Ludhiana, September 17
A woman was stabbed to death at E Block in BRS Nagar here this morning. A sweetmeat shop owner, who tried to rescue the woman, was also stabbed. The victim has been identified as Krishna (35), while the injured sweetmeat shop owner has been identified as Kawaljit Singh (45).

The accused, Pawan Kumar (25), victim's distant relative, has been arrested. The incident took place at around 8.45 am when Krishna was on her way to work. Pawan Kumar, who was following her with a knife, intercepted her at E Block in BRS Nagar. Before she could react, Pawan stabbed her several times.

Kawaljit spotted him and raised the alarm. He tried to rescue Krishna and attempted to grab Pawan's weapon. However, Pawan managed to free himself and stabbed Kawaljit Singh.

Krishna bled to death on the spot, while Kawaljit was taken to Dayanand Medical College and Hospital. His condition is stated to be stable.

Pawan, who managed to flee from the spot, was later nabbed by the Sarabha Nagar police. He reportedly told the police that he was unhappy with Krishna's lifestyle. Krishna, who left her husband and came to the city, was earlier working as a maid at a doctor couple's house in BRS Nagar.

She had recently left the job and started working at a shop. Pawan was annoyed at Krishna's decision and was pressing her to work as a maid.

Both of them had a heated argument in the morning over the issue, following which Pawan decided to kill Krishna. The police has not ruled out illicit relations behind the killing. It has registered a case under Section 302 of the IPC. The accused will be produced before court tomorrow.

Krishna's relatives have demanded strict action against Pawan. The incident triggered panic in the area and also caused a traffic jam. 

Ludhiana, September 17
Accusing the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre of meting out a stepmotherly treatment to the state, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today said “when there’s a coalition government at the Centre, state (regional) parties do bargaining” and get concessions from the Union Government.

Incidentally, the Akali Dal itself is a constituent of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), a coalition of political parties from different regions.

Badal, while criticising the economic policies of the UPA government, said the industry in Punjab was suffering because of the concessions given to neighbouring states.

The Chief Minister charged the UPA government with scuttling the federal system of government as enshrined in the Constitution. “The Centre has usurped the financial and decision-making powers of the state governments. India has virtually a unitary form of government.”

“The Centre, without consulting even the state Chief Ministers, unilaterally announces the prices of food grains. The costs of agricultural inputs and even the storage and movement of food grains are in the hands of the Union Government.”

The Chief Minister, who was the chief guest at the 35th annual day function of the Ludhiana Management Association (LMA), used the occasion to blame the UPA government for the economic ills plaguing the state. Even as the keynote speaker, Sunil Kant Munjal, Joint Managing Director of Hero MotorCorp, said the early signs of positive change in the country’s economy are already perceptible, Badal claimed that there was a “big (economic) crisis” for which he held the Centre responsible.

To Munjal’s list of ideas on developing the state’s economy, Badal’s answer was another list of suggestions for the industry in the state. The Chief Minister said the industry should open skill training centres that would not only cater to the needs of the industry but would also provide employment opportunities to the youth.

Badal said the industry must realise its corporate social responsibility by taking initiatives in the development of the education sector. The Chief Minister assured the industry that the state government would provide matching grants to it, besides all possible assistance for opening new schools and skill centres in the state.

Badal also announced that the state government would soon constitute a state-level advisory committee of industrialists to solicit their support in ushering in an era of industrial revolution in the state. The advisory committee would solely comprise representatives of the industry.

The Chief Minister said despite the “discrimination” by the Centre, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) had, in its recent report, rated the state as one of the most preferred investment destinations in the country. He added that the state had maintained communal peace and harmony, besides improving the infrastructure. Punjab would be power surplus by the year-end, he said.

Ludhiana, September 17
A day after the city police unearthed a mega fraud of Rs 26 crore and exposed one of the biggest white collar crimes reported in recent years, bank officials maintained that they had issued the loan on genuine documents and had no dispute with the person to whom the loan was given.

Feigning ignorance about the registration of a case, Ashok Gupta, Manager of SME Branch of Punjab National Bank located at the Industrial Area in Chandigarh, said, "I am not aware about the registration of a case. We had not lodged any complaint with the police about any fraud. Our bank has not pasted any auction notice on the wall of a property located in Jugiana village," said Gupta.

