B A T H I N D A    E D I T I O N

SIT to probe fleecing  of cancer patients
Faridkot, September 26
After the initial slow response to the allegations of cancer patients being fleeced in Guru Gobind Singh Medical and Hospital, Faridkot, by some chemists, the district police and medical college authorities have swung into action three days after being prodded by Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal.

Sibal’s visit to Bathinda boosts Singla’s chances for party ticket
Bathinda, September 26
With former MP Surinder Singla hosting Union Minister Kapil Sibal in the city yesterday, the contest between Surinder Singla and Harminder Jassi for the party ticket for the Bathinda parliamentary seat is in the open.

Cops plan night raids to nab drug peddlers
Muktsar, September 26
The Punjab Police is planning to adopt a new strategy to tackle the menace of drugs, akin to the one it did to wipe out militancy from the state. A fresh directive from the police mentions that a team of nearly 200 policemen would be formed to cordon off villages during night hours and carry out special search operations to catch drug peddlers.

Abohar college girl killed
Abohar, September 26
Reena, a student of a local college, was killed on the spot while Sunil Soni (38) died later as the bike they were riding reportedly rammed in a roadside tree near Padampur in Sriganganagar last evening.

Rape accused arrested
Abohar, September 26
The police has arrested Gurmeet Singh of village 14-A (Anoopgarh) from Usmankhera village bus stop today and recovered the girl who was allegedly kidnapped from Diwankhera village. After getting her medically examined at the Civil Hospital here, Section 376 has been added to the case that was initially registered under Sections 366, 458, 323, 148 and 149 of the IPC. — OC

SIT to probe fleecing  of cancer patients
Balwant Garg
Tribune News Service

Faridkot, September 26
After the initial slow response to the allegations of cancer patients being fleeced in Guru Gobind Singh Medical and Hospital, Faridkot, by some chemists, the district police and medical college authorities have swung into action three days after being prodded by Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal.

After registering a criminal case against the owner of five chemist shops in the medical college, the district police has now constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe allegations against the chemists for plundering the cancer patients by charging more for the medicines.

The SIT, comprising the CIA and the Narcotics Cell of the district police, a senior doctor and a DSP as its members, will probe the allegations to nail the chemists accused of fleecing the cancer patients and siphoning off the Chief Minister's Cancer Relief Fund.

“Though the police has already registered a criminal case of cheating and forgery against the owner of five chemist shops in the medical college after receiving a complaint from Jaspal Singh, a farmer of Ahal village, a SIT has been constituted for a detailed probe as there were many other allegations against the chemists," said GS Randhwan, SSP, Faridkot.

After a delegation of farmers, students, employee unions and NGOs from Faridkot met Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal at his residence in Chandigarh last Saturday, the CM took a dig at the university authorities while presiding over a function here.

"Sitting in Chandigarh, I know how the poor cancer patients are being fleeced. But it is quite strange that the local authorities need to be nudged to act," said the CM while addressing the doctors and others during a function at the BFUHS.

While the SIT today started its investigations, Jaspal Singh, a complainant and the father of Harpreet Kaur, a cancer patient of Ahal village, alleged that he was being pressurised by some influential persons to withdraw his complaint. “There are attempts to bribe me to withdraw the complaint,” he alleged.

To counter the pressure, 30 unions of farmers, students and employees today decided to start a dharna against the person who tried to build pressure on Jaspal Singh,” said Gurpreet Singh Chandbaja, the president of Bhai Kanahiya Cancer Roko Society. The society spearheaded the campaign against the fleecing of cancer patients.

Sibal’s visit to Bathinda boosts Singla’s chances for party ticket
Jupinderjit Singh
Tribune News Service

Bathinda, September 26
With former MP Surinder Singla hosting Union Minister Kapil Sibal in the city yesterday, the contest between Surinder Singla and Harminder Jassi for the party ticket for the Bathinda parliamentary seat is in the open. Manpreet Badal, People's Party of Punjab president, has already expressed his eagerness to contest the seat, either alone or in alliance with the Congress.

