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January 19, 2003, Chandigarh, India |
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Firing at wedding claims life Ahmedgarh, January 18 The deceased was a branch postmaster. The injured included two teachers of Government Senior Secondary School, Barundi. The police has initiated investigations but is yet to register a case against the accused person, who has absconded. According to information a marriage party from Jogi Majra village had arrived at Mehtab Palace, Ghungrana, for the wedding of Mr Sikander Singh, an NRI from the USA, to Ms Gurpreet Kaur, daughter of Mr Harjit Singh, a science teacher at Government Senior Secondary School, Barundi. At around 3.30 p.m., after ‘anand karj’
someone from the marriage party reportedly fired in the air from a double-barrelled gun, which injured at least four. The injured were taken to the local Civil Hospital where Mohinder Singh, a branch postmaster, was declared brought dead. Mr Anand Sagar, a senior lecturer at Barundi school, was referred to a private hospital at Ludhiana. He has received multiple injuries on the arms and the shoulder. Mr Amarjit Singh, who also suffered bullet injuries, was admitted to the Civil Hospital here. Ms Kavita Rani, a resident of Ludhiana and a Hindi teacher at Barundi school, was taken to a Ludhiana hospital. Four other persons, including three women, were also sent to the Ludhiana hospital. Police officials from Dehlon could get nothing from those present on the occasion. A video movie made on the occasion may help the police to establish the identity of the accused. |
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Extreme
Left backs J&K ultras Ludhiana, January 18 The two leftists groups recently held a meeting at an undisclosed place and decided to merge. Besides spitting venom at the US-driven agenda on international relations and economy, the MCCI declared its support for the “people’s war” being fought by the people of Nepal. Policy statement released at the meeting, copies of which were distributed among mediapersons here, observed, “in Kashmir and in parts of the country, the nationality movements are advancing along the path of armed struggle”. The resolution tried to link the extremist left movements and the secessionist movements together, saying “the right to self-determination of these nationalities and their genuine liberation is tightly interwoven with the advancement of the new democratic resolution in the whole of the Indian landscape, including these nationalities”. Calling for unity among these groups, the resolution further said, “In this overall contest, the biggest and pressing need of the time is unity among all genuine Maoist forces operating in India”. The MCCI extended support to the extremist movement in Nepal, saying, “the protracted people’s war of the Nepali people, led by the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist), is advancing towards its highest stage, despite the intense repression by the armed forces of the Nepali ruling classes, backed by Indian expansionists and imperialists, particularly American imperialists”. Seeking to revive the Naxalbari movement, it concluded: “All factors taken together speak themselves that in the whole of South Asia, particularly Nepal and India, the storm centre of world revolutions can be seen as shinning with the red flames of rising new waves of the Naxalbari Movement. No doubt, the road of the revolution is tortuous, full of problems and dangers, but its future is increasingly bright”. The policy statement condemned the USA for its aggressive approach on the issue of terrorism. It alleged: “The US imperialists have declared an aggressive war against the world people in the deceptive name of ‘War against Terrorism...in the disguise of 11th Sept 2001 events, but the real purpose is to establish their undisputed rule as a superpower over the world people”. |
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SEXUAL HARASSMENT Ludhiana, January 18 A three-member team of the IHRO, led by its chairperson D.S. Gill, yesterday, visited the college and met with the girl students out of whom only two came forward to disclose what had happened with them at the hands of their teachers. “These two cases are not the only isolated cases. Sexual harassment is rampant in this institution, as many girl students who appeared before the four- member complaint committee, constituted by the DPI college, had complained of harassment at the hands of teachers on the condition of anonymity,” said Mr Gill, adding that even the Principal was allegedly lending her support to the accused teachers and discouraging the girls who had taken cudgels against the menace. “It is intriguing why two other teachers — Jagroop Singh and his wife Prabhsharan Kaur — have been transferred, while penalising the accused teachers by the authorities concerned.” On inquiry, it was revealed that the couple had sympathy with the victims and they were targeted at the instance of the Principal because of professional jealousy with them, said the IHRO secretary Public Relations, Ms Inderjeet Kaur, who accompanied Mr Gill along with advocate Harchand Singh Gill, in a statement to the press released here today. The IHRO will take up the cases with the Punjab Chief Minister, Capt Amarinder Singh, and Punjabi University VC, Mr S.S. Boparai, for punishing the guilty and solving the problem of having discretionary powers to grant 50 per cent marks by the teachers that had become the source of exploitation of students by them, added the statement. |
