3 arrested for stealing bank drafts
Tribune News Service

LUDHIANA, Jan 15 — Utilising the practice of using bank drafts as currency by traders in the city, three persons, including an employee of the railway mail service here, have been minting money for the past several months by stealing bank drafts sent through the postal service and then selling them to traders.

The three accused, Amarjit Singh, alias Gunga or Sukha, Surinder Kumar and Ranjit Singh, have been arrested by the Sarabha Nagar police here today. The police has recovered stolen bank drafts worth about Rs 3.25 lakh. The accused have been charged with stealing drafts worth more than Rs 6 lakh.

Revealing the unique method of the accused, DSP Harmanbir Singh told reporters in a press conference today that while the need of earning money had driven two of the accused to steal the drafts, the third, Ranjit Singh, was involved in it just because he needed to consume poppy husk daily. The other two accused had a 60:40 share in the earnings.

The DSP said the three persons began stealing bank drafts from the railway mail service a couple of months ago. They used to take drafts only and burn the other letters and parcels found in the mail bags stolen by them.

The accused devised this method as the traders in the city were indulging in the claimantly legalised method of transferring bank drafts from one person to another instead of making cash payments or making fresh drafts for every new payment. In this way the traders were saving commission given to banks and also the time spent on getting the drafts prepared. However, as they did not cross the drafts anyone could encash it from the banks by simply signing the bearers name.

Exploiting this loophole, the three accused stole the drafts and made fast money. According to the police, the accused have almost turned the stolen money into white money by buying costly TV sets and plots in the city.

DSP Harmanbir Singh said Sub-Inspector Pawanjit Singh and Rajesh Kumar received information about the activities of the persons and succeeded in tracking down them. He said it was a major achievement of the police as a large number of traders were being affected by the continuous disappearance of drafts.

Foggy weather hits transport business
Tribune News Service

LUDHIANA, Jan 15 — The cold wave and foggy weather in the region have hit transport services. Bus conductors are complaining of decline in business. They say this is a seasonal slump in the business.

Even commuters in trains have been declined. Mr Subhash, Railway Reservation Supervisor, Ludhiana railway station, points out, ‘‘Generally in January the traffic declines drastically due to cold and a few vacations in the schools and colleges. Further, most of the trains run late due to fog and many times the Railways has to cancel the trains.”

He disclosed that during August, September and October the number of travellers who booked their tickets from the local booking office were 1,71,239, 1,35,482 and 1,01,217, respectively. In November the bookings were 1,46,221. The earning in December has declined though the data have not been compiled so far. Further, number of trains, especially Jammu-bound trains, are running almost empty these days. It includes the Superfast, the Himgiri, the Madras Janata and the Malwa Express.

However, the Mahakumbh Mela at Allahabad has generated a good response with the result the Mori Express and the Brouni Mail are running full.

Mr T.R. Ranna, Station Supervisor, said almost all trains were running late by two to 18 hours. Even the Shatabadi is coming late by two to four hours. Yesterday BJP workers waited for about one and half an hour as Ms Sushma Swaraj, Minister for Information and Broadcasting, was unable to reach on time because the train was late.

Similarly, the bus services have been badly affected. Only businessmen, servicemen and those who have some emergency are travelling.

Mr Haqiqat Rai, president, Supervisory Staff Union, Punjab Roadways, Ludhiana, said the night and morning services had been badly hit. The roadways had to suffer loss during the intense cold wave.

He said the illegal operation of thousands of private cars and Tata Summos were affecting the business.

Interestingly, taxi owners feel that the cold weather has failed to affect their business. Mr Kamal Pal, a taxi driver, said because of the marriage season the business was good.

Animal sport lovers throw gauntlet to admn
By Kanchan Vasdev
Tribune News Service

LUDHIANA, Jan 15 — The controversy regarding the use of animals in sports has further flared up with participants determined to take part in the events involving animals at the Kila Raipur sports meet.

The participants, who gathered here today from many villages, said that they were ready to court arrest for violating the rules laid by local administration, but would make sure that bullock-cart races and grayhound races were organised.

