Jalandhar, November 7
The ruthless murder of an aged woman and a Nepali chowkidar in two separate incidents shook the city on Tuesday morning when these murders came to light.

Drenched in blood, the body of Krishan Kumari, 68, a resident of Old Jawahar Nagar locality, was found at the ground floor of her house, when her maidservant came to the place around 9 am in the morning. Krishna Kumari’s gold kangans and earrings were found to be missing.

The deceased was living alone in the house since the death of her husband Krishan Kumar. Her only son is settled in the UK, while three of her four daughters are married at Ludhiana.

Evidence at the crime scene suggested that some unidentified assailant had battered her to death by attacking her in her head with some blunt weapon in the night and had decamped with gold ornaments. Blood-stained footprints were also found at the rooftop of the house, which indicated that the assailant had escaped via the rooftop after committing the crime.

A stick used for washing clothes and a pair of chappals were recovered from the spot.

Mr Ishwar Singh, SSP, and his team of senior officers, including Mr Satinder Singh, SP, reached the spot immediately after the crime was reported to the police by the neighbours. A case has been registered at police division no. 3. No arrest has been made so far.

Meanwhile, in another incident, Ramu, a Nepali servant-cum-chowkidar, was battered to death in a house in the Army Enclave near Subhana village on the outskirts of the city. He was also attacked with a blunt weapon in his head.

The incident came to light when the owner of the house, Constable Ravinder Singh, went to his house early this morning. He found Ramu lying in a serious condition and shifted him to the Civil Hospital, where the victim succumbed to his injuries. A case has been registered at the Sadar police station.

Phagwara, November 7
Hundreds of students belonging to various educational institutions here took to the streets today to protest against the “highhandedness” of a PRTC bus driver and conductor.

The students raised anti-police slogans, ransacked a PRTC bus and blocked traffic on the Phagwara-Jalandhar, Phagwara-Hoshiarpur, Phagwara-Ludhiana, Phagwara-Nakodar and Phagwara-Nawanshahr roads today. They also forced the Phagwara shopkeepers to close their shops.

The trouble started when a conductor of a PRTC bus allegedly pushed Hardeep Singh, a student of Lovely Polytechnic College, Chaheru, while the latter was boarding the bus at the local bus stand. The student fell down on the road and was seriously injured. The lower part of his body was crushed under the wheels of the bus.

More than thirty students, who were travelling by the Jalandhar-bound bus, immediately raised an alarm.

The seriously injured student was brought to the local Parhar Hospital, but the doctors attending on the student referred him to the CMC Hospital, Ludhiana, as the lower part of his body was badly injured. The victim’s friend Harry Sood took him to the CMC Hospital, Ludhiana.

Meanwhile, students of other educational institutions started gathering on the spot and held a demonstration. A mob of students damaged the bus involved in the accident. They were going to set the bus afire when the police party, led by ASP, Dr Sukhchain Singh Gill, reached the spot and prevented the torching of the bus.

The irate students broke the windowpanes of another PRTC bus. They also broke the windowpanes of three other buses of the PRTC near Punjab Bone Mills, Chaheru, and Lovely Institute at Chaheru. They demanded the immediate arrest of the bus driver and conductor.

The students blocked the traffic at the local Sugar Mills Chowk, near bus stand, Gandhi Hospital, Banga Road and the road opposite Lovely Institute at Chaheru.

Several educational institutions of the town were also closed by the agitating students.

The police had to resort to a mild lathi-charge to disperse the agitating students. However, officials, including SDM and ASP, denied it and claimed that the police was only dispersing the students.

Additional police force was brought from the district headquarter, Kapurthala. SP (D), Mr Randhawa, and two DSPs, Mr L.P.S. Khaira and Mr Lakhwinder Singh, were also camping at Phagwara.

This correspondent visited Lovely Institute and talked to its MD, Mr Ramesh Mittal, and Mr Ashok Mittal, who claimed that no student of the institute was involved in the violence. They said that though the institute had 22 buses to bring the students from nearby villages and towns, several students had to travel by government and private buses.

