Kapurthala, December 27
The Vigilance Bureau (VB), in raid, arrested Bholath DSP Lakhwinder Singh Khaira red-handed while taking a bribe of Rs 25,000. Khaira is a brother of a Congress leader of jalandhar, Mr Jagninder Singh Bawa, who had unsuccessfully contested the last Municipal Corporation elections held a few years ago.

As many as 74 bottles of liquor, including several bottles of exported one, and 36 bottles of beer as well as 1.5 kg of poppy husk were seized from his office-cum-residence at Bholath during the raid.

The entire operation of nabbing the DSP was carried out by a 25-member Vigilance team led by its Amritsar Senior Superintendent of Police R.P.S. Bajwa.

The raid at the official residence-cum-office of the DSP started at around noon and continued till 2 p.m.

Earlier in the day, Vigilnce Bureu DIG N.S. Dhillon marked the complaint by Mr Kuldeep Singh of Pandori Rajputan village to the Vigilance Bureau, Amritsar, instead of the Vigilance Bureau, Jalandhar, presumably to maintain secrecy as the nabbed DSP hailed from Jalandhar itself.

The complainant contacted Mr Bajwa today morning and the raiding party along with the complainant was rushed to Bholath.

Mr Kuldeep Singh went to the office of the Bholath DSP and handed over Rs 25,000 to him. On getting signal from the complainant, the raiding party went inside his office-cum-residence and seized the money. During the subsequent search operation, 1.5 kg of poppy husk and bottles of liquor were also recovered.

The raiding team was accompanied by two Amritsar ETOs, Mr K.K. Bhatia and Mr Hardev Singh Randhawa, as witnesses and a Vigilance employee, Mr Kautaliya Sharma, as a shadow witness.

According to the complainant, Khaira had demanded Rs 50,000 from him to decide in his favour a complaint filed by Lakhwinder Singh of Bholath Garbi. However, Khaira agreed to accept Rs 25,000 on repeated requests.

Actually Lakhwinder submitted a complaint to DSP Khaira that Mr Kuldeep Singh had taken Rs 4 lakh from him in the name of sending him abroad about four years ago but he had neither sent him abroad nor returned his money.

The Vigilance SSP said that Mr Kuldeep had already returned the money to Lakhwinder in the presence of the panchayat about two and half year back.

Meanwhile, a team of the Jalandhar Vigilance Bureau, led by its DSP, Mr Tarsem Singh, recovered Rs 1.25 lakh, about 500 gm of gold ornaments and several bottles of English liquor during the raid at Khaira’s Makhdumpura residence in Jalandhar. More recoveries were expected as the raid was continuing till the filing of the news.

An FIR under relevant sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act was registered at Jalandhar. Separate FIRs have been registered against Khaira at Bholath police station under the relevant sections of the NDPS Act and Excise Act.

VB DSP Mr. Tarsem Singh said that one more FIR would be filed against him at concerned police station under Excise Act.

Mr Bajwa said that the accused DSP Khaira would be produced in court tomorrow.

Pathankot, December 27
Nearly all passenger trains shuttling between Pathankot and Amritsar ran late by half an hour to three hours while some running between Jalandhar and Pathankot had to be cancelled today.

This caused a lot of inconvenience to passengers who were stranded at the local railway station.

As per information, the Ravi Express, scheduled to reach Pathankot at 11.30 am from Amritsar was delayed by three hours.

A commuter, Lekh Raj, said the train left Amritsar one and half hours late and reached here at 2.20 pm.

Employees who commute by train from Batala, Dhariwal, Gurdaspur and Dinanagar were the worst hit as they had to brave the cold out in the open.

The Ravi Express left for Amritsar at 2.30 pm, 20 minutes late from its scheduled departure time of 2.10 pm.

Passengers complained of apathy on part of the railway authorities as they failed to make announcements about the delay.

Jalandhar, December 27
Blasting allegations of taking undue benefits from the Punjab Government levelled against him and other Punjab ministers, Rana Gurjit Singh, MP, said he had not violated any law or norm. He asserted that he got the benefits under various government schemes like other industrialists.

Rana Gurjit Singh’s statement comes in an effort to repulse the attack mounted through newspaper inserts by the Shiromani Akali Dal (B) and the AISSF. The MP also gave a clean chit to other beleaguered ministers and Congress leaders.

“I am an industrialist-turned-politician. I have neither taken favours nor undue advantage of my position as Congress MP. The allegations against me have been levelled at the behest of the Shiromani Akali Dal President, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, and his son Mr Sukhbir Singh Badal. I want to clarify the entire issue, which, has been raked up unnecessarily. Governments do extend subsidies and other incentives to industries. In this case, I have got benefits like 27 other industrialist. I was not alone.

“Mr Parkash Singh Badal once dubbed all industrialists as ‘thieves’ in a CII meeting. I could not speak at that time but as an industrialist I had to give money to him and had almost made up my mind to stand up in that meeting and reveal the truth,” said Rana Gurjit Singh, who, was accompanied by Mr Anil Dutta, Chairman, local Central Cooperative Bank and Mr Varinder Sharma, senior Congress leader.

