EDUCATION

Student begins fast unto death
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Jan 22 — The agitation by the students of Sector 26 Homoeopathic Medical College was further intensified today with Mr Alok Garg, President of the ABVP unit of the campus, starting fast-unto-death in support of their demands.

The students who have been seeking the removal of the college principal, Mr K.K Dhiman, have been protesting for the last 34 days against the dictatorial attitude of the college management and the Administration for not accepting their demands. Mr Garg said that he would not break this fast till the principal, who has allegedly been victimising the students and is not eligible for the post, is removed. They have also moved into the college campus.

Meanwhile, the Council of Homoeopathic System of Medicine, Punjab, has constituted a three member enquiry committee to look into the alleged misdeeds of the Principal. Dr S.K Puri, Dr Mohan Singh Dhillon and Dr Tejinder Pal Singh, all three members of the Council of Homoeopathic System of Medicine, Punjab, are members of this committee. They visited the campus and heard the grievances of the students. Later, they asked them to submit evidence in support of their allegations before them by January 25.

Super brain award for PEC student
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Jan 22 — Competition Success Review which chose Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee as the “Man of the Year-2000” on January 9, also chose Joypreet Singh Bhatia, a student of the local Punjab Engineering College, for the award “Super Brain Super Personality Contest-2000”, for his essay Politics Without Ethics is a Disaster.

The award was presented to Joypreet at a glittering ceremony held at Ashoka Hotel in Delhi.

Earlier, the CSR had announced an All-India Essay Contest in which Joypreet had won the first prize. He was then called to Delhi to participate in the remaining stages of the contest which included an interview, group discussions, a general knowledge test and an extempore speech. He was adjudged the best at all the stages for which he received the super brain trophy, a gold medal, a return ticket to London and many gift hampers as the first prize.

In his essay Joypreet wrote that “politics is a dirty game; at least play it with clean hands”.

“Right from the day the election campaign beings to the Prime Minister’s last day in office before the next elections, politicians indulge in numerous unethical acts. Those in office commit these acts to remain in power while those in Opposition engage in such acts to disparage or even dislodge the government since that is their only aim”.

“During the campaign politicians harangue wildly, garnishing their speeches with hollow promises and time-tested anodynes. Large-scale distribution of cash and kind to the lower strata of society takes place since our politicians know quite well that it is the proletariat”, wrote Joypreet.

Bare, cold floor is bench for tiny tots
From Our Correspondent

SISWAN (Kharar), Jan 22 — In this chilly weather, students sit on bare floor in classrooms in the primary school of Siswan village in Kharar tehsil.

The school, with 25 students on its rolls, has only two rooms and only two teachers for its five classes, say villagers.

A parent said that the students have to sit in the open and it becomes difficult for the teachers to take the classes in rainy seasons. All five classes are packed in the two rooms.

Lack of study material is another problem the school faces.

The village is surrounded by chos which get flooded even after a mild shower and thereby cut it off from the rest of the area. The teachers find it difficult to reach the school in time as they have to wade through the flooded chos, pointed out another villager.

The problem is compounded when in the rainy season, the approach road to the school gets flooded with water from the nearby houses. The villagers accuse the panchayat of not caring to provide any facility to the school, including a proper road.

Another problem highlighted by the students is the lack of drinking water and toilet facilities. The students have to use the open space around the school and go to the neighbouring houses for water. The school is also without electricity.

Polio awareness rally
From Our Correspondent

KHARAR, Jan 22 — A rally was organised in connection with the plus polio campaign in Gharuan village by students in assistance with the local Primary Health Centre today.

The rally was flagged of by Dr Rajinder Singh Saguu, Civil Surgeon, Ropar, and was attended by about 1,000 students. Mr Amarjit Singh Dhindsa, SDM Kharar, appealed to all to make this programme a success and to make sure that no child was left without polio drops on January 23. The students also formed a chain to create awareness among the masses about the last phase of the polio eradication programme.

COURTS

RI for selling adulterated milk
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Jan 22 — Convicting a milkman, of selling adulterated milk, the UT Chief Judicial Magistrate, Mr Sant Parkash today sentenced him to rigorous imprisonment for six months, besides imposing a fine of Rs 1000.

The convict — Joginder Lal of Ambala district — was further directed by the CJM to undergo imprisonment for another two months in case of default of payment.

He was earlier booked under Section 16 (1) (a) (i) read with Section 7 (1) of the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954 after the milk he was carrying was found to be adulterated.

According to the report by the public analyst, “milk solid not fat was deficient by 20 per cent of the minimum prescribed standard and the sample was adulterated”.

The sample, the prosecution had added, was taken by the Food Inspector Mr M.K. Sharma, on August 25, 1994, in Mani Majra. The prosecution had stated that the accused was carrying 20 kg of mixed milk when apprehended.

The accused, when confronted with the incriminating evidence against him, had, however, denied the allegations. Claiming to be innocent, he had asked for a trial. His counsel had added that the milk was not for “public sale”. Moreover, the Food Inspector had not mixed it properly while taking the samples.

Today, pronouncing the orders in open court, the CJM observed: “The prosecution has been able to establish that the accused was found selling mixed milk and the same was found to be adulterated on analysis.... Thus, the accused is held guilty and convicted for offences under Section 16 (1) (a) (i) of the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954”.

CJM’s nod in firing incident
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Jan 22 — Permitting the Chandigarh Police to further investigate the Sector 17 district courts firing incident, UT Chief Judicial Magistrate Sant Parkash today asked it to submit the report by March 18.

Pronouncing the orders on an application moved by the police to re-investigate the matter, the CJM also directed the handing over of the investigations to the Station House Officer of the Sector 17 police station, Mr. K.I.P. Singh.