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Cigarette
stubs lead to burglars Ludhiana, January 18 In a rare case of scientific investigation carried out jointly by Sudhar police station officials and Air Force officers, the burglars were caught within 48 hours of committing the crime. The cigarette stubs were of a particular brand used by a few labourers in the area. The police followed the clues given by some cigarette sellers and caught two members of the alleged gang. The two gang members have been identified as Sonu Kumar of Saharanpur (Uttar Pradesh) and Viking, alias Raju from Hyderabad. Gold jewellery, ornaments and other valuables estimated at Rs 1.5 lakh have been recovered from the accused. Mr M.S. Chhina, SSP, Jagraon, told TNS here this evening that SI Dharampal, who is SHO, Sudhar police station along with Ft-Lieut Surinder Sagwan and Mr G.S. Riar, Chief Security Officer of the Halwara Air Force Station, headed the team that cracked the case using scientific investigation and not the ‘usual’ police methods. On January 16, a burglary took place in the house of Ft-Lieut S.R. Chowdhry, when he and his family were out of station. The burglary caused a sensation in the area as it was committed in the high security area. Mr Chhina said then police found cigarette stubs at the crime site and enquired from shopkeepers about persons using the brand. There were not many persons using the brand in the area. A police team raided a colony of labourers this morning. The two alleged gang members tried to flee but were caught after a chase. They have confessed to the crime. The police said it was interrogating the accused to verify the identity of other gang members. |
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Cops interact with community leaders Ludhiana, January 18 The SSP, welcoming the leaders of political parties, said public representatives would be given due respect by the police and grievances of the public redressed at the earliest. He said he would organise another meeting where councillors of the corporation and other leading citizens would be invited. The public representatives appreciated the initiative of the district police and maintained that such an interaction was important for a close relationship between the police and the public. They argued that without the cooperation of the public, corruption could not be eliminated and the genuine complaints of the people would not be redressed. They offered full cooperation to the police. The police representatives who attended the dinner meeting included Mr Gurcharan Singh Galib, MP, Mr Malkiat Singh Birmi, Mr Malkiat Singh Dakha, Mr Surinder Dawar MLAs and Mr Rakesh Pandey, Minister of State for Stationery and Printing, Mr K.K. Bawa, Mr Gurdev Singh Lapran, DCC chiefs, Mr Mahesh Inder Singh Grewal former Minister, Mr Hira Singh Gabria, former MLA, Mr Satpaul Gosain, former Deputy Speaker, Vidhan Sabha, Mr H.L. Sethi, district president, BJP, Mr Charanjit Singh Atwal, former Speaker Vidhan Sabha, Mr Inder Iqbal Singh, MLA, and Mr Amrik Singh Aliwal former MP. Besides the SSP, all SPs and DSPs of the Ludhiana district police and Mr Rahul Bhandari, Additional Deputy Commissioner, attended the meeting. It may be mentioned here that local Congress MLAs and some congress leaders had complained to Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on the lack of rapport between the district administration and public representatives. |
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Traders
form panel to fight cause Ludhiana, January 18 Headed by the Clock Tower Association president Mr Gurinder Sood, the other members of the committee are Mr Satnam Singh, Mr Vinod Chopra, Mr Uttam Singh, Mr Mohinder Fauji, Mr Raju Golla, Mr Raj Kumar, Mr Ashok Kumar, Mr Amrit Pal Singh, Mr Lalit Kumar Babba, Mr Lovely, Mr Harmit Singh, Mr Charanjit Singh, Mr Inderjit Singh Pammi and Mr Vinod Kumar. Giving this information, Mr Sood said the action committee would meet the Deputy Commissioner, the Municipal Commissioner and the SSP to seek the withdrawal of restrictions on the Sunday Bazar. He maintained that the Bazar had been an integral part of the commercial activity of the market for the past more than five decades and goods of all kinds worth crores were being sold every Sunday to people, mostly from the lower income groups and all others who could shop only on Sundays. He said the decision to impose curbs on the Sunday Bazar had adversely affected more than 1,000 small time vendors and other traders since they were mainly dependent on the weekly bazar for livelihood. Not only the traders, but even the customers, who normally thronged the Sunday Bazar, would also be affected since the kind of merchandise and the price structure available here, would be difficult to get elsewhere. Mr Sood has urged the district administration and the police to reconsider its decision and allow the Sunday Bazar to continue in the larger interests of the trading community and the people and to
