Wednesday, May 30, 2001, Chandigarh, India

 

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RS NOMINATION
PAC leaves it to Badal

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 29
As was expected, the Political Affairs Committee of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) today authorised the party chief, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, to name the candidate for the Rajya Sabha seat.

Mr Badal said that the candidate would be announced tomorrow. He said no discussion was held with regard to the aspirants for the nomination at the meeting.

Though it is not clear what stopped Mr Badal from announcing the candidate, it seems there has been a lot of BJP pressure on him to allocate the seat to that party. The senior leader of the BJP, Mr Balramji Dass Tandon, met Mr Badal at his residence early this morning. He told The Tribune that he was hopeful that the BJP would get the seat. Mr Avinash Jaiswal, general secretary of the BJP, said that no stone would be left unturned to secure the seat for his party.

Senior leaders of the BJP had recently met the party high command, including the Prime Minister, to urge it to ask Mr Badal to give the seat to the BJP. However, Mr Badal said that no leader of the BJP high command had contacted him in this connection yet.

In fact, the BJP called an emergency meeting of its election committee late this evening to assess the developments in the SAD camp with regard to the allocation of the seat. The BJP meeting was scheduled a few hours after the meeting of the PAC, obviously to plan the party’s strategy in the light of the PAC’s decision. The meeting of the election committee was in progress at the time of filing of this report.

However, pressure on Mr Badal from within his own party is also growing. Sources said that Mr Avtar Singh Hit, president of the DSGMC, has been camping here for the past many days to secure the nomination. Mr Rajinder Mehta, a former Sikh Students Federation leader, has been visiting the Chief Minister’s residence for this purpose. Mr Kirpal Singh Badungar’s name has also figured a number of times during the past few days in this connection. Mrs Prabhjot Kaur, wife of the late Darbara Singh, Governor of Rajasthan, also appears to be strong contender.

Sources said the SGPC President, Mr Jagdev Singh Talwandi, has opposed the idea of giving the seat of the BJP. He made his views clear at the PAC meeting.

Meanwhile, Mr Badal told his party’s apex body, the PAC, that the elections to the state Assembly would not be held before January next year.

Informed sources said that while speaking at the PAC meeting, held in Punjab Bhavan here, Mr Badal told its members that a lot was required to be done to prepare the party for the elections. Already “sangat darshan” was going on. Besides, political conferences were to be held in various parts of the state to gear up the party machinery. His main focus at the meeting was on the Assembly poll and streamlining of the functioning of the party in all districts.


 

Dayal hints at front of secular forces
Our Correspondent

Phagwara, May 29
The Punjab CPI secretary, Dr Joginder Dayal, yesterday did not rule out the possibility of a third front of secular forces, including the CPI, CPM, Congress and BSP. Talking to newsmen here, Dr Dayal expressed satisfaction that the Bahujan Samaj Party was coming out of its casteist shell and the CPI would like it to join the secular forces to defeat the communal SAD-BJP combine. When asked whether the CPM would veer round to this idea, Dr Dayal quipped that they (CPI and CPM) were together in all recently held polls in Punjab. While the BSP chief, Mr Kanshi Ram, was now talking about oppressed classes, the PPCC president, Captain Amarinder Singh, had also altered his earlier stand on the Leftists.

Referring to the WTO, Dr Dayal, declared that the CPI would organise 500 rallies in the state before June 21 against it. Since early May, 100 such rallies had already been held, he disclosed.

Punjab is the worst hit state by the WTO as it produced 2 crore tonnes of foodgrains. He opposed the Central Government’s move to pull out the FCI from the procurement field and abandoning the policy of minimum support price.

To call India a surplus foodgrain country was a fallacy, he quipped. “We have 20 crore tonnes of foodgrains and 220 gm per capita consumption for one billion people”, he said. China, with a 110 crore population and 40 crore tonnes of foodgrain, had 450 gm per capita consumption, he added.