The determined participants formed a Balad Durayo Committee to actively voice their stand. The committee would organise a rural sports meet in Sayan Kalan village on January 21, to openly challenge authorities to take action.

The president of the committee, Mr Harchand Singh Dhandhari of Gill village, said that the committee was all set to organise animal sports at its own risk. He said that they could not do anything at Phallewal, because the villagers there were not ready to cooperate, as they feared action for violating norms.

Participants of grayhound races and bullock-cart races said that the ban imposed by the administration could not deter their spirits and they were preparing their bullocks and grayhounds for the upcoming event with enthusiasm.

Mr Charan Singh of Gill village, who has been taking part bullock-cart events in Kila Raipur for last 60 years, said that participation in these meets was an obsession with farmers, who spent a substantial amount of money and energy on preparing bullocks for the events.

“We treat them like our sons and daughters. The day we bring one from Rajasthan as a calf, to the date the bullock dies, we treat the animals like VIPs. We spend princely sums on their diet and lodging. Two servants are specially assigned to a single bullock, for massage and to look after their needs. They are like precious property. Have a look at the bullocks and then tell us whether our actions are cruelty?” said Charan Singh.

He said in the era of mechanisation, where machines were being used for agricultural purposes and there was no need of bullocks, farmers were preserving their breed for the sake of animal sports. “When a bullock dies, the shock is too much for us. We even bury him after performing all the rites like we do for humans and even organise a bhog ceremony and Akhand path. Who says we are being cruel to them? These games are a part of our cultural heritage and we promise that those games in which cruelty is involved will not be organised. What else do they want?” asked Charan Singh.

He also said that video films of the races were in demand abroad while countrymen were adamant on putting a ban to these games. These races kept farmers busy or idle farmers could fall prey to many evil habits.

Mr Charan Singh also claimed that no one applied salt or chilies to the bullocks’ vulnerable parts and they were not given any alcohol. He said that they had participated in Khalsa tercentenary celebration at Anandpur Sahib. “Even the DC office displays a picture of bullock-carts in action. If he thinks it is wrong, why is he glamourising it then?”

Similarly, owners of grayhound dogs were crying foul over the ban and decided that they would also take part in the Sayan Kalan sports meet. They said that they were exporting grayhounds from USA and spending more than Rs 5 lakh on each dog. Mr Dayal Singh, a participant said that he had five such dogs and each one of them was given a diet of Rs 100 to Rs 150 per day. He said the rooms, beds and the mattresses which were provided to these dogs were even better than those of the owners.

“Anybody can come and see how we treat them. They are kept in AC rooms during summers and fed on meat and eggs, although we ourselves are vegetarians. No cruelty is meted out to them,” said Mr Dayal Singh.

The participants also met the Chief Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, at a Sangat Darshan organised at Koom Kalan village, earlier, but he expressed his inability to do anything. 

‘Admn needs to clarify stand’
Tribune News Service

LUDHIANA, Jan 15 — The Grewal Sports Association, (GSA) today lashed out at the People for Animals, alleging that its activists had been ‘misinforming’ Ms Maneka Gandhi, Union Minister, by saying that cruelty was being meted out to bullocks in bullock-cart races. Mr Sukhvir Singh Grewal, Olympian and chief organiser of GSA, alleged here today that these activists were pressurising the minister to ban animal sports.

He was speaking to mediapersons here today at a press conference, attended by organisers and participants of animals sports. On behalf of the association, he submitted a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner and the Chief Minister and demanded that the administration should clarify its stand. He said the organisers were not clear whether there was a ban on the bullock-cart and grayhound races or not.

Mr Grewal said as per the Law of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, there was no ban on animal sports in general and bullock-cart races in particular, but the law regulated prevention of any kind of wilful cruelty to animals. He said that a clarification was needed in the letter written by Ms Gandhi to local administration, as to whether there was a ban on bullock cart races or regulation on wilful act of cruelty to the bullocks caused by the participants in these races.

Mr Grewal said that when in Olympics, players who used illegal methods were punished, but Olympic Games were not banned, similarly, cruelty in a few cases, could not be generalised in bullock-cart races also.

