Amritsar, November 20
Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Joginder Singh Vedanti is in the fix following ‘mediation’ between two warring groups of a gurdwara in Los Angeles as some members have written to the SGPC to take up the matter at the forthcoming general body meeting of the Shiromani Committee, to be held here on November 23.

Mr Sukhi Sandhu, and Mr Harjit Singh Saini (USA), in a representation faxed to Bibi Jagir Kaur, here today said that though Akal Takht was supreme for all Sikhs but there must be some rules for the Jathedar to stop him from interfering in local affairs of the Sikhs in foreign countries. They said the jathedar should not take up the matters which were sub-judice. However, Mr Prithpal Singh Sandhu, personal assistant to Jathedar, Akal Takht said that such issues could not be taken up by the general house.

Meanwhile Mr Yadvinder Singh, President of the American Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (AGPC), who held a meeting with Giani Joginder Singh Vedanti, said that the Sikh clergy should refrain from interfering in local and administrative strife of foreign gurdwaras.

Talking to The Tribune, the AGPC president said that Sikh high priests should issue directives only if there was any violation of ‘Maryada’ (Sikh code of conduct) in gurdwaras. He said sometimes, any edict issued by the jathedar regarding local issues encouraged infighting in foreign gurdwaras.

Mr Yadvinder Singh said that Jathedar Akal Takht should help in the formation of proposed International Sikh Confederation (ISC), which should be responsible for resolving burning issues pertaining to Sikhism all over the world. He clarified that the proposed ISC was not aimed at replacing the SGPC at all. He said the ISC would give due representation to the grass-root level Sikhs the world over and help fulfil long-cherished aspirations of the community .The AGPC president said that Akal Takht was supreme for the Sikhs hence the ‘Maryada’ approved by it was being implemented in its all 43 member gurdwaras in America.

Mr Yadvinder Singh, however, alleged that Jathedar Vedanti had ‘dumped’ the manuscript of the proposed ISC for reasons best known to him.

Giving details of the activities of the AGPC, Mr Yadvinder Singh said that it had given training to Transport Security Agency (TSA) to understand Sikhs and Sikhism after 9/11 attacks in America. He claimed that Sikhs were very much safe in America and measures were taken by the American government to save members of the Sikh community.

Jagraon, November 20
Contrary to the popular belief that the chief of the Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) and one of the most most wanted persons by the police in India, Wadhawa Singh, was lying low, the Jagraon police today claimed to have arrested three alleged terrorists, one of whom had taken a week-long training from him in Pakistan in May this year to revive terrorism in the state.

The three alleged terrorists — Manpreet Singh of Dhulkote, Chamkaur Singh and Bhagwant Singh of Maqsudran — were planning to kill Baba Bhaniara for his anti-Sikh activities and Member of Parliament Jagdish Tytler for his alleged role in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots when the police caught them from near a railway bridge in Aligarh village today morning.

SSP Jagraon R.K. Jaiswal told mediapersons here this evening that Wadhawa Singh was working through another most wanted terrorist, Harjit Singh Latala, who was a proclaimed offender in the late Chief Minister Beant Singh assassination case and was based in the USA.

The police is sending the case file to the CBI also for taking up the matter with the Governments of Pakistan and the USA.

The police said the arrest had pointed out a new route for abetting terrorism in the state. Manpreet Singh, a close aide of Gurpreet Singh, a Nabha jail warden-turned-alleged terrorist, caught by the Bathinda police two days ago, had visited Pakistan through Bangkok. He had met several men of Harjit Singh Latala in select hotels in Bangkok only.

Mr Jaiswal claimed that Latala and Wadhawa Singh were in constant touch with them and had supplied explosives, arms and ammunition to these persons for allegedly reviving terrorism in the state.

The police recovered 930 gm black RDX, 275 gm white RDX, 56 cartridges of 7.4 mouser, 28 detonators, a pencil bomb and a timer from their custody. The accused had kept the explosives in their houses.

The police was hopeful that the three alleged terrorists would provide them some insight into the whereabouts and activities of fugitive terrorists, Jagtar Singh Tara and Paramjit Singh Bheora, who had escaped from Burail Jail with Jagtar Singh Hawara.

