L U D H I A N A   S T O R I E S


 

Plot to kill chief of Khalsa Panchayat unearthed
11 members of gang along with their ‘CEO’ held
Jupinderjit Singh
Tribune News Service

Jagraon, May 1
The Jagraon police today claimed to have unearthed a plot to kill a senior leader of the Khalsa Panchayat with the arrest of a gang of robbers, contract killers and extortionists who have been found involved in 35 different crimes and were led by a self-styled saint.

The Khalsa Panchayat is waging a war against dera culture in the state. The gang was also allegedly about to kidnap the son of a rich industrialist in Ludhiana

The gang is allegedly led by a self-styled saint, Baba Amarjit Singh, who had allegedly joined hands with his guru-turned-foe-turned-friend to kill Khalsa Panchayat chief Charanjit Singh Channi.

Jagraon SSP Rajiv Ahir told mediapersons that the gang functioned like a corporate office with the leader calling himself the chief executive officer. The gang has been accused of committing 35 different crimes in Ludhiana and Jagraon. Eleven members of the gangs have been arrested, he said.

Mr Ahir said Amarjit Singh, alias Kala, alias Baba, a resident of Deharka village, is the leader of this gang. He is allegedly a hardcore criminal and has more than six criminal cases pending against him. He has been criminally active for the past more than five years. He gathered his gang members from here and there and would use them in different combinations for different crimes. Most of the gang members are residents of villages falling in the jurisdiction of the Jagraon police district.

Among the biggest and most sensational crimes committed by the gang is the robbery at Raikot where Rs 4.85 lakh was looted from a moneychanger after inflicting a head injury on him. In another incident, the gang allegedly robbed a shopkeeper of Rs 50,000 at gunpoint at Basti Jodhewal on April 19.

Similarly, the gang allegedly robbed a jeweller of Rs 35,000 at gunpoint in the Ghumar Mandi area about five months back. Using a different modus operandi, the gang stole Rs 50,000 from a scooter dicky in the Focal Point area two and a half months ago. This gang robbed a woman of her entire jewellery at gunpoint when she had come to attend a marriage near Railway Station six months back. There are dozens of others cases of similar nature, but the amount of property looted is less in those cases.

The gang allegedly intended to kidnap a wealthy industrialist’s son based in Ludhiana. It had earmarked the hideout for this purpose on the outskirts of Ludhiana city. Amarjit Singh had also allegedly taken Rs 1.5 lakh as supari for killing Channi.

Shamsher Singh of Jagera, who was accused of rape by Amarjit’s wife, paid this amount. Shamsher harboured the suspicion than he was falsely implicated at the behest of Channi. Later, Amarjit too had fallen out with Channi.

Amarjit intended to carry out his task by a hit-and-run accident. For this purpose, he along with his associate Swarajeet Singh, alias Lakha, robbed a taxi driver of his Indica car on April 20 near Gurdwara Mahdiana Sahib. It was then that the Jagraon police launched a systematic hunt for Amarjit Singh and his associates after getting some vital clues in the car robbery incident.

Amarjit Singh’s life sketch reads like a second rate thriller script. He is known to have fallen into the wrong company when still in his teens. He has been a student of black magic and was wearing his trademark black robe on the day he committed the car robbery. He was learning the tricks of his new vocation from someone based in Malerkotla. He regularly held court in the Dhian Singh complex at Ludhiana where he offered cures for various ailments to his devotees. He was known to spend lavishly on his female companions whenever he struck a rich catch. 

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Visually impaired players a harassed lot
Anil Datt

Ludhiana, May 1
Tall promises made by the government as well the district administration from time to time about the upliftment of sports in the state notwithstanding, the participants (visually impaired) of the ongoing second annual athletics meet, organised by the Punjab Sports Association for the Blinds (PSAB) at the local Guru Nanak Stadium, were seen fighting against odds today. The organisers of this meet, who had been running from pillar to post for the last two weeks to conduct this event, expressed their anguish and resentment over ‘indifferent’ attitude of sports fraternity and the general public towards this championship.

Only the participants, accompanied by their parents or caretakers and office-bearers of the PSAB were present in the stadium when Mr Manjit Singh, a sports organiser and father of Municipal Corporation Councillor, Mr Satwinder Singh Jawaddi’s father, declared the meet open in which more than 100 players were taking part in 100 m, 200 m, 400 m, 800 m and 1500 m races besides competition in chess.