The faulty economic policies of the government had swelled the number of poor from 37 per cent in 1990 to 43 per cent at present, alleged Dr Dayal.

As far industry and education were concerned, 5.5 lakh units had closed down while education had crumbled in rural areas and had become a commodity for the elite in urban areas, continued the CPI stalwart. The NDA was being dictated by the USA and the Punjab government was being dictated by the NDA, he quipped. The NDA government was not imposing quantitative restrictions on imports under the influence of the USA, he alleged. Mr Badal was opposing the move to pull out the FCI from the agriculture sector but he himself was privatising the public sector, including roadways, power, sugar and spinning mills, alleged Dr Dayal. Mills were being sold at throwaway prices to favour his henchmen, he alleged.

Maintaining that the country was losing political independence since the USA was dictating terms, Dr Dayal alleged that India had agreed to third party mediation for solving the Jammu and Kashmir problem. The NDA government had changed the five-decade-old stand against third party intervention, alleged Dr Dayal.

The CPI had always favoured a negotiated settlement of the issue and welcomed the invitation to the Pakistan military ruler, General Pervez Musharraf, and withdrawal of the unilateral ceasefire but the party wanted the NDA Government to put pressure on Pakistan for ending training of terrorists, asserted the Communist leader. He called the NDA’s Kashmir policy a fiasco.

Communalism now is not at the people’s level but at the government level, alleged Dr Dayal. The BJP at the Centre was saffronising politics and education, and distorting history while Mr Badal in Punjab was playing the communal card, he added. The drama of Wassan Singh Zaffarwal’s arrest had exposed the Akalis and the law and order situation had worsened, he asserted.

Dr Dayal also took Mr Badal to task for debasing democracy by doling out grants to ‘buy’ votes in the so-called ‘sangat darshan’ meetings. Mr Niranjan Singh Ucha, district secretary, also spoke. Families of freedom fighters were also honoured on the occasion.


 

Zaffarwal: I’ll join active politics
Our Correspondent

Hoshiarpur, May 29
Khalistan Commando Force (KCF) chief Wassan Singh Zaffarwal said here today that he would join active politics after clearance of his cases. At present, he would not join any political party and had not made up his mind as yet to contest the forthcoming election to the state Assembly. He said he had full faith in democracy and believed that any goal could be achieved through democratic means. That was why he had surrendered before the police.

Zaffarwal was talking to mediapersons in the corridor of the court of Mr C.D. Gupta, Additional Sessions Judge. He said it were police atrocties on him and his family that compelled him to become a militant. He added that he had always condemned the killings of innocent persons.

He said Punjab was his motherland and he had full respect for India. He said he had never met Mr Parkash Singh Badal, Chief Minister, Punjab, adding that Mr Sucha Singh Langah, PWD Minister of Punjab, who was his relative, had no role in his surrender. He had never met Mr Langah after 1983. He categorically said that he had never killed any person nor was he ever involved in any inhuman crime.

Zaffarwal criticised Congress leaders, especially the late Giani Zail Singh, former President of India, and said that they were fully responsible for militancy in Punjab. Giani Zail Singh tried to create two groups in the Sikh community and encouraged misuse of the Golden Temple only to remain in power. Congress leaders compaigned against Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale. Operation Bluestar badly hurt the religious sentiments of the Sikh community. Congress leaders were also responsible for the 1984 riots.

Replying to a question, he said during the last Assembly elections, his appeal to the electorate of Punjab to oppose the Congress candidates was not at the instance of SAD leaders. He never spoke in favour of the SAD candidates. It was his firm opinion that the Congress had ruined Punjab and the Punjabis. The KCF chief said all cases against him were fabricated by the police. He said, he had never owned responsibility for killings of VIPs and massacres during days of militancy in Punjab. He left Punjab in 1987 and remained mainly in Pakistan and Switzerland. None of the leaders, except Mr Simranjit Singh Mann, met him during his stay abroad. When asked whether he would appeal to other militants to join the mainstream by surrendering themselves, he said it was the duty of the state government to make such appeals.

