Jalandhar, November 1
The bandh by various organisations against the anti-Sikh riots of November 1984 in the Capital and other cities remained peaceful here.

To maintain law and order, some activists were rounded up by the police. However, they were released after giving them a warning aand without initiating any legal proceedings against them.

Schools, colleges, shops and commercial establishments remained closed in the city. Some shops, however, opened after various Sikh organisations allowed them to do so in the evening.

Due to the bandh call, vehicular traffic and footfall of residents was less in the city markets as people preferred to remain indoors.

Heavy police force, along with an additional force from the Phillaur Police Academy, was deployed at various places in the city.

Due to the protest by Sikh activists on the railway tracks in Ludhiana, passengers were a harried lot at the Jalandhar railway station. Amritsar-New Delhi Shatabdi remained stranded at the Phagwara railway station for around three hours. Some long-route trains were also stationed at the Jalandhar railway station for hours till the railway traffic resumed.

“I had to reach Ambala, but my train arrived hours behind schedule. Now, I have to take a taxi to reach Ambala to attend the important business meeting,” Raman, a leather dealer said.

There were no reports of disruption in the bus transport. Although some private transports reportedly put their buses off road, a majority of the government-owned and private buses were on the job.

Sikh organisations started a protest march from the Model Town gurdwara which took rounds of various parts of the city. Activists in the march also forced shopkeepers of Rainak Bazaar, Sheikhan Bazaar and Sabzi Mandi to close shops. Some activists were also wearing outfit of nihangs who were also seen arguing with the police. The latter prevented them from entering markets.

ACP (West) Ravinderpal Singh Sandhu said the bandh remained peaceful. We had rounded up some activists outside the retail outlet ‘Easy Day’ after they were planning to enter the outlet which was lying open.

Jalandhar, November 1
Unlike the sordid tales of non-resident Indian (NRI) men dumping their spouses by solemnising marriages with Punjab girls, there is a reversal in the trend, leaving youths of the state high and dry.

The phenomenon of contract marriages adopted by youths in Punjab to reach foreign shores is said to be the root cause behind the rise in the number of cases in which NRI women have been deserting their spouses here.

The NRI wing has been receiving significant numbers of complaints from Punjab youths who are being dumped by their NRI spouses after marriage.

As per records, 78 women NRIs have been declared proclaimed offenders (POs) till date by the state police for committing various sorts of crime. Sources confirmed that the list also had a significant number of women NRIs, who were declared POs for dumping their spouses in Punjab.

Sources confirmed that apart from PO women, NRIs, who have been escaping arrest for dumping their spouses here, there are women POs wanted in even heinous crimes, including murder and attempt to murder. Other sorts of crime committed by them include cheating, criminal conspiracy, breach of trust, marrying again during the lifetime of husband, concealment of earlier marriage, abetment to suicide, culpable homicide and dowry demands etc.

Although, according to sources, the NRI Wing has not extradited any woman NRI taking shelter abroad so far, the NRI police is maintaining a strict tab over the activities of such NRIs. Even look out circulars (LOCs) have been issued, meaning if any woman NRI arrives at any airport in India, the NRI police will get alerted and apprehend her.

As per the police claims, out of these 78 PO women NRIs, a majority of the NRIs, 37, have taken shelter in Canada, followed by the UK 16, USA 15 and Italy four. After Italy, other countries, where less than four women NRIs, declared PO by the Punjab Police, are taking shelter are Malaysia, Thailand, Germany and Kenya.

Sources said a majority of the cases in which NRI brides have dumped their grooms are from the Moga belt, where in the last three years, seven woman NRIs were declared POs.

Sources said proceedings to declare several other such women NRIs proclaimed offenders were also on.

IG, NRI Wing, Gurpreet Deo, said whatever cases were registered against NRI women were registered only after conducting a fair inquiry into the allegations. “We don’t register case without taking the version of the woman NRI. Even the process to declare an NRI a PO starts usually after the investigating officer has enough evidence against the NRI bride for dumping Punjabi groom, Deo added.