Interestingly, two of the arrested accused — Bhagwant Singh and Chamkaur Singh — were members of a mob that had attacked the Dhakki Sahib Dera in Maqsudran allegedly at the behest of some Akali leaders.

Mr Jaiswal said the terrorists had received the explosives at Jodhpur in Rajasthan in 2000. A major chunk of that was distributed to some other terrorists near the Neelon bridge Ludhiana and at some other places.

Mr Jaiswal said the police team of SP (detective) S.P. Singh, DSP Gurjit Singh Romana and CIA in charge Prithipal Singh had nabbed the three terrorists.

Bathinda, November 20
The police today claimed that the three persons arrested yesterday, including a jail warden, on the charge of sedition had links with the Babbar Khalsa International chief Wadhawa Singh and they were planning to revive terrorism through their disruptive activities in Punjab and other states.

In a press note issued here, the police stated that the CIA staff in charge got a tip-off yesterday that Gurpreet Singh, a jail warden posted at Central Jail, Barnala, his aides — Gurjit Singh and Gurdeep Singh — knew some dreaded terrorists and were also harbouring them. The police said Gurpreet Singh was also transporting illegal weapons in his Maruti car, besides aiding terrorists in moving from one place to other. The police claimed that Wadhawa Singh was supplying money and weapons to the accused for “establishing a separate state and reviving terrorism in Punjab”. During interrogation, Gurpreet Singh confessed to have received training for carrying out terrorist activities during his visit to Pakistan in May. He admitted having met Wadhawa Singh Babbar. He said they used to receive money and arms from foreign countries. The accused also confessed to having contacts with assassins of ex-Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh, who remained in touch with them after escaping from jail. Gurpreet had also given shelter to them.

A case has been registered against them under Sections 119, 120, 121, 122, 123, 124A, 153A, 212, 216, 148, 149 and 120B of the IPC, and Sections 4/5 of the Arms Act at the Kotwali police station. The police also recovered a. 32 bore revolver and 10 cartridges from the possession of Gurpreet. 

Barnala, November 20
Twentyeight-year struggle has not deterred Mr Jagtar Singh, a Junior Engineer of Punjab State Electricity Board, at Piareana of Ferozeshah in Ferozepur district and he is still grappling with injustice.

Ironically, Mr.Jagtar Singh who had been convicted on 6.4.1978 by the court of Additional Sessions Judge, Ferozepur, in a case registered on 04.05.1977 against him under sections 5(2) of Prevention of Corruption Act, 1947, and 161 of the IPC at Police Station Sadar Ferozepore had been found innocent after about 26 years in an enquiry.

Mr Jagtar Singh, who had been sentenced to two years imprisonment and a fine of Rs 300, had to undergo imprisonment for one year as the same was reduced from two to one year by the High Court.

Now it has emerged that Jagtar Singh became a victim of sinister designs of some manipulative elements who connived together to implicate him in a false case which subsequently resulted in his loss of job, conviction as well as imprisonment for one year.

The fact that Mr Jagtar was innocent came to light in 1993 when Mr. Baaj Singh, a clerk of SDO Sub-Division, Ferozeshah, deposed in the court of Mr.Varinder Singh saying that Mr.Jasmail Singh neither in 1977 nor before and after was given any agriculture power connection for 3 HP motor from 100 KVA transformer in the field of Mr Bachint Singh.

Mr Jagtar Singh informed this reporter that Mr Jasmail Singh in connivance with Mr Mohinder Singh, a Junior Engineer of power board, got him falsely trapped in vigilance net on the charge of bribery for offering agriculture power connection for 3 HP motor from 100 KVA transformer in the field of Mr Bachint Singh.

He revealed that Mohinder Singh, a promotee JE, grew jealous of him when Executive Engineer, City Division, posted Jagtar as JE incharge of sub-office being an Engineering Diploma holder.

In the year 2003, Mr Jagtar Singh filed a writ petition in the Punjab and Haryana High Court praying for direction to Chief Director Vigilance Bureau Punjab, Chandigarh, and SSP Ferozepore to reinvestigate the case.

