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Customs supdt held with 10-kg heroin in Jalandhar
1 hurt in firing as SAD, BJP leaders’ kin clash in Batala
Act against officers showing laxity in drug haul cases, state told
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Wife wants hospital built in Sarabjit’s memory
Sukhbir warns workers against indiscipline
Bajwa’s style has Akalis rattled: Cong leaders
Book on Bhagat Singh’s notes written in jail to be released
Sajjan’s acquittal: SAD to meet President
Army begins to videograph
recruitment process
Many farmers who paid wealth tax want refund
Peacocks return to sanctuary as farmers cut down on pesticides
Govt: CM paid from pocket for Pak cattle
Govt beefs up security of Pak inmates in state jails
HC questions govt on red cards to ’84 victims
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Customs supdt held with 10-kg heroin in Jalandhar
Jalandhar, May 4 The accused was reportedly arrested in Kartarpur last evening while he was driving from Amritsar to Jalandhar in his car. Senior Superintendent of Police (Rural) Yurinder Singh Hayre said the heroin was recovered from underneath the front seat of his vehicle when it was stopped for checking at a naka. Having got posted as inspector with the department in 1980 and having worked in its anti-smuggling unit across north India, the accused is said to have used his official links for running the drug trade. Hayre, however, said Gurdev Singh had so far only confessed that he was going to deliver the consignment. The accused had been claiming that he was not directly in contact with any drug smuggler. As such, the police is clueless on whose consignment it was and for whom it was meant. “All details will come out when we investigate the matter,” Superintendent of Police Rajinder Singh said.
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1 hurt in firing as SAD, BJP leaders’ kin clash in Batala
Batala, May 4 The incident occurred in broad daylight at the crowded Bus Stand Market, adjacent to the SSP’s (Senior Superintendent of Police) Office. Those present at the spot when the firing started could be seen scurrying for cover. Eyewitnesses claimed the firing continued for nearly 20 minutes. Though the policemen arrived at the scene, they reportedly remained mute spectators, probably due to the involvement of the ruling SAD leader. The assailants allegedly brandished their weapons while fleeing in the presence of the policemen. It all began around 11.30 am when Mohan Lal's son Sumeet was present at his shop. A person, identified as Vikram Singh’s brother-in-law Lovepreet Singh, allegedly came in his car and parked it right in front of Sumeet's shop. A verbal duel ensued, which later turned into a scuffle. Sumeet’s brother Atul, who was inside the shop, also joined the fight. Finding himself alone, Lovepreet made a phone call to his relatives. Within minutes, more than 10 persons armed with sharp-edged weapons and a gun reached the spot. Allegedly led by Vikram, they started beating up Sumeet and Atul. One of the assailants later opened fire at the victims and a bullet hit Atul. He was rushed to the local Civil Hospital from where doctors referred him to Amritsar in view of his critical condition. Sumeet was also injured after being hit with sharp-edged weapons. A case of attempt to murder (Section 307 of the Indian Penal Code) has been registered against unidentified persons. Batala SSP Tulsi Ram said he had sent a police team to Amritsar to record Atul’s statement and that action would be taken accordingly. He denied the police was under pressure from the ruling party leaders.
The trigger
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Act against officers showing laxity in drug haul cases, state told
Chandigarh, May 4 The Punjab and Haryana High Court has rapped the investigation agencies for “casual approach” in dealing with drug trafficking cases; and has minced no words to say the officer responsible for delay “should also be termed as accused in appropriate cases, if the authorities after a probe find that lapse is intentional and not bona fide”. Justice Paramjeet Singh also directed the state, Home Department and the Director-General of Police “to issue necessary instructions” for action against persons who commit delay in sending the sample of contraband for chemical examination. Before parting with the order, Justice Paramjeet Singh said: “The court deems it appropriate to observe that the state is infested with the problem of drug addiction. Narcotic and psychotropic substances are being recovered in large quantity. “Even the statistics available indicate that a large proportion of the people of the state are affected by the problem of drug addiction. It appears that investigation in such cases is being carried out by the investigating agencies in a casual manner. “There must be chances that the police officials in connivance with the accused may not be taking appropriate measures for the completion of the investigation well in time. It may also be noted here that investigations are not being conducted in a fair and thorough manner because in none of the investigations, origin of the contraband has been found”. The assertions came on a petition filed by Malwinder Singh against the state of Punjab and other respondents. He was seeking bail in an FIR registered in October last year under the NDPS Act at Jhabal police station in Tarn Taran district. Granting bail, Justice Paramjeet Singh observed: “Till date, the state has failed to produce the chemical report from which it can be ascertained what was the substance and whether it is covered under the definition of narcotic drugs or psychotropic substances. A period of 180 days has already elapsed and even the challan has not been presented. The petitioner is behind bars for approximately nine months”.
