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| Thursday,
September 4, 2003, Chandigarh, India
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SGPC confirms appointment of Calcutta Amritsar, September 3 Mr Dalmegh Singh additional secretary and confidant of Mr Gurcharan Singh Tohra, has been asked to officiate as secretary till further orders. The SGPC chief took a serious note of the fact that Mr Harbeant Singh had moved the Punjab and Haryana High Court without taking him into confidence. It is learnt that the executive committee has given promotions to confidants of Mr Tohra, including his personal assistant Ranbir Singh, Mr Waryam Singh and Mr Roop Singh who were reverted during the presidentship of Bibi Jagir Kaur. The executive committee has also reinstated some employees after awarding them punishment on the basis of the fact-finding committees. Fatehgarh Sahib (OC):
Talking to The Tribune after the meeting at Gurdwara Fatehgarh Sahib Jathedar
G.S. Tohra said that Harbeant Singh had been replaced with Dilmegh Singh and he would look after all the work assigned to Secy. SGPC. He said Harbeant Singh had been replaced as he did not fulfil the conditions. As per
rule of SGPC only postgraduate can be appointed as SGPC Secy. He said that Mr Dilmegh Singh is postgraduate, whereas Harbeant Singh is only Matric. He said moreover he had violated the rules of SGPC as he without getting prior permission of SGPC had approached the high court to get the relief. He said that as per rule if any employee had any problem he can submit representation to SGPC chief and to executive committee, but Harbeant Singh did not give any representation to SGPC and directly went to court. He said that the relief he wanted from high court had already been given by Sikh judicial court. Mr Dilmegh Singh newly appointed officiating SGPC secy. told that he would work to the expectations of those who had reposed faith in him. |
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Undertrials’ escape: five cops held Patiala, September 3 The cops who were arrested today are — SI Raghubir Singh, ASI Kasturi Lal, and three Head Constables Bhupinder Singh, Ranjit Singh and Jaspal Singh. The five cops were presented before a local court today and have been remanded to police custody for two days. Earlier, a case was registered against the five cops at the Kotwali Police Station. This was done after preliminary investigations revealed that the cops seemed to be hand in glove with the undertrials and had even facilitated their escape. They have been booked under Sections 223 and 224, IPC. Meanwhile, the local police has also suspended the remaining nine policemen who were on duty at the time and were responsible for getting the undertrials to the local court from the Central Jail. These cops have been accused of being irresponsible and of neglecting their duty. The district police has sent a high alert and sent police parties to nab the undertrials. However, none of the undertrials have been caught till now. Meanwhile, a visit to the temporary cell in the district court complex which is also called the “Bakshikhana” revealed that a ventilator in the bathroom attached to the main room had been broken. However, sources said it was difficult for anyone to escape from the ventilator indicating that the undertrials had escaped with the help of the police officials or due to the negligence of the cops. As many as 46 undertrials had been brought to the court complex yesterday. Those who have escaped have been identified as Ranjit Bharti, Sangram Bhaiya, Deepak Singh, Bhim Singh, Pawan Kumar, Subhash Chand and Amrik Singh. |
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Cops ‘kidnap’ former informer Amritsar, September 3 Though the police described him as a “criminal”, he possessed several pictures with senior officials. Addressing mediapersons, Hardip Singh, brother of Satwinder Singh, alleged that the police was responsible for the “kidnapping” of his brother as a “cover-up operation”. He said the police had come to know from the CID that he was going to expose the “misdeeds” of certain police officers in the state. He claimed that for helping the police, his brother had been provided with security but it was later withdrawn. The police said he was wanted in a case registered against him. Satwinder Singh had been instrumental in the killings of about 300 militants in police encounters. |
