Polio case detected 
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 26
The first polio case in the past three years was confirmed in Punjab today. A one-year-old child, Jatinder Kumar, of Dasuya, Hoshiarpur, has been found to be polio positive by the Central Drug Laboratory, Kasauli, Himachal Pradesh following a test.

The report of the test was conveyed to the health authorities here, who will despatching a team to Dasuya tomorrow. The child had reported at a health centre at Dasuya a couple of weeks ago with a problem in moving his limbs. A test was ordered and the CDL, Kasauli a wing of the Central Drug Research Institute, sent the report as positive, said sources here tonight.

Authorities said the child was a son of migrants from Uttar Pradesh and he had recently spent three months in his native place. It is suspected he got infected by polio virus there.

Chandigarh, September 26
Cricketer-turned-MP Navjot Singh Sidhu’s legal troubles seem to have erupted again. In what could turn out to be a serious setback to his party’s efforts to field him against Punjab Chief Minister, Amarinder Singh from the Patiala constituency in the next Vidhan Sabha elections, the Punjab and Haryana High Court today fixed November 16 as the next date of hearing on the appeals filed by the Punjab Government and a Patiala resident against the acquittal of Sidhu in a murder case.

Sidhu was booked after he and his associate allegedly beat a Patiala resident, Gurnam Singh, to death in a dispute over parking of vehicles outside the State Bank of Patiala, branch where Sidhu was employed.

On September 22, 1999, the District and Sessions Judge, Patiala, had acquitted Sidhu in the case registered under Sections 304 and 34 of the IPC at the Kotwali police station, on December 27, 1988.

In their appeals, the state government and the son of the deceased have stated that the Sessions Court had erred in acquitting the accused as no opportunity was given to the prosecution to place on record all evidence in the case. They have also stated that the judgment passed by the District and Sessions Judge was erroneous and should be set aside.

The appeals against Sidhu’s acquittal were filed in 2002 and on November 29, 2002, the court admitted the same for further hearing.

Fatehgarh Sahib, September 26
The process of paddy procurement by government agencies has started in the district. Ms Jaspreet Talwar, Deputy Commissioner, accompanied by officials of the procurement agencies and District Mandi Officer, Mr Ramesh Gupta, inaugurated the process today by making a purchase at grain market, Sirhind.

She inspected the paddy brought by the farmers. She called upon them to bring paddy to the mandis as per specification of the government.

The Deputy Commissioner also inspected the arrangements made by the Mandi Board for the convenience of the farmers. She said drinking water and boarding facilities had been made in the mandis for the farmers. She directed officials to ensure payment to farmers with in 24 hours. She also took stock of the quantity of gunny bags, lifting and storage facilities. She directed that there should not be any shortage of gunny bags and the purchased paddy should be lifted immediately.

Mr Ramesh Gupta, DMO, gave detailed report about the arrangements made by the Mandi Board for the farmers. Mr Ranjit Singh Tarkhan Majra, Chairman, Market Committee, Sirhind, Mr Sadhu Ram, Block Congress president, also accompanied her.

Chandigarh, September 26
The Punjab Police today dismissed two policemen, including the Station House Officer of Banga, while two others were suspended on charges of indulging in anti-social activities and corruption.

Jagdish Singh, SHO, Banga, and ASI Inderjit Singh, in charge of the police chowki at Asron, have been dismissed from service under Article 311 of the Constitution whereas Sub-Inspector Satnam Singh, SHO, Mukandpur, and Sub-Inspector Darshan Singh, posted at the police station at Banga, have been suspended, said the Additional Director-General of Police (Intelligence), Mr J.P. Birdi, while addressing a press conference here today.

All four were absconding, said Mr Birdi, adding that a case under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, had been registered against all four of them at Banga. If a case was made out under the NDPS Act, the relevant sections would be added, the ADGP said.

The role of the supervisory officers of these officials was also being probed. The Vigilance Bureau had been asked to look into the case and a DIG-level officer would handle it.

The action comes in the wake of a sting operation carried by a news channel yesterday that showed how poppy was being sold.

Muktsar, September 26
A company has duped people of about Rs 15 crore here and its proprietors are reported to be absconding.

The city police has registered a case against firm directors Gurcharan Singh, Udik Chand, Gurmeet Singh, Manjeet Singh and Sanjeev Kumar under Sections 465, 467, 468, 471, 420, 419 and 120-B of the IPC. The police has also taken over the possession of the company’s office.

Sources said the company, National Group Limited, was mainly targeting people from rural areas. It was luring people into becoming its members with promises of costly mobile handsets, flashy cars and hefty cash prices. However, trouble started brewing up for the company last week when cheques worth lakhs issued by it started bouncing.

