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Judgement Day
It
proved to be a tumultuous morning of June 9, 2000, when residents of
the city woke up to one of the most shocking and gruesome crimes -
murder of two children. A gunny bag found near the Khurla-Kingra TV
Tower was stuffed with the mutilated bodies of school-going Heena (9)
and Abhishek (7), offspring of Kamal Kishore, a Makhdoompura-based
drycleaner. A school bag and a set of glasses, along with a bottle of
whisky, were also recovered from the site. The city was stunned. Even more stunning was the news that the two alleged killers of the children were not outsiders, but family acquaintances. One of the accused, Gagan Kanoujia, was not only a distant relative of Heena and Abhishek but also their neighbour. The accused were arrested a few hours after the recovery of the gunny bag, containing the bodies of the children. Intriguingly, the accused Gagan and Rajinder had feigned innocence by joining the joint-manhunt launched by the area residents and the police. But their behaviour betrayed them and amidst high drama they had to surrender before the police by the evening of June 9. So charged was everybody with emotions that it was perhaps for the first time that the District Bar Association here gave a call to lawyers not to represent the accused in the court, keeping in view the enormity of the crime allegedly committed by them. But small slips on the part of the accused turned out to be their undoing. Last Saturday, a death sentence was pronounced by the jam-packed court of District and Sessions Judge, Mr S. N. Aggrawal, to the relief of parents in particular and city residents in general. There was much that went against the accused. The finger prints on a bottle of whisky and glasses, used by the accused to drink liquor after committing the barbaric crime (for lust of money as pleaded by the prosecution), a ransom letter and an eye-witness in Gagan's cousin Sahil - all helped to nail the accused. While the judgement has brought some relief to Kamal Kishore and his wife, Bimla, the detailed investigation carried out by the police to substantiate its claim in the court that Gagan and Rajinder had gagged Heena and Abhishek to death mercilessly, reveals some spine-chilling revelations. Incidents of ruthless killings of acquaintances for lust of money were on a rise in the city. The gruesome nature of the crime did not deter the executors of crime, the investigations revealed. This was proved all the more when one of the two accused even allegedly went to the extent of threatening Rakesh Kanaujia, one of the two prime witnesses, within the court premises after the pronouncement of the judgement. "Now this file is closed, but your file with us has opened," was the threatening one-liner of one of the accused, according to Kamal Kishore. "We
are very satisfied with the judgement. But at the same time we wish
that the case would not drag for another 10 or 15 years. The killers
should be hanged immediately," say Kamal Kishore and Bimla.
Hundreds of city residents visited their home to tell them that
justice had asserted itself. After the tragic death of Heena and
Abhishek, the family was blessed with two daughters, Mehndi (3) and
Heena ( six months).
The nemesis came soon
What actually nailed the accused and that too within a short period of four years? Undoubtedly, it was the flawless investigation (possibly following the public outcry) carried out by a Special Investigating Team (SIT), formed by the then Jalandhar SSP, Mr Gaurav Yadav. "Finger prints taken from a whisky bottle and two-three glasses proved to be very crucial and solid proof in the court against the accused. Apart from this, the recovery of the school bag of the children, a helmet, a silver-coloured Vespa scooter of Gagan and statement of Sahil also helped in building up the case on solid grounds," maintains DSP Raj Jit Singh, a member of the SIT. Besides this, the bold statement of Rakesh Kanaujia, the president of the Dhobi Mahasabha, revealing how the accused had been shaken after the police had started suspecting them and how they had come to him and confessed their crime in the hope that he would save them from the police.
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Lust for money drove them to crime
"Basically, it is a story of crime laced with greed. The abductors had perceived that Kamal Kishore was economically very sound. They
thought that he would readily pay the ransom if his children were abducted. With this idea, they went ahead with the crime," says Mr Raj Jit Singh. "Initially, we did not give much weight to the contention of Sahil, a class fellow of Heena and son of Ajay, an uncle of Gagan, that the kids had gone with
"chachu", but, later we started suspecting Gagan. It was the height of shamelessness and deception that they (Gagan and Rajinder) joined us in the search operation. Later, we found out that they were doing this intentionally to keep an eye on the movement of the police," recalls Kamal Kishore. He further recalls how he had received a letter (which turned out to be written by Rajinder, alias Kaka, during the hand-writing analysis), demanding a ransom of Rs 10 lakh from the family. The note stated that if the family did not comply with the demand, the children would be killed. "In fact, I had received the letter after the recovery of the bodies. I handed it over to the police," says Kamal Kishore, tears rolling down his eyes.