He said use of animals in recreational activities and human welfare activities had never been categorised as cruelty of any kind. All wilful acts of cruelty to animals in the races could be easily taken care of and avoided under the regulations. 

Students miss classes for chatting online
By Deepkamal Kaur

LUDHIANA, Bunking classes for watching movies has become a thing of the past. Computer-savvy students of schools and colleges of the city now bunk classes for online chatting in cyber cafes. There is no need to buy a ticket or wait for the release of a good film.

Visit any cyber cafe here in the morning and peep inside those private cabins. You will certainly find at least a couple of students in school uniforms, busy chatting on the Net. Most of these students study in Classes VI to XII in reputed schools of Sarabha Nagar, Bhai Randhir Singh Nagar and Civil Lines.

Bunking classes for online chatting is slowly becoming popular due to several reasons. Cyber cafes provide students with a privacy that no relative or friend can invade. “Visiting a theatre in school uniform can be more risky than sneaking out to a cyber cafe. Once we are inside a cyber cafe, we are safe there,” said two schoolboys who were sitting in a Ghumar Mandi cyber cafe.

Besides online chatting, students find various new information on the Net. They no longer need to wait for the release of a good movie. “So much keeps on happening on the Net that I find new chat rooms, online friends, e-greetings and websites every time I visit a cyber cafe,” said another school student who was sitting in a Sarabha Nagar cyber cafe.

There is no fixed timing for a cyber cafe, so, students can plan several activities for the day they bunk their classes. “We usually get together at a friend’s place and then go out on a geri. En route, we keep looking for new cyber cafes where we can find comfort, privacy and good music. We take our lunch at a nearby restaurant,” said a group of Net-crazy students.

New schemes offered by owners of cyber cafes also attract students. “We have pooled money for using one month of unlimited surfing offered by a cyber cafe of Model Town,” said Raman, Mandeep, Geetu and Monika — all students of a school in Model Town.

Some of these students have computers and Internet connections in their homes, but they still prefer to bunk classes and visit cyber cafes for surfing the Internet. “The computer is in my brother’s room. He even checks the history of the sites that have been accessed from his computer to know what I have been doing. Also, some of my online friends insist that I join the chat room in the morning, forcing me to bunk classes,” said a college student.

Two thieves nabbed, goods recovered
From Our Correspondent

MACHHIWARA, Jan 15 — The local police nabbed two thieves yesterday and recovered stolen goods, including a CD player, a VCR, a camera and cash from them. These are believed to have been stolen from Gurm Finvest and Leasing Company at Rahon Road, here on January 3. The police has registered a case against both under Section 379 of the IPC.

Mr Sushil Kumar, DSP, Samrala, told that both the culprits, Harinder Singh of Rahimbad village and Kuldeep Singh of Panjgraian village near here, were apprehended at a naka laid by SHO Machhiwara, Mr Saroop Singh. During the investigation, both suspects confessed to the theft. It may be recalled that the police has solved the case in less than 10 days. The alleged thieves confessed that they had tried to break into the local post office too, but could not succeed.

In another case, the local police arrested a migrant labourer, Vijay Kumar, a jhuggi-dweller near Ghuman village, with ten bottles of illicit liquor and registered a case under Sections 61, 1, 14 the Excise Act against him.

Mr Sushil Kumar asked the chemists of Samrala and Machhiwara subdivisions not to sell drugs without the prescription of a doctor. 

Shatabdi late by over three hours
Tribune News Service

LUDHIANA, Jan 15 — The Shatabdi Express is running late for the past many days due to intense fog and bad condition of the railway track.

The Delhi-Amritsar Shatabdi Express, which is supposed to reach here at 11.15 a.m., arrived at 2.50 p.m. today. Similarly, the Amritsar-Delhi Shatabdi Expresss, whose right time to start from here is 7 a.m., departed at 8.30 p.m. Other trains are also running late.

Mr T.R. Ranna, Station Supervisor, when contacted, said: ‘‘The trains will continue to be late in the next few days because of intense fog. Further because of a low temperature the lines usually shrink and we instruct the drivers to be extra conscious these days.'' 

