, Talwandi Sabo, on Basant Panchami today.

The function was organized under the guidance of the dean, students' welfare, Dr AK Kansal. Vice- chancellor of the university, SK Ahluwalia, inaugurated the Lok Mela and visited the stalls set up by the different departments.

Managing director of the GKU, Sukhraj Singh Sidhu, appreciated the efforts of the staff and the students. Deputy Commissioner, Bathinda, Kamal Kishore Yadav was the chief guest on the occasion. The programme was divided into four parts. In the first part, a kite flying competition, headed by Dr DR Godhara, dean, agriculture, was held.

In the second part, a competition was held to judge the artistic talent of the students through handmade items like embroidery, dolls, clay modelling, traditional fans etc.

An exhibition on art and culture was organized by the education department in which traditional apparels and products like bagg, phulkari, khes (handmade thin blanket), dariyan (traditional bedding), pictures made on khaddar etc were showcased.

Besides, old utensils used in the traditional kitchen like pital de glass, channe, kunde, surahi, bohie madhania and rirkne attracted the students.

Since Punjab is predominantly an agricultural state, traditional agricultural tools were also exhibited at the exhibition like tanglian, panjalian, jaffe, hal, takue, kasie and kasoli.

The last was the folk dance section. The Assamese dance Bihu, Haryanvi dance in addition to the Punjabi folk dances like giddha and bhangra were performed.

Manju Walia and Pushpinder Singh were the judges and based on their recommendations, the prizes were given away to the winners by Deputy Commissioner KK Yadav.

The co-ordinators of the programme were Jagwinder Singh and Dr DR Godhara. The anchoring was done by Sukhdevinder Kaurra, the public relations officer of the university.

Bathinda, February 15
Dr AS Kahlon, dean, students' welfare and Hilal Ahmed Bhat, an M.Phil research scholar, were adjudged the Best Sportsman and Best Athlete at the First Annual Sports Meet of the Central University held here today.

Vice-chancellor Dr Jai Rup Singh gave away the awards to the winners. Earlier, inaugurating the sports meet, the VC said it was an important segment of the ongoing celebrations regarding the Foundation Day of the University, which completes four years this month. He stressed that a healthy mind could prosper only in a healthy body and that sports should be an integral part of one's daily routine.

Both the students and the faculty members participated in large numbers in the indoor and outdoor competitions. Dr AS Kahlon bagged the 'Best Sportsman' award by winning the singles as well the doubles contest in table tennis and securing the second place in badminton. Sanjeev Thakur won the singles title in badminton.

Hilal Ahmed Bhat won the gold medal in 200 meters, 400 meters and the three-leg race. Shefali, M.Tech (Computer Science) won the 200 meters race while Shruti Chaudhary, M.Phil (bio-science) and Jaskiran, who is pursuing his PhD in environment science were adjudged the second and third, respectively, in the race.

Anamica Dass, a student of environmental sciences and Shaini (M.Tech computer sciences) bagged the best and the second best female athlete award at the meet.

The tug-of-war and the lemon spoon competitions between the different teams of girls spiced up the tournament.