Rap on knuckles
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Wife wants hospital built in Sarabjit’s memory
Bhikhiwind, May 4 The decision of hers probably has its roots in the fact that the family helplessly saw Sarabjit die in a Pakistan hospital due to “lack of proper treatment”. Sukhpreet said the government was welcome to help the family in the project but if it failed in doing so, they would themselves raise funds. Employed as a temporary peon with Guru Nanak Dev University in Amritsar, Sukhpreet said they were yet to decide what they would do with the amount given to them as financial aid by the state government. But, she said, they would continue to reside in Bhikhiwind village. On the other hand, Sarabjit’s sister Dalbir Kaur said she would continue to fight for the cause of other Indian prisoners lodged in Pakistan jails. “I will take up the matter with the Union Government and if need be, even with the UNO.” She said had the family earlier received the kind of political support it got after Sarabjit’s death, her brother could have been alive. Asked whether political parties were trying to gain any mileage from the incident, she said, “Everyone, be it the state government or the Centre, stood by us in this hour of crisis. I don’t see any politics behind it.” Former Chief Minister Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, BSP state chief Parkash Singh Jandali and senior leader Narendra Kashyap visited the family today to offer their condolences.
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Sukhbir warns workers against indiscipline
Chandigarh, May 4 He advised all the district observers to be extra vigilant and report any incident of indiscipline to him on a day-to-day basis. In a statement released from the party headquarters here, Sukhbir urged the leaders not to take internal matters of the party to the media and said all grievances could be discussed with the districts observer concerned. He said the media was not the forum to discuss internal matters and party leaders should restrain themselves from airing their grievances in the public. The Deputy Chief Minister said the victory of the party was essential in these elections as the rural area was the backbone of grassroot democracy. He expressed confidence the SAD would continue its winning streak in these elections as well.
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Bajwa’s style has Akalis rattled: Cong leaders
Chandigarh, May 4 They said Bajwa had managed to draw the attention of the people to the "loot" being carried out by the Badal family. In a statement here, the leaders, including Sukhjinder S Randhawa, Harpartap Singh Ajnala, Jugal Kishore Sharma and Dharambir Agnihotri, said Bajwa was capable of exposing the "corrupt ruling alliance". Randhawa said the ruling alliance, led by "Badals and Majithias Pvt Ltd", was just filling their own coffers and had plunged the state into a financial and social crisis. "Under the leadership of Partap Singh Bajwa, the Congress will expose their deeds and emerge victorious in the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections," he added. The leaders said the first victory of state Congress was its successful fight against the levy of property tax. The second big achievement of Bajwa was the withdrawal of wealth tax by the Centre, they said.
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Book on Bhagat Singh’s notes written in jail to be released
Chandigarh, May 4 "The compilation work has already been done. We will publish a scanned copy of original notes on one page and text on the opposite page in the book", said Yadvinder Singh, whose face resembles Bhagat Singh's. "The compilation in book form had some flaws and printing errors. We are trying to remove these to have an improved publication," he said, speaking to mediapersons here today. The compilation also has some exclusive childhood photos of Bhagat Singh and his immediate family. As Bhagat Singh, who was in his early 20s when he attained martyrdom in 1931, was a well-read person, he penned down his thoughts on diverse subjects in the jail. He wrote about revolution, child labour, economic and social issues and his close compatriots involved in the fight for freedom. "Our family has original handwritten notes and other belongings, which were handed over to the martyr’s father Kishan Singh after his (Bhagat Singh's) execution", said Yadvinder Singh.