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Cops absolved of custodial death charge Patiala, September 3 The Samana police had registered a case against Badshahpur chowki incharge Gurmail Singh and Head Constables Gurmukh Singh and Kuldeep Singh on charges of keeping Amrik Singh (20) in illegal confinement, which led to his death. Amrik Singh had been brought dead to the Samana Civil hospital on the intervening night of September 1 and 2. It was alleged that Amrik Singh, a resident of
Marori, was picked up by the police three to four days before his death for questioning. The police registered a case against him under the Excise Act and wanted to present him before a Duty Magistrate but did not do so due to his ill health. Following this, it was claimed that Amrik’s health deteriorated and that he was brought to the Samana hospital on Monday where he died and the police officials left his body in the hospital. According to sources, after this, the Magistrate and Deputy Superintendent of Police Jaspreet Singh Sidhu were informed about the incident and they rushed to the Civil Hospital. A four-member board of doctors was appointed to conduct the post-mortem examination. The viscera was subsequently sent to the State Chemical Laboratory for examination. The DSP claimed that a case under the Excise Act had been registered against Amrik around six months ago and that he had been called on Monday so that a challan could be presented against him at the Samana court. He said Amrik was presented at the court, following which he left for Badshahpur alongwith his relatives. He said on reaching
Badshahpur, his condition deteriorated and he was first taken to a local hospital and eventually brought to the Civil hospital in Samana where he was declared brought dead on arrival. Mr Sidhu said according to Amrik’s relatives, he used to have fits earlier. |
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Students
to file PIL on VC’s appointment Jalandhar, September 3 Addressing a press conference here, the secretary-general of the federation, Sarchand Singh, alleged that according to the UGC guidelines, only a person who had a Ph.D. degree could be appointed to the post of Vice-Chancellor, however, Dr Rajan possessed an
M.Sc. degree. He criticised the Vice- Chancellor for his failure to sack 95 ad hoc employees who had been appointed by the then Technical Education Minister Jagdish Singh Garcha allegedly in violation of rules. “While Mr Garcha was arrested, nothing had been done to remove the employees”, he said, adding that the examination system needed to be revamped. He alleged that 62 answer sheets for the examination conducted under distance education in September 2002 were found missing but the students had been declared as having passed. Dr Rajan refused to comment over his appointment, saying that the state government and the Chancellor had taken the decision in this regard. “As far as the problems of students are concerned, we have already constituted a high-powered committee to look into all reappear cases of B.Tech. courses. The committee will be meeting the students on September 6 and their demands and suggestions will be taken into account while preparing a final report,” he said. |
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Khadoor Sahib
to have
multimedia Sikh museum Amritsar, September 3 Its inauguration coincide with the 500th Parkash Utsav of Guru Angad Dev on April 14, 2004, at Angitha Sahib. The project is to started shortly and completed within five months, Baba Seva Singh Kar Seva Waley of Kahdoor Sahib said here. The Technical aspect of the
museum is being monitored by Canada-based Raghbir Singh Bains, president of the
Encyclopedia of Sikhism. A CD-Rom of nearly 160 hours has been made on the life of Guru Angad Dev. Besides, the museum will hold screenings and selective audio-visual presentations on the life of the Guru. The Baba said the SGPC president, Mr Gurcharan Singh Tohra, had agreed to inaugurate a website at Khadoor Sahib based on the life of Guru Angad Dev. He would also inaugurate a multi-storey langar hall named after Mata Khivi, wife of Guru Angad Dev. A book on the life of the Guru written by Kulwant Singh would be released. |