Referring to the tussle between Mr Badal and Mr Gurchran Singh Tohra president, SHSAD, he said Mr Tohra wanted to become the Chief Minister of Punjab which was unacceptable to Mr Badal. When asked if there were any police atrocities on his family now, he said, he had no report of any police atrocities on any one. He supported the demanded of the SAD regarding state autonomy, adding that it should be granted as early as possible. He blamed the ISI of Pakistan for the present situation in Jammu and Kashmir. He said he was falsely implicated in murder cases by the Dasuya police.

Earlier the KCF chief was produced in the court of Mr Gupta in one murder case FIR No. 16 of July 25, 1985, and in one attempt to murder case FIR No. 209 of October 18, 1984, by the Dasuya police. He was further remanded till June 9, 2001.



 

Ex-DSP gets bail in rape case
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 29
Granting bail to a dismissed Punjab Police DSP after prima facie holding that the petitioner could have been implicated in a rape case, Mr Justice S.S. Nijjar of the High Court has asked the Ludhiana Chief Judicial Magistrate to impose strict conditions to ensure his presence during the trial.

Delivering the verdict on the application moved by Ashok Puri of Khanna in Ludhiana district, Mr Justice Nijjar observed: “In normal circumstances, the court would not have shown sympathy towards a person who is alleged to have committed rape of a minor girl. However, the facts and circumstances of this case are such that prima facie this court is satisfied that the petitioner may have been falsely implicated in the case”.

The Judge also observed: “In the petition, the details have been given about the rivalry of the petitioner with other police officials. The DNA report, prima facie, tends to show that the prosecution story may well be concocted. Apart from this, there is a delay of 26 days in lodging the FIR. There are different versions also with regard to the age of the prosecutrix”.

In his detailed order, the Judge added: “The petitioner has already been dismissed from service. He is in custody for over a year. Further proceedings in the trial court have been stayed in the transfer application pending in the court. The trial is likely to take a considerable period of time. There is hardly any chance of the petitioner interfering with the evidence or the prosecution witnesses”.

The Judge concluded: “Consequently, this petition for bail is allowed. The petitioner is directed to be released on bail to the satisfaction of Ludhiana CJM. The petitioner is directed not to leave the country without the prior permission of the court. He is directed to surrender to the trial court his passport or any other travel document that may be in his possession. The petitioner is also directed to surrender any fire arm, licensed or unlicensed, which may be in his possession. The petitioner is also directed not to go anywhere near the residence of prosecutrix or her family”.


 

SGPC to open schools
Tribune News Service

Sangrur, May 29
Mr Jagdev Singh Talwandi, President of the SGPC, yesterday said there was no alternative to Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal as he had done a lot for the SAD and Punjab.

Talking to The Tribune here, he said the opponents of Mr Badal, including Capt Amarinder Singh, President of the PPCC, could not compete with Mr Badal as they were “lazy” in nature.

Commenting on the allegations by Mr Gurcharan Singh Tohra that he (Mr Talwandi) was a “slave” of Mr Badal and had paid Rs 22 lakh from the SGPC funds to Mr Badal, Mr Talwandi said he was loyal to Mr Badal as he was the President of the SAD. As far as the question of paying Rs 22 lakh to Mr Badal was concerned, Mr Tohra should come out with solid proof in this regard before levelling such a charge, he said.

With regard to the ensuing SGPC elections, Mr Talwandi said he had asked Mr Badal to make arrangements for holding the SGPC elections before the Assembly elections.

Mr Talwandi said the SGPC was ready for the elections as and when the Gurdwara Election Commission asked it to pass a resolution for conducting the elections, it would so without any delay. He also said the SAD would allot tickets to the candidates for contesting the SGPC elections.

