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SGPC delegation to meet Musharraf
Phagwara, March 4
The SGPC General Secretary, Jathedar Sukhdev Singh Bhaur, who is heading a 3,000-strong Sikh jatha to Pakistan on Baisakhi, said here today that a delegation comprising SGPC members and representatives from the jatha would meet the Pakistan President Gen Pervez Musharraf, and apprise him of poor maintenance of Gurdwaras there.

• Plan to erect Gurmukhi minar at Khadoor Sahib

Sonia PM candidate, says Singhvi
Ludhiana, March 4
Ms Sonia Gandhi is the prime ministerial candidate of the Congress and is the undisputed leader of the party, Congress spokesman Abhishek Singhvi has said.

Brahmpura dares Kairon to defeat official nominee
Tarn Taran, March 4
The cold war between Mr Surinder Singh Kairon, a close relative of Mr Parkash Singh Badal and Mr Ranjit Singh Brahmpura, a former Akali minister, intensified yesterday with the latter openly challenging the former to defeat the official Akali nominee during the Lok Sabha elections.

Liquor auction ‘hijacked’ Jalandhar, March 4 The auction for liquor shops falling in three districts— Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur and Nawanshahr —was completed within 10 minutes of its start with a marginal revenue increase than last year.

Income Tax Dept raids 11 premises
Kot Kapura, March 4
Continuing its campaign to check evasion of income tax, the sleuths of the Income Tax Department carried out raids on about 11 premises, including a general merchant’s shop, shops of commission agents, cotton ginning industries, a sortex plant, hospitals, an educational institution and jewellery shops, here today.

Burail jailbreak accused in country, says DGP
Tarn Taran, March 4
Mr A.A. Siddiqui, Director-General of Police, today put all speculation to rest about three accused of the sensational Burail jailbreak case having fled to some other country by saying that the accused were very much in India.

DSP’s arrest sought in custodial death case
Sangrur, March 4
The Ravinder Katal Kand Virodhi Action Committee today served an ultimatum on the civil and police administration that if the police district authorities Barnala did not arrest DSP Gurjit Singh and others, allegedly responsible for the death of Ravinder Singh (25) in police custody, and present challan in the court in 90 days against the accused, the action committee would take out a massive protest march in Patiala during Lok Sabha elections.

T.S. Shergill, Mai Rup Kaur to take oath today
Chandigarh, March 4
Lieut-Gen T.S. Shergill (retd) and Mai Rup Kaur will be administrated oath as Chairperson and Member, respectively, of the Punjab Public Service Commission tomorrow by the Punjab Governor, Justice O.P. Verma, according to a spokesperson for the state government.

HIGH COURT
Seal record of DSPs’ selection process, orders HC
Chandigarh, March 4
Acting on a petition for quashing the selection and appointment of five candidates as Deputy Superintendents of Police (DSPs), a Division Bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court today directed that the record of the entire selection process should be sealed and kept with Punjab's Advocate-General.

POLITICS

NDA blocking women quota Bill, says Cong leader
Chandigarh, March 4
The Punjab Mahila Congress Committee today accused the BJP-led NDA Government at the Centre of blocking the Women Reservation Bill, besides accusing the Union Government and NDA partners-ruled states of their failure to check crime against women.

• Sukhbans Bhinder fails to make it

Panthic board LS nominees
Chandigarh, March 4
The Panthic Parliamentary Board( PPB) today announced the candidature of Prof Rachhpal Kaur Bains, wife of Justice Ajit Singh Bains, a human rights activist, from the Hoshiarpur Lok Sabha seat. The board had decided to nominate Mr Amar Singh Chahal, an advocate, from Chandigarh.

Advani’s yatra to enter Punjab on March 25
Hoshiarpur, March 4
The “Bharat Udai Yatra” of Mr L.K. Advani, Deputy Prime Minster, will enter Punjab on March 25, 2004. It will reach Chandigarh on March 24 evening from where it will proceed to Ludhiana on March 25 morning.

• Mann to stop ‘rath yatra’ at all costs

BSP activists block traffic
Jalandhar, March 4
Traffic remained disrupted on the Jalandhar-Ludhiana road near Paragpur village here for over half an hour following a clash between villagers and BSP workers over the refusal to serve “langar” to the latter.

COMMUNITY

PSEB Member yet to be given powers
Patiala, March 4
Congress leader Sheelam Sohi, who was recently appointed Member of the Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB), has still not been delegated powers despite attending office regularly.

• PSEB concerned over erratic coal supply

Plea for CBI probe into Poohla’s cases
Chandigarh, March 4
Col G.S. Sandhu (retd), Chairman of the Poohla Eviction Committee, today demanded a judicial or a CBI inquiry into the alleged cases of murder, extortion and land-grab by Tarna Dal chief, Ajit Singh Poohla.

