The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Pinki protected by police: victim’s family
By Jupinderjit Singh
Tribune News Service

LUDHIANA, Jan 20 — The statement of Gurmeet Singh alias Pinki, the main suspect in the Avtar Singh murder case, that he had not fired any shot in the January 7 shoot-out incident and that one of his gunmen had opened fire in ‘self-defence’, when about 30 people attacked them on that fateful night has prompted family members of the deceased youth and other eye-witnesses as to allege that the case is being given a new angle, at the behest of senior police officials, to protect the main accused.

Pinki, who was remanded to police custody till January 23 by a district court, had stated that he was in no way involved in the murder case. He claimed he was sitting in the house, when an altercation developed between his gunmen and some youths. Later, he alleged that about 30 persons attacked his gunmen and when he came out after hearing a gunshot, he found the youth murdered.

However, agitated family members and two witnesses to the incident today, while talking to Ludhiana Tribune, alleged that the process to shield Pinki, a favourite of certain senior police officials has started with his statement. They said though they had so far no complaint against local officers investigating the case, they had learnt that state-level senior police officials were masterminding the case to protect Pinki, who holds the key to the dark deals of many police officers and politicians.

As an argument, Kulwant Kaur, a sister of the victim Avtar Singh, and two witnesses Daljit Singh and Surjit Singh today alleged that if Pinki had not fired the shot, why then, did he run away. They allege that the timing of the surrender a day after the bhog ceremony also suggests that the surrender was planned to occur at a time when public outcry would have diminished to a large extent.

They also argued that the state government had not still dismissed the accused. They said they understand that dismissing an employee was a lengthy procedure, but the government or the state police department should have at least set the ball rolling for his dismissal.

Denying the accusation levelled by the accused that his gunmen were attacked, the two witnesses in separate interviews stated that the number of persons who had gone to Pinki’s house to talk to him was less than 10. They said apart from the youth, there were several mature people and had not gone there with the intention of a fight.

The sister of the victim said they were also unhappy at the attitude of the ministers of the ruling Akali party, who had not even visited their house to console the aggrieved family members. In an emotional outburst, the girl said the family only wanted stringent punishment for the accused and no compensation.

SSP Kuldip Singh denied that the police was trying to shield him. He said it was open for all to see that the District police had left no stone unturned to nab the accused. Regarding the issue of dismissing the accused, he said it was either the duty of the Moga district police or the state police department.

The SSP said the police had not helped the accused in any connection and charges of allowing him to surrender at a convenient time were baseless. He assured all help to the family. He said Pinki had surrendered only because of the pressure exerted on him by the district police.

Interestingly, a point worth mentioning was the reluctance of a number of police officials, to get photographed along with the accused when he was presented before mediapersons on January 19. It seemed strange that the police officials who take pride in getting themselves photographed with criminals shied away with this ‘prize’ catch today at the press conference.

Politicians, police, sheltering Dhand?
Tribune News Service

LUDHIANA, Jan 20 — Is Nirdosh Dhand, the main suspect in an attack on the husband of an Akali Municipal Councillor Manjit Kaur Gogi of the city and an influential financier and Congress party leader, still at large, 20 days after the incident because of a police-politician-criminal nexus ?

The case history of the suspect, against whose name more than 10 cases of different nature had been registered by the city police in the recent past and who was still wanted in some of these cases, points to the affirmative. In fact, it would be pertinent to add the role of certain persons of the media in the nexus.

According to The Tribune investigation, at least three journalists of the city have also been protecting or informing him about possible police raids in the recent past. A number of senior Congress leaders and even serving Akali ministers have also, reportedly, attended functions at his house, even though his name figured in police records several times.

While police claims to be exerting pressure on him to surrender and asserts that his whereabouts are known, the suspect manages to elude arrest because of the alleged nexus, The Tribune managed to contact the suspect, here today afternoon over his mobile telephone number known to a select few. Speaking from some place in Ferozepore, the suspect pleaded not guilty to the crime and said he was being framed because of political reasons. He said he was also being framed by his enemies who were jealous of his influence. He claimed he had been acquitted in most of the previous cases also.

While only the completion of the police investigation in the case and other pending ones would bring out the truth, one thing can surely be said at this juncture, that if he could be contacted by a mediaperson, he could have also been easily contacted by the police. The failure of the latter to do so, points to some influential force behind the accused.