He said the SGPC would open public schools at villages from next month to provide religious and modern education. A foundation stone of a public school would be laid on June 2 at Barah village in Mansa district. Two public schools would be opened at Phaguwala and Dehla Seehan villages near Moonak in Sangrur district this year. He said the schools would be opened only where a gurdwara existed.

Mr Talwandi said the SGPC had not fixed a target for opening public schools. He said these schools, however, would be opened in unlimited numbers as per the demand of the areas concerned.



 

40-mark section ‘missing’ from question paper
Our Correspondent

Bathinda, May 29
Punjabi University, Patiala, is at it again. The question paper of bachelor of management and information technology, II given to examinees today, was allegedly not as per university guidelines.

Aggrieved students, while talking to this correspondent, pointed out that as per syllabus guidelines, which were also printed on the question paper, there should have been three sections, namely A, B and C. But in the question paper which was given to the students today, the entire section C of 40 marks was missing.

Thousands of students of Bathinda, Patiala and various other districts of the state appeared in the examination today.

University officials, deputed at various examination centres of the district pleaded ignorance of the rules relating to the “mistake”. One of the examination centre superintendents said their job was to ensure the proper conduct of examinations. Such mistakes, if any, needed to be dealt with at the university level, he said.

According to a survey conducted by this correspondent, during the current session the Punjabi University authorities failed to set the question papers of various classes as per rules on more than one occasion. These included the question papers of Punjabi and quantitative techniques for business (B.ComI), management accounting and business finance of B.com II and botany-A of B.Sc 1 (medical). The Botany-A question paper had to be cancelled.

Complaints about the question papers ranged from “out of syllabus”, “no clear instructions,” “ambiguous questions” to “different questions in the English and Punjabi versions. Many students unions, including the Law Students Association, demanded that the guilty should be punished.

Mr Vasudav Aggarwal, president, People’s Law Forum, said in a written statement issued here today that the guilty should be subjected to panel liability. “Such mistakes harm the students. The grace marks awarded by the university are no justification,” he said.

Mr S.K. Sharma, Joint Controller (examination), Punjabi University, Patiala, when contacted on phone said the course of action to be taken on the missing section C would be decided later.

Commenting on the question papers which were allegedly out of syllabus or not as per the guidelines of the university, Mr Sharma said there was a procedure to be followed in such cases. “The opinion of subject experts and the board of studies is taken and, if required, grace marks are awarded. If any serious lapse is found on the part of the question paper-setter, he or she is debarred from setting the paper, as per university rules,” he said.


 

Pay tax, HC tells amusement parks
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 29
All three Amusement Parks in Punjab will have to pay as much as Rs five crore as tax to the state government. This follows a landmark judgement by a Division Bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court here today upholding vires of Section 2 (d) of the Punjab Entertainments Duty (Second Amendment) Act, 1955, with retrospective effect from August 12, 1994.

These Amusement Parks include Hardy’s World at Ludhiana and Fun City near Ramgarh on the Chandigarh-Ramgarh road. Mr Justice G.S. Singhvi and Mr Justice Nirmal Singh dismissed the three writ petitions filed by the managements of these Amusement Parks, contesting amendment to the Punjab Entertainments Duty (Second Amendment) Act, 1955. This validation was done vide Validation Act No. 8 of 2000.

This said Act had been challenged by way of three separate writ petitions filed by M/s Sutlej Fund Resorts Limited and two others.

The petitioners argued that a decision was taken at a meeting presided over by the then Chief Secretary on August 2, 1994, that no entertainment tax would be levied on Amusement Parks for 10 years in the border areas and seven years in other areas.

The petitioners also argued that amendment in the Entertainment Act could not be made with retrospective effect. The state, however, defended the retrospective amendment maintaining that there could not be any estopple against statue and once law had been amended, the petitioners were liable to pay the tax and the recovery was ordered in a valid manner.

It was also submitted that the taxing statues could be amended retrospetively so long as the statue was not confiscatory in nature and not oppressive. The Bench after hearing the agreements dismissed all three petitions.

The petitioners would have to pay the duty retrospectively which works out to be nearly Rs 5 crore.