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Kids killed to destroy evidence
Though some questions remain unanswered, police investigations have revealed that Gagan and Rakesh had abducted Heena and Abhishek on the evening of June 8, 2000, while the children were returning home after a tuition class. The motive was to get a hefty ransom of Rs 10 lakh from their father Kamal Kishore. Since both kids knew Gagan as one of the "chachus", the accused had no problem in taking them to his other house near Cine Payal Theatre, despite initial reluctance of Abhishek to accompany them. It was here, according to Rakesh Kanaujia's statement on the basis of the reported confession of the two accused, that the children got impatient and the abductors decided to do away with them, primarily for the fear of being recognised. As the night progressed, the abductors first allegedly gagged the children with plastic bags and pillows and remained seated on their faces to choke them. Later, the bodies were put in a gunny bag. The accused had planned to throw the bodies into a well near the Nakodar road. But as they saw some vehicles approaching towards them, they changed their route to an under-construction colony near the TV tower and it was here that the bag was abandoned. A resident detected the bag early next morning. The killers arranged glasses from a nearby school and consumed liquor before dumping the bag containing the bodies of the two children.
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No hangman
Even as Gagan and Rajinder have been awarded death sentence, the Jalandhar Central Jail has been doing without any hangman for the past 20 years. "Actually, no convict was hanged here during my career spanning 17-18 years. I have no idea when the last convict was hanged in this jail and we have no records with us. Gallows were also dismantled about 6-7 years back," maintained Mr Nirmal Chand, the officiating Jail Superintendent. Sources, however, pointed out that all such cases were referred to the Patiala Central Jail. Meanwhile, it was learnt that both Gagan and Rajinder were lodged in a special high security cell inside the jail.
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Central Jail cries for attention
The 137-year-old Jalandhar Central Jail building here has been a mute witness to its gradual decay. One of the biggest problems in the jail, set up in 1867 and spread over an area of 22 acres, is overcrowding. Originally designed to house 525 inmates, the jail presently has 1246 prisoners. The building itself is in poor condition. Five barracks, main gate of the jail, kitchen and some portion of the women's cell have already been declared unsafe by the state PWD (B&R) Department. The jail authorities, according to the Superintendent, Mr Nirmal Chand, are planning to shift the jail out of the city, for which about 45 acres of land have been acquired on the Jalandhar-Kapurthala road by the PUDA authorities. This land has been acquired under the Optimum Utilization of Vacant Government Land (OUVGL) Scheme. The PUDA is planning to construct a 'modern' jail there, while using the present jail land for commercial purposes. Even a general view of the building gives one a comprehensive idea of the poor state of the structure and the lack of basic facilities for visitors. To procure permission to meet prisoners, their family members and friends have to wait for hours in a makeshift shed built on the busy jail road. The small shed gives little protection from the vagaries of nature. Two or three benches supported by bricks and two fans are the only facilities available to the waiting visitors. The agony of relatives waiting to meet the jail inmates does not end here, as they have to spend quite some time in another dilapidated small shed near the main gate. This place is also devoid of any proper sitting arrangement. There's no provision for drinking water. On a hot, sweltering day, the relatives have a very tough time braving out without any water. The hygienic condition of the langar building too is far from satisfactory. The kitchen has already been declared unsafe. "We have no option but to go in for a makeshift arrangements for the stay of under-trials, as no sufficient funds have been released by the state government for the construction of new barracks. Though it is an overcrowded jail, but there has not been any incident, wherein any under-trial or a jail employee got injured in a building collapse," a jail official says. When contacted, Mr Nirmal Chand said that they were trying to improve facilities for the visitors.
