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Manpreet Badal, SAD men stage dharna
Demand withdrawal of cases against activists
Gidderbaha, February 18
In an unprecedented move, which could have far-reaching political implications, thousands of workers of the SAD and BJP led by Mr Zora Singh Mann, MP, and Mr Manpreet Singh Badal, MLA, staged a dharna in front of the office of the SDM for “implicating” Mr Gurpal Singh Gora, member, SGPC, and others in a false criminal case “under pressure from a section of Congress leaders”.

Amarinder pulls strings to head CLP
Chandigarh, February 18
Six days ahead of the Assembly poll results due to be declared on February 24, the President of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee, Capt Amarinder Singh, has started an exercise to ensure his election as the head of the Congress Legislature Party.

• Overseas Congress invites Amarinder

Exit poll sends SAD, BJP men into flurry
Amritsar, February 18
The setback predicted for the SAD-BJP combine in the exit poll for the Vidhan Sabha elections has sent the workers of both parties into a flurry.

SGPC education board on anvil
Phagwara, February 18
The SGPC chief, Prof Kirpal Singh Badungar, has said the Sikh Education Board will be constituted in a couple of days for streamlining educational institutions being run by the SGPC.

A group of girls prepares for action on Basant panchmi ( February 17) at the SSD Girls College to celebrate the festival of kites, at Bathinda. — Tribune photo Kulbir Beera

Defence panel visits border areas
Fazilka, February 18
Members of the Parliamentary Defence Committee, including its chairman, Mr Madan Lal Khurana, and Mr Mahesh Sharma, Mr Raghubir Kaushal, Mr Jaswant Yadav and Mr Nihal Chand Meghwal, all MPs, accompanied by senior civil and Army officers, visited border villages in the Fazilka sector where landmines were laid after the December 13 attack on Parliament and he subsequent rise in tension on the Indo-Pak border.

Two in race for VC’s post
Patiala, February 18
The three-yearly drama has already started in Punjabi University with knives being drawn out against present Vice-Chancellor and Shiromani Akali Dal nominee, Dr Jasbir Singh Ahluwalia, and intense lobbying starting among academicians aligned with the Congress to get nominated to the top post.

Minister’s son booked
Patiala, February 18
An FIR against Sanjay Tandon, son of Local Bodies Minister Balramji Dass Tandon and Akali-BJP combine candidate from the Samana constituency, as the main accused along with a few others was registered at the Rajpura city police station here on Saturday.

Kidnapped girl’s parents sore with cops Bathinda, February 18 Mr Hari Nath and his wife Perm Bai, labourers living in a slum locality of this town, have been running from pillar to post in search of their four-year-old daughter Rajni, for the past many months who was allegedly kidnapped. The parents of Rajni show the girl’s photograph to mediapersons at Bathinda on Monday. — Tribune photo

Contract labourers fear retrenchment
Ropar, February 18
Apprehending retrenchment, contract labourers of Guru Gobind Singh Super Thermal Plant have threatened agitation. Panic among the nearly 1,500 contract labourers has been triggered by a circular of the PSEB in which the thermal plant authorities have been directed to reduce expenditure by 10 per cent.

POLITICS

DCC expels office-bearers for 6 years
Bathinda, February 18
A number of office-bearers of the District Congress Committee including four general secretaries, have been expelled from the party for six years as they had worked against the official party candidate from here, Mr Surinder Singla.

Mann opposes voting right to Sehajdharis
Phagwara, February 18
Akali Dal (Amritsar) President and senior Panthic Morcha leader Simranjit Singh Mann today opposed voting right to Sehajdhari Sikhs in the SGPC poll, saying that this would dilute the Sikh cause.

COMMUNITY

Residents thirst for water
Jalandhar, February 18
The acute shortage of drinking water in Garha and adjoining localities here has thrown the life of more than 3,000 residents out of gear for the past one and a half months.

‘Indians unaware of culture’
Amritsar, February 18
“Our countrymen remain largely unaware of the value of our rich culture and traditions, including folk dances, whereas foreigners take a deep interest in knowing, following, appreciating, imitating and learning the originality of the dances,” remarked an outstanding “serikella chhau” (Oriya) dancer Shashadhar Acharya who was here to conduct a theatre workshop organised by the Sangeet Natak Academy in collaboration with Guru Nanak Dev University.

SGPC suspends holy visits to Pak
Phagwara, February 18
The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbhandak Committee will not conduct pilgrimage to Pakistan, because of tension along the Indo-Pakistan border, SGPC president Kirpal Singh Badungar said today.

Doctors threaten indefinite strike
Moga, February 18
Doctors in the state have threatened to go on an indefinite strike if the government failed to take necessary action against the anti-social elements who reportedly entered the doctors’ room carrying arms and obstructed them from performing duties at the instance of a candidate of a political party from Dharamkot constituency a few days ago.

• Frequent power cuts irk residents

• 2 cable office staffers beaten up

4 die as school bus hits scooter
Jalandhar, February 18
Four youngsters, including a school girl, were crushed to death, and at least six students were injured when a school bus hit a scooter and overturned on the outskirts of Balachaur township in Nawanshahr district this afternoon.

Villager’s death case takes new turn
Gurdaspur, February 18
The case of the death of Bheema, a resident of Chaunta village under Dinanagar police station, allegedly due to police torture here on February 3, took a new turn when the police registered a case against relatives of the deceased and others on a complaint lodged by Anju Bala of the village.

• Couple commit suicide

• Miscreants attack house: 4 injured

• Bank looted

Punjabi varsity to  host youth fest
Patiala, February 18
Punjabi University will host the Inter-zonal Youth Festival, to be held from February 20 to 22. More than 600 artists from four zones are expected to participate in this three-day festival.