 

Removal of Mansa Cong chief sought
Our Correspondent

Mansa, May 29
Several senior Congress leaders and more than 2,000 party workers of the district today passed a resolution for the removal of Mr Ram Paul Dhaipi from the post of the district Congress president.

The meeting, organised at the local Gaushala Bhavan, was attended among others, by Mr Dalbir Singh Kaleke, organising secretary and member, Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC), Mr Sukhwinder Singh, member, PPCC Mr Parkash Chand Badal and Mr Lachman Singh Kulana, both vice-presidents of the District Congress Committee (DCC), Mr Radha Lal Mussa, general secretary, DCC, Ms Sunita Yadav, president, municipal council, Budhlada, and Mr Simranjit Singh Mansahia, president, District Youth Congress.

Various speakers alleged that Mr Ram Paul Dhaipi had failed to do any work for the party in the district. They said that as Mr Dhaipi had been living in Chandigarh since 1985, all party activities had come to a standstill in the district. The meeting passed a no-confidence resolution against Mr Dhaipi and urged the Congress high command to nominate a new district president.

Mr Vijay Singla, former president, District Bar Association produced photocopies of his affidavit alleging therin that Mr Dhaipi had taken Rs 6 lakh for getting some appointments done.

Mr Bhagirat Lal Danewalia, president Block Congress Committee, Mansa accused him of embezzling Rs 14,000 paid by him to Mr Dhaipi as membership fee.


 

Badal firm on party discipline
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 29
Reacting to the reported statement made by Punjab Public Health Minister, Raja Narinder Singh, against the Finance Minister, Capt Kanwaljit Singh, Punjab Chief Minister, Parkash Singh Badal, said today that no one would be allowed to break the party discipline.

He said that if any Minister or party functionary had any complaint or grievance, he should take it up the appropriate forum in the party or the government. But making statement against any colleague was a violation of the party discipline and it was not acceptable.



 

‘Harassed’ sevadar commits suicide
Our Correspondent

Abohar, May 29
Kuldip Kumar, a sevadar of the Kandhwala Cooperative Agricultural Service Society, committed suicide on Saturday night. The suicide has sparked off a controversy with the recovery of a “suicide note” from the deceased.

Mr Devi Lal, brother of the deceased who is posted with the accounts branch of the district police at Ferozepore, in a report lodged at Khuyiansarwer police station yesterday stated that he learnt about the death of his brother when he returned from Dera Beas. Kuldip was cremated on Sunday afternoon without any post-mortem examination.

Mr Devi Lal claimed to have found a packing of aluminum phosphide (Quickphos) when he searched his brother’s clothes after his death. This, he said, indicated that Kuldip had consumed poisonous tablets. A suicide note was also found during a search of Kuldip’s clothes.

According to a photostat copy of the suicide note, reportedly written by the deceased, Kuldip was upset due to the alleged misbehaviour of the secretary of the society.

The deceased had stated that the secretary had allegedly been demanding money from him while he disbursed salary and threatened him that he would be dismissed from service, if he did not fulfil the secretary’s wishes.

According to the note, the secretary had been allegedly harassing the sevadar for the past three years and there was no action even when the Inspector, Cooperative Societies, had been informed about this. Kuldip had expressed regrets in his “note” to his brother, Mr Devi Lal, for committing suicide, but he said he had no other option and wanted that the secretary should not be forgive.

Mr Devi Lal has demanded that a case should be registered on the basis of the “suicide note”. The police is investigating.



 

ABVP opposes talks with Pak

Amritsar, May 29
Taking a divergent view from that of its parent organisation the BJP, the ABVP yesterday asked the Vajpyee government to refrain from holding talks with Pakistan till cross border terrorism was fully stopped.