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People’s concern Roadworks are the bane of residents of Master Tara Singh Nagar here. The inordinate delay on the part of the local Municipal Corporation to complete the Rs 22 lakh road project has the residents up in arms against the corporation. Earlier, the residents, who made several representations to the civic body to construct new roads, had heaved a sigh of relief when the project work was started. But the residents' relief turned out to be deceptive. The project, till date, has not made much of progress. The work of widening the existing roads in the locality was started about six months back. The private contractor, according to the terms of the tender, was supposed to construct footpaths along the boundary walls of the houses while laying new roads. The Tribune team found that the roadwork was moving at a snail's pace. A crusher was found lying in the main lanes, making it difficult for the residents to walk, particularly in the evening hours. "At night, you cannot risk walking on the road. You never know when you may have a bad fall, thanks to potholes and sharp stones," says a resident. "It's like a dream turning into a cruel joke. Though we were happy when the work finally started about six months back, we now rue why the work started at all. The potholed roads, laid over with sharp stones, make it commuters' nightmare. Our pleas have fallen on deaf ears; there is nobody to listen to our problem," Dr V.P. Pathak, a resident says, while recalling that it was for the first time in the past 20 years that new roads were being constructed by the civic body. "All this only shows lack of will on the part of the authorities," he adds. Rains worsen the situation, as there is no proper drainage system for the exit of rainwater in the locality. Some of the lanes get converted into temporary ponds for days together. These lanes breed all types of insects. "I have been staying here for the past 18 years. The condition of the roads here is pathetic. Even after the start of the project no serious efforts are being made for its speedy execution. What is to be done?" rues a shopkeeper, who maintains that the locality roads play havoc with their vehicles, particularly two-wheelers, which are difficult to drive on these roads. "The MC cannot carry on with the work blindly. Manholes have to be raised at the road level; otherwise the entire work would be futile. If sometimes there is clogging of manholes, there would be no way to clean them, if their level is below that of the roads," says another shopkeeper. The residents allege that the MC authorities are indifferent since none of the senior officials ever visit the locality to inspect the progress of the work. "You can see for yourself the plight of the residents. When it rained the other day, water accumulated in streets. It was difficult for us to have easy access to our homes. The MC authorities are time and again extending the time limit for the completion of the project without sparing a thought about the inconvenience being caused to the residents. This is not fair," says Ms Poonam Trehan, a homemaker. When contacted, the Superintending Engineer (B&R), Mr A.K.Talwar, said that the work would be completed soon. "We would look into the matter and necessary action would be taken in this regard," Mr Talwar added.
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Not easy to be in command, say women army officers It is a tough life for women in uniform. Carving a niche for themselves in almost 'all-men' world, women army officers feel that it is really difficult to convince people that they, too, can perform well, if not better than their male counterparts. What hurts Captain Vineeta, Lt Shalini Singh, Lt Sarika Shinde, Captain Cherry Singh - four women working with the Vajra Corps at Jalandhar Cantonment - is that they actually had to prove their mettle to their subordinates before they could command the latter's confidence. But the foursome also believes that they are a privileged lot because of respect, sense of security and support they get from their colleagues. "Since we are just four in number here, everyone takes care of us and they are there for help at any hour of need. This sometimes makes us feel on the top of the world", they say in chorus. The honour comes to them not just inside the cantonment; wherever they go, they command respect, they say. "Wherever we go with stars tagged on our shoulders (in army uniform), we are treated with respect," they point out. Says Captain Vineeta working with the Advanced Base Ordnance Depot, Suranussi, "The army officers are family-oriented. In my case, they have posted my husband, also a Captain in the army, and me together for the second time. Earlier, we were together at Bareily and now we have been posted here. This kind of cooperation is a real boon for us." She adds, "Another good news for us came when it was announced that women officers would be allowed to work for 14 years instead of just five years. We are now eligible to get two extensions after five and 10 years of service." Life has undergone a complete transformation for Lt Shalini Singh, working in the signals section. "I have done MCA. Earlier, I was working with an MNC at Faridabad. It was a sedentary job and I was not very satisfied with what I was doing. Then I applied for an army job and got selected. I undertook training at the Officers' Training Academy at Chennai. The new job is very challenging and the work atmosphere is also very conducive and secure," she explains. Nobody in the family of Lt Sarika Shinde, working with the signals, was ever in the defence service. "I was an active NCC cadet during school and college. The NCC in charge at the college motivated me to join the army. My family was very supportive. This was how I came here. But life as an army officer has been so dynamic that I could not have imagined anything better than this," she says, as she narrates her experiences. But the story of Captain Cherry Singh, the only woman officer posted in Amritsar, has been quite different, for she calls herself the 'sixth generation fauji'. "My dad is currently posted in Ferozepore. As a child, the army life had fascinated me so much that I had always wanted to join the defence services. I used to tell my friends about my visits (with my dad) to Singapore, Chennai and Karnataka. They were fascinated with my stories, as they (civilians) had never had such experiences. But it was also a tough life to some extent, as I had to change 11 schools when my dad got transferred." There have, however, been some 'unpleasant' moments for this army officer. A national shooter during college years, Captain Cherry once told a middle-aged JCO to take his aim correctly. "The JCO did not like this. He felt that he had been in the army for more than seven years and I had joined just six months back. He did not get convinced till I myself aimed at the target and shot it off," she says.
