B A T H I N D A    E D I T I O N

Narrow escape for kids as school bus overturns
Ferozepur, March 6
Close on the heels of the tragic school bus accident in Jalandhar, around 20  students belonging to a private school situated in Jandwala had a narrow escape here on Wednesday morning, when the bus in which they were travelling turned turtle while negotiating a curve near village Jhoke Mohre.
A school bus carrying 20 kids turned turtle near Jhoke Mohre village in Ferozepur district on Wednesday. A Tribune photograph

Clash between Dera followers, Sikhs averted
Faridkot, March 6
Tempers ran high in Sadhanwala village of Faridkot today after the police registered a criminal case against two members of a Sikh religious body for an alleged offence of hurting the religious feelings of Dera Sacha Sauda followers during a religious congregation in the village.

Mega edu city on the cards: CM
Ferozepur, March 6
Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today said a mega education city would soon come up near Mullanpur in Ludhiana on around 1500 acres. It will offer various courses in the fields of engineering, medical education and other disciplines.

Cops derail farmers’ protest in Rampura
Rampura, March 6
Heavy police presence today prohibited the members of various farmer unions from blocking train services in Rampura. All entry and exit points to the city were barricaded to check the entry of protesting farmers.



Bathinda SSP Ravcharan Singh Brar reviews law and order situation near the site of farmers’ dharna in Rampura Phul on Wednesday. Tribune photo: Pawan Sharma

 AIDS awareness seminar held at Abohar college
Abohar, March 6
An AIDS awareness seminar was organised by the Red Ribbon Club in the DAV College here.

Narrow escape for kids as school bus overturns

Ferozepur, March 6
Close on the heels of the tragic school bus accident in Jalandhar, around 20 
students belonging to a private school situated in Jandwala had a narrow escape here on Wednesday morning, when the bus in which they were travelling turned turtle while negotiating a curve near village Jhoke Mohre.

According to the information available, the incident took place due to an extreme fog in the morning following which the vehicle veered off the road to enter the adjoining fields.

However all the students were reported to be safe barring a few who suffered minor bruises.

After hearing of the incident, the residents of adjoining areas rushed to the spot and helped the children get out of the bus. — OC

Clash between Dera followers, Sikhs averted
Tribune News Service

Faridkot, March 6
Tempers ran high in Sadhanwala village of Faridkot today after the police registered a criminal case against two members of a Sikh religious body for an alleged offence of hurting the religious feelings of Dera Sacha Sauda followers during a religious congregation in the village.

In a complaint to the police, the Dera Sacha Sauda followers in Sadhanwala village accused two members of a Sikh body for making indecent remarks about the Dera Sacha Sauda head.

The police registered a criminal case against Avtar Singh and Pardeep Singh, which infuriated the members of the Sikh body. As the tension increased, police force was deployed in the village to avert any clash.

Faridkot DSP Jaswinder Pal Sharma rushed to the village to pacify both the groups.

Mega edu city on the cards: CM

Ferozepur, March 6
Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today said a mega education city would soon come up near Mullanpur in Ludhiana on around 1500 acres. It will offer various courses in the fields of engineering, medical education and other disciplines.

Presiding over the annual convocation of Dev Samaj College for Women here, Badal said his government was making all efforts for the education of the girls in the state.

The Chief Minister said his own village, Badal, has emerged as one of the finest centres for the education of girls in the region.

Lauding the efforts made by the host college for providing education to girls in this border region, Badal said the role of private players in the field of education cannot be underestimated. — OC

Cops derail farmers’ protest in Rampura
Tribune News Service

Rampura, March 6
Heavy police presence today prohibited the members of various farmer unions from blocking train services in Rampura. All entry and exit points to the city were barricaded to check the entry of protesting farmers.

Male and female police personnel were seen rounding up the farmers amidst raising of slogans by the latter.

Packed in different private and police vehicles the farmers were taken to various police stations of the district. The entire operation was supervised by SSP Ravcharan Brar.

The farmers gathered near the Maur Road in view of their call to disrupt rail traffic in to pressurise the government to get their demands met. The farmers have been demanding an increase in the MSP of wheat by Rs 2,000, as per the Swaminathan Committee report, more subsidies for the poor and checks on the hike in prices of diesel and other farm inputs.

The farmers gathered at Maur Chowk at around 1 pm and 200 of them were taken to Sadar Rampura police

station. The farmers raised slogans against Central and state gvernments, the deputy commissioner and the police.

BKU (Ekta-Ugraha)'s Rampura block president Sukhdev Singh Jawanda said they will hold two state-level dharnas for three days in Bathinda and Amritsar starting from March 10.

He said the farmers from nearby villages were stopped by police at near Phul, Bhunder, Balianwali and other villages.

SSP Ravcharan Brar talking to TNS in the evening said all the farmers rounded up from Rampura had not been released yet.

Fazilka: The police rounded up 68 activists of different farmers unions en route to railway tracks to participate in the agitation at the district headquarters here.

District police head SS Kahlon said the arrests were made from various parts of the town.

It is stated that the police had rounded up 87 farmers out of which 9 farmers over the age of 65 were released by the police without taking any action against them.

After the arrests, the 'Rail Roko' agitation virtually fizzled out as all the trains arrived and departed as per schedule.

Barnala: The police arrested 15 activists in the town. Senior Superintendent of Police Snehdeep Sharma said the arrested persons were produced before the SDM who sent them in judicial custody. 

 AIDS awareness seminar held at Abohar college

Abohar, March 6
An AIDS awareness seminar was organised by the Red Ribbon Club in the DAV College here.

The club also organised an exhibition of posters prepared by the students to highlight the challenges from the HIV. The chief guest, PU senator Dr SK Arora, exhorted the youth to shun drugs and caution the inmates of their respective village or urban locality against the drug menace. — OC