A resolution adopted at the ABVP’s national executive meeting here claimed that the invitation extended to General Pervez Musharraf would only energise the pro-Pakistani forces who were bent upon destabilising India.The invitation to the Pakistani ruler was not a decision of the patriotic masses of this country, the resolution said. The resolution while referring to the threats from pro-Islamic terrorist organisations demanded that the government should prepare a blue print for India’s internal security. In the past couple of years Islamic terrorist organisations based in different countries had stepped up their activities and this was a matter of concern , the resolution added.

The resolution further said that the ‘fatwa’ issued by the Taliban regime in Afghanistan ordering the Hindus to wear yellow clothes and the demolition of the Buddha statues were glaring examples of the challenges thrown by Islamic organisations against India.

Turning to Bangladesh and the killing of BSF jawans the resolution said that after the Kargil victory the national sentiments had been hurt due to the cold and formal diplomatic reaction of the Indian Government towards the brutal torture and killing of the jawans. The resolution demanded the strengthening of the Indo-Bangladesh border as Pakistan based terrorist organisations are using it for infiltrating into India.

The resolution also criticised the government’s decision to issue work permits to Bangladesh nationals who had been residing in India for the past couple of years.
 UNI


 

Gill: ceasefire decision to boost forces’ morale
Our Correspondent

Jalandhar, May 29
While hailing the recent decision of the Central Government to withdraw the unilateral ceasefire in Jammu and Kashmir, the former Director-General of Punjab police, Mr K.P.S. Gill, yesterday said the ceasefire would boost the morale of the security forces fighting terrorism in the state.

Mr Gill, while talking to mediapersons at the local PAP lines here yesterday, said though the decision of the withdrawal of the ceasefire was late, but it would certainly help the security forces in checking terrorism.

“The Central Government’s decision to announce the unilateral ceasefire in the valley has taken a toll of hundreds of our securitymen in the name of diplomacy to counter Pakistan propaganda against India. The Chief Executive Officer of Pakistan, Gen Pervez Musharraf, is seemingly under immense international pressure to respond positively to the offer for talks to solve all bilateral matters between the two countries,” Mr Gill quipped. The former DGP ruled out any possibility that terrorism could raise its head in Punjab if the blacklisted NRIs and former terrorists, who had fled the country under the threat of elimination during terrorism, would be allowed to visit their homeland.

“The people of the state have outrightly rejected the concept of terrorism which was evident from the fact that they have participated and voted for different political parties in the Assembly, parliamentary and panchayat elections held in the last decade. They will never support the cause of militants,” he added.

He criticised the state government for putting those police officers behind bars who had fought for guarding the people of the state during terrorism.



 

Two migrant labourers buried alive
Our Correspondent

Moga, May 29
Two labourers belonging to Madhya Pradesh, engaged in the digging of tubewells at villages under Baghapurana police station in the district, were buried alive in separate incidents, according to reports reaching here today. A labourer, identified as Lachhman, who was digging a tubewell at Bhekha village near here, was buried alive.

His body was later taken out of the well with the help of the police and was later sent for a post-mortem examination.

Another labourer, engaged in digging a tubewell at Rania village in the district, was also buried alive. His body was extricated from the well and was sent for a post-mortem examination.

Labourers working in the district have urged the government to give compensation to the families of the deceased.



 

3 kids drowned in Sirhind canal
Our Correspondent

Ropar, May 29
In an unfortunate incident three children were drowned in the Sirhind canal at about 4 p.m. here today. According to the sources available here, the deceased include Sanjeev Kumar Sharma (16), son of Mohal Lal, Deepak Kumar (16), son of Arjun Singh of Mata Rani Mohalla and Tarun Kumar (8), son of Sushil Kumar Sharma of Shaheda Mohalla.

The three had gone for a swim in the canal near the Radha Swami Satsang Bhavan area. Deepak Kumar had come to Ropar from Nahan to visit his relatives. While swimming in the canal the youngest of the three, Tarun Kumar, lost control and was carried away by the current of the water in the canal. The other two tried to save him but in the process were drowned.