Talking to Ludhiana Tribune, Mr Parminder Singh and Mr Gurpreet Singh, president and general secretary, of the PSAB, respectively, said where the sports authorities granted them the permission to use the stadium free of cost, however, for other expenses they had to ‘fight’ it out to collect the money.

“Moreover, their requests to the district administration to help them in organising this event failed to get any result. For example: they had submitted an application (well in time)in the Senior Medical Officer’s office to depute a team of doctors at the venue but nobody turned up here,” they rued.

They further said that last night, the authorities at the Government College for Boys hostel where the players were putting up, had refused to allow them a cook on the premises. Despite their ‘inability’, they had to go outside and bring food for the participants, Paminder Singh lamented.

Parminder Singh added that they were facing paucity of funds and had to spend from their own pockets. “We would have to manage things from Rs 60,000 which was given to the association by late Gurcharan Singh Tohra during the inaugural edition of the meet at Fatehgarh Sahib, last year and Mr Manjit Singh, chief guest, who today gave us assistance of Rs 11,000,” he said.

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Athletics meet for visually impaired begins
Our Sports Reporter

Ludhiana, May 1
The second edition of the three-day North Zone Annual Athletics Meet for the visually impaired being organised by the Punjab Sports Association for the Blind began at Guru Nanak Stadium here today.

More than 100 players from different parts of the country are taking part in three categories in this event. Mr Manjit Singh Jawaddi, social worker and sports promoter, formally inaugurated the meet.

On the opening day, heats were conducted and results are: 100 m (B-I category seniors): heat 1 — Baljinder Singh of Jalandhar 1, Parkash Gupta of Delhi 2 and Sukia Parkash of Delhi 3; heat 2 — Gurdeep Singh of Ludhiana 1, Sandeep Kumar of Ajmer 2 and Govardhan of Ajmer 3.

100 m (B- I category for juniors): heat 1 — Yogesh of Delhi 1, Varinder Shah of Delhi 2 and Gurmukh Singh of Jamalpur 3; heat 2 — Ravi Malik of Ludhiana 1, Vivek Monga of Ludhiana 2 and Harjinder Singh of Ludhiana 3.

200 m (B-II category for juniors) — Kunwarpal of Delhi 1, Jarnail Singh of Ludhiana 2 and Jagdeep Singh of Amritsar 3; 200 m (B-II category for seniors): heat 1 — Mandeep Singh of Chandigarh 1, Parkash Gupta of Delhi 2 and Manoj Pal of Delhi 3; heat 2 — Gurvir Singh of Ludhiana 1, Sandeep Trivedi of Ajmer 2 and Roshan Kant of Ajmer 3.

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Wife thwarts husband’s bid to remarry
Kanchan Vasdev
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, May 1
A remarriage attempt by a Fazilka-based man was thwarted by his vigilant wife, when she contacted the bride’s family along with proof here late last night. The bridegroom, instead of taking his ‘bride’ along for a happy life thereafter, was made to cool his heels in a local police station.

The all preened-up youth and his baraatis, soon after receiving a warm welcome, found themselves in soup. The groom was given a thrashing and sent to Division number 8 police station along with his parents and middleman. Most of the baraatis, seeing that all was not well, preferred to flee the spot.

The incident took place in the Chander Nagar area last night, where a marriage party had come from Fazilka in Ferozepore district. Fazilka resident Ramesh Chander’s son Neeraj Kumar was to be married to a local girl, who resides in the Chander Nagar area. The ceremony was to be organised at Kapoor Palace.

The parents of the local girl were contacted by Neeraj’s wife, Seema, a Bathinda girl, who had provided the pictures of her marriage with Neeraj after she had learnt that he was getting remarried although they were not divorced. They have a five-year-old daughter also. Seema and Neeraj had been living separately for some time due to some differences.

Seema told them that they were married in 1988 and alleged that Neeraj was not happy with her as he wanted dowry. She had filed a case in the court, but both the families had organised a panchayat to sort out the matter. Later, a compromise was effected and they had decided to live together.

She claimed that when on April 12, she went to his house in Fazilka, she found that he was getting remarried. She tried to find the girl, but could not. Yesterday, on the day of marriage, she reached Ludhiana and submitted her complaint to the police.

The baraat had come to the palace where the groom and his family members were confronted on this issue. When they refused to confess that Neeraj was already married and claimed that Seema was blackmailing them, the family called the police. The baraatis were then taken to the police station. High drama was witnessed at the police station. The area councilor, Dr Jaiparkash, also reached the police station.