The two Congress leaders are reportedly canvassing for the party ticket to take on sitting MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal. The Congress had lost the assembly elections last year because of a similar tug of war between ticket aspirants. It will have to be more careful this time. Polarisation of leaders aspiring for the party ticket and subsequent differences among their supporters will not augur well for the party. The Congress can hope for a victory only if it puts up a united fight against the well-entrenched Bathinda MP.

Though former Rajya Sabha MP Surinder Singla remained non-committal about his candidature, he spoke at length about the development he had brought to the region at a function of the Bar Association and that of a local college yesterday. Union Minister Sibal also spoke of Singla's contribution.

Sources close to Singla said he was yet to make up his mind on contesting the seat. Talking to The Tribune, Singla said: "The Bathinda refinery, the four flyovers and an underbridge were conceived by me. Even the Bathinda Municipal Council was upgraded to a corporation owing to my efforts." He challenged the Akalis to prove his claims wrong.

Singla had won the Bathinda Urban assembly seat in 2002. His supporters claim he is capable of attracting urban voters, especially the trading class in small towns. His detractors point out that Singla could not win the Amritsar seat in 2007 (byelections) and has been away from Bathinda for too long.

Congress leader Harminder Jassi is banking on the traditional vote bank as well as Sacha Sauda Dera for support. Those opposing him argue that the dera vote may not entirely go to him. Also, Jassi seems to be inclined towards the Bajwa camp and it remains to be seen how Capt Amarinder Singh's camp reacts to his candidature.

Appeal to legal eagles

Sibal exhorted the lawyers and the youth to deliberate on national issues. He discussed the nuances of the criminal investigation system suggesting that police personnel at the crime scene must carry an electronic diary connected to servers of the police department. He talked about central grants and how Gross Enrollment Ratio (the ratio of children going to schools and colleges) was more important than Gross Domestic Product.

Cops plan night raids to nab drug peddlers
Archit Watts/TNS

Muktsar, September 26
The Punjab Police is planning to adopt a new strategy to tackle the menace of drugs, akin to the one it did to wipe out militancy from the state.

A fresh directive from the police mentions that a team of nearly 200 policemen would be formed to cordon off villages during night hours and carry out special search operations to catch drug peddlers.

The villages are being divided into three categories and duties are being assigned to the policemen to bring this order into effect at the earliest. In each district, three villages will be searched every night and all related information will be sent to the higher-ups on a routine basis.

An officer of the rank of SP told The Tribune that recently, they were asked by their seniors to give information about the prevalence of drugs in their respective areas. “Based on that report, we have now been told to conduct special search operations in villages actively involved in trade of drugs. Squads are being formed to conduct special search operations,” said the officer.

Amar Singh Chahal, DIG (Bathinda range), said, “I have told the officials concerned in Muktsar, Bathinda and Mansa, the three districts in my jurisdiction, to form squads and start search operations during night hours to curb the menace… After their arrest, drug peddlers will be persuaded to mend their ways.”

Muktsar SSP Surjit Singh said, “We have sought the lists of villages and notorious persons having history in drugs trade from all SHOs. Implementing the orders, we will soon start carrying out special search operations in villages.”

The action followed the signing of a memorandum of understanding recently by the state government with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. The authorities are hopeful of a positive outcome even though similar attempts by Punjab in the past have borne little fruit.

Former DIG (Prisons) Shashi Kant had recently claimed that the illegal drug trade in Punjab was worth over Rs 60,000 crore and the money went into funding of elections.

  Abohar college girl killed

Abohar, September 26
Reena, a student of a local college, was killed on the spot while Sunil Soni (38) died later as the bike they were riding reportedly rammed in a roadside tree near Padampur in Sriganganagar last evening.

Her brother Harjitender Singh of village Gidderanwali reportedly told the police that she had left for the college at 8 am but did not turn up in the evening. — OC