The Deputy Commissioner, Ropar, Mr G.S. Grewal, told newspersons about 9000 cusecs water was being released in the canal due to which it was difficult to locate the bodies of the deceased children in the canal. However, at least eight divers have been pressed into service to try and find out the bodies.


 

Basic facilities lacking at railway station
Our Correspondent

Bathinda, May 29
The local railway station which is one of the largest railway junctions of the country lacks facilities which even some of the smaller railway stations boast of. Commuters have been complaining about the lack of facilities and harassment at the hands of the Railway authorities.

The booking counter displays the working hours from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. and from 2.15 p.m. to 8 p.m. However, the counter is closed at 2.00 p.m. and opened at 3 p.m.

According to information here today, not only the booking counters but also the inquiry window was left unattended this noon. The reservation forms were lying in the open with no one to guide them.

A person who had gone to the railway station for getting a ticket booked for Pune, alleged that he had to wait for three hours before he was told by the Railway officials that his seat could not be confirmed. Repeated inquiries to the Railway authorities yielded no results.

Not only this but the booking counter was also closed a number of times while the processing was going on.

Besides, various signboards displayed for the information of public had been causing discomfort to commuters. The commuters alleged that a number of signboards gave incorrect information due to which they had to face harassment.

A senior Railway official, on being contacted, said he was not aware if any passenger had faced harassement at the hands of the Railway employees. He however, assured that the irregularities committed by the employees would be inquired into.



 

Suicide case: officer’s arrest stayed
Our Correspondent

Ferozepore, May 29
The District and Sessions Judge, Mr M.M.S. Bedi, today granted interim stay on the arrest of Mr Rajdeep Singh Brar, Assistant Commissioner, till June 7 in connection with the Kartar Singh suicide case, in response to an anticipatory bail plea moved by Mr Brar.

Mr Bedi, however, instructed him to appear in person at police station city from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on May 30 and 31 for the investigation and to record his version.

The police authorities have been authorised to arrest him in case of non-cooperation in the interrogation process or in case of denial of any documented evidence.

Earlier, a case was registered against Mr Brar on the basis of a statement of the wife of Kartar Singh, who had allegedly committed suicide after killing his two daughters.

In a suicide note, Kartar Singh had alleged that Mr Brar was responsible for the suicide and had harassed him on one pretext or the other and delayed his salary, leading to a financial crunch in the family. Following this, employees went on a strike, demanding the arrest of Mr Brar.


 

CRPF constable cremated
Our Correspondent

Hoshiarpur, May 29
Jaspal Singh, CRPF Head Constable of the 81st Battalion, who sacrificed his life in Assam, was cremated with full state honours at his native village Nangal Thandal today.

He is survived by his father, mother, wife, a son and a daughter.

Mr Sohan Singh Thandal, Minister for Food and Supplies, Punjab, MR Dharam Pal Gupta, SDM, Garhshanker, Major Mohinderpal Singh Kakra, Deputy Director, Sainik Welfare Department, Mr Chet Singh Parmar, Vice-President, District Sainik Welfare Board and many CRPF officers placed wreaths on the body of the martyr and paid tributes to him.


 

CPI backs demands of polytechnics
Our Correspondent

Phagwara, May 29
The CPI, at a district-level rally held here last evening, adopted a resolution in support of the demands of state-aided polytechnics and asked the Punjab Government to withdraw its “anti-employee” and “anti-technical education” decision to phase out the grant-in-aid to government-aided polytechnics.

Stating this here today, Mr Pritam Singh Azad, a senior CPI leader, said the rally demanded regular payment of salaries to the staff of government-aided institutes. District CPI secretary Niranjan Singh Ucha raised the issue of telecom “irregularities” in rural areas.

The Punjab CPI secretary, Dr Joginder Dayal, gave a call to all politidal parties and the public to unite against the WTO. He accused Mr Parkash Singh Badal of starting an electoral “malpractice” in the form of pre-poll sops doled out at “sangat darshan” programmes.