The manger clarified that no scam had occurred in the bank. Police officials, however, claimed that the case was registered following a thorough probe.

ADCP-II Bhupinder Singh said, "Gurinder Singh, a resident of Model Town, had submitted a complaint that some persons had taken a loan from the bank by submitting fake documents of the land belonging to him (Gurinder) and his NRI uncle."

Sources said ACP-South Gurjit Singh conducted an investigation and submitted a report. The report indicated that the five persons, in connivance with officials of the Revenue Department and the bank, managed to secure a loan of Rs 26 crore on the bases of fake land documents.

After going through the probe report, Commissioner of Police Paramjit Singh Gill ordered the registration of a case against the suspects.

The land, located in Jugiana village, belongs to US-based NRI Gurdev Singh and Gurmail Singh. While Gurdev Singh is in the US, Gurmail Singh died in 2008. The fraud was detected over four years after the incident. The accused had taken the loan in March 2010. The accused have been identified as Jagjit Singh, Balvir Singh and Gurdev Singh, residents of Jamalpur, Kanganwal village and Gobindgarh Mandi, respectively, while the names and whereabouts of their two accomplices are not known yet.

The bank had given a loan of Rs 26 crore on the basis of two plots, measuring 2,255 sq yd and 8,120 sq yd, in Jugiana village.

It is learnt that Jagjit Singh, a noted industrialist, and the other accused are on the run ever since the case has been registered.

Ludhiana, September 17
The police and parents have rubbished the link-up rumours between the boy and the girl, who committed suicide simultaneously by hanging themselves from ceiling fans in their respective houses in Kaneja village here yesterday.

A day after the incident, the parents told the police that it was a sheer coincidence that both of them committed suicide at the same time.

Mandeep Singh, SHO, Meharban, said, "Investigations have indicated that Gurkaran Kaur (17) wanted to become a pilot. She was studying in Class XII and had opted for the non-medical stream. Poor results in tests conducted recently had dashed her hopes of achieving her goal. Ramandeep Singh (18) was under depression as his best friend died a month ago."

The postmortem of the duo was conducted today. The reports will be received tomorrow. The incident is being viewed with suspicion as the girl's relatives "are frequently changing statements".

Yesterday, Gurkaran's uncle had stated that she committed suicide as she was suffering form a prolonged kidney ailment.

Mandeep Singh said both families knew each other. Gurkaran had three brothers.

Ludhiana, Septemeber 17
The court of Additional Sessions Judge SS Panesar has convicted six persons of killing a 21-year-old youth eight years ago with sharp weapons. They have been sentenced to undergo rigorous life imprisonment.

Those convicted are Sajid Ansari, Basim Ansari, Davinder Singh of Bahaduke Road, Vishal Heera, alias Kaka, of Rahon Road, Meharban, Mohammad Ashraf, a resident of Sekhewal, and Mandip Kumar, alias Monu, of Bank Colony, Noorwala Road, Ludhiana.

Delivering the verdict, the court held that it was proved beyond doubt that the accused hatched a criminal conspiracy to kill Peter Masih of Bhoura village in Ludhiana. The convicts were also ordered to pay a fine of Rs 5,000 each.

However, finding no evidence, the court acquitted one co-accused Mohammad Shahid, a resident of Dhanraj Nagar, Bahadurke Road, Ludhiana. One co-accused, Shahnawaj, a resident of Gubax Colony, had already been declared a proclaimed offender.

A case under Section 302 of the IPC was registered against the accused at the Salem Tabri police station on May 26, 2005, on a statement of Kashmir Masih, father of the deceased boy.

The complainant had told the police that his son used to sell lotteries. On May 23, 2005, his son had some dispute with Sajid and his friends. He gave a written complaint to the police. Thereafter, the police started raiding the houses of Sajid and his accomplices.

On May 26, at about 10 am, Sajid gave a telephonic call to the victim and requested him for a patch-up as the police was raiding their houses.

After sometime, he, along with the victim, went near a PCO, the place fixed for resolving the dispute. However, the accused attacked his son with swords and a gandasi. When he raised the alarm, the accused fled with their weapons, the complainant said.