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Ravi Inder Singh plans agitation Faridkot, September 3 The demands include transfer of Punjabi-speaking areas and Chandigarh to Punjab, settlement of river-water dispute and release of 40 Sikhs languishing in jails for over a decade. Mr Ravi Inder Singh, state president of the party, who was today at Hariawala village, 20 km from here, to attend a religious function said the party would adopt a peaceful approach to sort out all problems with the Centre. Mr Parkash Singh Badal had mortgaged the state interests for the BJP-led NDA government and hurt the sanctity of Akal Takht by using it to further his personal gains. Mr Badal encouraged nepotism and corruption during his term as Chief Minister and Capt Amarinder Singh has now launched a drive to expose his huge wealth gotten through unfair means,” he said. The Akali unity, he said, would not last long as it was based on personal interests of Mr Badal and Mr Tohra. He said his party would start enrolling more members in November. The party strength, he said, would be clear before the next general elections. In reply to a question, he said he was firm on his decision to contest the next SGPC poll. Earlier, he spoke at a religious congregation where Bhai Jasbir Singh Rode, head of the Dharam Prachar Committee of the new Akali Dal and former Jathedar of Akal Takht, also spoke. |
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Gagandeep
is Punjab Youth Cong Gen Secy Chandigarh, September 3 Gagandeep Singh Wasu is a practising advocate in the Punjab and Haryana High Court and a former national-level lawn tennis player. His father is a former Advocate-General of Punjab, Mr Joginder Singh
Wasu. |
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Badal warns SGPC officials Chandigarh, September 3 Mr Badal said he was strongly opposed to any activity in the party that could have an adverse effect on Akali unity. |
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Principal Secretary orders demolition
of illegal building Amritsar, September 3 This action has been taken on a preliminary report in this regard prepared by Mr A.K. Kansal, the Chief Vigilance Officer of the department, who found the construction of the building illegal. According to sources, the inquiry officer had recommended action against the officials concerned who allowed the unauthorised building. The local administration reportedly did not take prompt action against officials because the building was allegedly being constructed at the behest of a Cabinet minister. According to highly placed sources. The Principal Secretary has also ordered to chargesheet the Municipal Town Planner, the Assistant Town Planner and the Building Inspector in this connection. It is alleged that with the connivance of some officials of the corporation, the residential area was being converted into a commercial establishment by constructing a number of shops. No building plan was obtained before starting the construction. However, Mr K.S. Kang, the Municipal Commissioner, said notices had been issued to the owners and action would be taken as per rules. |
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OBITUARY MR Rajesh Chhabra, who died at Badrinath in Uttaranchal yesterday, was not only a senior bureaucrat but also an able sports administrator. Son of Mr P.L. Chhabra, also an IAS officer, he was born in April, 1945. He belonged to the 1967 batch of the IAS. He joined as Assistant Commissioner, Ropar. He held a variety of important field and strategic positions in the Punjab Government. It was his posting as Deputy Commissioner, Kapurthala, that initiated him into sports administration as the President of the Punjab Table Tennis Association. He continued to hold this position till his death. He had risen to the position of Financial Commissioner, Revenue, a position which was once considered over and above Chief Secretary. He also held several important positions. “He was an able sports administrator and a gentleman officer,” remarked Mr Inderjit Singh Bindra, recalling how cooperative and helpful Rajesh Chhabra was “when we organised the World Table Tennis Championship in New Delhi in 80s.” Mr Chhabra was known for keeping good health. “He never had any health problems. I used to joke with him that he is a man who never even had a headache,” says Mr Arun Dhir, a family friend of Chhabras. “He had gone to Badrinath with his wife, daughter and grandchildren. Yesterday evening, he had a game of carom with his grandchildren and then complained of uneasiness. But later he was feeling fine. Then he went to sleep and had a heart attack around 11 and died instantaneously,” adds Mr Dhir. His cremation this afternoon was attended by senior bureaucrats of Punjab, Haryana and the Union Territory of
Chandigarh. He leaves behind his wife, a son, a daughter and grandchildren.