After declining the prayer for reinvestigation of case FIR No.148, Mr. Justice M.M.Kumar of Punjab And Haryana High Court on 16.10.2003 directed SSP Ferozepur to look into the complaint dated 11.6.2002 filed by petitioner. Mr Jagtar Singh divulged that the SSP Ferozepur instead of initiating any action against those who had made false statements, got an enquiry conducted into his complaint. After getting a thorough enquiry done by Mr Satnam Singh ASI Police, SHO Police Station, Sadar, Ferozepur, sent a report to SSP Ferozepur informing him that Mr Jagtar Singh had been found innocent.

Mr Jagtar Singh informed that he had made repeated representations to the Chairman and Secretary, Punjab State Electricity Board Patiala, requesting them for his reinstatement as JE-II with retrospective effect in compliance of Annexure P-8 in CMNo.21421 of 2004 passed by the High Court.

He had also written request letters to Mr Lal Singh, Punjab Power Minister, the Chief Secretary, Punjab, and Principal Secretary Home Punjab for information and necessary prompt action.

Chandigarh, November 20
An Air Force Wing Commander who was cashiered from service and awarded three years’ rigorous imprisonment by a general court martial (GCM) for allegedly misbehaving with his maid servant has challenged the court’s verdict on the grounds that action was initiated without any complaint against him.

In a petition filed before the Punjab and Haryana High Court, former Wg Cdr A.S. Gill has contended that there was no written or oral complaint before his Commanding Officer (CO) when he had prepared the charge sheet against him. Nor was his CO and eyewitness to any of the alleged offences, he added.

The officer was tried on 12 charges under various sections of the Air Force Act. These included abduction and illegal confinement of his maid servant in an officers’ mess in Ambala and a hotel room in Ramgarh, Jharkhand.

The court martial had found him guilty of four charges and acquitted him on the other charges. Later, when the sentence was sent for confirmation to the Chief of the Air Staff, he was acquitted on another charge, which, he said, was the most serious of all charges. The sentence of rigorous imprisonment was also remitted.

The petition states that he was served with three different charge sheets. The first served upon him in December 2004 contained four charges, while the second charge sheet issued in April 2005 contained seven charges. The last one issued in June 2005 contained 12 charges in which eight of the alleged offences mentioned were related to Ambala and the remaining four to Ramgarh.

The petition contended that when the latter two charge sheets were prepared, the Commanding Officer did not carry out oral hearing of the charges, order recording of summary of evidence pertaining to the 12 charges and prepare application for the trial of the accused, as he should have done according to the regulations.

The petition also stated that when the accused had demanded for a copy of the written or oral complaint during pre-trial proceedings, he was neither given nor shown any such copy. Pointing out that the aggrieved persons in all three charge sheets were the same civilians and only they could be the complainants, the petition contended that none of the three had made any complaint to the Air Force and nor had any Air Force official reported that any complaint about the accused was made by the said civilians.

Mohali, November 20
If there is anything Kharar MLA Bir Devinder Singh is not known for, it is the restrained effort of looking the other way. Or choosing to remain silent when a spade has to be called a spade, even if it means falling behind in the political race.

“No one likes a whistle blower and I am no different. Instead of being given a pat on my back for having brought a wrong before the public, I am being slotted as a dissenter,” said the suave politician during an interview to The Tribune today.

Having invited the wrath of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee president and the Chief Minister for taking on his own party over the issue of the Lovely University Bill and recently for levelling allegations of corruption against Minister for Local Bodies, Mr Bir Devinder is, however, not worried about the consequences, “Main to toota hua sitara hoon kya bigadegi anjuman mera? Why should I be bothered? I knew what I was doing. I had my facts right. And no one can blame me for bringing these facts out in public. I had no choice. Ask the Chief Minister how many letters have I written to him about what his ministers are doing? He also does not need my letters to know what is happening right under his nose and on many occasions in his name. But when no action was taken, I was forced to speak up,” he said, adding that the facts he had collected were being sent to the party high command.

“The anti-corruption stand that the Chief Minister took against the Akalis should not be a mere political plank. Look at Mrs Sonia Gandhi’s stand on the Volcker Report issue. If for my party high command and Prime Minister corruption is a matter of principle not politics, then why should I not follow them?” he said.

But why just the Local Bodies Minister? “I talked about Chaudhry Jagjit Singh because what is happening in Mohali is of grave nature and it falls in my constituency. If I do not object to it, then I would be considered to be party to the minister-coloniser nexus. Moreover, all eyes are on this township as the state’s next major destination and a large amount of the tax payer’s money has been set aside to develop this area,” he said, adding that his remarks about the minister should be seen as wake up call for the party.