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Sajjan’s acquittal: SAD to meet President
Chandigarh, May 4 SAD spokesman Dr Daljit Singh Cheema said the core committee of the party would meet here on May 6. He said the committee would deliberate on the issue and finalise the strategy to tackle the situation arising out of Sajjan Kumar's acquittal in a case related to murder of five Sikhs in camp area of Delhi during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. Cheema said the delegation would apprise the President of the "injustice" meted out to the riot victims and blatant misuse of the CBI by the Congress-led UPA government to safeguard their leaders, including Sajjan Kumar and Jagdish Tytler, who had been found guilty by the Nanavati Commission of inciting mobs who massacred thousands of Sikhs in 1984.
SGPC protests in Amritsar
The SGPC today took out a protest march from its headquarters at Teja Singh Samundari Hall to lodge its resentment against the acquittal of senior Congress leader Sajjan Kumar in a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case. Led by SGPC executive member Rajinder Singh Mehta, the protest march reached the Hall Gate where the protesters, including SGPC members and officials, staged a dharna. Mehta said the acquittal of Sajjan Kumar had hurt the sentiments of Sikhs as they had been "denied justice" in the anti-Sikh riots case even after the passage of 29 years. He accused the Congress of “rewarding the perpetrators of anti-Sikh riots with plum ministries”. He said the Sikhs won’t rest till Sajjan Kumar and others "involved in the riots" were brought to book.
Taksal chief deceived SGPC:
Makkar
SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar has accused Damdami Taksal chief Harnam Singh Dhuma of deceiving the top Sikh religious body by dedicating the Operation Bluestar Memorial to Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale. Makkar, who was in Samrala today, alleged that Dhuma’s actions violated the understanding reached when the memorial’s ‘kar sewa’ was handed over to him.
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Army begins to videograph
recruitment process
Jalandhar, May 4 Besides, well-qualified youth from these states are showing interest in the defence forces, he said. Colonel Bisht held an Army recruitment rally at Dogra Ground in Jalandhar Cantonment today. Youth from Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Nawanshahr and Hoshiarpur participated. He said to maintain transparency in the recruitment process, the Army authorities had started videographing all the events of the selection process. The videorecordings were being circulated among the NCC wings of various colleges and schools to educate the masses about the Army recruitment process. Besides, the police administration and the Army intelligence had been roped in to expose touts cheating innocent youth on the pretext of providing them jobs in the Army. He said the number of candidates having tattoos on their body parts had gone drastically down in the past after the Army discouraged the trend on decency and health grounds.
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Many farmers who paid wealth tax want refund
Chandigarh, May 4 The main concern of these farmers now is to get the money they had paid as wealth tax to the Income Tax department refunded. An affected farmer said: “We have learnt that the law has been amended retrospectively from 1993. But, Finance Minister P Chidambaram, who piloted the amendment, did not make any mention regarding refunds to farmers who had paid wealth tax.” Jang Bahadur Singh Sangha, a leading potato grower of Jalandhar, said they had paid lakhs of rupees as wealth tax over the years. “When the law has been amended with retrospective effect, the government should refund our money.” Tara Singh has paid about Rs 28 lakh as wealth tax on their agriculture land from 1995 to 2004. Similarly, A Parkash has paid around Rs 18 lakh. Sukhjit Singh Bhatti, another leading potato grower, says he paid over Rs 20 lakh. All these farmers, and several others like them, paid wealth tax, but they also continued their fight against it in various courts. The most interesting case is of Gurdeep Singh Nagra. His family’s 10 acre land was attached by the authorities to recover tax dues. “I am not sure whether the amendment will come to our rescue? We will approach the authorities to get the attached land released,” said Nagra. Ravish Sood, a tax lawyer, said: “Farmers should not be made to pay for adhering to the government’s order. Their money should be refunded.”