A badly injured Peter succumbed to his injuries on the way to Jain Hospital near Dana Mandi, Ludhiana.

Ludhiana, September 17
The Northern Railway authorities have decided to stop rail traffic for seven hours on the Ludhiana-Dhuri section on September 22 due to the ongoing construction work. As a result, several trains running on this section will either be cancelled, delayed or short-terminated.

A railway official said due to the suspension of the rail traffic on the Ludhiana-Dhuri section from 6.20 am to 1.20 pm on Sunday (September 22), train No. 12037 (New Delhi-Ludhiana Shatabdi Express) will depart from New Delhi at 8.15 am instead of the scheduled departure at 7 am, and the train will also be halted for 30 minutes at Dhuri.

Passenger trains 54051/52 Ferozepur-Ludhiana-Ferozepur and trains 54635/36 Ludhiana-Hisar-Ludhiana will remain cancelled. Train No. 54053, running between Jakhal and Ludhiana, and train No. 54603, running between Hisar and Ludhiana, will be short-terminated at Dhuri. The Hisar-Ludhiana passenger train 54605 will depart at 8 am from Hisar against its scheduled departure of 7.05 am.

The railway official said the 11058 Amritsar-Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (Mumbai) Express will depart three hours late from its originating station at 9.30 am (against the scheduled departure of 6.30 am), while its corresponding train 11057, running between Lokmanya Tilak Terminus and Amritsar, will be detained for 45 minutes at the Ambala Cantt railway station. 

Ludhiana, September 17
Peeved at the "indifferent attitude" of the state government towards the pending demands of civic employees, the Municipal Workers Union has threatened to gherao top officials of the municipal corporation and disrupt the working of the civic body.

At a meeting held under the leadership of the district chief of the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh, Bhagirath Paliwal, activists of the union flayed the Centre and the state government for ignoring the genuine demands of the workers. "As a result of the anti-worker and anti-people policies of the government, the lives of the poor and the working class has become miserable."

Ghanshyam Sharma, vice-president, and Ramjatan Pal, general secretary of the union, served an ultimatum on the government, asking it to address the problems and meet the pending demands of the workers failing which they would be left with no option but to resort to gherao of the Commissioner and other senior officials of the MC.

Mandi Ahmedgarh, September 17
Thousands of devotees converged at Guga Mari Shrine in Chhapar village, near here, to worship snake, the symbolic snake God.

The first day known as "chowkis" attracted lot of people.

The police had made elaborate arrangement to maintain law and order. Policemen were busy managing security arrangements and had tough time to control the unexpectedly large gathering.

Being one of the largest fairs of North India, the Mela started attracting a large number of devotees since early morning.

Identifying liquor as major factor behind catalyzing hooliganism and anti-social activities special teams were formed by administration to keep a check on sale of liquor. Cops in plainclothes, including women, had been deputed at many sensitive points. Video cameras and public announcement systems were installed to assist the police and to keep an eye on anti-social elements.

Senior Superintendent of Police Ashish Chaudhary said a limited number of four-wheelers would be issued passes to enter the Mela area. This would restrict the carrying of weapons and wine claimed the officials.

Leaders and workers of various parties remained busy setting up their pandals. Three political camps would be held during the next two days and senior party leaders would address conferences on September 19. A helipad for the Chief Minister had been planned at a nearby school village.

Ludhiana, September 17
Working in a mega district and proving their mettle on a par with their male counterparts is certainly not an easy task for female IAS/IPS/PCS officials here. At the same time, these dynamic officers feel that in district like Ludhiana, they get exposure, learn to work under pressure and gain good experience.

Presently, out of a total of about 22 PCS/IAS officials, female officers are posted on key posts in the district administration and the Municipal Corporation. These include Kanwalpreet Brar (ADC D), Neeru Katyal (ADC G), Isha Kalia (Additional Commissioner, MC), Apneet Riat (SDM, Jagraon), Shikha Bhagat (Executive Magistrate), and Shena (IAS under trainee). Besides, IPS officer Nilambri Jagdale is working as the ADCP. Apart from these female officials, Sona Thind is the District Food and Supplies Controller and Gurpreet Purewal is posted as the ACP here.