A senior police official, speaking on condition of anonymity, admitted that there were extraneous pressures on the police. Several serving and former politicians had tried to slow down the arrest procedure. However, of late when his arrest or surrender was appearing imminent, most of the influential persons are reported to have started to desert him, still there were others who continued to protect him.

According to reliable sources, the suspect manages to gather influence on the basis of muscle power and money power. He is also known to finance the money of senior police officials both in the district and the state. As an example of his links with police officials and politicians, several leaders, including serving ministers of Akali Dal and opposition parties have been going around with him.

That the suspect has influential sources and friends in the police and the press was evident just few days ago. After a meeting of the district police officials in the second week of this month, police parties were sent to raid the house of the suspect late evening. However, the suspect managed to flee, just in time.

It is being alleged that he was informed by his journalist friends and certain police officials about the impending raid. The allegation seems to have a strong basis as a number of police officials, for unknown reasons, had informed almost all journalists of the city in advance about the raid. The police parties did not find the accused in the house, but a large contingent of the media, including the photographers were already there.

Commenting on the case SSP, Kuldip Singh denied that the police was protecting him. He said he had no knowledge of any police officials being financed by the suspect. He said the police was using all means to get him behind bars and it was expected that he would surrender sooner or later.

Bau murder case: suspect arrested
Tribune News Service

LUDHIANA, Jan 20 — Pardeep Nagar, one of the accused in the Surjit Bhan, alias, Bau murder case, was arrested near Tiger Safari on the Ludhiana-Jalandhar road here today afternoon by the district police.

The case had hogged headlines earlier this week because of the sensational murder committed in broad daylight and also due to the subsequent dharnas and protest rallies of a group of Chowni Mohalla residents, who blocked traffic at National Highway No. 1 for two days and also forced a complete bandh in the city yesterday.

The suspect, who was presented before the media today evening by SP (city-two) Parmod Ban, however, sought to justify the murder alleging that Bau was an anti-social element whose name figured prominently in police records.

He said he murdered him because of two reasons, one that the deceased had mercilessly beaten his brother, Satish, whose leg had been permanently damaged and second for eliminating a person who, he alleged, was a terror in the city, especially in the Chowni Mohalla.

He alleged that the deceased was a known ‘boss’ of the area and used to harass women and girls openly. He said he even used to take Hafta from shopkeepers, rehriwallahs, rickshaw-wallahs and even from the trucks passing from near the Mohalla.

He also alleged that Bau was being sheltered by certain political leaders belonging to both the ruling and opposite parties in the state. He said he did not regret the murder as it had been done for the society.

Coming back to personal rivalry with the deceased, he said his brother, another suspect in the murder, had dared to challenge the authority of the deceased in June last year when the deceased and his gang had been consistently harassing women in the colony. He said his brother was mercilessly beaten for daring to stand up against him . He said the score was settled now. He also claimed that yesterday’s bandh was not complete because of any public support of the deceased but because of the terror of his associates.

Admn inert as city is held to ransom
By Vimal Sumbly
Tribune News Service

LUDHIANA, Jan 20 — An entire city of about 30 lakh people was held to ransom, as the administration ‘surrendered’ to a handful of people who had given a call for a Ludhiana bandh on January 19, to protest against the murder of a person in Chowni Mohalla.

Contrary to the claims of the district administration of dealing strictly with anyone trying to force people to observe a bandh, several people were injured near CMC when some shopkeepers tried to resist the forcible attempts by some youth to ‘enforce’ the bandh. And no police force was available at the spot.

Widespread resentment prevails among people over the administration’s reaction to the bandh call. Not a single shop was allowed to be opened anywhere in the city. Earlier the bandh used to be restricted to the walled city, but this time, extended beyond the Civil Lines area. Even fruit sellers and vegetable vendors, were not allowed to operate their rehris.

Surprisingly, no political party supported the call for the bandh and yet it proved to be successful, thanks to the inertia of the district administration compounded by a confused and anarchic police force, which is yet to come out of the shock of six murders in a span of seven days.