At the police station, Neeraj’s father Ramesh Chander told the police that the woman who had called up the would-be in-laws of Neeraj was an orchestra dancer and her photos with Neeraj were doctored. But when the police probed them, the groom’s family admitted that Neeraj and this woman were married and they also had a child.

The police said that later a compromise was reached between both the parties. According to this compromise, Neeraj’s family gave the money which was spent by the girl’s family on making arrangements for the marriage. Finally, Neeraj and his family had to return without the new bride.

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My son is innocent: Jagera’s mother
Our Correspondent

Jagera (Ahmedgarh), May 1
Residents of this nondescript village on the Ludhiana-Malerkotla road were tightlipped over the reports of involvement of Sant Samsher Singh Jagera in the attempt to murder an office-bearer of the Khalsa Panchayat, which had remained in the news at the time of registration of a rape case against him.

Relatives of Sant Jagera on the other hand have accused the police of acting on the behest of a property dealer of Ludhiana who had tried to grab the land in possession of the dera.

Ms Bhagwan Kaur, mother of sant Samsher Singh Jagera, former chief of Gurdwara Mastuana at the Dugri road, Ludhiana, alleged that the police had been acting on the behest of office-bearers of the Khalsa Panchayat.

“I have firm faith in god and I am sure that my son will be proven to be innocent this time also as has been proven earlier when certain persons with vested interests had tried to malign his reputation by involving him in a false rape case,” claimed Ms Bhagwan Kaur.

She alleged that Amarjit Singh, alias Kala, who had earlier been working as the driver of the sant had staged the rape scene of his wife at the instance of some property dealers who wanted to grab the land possessed by the dera chief.

After the woman, who had earlier accused Sant Jagera of raping her, deposed in the court that he was falsely implicated, the police involved him in another false case. At present, Sant Jagera is facing a case of allegedly tampering with his passport.

Ms Bhagwan Kaur was shocked to learn today that Amarjit Singh had stated that he had been given a supari of Rs 5 lakh by Jagera to kill Charanjit Singh Channi, an office-bearer of the Khalsa Panchayat, presently running the affairs of the dera at the Dugri road.

Amarjit Singh who along with his other accomplice had been arrested by the Jagraon police had revealed that he had received Rs 1.5 lakh as a part payment for the supari killing. Balance payment of Rs 3.5 lakh was to be made after completion of the ‘job’.

Villagers were tight-lipped about any incident concerning Sant Jagera. “Though he had fallen prey to conspiracy hatched against him by some persons with vested interests, he could not be called innocent as it all happened due presence of bad people around him which he could have avoided,” remarked a villager.

Mr Rajiv Ahir, SSP, Jagraon, confirmed that Amarjit Singh had disclosed that he had received a supari from Sant Jagera to kill Charanjit. Mr Dharam Pal, SHO, Jagraon, said that Amarjit had planned to eliminate Charanjit Singh in a road accident.

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Suspected robber commits suicide
Our Correspondent

Doraha, May 1
A suspected robber committed suicide while the other was caught by the police after a hot chase at Shahpur village near here, today. They were fleeing after allegedly taking away a taxi forcibly from Linda village.

The deceased has been identified as Raj Kumar of Gobindgarh village, near Sahnewal, while the arrested person was Sukhdeep Singh (27) of Samrala.

According to the SP (Detective), Mr Dilbagh Singh, three robbers hired a taxi from Malerkotla for Sidhu Hospital at Doraha. While one of them stayed at Malerkotla, the other two stopped taxi driver Karamjit Singh at gun point at Landa village and forcibly took away the vehicle. The taxi driver contacted the police with the assistance of the sarpanch of the village.

Teams of Doraha and Payal police chased the miscreants who were nabbed at Shahpur village. Leaving behind the taxi on the road they ran towards the nearby fields. There one of them shot himself while the other was arrested. No case was registered.

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Ludhiana Calling

The Punjab Police Academy, Phillaur, has set an example by forcing 900-odd trainees to stay in the academy for 30 additional days even after their course was over. The trainees suffered a lot as academy officials were not able to arrange the VVIP in time for the passing out parade. The trainees had no option but to remain in this sort of “forcible” detention. So when the parade was held, there was a new vigour in their steps.