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A dream home called Makkars’ house As you enter the Makkars' home near the Nakodar Road, a vast expanse of lush green lawns bursts upon your eye. Trees — fruit-laden and ornamental — add to the charm of the green expanse. You are in the lap of nature as you move across the sheltering fronds of the Erica palms that soon shade off to stately mango trees. The delicate shrubs interleaved with seasonals are a nature buff's delight. A fountain right at the centre of the front lawn (flanked by trees) makes for a beautiful fusion of water and wood elements. There's a swimming pool and a gazebo at the back of the house (In deference to Vaastu experts, a temporary wall separates the pool from the main building). Small kennels to house two pugs and a Labrador find their place not far away from the back lawn. The interiors are elegant and aesthetically pleasing. Intricate wooden carvings on doors, exquisite chandeliers that play up light and a stylish staircase winding its way down (or does it snake up?) give the interiors a chic look. "It's our dream house. Years ago, we visited the Chail Palace. The biggish, stylishly designed rooms caught our attention. Our dream-house got its blueprint. We trawled through architecture and décor magazines. My father visited some of his friends abroad. All this culminated in our own personalized architectural design for the dream-house. In fact, my father himself has worked hard on the design for this house," says Mr Bhupinder Singh Makkar's elder daughter Nagma. Incidentally, she is doing a course in interior designing. It's a two-acre house (the covered portion is much less), equipped with a pool table, gymnasium and jacuzzi. There are two drawing rooms — one for informal gatherings and the other (elaborate furnishings with a bar to match) for special occasions. The living room is uncluttered, comfy, snug place where the family can chat up with one another over a cup of hot coffee. (The kitchen is just at half-a-minute-walk). "The décor is not complete yet. Paintings of Guru Gobind Singh and child Jesus Christ would soon adorn the lobby. I am trying to get some nice frames of my choice," says Mr Makkar, who is into business. Free, unhindered flow of space with minimal forced embellishments gives the house a friendly, liveable aura. "It's not a maze through we have to emerge winners; it's a place where we must feel at home. It's an extension of our dreams," remarks Ms Kudrat, the younger daughter of the Makkars. Her own room has "mauve colour" as its theme for décor, while her sister Nagma's room is "bride-room". This "bride-room" houses traditional artifacts. Cute little bells that festoon the bed, a painting of a Punjabi bride, dhols — all give it the look of a typical Punjabi bride's room. "The house is not a mere brick-and-mortar structure. It is our alcove; it is a privy to our joys and sorrows," says the lady of the house, Ms Rajni Makkar.
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Rainak Bazaar: Shoppers’ nightmare Shopping is generally believed to be fun. But shopping in the congested, dingy lanes of the Rainak Bazaar here is no fun at all.