The refrain of the people here is why did the administration not take any preventive measures against the bandh. “At least it could have detained some people who were forcing shopkeepers to down their shutters”, pointed out a representative of a trade organisation. He claimed that yesterday’s bandh had caused a loss of Rs 100 crore, given the volume of business transacted daily in the city, which has come to be identified as the business and industrial capital of the north India.

Residents are concerned because about the rise of crimes in the city. It is not that they wanted to resist the bandh because they did not sympathise with the bereaved family. A retired professor of PAU observed, “In case the bandh had been called to protest against all the murders in the city that occurred recently, it would have appeared to be justified”, while pointing out no concern was shown when a child was brutally murdered after being abducted. “It is a typical case of might is right”, he remarked.

Surprisingly, even political parties appear to be according priority to partisan interests over the common cause. While the opposition MLAs like Mr Mahesh Inder Singh Grewal, Mr Hira Singh Ghabria, Mr Bikramjit Singh Khalsa and Mr Rakesh Pandey have been vocal in their protest against the rise in crime, both the ruling parties, the BJP and the Akali Dal have maintained a tactful silence. Mr Satpal Gosain, who used to be in the forefront of all public campaigns, has also been making selective comments after having become the Deputy Speaker of the legislative assembly, while exonerating the district administration and the police of its responsibility for obvious reasons.

While the common man is worried, the business community is rightly concerned. They feel the yesterday’s bandh had set a wrong precedent as anyone could hold the city to ransom without any resistance.

Road project, bete noire for BJP
By Kuldip Bhatia

LUDHIANA, Jan 20 — One of the partners in the ruling alliance in the municipal corporation in the city — the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP), appears to have bitten more than it can chew, in its stiff and vociferous opposition to the Rs 38 Crore ‘elevated road projected’, which is proposed to be constructed over a 2.5 kilometre stretch of Old GT Road in the city from Jagraon Bridge to Chand Cinema.

Although the MC has already initiated the process for calling technical and financial bids for the prestigious project, claimed to be first of its kind in the region, after it was approved by the ‘Finance and Contracts Committee’ (F&CC) and later ratified by the general house, the BJP did a volte face and opposed the project on several grounds.

The district president of the BJP, Mr Harbans Lal Sethi, who has emerged as a staunch opponent of the flyover, which the traffic management experts and the civic officials describe, a necessity to bring some semblance of order in the chaotic traffic conditions in the city, says without reservation that the elevated road was not needed. “At least 40 to 45 per cent of the city population is still without basic civic amenities like sewerage and water supply and the MC should divert its resources towards this end.”

That the party has an eye on its trusted vote bank, shopkeepers and traders, is evident from the fact that the BJP came out openly against the flyover, only after a section of shopkeepers, located along the Old GT Road, from Jagraon Bridge to Old Sabzi Mandi, raised their voice against the proposal and even formed a ‘sangharsh samiti’ to coordinate the agitation.

As if the ruling BJP assuming the role of an opposition party in the civic body was not enough, the embarrassment became acute, when the senior BJP minister, who heads the department of Local Bodies in the SAD (B)-BJP government, Mr Balramji Das Tandon, told his party colleagues here, in no uncertain terms, that the project was on. Sources in the MC revealed that Mr Tandon has been keenly involved with the elevated road project, right from the stage of its inception and has been personally monitoring the progress in terms of its drawing, design and consultancy matters.

Even the day before, when a deputation of the ‘sangharsh samiti’, along with the district BJP chief, Mr Sethi, met the minister here to voice their opposition to the project, Mr Tandon told them that if the matter had not been discussed threadbare in the general house, the government would direct the MC to bring the proposal before the general house and seek its approval. He refused to go further than this, which amply indicated that other than rectifying a procedural matter, the minister or the government, for that matter, would not reconsider the issue.

However, politicking on the vital issue, by the BJP notwithstanding, the MC administration maintained that the project was on for all practical purposes as the government had not communicated any fresh decision so far. A senior MC official told Ludhiana Tribune that a ‘pre-tender’ conference would be held on January 22 and technical and financial bids, received from leading builders of national and international repute would be opened thereafter.

Gang of thieves busted, 6 held
Tribune News Service

LUDHIANA, Jan 20 — The focal point police today claimed to have made a major breakthrough in solving a number of cases including those of looting of petrol pumps by busting a six member gang of alleged criminals.