Photo by Sayeed Ahmed

May Day is on Sunday. Yet many schools in order to get media coverage have celebrated the day two days in advance. It has become a routine feature for some institutes to do this in order to get space in the newspapers even as the others are stragglers. Even when the day is over, they keep celebrating the occasion. With the result an important day stretches on for a week and the importance of the day is lost.

Charity or not?

These days whosoever does any charitable work wants to get maximum mileage out of it. They want their names splashed in the newspapers. But the most ridiculous part is that money spent on charity also comes from several donors. They are just the means to distribute it to the needy. And what about the plight of the needy who lay exposed before the whole world that they are subsisting on charity. They are robbed of dignity of living.

Dry cleaner’s offer

Shopkeepers often come with innovative schemes to attract customers. They are known to offer discounts or a free gift with a purchased product. Such techniques are mostly adopted by garments and general stores. But a dry cleaner in Ghumar Mandi has come up with a new idea. Fearing a fall in the business during this season when not many go to dry cleaners, he has put an advertisement outside his shop. This says: “On every two clothes, another will be dry cleaned free of cost.”

Foundation stones

Foundation stones tell tales of fulfilled or unfulfilled promises. Besides being a bone of contention between two parties, the foundation stones of late speak volumes about those who are publicity hungry. There is not a single colony in the city where there is no foundation stone. The practice of putting up foundation stone has become so prevalent that the area councillor puts a stone for recarpeting a road. At times, three to four such stones are erected for completing a single work. These announce the date of inauguration of the project followed by its completion.

Career counsellors

As the examination of most of the colleges are over, the students and parents are left confused as far as career options are concerned. After the children finish their examinations, they do not know what subjects to take up. Parents are asking their friends about the career options available for their children. Some of them even call up newspaper offices to ask whether there are plenty of job opportunities in journalism or not. There is a need for career counsellors so that the children can know well what subjects to choose.

— Sentinel

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Controversy over delay in job to MLA’s son
Mahesh Sharma

Mandi Ahmedgarh, May 1
The issue of delay in the appointment of son of an MLA as Revenue Kanungo on compassionate grounds after the death of her mother has sparked a controversy over the method of deciding such cases in the state government departments.

Whereas leaders of various Opposition parties demanded that all pending cases should be decided on merit, the sources in the administration claimed that providing appointments as a course irrespective of the financial condition of the family of the deceased would violate the directions of the Supreme Court.

Mr Tarsem Singh Jodhan, former MLA from Kila Raipur constituency, urged the state government to consider all similar pending cases sympathetically. Referring to information received through the leaders of various employee unions, Mr Jodhan claimed that thousands of families had been starving for years for the want of livelihood as the parent departments of their deceased breadwinners had declined their cases.

Referring to the statements issued by Mr Gobind Singh Kanjhla, a former minister and SAD MLA, regarding illegal gratification demanded by two senior administrative officers, Mr Jodhan said that he should have reacted in a similar manner when thousands of hapless youths were denied this right, years ago.

Mr Baldev Singh Latala, a former leader of the Government Teachers Union, and Mr Mohinder Singh Seelon, state committee member of the Zamhuri Kisan Sabha, alleged that successive governments had been ignoring the interests of the families of those who had died during their active service.

“Even during the SAD regime when Mr Kanjhla was himself a minister thousands of cases of appointment on compassionate grounds remained undecided,” recollected the leaders.

Sources in the administration, on the other hand, claimed that the appointments if made as a course irrespective of the financial condition of the family of the dead employee would violate the directions of the Supreme Court.

Referring to a circular on grant of employment in state services on compassionate grounds, the sources claimed that the apex court had held that the object of compassionate appointment was to enable the penurious family of the deceased employee to tide over the sudden financial crisis and not to provide employment. It was further held that mere death of an employee did not entitle his family to compassionate employment.

The imposition of a cap on compassionate appointment would also protect the legitimate right of young qualified persons who were waiting for their turn for being recruited in various departments of the government for years, viewed the authorities.

Referring to the particular case of Gagandeep Singh, the experts claimed that once the administration had approved his dependence certificate he should have been offered a job in the Education Department according to his merit and not in the Revenue Department as stated in a section of media. They cited the reference in this connection as quoting, “The appointments can be made to group C and D posts against the direct recruitment quota available at the time of appointment in the department of the deceased employee.”

The experts took notice of the fact that violating the law the administration offered MLA’s son a post in relatively ‘more rewarding’ Revenue Department whereas more than 30,000 posts of teacher and clerk were vacant in the Education Department, the mother department of the deceased.