avoid a direct confrontation with the affected traders. |
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Raid on chemist
shops Machhiwara, January 18 Mr Garg, who was accompanied by a medical officer Dr S.K. Sinha, talking to Ludhiana Tribune, said chemist shops found closed during the raid would be issued show-cause notices. The samples of medicines collected would be sent to the laboratory and after that legal action initiated. Though Mr Garg refuted allegations levelled against the Health Department for not taking action against the alleged sale of drugs, but it is talk of the town that medical stores selling prohibited drugs in wholesale have not been raided. Mr Garg said there were nine drug inspectors against 17 posts throughout the state. |
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Rs 400 cr for uplift of poor Ludhiana, January 18 This was stated by Mr Santokh Singh, Social Security and Welfare Minister, Punjab, in an informal conversation with mediapersons at Circuit House here today. The minister said the prevailing complex system for the implementation of welfare schemes led to non utilisation of funds on time and the entire system was being revamped and the procedure would be simplified so that the earmarked funds could be utilised for the welfare of the poor people. Referring to a question regarding the scrapping of the Shagun scheme launched by the previous SAD-BJP government for marriages of girls of Scheduled Caste families, the minister said it was not in the benefit of the public. Rather, it tantamount to insulting them as they were to made to repeatedly visit offices like beggars for getting the ‘Shagun amount. Till date, a large number of applications were lying pending in all districts. He said in place of the Shagun scheme, the state government had implemented Kanya Jagriti Jyoti Scheme under which a girl child would be insured for Rs 5000 at the time of birth. He said during this year, an amount of Rs 4 crore had been released and in the next financial year sufficient funds would be sanctioned for the purpose. Describing the old-age pension scheme of the SAD –BJP government as a political stunt he said out of sanctioned five lakh pension cases, 1.08 lakh pensions were found bogus and their names deleted from the list, thus saving an amount of Rs 52 crores. He said all genuine persons would be given pension and funds amounting to Rs 62 crores had been released to ensure early delivery of pension to each beneficiary. He said the criteria for sanctioning pensions had been changed on the Haryana pattern. The minister called upon the people not to be misled by the false ‘propaganda’ of the Opposition which were trying to ‘exploit’ their sentiments by spreading wrong information. |
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Jagraon
SP initiates probe Ludhiana, January 18 The inquiry was ordered in this case by the Punjab State Human Rights Commission (PSHRC) on a complaint by nurses of the hospital, who were witnesses to the incident. Already several cases on police torture and illegal confinement are on the Punjab and Haryana High Court. The DMC employees and the local police had clashed on July 13 over the issue of strike by the former. This was followed by a crackdown on DMC employees by the district police, which continued for a couple of weeks. The case pertains to the detention of Sukhwant Singh, a DMC employee, by a team of cops headed by a DSP. He was taken away from outside Chattar Singh Park on July 29, where the employees had gathered for a meeting to mourn the death of another employee, Sat Pal, who had died due to injuries suffered in the clash. Mr Dhanoa recorded statements of at least five nurses today. Talking to TNS at the hospital, he said the nurses had complained to the PSHRC which had directed the ADGP (Crime) to depute a SP-ranked officer of some other police district to conduct the probe. Mr Dhanoa said he would quiz police officers and file a report. The Commission would recommend action, if any, against any police official. Ms Amandeep Jakhar, spokesperson for the nurses, said the case of Sukhwant Singh was a reflection on “unprovoked beating, illegal confinement and torture of hundreds of DMC employees, who were on strike against the DMC employees. |
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Road to Halwara full of potholes Raikot (Ludhiana), January 18 A particular case is that of the Mullanpur-Raikot road which leads to the strategically important Air Force Station,
Halwara. Several SoS calls from the Halwara Air Force Station authorities to the state government through the district administrations have gone