— Prabhjot Singh |
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CM mourns IAS officer’s
death Chandigarh, September 3 Mr Chhabra was returning from Badrinath yatra. He was 58. He is survived by his wife, a son and a daughter. Mr Chhabra was cremated here today. People from all walks of life attended the cremation. Capt Amarinder Singh, who was also present, consoled members of the bereaved family. |
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Mansa to be developed Mansa, September 3 He further said the scheme would provide, the city with solution to the problems of drinking water, sewerage and roads. He said the government was committed to developing the district on priority
basis. Schemes for potable water and 1 lakh houses for the poor under the Indira Avas Yojna were in the offing. On October 2, the Congress chief, Ms Sonia Gandhi, would open recruitment of 17,000 teachers in the state and declare autonomy for panchayats in a number of fields. Mr Dimpa said Rs 108 crore had been given to new panchayats in the state for the uplift of the poor. Mr Dimpa also addressed a gathering in Gaushala Bhavan, where Mr Gurjant Singh Kuttiwal, MLA, and he were honoured. |
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Power bill collection at Ropar post
offices Chandigarh, September 3 According to an official announcement here
yesterday, the salient features of this scheme is that Post Office
will start accepting the electricity bills in Ropar District w.e.f.
1.9.03 i.e. today; The Post Office will collect electricity bills of
the following categories of consumers: Domestic (DS), Commercial/
non-residential (NRS), Small Power (SP) and Agriculture (AP). Post
Office shall accept payment of only such bills where payment is
intended to be made by consumers in cash for amount less than Rs 5000.
No cheque payment irrespective of amount will be accepted by Post
Office. “This scheme will be of a great help to the people as
about 102 collection centres will be added to existing collection
centre of the PSEB in a single go”, Mr Nirmaljit Singh, Senior
Superintendent of Post Offices, said here today. |
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PSEB staff stage dharna against
screening SAS Nagar, September 3 The board had issued directions that the service record and physical fitness of employees, who had reached the age of 50, 55 and above, should be checked to see whether they could continue the service. Representatives from three employees unions formed a sangharsh samiti “to fight against the policy,” which, they said, was unjust. They said that they should be given promotions on the basis of experience instead of compulsory retirement.  |
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Hanspal
leaves for USA, Canada Chandigarh, September 3 According to a press note issued here today, Mr Hanspal, accompanied by general secretary Lakhwinder Singh, and his political secretary, PPCC Mr Lakhwinder Singh Bhinder, he will attend the Independence Day functions at Vancouver and Chicago. |
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Fortis
to hold
cardiac OPDs Ropar, September 3 The OPDs are being organised for the benefit of BBMB employees and
residents of the area. During the OPDs, a cardiologist, Dr Sudheer
Saxena, will be present between 10:00 am to 1:00 pm to provide
consultancy on various heart ailments. The OPDs are a part of the
Fortis Outreach programme, aimed towards raising health standards of
the people.
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1 more passenger’s
body found Ropar, September 3 Jarnail Singh, an ex-serviceman, had gone to Baddi on August 30 to look for a job as a security guard. His kin identified his body from the documents in his pocket. With this, four bodies have been recovered. More passengers are feared missing. |
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Narottam’s bail plea
rejected Ropar, September 3 |
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Life term for 2 in murder case Ropar, September 3 Mohinder Kaur and Kulwinder Kaur of Rai village near Kharar were booked by the local police on the basis of the dying declaration of Gurmeet Kaur. In her declaration before the Judicial Magistrate, Chandigarh, on June 10, 2000, she had alleged that on May 4, 2000, her sister-in-law Kulwinder Kaur entered into an argument with her. While they were quarrelling, her mother-in-law intervened. She caught her arms while her sister-in-law sprinkled kerosene and set her on fire. Gurmeet Kaur was taken to PGI, Chandigarh, where she died. Both the accused were booked by the police under Sections 302 and 34 of the IPC. |