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Abducted girl’s mother approaches rights panel
Our Correspondent

Mandi Ahmedgarh, May 1
A woman from here has re-approached the Human Rights Commission, Punjab, to impress upon the police to arrest the accused wanted under Sections 363, 366 and 120B of the IPC for abducting her daughter two months back.

Ms Shashi Bala Sharma alleged that Naeem Akhtar, a youth of local Chand Cinema Road, had allegedly abducted her minor daughter Rukmani (name changed) with the connivance of his parents and sister on March 2.

Ms Sharma had approached the Human Rights Commission to seek justice but the commission had observed that the case was outside the purview of the commission. However, it had forwarded a copy of the complaint to SSP, Sangrur, for taking appropriate action.

Meanwhile, the police had registered an FIR under Sections 363, 366 and 120B of the IPC against the youth, Naeem Akhtar, his mother, Johri, father, Abdul Satar, and sister, Jawaidan.

In a communication addressed to the Chairman of the rights commission, the complainant has now accused the police of inaction and urged that the authorities should be asked to arrest the accused who according to her were roaming free. She has claimed that she had been receiving threats from them.

The police on the other hand denied the charges of inaction and maintained that it had been raiding the houses of the accused here and at Malerkotla.

Referring to the information received from the local leaders and councillors, Mr Harinder Singh, SHO, said the girl and the main accused were in love which was known to her parents. 

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Workers, tiny tots celebrate May Day
Tribune Reporters

Ludhiana, May 1
The Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) today gave a clarion call to the working class to launch a relentless fight against exploitation by capitalists, imperialist and liberal policies, globalisation, privatisation, communalism and other anti-national economic policies.

In a massive rally held here today on ‘May Day’, the trade union activists paid glowing tributes to the martyrs of Chicago and vowed to follow in the footsteps of their brethren in their struggle against repressive and anti-labour policies of the government and the local industrialists. The state president of CITU, Mr Balwant Singh, and the general secretary, Mr Raghu Nath Singh, asked the workers to be prepared for all kinds of sacrifices so that a crushing blow could be inflicted upon capitalists.

Mr Raghu Nath Singh, vice president of CITU, unfurled the red flag to mark the commencement of the rally, which had a presidium comprising of Mr Hanuman Prasad Dubey, Mr Ram Dular, Mr Rajesh Kumar, Mr Ram Lakhan, Mr Jag Prasad, Mr Devta Deen, Mr Raj Kapoor and Mr Balbir Singh.

The trade union functionaries regretted that the registration of labour unions in the cycle industry in the city was hanging fire for the past more than one year but the government and the Labour Department were dancing to the tunes of factory owners and were virtually acting like stooges of their capitalist masters.

The district secretary of the CPM, Mr Sukhminder Sekhon, while addressing the rally, assured that the party would stand by the working classes in their struggle to achieve justice. He said the anti-worker policies of the Punjab government would be suitably exposed in Parliament and the intervention of the Union Government would be sought for the redressal of grievances of the trade unions.

The district secretary of CITU, Mr Jatinder Pal Singh, Mr Khushi Mohammed, Mr Harbans Singh, Mr Vijay Bahadur, Mr Amarjit Singh, Mr Manjit Singh, Mr Sukhwinder Lotey, Mr Subeg Singh, Mr B.S. Shahi, Mr Jagdish Choudhry, Mr Vijay Ravidas, Mr Ram Varan and Mr Rama Krishna were among other speakers at the rally.

Earlier, the trade union activists organised gate rallies in front of their respective factories at different places in the city and thereafter marched towards the venue of the rally on the Giaspura ground.

Led by functionaries of the Moulder and Steel Workers Union, several trade union bodies held a demonstration and rally in front of the Labour Department office on the Gill Road here to pay homage to martyrs.

Speakers, including Mr Harjinder Singh, Mr Mohinder Pal, Mr Vijay Narain, Mr Hans Raj, Mr Parbhakar, Mr Ramesh Kumar, Mr Gallar Chauhan, and Mr Budhi GC, observed that imperialism supported global bodies like the WTO, the World Bank and the IMF had intensified their attacks on the labour class under various garbs. An effort was being made to take control of the national resources and productive units, and unfortunately the government had become an ally in these nefarious designs.