abegging, what to talk of the pleas of several residents and organisations of villages and towns using this road everyday to reach their respective destinations. Despite repeated requests, the road has not been repaired by the PWD. The Halwara Air Force Station authorities on condition of anonymity said they were fed up with the system. They have held various meetings with the administrative authorities on the issue in the past and had also written to the DC a number of times. But nothing has changed. The road has never been repaired and its condition has only worsened. The authorities said whenever they wrote to the district head they were told the road was not being repaired due to the shortage of funds. However, whenever the funds were released the road would be repaired. They further said that they were now contemplating in terms of writing to the Ministry of Defence for the repair of the road. The lesser said the better about the woes of the residents of the area who have to use this road to reach their destinations. All their pleas have also fallen on deaf ears. Mr S.C. Sharma, a resident of
Raikot, said the condition of the road was really pitiable. He pointed out that it has been not repaired for the past two years and the heavy vehicular traffic has only worsened its condition. It was a nightmare for the commuters to drive on this road. He added that the situation became worse during the rainy season, when the potholes get filled with water giving rise to slush-like conditions. Commuters often get stranded on the road. The residents of the area said the potholes on the road have made the road bumpy, as a result of which many people had developed back problems. Some of them were even bed-ridden for a few days. Mr Gurnam Singh Azad, Executive Engineer, Public Works Department (B and R) attributed the delay in repair to the paucity of funds. He said the PWD authorities had written to the state government to release funds for repair of the road and the government had released a sum of Rs 2 lakh for the same, which was much less that what was exactly required. He added Rs 12 lakh was required for the repair of the road and another Rs 20 to 25 lakh would be required for recarpeting. Mr Azad pointed out that around 7 km stretch of the road needed to be repaired near Mullanpur and around 5-6 km stretch needed to be repaired near
Raikot. |
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Minister
felicitates Commissioner Ludhiana, January 18 The minister focussed on various development works in the city, aimed at infrastructural development as well as extension of basic civic amenities like water supply and sewerage. He said the most perceptible change in the MC administration was transparent governance and a responsive redressal system. Mr Sharma was presented with the ‘Pride of Ludhiana Award by the minister on behalf of the society at the function. Speaking on the occasion, the MC Commissioner reiterated the commitment to further step up the pace of development and undertake need-based development projects in each ward of the city so that the entire city population could enjoy the fruit of development without discrimination. Mr Pradeep Dhall, convener of the society, lauded the development works being carried out by the civic administration. He said the MC had done a great service by undertaking the project of ‘water supply for all’ by March, 2003. A colourful variety programme was presented on the occasion. Prominent among those present at the function were Mr Surjit Singh Ahluwalia, councillor, Mr Satwinder Singh Jawaddi, Councillor, Mr Mohan Lal Gupta, Mr Reetinder Singh, Mr Satish Gupta, Mr Rajat Sood, Mr Surjit Sood, Mr Ashok Gupta, Mr Manjit Singh Jawaddi, Maj O.D. Joshi and Mr Ram Krishan
Saluja. |
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‘Kaurav Sabha’
— a pun on judicial system Ludhiana, January 18 The novel turns out to be the protagonists cry in wilderness. The legal system is like a dead horse, no amount of flogging can make it deviate from its stand. It is like getting a thrill out of the sufferings of the victims. In the end, the protagonist manages to escape through the chinks in the armour of the legal system. ‘Kaurav Sabha’ is multi-dimensional as it depicts various aspects of the society in the background of a court case. The plot is complex and at times mind-boggling. It alternates between the plight of the aggrieved party and the nefarious designs of the conspirators. The reader is all the time sympathetic towards the distressed family but craves for natural justice. There is no room for catharsis of any sort as the novel depicts man’s inhumanity to man. The sufferers ultimately become the objects of ridicule when the perpetrators of the crime have the last laugh. The novel brings out that the sufferings are endless and the memories of the good old days ultimately recede into the horizon of oblivion. In the process of depicting human plight of such dimensions, the novelist has laid bare the contours of the ugly aspects of the so-called police investigation. This investigation is nothing but a sham process of hoodwinking the innocent people who suffer. The gainers are the criminals who part with hefty amounts, in the form of fees, from the top to bottom. The judicial system is flawed in many ways but more so when the moth-eaten laws are not even used judiciously.