Talking to The Tribune, Neeru Katyal ADC (G) said she had learnt a lot from the mega city. “I have worked in other districts, too, but here one gets to learn so many things. A number of VVIPs visit the city and mega events such as the Kabaddi Cup are organised here. The volume of work is too much and public dealing is huge here. You are bound to get good training here. Personally, I have learnt to work under pressure. There are so many monthly meetings, organisations submit memorandums every second day and under such circumstances, one learns to work in a composed manner,” said Katyal.

While for Kanwalpreet Brar, IAS (ADC D), there was not much difference between the working style of male and female officers. “The areas are same and we work on the similar lines like meet the public, organise events, clear files, convene meetings, etc. But in big districts, challenges and work pressure are more and once you learn to tackle the situation in a calm manner, you are successful,” said Brar.

For Gurpreet Purewal, Assistant Commissioner Police (West), everyday brings a new challenge in the mega city. “Ludhiana city has the maximum population and when the population is massive, crime rate will also be on the higher side. Personally speaking, I don't have to prove myself. I have to put in hard efforts as this job has been assigned to me by seniors. We need to be on our toes round the clock as our little callous attitude can put others’ lives in danger,” said Purewal.

Ludhiana, September 17
Niharika Sahni, granddaughter of veteran actor Balraj Sahni, was in the city today to promote her upcoming Punjabi movie "Oh my Peau".

“Being a Punjabi, I always wanted to work in Punjabi movies and I will be beginning my career with a Punjabi film. Today, the Punjabi film industry has evolved a lot and it is no less than Bollywood”.

"With technological advances, the Punjabi film industry is marching ahead. I am proud to be a part of this industry and also beginning my career with the same,” she said.

Rai Yuvraj Singh, the actor of the movie, was also present on the occasion. “I am happy that I will be sharing space with artistes like Jaswinder Bhalla and others. I am a true Punjabi, and proud that I am making debut in a Punjabi movie," he said.

Ludhiana: Dr Surinder Singh Kukal, Professor of Soil Conservation at Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), has been given the “Dr GS Khush Distinguished Professor Award” in recognition of his significant contribution towards the development of irrigation water management strategies for rice-wheat system.

Kundan Vidya Mandir celebrated World Ozone Dayon theme 'For the preservation of the Ozone layer', principal Navita Puri said, " this would help in fulfilling our commitment towards nature, which is facing a number of challenges due to climate change and our habits.” Students of Class VI participated in poster making contest to create awareness for Ozone layer.

Ludhiana, September 17
The poll pitch is hard to miss in the preparations of the SAD and the Congress that are all set for a show of strength at Chhapar Mela on September 19. The political conferences at Chhapar village are traditionally an occasion for political parties to mark their presence in the political arena, even as the backdrop continues to be essentially a village fair.

With an eye on the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the Congress as well as the Akali Dal are all prepared to roll out long dossiers of achievements coupled with listings of development projects and schemes. Both the parties are expected to hard sell their respective development agendas.

Former MLA Jassi Khangura is looking after the arrangements for the Congress, while MLA Manpreet Ayali is handling those for the Akali Dal. Incidentally, both Khangura and Ayali were at loggerheads during the Assembly polls and they kept trading charges in the run-up to those polls.

Apart from Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal, Revenue Minister Bikram Singh Majithia, most of the Cabinet Ministers will attend the conference. "A space spread over two acres has been earmarked for our conference. Our parking lot is spread over 70 acres. We expect party workers from Dakha, Gill, Raikot Jagraon, Khanna, Payal, Samrala and Sahnewal to attend the SAD conference,? said Ayali, while talking to The Tribune.

In the Congress camp, senior leaders, including Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) Chief Partap Singh Bajwa, Member Parliament Manish Tewari and CLP leader Sunil Jakhar, are expected to be part of the political conference. Ranjit Mangat, Secretary, PPCC, said the party expects a good response from the people.

Khanna, September 17
The Khanna police has recovered a huge quantity of intoxicants and drugs during three different raids and arrested five persons in this regard during the night policing scheme in the district.

Rajvinder Singh Sohal, SP (D), Khanna, while addressing a press conference, said a police party of the CIA, Khanna, rounded up two persons and recovered 30,000 capsules of Parvan spas and 24,000 capsules of Parmodex during the search. After a tip-off, the police laid a naka in the wee hours today near an overbridge on the Samrala road. The accused were arrested when they were waiting for a bus to go towards Samrala to reach Ludhiana in spite of going direct to Ludhiana via Doraha.