The trade union leaders lamented that profitable public sector units, as well as educational institutions, hospitals and state electricity boards were being privatised with the result that employment, wages, service conditions and democratic trade unions rights were under grave threat. They cautioned the working classes to keep a vigil against such destructive and devastating policies and fight against them in an appropriate manner.

In separate functions to observe ‘labour day’ in the city, the PPCC secretary, Mr Parminder Mehta, and the Youth Congress joint secretary, Mr Soni Walia, expressed concern over the gross violation of labour laws and the denial of minimum wages and other benefits to the industrial labour. They called upon the ruling Congress to ensure scrupulous implementation of labour laws, put an end to exploitation of workers and the menace of child labour in the state.

Workers honoured: Love Dale celebrated ‘workers day ’ here on Sunday. Workers like gatekeepers, drivers and maids were honoured. The club members, all children, appreciated the services of the workers and offered them flowers and snacks. The workers performed on latest dance numbers and recited a bhajan. Those workers who performed on the stage were given prizes. Children were told the importance of dignity of labour.

Celebrations in school: Tiny tots of Sheen Shine Nursery School celebrated ‘Labour Day’ here on Sunday. The Principal of the school, Mr Gurmeet Chand, explained to the small kids the importance of ‘May Day’.

AMLOH: The CPM celebrated ‘May Day’ as ‘Labour Day’ in association of the local unit of the Democratic Youth Federation of India at the Grain Market here on Sunday. Farmers and labourers from surrounding villages participated. Mr Inderjit Singh Bhagrana, district secretary, CPM, unfurled the party’s flag.

Addressing the gathering, Mr Bhagrana gave a call to the working class to prepare for a struggle against the privatisation of education, health services, the PSEB and other government policies for public sector undertakings. Mr Kulwant Singh Baina spoke on the history of this day. The chief of the federation, Mr Harinder Singh Toor, the secretary of the Punjab Kisan Sabha, Mr Sukhdev Singh Tibbi, and other leaders also spoke on the occasion.

MANDI GOBINDGARH: Members of AITUC celebrated ‘May Day’ at the Loha Bazar here on Sunday. Mr Nirmal Singh of the AITUC Mazdoor Sabha hoisted the flag. CPI secretary Khraiti Lal and Mr Vinod Kumar Pappu criticised the policies of state and Central governments.

The Jan Shakti Nepali Aikta union celebrated ‘May Day’ and organised a function near the Municipal Park. The martyrs of Chicago were remembered on the occasion.

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Chicago martyrs remembered
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, May 1
The PAU Employees Union, the PAU Class IV Workers Union and the PAU Daily Paid Labour Union celebrated May Day.
Mr Amrit Pal, general secretary of the union, said the significance of the day was still relevant today because the ruling classes were still trying to deprive the working class of the benefits, which they had earned by long, consistent and militant struggles.

He said that under the name of so called ‘economic reforms’, the policies of privatisation and liberalisation were being implemented in India on the diktats of the World Trade Organisation, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. People should follow the path shown by the Chicago martyrs.

Mr D.P. Maur, president of the union, warned the Punjab Government against the bifurcation of PAU. He said the government should set up a new independent veterinary university by saving the assets of PAU. Prof Som Pal Hira staged a play highlighting the miseries of the labourer on the occasion. 

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Branding of Dalit undertrial condemned
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, May 1
Dr Ambedkar Ekta Mission, Punjab, while condemning the branding of Mohan Lal, a Dalit undertrial in Jalandhar Central Jail, has demanded stern legal action against the Jail Superintendent and other jail employees, responsible for this reprehensible act.

In a meeting held under the presidentship of Mr Kala Hans here today, the mission took strong note of the incident in which the undertrial was not only branded with the words ‘low caste’ written on his back, but was also beaten up and harassed in gross violation of the rules.

Speaking at the occasion, Mr Hans claimed that there was widespread resentment among the members of Dalit community over the atrocities committed upon the undertrial, which were aimed at intimidating him at the behest of certain influential people.

Earlier, functionaries of the mission, along with several other bodies of the Dalit community staged a dharna at the Clock Tower Chowk here demanding strict action against the guilty persons so that there was no recurrence of such inhuman acts in future.