Police to recall 201 cops Chandigarh, September 3 Sources in the Police Department said most of these constables had developed vested interests and were reluctant to return to parent department. Political pressure was being exerted to stay in the department generally seen as a “money-spinning’’ unit, the sources added. A decision has been taken at the top level to adopt a system of panels with a view to streamlining the policy for sending cops on deputation to the Excise and Taxation Department. A senior official said all those personnel who had been posted in the department for long were being reverted. Fresh panels had been sought from the PAP and the police ranges to replace them. Inquiries reveal that some officials had been posted in the Excise and Taxation Department for periods ranging between five and eight years. In the first phase, a fresh panel to replace 201 constables had already been sent while the panels for replacing Head Constables, Assistant Sub-Inspectors and Sub-Inspectors would be sent shortly. While the panel of constables had been drawn up mainly from the PAP, those for Head Constables and above would be drawn up from the districts, the official said. The term of deputation had been fixed at two years and those who had already spent this period with the Excise and Taxation Department would not be sent again. The official said all orders of deputation to the department, which hitherto were issued by the SSPs and the DIGs concerned at the district level, would now be issued at the DGP’s level. |
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DC inspects cleanliness drive Fatehgarh Sahib,
September 3 The residents of the town complained against the illegal encroachments and they were surprised as the Deputy Commissioner, who was accompanied by the Municipal Council staff, SDM and councillors took immediate action in this regard. The tractor trailers and JCB machine hand immediately started removing encroachments in Qila Mohalla, Harizan Basti, Sabzi Mandi and the bus stand area. He inspected these wards on foot and went to every nook and corner of the streets to get the first hand information about the encroachments, cleanliness and other facilities. Residents told the Deputy Commissioner that it was after long time that anyone from the council had come to their areas to lift the heaps of garbage. He directed to civic officials to maintain cleanliness and to provide basic civic necessities to the residents. He directed the officials concerned and the president of the council to prepare the estimates for the construction of roads, drains and other development projects, so that the required amount could be got sanctioned. While talking to The Tribune on the spot the Deputy Commissioner said the anti-encroachment and cleanliness drives would continue and would also be implemented in rural areas. He said he would personally monitor these campaigns and the respective SDMs would be made in charge in their subdivisions. He said he would himself visit all wards of the town and would listen to the grievances of the people. The residents also took the Deputy Commissioner to the areas where no council employee had ever gone. The residents told The Tribune that it was for the first time that they had seen any Deputy Commissioner coming to their area to check the cleanliness and hoped that now the council officials would continue to clean the area. Mr Rakha Singh
Jangu, SDM, Surjit Singh Baling, EO, MC, Bassi Pathana, Ms Amita Tangri, president, MC, Bassi
Pathana, O.P. Tangri, member, District Planning Board, Ravinder Kumar and
B.B. Verma advocate and senior Congress leader also accompanied the Deputy Commissioner. |
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FCI staff hold protests Sangrur, September 3 The union wants uniform and rational storage-loss norms, system for settling complaint regarding quality and destination shortage, jobs for relatives of the deceased employees, uniform disciplinary procedure for deciding old department cases, filling of entrylevel posts in categories III and IV and promotions pending for a year. GURDASPUR:
A dharna was held in front of the office of the FCI here today. Employees were addressed by S.S. Chatha, president, All-India class II FCI Employees Union, and Mr Jatinderbir Singh Gill, regional treasurer, FCI Executive Staff Union. BATHINDA:
Nearly 100 members of the FCI Executive Staff Union and other associations today sat in dharna in front of their district office here. Mr Mohan Lal, district president of the union, and Mr Resham Singh, president, FCI Quality Control Staff Welfare Association, addressed the workers. |
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Term of probe panel extended Moga, September 3 |
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Wife, paramour kill man Bathinda, September 3 The crime committed by Jeeto and her paramour, as Dharminder, a migratory labourer, came to light when police personnel questioned Jeeto about the whereabouts of her husband, Jagsir Singh, who was missing for the past one week. The police questioned Jeeto when the father of the deceased lodged a complaint with the police that he suspected that Jeeto had killed his son. Police sources said first Jeeto said that Jagsir Singh had gone to Rajasthan as he had taken an orchard on contract there. However, when a senior official in the presence of police women questioned her, she confessed to her crime. The sources said on the tips given by Jeeto, the body of Jagsir Singh was dug out yesterday from the orchard. It had been buried about four feet deep. Jeeto, mother of three children, confessed that she was having illicit relations with Dharminder, who was a business partner of her husband. She said Jagsir Singh came to know about her relations with Dharminder and tried to beat her up. On this, she along with Dharminder killed Jagsir Singh with a sharp-edged weapon and buried the body in the orchard. The sources said a case had been registered under Sections 302, 201 and 34 of the IPC against Jeeto and Dharminder. Dharminder was missing. Jagsir Singh’s body had been sent to Guru Gobind Singh Medical College, Faridkot, for forensic examination. |