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Cold wave on the wane Ludhiana, January 18 Compared with the chill that continued for more than a week, the night on Friday was less colder. Though fog was yet to die down and visibility limited to a few yards. during the night, bright sunshine in the afternoon enabled people to go about their daily business. Experts say that the weather had improved because of the absence of chilly winds for the past couple of days, which had been sweeping the city from the west and the north. The end of the cold wave is in sight, they say, expressing optimism that the sun would shine longer with each passing day. But fog still continues to affect the rail traffic since major trains have been running late by several hours for the past 15 days. Passenger trains on the Ludhiana-Jakhal section are the worst affected. Similar is the condition of trains running on the Ludhiana-Ferozepur section. |
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Death anniversary Ludhiana, January 18
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Thefts leave villagers shaken Sahnewal, January 18 It was on the intervening night of January 16-17, that miscreants stole cash from the safe of the gurdwara at Pawa. They first broke into the darbar hall, brought the safe outside and took away the money by breaking the lock. They also took away two kirpans along as reported by Baba Sukhdev Singh, granthi of the gurudwara. A similar incident took place on January 15 when robbers entered the darbar of a gurudwara at Khakat and took away the safe. They opened it in front of a dispensary adjoining the gurdwara. According to the granthi, both safes contained money offered by the ‘sangat’. The Sahnewal police has registered a case under sections 457 and 380, IPC. Mr Surjit Singh, SHO, In charge Sahnewal police station said, “We have rounded up some people in this context. Investigation is on and soon we shall be identifying persons responsible for these thefts.” Meanwhile, the villagers are in a state of panic and the fear of the robbers’ attack seems to haunt them day and night.
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2 labourers found dead Ludhiana, January 18 The neighbours, however, alleged that they were found dead in the bathroom.
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CAs dwell on emerging trends Ludhiana, January 18 The conference was inaugurated by Mr N.D. Gupta, former president of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India. Mr U.S. Bhargava, General Manager, Punjab National Bank, was the guest of honour. Various technical issues like VAT, new opportunities in insurance and information technology for chartered accountants, emerging trends in corporate reporting, recent judicial pronouncements on income tax, need to revisit Schedule-VI of the companies Act, 1956, etc. were discussed. Mr Manoj Fadnis (Central Council Member of ICAI) told the members that they had to be careful and methodical in drafting the corporate reporting in the changed economic scenario. Mr Sunil Talati (Central Council Member of ICAI) talked about the various important judgments delivered by different High Courts and Supreme Court relating to taxation matters and about the impact of these judgements for the professionals and assessee. The session was chaired by Mr K.K. Kapila, Director General of Income Tax (Investigation-North West Region). Mr K.K. Kapila stressed the importance of harmonious relations between the department and professionals. The session on VAT was addressed by an eminent advocate from Chennai, Mr Vaithvee Swaran, who talked about the interaction of VAT from a practical point of view. Mr Amarjeet Chopra (Central Council Member of ICAI) talked at length about the importance of Schedule-VI of the companies Act, 1956. Mr S.L. Daga (Central Council Member of ICAI) made the members aware of the various emerging opportunities in different sectors like insurance and information technology. He further stressed that the member would have to work hard and with complete dedication to make the best out of the opportunities. |
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