R E G I O N A L   B R I E F S

PUNJAB

FATEHGARH SAHIB
CHARGE TAKEN: Mr Harnek Singh Sran assumed the charge as SSP of this district on Monday. He has replaced Mr P.S. Umranangal who has been transferred as SP (Crime), Chandigarh.

GARHSHANKAR
APPOINTED: Rotarian governor Arun Jain has appointed Rotarian Ved Parkash Kirpal of Garhshankar secretary of the Rotary district 3070.

PROTEST: The Janwadi Istri Sabha, Punjab, protested in front of the office of the SDM here on Tuesday against the non-payment of old age pension. Speakers also condemned the local police for their ‘‘improper’’ behaviour towards women.

GURDASPUR
RACKET BUSTED: The police has busted a racket involved in the extortion of money from people on the pretext of sending them abroad. Briefing newspersons here on Monday, Mr Varinder Kumar, SSP, said two members of the gang identified as Mohinder Singh of Jandiala Guru in Amritsar district and his daughter had been arrested in this regard.

HOSHIARPUR
IMPROVEMENT TRUST: Mr Tajinder Singh Sodhi took over as chairman of the Improvement Trust here on Monday.

JALANDHAR
PPCC APPOINTMENT: Mr N.S. Sahota has been appointed chairman of the district unit of the economic and planning cell of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee.

KHARAR
DEMANDED: Nine out of 16 members of the local Municipal Committee, including Ms Daljit Kaur, MLA from Kharar, has demanded that the proposed auction to privatise the collection of the octroi, to be held on July 7 at Ludhiana, should be cancelled and the octroi should be collected by the committee as in the past. A letter about this written to the Deputy Director of the Local Self-Governments of Punjab in Ludhiana today was signed by all nine members. They have written that private octroi collectors not only harass the general public but also cause financial loss to the committee because their octroi earnings are much higher than the contract amount.

ROBBED: A businessman of Kurali, Mr Pawan Kumar, was beaten up and robbed of cash and jewellery worth about Rs 30,000 near Daon Majra village on the Kharar-Kurali road. The victim informed the Kharar police on Tuesday about this incident which occurred on July 1. He has informed the police that when he was returning to Kurali from SAS Nagar on his scooter, he was stopped by three scooter-borne youth. He was hit on the head with rods and his cash, gold ring and chain were looted. The victim then reached Channalon on the Kharar-Kurali road and telephoned his family members who took him to hospital.

AUCTIONED: Fruits of about 200 mango trees in a disputed land of nearby Manakpur Sharif village, where Mr Devinder Singh, Subdivisional Magistrate of Kharar, has imposed Section 145 of the Cr PC, were auctioned on Monday. The auction was supervised by Mr Malkiet Singh, Tehsildar of Kharar, who was appointed the Receiver by the court in the presence of Mr Balwinder Singh, Naib Tehsildar of Majri, and many prominent persons. After the imposition of Section 145 Cr PC, the possession of this land was taken by the Receiver and the police was deployed there.

ALLEGED: The Indian ex-servicemen League of Punjab and Chandigarh in Kharar Block, has alleged that the Union Government is discriminating against the JCOs and ORs in case of pension and other benefits. It has alleged that arrears are paid to officers only and JCOs and ORs are ignored. “Officer pensioners who attain the age of 80 are given a special grant of Rs 20,000, which was not given the JCOs and the ORs.

MALERKOTLA
ELECTROCUTED: Mr Mann Singh (45) of village Bhaini Khurd, 5 km from here was electrocuted on Monday. According to information, he got an electric shock while trying to switch on a motor.

PHILLAUR
THEFT: Some persons entered the house of Mr Sudhir Bhanota, ASI, at Mandhali village on Monday and decamped with his personal revolver, gold ornaments and cash worth Rs 6,000.

ROBBED: Mr Sanjeev Kumar, a bank cashier, was robbed of two gold rings, some cash and keys of the Bank of Baroda (Mehtan branch), where he is posted, on Monday.

RESCUED: People vigilance Committee chairman Jai Singh along with the tehsildar and committee members rescued four alleged bonded labourers from a brickkiln at Gurra village on Monday. A case has been registered.

NOMINATED: The Punjab BJP president, Prof. Brij Lal Rinwa, has nominated former councillor of Ludhiana, Mr Krishan Gupta as member of the state executive of the party.

SUICIDE ATTEMPT: Rajesh Kumar, a class X student of Hadiabad, attempted to commit suicide on Monday after learning that he had failed in the matriculation examination. He consumed some poisonous substance and was rushed to a local hospital where his condition is stated to be stable.

TARN TARAN
ELECTED: Mr Paramjit Singh of the SAD has been elected president of the Nagar Panchayat Khemkaran.

PROTEST: Employees of the local roadways depot organised a gate rally here on Monday in protest against the privatisation of the roadways.

APPREHENDED: The police apprehended Kartar Singh of Lalpura village with a stolen truck on Sunday. The truck was loaded with wheat bags belonging to the FCI.

RAPE CASE: A case under Section 376(IPC) was registered on Sunday against 25-year-old Kashmir Singh for allegedly raping a mentally retarded girl at Ghariala village.

HARYANA

AMBALA
ROTARY CLUB: Capt Baldev Singh (retd) is the new President of the Rotary Club of Ambala. “The installation ceremony will take place on July 21 here and the Editor of The Tribune, Mr Hari Jaisingh will be the chief guest on the occasion,” Capt Baldev Singh said.

ROHTAK
BLOCKADE: Several residents, including leaders of the local unit of the BJP, staged a blockade here in protest against the attack on inmates of a religious dera on Sunday. A case has been registered.

SONEPAT
ALLEGED: Mr Azad Singh Nehra, a member of the Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC) and a Youth Congress leader on Tuesday expressed concern over the deteriorating law and order situation in the state and charged the Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, with adopting anti-people and anti-farmer policies and for crushing the voice of the people. Talking to mediapersons here, he alleged that the political opponents of the CM were being harassed on flimsy grounds and false criminal cases were being instituted against them.

POSTPONED: The proposed visit of the Haryana Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala to the city on July 10, has been put off.

MURDERED: Devinder (21) was allegedly murdered with sharp-edged weapons by two persons at Panchi Jatan village, about 15 km from here on Monday. Illicit relations with a girl of the village was reportedly the reason behind, the murder. The Ganaur police has registered a case against the two accused who escaped after the murder.

LOOTED: Mr Rajesh Kaushik, a lawyer, was reportedly looted of cash totalling Rs 5,000, a wrist-watch and two gold rings by two youths, on the Western Yamuna Canal embankment near Khubru village, about 25 km from here on Monday. He was on his way to Nadimpur Majra village on his scooter but was waylaid, and looted by the miscreants who escaped after committing the crime. The Ganaur police has registered a case.

SEIZED: Officials of the CIA staff conducted a surprise raid on a sadhu ‘dera’ at Nangal Khurd village, about 18 km from here on Monday and seized at least 100 bags of liquor. All suspects however, escaped. The police has registered a case.

HIMACHAL PRADESH

KULU
OFFICE-BEARERS: The following have been elected office-bearers of the local unit of the Himachal Vikas Congress: president — Mr Hira Dass Negi; general secretaries — Mr Chaman Lal Negi and Mr Mohar Singh Thakur; senior vice-president — Mr Hukam Ram Thakur and treasurer — Mr Amar Chand.