Tension over land grab attempt
Abohar, March 4
Tension prevails in the Dalit-dominated Ram Dev Nagri area here as the police is reluctant to arrest miscreants who tried to grab the complex on Monday even.

Rare coins put on display
Malerkotla, March 4
Thousands of ancient and rare coins starting from the Magadh period to the present day were displayed in the local Government College by the History Society of the college today.

PM urged to ensure medicare of Kanshi Ram
Jalandhar, March 4
The Samta Samaj Party today urged Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to ensure proper treatment of ailing BSP leader Kanshi Ram.

Industrialisation has hit eco-system
Amritsar, March 4
The rapid development in industrialisation and urbanisation has eroded the eco-system said German Humboldt fellow, Prof (Dr) G. Kost while delivering a lecture on “Fungal diversity and sustainable development” at Guru Nanak Dev University here yesterday.

Seminar on human values
Bathinda, March 4
During a seminar organised at Prajapita Brahma Kumaris Ishwariya Vishwa Vidyalaya here yesterday, speakers stressed the need for human values.

Explosion at cop’s house
Sangrur, March 4
There was a blast in the house of a Punjab Police Havildar, Mr Ajit Singh Sodhi, in Sangrur last night. Doors, windows and other household goods were damaged. However, no one was injured. The Havildar could not explain the cause of the blast.

ADMINISTRATION

Punjab Home Guards for poll duty
Chandigarh, March 4
About 15 companies of Punjab Home Guards will be put on election duty in other states, Mr P. Lal, ADGP, Punjab, said today.

Hike in sewerage, water charges stayed
Ludhiana March 4
The Punjab Government has stayed the increase in user charges for water and sewerage in the state, which was given effect in May 2003, for an indefinite period.

CRIME

Eunuchs held for castrating youths
Nawanshahr, March 4
Mr M.F. Farooqui, SSP, said here today that the local police had busted an inter-state racket of eunuchs involved in forcibly castrating youths. The castrated persons were “sold” at handsome prices.

Firearms recovered from choe bed
Hoshiarpur, March 4
The CIA staff recovered firearms and explosive material from the bed of a choe at Nanga Isher, 22 km from here, last night.

Kidnapped boy got freed
Batala, March 4
Six-year-old Prince Pal, son of late Ajit Singh of Kotli Surat Malhi village, who was kidnapped on February 24, has been traced.

Mother-in-law booked
Hoshiarpur, March 4
A case for setting ablaze a woman by her mother-in-law at Datarpur village was reported in Hajipur police station of this district yesterday.

10 bags of poppy husk seized
Moga, March 4
Sukhwant Singh has been arrested for his alleged involvement in smuggling of narcotics.

Man booked for sodomy
Abohar, March 4
The police has booked Ravinder, an employee at the Rural Waterworks, Jandwala Handwanta village, under Section 377, IPC, for allegedly sodomising a 13-year-old mentally retarded boy.

Afghan youth arrested
Amritsar, March 4
The Border Security Force has nabbed Avaidullah (20), a resident of Kabul, who was trying to sneak into India from the Ramdass sector on Tudesday evening.

• 1 held with smack
  

EDUCATION

Students boycott exams, allege leak of paper
Mansa, March 4
Students of Class XI (Commerce) of Government Senior Secondary School here today boycotted annual math examination to lodge their protest against the “misdeeds” of a teacher of the school.

Consortium of engineers launched Jalandhar, March 4 The DAV Institute of Engineering and Technology today launched the Consortium of electrical and electronics Engineers here. The General Manager (Telecom), Mr K.C. Jindal, interacts with students during a poster-making contest, organised by the consortium of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, in Jalandhar on Thursday. — Photo by S.S. Chopra

Need for more science festivals stressed
Faridkot, March 4
Professor Bhajan Lal of Ch. Devi Lal Institute of Engineering, Sirsa, has laid stress on holding science festivals on regular basis to explore talent more effectively in the country.

Strike against attack on student
Amritsar, March 4
Government Medical College students today went on a strike following an attack on a final-year student by some junior students of the college who along with some armed outsiders allegedly fired into the air and injured Gagandeep Ghuman here last evening.

Seminar on Yashpal’s novels concludes
Patiala, March 4
A two-day national seminar on ‘The Novels of Yashpal’ organised by the Department of Hindi, Punjabi University, concluded with former Principal Secretary for Higher Education and Language N.S Rattan presiding over the function.

Lecture on bio-ethics and Sikhism
Patiala, March 4
The Department of Philosophy, Punjabi University, organised a lecture on “Bio-Ethics and Sikhism” by Dr Surjit Kaur Chahal of the University of Pune as part of the 400th Parkash Utsav celebrations of Guru Granth Sahib series here today.