HOSHIARPUR
ARRESTED: The district police has arrested five members of an inter-state gang of dacoits. Mr Gurpreet Deo, SSP, said on Sunday that the police raided Kurala village on Saturday and arrested five dacoits. One .303 pistol, one air pistol, one spear and three large sized knives were recovered from them. They had been identified as Jarnail Singh, alias Jail of Pandori Bibi village, Major Singh son of Dharamiwal, Jalandhar, Jaspreet Singh, alias Bai Moga, Sushil Kumar Sharma of Modot in Una district (Himachal Pradesh) and Raju Jha of Bindupur (Bihar). A case under the Arms Act has been registered against them.

JALANDHAR
DIRECTORY: The Lok Bhalai Party, headed by former Union Minister Balwant Singh Ramoowalia, has decided to publish a directory to provide details about its panches and sarpanches who have won the recent panchayat elections. Mr Ramoowalia claimed that as many as 852 of its party workers were elected as panches while 59 of its office-bearers were elected as Sarpanches in Punjab.

KAPURTHALA
POPPY HUSK SEIZED: The Kapurthala police has arrested two persons on the charge of possessing three quintals of poppy husk. Dr R.N. Dhoke SSP, has identified them as Paramjit Singh of Saincha village in Sultanpur Lodhi and Harkirat Singh of Sant Pura Mohalla.

NAWANSHAHR
RESENTMENT: The Berojgar Elementary Teachers’ Union, Punjab, at its meeting held here on Sunday at Gurdwara Singh Sabha flayed the state government’s proposed move to recruit teachers on contract basis through village panchayats. The union threatened to launch an agitation against it.

CAMP: The local ITI in collaboration with the Blood Donors Council organised a blood donation camp on its premises on Sunday. Mr R.S. Grover, AGM, State Bank of Patiala, inaugurated the camp. At least 55 students donated the blood on the occasion.

PATHANKOT
TRANSFER RESENTED: The women teachers serving in the government schools of Nurpur, Jassur and Indora town of Himachal Pradesh have urged to the government not to transfer them to far off places from their present posting. Mrs Rita Raina, a spokesperson of the Widow Women Teachers, said widow teachers face difficulties in upbringing their children in the absence of a male member and if the government transfers them to far off stations their family would definitely get disturbed.

PATIALA
NTAS FUNCTION: ‘Punjabi hass raag rang’, a monthly programme of Punjabi humour, music, dance and drama, organised by the National Theatre Arts Society (NTAS), drew an enthusiastic crowd at the Baradari gardens on Sunday morning despite an uncertain weather. Patiala Social Welfare Society founder president Vijay Kumar Goel presented gifts to artists while Master Tarlochan Singh Jeet, a social worker and general secretary of the Guru Arjan Kirtan Mandal, honoured Mrs Sunita Sabharwal, convenor, Children Theatre Wing, NTAS. He also presented mementos to Nimmi, Kunal Loomba and Jagdish Kumar. NTAS Director Pran Sabharwal said the group had completed the first phase of its one-month 13th annual theatre workshops.

PHAGWARA
LOOTED: Baljinder Singh, an employee of Astha Enterprises Company of Rajinder Nagar, New Delhi, working in courier company was drugged and robbed by a taxi driver somewhere between Ludhiana and Phagwara and was thrown on the Mehli-Mehtan Phagwara bypass near Khangura village.

PHILLAUR
THREE HELD: The Bilga police has arrested three members of a gang and recovered seven cows which were being sent to Uttar Pradesh for slaughtering near Mahaimpur village on Saturday. Those arrested have been identified as Munna of Mujjaffarnagar, Nabab and Sodhi Ram of Mehaimpur village.

OFFICE-BEARERS: The following have been elected office-bearers of the Chandigarh Other Backward Class Forum: president — Prof Brahm Prakash Yadav; vice-president — Dr Safri Lal; general secretary — Mr Sukhvir Yadav; secretary — Mr Hira Lal; and treasurer — Dr R.C. Rai. At a meeting of the forum held on Sunday, it was decided that a delegation will meet the UT Administrator and the Advisor to request them to implement the recommendation of the union government regarding the inclusion of Yadav and Ahir communities in the OBC category.

AMBALA
SBI FUNCTION: The State Bank of India, Ambala City, organised a tree-plantation function in the bank premises here on Sunday, Mr Mirnal Shankar, Deputy General Manager, zonal office, Haryana, was the chief guest on this occasion. The Chief Manager of the branch, Mr J.S. Dhiman, and other senior officials of the bank were also present.

BLOCKADE: Residents of the Dheha colony, Ambala City, organised a blockade on the GT Road, near motor market in Ambala City, here on Sunday. According to information, the residents were protesting against the Rajpura police, which had arrested six persons from the area in connection with a case. The residents were alleging that one of the arrested persons had died in the police custody. However, the Rajpura police has not confirmed this. Senior police officials, including the DSP, (headquarter) Mr Raj Gopal, rushed to the spot. The police managed to lift the blockade after about an hour.

FATEHABAD
ATTENDED: The Deputy Commissioner, Dr R.B. Langyan on Saturday headed a meeting to control the TB under the National Programme, TB control, at the local General Hospital. Dr O.P. Phogat, Civil Surgeon, Fatehabad, Dr N.K. Goyal, District TB Officer and many others attended the meeting. The DC said that TB control unit had been set up at Tohana and Fatehabad in the district. Dr Langyan instructed all chemists to sell medicines on the prescriptions issued by medical practioners only. He warned that the administration would deal sternly with those found selling medicines without valid prescription.

YAMUNANAGAR
SHOP GUTTED: A photostat shop at Jagadhri was gutted on Saturday. The proprietor opened the shop at 8 am on Saturday and left for his house. In his absence the fire broke out. The goods inside the shop were reduced to ashes.

JAWALI
DOWRY CASE: The local police on Saturday arrested Jeet Singh of Buskara village in connection with the suicide of his wife Babli Devi (25). A case has been registered against the in laws of Babli Devi, who allegedly committed suicide by consuming some poisonous substance. Her father, Pyara Lal of Harnota village had been harassing her for bringing insufficient dowry.