Prominent among others present at the occasion were Lala Jiwan Kumar, Mr Sudesh Gharu, Ms Chander Kanta, Ms Seema Sahota, Mr Surinder Singh Happy, Mr Laadi Mattu, Mr Rakesh Sahota, Mr Mannu Taank, Mr Arun Sidhu, Mr Sanjay Kumar, Mr Harnek Neki, Ms Suneeta, Ms Sukhwinder Kaur, Ms Manju Juneja, Ms Mamta, Mr Sikander Sibbu, Mr Pinny Hans, Mr Kamal, Ms Joginder Kaur, Mr Sucha Ram and Mr Baljit Bahal.

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PoK bus passenger recalls happy moments
Asha Ahuja

Khalid Hussain
Khalid Hussain

Ludhiana, May 1
Khalid Hussain, leader of the bus passengers those left Srinagar on April 7 for Muzzafarabad in the PoK was in the city to attend a seminar on Punjabi literature at the Punjabi Bhavan today. He is a writer in his own right and was here to share his views .

Talking to Ludhiana Tribune, he said that the journey that he undertook as leader was an historic, exciting and the most thrilling one as the relatives of people from both sides met after a long gap of 57 years . He said that words were not enough to describe the joyous reunion of the loved ones, who had to forcibly bear the separation. This bold step of opening the bus route had brought the peoples of Kashmir and the PoK closer.

He said, “Most of the people have welcomed the decision. Those who oppose this move are the ones who get money in the name of Jehad. Common people are overjoyed at the opening of the route. The routes between Sialkot -Jammu, Mirpur-Rajouri, Akhnoor- Bhanku and Ravalkot and Poonch should also be opened. This way doubts, misgivings and misunderstandings between the people will vanish and cordial relations will prevail.”

He said that all passengers got floral welcome at Uri on the Indian side and Chakota on the Muzzafarabad side.It was indeed an unforgettable experience.

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Need to motivate youth to nurture Punjabi literature
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, May 1
A two-day seminar on the golden jubilee celebrations of the Punjabi Sahit Akademi and organised to discuss the role of Punjabi literature outside Punjab concluded at the Punjabi Bhavan here today.

In the morning session today, the discussion on Punjabi literature in Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra was held. Dr Krantipal from Aligarh, Dr Hardev Singh Grewal from Kolkata, Mr Baldev Singh Moga and Dr Sukhdev Singh read the paper on Punjabi literature in Rajasthan. Dr Sarabjit Singh talked of Punjabi literature in Himachal Pradesh. Dr Jagveer Singh of Delhi presided over this session.

The second session was conducted by Mr Labh Singh Kheeva, Dr Gur Iqbal Singh and Dr Surjit Singh.

The writers reached the conclusion that good work was being done in Punjabi literature in other states but the younger generation was going away from the literature.

But similar problem is being faced in Punjab too. The younger generation needed to be motivated to nurture love for their mother tongue.

Dr S.S. Gill of Punjab Agricultural University presided over the valedictory session. It was observed during the session that all Punjabi writers from outside Punjab should meet in future under the guidance of the Punjabi Sahit Akademi, Ludhiana. Prof Gurbhajan Singh thanked all participants and the audience.

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Ration distributed to needy women
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, May 1
Punjabi Nishkam Sewa Dal distributed ration among needy women at Hanuman Mandir on the Shahpur Road here today. The function was conducted under the leadership of Mr Sushil Prashar, president of seva dal.

The chief guest, Mr Narinder Sharma, said sewa dal was doing a laudable job by providing monthly ration to 56 needy women for the past 16 months. He urged young people to come forward and help in such noble causes.

Mr Sharma said he would provide free books and copies to the children of these women.

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Tributes paid to Kaushal
Our Correspondent

Doraha, May 1
Tributes were paid to Krishan Kumar Kaushal on his first death anniversary at K.K. Memorial Bhavan today. A large member of people, including women, assembled in the bhavan as a mark of respect for their leader.

Mr Lakhwinder Singh Buani, district general secretary, MCPI, recalled the services of Kaushal and his contribution to the struggle for the working class and youth.

Mr Gurdev Singh Sarabha, a leader of the MCPI, remembered his fight against social evils. Mr Adarsh Pal Bector, a former president of the Municipal Council, also remembered his long association with the communist.

Mr Bal Kishan, Mr Kuldip Singh, secretary, Punjab, MCPI, Mr Tarlochan Singh Sethi, Mr Amarjit Singh, Mr Prem Singh Bhangu, MCPI politburo member, Mr Jagjit Singh Lyallpuri, all-India general secretary, MCPI, and Mr Darshan Singh also recalled his contributions.

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