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Peacocks return to sanctuary as farmers cut down on pesticides
Sito Guno (Abohar), May 4 The extensive farming in the area with intensive usage pesticides in the fields is said to be the cause behind the shrinking population of peacocks. The natural habitat for the bird also shrank as irrigation channels penetrated deep into the belt bordering Rajasthan making dry and barren land fertile, increasing farmland. But, thanks to the introduction of Bt cotton, which requires fewer sprays of insecticides and pesticides, peacocks have returned. The community has also tried its best to save the green cover. But the people still complain about the low number of peafowls as compared to the pre-1980 period when extensive spraying of pesticide in fields started. The process had driven the birds away. However, the birds may again desert the place as more land is being brought under paddy cultivation. As per the 2011 census, there were 58 peacocks and 59 peahens in the sanctuary. Their population could also have been more had the state government implemented a proposal of breeding the birds or procuring eggs from other states such as Rajasthan where peacocks are found in good numbers. Abhimanyu, who lives in the Dhani Baldev Singh, said: "The birds perch up on the rooftop or settle peacefully on the trees around his house. We feed them regularly. We try to avoid spraying pesticides as much as possible." Sanjeev Godara, Wildlife board member and former sarpanch of Sito Guno village, said the board had decided to bring eggs from Rajasthan to hatch them here in captivity. "We tried increasing the bird population, but the scheme could not produce the desired results," he added. Chief Wildlife Warden Dhirendra Kumar said breeding birds in captivity was not a healthy trend. "The birds do not develop fully nor do they adjust in the open habitat when released. But, we are trying every possible way to increase their population," he said. The Wildlife Department is now trying to provide natural habitat to the birds by growing wild vegetation on panchayat land in the sanctuary. Gurmit Singh, former wildlife warden, said other countries had succeeded in saving and multiplying some of the birds hit by industrialisation and extensive cultivation. "But due to lack of coordination between various departments and little help from people, the number of birds is dwindling," he added.
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Govt: CM paid from pocket for Pak cattle
Chandigarh, May 4 A government spokesman said the amount paid included the price of the cattle, import licence fee and customs duty. The spokesman said the Chief Minister and his deputy Sukhbir Badal had initially applied for a licence to import 12 and eight cattle, respectively, from Pakistan for breeding purpose and upgrading the indigenous breeds at their own farms at Badal village in Lambi district. The spokesman said the Deputy Chief Minister today again reiterated that he would hand over this buffalo to the state-run Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University in Ludhiana for the promotion of indigenous breeds of high-yielding milch cattle.
‘Cong a party of corrupt’ Rakhra (Patiala): Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today termed the Congress as a party that was "neck deep in corruption". He said the "failure" of the Union Government on various fronts, including corruption and diplomatic ties, had "tarnished the country's image". Badal was here to attend the death anniversary of Rakhra's mother Jaswant Kaur.
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Govt beefs up security of Pak inmates in state jails
Chandigarh, May 4 A Pakistani prisoner was yesterday attacked in a Jammu prison. Presiding over a meeting of Jails Department at his official residence here today, the Chief Minister directed the jail officials to make foolproof arrangements for the security of 50 Pakistani prisoners lodged in Punjab jails. Badal also directed the department to seek security personnel from other states or para-military forces on a reciprocal basis if need be. He also directed that 700 trained ex-servicemen be deployed to man security at various jails. They would be paid an estimated Rs 8 crore per year.
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HC questions govt on red cards to ’84 victims
Chandigarh, May 4 The Bench wanted to know whether proper physical verification was carried out. The development is significant as a red card enables the victims to seek compensation. The directions came amid allegations of issuance of forged cards. Only last year the High Court had observed that a Vigilance inquiry, said to have been conducted in the matter, had found that the documents furnished by 30 beneficiaries were forged, even as Punjab continued to deny any irregularity in the issuance of red cards to 578 victims. Acting on a petition filed by the Sikh Danga Pirat Welfare Society, the High Court had observed in the open court that the state government had claimed that the entire process was carried out strictly in accordance with norms. The Bench had said a Vigilance inquiry in the matter appeared to have been conducted, which had found that documents and certificates furnished by 30 beneficiaries were forged and an FIR against these beneficiaries had also been lodged. The Bench had called for the findings of the inquiry, the total number of
persons who may have been found to have been issued red cards in an unauthorised manner and the action taken against them.
Acting tough
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The police has arrested Gurdev Singh (56), a Customs Department superintendent posted at the Attari railway station, after recovering 10 kg of heroin and an unlicensed weapon from his possession.
Sukhpreet Kaur, wife of Indian prisoner Sarabjit Singh who died after being attacked in a Lahore jail, today said she wished to construct a hospital in her husband’s memory in their village.
Speaking to The Tribune, she said the hospital should be able to cater to the poor and needy in the “neglected” border areas.
Chandigarh, May 4
Dhani Balbir Singh Dhelu, an open wildlife sanctuary in this village of Abohar district, was one of the few places where peacocks were found in abundance. In the last several years, peacocks and peahens had deserted the place inhabited by the animal and bird lover community of
Bishnois.