PAU employee dismissed
From Our Correspondent

LUDHIANA, Jan 15 — A cash clerk working in the Estate Organisation of the PAU has been dismissed on the charges of embezzlement of university funds amounting to nearly Rs 7 lakh. The Vice-Chancellor has also ordered partial recovery of the amount from two officials, including a former employee, of the university.

According to information, Vikramjit Singh, Cashier, allegedly issued fake receipts between October 1993 and August 1998. Instead of depositing the cash with the office of the Comptroller he allegedly pocketed it. The scam came to light only after he had been transferred from the Estate Organisation to the office of the Dean, Postgraduate Studies.

Following the detection of the fraud, an inquiry was ordered by the VC by appointing Mr K.C. Maini, a former IAS, as inquiry officer. Mr Maini held Vikramjit Singh as the main accused. In addition, he held the Superintendents of the Estate Organisation namely Amarjit Singh and D.S. Cheema responsible.

CITY SCAN
Valiant Gen Mohan Singh
By M.S. Cheema

LUDHIANA has acquired a commercial facade in the present phase of consumerism. But history has given it different images. As long as the Ludhianvis draw upon their reserve of resources, they will see Gen. Mohan Singh as one of their sterling assets. He brought with him a glorious chapter of the fight for freedom. During the years of the Second World War (1939-45), the political situation in India changed at a fast pace. The demand for freedom was formally raised through a resolution at Lahore (March 23, 1940). Meanwhile, Japan attacked Pearl Harbour and the USA joined hands with Britain, France and the Soviet Russia. A new military command was organised in the Far East and given the name South-East Asia Command (S.E.A.C.). The Imperial Indian Forces suffered reverses. About 50,000 Indian troops were captured by the Japanese. It was Major Mohan Singh who sensed the situation and seized the opportunity. He saw new possibilities of fighting for freedom through Japanese collaboration. The Japanese wanted the Indian soldiers to join them to fight the common enemy. Col. A. Fujiwara (Japanese) and Major Mohan Singh worked out joint plans. Major Mohan Singh of the British Indian Army took a big leap forward, organised the Indian National Army (I.N.A.) and became its General. The I.N.A. took formal shape on December 15, 1941. By 1941 the Axis Powers (Germany and Italy) saw periodic successes and retreats in Africa and Europe. In South-East Asia, Japan was letting loose the fires of hell. Sir Winston Churchill told the British Parliament that the loss of Singapore might pave the way for Japanese conquest of India.

Gen. Mohan Singh had by then sensed the real intention of Japan. They wanted Indians P.O.Ws to help Japan. The patriot in Mohan Singh would never bargain British Imperialism for Japanese Imperialism. He spoke out his mind and was arrested. Meanwhile, the Quit-India Movement and other factors had made things complex.

Subhash Babu, famous as Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, escaped from house-arrest in Calcutta, and reached Germany. A Nazi submarine took him to an island off South Africa from where a Japanese submarine took him to Singapore. The action plan, organisation and execution of the I.N.A. was taken up again. Historically, General Mohan Singh was the fore-runner of Netaji. Documents speak of the high regard they had for each other. The I.N.A. fought in Imphal, Manipur and on the Burma borders. The Andamans were captured by the Japanese. The saintly Dr. Dewan Singh Kalepani died of ruthless torture. When Calcutta was bombed, Netaji suffered deep agony.

War on the western front ended with the fall of Berlin in April, 1945. Elections were held in Britain and Churchill, the war hero, was voted out. Lord Atlee took over as the new Prime Minister.

The USA then had only two atom bombs in her armoury. These were dropped on two cities of Japan which surrendered on August 15, 1945. Lord Mountbatten, had his moment of glory as the Supreme Commander of S.E.A.C. Two years later, as the last Viceroy of India, he fixed this date, for the transfer of power.

In the autumn of 1945, the nation was concerned about the fate of the heroes of the I.N.A. All were detained for trial. Many were later released. The release of the famous trio, Sehgal-Dhillon-Shahnawaz, created a rare sentimental scenario.