“I feel other Congress leaders who have been targeted should retaliate but I have come in the open and I deny all the allegations. Badals have acquired wealth worth crores and their Dabwali Transport Company came out of the red and did roaring business during the three tenures of Mr Badal as the Chief Minister. I want to ask them from where that money came from in such a short time.”

Rana Gurjit Singh refused to answer a question regarding his indictment in the CAG (Comptroller and Auditor General) report, saying the case was in the court now.

Responding to a question about bickering in the Kapurthala unit and allegations levelled against him by the DCC chief, Mr Sukhpal Singh Khaira, Rana Gurjit Singh said, “It is a thing of past. Now, Sukhpal has the responsibility of being the Kapurthala District Congress Committee. In politics foes turn friends.” 

Phagwara, December 27
Noted Punjabi writers, Gurmit Palahi, Kashmir Qadar, J.S. Gandam, T.D. Chawla and Devinder Singh Sra, today expressed their happiness over the literary award to Pyara Singh Bhogal, Punjabi writer and columnist.

In a statement here, these writers said that Bhogal weilded a powerful pen as a creative writer, a columnist and a commentator.

Palahi, a former secretary of the Kendari Punjabi Lekhak Sabha, Gandam and Chawla, president and vice-president of the Punjabi Lekhak Sabhas of Phagwara and Palahi, respectively, disclosed that Bhogal had penned down dozens of books of Punjabi literature and criticism, besides writing hundreds of articles in leading Punjabi dailies.

Pyara Singh Bhogal was among those eight Punjabi writers who had been selected by the Punjabi Sahit Academy, Ludhiana, for the Kartar Singh Yadgari award for the year 2005.

The award carried Rs 21,000, a citation and a shawl. The award will be presented next month in a special function at Punjabi Bhavan, Ludhiana.

It may further be mentioned here that Kartar Singh Yadgari Sarbsresht Sahitkar Purskar would be bestowed on Punjabi critic, poet, historian Kirpal Singh Kasel.

Young poet Harwinder Bhandal will be given the Nav-pratibha award.

Ramgarhia College takes overall honours
Our Correspondent

Nawanshahr, December 27
A four-day Amardeep Mela organised to commemorate the birth anniversary of Amardeep Singh as well as the 13th Establishment Day of Amardeep Singh Shergill Memorial College, Mukandpur, concluded on Sunday.

Vice-president of a telecom company Rajinder Singh had inaugurated the mela.

Colourful cultural programmes and exhibitions by different departments marked the celebrations.

Inter-college competitions were held on different days.

A medical check-up camp was organised on the concluding day.

Punjabi Academy, Delhi, secretary Dr Ravel Singh was the chief guest at the shabad gayan competition.

Government College for Girls, Ludhiana, came first, while Ramgarhia College for Women, Ludhiana, and Guru Nanak Girls College, Ludhiana, came second and third, respectively.

In Heer-Mirza/folk singing competition, former DPI (colleges) Nisha Sharad was the chief guest.

Arshpreet of Ramgarhia College, Ludhiana, stood first while Ranjot Singh of Guru Nanak College, Doraha, and Rupinder Kaur of Government Girls College, Ludhiana, came second and third, respectively.

In folk singing, Renu Bala and Kumari Lata of HMV, Jalandhar, came first and second, respectively, while Kumari Agnus of Kala Sanghian College finished third.

In quiz competition, Bearing College, Batala, Principal Dr Hipesh Shepherd was the chief guest.

Apeejay College of Fine Arts, Jalandhar, grabbed the first place, while Guru Nanak College, Ludhiana, and the hosts finished second and third, respectively.

A.K. Khullar chaired the poetical recitation contest, in which Gourav Sharma and Harpreet Kaur from Apeejay College of Fine Arts were declared first and second, respectively. The third place went to Vardiyani Ratti from Sikh National College, Banga.

The overall trophy along with a prize money of Rs 10,000 was awarded to Ramgarhia Girls College, Ludhiana.

Government Girls College, Ludhiana, and Guru Nanak Girls College, Ludhiana, came second and third, respectively.

Nawanshahr, December 27
KC Group of Education Institutions observed its Founder’s Day here on Sunday.

A “yajana” was performed to inaugurate the function.

KC Social Welfare Trust chairman Prem Pal Gandhi, CEO Brig H.S. Bhandal, KC College of Engineering and Information Technology Principal I.S. Hundiara, KC Polytechnic Principal Shiv Kumar, KC College of Education Principal Dr Ania Verma and KC College of Hotel Management Principal Anup Kumar along with staff and students paid tributes to K.C. Gandhi.

Prem Gandhi also gave a cheque for Rs 3.81 lakh to Nitika Khata, an engineering student, who lost her father in a road accident recently.

Nawanshahr, December 27
District unit general secretary of the Veterinary Pharmacist Union, Punjab, Jasbir Singh has condemned the lathicharge on veterinary pharmacists at Fatehgarh Sahib.

In a press statement here yesterday, he said they were peacefully demonstrating to press the state government to accept their demands.

The veterinary pharmacists have been holding protests since July 17 in the state, he added.