Phagwara/ Jalandhar, August 1
In support of their long-pending demands, members of the Punjab and Chandigarh College Teachers Union (PCCTU) teaching in non-government colleges under the Guru Nanak Dev University, including those of the local Guru Nanak College, today observed a strike after two periods, held campus rallies, dharnas and submitted memorandums to the authorities concerned.

Professor Jaswant Singh Gandam, former District President, PCCTU, said their demands included grant of pension and gratuity, lifting of ban on posts, absorption of staff and solution of DPEs’ redesignation.

Private college teachers from Punjab University and Punjabi University will observe a strike after two periods on August 7 and 11 respectively.

He said a state-level protest would be held on August 18 in the form of a “Chunavi Vahda Yad Karao” (poll promise reminder) march from Barnala to Patiala.

A caravan of vehicles would start from Barnala, where Captain Amarinder Singh had met a deputation of PCCTU to include pension scheme in Congress poll manifesto, and converge at Patiala from where he had carried his campaign for polls over four-and-a-half-years back, he added.

The PCCTU leader said it would be a major action programme for which preparations and mobilisation of activists had already been started.

A similar demonstration was held by the members of the district council of the PCCTU outside the office of Deputy Commissioner in Jalandhar today.

Over 500 teachers from 17 colleges of the district stopped teaching work from 11.30 am to 1 pm and reached the administration complex.

Addressing the protesters, vice-president of the union, Mr V.K. Sareen, alleged that teachers were being given no social security after retirement even after putting in 37-38 years of service. 

Jalandhar, August 1
Intensifying its drive against ‘fake’ travel agents, the district police today claimed that it had booked 26 persons in 10 cases registered in the last four days.

A case under Section 420 and 406 of the IPC has been registered against one Jeeta and his mother Simro, residents of Bilga village, on the complaint of one Bahadur Singh of Lambran.

He had alleged that the accused took Rs 1 lakh from him on an assurance of arranging the marriage of his daughter with a person settled abroad. The complainant had alleged that neither was the marriage arranged nor was the money returned.

A similar case has been registered against Gurmit Singj, Ashok Kumar, Surjit Kaur, Bholi and Rani, all from Bholath, Kapurthala, on the complaint of one Ravel Singh of Sarabha Nagar, Jalandhar.

He had accused them of taking an amount of Rs 8 lakh with an assurance of sending him to England.

The complainant had alleged that he was neither sent abroad nor was his money returned. Other complaints too were of similar nature, the SSP said, adding that investigations were being conducted and the accused would be arrested in due course of time. 

Kapurthala, August 1
In an apparent case of blind murder, the district police this evening recovered a headless body from the fields of one Joginder Singh in Gobindpur village on Bhavanipur-Gopipur road here.

Before dumping the body, the murderer had severed the head and a leg of the body to hide the identity of the victim.

As soon as the villagers came to know about the body, they informed the police.

Following this, Kapurthala SSP Rajiv Ahir, SP (Detective) Bachan Singh Randhawa, DSP City Amrik Singh Powar and CIA in-charge Gian Singh along with several policemen reached the spot.

After seeing the condition of the body, the police suspected that the victim might have been mercilessly murdered a few days back. A large number of villagers gathered at the site where the body was being recovered. Meanwhile, the body was sent to the Kapurthala Civil Hospital for postmortem. The police is reportedly working on different theories to make a breakthrough in this gory murder case.

Phagwara, August 1
The Phagwara Nagar Council (NC) has restored the contract of collecting garbage from the doorsteps of Phagwara residents on the directions of the Punjab and Haryana High court.

The contract was restored to Tarsem Lal here today. It was allotted to him in March by the Nagar Council but was cancelled in May.

Tarsem Lal had moved an application in the Punjab and Haryana High Court against the cancellation of the contract.

The court, in its order dated July 21, had stayed the proceedings against the cancellation of the contract and directed the Nagar Council to restore it. A letter of restoration was handed over to contractor with all the previous terms and conditions by Nagar Council Executive Officer. The move to introduce contract system in garbage collection had been mired in controversies since the proposal was first mooted.

Phagwara, August 1
The police today claimed to have arrested six proclaimed offenders, four of them female, from various localities of Phagwara. The accused have been involved in scores of theft and looting cases, one of these registered 18 years back.

“A case was registered against a gang of four women involved in thefts in and around Phagwara in 1988 at the City police station,” Phagwara ASP Sukhchain Singh Gill said. They were identified as Bholi, Gejo and Gurdev Kaur, residents of Bagriana village in Sangrur district and Mahian alias Veero of Amargarh.