Heaps of garbage are strewn about not only on the roadsides but also in the centre of the roads. These garbage heaps greet you as soon as you enter the bazaar. Stray animals walk by your side. Scooters, bicycles and rickshaws parked haphazardly leave very little space to move around. Encroachments on the roads further add to the woes of shoppers. Almost all shopkeepers have extended their counters by at least two to five feet. Those selling dress materials have kept the mannequins right in the middle of the road. Others selling kitchenware have kept steel baskets, and cartons of cookers and gas chullahs outside their shops. That is not all. Hawkers selling cosmetic items, sweets, vegetables, fruits, eatables (tikkis, gol gappas, chat, kulfi and ice-creams) have further blocked the narrow lanes of the market. Wherever they find customers, they park their wares right there, without bothering about the inconvenience being caused to the shoppers. Another sore point for the shoppers is that there is hardly any place for parking in the market. Cars cannot enter the narrow lanes of the market and scooters have to be parked 3 km beyond the market, where the lanes bifurcate. Since there is no arrangement for parking, the shoppers often complain of their vehicles getting damaged by the careless or mischievous passersby. "I had parked my Kinetic here and when I came back after half an hour, the sides of the scooter had scratches. When I asked those around, they said they did not know how it happened. I think the authorities must do something about creating proper parking lots for the market," said Ms Narinder Kaur, a shopper. However, the Rainak Bazaar is one of the most frequented markets in the city for the simple reason that it gives the buyers an immense variety of goods, be it cosmetics, apparels, footwear, toys, kids stuff and eatables, and that too at prices lower than anywhere else in the city. Says Ms Madhu Ahuja, a homemaker, "I come to this market only when my shopping list gets very long. Things are more affordable here. For small buys, I prefer going to the Model Town market as it is more convenient, though prices are somewhat on the higher side and shopkeepers do not entertain any bargaining there." It is not just in the evenings that the market gets crowded. The shopkeepers remain busy during the entire day, be it a hot summer afternoon or a rainy day. The busiest months for the sellers are from October to January. "That is the time when NRIs come back home during their vacation and buy things in bulk for their families. And they do not bargain much, for they find things quite cheap here as compared to abroad," said Mr Gurpal Singh, owner of a ladies' dress material show room. Interestingly, the market has maximum buyers on Sundays, when it remains closed. That is the day for phariwalas, who arrange their goods on the footpaths or hang them from the hooks tied to the roofs. Talking about the parking problems, Mr Ved Vyas, Assistant Commissioner, Municipal Corporation, said that a sub-committee had already been formed to explore the best possible site for parking near the market. He said that the committee would present its decision to the Commissioner in another fortnight. Regarding the congestion, he said that all encroachments in the congested lanes of the market would be removed soon. He said that the encroachments on the Ladowali Road and the New Sabzi Mandi had already been removed and the MC would now target those in the Rainak Bazaar. He added that the senior officials of the corporation had earlier visited the site and removed some of the encroachments, but he regretted that they were back now.
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Hans Raj Mahila Vidyalaya
A
holistic approach and an emphasis on the total personality development of students are the hallmarks of this college. Hans Raj Mahila Maha Vidyalaya, Jalandhar, has made a mark for itself in the field of women's education. Founded in Lahore in 1929, HMV has not looked back since. Mahatma Hans Raj, the veteran leader of the DAV Movement, was the man behind the institution. The institution was revived at Jalandhar, after the partition. Today, the college campus is spread over 30 acres. It's the value-based education that is imparted to students at HMV. The college aims at inculcating a strong value system among its students. But it's not a blind throwback to traditions. Students are encouraged to be open-minded. They are taught to be technology-savvy. The college offers a variety of courses, including those in information technology, commerce and management, science and humanities. There are fashion designing, computer application, cosmetology, journalism and mass communication, advertising, sales promotion and sales management courses available for the students. Those interested in add-on courses can opt for interior decoration, applied designing and web designing and office automation courses. Six computer labs, career counseling centres, audio-visual teaching aids - all are used to facilitate effective learning among the students, we are told. According to college authorities, the institution has the distinction of having a sustained record of excellence in academics. "Our students have been doing consistently well in the university examinations. We bagged 20 first positions, 14 second positions and 17 third positions in the April 2004 university examinations. We had 231 merit positions and 2179 students were placed in the first division. All this is no mean achievement," says Principal P.P. Sharma, who believes in motivating the students to excel in all fields. Another field in which the students of this college have excelled is that of sports. The list of sports achievers is long. The sportswomen from the college have achieved laurels not only in national competitions but also in international sports events. In 1993, Ms Chander Kanta captioned the Indian Women Cricket team for the World Cup Cricket Championship. Ms Sunita, an Arjun-awardee, is a former student of the college. Ms Sunaina won the bronze medal in the 31st World Cup Weight Lifting Championship held at Antaria, Turkey. Ms Amandeep participated in the 11th Junior Asian Athletics Championship organised at Ipoh, Malaysia in June 2004. Ms Mamta, Ms Sonia and Ms Parminder represented the Indian Yoga Team in XII World Cup Yoga Championship held at Portugal in July 2003. Recently, Ms Rajwinder Kaur was selected for 2004 Athens Olympics in 4x 400 mt relay race. "We don't want the students to be bookworms. Our objective is to help them imbibe sound values and also make them develop their potentialities to the fullest. Our teachers work towards this goal. The students of this college are actively associated with humanitarian work. They have been frequenting the local Pingalwara Ashram. They have also adopted villages to do social welfare work there," says Ms Sharma.