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Father
strangles infant Bathinda, September 3 Information revealed that Chinda Singh, who got married over a year ago, always wanted a son and used to tell his wife that a son would be born to them. However, when a girl was born about six months ago, he started quarrelling with his wife and accusing her of infidelity. Though he continued to torture his wife Karamjit Kaur, she succeeded in saving her daughter from his wrath. However, on the night of September 1, he asked his wife to cook some food for him. After eating food, he again started quarrelling with his wife and then allegedly strangulated the baby. Later he threw the body into the well. Unable to bear the loss of her daughter, Karamjit Kaur reported the matter to the police. A police team along with the Executive Magistrate, Mr Subash Khatak, fished out the body from the well today and sent it for a post-mortem examination. A case under Sections 302 and 201, IPC, has been registered against Chinda Singh who has been arrested. |
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Cop tampered with statement, says driver Barnala, September 3 Mr Rawail Singh, now in a private hospital at Bathinda with multiple injuries, in a complaint to the Inspector General, Punjab Police, Zonal, Patiala, has alleged that Harbhajan Singh, Assistant Sub Inspector (ASI), Kotwali police station, Barnala, tampered with his statement and did not make out serious offences against the accused while registering the FIR. The accused include a big transporter, his employees and other associates. The driver said he had been attacked with the intention to kill on August 30. He was saved by drivers and conductors of other buses and taken to Civil Hospital, Barnala, in a serious condition. From there, he was referred to Bathinda. Harbhajan Singh came to Bathinda to record his statement on August 31. After recording the statement, a FIR was registered against the accused at the Kotwali police station under Sections 341, 342, 323, 324, 365, 148 and 149 of the IPC. The driver alleged that after reading the FIR, he had come to know that the ASI had not made out offences as per his statement. So far, the police has not arrested any accused, though the driver has still been receiving threats. He demanded that an inquiry into the tampering of the statement to be conducted by a senior police official of some other district. The ASI, when contacted on his mobile phone, said that he had not tampered with the statement of Mr Rawail Singh and he had registered the FIR as per his statement. He said the actual dispute was between two transporters and talks were on for reaching a compromise, which was why no accused had been arrested, so far. He said that a case against the driver’s employer had been registered at Bathinda as well. |
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5 sportsmen held on
looting charge Jalandhar, September 3 Ajay Kumar of Railway Colony had reported that five youths had deprived him of cash and mobile phone outside the hotel where he had gone to have dinner with his friend. The accused travelling in a Maruti were intercepted near Bhagat Singh Colony on the Jalandhar-Amritsar national highway. The police seized a revolver and five cartridges from one of them — Danishbir, a weightlifter. The others were kabaddi players Jaspal Singh, Parminder Singh, Dharminder Singh and Surinder Singh The arrested persons were later produced in the court. |
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2 ‘extortionists’ held Amritsar, September 3 The SSP said there was a gang of more than 25 extortionists who had been harassing the girl for the past over four months. Initially the girl did not come forward to make a complaint but today when she received a call from the alleged extortionists, she informed the SSP who ordered that the Nehru shopping complex be cordoned off. It was the caller ID that helped in identifying the PCO from where the call had been made. The youths were beaten up before they were bundled into a Gypsy. |
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Bank Manager held for graft Mansa, September 3 A case has been registered. Both accused were produced in the court today and were remanded in police custody for a day. |
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