The CJM observed in the open court: “The present case is a very serious one and I will be failing in my duties if I do not accord permission to the investigating agency to further investigate the case on account of certain new facts as stated in the application dated January 4, 2000”.

The CJM also observed: “I find justification in the request of the police and accord necessary permission for further investigating the matter and submit the report on or before March 18”.

In his two-page order, the CJM observed: “This court did not agree with the findings of the investigating agency and re-investigation of the case was ordered after examining the concerned witnesses. Again, the investigating agency furnished the untraced report on November 16.

The CJM further observed: “Before any ordinance could be passed on the untraced report submitted for the second time, an application was filed by Inspector K.I.P. Singh seeking the permission of the court to re-investigate the matter as certain new facts had come to the knowledge of senior officers of the Chandigarh Police”.

The case of attempt to murder and rioting, it may be recalled, was initially registered by the Chandigarh Police against Punjab Police Deputy Superintendent of Police Jagjit Singh Gill and others on July 6, 1998, under Section 307, 147, 148, 149 and 353 of the Indian Penal Code.

The prosecution had alleged that the accused had indulged in firing outside the district courts premises for over half-an-hour after an accused in the Sector 10 murder case was produced before a court.

Legal aid awareness camp
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Jan 22 — Inaugurating the first legal aid awareness camp at Bapu Dham Colony, the UT District and Sessions Judge-cum-Chairman of the State Legal Services Authority, Mr B.S. Bedi, stated that any member of a Scheduled Caste or Schedule Tribe, “victim of trafficking in human beings” or beggars could avail himself of legal services.

He said that others who could have the facility were “a woman or child, a mentally ill or otherwise disabled person”.

The judge added that a person who is a victim of mass or industrial disaster, ethnic violence, caste atrocity, flood, drought, earthquake, industrial workman was eligible to defend his case under the State Legal Services Authority.

Regarding the free legal aid service, the District Bar Association, Vice President Ms Manjit Kaur said that an Indian citizen “whose annual income from all sources does not exceed Rs 30,000 per annum can apply for free legal aid”. An application, she added, was to be made for free aid, supported with an affidavit.

The Chief Judicial Magistrate, Mr Sant Parkash, besides the District Bar Association President Naresh Kumar Nanda spoke on the occasion.

CULTURE

Exhibition of photographs
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Jan 22 — An exhibition of photographs, titled ‘Walking Through the Arches’, by Chirdeep Chauhan, opened at the Alliance Francaise, Sector 36, on January 20.

The works range from photographs of L’arc de Triomphe in Paris to the fort of Chattisgarh to Birla Temple in India.

The photographs appear as simple documentation of various places Chirdeep has visited.

For those interested in some esoteric prose, there is lots available in the catalogue that comes along with this exhibition with lines like “walking under these arches, through these doors, I meet humanity and my beloved”.

The exhibition will remain open till January 29 from 9 am to 1 pm and 3 pm to 7 pm.

'Theatre is tedious, but romantic'
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Jan 22 — "Theatre is very tedious, very difficult but also very romantic and adventurous. It is like an unending romance that goes on and on like an addiction." This was stated today by Ms Neelam Man Singh, a renowned Punjabi theatre-person at a lecture on 'Contemporary Indian Theatre', organised by the Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi.

Ms Man Singh spoke at length about the progress of Indian theatre and the kind of experimental work being done today.

Known for her Punjabi plays like Fida, Yerma and Kitchen Katha, she lamented that theatre was not being supported by any society or cultural agency. "I have to plead to people to come and watch my shows. And the hard fact is that then you have to know how to pander to the tastes of the media," she added.

This theatre personality also added, "Theatre is one of the most complex arts, but it is viewed very simply. Theatre is not given the kind of stature that either classical dance and music get."

Ms Man Singh also commented on the kind of work being done in the West. "There is no such thing as codification today. No fixed formulae, and no limits for imagination. This so-called barrier between the audience and the performer has now been marginalised to a great extent, almost broken down", she added.

She also remarked that it was her bonding with the Punjabi language that compelled her to do theatre in Punjabi language and also because, "it always hurt me the way a Punjabi was seen, or the way a Sikh was shown in films — a crude truck driver spouting some ridiculous lines."

Theatre persons plan rally
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Jan 20 — The controversies surrounding the financial mess of the Punjab Arts Council (PAC) and the orders of the PAC to sack four of its junior level employees seem to be getting perplexing day by day.

Eminent theatre people of the region have now announced that a protest demonstration would be held at the Punjab Kala Bhawan on January 29, from 2 pm onwards, to protest against the removal of the four employees.

First it were the members of the council itself who showed their displeasure at the decision and even spoke to the members of the media on the same, and now it is the turn of the office-bearers of the council to speak. In fact some theatre people of the region also recently threatened to protest against the “mis-doings of the council”.

The council issued a letter to one of these theatre persons, Dr Sahib Singh, of the Adakar Manch, Mohali, on January 20, saying “since the first week of December 1999, you have launched a virulent campaign against the Punjab Kala Parishad on false grounds, based on venom and inaccuracies”.

The letter has been issued by Mr H.S. Bhatty, Secretary-General of the council, who has also added that since the Council had refused to sponsor a Rs 100,000 project of theatre performances in Hoshiarpur for Dr Singh, he has thus been trying to “vilify” because of his “failure to extort money from the council”.

Dr Sahib Singh, when contacted, however, said that since the council had been sponsoring theatre activities in the past, Adakar Manch had also approached the council with its theatre project. “But it was up to the council to decide whether or not to sponsor my shows. And to say that I am ‘vilifying’ the council only because it did not give me sponsorship is hilarious, indeed.”