Rajvinder Singh said the accused had brought the huge quantity of intoxicants from Karnal. After reaching Khanna, they came down from a bus and changed heir route towards Samrala but were rounded up by the police. The arrested persons were identified as Paramjit Singh, a resident of Amritsar, and Jatinder Singh, also from Amritsar. They were booked under various sections of the NDPS Act.

In another incident, a police party of the CIA, Khanna, led by the CIA in charge rounded up a person near AS Model School, Khanna, and recovered 2 kg of charas from him. He was identified as Arun Mandal, a resident of Bihar. He was going to sell the contraband in the area, but was nabbed by the police. A case has been registered against him under the NDPS Act.

Rajvinder Singh said the Payal police stopped a truck for checking near Ghudani village and recovered 4 kg of poppy husk from the driver. The driver, identified as Sukhwinder Singh, a resident of Ghudani, was arrested and the truck was impounded. The driver has been booked under the NDPS Act.

In yet another incident, a police party of the CIA, Khanna, arrested a person and recovered 10 gm of smack from his possession. A case has been registered against the accused. The accused was identified as Karamjit Singh, a resident of Khanna.

Ranvir Singh, DSP (D), Khanna, was present at the press conference.

Ludhiana, September 17
Satguru Uday Singh, head of the Namdhari sect, has got a reprieve from the court in a criminal complaint case filed against him by Satvinder Singh of Katani Kalan village.

Additional Sessions Judge Sunil Arora has set aside the order of the lower court summoning Satguru Uday Singh and six others to face trial in a criminal case.

The Judge held that the summoning order was not sustainable in the eyes of law. So, the same stands set aside and the file be sent back to the lower court for deciding afresh as per law.

He was summoned to face a trial under sections 323, 325, 326, 451, 452 of the IPC by a Judicial Magistrate on November 17, 2012.

Before the trial court, the complainant had submitted that Satguru Jagjit Singh had allotted him a plot in lieu of the services rendered by him. He had alleged that Satguru Uday Singh was having an evil eye on the said property.

The case would come up for hearing before the trial court on September 19, 2013.

Ludhiana, September 17
Taruwar Kohli smashed a century (115) while Himanshu contributed 58 runs as Jalandhar surpassed Ludhiana's first innings score of 332 runs to take a slender but vital lead of nine runs on the third day of the match in the ongoing Inter-District Katoch Shield Senior Cricket Tournament being played on the Punjab Agricultural University ground here today.

The visitors began day's proceedings at 118 for 2 and managed to scramble past (341) the hosts' score to gain the first innings lead, which would eventually help them earn three points as the match was poised to end in a draw.

Today, Jalandhar's innings revolved around Taruwar Kohli and Himanshu who steered their side to overhaul Ludhiana's total. Luv, too, played an important innings, chipping in with 24 runs.

For Ludhiana, stand-in captain Rahul Singla, along with Amrit Pal Singh, bowled well, grabbing four and three wickets, respectively, that, however, failed to contain Jalandhar within 332 runs.

At the draw of stumps, Ludhiana were 57 for 2 with Akhil Aggarwal (24) and Anil Sihag (10) holding the fort, making all-out efforts to set a target before the visitors.

Brief scores: Ludhiana (first innings): 332 all out in 134 overs (Arjun Puri 14, Anil Sihag 73, Akhil Aggarwal 0, Abhinav Bhatia 89, Geetansh Khera 72 n.o and Bharat Malhotra 46; Navdeep 1 for 85 and Yogesh 5 for 86).

Jalandhar (first innings): 341 all out in 108 overs (Mandip Jr 46, Taruwar Kohli 115, Luv 24, Himanshu 58; Deepak Bansal 1 for 25 and Rahul Singla 4 for 100 and Amrit Pal Singh 3 for 67).

Ludhiana (second innings): 57 for 2 (Arjun Puri 15, Abhinav Bhatia 8, Akhil Aggarwal 24 n.o and Anil Sihag 10 n.o; Navdip 1 for 24 and Yogesh 1 for 24).