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This topper has ‘promises to keep’ Deepkamal Kaur Tribune News Service Teaching English was the dream of Ms Karanjeet Klair ever since she was a primary school student. She finally achieved her target when she bagged the first position in MA II English Examination, 2004, Guru Nanak Dev University. She was appointed as a lecturer in the subject of English by her alma mater, Lyallpur Khalsa College, last month. As a child, Ms Klair used to gather kids from her neighbourhood and make them sit in a row. For hours together she would teach them rhymes and alphabets. The class ended only when her mother intervened and asked the children to go back home. Ms Klair's parents wanted her to be a fauji. Col H.S. Klair, her father, desired that she followed his profession. He used to take her along for jogging and exercises, and narrate to her stories about army life. But Ms Klair had decided on a different profession for herself. She told her father, "Papa, I want to be an English teacher." Her parents agreed, though reluctantly. Being the daughter of an army officer, Ms Klair had shift frequently from one place to another. This meant changing schools very frequently. When the family shifted to Jalandhar, she did Plus Two from Army School here. Thereafter, she joined Apeejay College. She was a scholarship holder throughout her college years. In the final year, she stood first in her college and sixth in the university. She joined Lyallpur Khalsa College to do post graduation in the subject of English. She stood second in the university in the first year and clinched the first position in the second year. She says that she owes her success to her teachers, who offered her tips on doing well in exams. "I am not content yet. I want to continue with my studies," she says. She plans to join Postgraduate Certificate in Teaching English (PGCTE), a one-year correspondence course from the Central Institute of English and other Foreign Languages (CIEFL). "Later, I may do a one-year course in PGDTE and a one-year Postgraduate Diploma in Teaching English," she says. As a student, Ms Klair says, she could hardly spare time for extra reading, but she enjoys reading the Shakespearean plays. She says that she has also been impressed with the poems of Robert Frost, especially the poem "Stopping by the woods on a snowy evening". My favourite lines are: "The woods are lovely, dark and deep; but I have many promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep…"
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From the schools Staff and management of MGN Public School, Adarsh Nagar, organised a parents' counselling session on Saturday. In his talk titled 'Effective parenting', Dr Sarvinder Singh, a child specialist, shared his views pertaining to child psychology. He said that children needed appreciation to satisfy their egos. He added that to help the children grow into well-behaved adults, parents start disciplining them from the very beginning. Since habit formation was completed by the age of 12 to 14 years, teaching values and discipline to the child should start from a very young age, he said. The child specialist discussed the role of TV in bringing changes in the personality of a child. He said that some children took TV artists as their role models and tried to imitate them in every respect. He urged the parents to supervise the viewing of TV by children. He suggested that parents should lock some channels meant for adults. Dr Sarvinder Singh said that though rules played an important part in effective discipline, but these rules should be agreeable to both parents. Whenever the child goes wrong, the parents must point it out immediately, he said. But, he warned, the child should never be punished physically, as spanking could have a negative impact on the mind of the child. After the talk, there was a question-answer session, in which the parents discussed their queries. Later, Mr R.S. Mehta, Principal, addressed the gathering and stressed that sufficient time should be devoted to the care of children. Parents should be involved in activities of their wards, so that the latter may feel close to them. Rakhi celebration:
Tree plantation:
Gurpurab celebrations:
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