Meanwhile, Harry Sood, the first-year student of Lovely Pharmacy College, who took Hardeep to the hospital at Ludhiana, told The Tribune on phone from Ludhiana that he and his friend Hardeep, student of first semester of mechanical engineering at Lovely Institute, were going from Ludhiana to the college and were boarding another bus for Chaheru. As Hardeep was about to board the bus, the bus conductor pushed him back. Hardeep fell down unconscious.

When The Tribune talked to Avtar Singh, father of the injured student, he said he had two sons and one daughter. He said the medical treatment of his injured son was beyond his reach. Meanwhile, Phagwara SDM Balwinder Singh Dhaliwal assured that free medical treatment would be provided to the injured student. However, tension continued till the filing of the report.

ASP Gill said that a case under Section 307 of the IPC had been registered against the bus driver and conductor. 

Jalandhar, November 7
While employees of the Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) observed one-day strike in Punjab, the Technical Services Union of the PSEB claimed that the strike was fully successful and 65 to 95 per cent employees of the board had participated in it.

The strike had begun at midnight on November 6 and continued till midnight on November 7.

“Reports reaching our head office here indicate that 65 to 95 per cent of employees participated in the strike in Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Nawanshahr, Hoshiarpur, Amritsar, Faridkot, Muktsar, Gurdaspur, Taran Tarn, Ropar, Mohali, Sangrur, Patiala, Ferozepore, Ludhiana, Khanna, Anandpur Sahib, Shahpurkandi, UBDC, Malikpur, Shanan Power Project, Joginder Nagar and Thermal Plant at Lehra Mohabbat,” claimed Mr Amarjit Singh Sodhi, the state president of the Technical Services Union.

The employees were protesting against the move to privatise the PSEB, non-filling of 15000 vacancies, and to press for extension of jobs to wards of deceased employees of the board.

Jalandhar, November 7
To press for their demands, unemployed veterinary pharmacists blocked traffic at Rama Mandi Chowk here today.

They demanded the lifting of ban on recruitments by the Punjab government without any further delay.

Mr Jaswinder Singh Bari and Mr Harpreet Sidhu, leaders of the protesting pharmacists, alleged that the Punjab Congress leaders had deceived them as the pharmacists sitting on a fast-unto-death had not been on fast in the month of May on the basis of the government’s promise that vacant posts would be filled shortly.

“But instead of filling the vacancies, a ban was clamped on the recruitment,” alleged the veterinary pharmacists.

They also threatened to resort to self-immolation if their demands were not accepted.

Kapurthala, November 7
Deputy Commissioner cum District Returning Officer, Mr Raminder Singh, suspended three booth-level officers for their alleged dereliction in election-related duty and for “intentionally remaining absent” from their duty.

The suspended officers included Mangal Dass, patwari at Nurpur Januha who was on poll duty at Jatike, a PSEB clerk Gagan Singh, who was on duty at Sajorala, and a JE, Water Supply Department, Harbajan Singh, who was on poll duty at Jatike.

According to an official statement issued here today, the work of photography of voters had started at the abovementioned places today, but these booth-level officers did not reach there.

Kapurthala SDM, Mr Karnail Singh, found them absent during his visit to these villages. Subsequently, the DC suspended them.

Jalandhar, November 7
The PTU Zonal Youth Festival that began at Lovely Institutes registered a low participation of the colleges falling in the zone.

Even as 27 teams were to take part, only 10 teams arrived on the first day today.

Some of the events, including clay modelling, had just two teams.

There were six contesting teams in gidda and group song contests. A variety of cultural events such as Western vocal solo, Western group song, play, mimicry, classical instrumental, elocution and quiz contests were organised. Rangoli and cartoon competitions were also held today.

Results of the events:

Gidda: The DAV Institute of Engineering and Technology (1). The Lovely Institute of Management (2).

Classical Instrumental (non-percussion): The DAV Institute of Engineering and Technology (1).

Classical Instrumental (solo): The DAV Institute of Engineering and Technology (1). RIMET, Phagwara (2).

Indian group song: The Lovely Institute of Management, Phagwara (1). The DAV Institute of Engineering and Technology (2).

Elocution: The DAV Institute of Engineering and Technology (1). The Apeejay Institute of Management (2).

Western vocal solo: The Lovely Institute of Management (1). The DAV Institute of Engineering and Technology (2).