Cases in which NRI brides dump Punjabi boys are mostly related to contract or sham marriages in which Punjabi grooms pay huge money to NRI bride to reach foreign shores, IG Deo said. 

NRI women wanted by the Punjab Police in various crimes

Jalandhar 19

Moga 12

Kapurthala 8

Amritsar 7

Faridkot 6

Hoshiarpur 6

Ludhiana 3

Barnala 3

Tarn Taran 3

Others 11

*One woman PO NRI each in other police districts, including Fatehgarh Sahib, Ferozepur, Mansa, Muktsar, Patiala, Sangrur and SAS Nagar. Two each from Batala and Khanna are also wanted by the Punjab Police

Jalandhar, November 1
A national lok adalat is being organised in Jalandhar courts in which around 35,000 cases are set to be disposed of. The Lok Adalat will be held under the directions of the Punjab Legal Services Authority and presided over by the District and Sessions Judge-cum-Chairman of the District Legal Services Authority, RS Attari.

Rana Kanwardip Kaur, Civil Judge (Senior Division)-cum-secretary DLSA, said national lok adalats were being held throughout the country on December 6 this year and as a part of that series, Jalandhar courts would also organise a lok adalat. “We have set a target to dispose of over 35,000 cases in this lok adalat. In last national lok adalat, over 28,000 cases were settled. This time, the target has been increased to decrease the pendency of cases in the courts,” said Rana.

In this lok adalat, 35 benches would be set up in which judicial officers, lawyers and social workers would participate. Decisions taken in the adalat would be binding on the disputing parties. There would be no scope for appeal against the decision.

The cases that can be taken up in the national lok adalat include civil suits, execution, Guardian Act, traffic challans, motor accidents, matrimonial disputes, domestic violence, cheque bounce cases, bank recovery, income tax cases, 107/151 CRPC excise cases civil miscellaneous, pre-litigate (which are yet to be filed in the case), case of telephone companies, section 125 of the CrPc, and untraced/cancellation cases.

Notably, in this lok adalat, as many as 8,000 traffic challan cases which were pending would also be settled. Revenue cases would also be taken up in which benches of the SDM and the ADC would also be set up. Rana said courts had already sent notices to the disputing parties whose cases were pending before the courts.

The secretary appealed to the people that if they want to get their cases settled through a national lok adalat, they can give application in the office of districts and sessions judge-cum- chairman, DLSA.

Interested persons can also file their request on the toll- free number ‘1968’ or call at 0181-2235775.

Jalandhar, November 1
The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) today began its Punjab Bachao Campaign from Dr BR Ambedkar Chowk by holding a rally.

At the launch of the campaign here, state president of the party Avtar Singh Karimpuri said that his agenda was to fight the growing drug menace in Punjab and poke the government on various issues like bringing improvement in education and health services, atrocities on Dalits and forcing the state, already burdened under a Rs 1.25 lakh crore debt, to bring about suitable economic changes.

The party workers took out a march from Ambedkar Chowk to Jyoti Chowk, Company Bagh Chowk, Shastri Market Chowk and Courts Complex intersection halting at the DC office. The workers held banners and placards flashing various social messages.

During the rally held in front of DC office, Karimpuri said, “Hundreds of youth have died due to drugs. Mothers lost their sons, children their fathers and wives lost their husbands. The health of our youth is being affected and their participation in the armed forces and sports is declining.

Petty peddlers are arrested while the main kingpins are roaming free and they are being protected. Sale of drugs like opium, heroin and poppy husk is common. In addition to this, the government is itself promoting liquor. Liquor vends are being opened in the villages.”

He also campaigned over the issue of Dr Supriya, an SC student who recently committed suicide at Dayanand Medical College, Ludhiana. “Her two professors, because of their casteist mindset, were harassing her and forced her to end her life. Her father Dr Balwinder Singh identified the professors and mentioned their names in his statement given to the Ludhiana Police,” he said.