Inspector Balwinder Singh said in a press note issued here today that the gang members had confessed to their involvement large number of thefts and robberies in the city.

He said the police had recovered one pistol, some catridges, a knife, a kirch and a large number of stolen goods and vehicles.

A case under Sections 399, 407, of the IPC and 54/55 of the Arms Act has been registered against the six alleged gang members. The arrested persons were identified as Tajinder Kumar, alias Happy, Vijay Kumar, Rakesh Kumar alias Kala, Rehmat Tula, Gurbax Singh, alias Prince and Santosh Parshad.

CM’s order go unheeded
Tribune News Service

LUDHIANA, Jan 20 — Though the Tajpur Road land scandal has been highlighted time and again by the media and the residents of the place, no concrete steps have been taken by the local administration so far.

The Chief Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, had directed the Deputy Commissioner to conduct an inquiry and submit a report within a week’s. A complaint was made to the Chief Minister at the PAU on December 22.

The administration claims that it has halted the further sale of land. A notice-board was put up at the site saying that it was a government land and those selling and buying land would be prosecuted. When this correspondent visited the site there was no notice-board.

While most residents of the area were unaware of a board been ever fixed at the site. A few of them said the board was fixed one day in the evening and it was removed after four hours by some residents and revenue employees. The residents said that no announcement was made in this regard.

The administration had also ordered to stall the development works being carried out by the Municipal Corporation but a few days ago but the construction of roads in the area is still in progress. The private constructions are still on in the area.

A senior official of the administration said that they had got complaints from the residents of the area and were conducting an inquiry into the matter. He said a meeting would also be convened in this regard today and all aspects of the case would be looked into.

The government land which has been grabbed is worth crores. There are discrepancies in the revenue records of this land. The records show a man who died many years ago tilling the land till date.

Officials of the Revenue Department were also being questioned regarding discrepancies in the revenue records. A complainant, Mr Rakesh Sharma, owner of a piece of land in the area is running about to get an FIR registered in this case. The Deputy Commissioner, Mr S.K. Sandhu, was not available for comments.

CITY SCAN
Kapoor Singh of Nasrali
by M. S. CHEEMA

THE princely state of Kapurthala drew its name from Nawab Kapur Singh who lived in the 18th century. Today the district headquarters and the district bear this name. Ludhiana has produced two name-sakes who have been pioneers of their own fields. One is Sardar Kapur Singh who got a master’s degree from Cambridge, made it to the I.C.S. and left scholarly works. After the Nawab (18th century) and before the Sardar (20th century) was born Kapoor Singh in the 19th century. He is popularly remembered as Kapoor Singh Nasrali. Someone asked him why he spelt his name as Kapoor Singh. He replied: ‘Poor’ in ‘Kapoor’, reminds me of what I am.”

The story of Kapoor Singh is a saga of intelligence, determination, devotion and sense of responsibility. He leaves a very deep imprint. God blessed him with a long life. His day’s work would outweigh an average man’s yearly output. He rose from a village, made his mark at the district level, and rose to provincial heights.

This khadi-clad Gandhian was born in a family of the landed aristocracy. His father Chaudhary Dasaundha Singh, was a man of means and worldly wisdom. He was known in the Khanna-Malerkotla-Amargarh-Malwa area as ‘Sufed Posh’.

Kapoor Singh was born in Nasrali village (Ludhiana) on February 12, 1888. He studied in Khanna and matriculated from Mission High School, Ludhiana, and graduated from Khalsa College, Amritsar. He took his LL.B. degree from the Law College, Lahore. He was appointed guardian — tutor to a prince of a ruling chief (1916-1922), then the Sessions Judge and Dewan of Ajaigarh state, now part of Madhya Pradesh. He practiced law at Lahore and Ludhiana from 1923 to 1934 and later from 1938 to 1940. At Ludhiana, he served with distinction as a member of the District Board (1925-40) and remained its vice-president for a few terms. He also remained member of the local Municipal Committee for 18 years (1927-35), with one term as its vice-president.

During the elections of 1937, he was returned as an MLA and remained an MLA till 1951. At Lahore, he was Deputy Speaker during the premiership of Sir Khizar Hyat Khan Tiwana. After Independence, he was Speaker of the Punjab Assembly(1947-51). In 1952 he became the first chairman of the Legislative Council. His role as Finance Minister of Punjab is part of the state’s history.