Gen. Mohan Singh was released on May 4, 1946. He received the welcome of a living martyr. The communal hatred lessened, Pakistan looked to be a demand only on paper. Elections were held. Thanks to image of the INA, a Congress ministry took office in the North-West Frontier Province with a 95 per cent Muslim population.

Gen. Mohan Singh was born in 1909 in Ugoke village, 10 km west of Sialkot (now in Pakistan). He settled at Jugiana, roughly the same distance east Ludhiana. Lived there for 40 years. He deposited his honour of being the founder of the I.N.A. to the account of glory of Ludhiana, as the city of his choice. He contributed to the development of agriculture, horticulture and dairying, and also remained an M.P. (Rajya Sabha).

COMMUNITY

Forum quashes PSEB demand
From Our Correspondent

LUDHIANA, Jan 15 — The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum has directed the Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) to restore the electricity connection to Mr Jaswant Singh within seven days of the receipt of its order. The forum has also quashed demand of the PSEB of Rs 52, 271 from the complainant Jaswant Singh. Besides this the forum directed the PSEB to pay Rs 2,000 as compensation and Rs 500 as the cost of petition.

Mr Jaswant Singh, who is the proprietor of Jaswant Tools India, Miller Ganj, is handicapped and earn his livelihood by running machines. He had submitted an application for replacement of the burnt meter in June 1996 to the Executive Engineer Sanchalak Mandal (Special), Giaspura, Ludhiana. The PSEB officials visited the premises and made necessary report. In the report the officials mentioned that the meter cover was intact and the seals were okay, but the meter was burnt. The complainant was asked to deposit Rs 700 and Rs 355 which he deposited. The complainant alleged that the PSEB in spite of depositing the said amount failed to change the meter. The complainant sent many reminders, but nothing was done. A legal note was also served.

After that the PSEB issued a notice claiming an amount of Rs 43,973 on December 31, 1999, alleging that the complainant was committing power theft and the meter was recording only 30 per cent of the consumption. The complainant approached the PSEB officials, but they refused to withdraw the demand. The meter remained ineffective from August 1996 to December 1999. The opposite party issued another bill of Rs 52,271 on January 16, 2000.

After hearing both the counsels, the forum observed that the meter was not checked in the presence of the consumer. The PSEB had not produced any evidence showing that a notice was given to the complainant to be present at the time of checking, which is mandatory as per rules.

The forum observed that the matter was not referred to the Chief Electrical Inspector, which is a statutory requirement in the case of disputes regarding the accuracy of a meter.

Valmiki Bhavan to be completed by march
From Our Correspondent

LUDHIANA, Jan 15 — The four-storey building of Valmiki Bhavan, being constructed in Jamalpur in the city, is coming up fast. The construction is expected to be completed by end of March. This was stated by the Deputy Commissioner Mr S.K. Sandhu, who visited the construction site to assess the progress of work today.

The Deputy Commissioner directed the officials of PWD and B and R to complete the work within a time bound schedule so that the bhavan, claimed to be the first of its kind in the state, could become functional soon.

Giving details of the project, Mr Vijay Danav, a member of the SAD(B) working committee and a senior functionary of the Bhartiya Valmiki Dharam Samaj, told Ludhiana Tribune that a 1500 square yard plot had been allotted by the SAD(B)-BJP government, headed by Mr Parkash Singh Badal for this purpose in 1998 and a sum of Rs 76 lakh had been sanctioned for the construction of the building.

The government had already released Rs 50 lakh and more funds would be made available as and when required.

The Valmiki Bhavan will have a meditation room in the basement, an auditorium, a temple, a library, a committee room and an administrative complex.

Mr Sandhu was accompanied by Mr A.K. Sinha, Additional Deputy Commissioner (Development). Activists of the Bhartiya Valmiki Dharam Samaj, including Mr Danav, Mr Lakshman Dravid, Mr Yash Pal and Mr Ashwani Sahota were also present on the occasion.