“If the Chief Minister is not going to take notice of the wrongs that are happening, it might be too late. We all stand to lose as a party. And to put the record straight, I am not leaving the Congress. I have been in the Congress for more than 30 years by conviction not political convenience or ambition.” he said.

When asked if other party members were supporting him through the crises Mr Bir Devinder chose to quote a couplet penned by Dushyant Kumar: “sab to masroof hain andheron ki kharidari mein, hum yahaan shamon ki dukaan lagaye baithe hain…. Dukandaar to sab lut gaye hain mele mein, ab tamashbeen yahan dukanein lagaye baithe hain.”

Fatehgarh Sahib, November 20
SGPC members, belonging to the Panthic Morcha, and some SGPC members from Haryana on Thursday held a meeting at Gurdwara Fatehgarh Sahib to chalk out a strategy for the coming SGPC election to the post of president.

Addressing a press conference, Mr Karnail Singh Panjoli said Bibi Jagir Kaur, SGPC president, had caused unbearable loss religiously as well as economically to the ‘panth’ and had proved to be the worst-ever president in the history of the SGPC.

He said the SGPC had decided to set up Guru Granth Sahib World Sikh University at Fatehgarh Sahib and a trust had been constituted for the purpose.

The SGPC had also transfered 80 acre of the SGPC land to the trust. But for a year or so, it had been lying vacant causing a loss of more than Rs 9 lakh to the SGPC, he rued.

He said till today the aims and objects of the proposed university had not been cleared. Moreover, such members had been appointed to the trust who have no knowledge of education and religion.

Mr Panjoli said the SGPC was not any body’s private property rather all its institutions belonged to the ‘panth’, which was headed by Jathedar of Sri Akal Takht.

He lamented that Bibi Jagir Kaur had been laying the foundation stones without any planning just to please Mr Badal, so that he might nominate her as the SGPC president.

Mr Panjoli said Bibi had so denigrated the principles of Sikhism that she started inviting babas to lay foundation stones of the SGPC institutions and even Mr Badal, who was neither a member of the SGPC nor had any link with Gurughar.

Lashing out at Mr Badal, he said on one hand he had been opposing costly cars for ministers, on the other hand he had allowed the SGPC president to purchase costly car by misutilising SGPC funds.

Mr Panjoli urged the SGPC members to oppose the misdeeds of Bibi Jagir Kaur and Mr Badal as SGPC was not their private property.

He also asked Mr Badal to select a true Sikh and taksali as the next SGPC president.

Mr Jagir Singh Chinda, member SGPC, Karnal, Mr Didar Singh Nalvi, member, executive committee, SGPC, Bibi Surinder Kaur, SGPC member, Mr Ravinder Singh Khalsa, member SGPC, Mr Surjit Singh Kala Gulla, SGPC member, and Mr Avtar Singh Chaku, member, SGPC,were also present in the conference.

Hoshiarpur, November 20
Keeping in view the proposed protest march towards the residence of Mr Romesh Chander Dogra, Health and Family Welfare Minister Punjab, by members of the Medical Laboratory Technicians Association Punjab (MLTAP), the district administration deployed heavy police force around the house of the minister in the Nai Abadi locality and at Shaheed Udham Singh Park in the Model Town area early this morning.

Earlier, members of the association held a massive rally in the park. Barricades were erected on all approach roads to the house and the park.

Inhabitants of Nai Abadi and Model Town faced a lot of inconvenience due to the erection of barricades and deployment of the heavy police force as their movement was restricted.

Hundreds of members of the MLTAP from all over the state, led by its president, Mr Sikander Singh, and general secretary, Mr Amarjit Singh Kayala, staged a massive rally in support of their demands, including immediate implementation of decisions of the court regarding their payscale, house rent on the pattern of para-medical staff residing in hospitals, patient care allowance on the Central Government pattern, two-year laboratory course sanctioned in medical colleges, starting of BSc laboratory course, no recruitment of lab technician on contract basis, increase in posts of medical technicians in newly constructed hospitals of districts etc.