He also referred to the Dalit brothers, Jatinder and Harninder, who were shot dead by the Punjab Police in Jamalpur, Ludhiana. They left behind their father, mother and sister who have no source of income. The party has demanded a judicial inquiry into the incident and a compensation of Rs 25 lakh in each case. They also condemned the murderous attack on Nath Pal Dhilwan.

The BSP leaders are also taking up the agenda of labourers working under the MNREGA scheme, who are not getting their wages in time despite clear-cut direction that the payment should be given to them within 15 days of the work. 

Jalandhar, November 1
A candle-light march was held today on a nation-wide call given by Arvind Kejriwal, and activists of the Aam Admi Party (AAP) to demand justice for those affected by the 1984 riots.

Activists of the AAP along with some families of 1984 riot victims held the march from the Company Bagh Chowk to the Jyoti Chowk and then back here this evening.

AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal had given the call and addressed a rally at the Jail Road in New Delhi today, following which various district units also held rallies in their respective areas across the country. The march is primarily aimed to ensure that those responsible for the 1984 genocide be brought to book.

The AAP has demanded that the SIT set up by Arvind Kejriwal during his 49-day tenure as the CM of Delhi, be made operational to ensure proper investigation and justice for the victims of the genocide.

A nationwide release issued by the party also declares that AAP MPs will move a resolution in the winter session of Parliament to condemn the genocide. It also said if the Central government did not act on the long-pending issue, AAP will announce its new action plan in the next week.

It said while the Delhi police has already investigated the cases against Jagdish Tytler and others, advocate and AAP leader HS Phoolka had written a detailed letter to Deputy Chief Minister Punjab and asked him through this letter to press upon the SAD’s alliance partner in Delhi to file charge-sheets against the culprits and those responsible for the riots immediately.

Jalandhar, November 1
The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) today held a meeting in Jalandhar in which its senior representatives from New Delhi took part.

Representatives of ICAI discussed various issues pertaining to chartered accountancy and various updates in the accountancy laws. However, their main focus was on the audit limit of banks, which was recently increased from Rs 6 crore to Rs 20 crore.

The programme was organised by the Jalandhar branch of chartered accountants, in which they felicitated the vice-president of ICAI, CA Manoj Fadnis, from New Delhi. He was honoured by the members and welcomed by the chairman of Jalandhar branch, Manmohan Puri.

Around 500 CAs from Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Hoshiarpur and Nawanshahr came to witness the felicitation ceremony.

Speaking on the occasion, Fadnis said the chartered accountancy profession was contributing to nation building through its services. He also thanked the CAs for shaping the journey of the accountancy profession in the past.

He informed that the New Companies Bill has been passed and with this the responsibility and also the professional opportunities have increased multifold.

On this occasion, a special seminar on service tax was organised where CA Ashok Batra, a service tax expert, was the eminent speaker. Tarun Gupta, a chartered accountant from Shahkot, said the issue of bank audit was also discussed in the meeting at which the ICAI dignitaries laid thrust on the demand for the rollback of the audit limit of banks. 

Jalandhar, November 1
A three-day international conference on ‘Neo- International Conference of Habitable Environments (NICHE)’ entered its second day at the LPU School of Architecture and Design today.

Organised in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Architects (IIA), a national body of architects in the country, it is the first of its kind in Punjab. The conference is to deal with aspects of architecture, planning and design. International speakers and audience from Iran, Algeria, Mauritius, Turkey and other countries are to attend the conference on different days.

The aim of the conference is to deal with both external (planning and architecture) and internal (interior and design) architectural aspects. Chairman IIA Publication Board Surinder Bagha, vice-president, IIA, Divya Khush, LPU Chancellor Ashok Mittal and Namita Singh have been attending the conference.

