B A T H I N D A    E D I T I O N

Docs call off strike
Faridkot, May 17
Doctors of the Guru Gobind Singh Medical College and Hospital, Faridkot, have called off their strike after the police agreed to cancel the FIR registered against a doctor who was accused of medical negligence by relatives of a 60-year-old patient. The patient had died on May 7.

Drunk primary school teacher suspended
Moga, May 17
A government primary school teacher at Takhanwadh village was suspended from service for allegedly coming to school under the influence of liquor and ill-treating students.

Debt-ridden Moga farmer ends life
Moga, May 17
A debt-ridden 52-year-old farmer allegedly committed suicide near the railway station at Mehna village in Moga today morning.

Woman-son duo booked for fraud
Moga, May 17
The Moga police has booked a woman and her son, both residents of Jalandhar, for duping a local resident on the pretext of sending him abroad.

Docs call off strike
Tribune News Service

Faridkot, May 17
Doctors of the Guru Gobind Singh Medical College and Hospital, Faridkot, have called off their strike after the police agreed to cancel the FIR registered against a doctor who was accused of medical negligence by relatives of a 60-year-old patient. The patient had died on May 7.

To register their protest, the medical fraternity in the hospital had been staying away from performing their OPD duties for the last three days.

The doctors' move led to a public outcry as over 1,500 patients visit the medical college daily.

Besides demanding cancellation of the FIR, the protesters doctors were demanding registration of a criminal case against the deceased's relatives who allegedly manhandling the doctor on May 7.

With pressure mounting to end the standoff, the police, the district administration and officials of the Baba Farid University of Health Sciences held a meeting this evening wherein besides giving an assurance of cancelling the FIR, the Faridkot Deputy Commissioner and the Senior Superintendent of Police assured the doctors of providing them with police security in the Emergency Wing of the medical college to prevent patients' relatives from going berserk and assaulting doctors after an unavoidable death.

“After an amicable agreement between the parties, the doctors called off their agitation and resumed their OPD duties,” said Deputy Commissioner Ravi Bhagat.

Drunk primary school teacher suspended

Moga, May 17
A government primary school teacher at Takhanwadh village was suspended from service for allegedly coming to school under the influence of liquor and ill-treating students.

The students along with their parents protested against the teacher, Parminder Singh, on the school premises on Thursday. The village sarpanch called the local police and informed about the incident to the Education Department. The police took the teacher into custody and got his medical examination conducted from the primary health care centre of the nearby Dhudike village.

The villagers alleged that the teacher routinely used to ill-treat the schoolchildren including girls after coming to the school in an inebriated condition. They demanded that the police should register a criminal case against him.

The Directorate of Education Department rushed a four-member team to the school to enquire into the incident. After receiving a report, the department suspended the teacher from the service with an immediate effect.

A departmental inquiry has also been initiated against him, a senior official of the department said. — TNS

Debt-ridden Moga farmer ends life

Moga, May 17
A debt-ridden 52-year-old farmer allegedly committed suicide near the railway station at Mehna village in Moga today morning.

The deceased, identified as Jagtar Singh, was a resident of Dhalleke village. He reportedly committed suicide by hanging himself from a tree at a site 12 km from his residence.

He is survived by his wife, a daughter and a son.

His wife said Jagtar was depressed as he was unable to repay money borrowed from banks and arhtiyas (private money-lenders).

Jagtar owned just 2.5 acres. He did not even have a water pump to irrigate his fields. He had spent a major part of his Rs 6-lakh loan on purchasing agricultural implements, seeds and fertilisers and on healthcare of his ailing children.

The railway police has initiated inquest proceedings.

The local unit of the BKU has sought adequate compensation for the deceased’s kin. — TNS

Woman-son duo booked for fraud

Moga, May 17
The Moga police has booked a woman and her son, both residents of Jalandhar, for duping a local resident on the pretext of sending him abroad.

Kashmir Singh, a resident of Puranewala village in Moga district, complained to the police that Sarbjit Kaur and her son Kaka Singh had taken Rs 9 lakh to send him to Canada on a study visa. But, she could not fulfil the promise. The police has registered a criminal case against the woman and her son at the Ajitwal police station. The accused are yet to be arrested. — TNS