In his complaint, Krishan Kumar, a member of the company, told the police that Gurcharan Singh, Gurmeet Singh and Manjeet Singh met him on August 14 and termed themselves as stakeholders in National Group Limited and projected Udik Chand and Sanjeev Kumar as company’s directors. He said they told him that on paying Rs 3,300 the company would give an insurance cover of Rs 1 lakh and if he made two more members the firm would return him Rs 1,500.

They also promised that a Swift car would be given to any member who ropes in 990 members. Krishan Kumar claimed that he made 1,100 members of the company but neither he got any insurance cover nor he was gifted any car.

Meanwhile, when some cheques issued by the company to him got bounced he reached its office in Muktsar only to know that its directors were absconding. Acting on his complaint, the police registered the case.

Joginder Singh of Dhaula village, Balvir Singh of Sukhna Ablu village and Sudhir Agarwal of Bajakhana claimed that they too had made a large number of their friends and relatives members of the company and had lost lakhs of rupees in the process.

Sources said more such companies were involved in similar activities in Malout and Gidderbaha areas.

Abohar, September 26
The CIA staff from Ferozepore nabbed a resident of Pattisadiq village here with 50 gm of smack today.

Mr Arpit Shukla, SSP, said that ASI Gursher Singh intercepted Mangal Singh, a son of Taba Singh of Pattisadiq village in the new grain market area on a tip-off and seized 50 gm of smack.

The culprit revealed that he had smuggled 100 gm of smack from Bikaner in Rajasthan and sold half of it here.

The Khuyiansarwar police had arrested him under the NDPS Act in April also with 45 gm of smack but was released on bail by the trial court later.

Youth ‘beaten up’ by hospital staff
Tribune News Service

Bathinda, September 26
A 21-year-old youth hailing from Bhucho Mandi was admitted to the Civil Hospital after he was reportedly beaten up by staff of a private hospital on Sunday night.

According to sources, Babbu Khan allegedly took an overdose of a drug and fainted on Saturday. He was rushed to an RMP who referred him to a private hospital in Bathinda. His family members claimed that he regained consciousness after he was administered some glucose.

When they asked the doctor to discharge him, he demanded Rs 15,000 as his fee. They alleged that when they pleaded they didn’t have that much money, the doctor chained him to his bed. On Sunday night when Babbu started making noise he was reportedly beaten up by the hospital staff.

However, he ran away and was later found lying on a school premises. Sahara volunteers rushed him to the Civil Hospital. 

Malerkotla, September 26
Five youths assaulted a Punjabi journalist, Paramjit Singh Kuthala, also veterinary pharmacist working at Kasapur village near here today.

According to information, Paramjit Singh was coming from Kasapur to Malerkotla on his scooter. Five persons in a white Maruti car, all armed with lathis, stopped him and attacked him near Khatra village and broke his both legs and an arm.

He was admitted to the local Civil Hospital in a critical condition. Mr Rachpal Singh Hara, DSP, Malerkotla, said the police registered a case in this regard. He also claimed that the police would arrest the culprits soon.

Bathinda, September 26
Gagandeep Singh, a student of BCA, appeared in re-appear examination in semester six three years back, but Punjab Technical University (PTU) is yet to declare his result. Alleging this, his father today rued that he was running from pillar to post for his son’s result for the past couple of years, but to no avail.

Talking to The Tribune, Mr Ishwar Singh, a retired Deputy CE from the PSEB, said his son was a student of Gujranwala Guru Nanak Institute of Management and Technology (GGNIMT), Ludhiana, which is affiliated to the PTU. He said he appeared in re-appear examination of Paper 602: Handling Operating System on December 22, 2003, but his result is still awaited. In a letter to the Dean Examination, PTU, he added that Gagandeep (Roll No. 9916132) had also not received his mark sheet of semester five in which he scored 451 marks out of 700 and his name appeared in the list of successful candidates sent to the institute. He claimed that Mr GS Dua, Coordinator, GGNIMT has also confirmed non-receipt of his mark sheet. He said six reminders each from him and the institute had failed to wake up the university authorities. He lamented that his son could not pursue further studies and “laxity of the PTU officials had ruined his career”. He said he also visited the varsity once, but could not meet any higher official, while the clerical staff failed to come out with a convincing reply.

He said he had even lodged a complaint with the education ministry, but there too his plea drew a blank.

He said without his mark sheets of fifth and sixth semesters and BCA degree his son’s career was making no headway and he was clueless as to when his trauma would come to an end.