During the first technical session on ‘Urbanism as a Way of Life’, Elif Berna Var from Istanbul Technical University, Turkey, presented a paper on ‘Social Sustainability in Urban Regeneration Projects’ in relation to urban rehabilitation projects in Turkey.

She said that regeneration processes have vital effects on protecting the historical environment as well as the cultural heritage.

She explained that strategically organized regeneration projects can help to create more sustainable environments for current public use and also for the next generations. —TNS

Jalandhar, November 1
The three-day 23rd Mela Ghadri Babeyan Da came to an end here today. More than 12 members of the families of Kamagatamaru victims were honoured on the third day of the Mela Ghadri babeuan Da today. The relatives/ panches/ memorial committee members and kin of the passengers - from Baba Gurditt Singh Sarhali, Kot Data, Dadehar Sahib, Chajjalvaddhi, Lalton, Moom, Accharwal, Raipur Dabba, Khurdpur, Dhadda, Kot Fatoohi and Randhawa Masandan - on board the Kamagatamaru, included those honoured today. Despite the call for the Punjab Band today, the last day of the Mela Ghadri Babeyan Da saw people flocking from various quarters to the premises of the Desh Bhagat Yadgaar Hall, temporarily (for a period of three days) called Bajbaj Ghat.

One of the key attractions today was the flag song performed on a composition penned by Amolak Singh.

More than 150 artists presented a portrayal of the 100 year-long Ghadar history and also portrayed the contemporary ills like debt, disease, caste discrimination, unemployment, suicides etc. The flight of many Punjabis to foreign lands, caste discrimination, the stopping of the Komagata Maru in the waters near Vancouver for two months, the cruelties to passengers and the massacre on return from Bajbaj Ghat, the worse condition of people today – 100 years after the incident and the ills eating up the youth of today as a result of chaos, were all issues discussed in the ‘jhande da geet’ or the flag song. The arts of song and dance to portray history - were combined in the presentation.

A book of songs ‘Jhande De Geet’, penned by Amolak Singh, detailing all flag songs ever presented during the fair was released at the fair. The book ‘Baba Jwala Singh Jeevan Ate Likhtan’ (‘Baba Jwala Singh Life and Writings’) was also released during the fair.

Jalandhar, November 1
The body of a daily wage labourer, Shankar, was found hanging from a tree in the Santokhpura locality here this morning.

According to sources, he reportedly committed suicide due to some unknown reason. No suicide note was, however, recovered from the spot.

The deceased has been identified as Shankar, a resident of Santokhpura. He was living along with his family in the city for long. As per the victim’s family members, Shankar was mentally upset.

His kin said Shankar had left the house at midnight and later hung himself to death. We all family members had slept together in a room, but we were not aware when he left the house, the kin told the police.

After the locality people saw the hanging body, there was tension in the locality. People immediately raised an alarm and informed the police.

No suicide note was recovered from the spot. After sending the body for postmortem, inquest proceedings under Section 174 of the CrPC were initiated by the police.

The news report, “Dog mauls 8-year-boy to death” (Jalandhar Tribune, October 5) makes a sad reading. Stray dog bites are common. But here we have a pet dog mauling an innocent child. Pet dogs are generally more ferocious. As they remain confined to the interior of their master’s house, they become restless and aggressive when brought out in the open. They often attack children. Sometime back, I saw a pet dog attack two small puppies. I scared away the dog with a stick and saved the puppies. I told its owner that the dog may attack a child tomorrow but he paid no heed. The dog that mauled the 8-year-old had reportedly attacked children earlier also but the owner apparently didn’t bother to keep it under control. Besides being dangerous, dogs are also a nuisance. Owners of the pet dogs in the garb of taking them out for a stroll let them defecate in the street near the neighbours’ houses spreading filth and foul smell. In the Western countries, owners have to carry a pouch to collect the dog’s excreta to be suitably disposed off. Not in our country. The owners should be punished if their dogs spread filth or attack children.