He guided the destinies of five colleges as their president — Shri Guru Gobind Singh College for Men, Shri Guru Gobind Singh College for Women both Chandigarh; Guru Gobind Singh College for Men, Paonta Sahib, S.N. College, Qadian, and S.N. College, Banga. He also was President of all Non-Government Colleges Federation and was one of the founders of D.M. College and Hospital.

Kapoor Singh lived in old Bhadaur House as a displaced person. He was always available for a genuine cause. He took prominent part in the freedom movement and was one of the most widely travelled Indians.

He was affectionately called Kapoor Singh Nasrali after his village near Khanna. He breathed his last at Ludhiana on March 3, 1988, three weeks after his 101st birthday. At his death, Mr Gurbachan Singh Bajwa said: “He lived well, left well, elicited no pity, earned goodwill. Instead of making money, he earned a name.”

	City gets a taste of Romi Dev’s creativity By Asha Ahuja LUDHIANA, Jan 20 — “Fantastic”, “out of the world”, “at least Ludhiana is getting to see the things that it had not seen before”, these were some of the comments of the visitor who went around the two-day exhibition organised by Romi Dev and her cousin and partner of ‘This 'n' That’, a boutique run by the two at Hotel Park Plaza today. Romi said, “I have brought my exhibition of favourite things out of Delhi for the first time. I know people of Ludhiana are very adventurous and appreciate beautiful things.” Meanwhile, hubby Kapil Dev, the internationally known cricketer, while chatting with his guests last evening said humorously to his wife, “I did not know that you had so many beautiful things in your collection.” He was very amused when somebody asked him the prices of the things. Both the husband and wife seem to have pushed back the ugly controversy of match fixing and are moving ahead with determination and optimism. Both of them seemed nonchalant about the match-fixing controversy. Romi said, “It gives me and my cousin lot of pleasure designing our own things. First we create new designs and then ask our team of workers to complete these.” The beauty of the things in the exhibition lay in making ordinary things like cane baskets, lamps, hangers, glass containers, glasses, extraordinary. The baskets were decorated with laces and flowers whereas the glasses and containers had metal bases and tops. The candles were adorned with flowers. There are beaded mats, one has not seen the likes of them. There were velvet bags, beautifully embroidered bags and small pouches to keep jewellery and gold coins. Beautiful covers for shagun thalis was another new item. Beautiful scrolls tied with gold tessled threads to wrap the wedding cards were also eye-catching exhibits. Wooden boxes for jewellery adorned by exquisite figures of gods looked very appealing. Many visitors showed keen interest in jute boxes, decorated with dry leaves and flowers. There were paintings from Tanjore and other places. One of the women said, “These flowers made of silver and gold sequins are such a change from plastic flowers. The flowers are simply very exciting”. Another home maker was totally sold over the lovely velvet cushions, and woollen embroidered bed covers. Baby’s crib all dressed up in laces and net was eyed greedily by many a mother. A huge centre table with an exquisite antique painting was clearly one of the most attractive pieces of the exhibition. Glass trays of various sizes waste paper baskets adorned with flowers, and looking glass with brass handles, and beautiful fruit fixed on it. It is used to serve fruits and chocolates. “Almost all the things are unique”, said Roopika Mathur, a collector. Romi had added colour to the exhibition by embellishing the statues with flower petals and decorating with floating candles.
	Non-teaching staff demand arrears From Our Correspondent KHANNA, Jan 20 — The Punjab Government has revised the pay scales of 2500 non-teaching employees in the165 non-government aided colleges on the basis of the 4th Pay Commission report with effect from 1.1.1996. The arrears of the pay and allowances are yet to be received from the Punjab Government for the period from 1.1.1996 to 31.3.1999. Under the 95 per cent deficit grant scheme pay parity has been given to non-teaching employees of non government aided colleges on the basis 1.11.1977 and 1.11.1981 posts, remarked Mr D. K. Manro, district president PCHTEU (Punjab and Chandigarh). The case of benefit of house Rent allowance is also hanging fire since long, he said. He appealed to the minister for Higher Education, Mr Mohan Lal, and the Chief Minister of Punjab, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, to intervene and get the arrears of low paid non-teaching employees of non government aided colleges released at the earliest.