At about 3 p.m., when Mr Pritam Singh, SDM, told the technicians that Mr Romesh Chander Dogra had promised sympathetic consideration of their demands and had invited them for discussion in this regard to his office in Chandigarh on November 22, they dispersed.

Fazilka, November 20
Mr Ravinder Luthra and Mr Gurinder Singh Sodhi, president and general secretary, respectively, of the Punjab State Pharmacists Association, Punjab unit, and Mr Shashi Kant, president, Ferozepore unit, in a joint statement here today alleged that there “is a rampant corruption in the office of Director, Health Services”. They said no official work of any pharmacist or employee of the Health Department was done without bribe. Even for the withdrawal of advance from General Provident Fund, the employees were forced to give bribe.

They said the directorate had adopted a callous attitude towards their long-pending demands for the past 15 years. Their main demands include change of designation to pharmacy officer after four years of service, senior pharmacy officer after nine years and chief pharmacy officer after 14 years. Besides, the pharmacists are demanding the implementation of amended pharmacy Act of 1976, registration of pharmacists as medical practitioners after 10 years.

Amritsar, November 20
Boys and girls will participate in a rally and seminar on Drugs and AIDS on November 28 to spread awareness, on HIV/AIDS among students and people.

Baba Sewa Singh of Kar Seva Khadoor Sahib in a press note here today said that the rally would start from the Golden Temple at 11 am and after covering 50 km would culminate at Khadoor Sahib with halt at Jandiala Guru.

Giani Joginder Singh Vedanti, Jathedar Akal Takht, will address rallyists at Akal Takht and give green signal to the motorcade.

Abohar, November 20
Sonu, one of the suspects nabbed by the police for his alleged involvement in cases of theft, today escaped from the old city police station, sources said.

The police officers, after a major reshuffle, had claimed on Friday that six members of a gang had been arrested by the CIA staff when they were conspiring to loot a petrol filling station and commit a roadside robbery near the industrial focal point on the Alamgarh bypass. The police succeeded in getting them remanded in custody for interrogation.

They were to be produced before the court tomorrow. They had been booked under Sections 380, 399, 401, 457, 148 and 149 of the IPC and 25/54/59 of the Arms Act. The police claimed having recovered some quantity of grocery item, besides small knives etc, from their possession.

The authorities hoped they would be able to solve most of the theft cases during their interrogation.

According to official sources, Sonu, a son of Puran Chand Dhanak of Arya Nagar, here entered a toilet inside the old police station this morning and escaped through the ventilation point. Two policemen chased him but Sonu disappeared after entering the TB hospital located on Gaushala Road.

No action against the policemen on duty had so far been taken for negligence. Sonu’s relatives refused to believe the police story and smelt foul play.

Ludhiana, November 20
Even as Avtar Singh Taari, main accused in the Reema Jain murder case eludes arrest, a former member of his gang-cum-important witness in the case was shot at and hurt by four unidentified assailants near Ayali village chowk on the Ludhiana-Hambran road last evening.

Victim Makhan Singh, who also was an informer of some senior police officials received gunshot wounds on his chin and chest. He was removed to DMC hospital where he was stated to be out of danger.

The Jagraon police has registered a case at the Hambran police station. Sources said Makhan SIingh’s key role in helping the police in the Reema Jain murder case could be the reason behind the attack, senior police officials of Jagraon and Ludhiana said the attack could be the handiwork of other persons. Makhan Singh had several enemies. He was an under-trial prisoner in a murder case, he was also involved in poppy husk smuggling.

SSP Jagraon R.K. Jaiswal said so the police could not say the gang of Avtar Singh Taari, an alleged contract killer and arms smuggler, was behind the attack. He said the police was suspecting the role of some persons whose relative Makhan Singh had allegedly murdered in 1989.

Makhan Singh had helped the Ludhiana police in the Reema Jain case. He was a witness to the meetings of Avtar Singh Taari and Micky Jain in the central jail here, where allegedly the conspiracy of murder of Reema Jain was hatched.

Micky Jain is a brother-in-law of Reema Jain. He is the only accused arrested in her murder case. SP (Detective) Ludhiana Gurpreet Singh said Makhan Singh was a secondary witness in the case. He added persons other than the Taari gang seemed to be involved in today’s attack on him.