R E G I O N A L   B R I E F S

PUNJAB

Amritsar
BEREAVED: Chunni Lal (85), grandfather of a Tribune correspondent, Pawan Kumar, has died after a prolonged illness. Lal was the father of Mr Des Raj, Assistant Director, Press, Guru Nanak Dev University. He was cremated on Thursday.

Hoshiarpur
RAPE CASE: The Sadar police has registered a case under Section 376 of the IPC against a boy, Gobinda, a resident of Nara village, on the charge of raping a teenaged girl. The police also registered a case under Section 120-B of the IPC against a girl, a relative of the accused, for helping him. In her complaint, the victim stated that the girl related to Gobinda took her to his house where he raped her. A medical examination was conducted on the girl. The accused have absconded.

SGPC ELECTIONS: Mr Kirandeep Singh Bhullar, Deputy Commissioner-cum-Returning Officer, stated here on Thursday that according to the instructions of the Chief Commissioner, gurdwara elections, voters would have to show their voter identity cards while casting their votes on July 11 during the SGPC elections. Voters who do not have voter identity can show their passports, driving licences, PAN cards or identity cards issued by the state or Central governments.

Jalandhar
DHARNA: The Dihati Mazdoor Sabha, Punjab, has decided to hold dharnas in front of block development and panchayat offices all over the state from July 12 to 27 to register their protest against the failure of the state government to take immediate steps for the uplift of labourers. An executive committee meeting of the sabha was presided over by its president, Mr Sher Singh, here on Thursday.

Pathankot
SEMINAR: A seminar on career opportunities was organised here on Friday by Punjab Technical University, Jalandhar. Mr S.K. Bhatia, Director (Outreach), PTU, presided over the seminar.

Phagwara
MOVE OPPOSED: The Indian Medical Association, Punjab, has opposed the move of the Central Government to bring doctors under the ambit of the proposed service tax. Dr Raman K. Aggarwal, chairman, action committee-cum-Legal Cell, IMA, Punjab, sent a representation to Union Finance Minister P. Chidambram on Friday.

ACCIDENTS: Twentyfour persons were injured, seven of them seriously, in two road accidents here on Thursday. In an accident between a Punjab Roadways bus and a truck on the GT road near Chachoki village on Thursday morning, 16 passengers were injured, five of them seriously. In another accident, a Tata Sumo overturned after colliding with a tractor trailer at the Hoshiarpur chowk on the Phagwara bypass on Thursday. Its eight occupants were injured.

BRIBERY: Punjab State Electricity Board Junior Engineer Suba Singh, posted at the Focal Point, was caught by the Vigilance Bureau while he was taking a bribe of Rs 500 from a farmer on Thursday. A case under Sections 7 and 13 of the Prevention of Corruption Act has been registered.

Samana
SHOP DEMOLISHED: A shop belonging to Diwan Chand, located near the Samana-Patiala bypass, was demolished by miscreants, who also decamped with goods worth about Rs 4 lakh. A case has been registered.

ZIRAKPUR
elected: The elections of the Zirakpur Tribune Parivar Cooperative House Building Society were held here on Friday. A team from the office of the Assistant Registrar, Cooperative Societies, Patiala, comprising Returning Officer Sukhdev Singh, Assistant Returning Officer Inderjit Sharma and in charge of the society Baldev Singh conducted the elections. The following were elected office-bearers: president — Mr Ramesh Chaudhary; vice-president — Mr Anil Kapila; secretary — Mr Anil Gupta; cashier — Mr Nand Lal Gupta; and committee members — Mr Subhash Saini, Mr Rajesh Malik and Mr Rajinder Dhawan. 

HARYANA

Kaithal
SAPLINGS: About 15 lakh saplings, nurtured in government nurseries, will be given free of cost to farmers and some departments, the Additional Deputy Commissioner, Mr Pankaj Yadav said on Friday. He exhorted people to plant saplings to help check pollution.

FARMER KILLED: A man killed his brother over a land dispute at Kultaran village in the district on Thursday. According to reports, Balwinder, a farmer, entered into an argument with his brother, Chander Bhan, who got infuriated and attacked him with a ‘gandasa’ leading to his death.

Kurukshetra
WOMAN ARRESTED: Kesri Devi, allegedly involved in the murder of Mani Ram of Kathuva village under the Shahabad police station, has been arrested under Sections 302, 148, 149, 323 and 120-B of the IPC. The district police chief, Ms Bharati Arora, said Sewa Singh and his wife Jeeto, Dharambir and Kesri Devi’s husband Maha Singh had already been arrested in this murder case. Mani Ram was killed over a land dispute on June 12.

Rohtak
APPOINTED: The Haryana Vikas Party has appointed Mr Chander Bhan, a former Chairman of the Haryana Public Service Commission, president of its Jind district unit. Mr Hoshiar Singh Lather, an advocate, has been nominated vice-president.

‘GOVT ANTI-FARMER’: Maratha Virender Singh, president of the Haryana Ekta Shakti, on Thursday alleged that the Central Government was anti-farmer. He said the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, initiated the reform process and liberalisation in 1991, which had contributed greatly to the plight of the peasantry. He said this single factor would prove to be the undoing of the Congress in Haryana in the next Assembly poll.

Sonepat
GUN GOES OFF: Panic gripped a marriage party when a gun went off at Sisana village, near here on Thursday night, the police said. The father of the bridegroom sustained bullet injuries and was rushed to a private hospital from where he was referred to the PGI, at Rohtak.

THEFT BID: Four women were caught stealing saris from a shop in Ashok Nagar here on Friday. The women were handed over to the police by shopkeepers.

HIMACHAL PRADESH

Mandi
TWO DIE: A 70-year-old woman, Ghanno Devi, and her grand-daughter, Chandresh Kumari (14), of Majharnu village near Jogindernagar died of snake bite on Wednesday night. Both were sleeping on the first floor of the house. They died on the way to the Civil Hospital, Jogindernagar.

Kumarhatti
THREE INJURED: Three persons sustained injuries when rolled down a 200-foot-deep gorge near Dharampur in the wee hours of Friday morning. The accident took place at Sukki Jori on the Kalka-Shimla National Highway when the driver lost control over the vehicle.