	Meerut girl wins knitting contest Tribune News Service LUDHIANA, Jan 20 — Ms Indu of Meerut is the third lucky winner of the Bunte Bunte Kismat Chamke contest being organised by Vardhman. Indu topped the list in a computerised draw organised here today. Bunte Bunte Kismat Chamke contest is being organised by Vardhman for its hand-knitting yarn consumers. While Ms Indu from Meerut in UP bagged the first prize of a TVS Scooty, Ms Mandeep of Batala, Ms Suman Yadav of Lakhimpuri Kheri in UP, Ms Bobby of Ambala Cantt bagged the second price of mixer-juicer-grinder and the third prize went to Nitin Ahuja from Kashipur in UP, Ms Raj Kumari from Hodal in Haryana, Ms Asha from Karnal, Dalip Kaur from Qila Raipur and Ms Sushma from Jammu. Apart from the top nine winners, 10,000 additional prizes have also been declared. Announcing the results, V. K. Goyal, Chief Executive, Vardhman Spinning and General Mills Limited, revealed that over one lakh entries were received during the last three months from all over India. The contest was launched on October 1, 2000 nationwide and consisted of 4 monthly contests in 4 consecutive months and finally a Mega Contest scheduled for February, 2001. The winner of the mega contest would get a Matiz car. Earlier, two monthly results had already been declared in November and December 2000. Ranjita Gujral of Khanna and Raminder Kaur of Amritsar had won in November and December respectively. Mr Goyal said, in the first two contests, out of 2,018 prizes, Punjab bagged a maximum of 925 followed by Uttar Pradesh with 378 and Haryana with 299. Among cities, Amritsar received a maximum of 180 prizes followed by Ludhiana 134 and Jalandhar 62.
	The Attire opened From Our Correspondent LUDHIANA, Jan 20 — The Attire, a signature label for groom wear opened here at Carnival Plaza, the Mall Raman Vij, a designer, who studied at Nottingham Trent University, and has worked with Sunit Verma, has designed the range. Raman says, “it is very difficult to change the clothing patterns of Ludhianvis, yet, I have made an effort. I have designed bold coloured shirts to go with grey and black suits. I have used knit and imported fabrics to mix and match.” The ambience of the shop is like that of Bond Street, London. Special Nanakshahi bricks were obtained from an old house from a village to build up the walls. Mr Zafar Chaudhary, who has designed the showroom, has made use of red sand stone and wooden girders in the ceiling. A set of Encyclopaedia Britannica between two wooden chests. The cigar box, the old radio, the beer barrel, the hat tree, a telescope, the typical dog and horses, paintings on the wall, an old telephone transports a visitor to a different world. The shop will sell only designer wear both western and ethnic. The price range is affordable. Raman Vij said, “I am getting imported fabric for winter wear, but for summers I will use Italian and Indian fabrics. I am not sure of the response”. Aman Arora, on the other hand, was sure that the response would be good. People would not have to go to Delhi for such off beat wear.

BUSINESS

Steel rollers’ body for ‘more’ consumption
From Our Correspondent

MANDI GOBINDGARH, Jan 20 — The government must plan an increase in the consumption of steel in the country. The per capita consumption of steel in India was 24.8 kg during the past fiscal year as compared to 624.5 kg in Japan . This was stated by Mr Anil Suraj, Hony. General Secretary of the All India Steel Rollers Association , at a pre-Budget meeting held here today by the association. He said the recessionary trend was continuing.

He reiterated that efforts needed to be made to tap the untapped areas in rural sectors. Infrastructure facilities were required to be built up and the government must come forward with plans for housing construction etc, in order to boost the consumption of steel in the country. Poor availability of indigenous raw material and rerollable steel at affordable prices had further deepened the crisis.

He suggested cheap import of raw material and suitable export of finished goods in order to combat the prevailing recessionary trend in steel markets all over the country. He also expressed concern over the deplorable condition of ship-breaking industry, as a result of which the prices of broken ship material had shot up.

AISRA has urged the Finance Minister to make certain changes in the 2001-02 budget so that the demand could pick up in the steel sector. Representatives of the association also had various pre-Budget rounds with high administrative officials.