 

SGPC gen secy bereaved
Our Correspondent

Amritsar, May 29
Wg Cdr Kamaljit Singh (retd), son-in-law of Akali leader, late Master Tara Singh died yesterday after a brief illness.

He was the father of the general secretary of the SGPC, Mrs Kiranjot Kaur.

He was 71. He breathed his last at Ludhiana.



 

Booked for smuggling drugs into jail
Tribune News Service

Bathinda, May 29
The district police today acquired production warrants of two inmates of the local Central Jail namely Gurcharan Singh and Gurlabh Singh, who were booked under the NDPS Act along with Jaswinder Kaur in a case of smuggling of intoxicants into the jail.

Sources said a police party reached the Central Jail on the complaint of the jail authorities and recorded statements of the members of the staff in the case.

Jaswinder Kaur, wife of Gurcharan Singh, yesterday came to meet her husband in the jail. She requested to meet Gurlabh Singh, a lifer and associate of her husband. She handed over a packet of tablets and capsules wrapped in clothes to her husband, who gave it to Gurlabh Singh.

Brisking of Gurlabh Singh and Gurcharan Singh, who had been under going 10 years’ rigorous imprisonment for smuggling of narcotics revealed that Gurlabh Singh was carrying drugs.

Mr Iqbal Singh Brar, Assistant Superintendent of Jail, when contacted, said a complaint was lodged with the police and Jaswinder Kaur was taken into custody. 


 

Woman forced to commit suicide
Tribune News Service

Bathinda, May 29
Sarbjit Kaur, of Gheributter village in the district was allegedly forced to commit suicide today.

Police sources said Sarbjit Kaur, who was mother of two children, allegedly consumed poison to end her life. She was forced to take this extreme step by a close kin. A case in this connection has been registered under Section 306 of the IPC at the Sangat police station. The viscera of the deceased has been sent to a laboratory for chemical examination.



 

Institute gets nod to make admissions
Our Correspondent

Amritsar, May 29
The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has accorded sanction to the Sri Guru Ram Das Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, Amritsar, to admit the fifth batch of 50 students during 2001-2002.

The Medical Council of India, after inspecting the institute on March 16 and 17, found that all conditions and requirements laid down for 50 MBBS admissions were met by it. The council recommended that the Government of India grant permission to the institute to admit the batch.

Meanwhile, Dr U.S. Dhaliwal, Director and Principal of the institute, said the institute had been declared a Sikh minority community institution under the Constitution. Therefore 50 per cent of the MBBS seats would be filled through its own competitive test of the same standard as the PMET of the Punjab Government.

Along with three papers on medical subjects, the test will include a paper on fundamentals of Sikh religion. Rest of the seats will be filled by the Baba Farid University of Health Sciences through the PMET.


 

Baba Farid varsity PMET on July 7
Our Correspondent

Faridkot, May 29
The Baba Farid University of Health Sciences here will conduct Punjab Medical Entrance Test (PMET) on July 7 in the state for those aspiring to get admission in various medical courses like MBBS, BDS, BAMS, B.Sc Nursing, Physiotherapy and other courses in government and private medical institutions affiliated to the university.

In a press note issued here today, Dr P.S. Sandhu, Registrar of the university, said five centres at Amritsar, Faridkot, Jalandhar, Ludhiana and Patiala were likely to be set up to complete the process. The date and place regarding the availability of prospectus and admission forms would be announced shortly.


 

BA, BSc I results of GND varsity today
Our Correspondent

Amritsar, May 29
The results of B.A. and B.Sc. part I examinations conducted by Guru Nanak Dev University in April/May this year will be declared on May 30. These results can also be accessed from the new official website (www.gnduadmin.com) of the university.

Disclosing this, Dr R.S. Bawa said the copies of the result gazettes would be supplied to the registered book-sellers after 5 p.m. the same day. He said at least 40,000 candidates appeared in these examinations. The result was being declared and published in record time. The result ran into 800 pages.


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