Chillies and lemons ward off the evil eye

THOUGH the ‘new millennium’, has dawned, superstitions continue to prevail and people stick to them because of fear or faith. Otherwise, how can one explain the brisk sale of green chillies and lemons, specially on Tuesdays and Saturdays. There is a belief among people, specially the shopkeepers, even the owners of ‘big showrooms,’ that hanging a string of green chillies and lemons wards off the evil eye. This is said to be an extension of the belief of ‘buri nazar’ prevailing among people in the country. They think that if they are doing well, others will feel jealous, so they hang lemons and chillies strung on a thread, to ‘immunise themselves’ from the evil eyes of others.

— AA

INTUC seeks hike in minimum wages
From Our Correspondent

LUDHIANA, Jan 15 — The Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC) today rejected the minimum wages of Rs.2000 for unskilled workers, announced by the state government, and demanded that these be increased to at least Rs 3,500 per month, which was equivalent to the salary of a class IV employee.

Addressing a workers’ rally here today, Mr Subhash Sharma, president, Punjab State INTUC, also called upon the state government to implement the accepted demands of ESI and insurance cover for the workers. He also pleaded for providing residential accommodation, facilities of ration card and voting rights to migrant industrial workers.

Other speakers, including Mr Joginder Singh Sarhali, announced that the INTUC would launch an agitation to press the pending demands of workers and to seek justice for them. In the first phase, a massive labour rally will be organised at the Civil Hospital here. Among others, the national president of INTUC, Mr G.Sanjiva Reddy, the AICC General Secretary, Mr Moti Lal Vora, and the PPCC President, Captain Amarinder Singh will address the rally. The date for the rally will be finalised and announced in the state executive meeting to be held on January 27 at Bathinda.

Mr Sharma further said that INTUC will be actively involved in support of Congress candidates in the coming assembly elections, and would also stake claim to around 25-30 seats with a majority population of working classes so that the labour and the workers were adequately represented in the state assembly.

Prominent among others who addressed the rally were Mr Piara Singh Dhillon, General Secretary, INTUC, Mr. Sarbjit Singh Deol, district president, Khet Mazdoor wing, and Mr Om Parkash Angrish, convener, Congress Councillors’ Group.

Cong flays deterioration in law and order
From Our Correspondent

LUDHIANA, Jan 15 — The Congress, the District Youth Congress and other front organisations of the party today criticised the deteriorating law and order situation in the city and called for revamping of the police set-up with immediate shifting of senior police officers.

A deputation of Congress and DYC activists, led by a former Punjab Speaker and member of the AICC, Mr Harnam Das Johar, and the DYC President, Mr Parminder Mehta, submitted a memorandum to the DIG of Police, Ludhiana Range, Mr Paramjit Singh Sandhu, here, expressing concern on a spurt in the crime wave in the city.

It said the incidents of killing, robbery, abduction and rape and theft have become order of the day, and the failure of the police to nab the culprits had created a sense of insecurity among the people.

The memorandum pointed out that the district police had failed to solve a number of heinous crimes committed in the recent past, which had created doubts about the competence and credibility of the police force.

Emphasising the need for immediate and effective action to check the criminal activities and to enforce the rule of law, the Congressmen urged the state government to streamline the police functioning and to shift the senior police officers in the district who had failed to discharge their duty diligently and efficiently so that the faith of the people in the law enforcement machinery was restored.

The party expressed confidence that the state government and the top police administration would come to the rescue of the people without further loss of time before the situation went out of hand and the Congress was forced to launch a mass agitation to force the authorities to swing in action.

Besides Mr Johar and Mr Mehta, others comprising the deputation were Mr Sushil Parashar, Chief Organising Secretary, Punjab Congress Sewa Dal, Mr Om Parkash Angrish, Convener, Congress Councillors Group, a number of Block Congress Committee Presidents and office-bearers of the DCC and the DYC.

SHSAD youth wing to boycott R-day function
From Our Correspondent

MANDI GOBINDGARH, Jan 15 — Mr Karnail Singh Panjoli, convener, Sarb Hind Youth Akali Dal, said in a press note released here today that the youth wing of the SHSAD would boycott the Republic Day celebrations. a rally would be held at Fatehgarh Sahib to protest against the partiality of Central and Punjab Government towards Punjabis, specially the Sikhs, the press note added.

He said party workers would take out a silent procession in front of the venue of official celebrations.

He alleged that the Punjabis had made a lot of sacrifices for the freedom of country but even 50 years after the independence their demands were not being considered.

He said the workers taking part in the rally would wear black trousers and carry flags on which three demands would be printed.

Their demands include release of Sikh prisoners, stoppage of RSS intervention in the Sikh religion and special consideration for Sikhs in the Indian Constitution.

A preparatory meeting for the protest will be held at Chaura Bazar, Ludhiana, on January 18.

KCW girls withdraw strike
From Our Correspondent

LUDHIANA, Jan 15 — The M.Com (I) students of the Khalsa College for Women, Civil Lines, called off their strike and attended classes this morning.

In a letter to the Principal, Ms Harinder Dhillon, students apologised for going on strike without informing her. The Principal told them to deposit the fee before they attended any classes.

The students had been protesting against the sudden fee hike introduced by the college authorities. They had alleged that the college authorities were charging more fee for the second semester than what was mentioned in the prospectus. The students had said that they would not register themselves for the second semester unless the fee hike was rolled back.

The Principal held a meeting with students today. She said that since it was for the first year that M.Com classes had been started in their college, the college authorities did not have any idea about the fee charges at that time. She said that it was mentioned in the prospectus that the fee for the second semester would be Rs 5000 and that it would be subject to any further increase.

Dense fog leads to accidents
From Our Correspondent

LUDHIANA, Jan 15 —The city has been in the grip of dense fog ever since the dawn of new year, Dense in the morning and evening hours reduces visibility to only a few feet. the reduced visibility has been responsible for a number of accidents in the city.

in one such accident a truck crashed into a road divider on Gill Road. Many vehicle-owners have been using yellow-coloured paper to turn headlights into fog lights but these too have proved to be quite ineffective.

Motorists have been advised to drive slowly in order to avoid accidents.

Feud over a wall: case registered
From Our Correspondent

DORAHA, Jan 15 — Minor injuries were received by a husband and wife in a scuffle with an other party on Friday morning.

It is reported by Mohinder Singh, a farmer of Saharan Majra village, that he and his brother, Nahar Singh, had been involved in a feud over the issue of a common wall and a case had been going on in the court. He said that on Friday morning when he was on his way home, he was attacked by Sukhdarshan Singh, Jagdeep Singh and Ranjit Singh, the three sons of Nahar Singh, They not only abused and threatened him verbally, but also physically assaulted him. When his wife heard them, she came running and was also injured by the accused. The left arm of Mohinder Singh and the right hand of his wife, Nachattar Kaur, were injured.

A case has been registered at the Payal Police Station against the assailants under Sections 323, 325 and 34 of the IPC.

ETO hurt in accident
From Our Correspondent

SAMRALA, Jan 15 — Mr Jaswant Singh, an ETO posted at Amritsar and resident of Mohali, was injured seriously, due to heavy fog early in the morning when his car collided with a Tata Sumo.

Six persons travelling in the Sumo received minor injuries and were discharged after first aid at the local Civil Hospital, but the Sumo driver, who had been seriously injured was referred to Ludhiana.

Mr Jaswant Singh was sent to General Hospital, Sector 32, Chandigarh, where his condition is stated to be out of danger. 

CRIME

Fourth accused gets police remand
Tribune News Service

LUDHIANA, Jan 15 — Jaswant Singh Punna, a co-accused in the Avtar Singh murder case, was remanded in police custody till January 17 by Senior Sub-Judge B.K. Mehta here today.

He had surrendered to the police here yesterday.

A dairy owner, he has been accused of being involved in the shootout incident that took place on January 7 at Maya Nagar in the city.

He is the fourth accused to have been remanded in police custody. Earlier Bittu Gill, Parveen Kumar and Sonu were remanded in police custody till January 17.

The fifth accused, Parveen Kumar, is said to be detained at his village, Verka. A police party that had gone to bring him here has yet not returned. The main accused, Gurmeet Singh Pinki, is still at large.